Chapter 285: The Battle of Helmgarde (Part I)

Casvan led a massive army to Mount Doom, known as "Mount Doom" to the Bretonnians and as the "Heart of Ice and Snow" by the Imperials across the mountain.

Duke Paralon did not linger as he passed through Ubersreik. Instead of attacking the town, he extorted a supply of military provisions and payment from Count Graf in exchange for a promise not to assault the city.

Compliant, Count Graf, who commanded a standing army of three hundred along with his own private guard, dared not oppose Casvan's overwhelming force of over fifteen thousand. After securing sufficient provisions and gold, Casvan's army passed through Ubersreik, heading directly for Helmgarde.

Despite the declaration of war, the civil conflict among humans still abided by certain unwritten rules: prisoners and civilians were not to be killed, and nobles were held for ransom.

The large army of over fifteen thousand encamped on the slopes of Mount Doom, where Casvan urged his knights and soldiers to rest and prepare for the upcoming battle.

Emperor Karl-Franz led an army of approximately twenty thousand and camped behind the shallows in front of Helmgarde. Elector Umberto of Tuscany commanded eight thousand troops from Avi at the emperor's flank, forming a pincer movement.

About four thousand Imperial troops were left to guard inside Helmgarde. The emperor had no intention of defending the city since it was a civil war among humans.

As both armies stood off, they looked for opportunities to strike.

On a clear morning in February, Ryan and François stood on the walls of Helmgarde, observing the standoff. The Champion of the Lake Lady murmured, "The Imperial army is well-trained, composed of various military units, and has high morale. However, they have fewer knights. Even counting the Rick Guard and Umberto's personal guards, they only have about twelve hundred knights total."

"Casvan's force is significantly smaller compared to the Imperial army, but his knights number over two thousand two hundred. The outcome of this war is hard to predict. The Empire has a slight advantage in troop strength, while Casvan has the advantage in cavalry numbers. However, sometimes victory is decided in a moment."

François nodded. Duke Wimfort pondered for a moment and said, "Casvan is battle-hardened. He knows that if he charges directly at the Imperial lines, the knights won't stand a chance. He needs to wait for an opportunity when the Imperial army exposes a weakness."

"Exposing a weakness..." Gerard frowned as he looked at the opposing forces. "Casvan is operating in Imperial territory, and this is an expedition for him. He can't afford a prolonged battle with Karl-Franz. The emperor just needs to fortify his camp, and Casvan will have no chance of victory."

"No, you're mistaken, Gerard," Ryan shook his head. "Emperor Karl-Franz understands that this war isn't as straightforward as it seems. Gerard, you're only considering the military aspects, but Karl understands much more. He's not just an excellent general; he's also a shrewd politician."

"True, the emperor might rely on a staunch defense to win, but that's not what he wants." François nodded and smiled, satisfied with Ryan's political acumen: "So many of us are watching this."

A light of realization flashed across Gerard's stern face: "I see."

War is never simple.

Inside the Imperial camp before Helmgarde, the emperor and his generals, including Kurt Helborg and flag officer Ludwig Schwarzhelm, along with Tuscany Elector Umberto, were examining the battlefield sand table.

Alchemist Balthazar Gelt was also present, but the usually inventive alchemist showed little interest in this human civil war and stood by silently.

The front of Helmgarde city was filled with flags representing Rick's troops in red and Avi's troops in yellow. Across the shallows and a narrow plain, the slopes of Mount Doom were marked with blue flags.

"Casvan has stationed his troops halfway up the mountain, where there's a good water supply and sufficiently steep terrain," Helborg pointed to the blue flag. "If we attack his camp directly, our formations will face a massed cavalry charge from the slopes, a force we can hardly resist."

The generals nodded in agreement. The Imperial commanders were well aware of the devastating power of a Bretonnian knightly charge. When these knights charged, shouting the names of their goddesses, any enemy in their path would be crushed.

"Our knights are outnumbered by Casvan's, and any direct assault is bound to fail," said Emperor Karl-Franz in his military attire, shaking his head. "Our artillery could cover our charge, but Casvan has about fifty Pegasus knights who will definitely seek to strike at our artillery positions."

"A direct assault would cause us tremendous casualties,

 and this is a war among humans; we cannot fight like this. The bloody lessons of the Three Emperors' era are before us. However, we cannot remain idle," Emperor Karl-Franz said calmly. The young emperor clearly understood that he and his army could not simply hold their ground under such scrutiny; he needed to secure a resounding victory.

"In fact, the simplest way to win is through a champion's duel. Karl-Franz, if you step forward and challenge Casvan to a duel, he can't refuse," suddenly suggested Elector Umberto, glancing at the rune-fanged sword at the emperor's waist and the warhammer Ghal Maraz in his hand.

"No, Casvan has ample reason to decline," Emperor Karl-Franz shook his head, the emperor grimaced: "The knights across the mountain no longer trust us."

He referred to a recent incident on the "Corona Road," a border skirmish between the Empire and Brittany. Tired of the ongoing stalemate and minor clashes, Brittany suggested settling the dispute through a champion's duel.

Helborg agreed.

As the strongest swordsman among the Rick Guards, Helborg undoubtedly possessed impressive skill and swordsmanship. However, Brittany sent a Grail Knight, Baron de Alberic.

The formidable strength of a Grail Knight goes without saying. Realizing he could not defeat the powerful Grail Knight despite all his skills, Helborg gracefully admitted defeat. Acknowledging Helborg as a brave warrior, Baron de Alberic stated that he would not have fought Helborg if not compelled.

Helborg agreed with the baron's view and backed away from the duel site.

Then he ordered his cannons to fire.

Imperial cannons, pre-arranged in the battlefield, fired simultaneously at Baron de Alberic. The Grail Knight was struck repeatedly by cannon fire, and taking advantage of de Alberic's injuries, Helborg decapitated the Grail Knight, declaring himself the victor.

With his dying breath, Baron de Alberic cursed Helborg's dishonorable tactics, but Helborg turned a deaf ear, concerned only with victory and duty, not with honor.

This incident led to a severe diplomatic conflict. Upon learning the outcome, Emperor Karl-Franz hastily sent envoys to negotiate peace with Richard, redefining the borders while immediately recalling Helborg to Brunswick for a stern reprimand.

The emperor's stance was clear: such deceitful tactics could be employed against chaos, barbarians from the north, vampires, and greenskins, but using them against human brethren was excessive.

Helborg didn't care; he sought only victory.

The actions of this Imperial general were debatable, but it was certain that the Bretonnians would no longer readily accept a champion's duel.

Moreover, even if the Bretonnians accepted, the emperor wasn't guaranteed a victory.

Emperor Karl-Franz, about thirty-four years old, was of legendary intermediate strength. He was well-aware that his formidable power stemmed primarily from his excellent equipment, whether it was the "Silver Seal," "Rune Fang," or "Ghal Maraz," all artifacts among the strongest enchanted relics of the old world.

Even so, facing a Grail Knight, the emperor could not be sure of victory, as a Grail Knight is significantly stronger than an ordinary man of the same rank.

"So, our plan is for me to lead about a thousand knights on a flanking maneuver, circling behind Helmgarde through the mountain paths to attack Casvan's flank," the emperor's finger moved across the war table, bypassing a nearby hill, then directly targeting Casvan's flank. "It will take us about two hours of forced march to complete the flank."

"At the same time, Lord Umberto will lead all the infantry and some knights straight across the shallows, waiting for the opportunity. Once I lead the knights to complete the flanking maneuver, our two forces will launch a coordinated attack. No army can sustain a fight on two fronts for long; as long as we execute the plan properly, Casvan and his army will collapse!"

"Prepare to move. At dawn tomorrow, I will lead the knights out, and I ask Lord Umberto to lead his troops across the shallows at the same time, waiting for my signal to jointly strike at Casvan's forces!"

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, on the slopes of Mount Doom.

The army of the Duchy of Paralon was resting. After a day of rest, Casvan's forces gradually recovered from the fatigue of crossing the mountains, and their morale began to improve. The rangers, a large group of knights, were eagerly anticipating their encounter with the Imperial knights.

Unlike the rangers, the kingdom's main force knights were mostly silent. Aware of the Empire's might, they braced themselves for a tough battle.

Casvan was also discussing the military situation with his deputy, Count Karel.

"The quality and quantity of the Imperial troops far surpass ours.

 If we rashly launch an attack, the Empire's cannons and elite formations will cause heavy losses among our knights," Casvan noted, looking at the map. The battle-hardened duke also found the military situation challenging: "We have more knights than the Imperial forces, and we need to find the right moment to strike."

"The question now is whether Emperor Karl-Franz will hold Helmgarde or come out to attack," Count Karel voiced his concerns.

"He won't," Casvan furrowed his brow, but his conclusion was the same: the Imperial forces would definitely take the offensive.

So...how would Emperor Karl-Franz take the offensive?

Casvan studied the map. His forces were encamped halfway up the mountain, while the Imperial forces were stationed on the plain in front of Helmgarde, with the shallows in the forefront, followed by a narrow plain, and then the vicinity of Casvan's camp.

The duke knew he had to leverage his advantage in knight numbers and their powerful charge to have any chance of thoroughly defeating the Imperial army.

"Send out scouts again!"

"Yes!"

Early in the morning on February 2nd, under the cover of darkness.

Emperor Karl-Franz led the Rick Guard and several Imperial knightly orders on their mission. They would circumvent a hill and unexpectedly attack Casvan's camp from the rear.

Elector Umberto led all the Imperial infantry, artillery, and a few knights across the shallows.

In the darkness, relying solely on moonlight, the Imperial forces dared not light torches. The passage of over twenty thousand troops across the shallows was relatively smooth due to the cold weather and low water level.

"Let's hope all goes well," Elector Umberto, clad in expertly crafted mithril plate armor made by dwarves, rode a half-elf warhorse adorned in splendid armor. The elector himself wore a colorful plumed robe as he crossed the shallows under the protection of his personal guards, with the river water barely reaching the horse's hooves.

"My lord elector, why did the emperor assign you to command the army? Wouldn't it be better for you to lead the knights on the flanking maneuver?" asked the knights of the Golden Fleece, Umberto's personal guard and the elite force of Avi, who had been handpicked by the elector himself. They had extensive combat experience from fighting greenskins at the Blackfire Pass.

"Because Karl-Franz needs it; he needs enough prestige," Umberto elector smiled. "This new emperor is a talented man, but his current prestige isn't sufficient to support his ambitions and convictions. Thus, he must continuously lead his army to victory in person to ensure his policies can continue to be implemented. Compared to the nobles, he'd rather trust his own troops, as there are plenty of nobles who despise him."

In the early hours, under a moonlit sky, a thick fog rose from the grey mountains and the Doom Mountain area all the way to Helmgarde, obscuring visibility.

The Imperial forces had mostly crossed the shallows when Elector Umberto felt something was amiss.

It was too quiet.

"Where is my advisor, Otto?" the elector called out to his rear.

"Here!" A legendary wizard of the light school, clad in a white robe and holding a staff, hurried from behind.

"Dispel this fog! Immediately!"

"Yes!"

As the spell was cast, the fog enveloping the valley and plain was dispelled.

The powerful light of banishment shone across the plain, not only driving away the fog but also revealing the hidden armies.

Flags stood like a forest, spears like rain; over two thousand fully armed Bretonnian knights and tens of thousands of Bretonnian infantry had already formed their lines, stretching from the mountain slopes to near the Imperial forces.

"That's enough," fully armed, Casvan rode a purebred elven Pegasus, speaking to a beautiful Lake Prophet at his side, who nodded and ceased her spellcasting.

Thus, the fog completely cleared from the plain.

Casvan had already led his main forces down from the mountain.

"Disaster!" Elector Umberto realized the plan had failed as Casvan launched an attack.

He immediately signaled the Golden Fleece knights to sound the horns, and the elector drew the elector's holy sword, "Mother of Destruction": "Imperial forces! Rally to me!"

The Imperial troops hastily formed up and quickly gathered around the elector.

"Advance! Bretonnian knights!" Casvan raised his lance high, and over two thousand knights also raised their lances in response: "Charge! For the lady!!!"

"For the lady!!!"

A thunderous charge ensued, mud splashing, as the wave of Bretonnian knights swept across the field.

The great battle was about to begin.

PS: Yesterday, I had a quarrel in the group with a so-called "spiritual shareholder" of

 G, W, whose views as a fundamentalist were quite interesting. He essentially argued, "Since you've used the name Warhammer, you must adhere entirely to Warhammer's settings. If you're not going to follow these settings, then don't use the name." I want to clarify that what I'm writing is fan fiction; I never claimed this to be the true original setting in its entirety. I've always said there are modifications, and if you don't like it, you don't have to read it. I've put a lot of effort into this book, having read at least a million words of background material, including many English original military books. I always research anything new before I start writing.

___________________

(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)

If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters

Read Ahead

Patreon.com/INNIT