Episode 111 War to defend the revolution – decisive battle (3)
“Attack, attack!”
“For the Empire! For the Kaiser!”
The spirit of the imperial army was higher than ever.
It’s my first time.
For the first time since the war began, their offensive is safely protected.
Chasseurs, who always preyed on their flanks and created anxiety, are being blocked.
When it seemed like they were pushing a bit further, their cuirassiers, who appeared out of nowhere and started rampaging and destroying everything, retreated.
Instead, our cuirassier cavalry, led by the empire’s best knight, protects them and keeps the enemy’s weakened cavalry in check.
While the enemy’s artillery bombardment hit our troops, the golden barrier that blocked our troops’ artillery fire also disappeared.
It was visible that the disadvantages suffered in each battle so far had been eliminated, and the news that the fearsome Gaston had fallen immediately raised the morale of the imperial army.
So the offensive itself continues….
“Damn you!” “Why isn’t it falling apart!”
The Count of Baden was angry when he saw the Mirbeau flag fluttering in the enemy camp.
Even Nicolae’s vanguard held out to the point where it was difficult to outnumber the troops and was barely routed.
However, Mirbeau’s army was on the rise.
Reserve units are being deployed at the most appropriate moment and in the appropriate order, as if anticipating where things will shake and where things will begin to collapse.
It may seem like a wailing wall that cannot be broken down, but even though it is clearly visible that it is shaking and being pushed back, it repeatedly manages to overcome the crisis with appropriate reinforcements.
The Count of Baden watched his army attacking Mirbeau’s defense line with an anxious and anxious face, as if they were torturing hope.
First of all, it looked like they were winning, so the offensive was underway, but even before the expedition, the morale of the imperial army was extremely low.
It is a morale that was temporarily restored by Archduke Leopold’s thoroughly prepared measures and the trick of an assassin.
No one else but the commanders of the imperial army knew best that once it was broken, it could become irreversible.
If that happens.
Again and again.
In Alsace.
In Nancy.
And here in Valois?
Losing to that accursed Count Mirbeau again?
In the camp, some soldiers are mocking the rashness and incompetence of the Count of Baden. If he falls to Mirbo again, what kind of face will he return to the empire with?
That should never happen.
Count Baden gritted his teeth and rode his horse forward.
“Your Excellency the Count! “It’s dangerous!”
“Aren’t they installed at the front line, starting with the commander-in-chief? “I’m a knight too!”
The Count of Baden ignored his staff’s dissuasion and ran behind the advancing soldiers holding the imperial army’s flag, raising it high and shouting.
“Soldiers of the great empire! Rush without stopping! “Victory is at hand, glory is not far away!”
It’s not just the Count of Baden.
Even though they received a huge army, including Duke Gunhild, they suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of a puppet government of commoners who looked down on them. They cannot be free from responsibility if they cannot make up for it somehow.
While all of the imperial army was making a desperate offensive, a horn sounded.
Then, vibrations began to be felt in the battlefield filled with evil and noise and gunfire.
And soon the magnificent sound of horses’ hooves rang out, covering all the noise of the battlefield.
“It’s the enemy cuirassiers!”
“Hi-!”
Those who appeared every time the offensive seemed to ease up and harassed them. In this battle, those who had been invisible appeared again.
That alone agitated the soldiers, and Count Baden shouted urgently.
“Focus on the offensive! “We also have Count Wittelsbach’s cuirassiers!”
Sure enough, Count Wittelsbach’s cavalry also began to gallop towards the enemy cuirassiers coming down the hill.
“Even the stupid assassins are still there – 100 million?”
The Count of Baden laughed at the rashness of the enemy cuirassiers and was astonished when he saw the banner at their head.
Marquis de Lafayette. The banner of the enemy commander-in-chief is at the head of the cuirassier.
Even though Gaston was in the vanguard and found out that he was killed by assassins, the commander-in-chief is in the vanguard again?
What on earth is this?
While Count Baden’s head stood still for a moment, a command flag was raised from Mirbeau’s position above.
Signal to retreat!
At the same time, Mirbo’s army, which had been stubbornly holding on until then, began to retreat like the ebb.
“Ha ha ha ha ha. Hahaha!”
Only then did Count Baden understand the situation and burst into laughter.
They have completely reached their limit.
It was obvious that if we simply routed, our cavalry would suffer serious damage, so we had no choice but to deploy our valuable forces, which had been weakened by the assassins, to buy time.
And that’s because the commander-in-chief took the initiative to somehow get rid of those people who lost their gas tank and their morale fell!
The imperial army was staring blankly at the fleeing enemies and the cavalry approaching each other, not knowing what to do with the sudden change in situation.
The Count of Baden, who had put all his dignity aside as a nobleman, gathered as much mana as he could and shouted loudly in an amplified voice.
“Good job! The enemy’s defense line has collapsed! Rush away! Victory is ours! Charge for the Empire!”
“Waaaah-!”
The shout of Count Baden, who covered the hilly area, immediately gave momentum to the dazed imperial army.
“Charge too!”
“Attack attack!”
The Count of Baden was filled with joy as he watched the imperial army running up the hill in pursuit of the fleeing revolutionary army.
Finally, finally!
If Count Wittelsbach somehow manages to block the enemy cavalry, if we pursue now and defeat Count Mirbeau’s army without any recovery, this battle will be a victory for the Imperial Army!
* * *
Archduke Leopold, who was observing the enemy cuirassiers from behind with a telescope, opened his eyes wide when he saw the vanguard’s flag.
“The Marquis de Lafayette is coming out here in person?”
They must know that there are assassins mixed into the imperial cavalry. In fact, wasn’t Gaston, who was said to be the best knight in Francia, defeated?
But here, the commander-in-chief takes risks himself?
“Their commander-in-chief has always rushed to the most dangerous fronts. I guess they went out of their way to give them time to retreat? “Gaston’s injury may have lowered the morale of the cavalry more than we thought.”
Archduke Leopold narrowed his eyes at the words of Chief of Staff, Duke Heinrich.
No, no.
I don’t know what others think, but at least the Pierre de Lafayette that Archduke Leopold thinks is far from a warm-hearted virtuous man.
Rather, he is a cool-headed general who, if necessary, achieves victory even by sacrificing his soldiers.
Since he uses himself as a weapon to achieve victory, it only seems as if he cares so much about his subordinates that he takes risks and goes to the front line.
At least until now, whenever Pierre de Lafayette took a risk, it was always to achieve victory.
If they were truly at their limit and retreating, it would be strange to risk his precious cavalry and his own life just to buy them time, considering the Marquis de Lafayette’s actions so far.
It would be better for me to try to preserve my strength as much as possible to win next time.
“First, issue a halt order to the entire army. “Tell them not to chase.”
There is something. Obviously something.
Archduke Leopold was deep in thought as he looked through his telescope at the galloping enemy cavalry and Lafayette’s flag waving at the head of it.
But-
“Your Majesty the Grand Duke! “Our troops are charging!”
“what?”
Archduke Leopold, who was observing the movements of the enemy cavalry, urgently took his eyes off his telescope and flagged down the sight of the imperial army running up the hill with fierce force, following the fleeing revolutionary army.
“messenger! The enemy’s defenses have collapsed! Our troops will immediately launch an all-out offensive-”
The Archduke screamed in anger at the messenger who came running at that moment.
“How on earth did this happen! “Someone arbitrarily ordered an offensive!”
“This is an order from His Excellency the Count of Baden, Your Highness! “The enemy has fallen, so pursue and destroy them at once…”
Those on the front line looking up at the hill at the scene may be mistaken.
However, from the rear where the Archduke is now, the movement of the revolutionary army along the hill can be seen very clearly.
The Archduke was appalled.
I was so excited that I shouted, pointing with my hand at the Franzian army running up the hill.
“What army in the world collapses so orderly and retreats all at once? Stop the offensive immediately! “Right now!”
“Yes, Your Highness the Old Grand Duke!”
The moment the archduke turned his back after seeing the pale-faced messenger running back, the imperial army that was running in front had already climbed over the hill.
–
The first battle in which the imperial army took the initiative after the start of the war through thorough preparation and strategy.
It is a frontal turn that was barely achieved by forcibly raising morale that had hit rock bottom.
first.
If Nicolae’s vanguard had been defeated, the imperial army would not have been able to actively participate.
Although the vanguard held out fairly well, the enemy’s forces were still sufficient and they must have been dazed and unsure of their first victory.
But the second.
As if by magic, Mirbo’s defense line, which had been tenaciously holding on by deploying reserve units at the most opportune moment and torturing hopes that it would never collapse, finally seemed to be collapsing.
The imperial army was intoxicated by the fact that that damned defense line had finally collapsed. I was captivated by the hope that victory was just around the corner.
Even after the appearance of the assassins, the commander-in-chief personally brought out the cuirassiers that they had cherished until the end, instilling confidence in the revolutionary army’s desperation and pushing them back.
The moment the Count of Baden called for a charge, including all his magic, not only he, but all the commanders of the imperial army, including Duke Gunhild, thought so.
No one realized that it was the Marquis de Lafayette’s plan to make them think that way from the beginning.
The call of a messenger urgently sent by Archduke Leopold, and the flag signal that gave the command to stop by beating the drum at the main camp under the Archduke’s orders.
The hope of victory, which was just around the corner after a long struggle, was drowned out by the noise of the battlefield.
“Huh huh waaaa- 100 million?”
The imperial army, which was breathing heavily as it ran up the hill, faced the revolutionary army with its guns pointed at them all at a distance of only about 30 meters.
According to the plan drawn up by the Marquis de Lafayette, the ambush prepared by Damien was scolded by redeploying the reserves and rearmost units that had been taken out in advance, based on the troops of Nicolas Ney, who were initially routed by the Empire.
“Oh my…”
The light infantry kneeling in front of the front line infantry each opened fire.
The Imperial soldiers who climbed the hill first fell to the ground before they could even grasp the situation due to the gunfire coming from a distance that was difficult to miss.
However, the imperial troops running up the hill had no idea of the situation.
However, with the intention of quickly following my colleagues who had bravely gone ahead, I ran up to the execution site prepared for them.
When the imperial army, which had come up sporadically at first and was defeated only by the light infantry’s fire, finally began to come up in countless numbers – a chill ran down Damien de Mirbeau’s spine as he watched the scene.
I was skeptical, but I couldn’t believe it was going exactly according to the Marquis de Lafayette’s plan.
To be honest, I thought it would collapse before that, but isn’t that guy actually anticipating everything, as he appointed a woman who was amazingly good at reading defense lines as an officer candidate?
Damien swallowed dry saliva and raised his sword high.
“Aim at the first row-”
“Huh?”
While the imperial army panicked as they saw a line of muskets with bayonets flashing at close range aimed at them –
“Fire!”
The muskets of the revolutionary army’s line infantrymen opened fire all at once.
The imperial troops who climbed the hill with difficulty fell to their deaths. Even those who were lucky enough to survive and were in shock and fear were even taken care of by the light infantry’s fire.
“Sit in the first row! Aiming 2nd row fire-!”
After finishing shooting, the infantry in the first row sit down and the infantry in the second row aim their muskets.
“Huh-”
The imperial troops who came up late couldn’t help but be shocked when they saw the corpses piled up at their feet.
“launch!”
While they could not react, a volley of fire from the second line of infantry poured in, and countless imperial troops fell once again without even being able to scream.
“Sit in the second row! Aiming 3rd row fire-!”
At this point, the imperial troops who had climbed the hill tripped over corpses and fell, and many of them fell into panic when they saw the corpses of their comrades filling the ground.
With that terrible sight alone, the imperial army had already completely lost its will to fight.
“launch!”
A volley of fire was fired once again, and several bodies of the fallen Imperial soldiers tumbled down the hill, where there was no longer a place for corpses to pile up.
The Imperial Army, which was running up the hill as it saw countless comrades climbing over the hill, stopped as it saw its dead comrades rolling down the hill again.
“what happened?”
Only when the imperial army’s charge stopped, the momentum broke, and the heat cooled down did I hear the sound of drums beating frantically from the rear and a flag indicating a stop signal came into view.
And at that moment-
“Start the attack! Counterattack!”
“Revolutionary army advances!”
“For Franzia!”
“Waaah-!”
In response to Damien de Mirbeau’s magical cry, Nicolas Ney ordered the revolutionary soldiers to shout in unison and start running down the hill.
Only at that moment did the entire Imperial army realize what had become of their countless comrades who had crossed over the hill.
“Ha, it’s a trap!”
A cry close to death that burst from someone’s mouth.
The moment the sound rang out and the minds of the soldiers, who had been dazed by the incomprehensible situation, understood it, fear and panic spread throughout the entire imperial army.
