Chapter 115: Battle Of Hattin Forest (7)
Upon witnessing Division Commander Pompadour of the Republic leading his direct unit in the situation, Major General Yaeger removed his helmet and pinched his cheek.
The officers and soldiers who witnessed this scene wore incredulous expressions, wondering why he was doing this, but the Major General paid them no heed.
He was too astonished by the enemy commanders foolish actions to pay attention to such reactions.
Surely, they have more soldiers, so they might think they can reverse the situation. But now that the tide has completely turned in our favor, such actions are futile.
Instead of retreating to minimize losses, the Division Commander himself led his direct unit to the front line in an attempt to turn the situation around.
There might have been a brief effect initially, but it wouldnt ultimately reverse the situation. Instead, they would miss the chance to retreat, increasing their losses.
It was obvious that the deeper the Division Commander penetrated into enemy lines, the greater the chance of being captured.
The Major General clicked his tongue and gave an order to his soldiers.
Send the units with some leeway to the center to reinforce and tighten the encirclement. If done well, we might capture the enemy commander alive.
Following his command, a few squads from the units that had some leeway in the Reich Empires camp were selected to move to the center for support.
As a result, Pompadours shallow trick to break through the center and reverse the situation was perfectly thwarted.
As the situation unfolded, Major General Yaeger felt the urge to take the field himself, as he had during the subjugation of Ludwig.
While a commander leading a force of over 4,000 at the forefront boosts the morale of the soldiers and presents an opportunity to earn personal accolades, there was a significant risk. If unlucky, the commander might be killed by enemy soldiers, leading to a loss in the war.
Thus, the Major General decided to quell his restlessness and continue commanding from the center.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Werner, leading the brigades knights, halted their attack on mages and crossbowmen, turning their horses heads toward the infantry of the Francois Republic.
He allowed the knights to catch their breath while he meticulously observed the current battle situation.
He considered the best way to target the enemy to secure victory.
After about ten minutes of contemplation, Lieutenant Colonel Werner seemed to see an illusion of a line made of light.
If we charge in that direction, I can greatly contribute to the victory of this battle.
This conviction settled within him.
He immediately drew his sword from his waist and commanded the knights around him.
Widen the formation! From the usual eight rows to four rows!! Reorganize into a four-row formation and charge right into where those Francois guys are ahead!
He was emulating Major General Yaeger, whom he respected, who had once used the tactic of widening the formation to make their numbers seem larger.
Lieutenant Colonel Werner believed that if the knights maintained their attack power while deploying as widely as possible in a four-row formation during a unified charge, the number and area of enemy infantry they could damage in one attack would double, significantly affecting the enemys morale.
Were going to trample those Francois snails just like this! Draw your swords or maces. Only look ahead and charge! We will dominate this battlefield!
With that, Lieutenant Colonel Werner spurred his horse from the front center of the formation and led the charge.
Three hundred knights of the Reich Empire followed, charging to exploit the enemys vulnerabilities.
This caused the ground-shaking sound to intensify for the Republics soldiers, who began to succumb to fear upon hearing it.
Damn, knights are approaching from behind!
Long spears, lower the long spears! Block them now!
Its an order from the platoon leader! Those who can form a shield wall, lower your spears first!
They began to struggle desperately to survive. However, the eyes of the commanding officers, captains, and above, were fixed on the Reich infantry before them.
They failed to mount a proper response, getting trampled by the empires knights on horseback and unilaterally beaten by their swords and maces.
Consequently, the Francois infantry was reduced to fresh pieces of meat, spilling blood as they fell.
This shock naturally started from the rear and spread to those at the front, engaged in combat with the Reich Empires infantry.
Damn, damn! Those behind us are getting hit by the enemy knights!
Idiot, dont look back! Cant you see the spears coming from the front?
Shut up, damn it. Were all dead now!
Pompadour, seeing this, clutched his head in dismay and slumped down, crying out.
Damn, damn it all! Why? Just why? Why must we lose to the Reich bastards, who number barely half our own?
Normally, at least one person would console a commander shouting like that, but the officers of the Francois Empire, without a word, lifted him by the armpits.
They struggled to drag him away to prevent the worst-case scenario of the commander being captured.
The commanders escape is impossible now! Look! The rear has been breached by the empires knights. Its total chaos behind! Even officers above company level have slain a few rampaging soldiers to maintain control, but many are openly trying to desert.
Is that the problem? Damn it, damn you all! Cover the Division Commander with a cloth and send him off like an ordinary soldier being evacuated!
Understood!
But by now, the Reich Empires soldiers had annihilated or induced desertion in about half of the commanders direct troops and had reached right in front of the Division Commander.
Look, there are a bunch of them in gold-plated armor! Capture those high-end snail bastards!
Just catch one to change your life! Everyone put your strength into it.
If you catch the one in the fanciest armor, youll earn a reward and immediate discharge. Charge!
The empires soldiers, spotting a high-value target before them, advanced in high spirits, hoping to capture them and make a leap in life.
Advance! Charge!!
Were in a melee! Beat them with poleaxes and maces until theyre unconscious!
Rampage a bit more and earn your discharge quickly!
The close combat between the empires soldiers and the Francois Republics army, including their Division Commander, raged on, but the empire, with its momentum, did not allow the tide to turn to the opponent.
As the battle ensued, the number of officers and soldiers guarding Pompadours side dwindled, missing the chance to pull him back to safety.
Realizing the peril he was in, Pompadour, preferring suicide to capture, considered pressing a dagger against his throat to prevent the worst outcome.
Just then, an empire soldier, spotting a rich-looking bastard in golden armor, refused to let him die by his own hand and lunged at the Division Commander protected by several officers.
He brushed past a few Republic officers and hurled himself forcefully at the enemy commander.
Pompadour, unable to put up much resistance, fell backward with a thud.
The soldier gently slipped the dagger from his waist into the armor of the man pinned beneath him and declared,
Corporal Ervin of Brown Squad, 1st Platoon, has captured the enemy commander!
As his declaration resonated, a solemn silence descended upon the battlefield, and soon, the Republic soldiers slumped down, relinquishing their weapons.
The soldiers of the Reich Empire began to capture and coerce surrender from the disarmed soldiers of the Francois Republic, one after another.
Lay down your weapons and lie down! If you dont, you will be killed.
Surrender immediately if you dont want to die!
You fool, if you keep trembling with that spear, Ill kill you.
The soldiers and officers of the Francois Republic, upon hearing these words, did not resist and meekly surrendered.
As a result, the aftermath of the battlefield was swiftly concluded.
The war, of course, ended in an overwhelming victory for Peter Yaeger of the Reich Empires army.
On this day, the empires army lost 12 archer cavalry, 23 knights, 12 mages, 70 crossbowmen, and about 300 infantry who were either seriously wounded or killed.
In the Francois Republic, 420 knights and 5,700 infantry were killed, and 3,000, including infantry and knights, were captured as prisoners.
And Major General Yaeger immediately began to clean up the battlefield using the prisoners.
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