182 – Eastern Franchi Expedition (17)

Definitely not a bad choice from a tactical point of view.

This is because our bodies, too, may end up hurting if we hit with a fist while recognizing in advance that the impact will be applied, but sometimes we die when we hit just enough to hit without thinking at all that we will be hit.

In particular, the military tends to be much more shocked by these unannounced shocks than people are in some ways.

Sometimes, even an army of tens of thousands that can withstand the attack of tens of thousands of enemy soldiers in normal times often collapses without being able to respond when hundreds of soldiers launch a surprise attack at night.

Usually, I wonder that this type of surprise attack is a method used by the side with fewer soldiers to win against enemies with far greater numbers, but… If you don’t respond properly, you can use your hands and get hit.

“Tell the barons under my command, Iris, Elias, and the Orléans corps, ‘There is a high possibility of an enemy attack, so be vigilant on the flanks and rear.’” “Yes, I understand.”

But if someone anticipates, warns, and prepares for an ambush, the ambush turns into madness that throws soldiers and knights to the ground.

Coming in carefully to poke the enemy’s loophole…

In other words, it is because he exposes his gaps so much that he does not get caught by the enemy.

After giving the order to warn the enemy through a messenger that the enemy might be ambushed, I headed straight to the front line of the allies.

At first, he was stably pushing back the enemy as he had been trained, but now his allies were clearly tired.

So, the spear tips of the soldiers holding the long spears were shaking little by little, and the arquebusiers were having a hard time putting gunpowder and bullets in the muzzle and lifting it, perhaps because the guns were heavy.

“Now is your chance!! If you clear the first row properly, the drivers will support us soon!! Long live the French Empire! Long live His Excellency, Marquis Simon!!” “That gun is five silver coins! So kill those bastards and get a gun, not armor!” “Now it’s our turn to take revenge! Serfs, cheer up!”

No matter how good a weapon you have, no matter how well you train, if your stamina goes down, everything is over.

Originally, according to the strategy, the shift order was supposed to be issued after about 5 minutes, but there are so many enemies that it seems necessary to advance the shift time…

It would be reasonable to change the shift order of once an hour to one every 45 minutes, and I should get some ammunition rounds around here.

“Send a shift to the entire army. Send a signal with the flag to prepare for the second row.” After a while, as the flag announcing the shift was raised, the commanders in charge of each unit raised their voices.

“Finally, the shift order has been given! Let’s get ready to go to rest!” “Boys with matchlocks, stop shooting and load everyone! After loading rows 1 through 6, fire at once!” “Pikemen, one minute! Just hold on for one minute!!”

“In one minute, fire a volley of matchlocks, and those with long spears hold their spears squarely and run until they tell you to stop!!”

The soldiers under his command cheered as if they were willing to say that they were going to rest soon even though they were fighting hard against the enemies.

“hurray!”

“Damn it, I survived!!”

Then, the soldiers with long spears believed in the armor they were wearing and pushed the enemy with much more aggressive momentum.

The untrained enemy soldiers were pushed back from the sudden heavy attack, while the arquebusiers calmly went through the loading procedure.

Wiping the inside of a gun with a cloth attached to it, adding gunpowder and bullets, inserting the loading rod into the muzzle, compacting it, and putting the gunpowder in the gunpowder dish. When it was finished in one minute, the soldiers with the matchlocks shouted loudly.

“Ready to launch! Original position!!”

When the spearmen heard those words, they quickly removed the enemy’s spears, and then quickly returned to their original positions while staring at the enemy.

As soon as they returned to their seats, this time they sat on one knee on the ground, as if dealing with knights, and plunged the tip of their spears into the soil.

Then the enemy soldiers saw this scene and shrank as if they sensed some danger…

It may not be the case when running alone, but an army moving in units of tens of thousands has no choice but to move in one direction like a falling domino once it starts marching.

“All-around fire by the matchlock squad!!”

With the command to fire, a popping sound and black smoke covered the field of view, and countless lead bullets flew towards the opposing enemies.

The bullets tore apart the bodies of the soldiers under the poor Marquis Simon and Count Louis, and among them the screams of the shot soldiers resounded loudly.

Then, the spearmen who had been kneeling on one knee stood up all at once, shouting ‘charge’ loudly, and ran out with their spears toward the enemy’s neck.

Normally, it’s a crazy thing you wouldn’t do unless it’s an extreme situation where you have to break through a siege, but it’s incredibly effective in situations where your view is almost completely blocked by smoke.

This is because our armored spearman is hardly injured if we stab the enemy soldiers blindly, but we are bound to stab the enemy somewhere in the body no matter how we stab them.

“mom… ”

“Why can those guys run so fiercely when they can’t even see in front of their eyes?”

When the enemy was distracted by panic and fear, our soldiers quickly moved to start a shift.

First, the squares in the second row that had to step forward penetrated the shoulder-length gap created by the musketeers and spearmen in the first square and moved between them.

When the soldiers at the far end of the square came out in an orderly manner, they placed long spearmen in the first and second rows of the training ground, and soldiers with matchlocks in the remaining six rows.

Then I called the messengers on my side and gave the order.

“Deliver it to the commander of the major or higher who commands the infantry. The dustproof replacement cycle is 45 minutes, and if it exceeds 45 minutes, prepare thoroughly so that you can replace it immediately.” “Yes, I understand.” “Are there any reports of enemy knights moving?”

“Not yet. According to the reconnaissance unit, they are waiting leisurely as if they will never move today.”

If the Duke of Orléans had experienced war several times, he would not have let down his guard even now.

However, if this situation continued, there is a high possibility that newbies like Illius and Count Isra would be caught off guard, saying that the attack would not come today, even if they did not know about other days.

And seeing that the enemy continues to focus only on infantry like this now… They don’t seem to think that we, who are small in number, will attack first… Taking advantage of this gap and launching a preemptive attack will cause significant losses and confusion.

“Order Baron Biermann to divide 1200 knights into 30 units and attack the enemy’s flank and rear and retreat. However, you never know when the enemy knights will attack, so instruct the rest not to move at all. Also, tell Earl Elias and Count Isra to strengthen the rear guard.”

If the number of enemy soldiers is gradually reduced in an unexpected direction, like a rat bit by bit gnawing a huge wooden pole like this. The victims feel the irritation and pain as if they were stung by dozens of bees.

Then, the guys will overturn the hand they prepared to take this situation to their advantage.

And the moment those guys flip their cards…

“We won’t be able to overwhelm the enemy because we don’t use cannons and grenades now, but at least we can sand down their forces.”

**

The front line of the Marquis of Creutel in front of me is very busy with battles with the enemy, but the front line in the rear that I, Count Iris, has not received a single attack so far.

Seriously, among the conscripted serfs, there were even those who slept while standing, thinking that there would be no attack today, so it would be okay to doze off. However, the experience of going to war a few times warned me to be careful because this is the best time to be surprised.

So I ordered my soldiers and knights to rest in a state where they can fight at any time.

For about an hour like that, around the time when I was doing nothing and being wary of the enemy.

“Your Excellency Count Elias! His Excellency, Marquis of Creutel, split 1000 knights into 30 units and started attacking the enemies. He also said that the enemy knights will come in a little while, so be prepared!”

After the military meeting a few days ago, the Marquis ordered that the defense be further strengthened if he mobilized the knights first.

And until now, I’ve never had a loss by listening to him…

“Wake up the slumbering serfs and secure your defense. Also, if you block it, there will be another opportunity… Aim for that time.”