Episode 112 Revolutionary Defense War – Decisive Battle (4)
In this war, the imperial army never once felt like it was leading anything.
In the first battle, they suffered huge losses against the clearly outnumbered enemy forces and achieved only a wounded victory, but because the enemy withdrew voluntarily, the front-line soldiers did not even fully feel the victory.
All that happened after that was the hellish destruction of the supply line and starvation and pain due to the poisoned supplies.
In the battle on the western plain of Besançon, Archduke Leopold succeeded in trapping the Marquis de Lafayette, but the result was a crushing defeat when Crocs entered a battle that seemed like he had won.
From the perspective of the frontline imperial soldiers, it felt as if the imperial army had been swayed by the Marquis de Lafayette’s trap throughout this war.
In such a situation, one word was uttered by an unknown Imperial soldier without my knowledge.
trap.
The impact of just one word was enormous.
In order to temporarily raise the morale of the imperial army, which had fallen to its worst, Archduke Leopold thoroughly prepared secret plans to reverse the tactical elements that had been lost to the revolutionary army.
This offensive was able to continue because it instilled hope in the imperial soldiers that they were winning.
However, the idea that that hope was all illusory was intentional by the revolutionary army.
The moment that awareness penetrated the imperial army, the morale that had been so difficult to restore fell into a deeper abyss.
“What happened to all the troops who crossed the hill? Where did they go?”
“You can’t even see it? They’re all dead! Damn this is crazy! “I can’t fight anymore!”
“It’s Lafayette’s trap again! Run away, run away!”
The countless comrades who had gone over to the hill disappeared somewhere, and the imperial army fell into a state of complete panic when they saw the revolutionary army pouring down from the hill instead.
Archduke Leopold held the telescope in his hand so tightly that it seemed like it would break. The despair and cries that erupt from the front lines do not reach the place where the Archduke is.
However, the mere movement of the troops turning their backs and running without any intention of fighting shows that the collapse of morale that the imperial army commanders were so worried about has actually occurred.
“Your Majesty the Grand Duke.”
Duke Henry, the chief of staff, could not bear to continue talking.
However, this battle was ultimately lost, so we must retreat.
Such intentions were mercilessly conveyed to Archduke Leopold.
The Archduke gritted his teeth with a grinding sound.
“No, not yet.”
On a hellish battlefield, where the revolutionary army runs down the hill and counterattacks while the imperial army collapses to avoid it.
Archduke Leopold exclaimed as he glared at the heavy cavalry of the Revolutionary and Imperial forces that had just clashed with each other and become entangled.
“Deploy all reserve forces and stop the offensive even for a moment! We must prevent the enemy light cavalry or infantry from getting involved in cavalry battles!”
“Yes old! “Your Majesty!”
If we are defeated like this here, where we have driven everything to the end, this war will end just like that.
Those countless deaths end in dog deaths.
Now that this has happened, there is only one way for the imperial army to win.
If Count Wittelsbach’s cavalry and assassins succeed in defeating the Marquis de Lafayette.
If that happens, we can somehow make up for it by shaking up the revolutionary army and reversing the morale of the imperial army.
Archduke Leopold looked anxiously at the cavalry fighting in the distance, clinging to that weak hope.
* * *
A battlefield of heavy cavalry filled with the howling of war horses and the sounds of clashing swords.
When I swing the sword in my hand, the blade of the mithril sword, which has absorbed plenty of magical power, flashes.
“Khaaaak!”
The enemy cavalryman, whose arm was cut off along with his sword, screamed and fell from his horse while holding on to his bleeding arm with his other hand.
Immediately after, a dagger flew at me, but I struck it down with my sword.
Familiar angles, familiar sensations.
I know better at what moment and how the assassins dealing with the knight will intervene.
I immediately pulled out the dagger from my belt and threw it away, and as soon as the attack was easily blocked, the assassin, who had not even thought that he would be counterattacked, fell from his horse with an expression of disbelief on his face.
With a dagger stuck between the eyes.
“Don’t be scared! Assassins whose existence is already known are just those who are vulnerable to an all-out war! “Don’t rely on the magical barrier, but trust in your martial arts and skills!”
As I shouted, kicked off my horse, and jumped back to separate the other cavalry, the knights and cuirassiers, who were a little embarrassed at first, also began to increase their momentum.
“Follow His Excellency the Marquis!”
“Die, invaders of the empire!”
At that sight, the imperial cuirassiers began to panic, and I once again dodged the flying dagger and pulled out the dagger and threw it away.
“What nonsense…”
Another assassin fell to the ground with a dagger stuck in his chest, muttering in vain.
“Ugh, how…?”
The Imperial cuirassiers are clearly shaken.
Assassins are a double-edged sword.
In the first place, they are aware that they are being pushed out, so they use a plan, and the moment that plan is destroyed right in front of their eyes, they become as bad as nothing.
If you weren’t aware of its existence, a surprise attack might work. Because Gaston got hit like that right now.
However, assassins are essentially people who were raised to be used in surprise raids and to be discarded.
In the end, no matter how high the prowess that throwaways can display on the battlefield is, it cannot reach that of a knight.
Moreover, the skills I learned from the beginning are their skills.
In order to catch up with the knight who has overwhelming power and magic that I can’t match with my own strength, I learned the skills of an assassin to somehow exploit the knight’s weaknesses.
I knocked away the other dagger that was digging in, threw down my own dagger, and laughed as I looked at the cavalrymen hesitating in front of me.
“what is this. Does the Empire have no money to say that the assassins it hires are only so skilled? “The elite cuirassiers rely on assassins and avoid them like rats.”
“Ugh. Strike!”
“You insult the Empire’s cuirassiers! “Khaak!”
“Protect His Excellency the Marquis!”
The enemy cavalry that jumped in like that was struck down by the revolutionary cavalry that came in from the side.
I also cut down another cavalryman who was running towards me and immediately pulled out my dagger and killed another assassin.
I know better than them how and where to target articles to be effective.
If I protrude forward like this, the assassins will naturally target me, not the regular cavalrymen, and it is easier for me to anticipate their actions and for other cavalrymen to be more active.
It might be dangerous if there was even a blind spot, but thanks to my rampage at the front, our cavalry, which is superior in basic capabilities, is following and widening the path.
I cut down another trooper and quickly looked around.
The assassin targeting me… I can’t see him right now.
Maybe I’ve killed enough.
After setting up like that for a while, a young man who appeared to be a commander emerged from among the imperial cavalry.
“…It’s amazing.”
“Are you Count Wittelsbach?”
“That’s right. Greetings from Count Albert von Wittelsbach. “Your honor…”
The Count’s gaze went to the black rose brooch on my chest and then back to my face.
“It must be the Marquis Pierre de Lafayette. “I thought it was a mistake because the way he fought looked more like an assassin than a knight.”
As I chuckled, Count Wittelsbach spoke again.
“I’m curious. “How on earth can the Marquis, a knight, fight more like an assassin than an assassin and deal with extremely dangerous assassins so effectively?”
“hmm. “I guess it took about five years to raise them?”
Assassins sound incredibly scary, but in reality, they are just expendables used to somehow kill their target.
Therefore, if training takes too long, it is not profitable and even if there are assassins who have shown outstanding performance or talent in the field, they are used to train other assassins and are not put into the field.
“…You speak as if you know the physiology of assassins well.”
I responded to Count Wittelsbach’s words with a smile.
“You know, I hired an assassin and learned the technique. “I guess the period of time I have learned through training and actual combat is more than twice that of the people you hired?”
The corner of Count Wittelsbach’s mouth twitched.
“The Marquis, who is only in his mid-20s, has been practicing assassination techniques for over 10 years? “I didn’t know that the revolutionary army’s famous commander had a penchant for lying.”
“Whether you don’t want to believe it or not.”
Because it is the sum of before and after regression.
He’s not clumsy enough to be defeated by assassins who are merely expendable items.
I raised my sword and clucked it.
“You said you were the best knight in the empire, so did you get this position?”
Count Wittelsbach’s face was horribly distorted, and the next moment, he drew his sword and rushed forward.
The count’s saber quickly dug into my waist, and I struck it right away.
But as soon as I hit it, the seemingly bending sword digs right into my chest.
I tried to block it again and widen the distance, but the Count immediately followed suit and swung his sword without stopping.
“As expected, your technique is amazing.”
Instead of answering my words, Count Wittelsbach swung his sword.
Right shoulder? No boobs.
Next is the left leg, right leg and waist.
He keeps pushing me, stabbing and cutting with his sword.
It is not easy to block a flowing attack with irregular and agile movements.
However,
after continuing the sword attack for a long time, it was the Count who retreated first.
The Count, who threw away my sword and opened the distance, took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
“What on earth? how?”
I also exhaled a little harshly, but I was able to catch my breath much better than the Count and smiled.
This man must have been confident in his swordsmanship. It’s definitely a skill I can be confident in, but…
“It’s definitely quite amazing, but it’s not a good match.”
Anyone who can overwhelm me with personal force is someone like the Blue Knight Gaston Crocs.
They are the ones who use their skill and skill and crush them from the front with their overwhelming amount of magical energy and power.
However, this person is the type of person who relies on technique and technique, and as it happens, I am the same type of person.
My swordsmanship was originally developed to defeat an enemy that I could not possibly defeat in a head-on fight.
And if it’s a sword fight with the same skill-
“You’ve never properly fought someone as strong as you, right? “It’s lack of experience.”
Both before and after my regression, I trained from the beginning to overcome those who surpassed me in both talent and physical strength.
Seeing their overwhelming skills, I had to desperately improve myself to catch up with them even a little.
But what about the author? I would be at the top level in Franzia in terms of talent and ability, so there would not even be anyone similar to me in the empire.
I raised the corners of my mouth and smiled.
“I guarantee you, if you had fought Gaston, you would have lost your head.”
“profit…! “Khaak!”
Count Wittelsbach, who was furious at my provocation and was about to rush at me, was startled and hurriedly swung his sword, but was unable to stop the dagger from piercing his leg just in the nick of time.
“Look. “It’s a lack of experience.”
Just look at the fact that in a battle between knights, you can’t expect to be swept away by emotions, provoked, and then attack by rote.
“Huh! “The Count gave instructions!”
“Protect Your Excellency- Argh!”
I randomly cut down the enemy cavalry that rushed to protect Count Wittelsbach and shouted to my subordinates who were blankly watching the duel between me and the count.
“Are you planning to let the invaders go gracefully? Strike!”
“Go attack!”
“Retreat, retreat! “Bring His Excellency the Count!”
As I jumped at the enemies who were trying hard to retreat, the dagger flew at me again.
“Tsk, you’re persistent!”
Although I struck it down with my sword, the enemies were already moving away.
I immediately took out the bow that was hanging behind my back and took a bow.
Count Wittelsbach
cannot be seen because the cavalry blocks him with his body.
Instead, I fired the arrow at the rider who was following next to him.
The horse rider’s neck was pierced by an arrow, and he stumbled and fell from his horse – and the flag of Count Wittelsbach, which he was holding, fell to the ground.
As the cavalry of both sides fought, one side’s flag was removed and the other’s flag disappeared.
Everyone on this battlefield will realize what that means.
I turned my gaze and saw that even the last hope was disappearing in the distance, and I looked at the completely collapsed and defeated imperial army and the revolutionary army that had begun to pursue it.
I breathed a slight sigh of relief.
The hand that Archduke Leopold had prepared surprised me quite a bit, but the fact that we had a more difficult battle made it easier for us to catch our enemies.
I was confident that I would survive the assassins, but the plan to use me as bait was successful and I was able to win.
…What excuse will I have when I meet Christine?
Think about it later.
I ordered the cuirassiers surrounding me.
“Send a messenger and tell General Morel. “We will join in, so clear out the enemy light cavalry and prepare for the chase.”
“I understand, Your Excellency the Marquis!”
“And dispatch a messenger to commanders Desais and Mirbo at the main camp. “Let’s give chase, regroup, and advance straight to Nancy.”
It’s a perfectly captured victory. We can’t just waste it.
“It is time to drive the invaders from this land once and for all.”
