Chapter 79: The T?ner Tribe Suppression (8)
In typical battle situations, both sides exchange insults and derogatory remarks before the actual fight begins.
Since it wasn’t a surprise attack but a head-on confrontation, it was no problem to loudly announce to the enemy, “I am here.”
This provided justification for soldiers who were uncomfortable killing fellow believers of Deus, making them see the enemy as villains who must be killed.
Specifically, I implanted the thought that aiming our spear and killing them was for the Empire and Deus, to instill a sense of legitimacy in the soldiers who were about to engage in battle and commit murder.
However, not every citizen of the Empire regarded the heretical northern barbarians as equals; rather, they saw them as worse than the cockroaches that occasionally appeared in homes.
From what I’d heard, there were no soldiers who regretted killing these barbarians.
These barbarians were heretics, murderers, rapists, and kidnappers.
Simply explaining once again how harmful they were would be enough for mental preparation before the battle.
So, I spoke in a calm but serious tone.
“Attention, 24th Regiment. We will now act on behalf of Deus, killing those murderous and vile heretics as He desires.”
It was somewhat incongruous for me, influenced by living in Korea and barely believing in Deus, to speak as if I were a clergyman.
If a few words could help boost morale, then, as a commander, I was willing to invoke that name thousands of times if necessary.
“Do not hesitate to kill them. They are worse than trash, having already arbitrarily kidnapped and killed thousands of our people, and not hesitating to use them as playthings. They are more repugnant than cockroaches, more evil than crows that feed on corpses, and more despicable than jackals.”
According to the testimonies of prisoners, they had captured children and tortured and killed them in front of their parents for fun during village raids.
Several women from the Empire, who were prisoners in the village of the Chuik tribe, went mad from the trauma of being raped.
What was more horrifying was that when these atrocities were committed, everyone, including the barbarians’ own children, watched and enjoyed them.
“Those barbarians are harmful beings. They should not exist in this world. We will annihilate them here and realize justice. That’s all.”
After I spoke, all the troops responded loudly, and I rechecked the armament status of our unit.
To maximize survival from their arrow volley, we provided even the lowest-ranking soldiers with chainmail armor, emptying the regiment’s armory.
For the soldiers fighting at the forefront of each unit, we scrounged up additional reserves to supply them with plate chest armor, helmets, and thick shields reinforced with metal to block arrows.
Armed to this extent, we had entirely forsaken rapid mobility in favor of heavy and robust armor.
It would be foolish for an army of agrarian people to lightly arm themselves in an attempt not to fall behind in speed against semi-agricultural, semi-nomadic cavalry tactics.
Because no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t catch up.
Therefore, it was best to be heavily armed to the point that we could crush their bones in one blow.
“All troops advance. Slaughter those barbarians.”
As I commanded, the regiment’s buglers and standard-bearers signaled, and we began to move forward slowly.
The barbarians’ army began to come into view from my position near the vanguard.
As expected, the infantry in the center, seen even from hundreds of meters away, only had glinting spearheads, indicating they were likely wearing hastily made leather armor at best.
Their infantry, perhaps brought just to fill numbers like cattle, trudged along without even forming proper ranks.
Our soldiers, seeing this, and perhaps because the enemy archers hadn’t yet come into view, said,
“Look at that shoddy sight. Even when we were recruits, we outperformed them.”
“Wow, even from afar, their uncoordinated steps are evident. Truly pathetic fellows.”
“They call themselves infantry, wielding spears, but they move so crookedly and sluggishly. It’s pitiful. Such fellows would need to number about 10,000 to match us.”
I learned that the value of infantry in the early Middle Ages was incredibly low, akin to the feeling of hastily conscripted serfs from villages.
Since knights were critical in warfare, the strategy was to maintain one knight for the cost of training ten infantrymen.
The soldiers received neither weapons nor armor, so the infantry went into battle with everyday tools like scythes, hoes, or wooden clubs as weapons, and wore three layers of their usual cloth clothing for protection.
Their role was essentially to transport supplies and bolster numbers, so it was considered inconsequential how many of them perished.
“Entire unit, be on guard! Those at the front, clutch your shields tight and only look at your feet!”
“It’s the Regiment Commander’s order. Don’t raise your heads to try and block the arrows.”
“Infantry, protect the crossbowmen and mages as much as you can!”
At that moment, a cloud of dust rose about 300-400 meters ahead, and in front of it, hundreds of mounted archers charged.
The infantry we had just observed were walking crookedly, unable to even synchronize their steps.
The mounted archers, akin to the knights of the early Middle Ages, flaunted their status as elite warriors, forming a flawless single line as they charged.
They moved swiftly, as though they were a single entity, without any hint of instability.
“Regiment, attention!”
As I issued this command, each commander promptly relayed the order to be alert.
“The enemy’s mounted archers are extremely adept and formidable. However, as you just witnessed, their numbers are few, and the rest are even more clueless than infants searching for their mothers’ teats in a recruit training camp.”
The problem was that if those few ground their teeth and shot arrows, our advancing soldiers might fall one by one, potentially driving them to madness.
Then, if any unit couldn’t withstand it and acted independently, either by chasing them or behaving irrationally…
As these instances increased, the enemy’s mounted archers, wielding swords in both hands, would cut through our disorganized infantry formation, slaughtering them mercilessly.
“You’ve heard this many times, but if we avoid being those fools who get struck by arrows and charge blindly, we will surely triumph. Any officer, non-commissioned officer, or soldier who acts without the Regiment Commander’s permission, for any reason, will be executed.”
However, these agile mounted archers had limited armaments, so if the infantry lowered their spears and held a defensive stance, it would become difficult for the enemy to penetrate, much less shatter our ranks.
Therefore, controlling any soldiers or units that acted impulsively, as I’d mentioned, would ensure that our best-armed forces wouldn’t be defeated by merely standing their ground.
“If you heed my commands, I will grant you the chance to lead a better life, as I did in Chekovia and Bisochea. Everyone, stay calm under their arrow barrage and endure. The crossbowmen and mages will then dispatch them.”
Even though they were swift, the mud covering this area would severely hinder the barbarian archers’ unique shooting techniques, which were primarily against infantry.
Their formation was long and thin, stretching from the vanguard to the rear, as if charging at us.
Once they would reach their arrow range, they would shoot and then wheel back to the end, attacking in a cyclical pattern like a wheel.
Even on flat ground, such a tactic tired the horses, and in this muddy terrain, their speed would inevitably fall, with their stamina depleting rapidly.
Their horses would exhaust much quicker than usual.
Just as the enemy’s main force, their central army, seemed to draw closer to us, the leaders of the enemy mounted archers shouted loudly, gearing up to attack both flanks of our regiment as we had anticipated.
“Crossbowmen and mages, be ready to counterattack at any moment! When they come, unleash your arrows and magic, then immediately take cover behind the shields of the shieldbearers beside you! Anyone who is slow to act will die! Shieldbearers, continue to hold your shields high and march forward. Don’t halt, even under attack. Maintain our pace!”
As I issued my command across the regiment, the sound of arrows slicing through the sky reached my ears.
“Those damn bastards. Agh.”
“Keep your heads down, you fools! All except the crossbowmen and mages, keep your heads lowered!
“Have faith in the armor you’re wearing! Damn, such arrows won’t penetrate unless you’re extremely unlucky! Don’t make the idiotic mistake of trying to block them by looking up!”
Simultaneously, cries erupted from the battalions on both sides.
“Release the arrows! Let’s find out who perishes first—them or us!”
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by (f)reew𝒆b(n)ovel.com