Chapter 85: Northern Conquest War (3)
Until the tribal alliance centered around Ludwig and the empire’s Northern Army faced off at Chainop Plains, a total of 20 tribes had surrendered to our Northern Army.
Among these, three tribes were judged as spies for either making inconsistent statements or for being seen gathering information to provide to Ludwig’s spies, leading to the execution of all their adult male members.
Then, regardless of whether they were children, women, or elderly, they were given just enough rations to not die and were bound together with ropes like dried fish and dragged along.
The other surrendered barbarians, fearing the same fate, immediately reported any of Ludwig’s spies who tried to contact them.
Thus, by the time we arrived here, we had captured 50 spies.
These stories, when shared by commanders with their soldiers, greatly boosted morale, especially just before clashing swords and spears with the enemy.
“Our Northern Army is strong. As evidence, more than 20 miserable barbarian tribes under Ludwig have already surrendered, haven’t they?”
“How afraid must he be of the Empire to send not scouts but 50 spies? And how careless must he be to let so many get caught!”
“The great Reich Empire is invincible, and the barbarians are less than a handful of dust!”
Other units fully utilized this to stimulate the soldiers’ fighting spirit.
Responding to such cries, the soldiers harbored desires to return home alive, earn rewards and advance, and longed passionately for an early discharge.
However, our 24th Regiment had successfully repelled the T?ner Tribe and, over about a year, had repeatedly dealt well with barbarian invasions.
There was no need for such lengthy speeches.
So, I looked at the soldiers and shouted concisely and powerfully,
“Since we have come here, victory is assured! Let us grasp glory and return.”
This was an arrogant assertion of certain victory, a statement that we wouldn’t use grandiose rhetoric just to boost morale.
“The Regiment Commander has declared victory!”
“It’s as if we’ve already won!”
“Let’s change our twisted fate this time! We can do it!”
And then, shortly after, the low and majestic sound of the Northern Army’s trumpets resounded, signaling the advance.
“24th Regiment, advance! Hold your shields well to the side and front! Ignore the buzzing flies.”
As we started to move, we began to see the soldiers led by Ludwig.
Unlike the T?ner men we faced before, the infantry in front looked quite strong.
Although they weren’t wearing metal armor like us, they were clad in hard, tanned leather armor.
Their marching was a bit off due to a lack of formal military training, but their confident demeanor suggested they would fight well with a sword or spear.
Only a madman would display such an attitude without the skills to back it up.
Fortunately, it was unlikely they could turn all infantry into elites in just a year, so those men must be just a part of them.
Therefore, behind those positioned at the front, there would likely be the weaker infantry we previously encountered.
“Deputy Commander, you lead your direct battalion and fight in the vanguard. I’ll oversee and command the unit from slightly behind.”
“Understood.”
“You must hold well so that the rest of the units, fighting broadly to the left, can successfully finish their attack. This is your chance to achieve great merit and possibly become a Regiment Commander.”
Upon hearing this, the Deputy Commander laughed and joked,
“I’ve been stuck in this cold north for too long. Maybe I should aim for a warmer post near the capital next.”
“They wouldn’t just assign a capable officer like you there.”
After exchanging a few jokes, I returned to the center of the regiment.
At the same time, the archer cavalry approached from the side, ready to use the same tactics they had employed several times before.
Already familiar with the enemy’s mounted archery, the 24th Regiment was responding in the best way possible, even without my orders.
“Remember when we slaughtered the T?ner men! Crossbowmen, check if your arrows are loaded!”
“Men with shields, hold your shields properly! If you lose your shield, you and your squad are dead!”
“I’ll behead anyone who runs out recklessly!”
Then, with our heads bowed to avoid exposing our faces, which were not covered by our helmets, we silently moved forward.
Like a swarm of flies buzzing around, the barbarians rode their horses and shot arrows.
Certainly, thousands of arrows must be flying towards us, but anyone trying to dodge or block them by looking up would be the first to die.
Praying that no one gets killed by these damned arrows, each unit carried out their assigned tasks.
Shield-bearers held their shields in position and silently matched their steps forward, while crossbowmen and mages quickly unleashed magic and arrows upon command.
Meanwhile, the infantry, relying on their armor for defense, had to walk towards the imminent enemy, just staring at the ground as if nothing was wrong.
Though no one was speaking, for everyone except crossbowmen and mages, this time of being unilaterally attacked without being able to retaliate must feel the longest and hardest.
“Damn it, this isn’t right! Save me!”
“Bastards, calm down! Even if you get hit by their arrows, it usually won’t kill you!”
“Argh! Aaah!”
It seems like someone from the unit following us nearby couldn’t handle the stress and went mad under the one-sided barrage of arrows, breaking the rank and charging.
I wasn’t sure which regiment it was, but they must have come from a place without any experience in the north…
Because of that guy, tens or hundreds might die.
While having these thoughts and continuing to walk, the barbarians seemed to realize that it was a waste of effort to keep harassing the imperial army, which remained unfazed despite their onslaught of arrows.
“Cease fire! Cease fire! There’s no point in doing this here! We’re going to hold back the enemy knights!”
“Fall back! We’re retreating!”
“We’re all going to die fighting these bastards!”
Thus, the barbarians stopped their arrow assault on our infantry and turned around to attack the knights.
My crossbowmen and the archers and magicians from other units launched indiscriminate attacks on those fleeing.
As a result, a significant number of their mounted archers were killed.
“Those damned fly bastards have retreated! We’re alive!”
“Just hold on a little longer. The enemy headquarters is right in front of us!”
“24th Regiment, 24th Regiment! Hooray!!”
The soldiers and officers of my regiment seemed quite excited, but upon analyzing the overall situation, it wasn’t very favorable.
This was because, for the strategy I devised to succeed, the knights needed to charge at the enemy infantry’s rear and cause a significant impact.
For us to have a chance of winning, this impact was needed to halt the enemy infantry.
If the archer cavalry, who were supposed to attack our infantry, instead attacked our knights, reducing their numbers, it would decrease the damage our knights could inflict on the enemy infantry in the center, and we might not be able to immobilize the barbarian infantry.
“Damn it. This situation doesn’t seem very good.”
Muttering in a low voice, I looked around, but everyone seemed preoccupied, wondering when an arrow from the front might strike.
No one responded to my words, and it seemed like they hadn’t even heard me.
Soon, countless arrows began flying from the enemy’s central forces in front, and groans of dying soldiers started emanating from our regiment.
“Argh.”
“Ugh, damn! My arm.”
“There’s an arrow in my thigh!”
Despite being hit by arrows, the soldiers kept moving forward, and I also had no choice but to advance, as it was the only option available to me at the moment.
As I advanced, I kept racking my brain on how to break through this situation.
Finally, I thought of a fairly good plan.
So, I called over a messenger to send to my immediate superior, the Division Commander, and said,
“Leave only two infantry battalions here, the minimum required to maintain the formation, and ask if it’s alright to carry out a feint operation with the rest of the units when deemed necessary, and bring back the response.”
“Yes, understood. Do you have any other messages to convey?”
“None. Hurry, every second counts.”
If our knights, unexpectedly attacked by the barbarian archers, failed or were delayed in their assault to hit the enemy infantry’s rear and halt their retreat, then I could do something similar, right?
After all, a significant shock is all it takes to stop them.
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