Chapter 109: Battle Of Hattin Forest (1)
And the next day.
When the 12th Brigade, commanded by Peter Yaeger, was encamped in Hatin, ready and waiting to face the enemy, Colonel Elang, the Deputy Commander of the 24th Division of the Francois Republic, said to the Division Commander.
“Commander, even though the enemy has about 4,000 strong men and we have over 10,000, the opponent is Major General Peter Yaeger. We need to scout the terrain more thoroughly.”
Normally, Jean de Pompadour, the Commander of the 24th Division, would have accepted the suggestion to reconnoiter again or would have convinced others with valid reasons.
But now, the entire Francois Republic was excommunicated by the Pope, and the morale of the army was so low that it was practically underground.
Since the republic’s members of parliament and high-ranking officials like himself could be taken to the guillotine by angry citizens if they didn’t quickly reverse the excommunication from the Papacy…
“What nonsense are you talking about? We’ve already scouted three times. The enemy is only about 4,000! They may have built a fort in the plains, but it’s just a few palisades! There’s no significant trap either.”
“That may be true, but…”
“Besides, our knights of the Francois Republic are the strongest on the continent of Europa! You don’t think we’re going to lose to the Reich Empire pigs cowering behind those palisades, do you?!”
When the Division Commander mentioned the strength of the Francois knights, other nobles also shouted loudly in agreement.
“Deputy Commander, it’s true that Major General Yaeger is an enemy we can’t ignore. But we will not be defeated like we were in Raintlant.”
“We are fully wary of the enemy in front of us, and our forces outnumber them by 2.5 times.”
“Let’s win here and take this chance to cut off Major General Yaeger’s head!”
At those words, Colonel Elang could say nothing more, and Division Commander Pompadour chuckled and said,
“So it is. Then shut up and follow orders, you coward.”
Having suppressed the Deputy Commander who opposed the hasty attack, the Division Commander raised and then lowered the baton in his right hand.
And at the same time, he shouted in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
“400 knights under Colonel Charles, attack the enemy’s right flank! Show the cowards trembling behind the palisades the dignity and strength of Francois!”
Then, as if they had been waiting for this moment, the 400 knights, with lances in their right hands and shields in their left, slowly rode their horses towards where the Reich Empire’s army was positioned.
As the knights set out, it seemed as if the neck of Major General Yaeger, who only had 4,000 weaklings, was already theirs.
Their commander, Colonel Charles, shouted loudly,
“We are as good as victors already! We will bring down the righteous hammer of God on the Reich scum who falsely claimed Deus’s orders and blinded His Holiness, the Pope, to drive us to excommunication!”
Then, to set an example, he took the lead, making his conspicuous armor and banner stand out as he advanced.
As he displayed the arrogance and bravery befitting a Francois noble, the other knights’ spirits began to swell.
In their hearts, they firmly believed that their nation’s excommunication was nothing but a conspiracy by the Reich Empire.
“Long live the Francois Republic! For the people, by the people, and looking only at the people, may this great republic last forever!”
“The knights of the Republic will never be defeated under any circumstances!”
“Let’s go kill those cowards who are hiding behind palisades that might as well be toothpicks!”
Full of confidence, they began to charge towards the right flank of the Reich Empire’s army, about 1.2 km away.
Continuing at this speed, they would collide with the Reich Empire’s forces in about 15 minutes.
Colonel Charles imagined that after playing a major role in winning the first battle against the Reich Empire with this charge, he would capture the enemy leader, Peter Yaeger, who was nothing more than a lucky novice.
He fantasized about officially being promoted to Major General and earning his stars… His path to success would be wide open.
‘Yaeger may be a Major General in name, but our Republic sees him as nothing more than an enemy Deputy Commander. Capturing him might pave my way to becoming a member of the nobility’s council.’
“Damn it! Why are they shooting arrows from horseback?!”
“Cowards! If you are knights, fight us fair and square with lances face-to-face!”
“Halt! Halt!!”
The shouting completely shattered Colonel Charles’s daydream, and a knight beside him reported urgently,
“We’re in trouble. Those evil Reich bastards are cowardly shooting arrows at us from horseback!”
“What? How can someone ride a horse so fast and shoot arrows at the same time?”
“Look to the side! Even now, they are circling around us, shooting arrows!”
Colonel Charles, being at the forefront, couldn’t look around, but the Reich Empire’s archer cavalry was already circling and shooting arrows at the left and rear of the wedge formation of the Francois Republic’s knights.
Even though the knights were heavily armored, their side and rear armors were relatively weak, resulting in nearly 20 knights falling from their horses or being killed by arrows.
Yet, more dreadful was the fact that the Francois knights still had to cover about 800 meters, approximately 10 more minutes, to reach the right wing of the Reich Empire’s army.
At that time, the archer cavalry could unleash more than a thousand arrows, leading to increasing troop casualties.
Due to being attacked midway, their charge was weakening, and without confidence in breaking through the enemy spearmen, the situation had become dire.
“Colonel, shouldn’t we first strike down those cowardly archers? Just look. They’re on small horses and barely wearing chain armor. One charge from our lances should be enough to annihilate them.”
Hearing this, Colonel Charles opened his helmet’s visor and shouted,
“Indeed, those riding those delicate horses will easily fall to our lances. But they are much lighter-armed than us! Our horses will tire faster if we chase them! Just charge! If we pursue, we’ll all be led to our deaths.”
Indeed, the heavily muscled warhorses of the knights, strong for ramming, could never catch the archer cavalry’s horses, specialized for covering long distances quickly.
The Lieutenant Colonel, who had suggested the pursuit, bowed his head in resignation, took hold of his lance again, and charged towards the visible right wing of the Reich Empire.
“Save me! Agh!!”
“Don’t step on me!! Don’t!”
Meanwhile, the horses, less armored than their riders, fell to the arrows, and the dismounted knights were inevitably trampled by their comrades’ warhorses.
Crushed by horses weighing over 500 kilograms, those who fell started dying immediately.
Ordinary soldiers might have retreated in fear in such a situation, but among knights, such deaths were relatively common.
Nevertheless, the knights of Francois, unaware, continued to charge towards the enemy ahead.
Lieutenant Colonel Marco, acting as the commander of the right-wing of Yaeger’s Brigade, watched and then, thinking the time was right, commanded,
“Crossbowmen and mage battalions, move forward 20 paces, right 300 paces! Form a diagonal line in the direction the enemy is coming and shoot immediately when the enemy knights’ flanks are exposed!”
Upon this order, the crossbowmen and mages began to slowly move according to the Lieutenant Colonel’s command, preparing to confront the enemy.
Major General Yaeger, having spotted the movement of the long-range units, then issued a command.
“Tell the knights led by Lieutenant Colonel Werner to prepare for a charge! Turn to the left of the right flank and stab into the sides of the enemy knights!”
At the same time, Lieutenant Anastasia hung her bow on the saddle and commanded,
“Archer cavalry, disengage according to the plan! Surely there’s no one foolish enough to die at the hands of the Francois knights, who are good for nothing but eating snails?”
Then, having killed nearly 50 knights with only their arrows, the archer cavalry smoothly exited the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Colonel Charles of the Francois Republic, grinding his teeth and feeling as though he was shedding blood and tears, aimed his lance at the enemy and shouted,
“Those evil and cowardly pigs of the Empire, those who try to desecrate the Republic in the name of God, we must kill them all! Leave no one alive! I’ll take responsibility. Kill them all except for Major General Yaeger!!”
Then, a signal was given to the crossbowmen and mage battalions positioned on the right wing of the imperial army.
“Annihilate the foolish enemy.”
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