Chapter 116: Battle Of Crecy Plains (1)
One month later, at the headquarters tent of the Reich Empires army in Crecy Plains.
The other generals, except for me, looked exhausted, about to collapse, having traveled much farther than originally planned to plunder, following Commander Pattons orders.
However, General Patton, having just returned from the operation, cheerfully laughed upon seeing the returned generals and junior officers, saying,
Hahaha, what did I say? You all said it seemed impossible to march to Goblang and back while plundering, but how did it turn out? Didnt it all go well?
Thanks to my achievement of stopping 10,000 soldiers led by Division Commander Pompadour in Hattin, and General Pattons judgment that I wouldnt be able to join in the plundering anyway
I avoided the insane act of marching more than the average daily marching distance of 20 km for infantry, instead continuously marching an immense distance of 26 km per day for nearly a month.
Seeing General Litter next to me, unable to hide his exhaustion even as the commander spoke, I could imagine how harsh the invasion operation was.
Personally, I think they must have had an extremely tough time, not any less than our brigade that fought against the Francois army in Hattin Forest.
But I wonder if General Patton internally felt a sense of regret for us ordinary folks following his insightful lead
He muttered in a voice so soft that one could hardly hear it without paying close attention.
When I was young, upon hearing that the Western Army commander needed help, I covered 200 km in a week. These days, military life has become too comfortable
Normally, I would support this statement from the capable elderly general, but this level of insane maneuvering and marching
Even considering how vast the empire was, there would be no one else but General Patton capable of it.
Please, I hope no other general comes out who marches and plunders in such a manner, except for him.
Because such things were possible only for Patton. If any other clumsy general tried to imitate and moved too fast, 70,000 troops would disperse like dust, throwing the entire force into chaos.
Then, General Patton came over to me and, in front of the other generals, patted me on the shoulder and said,
Of course, the rapid march operation was possible because Major General Yaeger here held back 10,000 soldiers of the Francois Republic in Hattin Forest! The number one contributor and greatest merit of this operation is Major General Yaeger.
In the past, when I was a junior officer, I would have been overwhelmed if a commander of his rank praised me like this during a strategy meeting.
Anyway, I was a general who belonged to the top 1% of the nobility, receiving everyones attention just for wearing a star, no matter where I went in the empire.
Therefore, here, it was appropriate to show a standard reaction, neither too arrogant nor too humbly demeaning.
Its an honor, General. I merely did what I could.
Indeed, I did my best at what I could do, even in the Empires army, where it was difficult to rise above a certain rank without being an elite.
The fact that only a few could follow made it a special feat, so I spoke nothing but the truth.
Regardless of how it sounded to others, at my age with the rank of Major General, I had to maintain a balance of confidence and feigned humility to avoid criticism.
Stopping 10,000 with just 4,000 and even annihilating the enemys large forcesuch humility in this guy! I like it! Alright. Before we start the strategy meeting, Chief of Staff?
At that, Chief of Staff Frantz, who was sitting to the immediate left of General Patton, stood up, sighed, and began to speak.
Its estimated that the Francois Republic mobilized a total of 110,000 soldiers for this war. Of these, 10,000 were completely annihilated in Hattin Forest due to the 12th Brigades dedicated defense. In this Crecy Plains, our forces will face off against a total of 100,000 enemy troops.
At this point, the surrounding generals began to buzz with discussion.
The difference between us and the enemy is not very big, but can we really overcome the numerical disadvantage and win?
Isnt the difference in numbers too significant to ignore?
General Patton must have some plan in mind. Lets wait and see.
As they mentioned, the difference in numbers held great significance.
Because in a battle of 70,000 against 100,000, how the battle would be conducted could determine if we could win, but in war, the side with greater numbers was generally at an advantage.
The Crecy Plains, where we are now, are the most suitable terrain for the knights, which the Francois forces favor.
It meant that we would start the fight at a significant disadvantage against the enemy.
The Chief of Staff, as if knowing all our concerns, sighed, shook his head, and continued.
I understand the concern of the Empires generals for our disadvantageous situation, but lets all take a moment to read this report. Its a summary of a report written by a reconnaissance officer who infiltrated the Francois Republics army until two weeks ago.
With that, a report was placed in front of all the generals, including myself.
[Currently, the Francois Republics army has such low morale that 40-100 soldiers desert daily. Most of them believe that since they have been excommunicated by the Papacy, dying in this war means going to hell. Several soldiers who joined here after losing in Hattin Forest often spread rumors at night that the Reich Empires army is Deuss hammer, causing even veteran non-commissioned officers like sergeants and staff sergeants to tremble in fear of death.]
Although I instigated it, the effect of the excommunication was so immense that it was indescribable.
Typically, when an army is deployed, even a private knows that showing fear openly can consume them with dread.
Even if they were trembling with fear inside, they would act unaffected on the outside, often resorting to violent language for no reason.
Ah, I want to have sex. Damn, I really want it.
Normally, they make such meaningless sexual comments, pretending to be cheerful and feigning bravery.
But now, even the veteran soldiers, who should maintain morale with such bluster, have lost their spirit due to the excommunication.
It was a pity that such tactics were difficult to repeat.
[Additionally, because Major General Yaeger carried out small-scale surprise attacks in the same manner as when he plundered Bisochea with platoons and company-sized units 10 times during the march, the enemy officers, including their commanders, are psychologically anxious and worried. This has led their soldiers to conduct more patrols and be on guard than necessary. Therefore, when we face the enemy, the soldiers of the Francois Republic will fight with significant mental and physical weaknesses.]
Being mentally strained, and now with added physical fatigue
Their army might initially show strength by pushing with numbers, but once cornered, they would quickly collapse.
Because in war, one must endure physical pain and exhaustion with mental strength.
The fear that if they died excommunicated, they might go to hell was gnawing at their minds, rendering them almost useless.
After reading the reconnaissance officers report, the Empires generals started to speak actively, as if they had never worried about the unfavorable situation just moments ago.
Crecy Plains is the best place to deploy knights. So, let the infantry stand by in square formations, and let the knights fight.
Colonel Checker, what nonsense is that? We have fewer knights. A frontal battle would lead us all to death!
How about just deploying our forces widely and then facing them head-on?
While the generals continued to argue or counter their respective tactics, the strategy was gradually taking shape.
In my opinion, we should take advantage of the enemys plummeting morale and pride. Just a little provocation would lead them to make typical Francois blunders.
I wonder why they were only considering a frontal battle on the plains, which was advantageous to the enemy.
So, looking at the map of Crecy Plains, I thought of the best way to outwit them and finally spoke up.
Major General Peter Yaeger here. I have a plan to eliminate those Francois who dont even deserve to be called knights.
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