Episode 160 Krafte War – Battle of Bahua (6)
It was the time when the strong midday sun was slowly waning and making its final move, and the setting sun was starting to color the sky in blood red.
“Aim-”
The musket is raised-
“Fire!”
The Krafte army’s battle lines burst into flames all at once.
The soldiers who fired their guns naturally pour gunpowder and push bullets again without even a moment’s delay.
Repetitive movements with almost no errors, like a single piece of machinery.
Amid the overwhelming violence of the fire, the revolutionary army was making enormous sacrifices.
however.
“How long are they going to hold out?”
The commanders of the Krafte army, which looked like a war machine, were embarrassed.
Although the initial damage inflicted by the salvo was reduced significantly due to the Holy Maiden King, from then on it was a complete all-out war.
The number of fallen revolutionary troops has already reached tens of thousands.
Still, it doesn’t collapse.
“Hold on just a little longer! They’re tired! “The accuracy and reload speed are dropping!”
The commander, Damien de Mirbeau, is on the front line, encouraging them, with his sword drawn and a magical barrier shielding him from bullets.
“The 189th Company supports the 123rd Company! “It’s shaking over there!”
“Oh, I understand, Major!”
In place of Mirbeau, Giselle Darby, who remained in the rear, is holding on by throwing in the last of the troops she has squeezed into every place that threatens to collapse.
“Haaaa-!”
The lightning that Louis Daquiten summons turns dozens of people into charcoal at a time, no matter how elite the Krafte army is.
“Oh my, it’s dangerous.”
Leon Durand, who stood in front of Luis, who was breathing heavily due to exhaustion of magical power, deflected Shutchen’s shot aimed at him.
“Thank you so much.”
“You’ll be grateful because it’s worth the money.”
After answering with a grin, Leon Durand narrowed his eyes and looked at the revolutionary vanguard that seemed ready to collapse at any moment but was holding on tenaciously.
The vanguard was where the Krafte army was overwhelming.
“For units that have suffered too much damage, rotate them, temporarily pull them out, reorganize them, and then re-introduce them! Our troops are much larger! “Push until the enemies are exhausted!”
“I understand, Commander!”
Louis Desget, who commands the main unit, handles his troops calmly and skillfully and is constantly pushing them forward.
No matter how great the Krafte army is, flexible operation of the unit is impossible due to its inferiority in troops.
And since we are humans made of cloth, we cannot help but become exhausted from the constant attacks.
The unit that would change the situation of the war arrived at the front line that was being held so tightly.
“Your Excellency Commander Mirbo!”
“what?”
Damien, who turned his head slightly at Giselle Davy’s call, almost burst into tears when he saw the unit that arrived behind him.
“Your general’s reinforcements have arrived!”
“Oh oh oh finally…!”
“Thank you for your hard work, Commander! From now on, we will lead the counterattack!”
In front of the Krafte army, exhausted and exhausted after fighting for half a day, elite soldiers, including the Revolutionary Guards, with a fresh reserve of stamina, appeared and began to attack.
* * *
“Your Majesty, our ammunition is almost exhausted!”
“Your Majesty, the enemy’s artillery is firing heavily at the Royal Guards! “The loss is serious!”
The great king was listening to the report, pressing his staff with both hands.
An army that fights back even after tens of thousands of sacrifices.
Even the Krafte army had never fought against such enemies.
The movements of the battlefield are clearly visible to the king’s eyes.
The infantry battle, in which there was no doubt that they would have an absolute advantage, is now reaching a critical mass.
‘Why did this happen?’
They clearly had an overwhelming advantage in the first match.
The Krafte army’s enormous capabilities overwhelmed the enemies and brought them to the brink of collapse, but the enemies were able to escape the initial shock thanks to the Saint Queen’s actions.
Afterwards, the enemies reacted quickly to the strength of Krafte’s army, and the accumulated losses and long battles are causing fatigue that cannot be ignored even to Krafte’s elite troops.
The Marquis de Lafayette’s decision to rely on the protection of the Queen of Saints and snipe from the artillery first became a disaster for Krafte’s army now that the battle had become a long one.
Krafte’s artillery was already half neutralized, and perhaps because he judged that he had sufficiently neutralized the artillery, the Marquis de Lafayette poured the artillery’s firepower into the infantry.
The Royal Guards, which prevented the enemy cuirassier’s breakthrough, came under heavy fire and suffered terrible losses before they could properly join the infantry battle.
In this situation, if all ammunition is used up, all that remains is close combat.
Krafte’s strong army is good at hand-to-hand combat, but can the soldiers, exhausted from a half-day-long firefight, defeat the numerically superior revolutionary army?
Even the Great King cannot fathom the tenacity and perseverance of that revolutionary army.
Should we engage in hand-to-hand combat when we can’t predict how many more people will need to be killed before they are routed?
If not.
‘Should we retreat?’
“her.”
A choice you never thought you would ever consider. The moment that occurred to him, the Great King burst into laughter.
I never thought I would really end up here.
“This is a messenger from His Majesty the King!”
The moment the Great King was smiling bitterly, news was delivered that would change the situation of the war.
“His Majesty Heinrich has reconstituted his cuirassiers and is coming to the battlefield! We’ll be there in less than an hour!”
* * *
The momentum of the Krafte army was broken.
The moment they had that confidence, the news that Chasseur brought threw the leadership into confusion.
“Cuirassiers?”
“Yes, His Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette. “I think the number is as high as 5000!”
“Damn it.”
It’s only been about half a day since you were defeated by Morel and Gaston, and you’ve just recovered from it?
No matter how great Krafte’s discipline is, it goes beyond expectations.
I knew that Prince Heinrich was a military leader, but I had no idea that he would show such ability in the midst of an ambush and a messy defeat.
“If you look at the numbers, it doesn’t seem like the entire unit has been recovered. “I guess they urgently selected and sent only those numbers who could fight among the remnants of the defeated soldiers who had been contacted and gathered.”
“But that alone is a disaster.”
After holding on like that, fighting delaying battles, and pushing back.
Even though we neutralized almost all of Krafte’s artillery and bombarded it unilaterally, including the last remaining reserve units of Nicola Ney and Louis Desget, we were still outnumbered.
As the cuirassier’s charge failed, they held on steadily and were betting that the Krafte army would run out of ammunition first… If they
were defenselessly flanked by 5,000 cuirassiers, this battle would be over.
I asked, looking at Gaston, who was still wearing blood-covered clothes that he couldn’t even wash.
“…General Gaston, how much of our cavalry can be deployed?”
“I will do my best, but the number of troops that can be deployed right away will not even be 500…”
“Damn it.”
Fortunately, Gaston returned safely, but most of the cuirassiers did not.
The cuirassiers who jumped into the enemy lines and fought head-on with the Royal Guard suffered severe damage, and most of those who survived were wounded.
It was such a fierce battle that even General Jerome Morel barely returned with a gunshot wound.
The situation is much worse than that of the Krafte cuirassiers who had been routed long before and returned after recovering.
There is no such thing as a reserve unit in a situation where the entire unit has been sent to the front to fight against the monstrous Krafte army.
What was left were the cuirassiers, numbering less than 500, with around 2,000 Chasseurs left behind for reconnaissance and chasing down enemy remnants.
Is it possible to stop 5000 cuirassiers with this?
no. Those Krafte troops will be able to split the units to deal with our cavalry and still trample our troops’ flanks.
“Your Excellency the Marquis. “I’m sorry, but if we are outflanked by the cavalry here, our troops will suffer crushing damage…”
Alexandre Werther hesitated with a pale face and then cautiously opened his mouth.
“Just fighting back against the Krafte army to this extent is an incredible feat. From here on out, let’s take a step back and plan the next step…”
“Next?”
Will there be a next time?
The crystals that Eris used in this battle are items that cannot be used again even if Franzia’s finances are spent.
If Christine’s work, which would have been fruitful with just one win or even a draw, goes to waste.
All I can see is the ending of being pushed back and pushed against those war machines, and eventually the capital city will fall.
But are you telling me to get out of here? Because just one shot is not enough.
Are you telling me to leave and abandon the tens of thousands of corpses piled up on that plain now?
Is that really the only way?
“…Marquis?”
While I was thinking about it, I heard a small voice behind me.
“…Her Majesty the Queen.”
When I turned my head, Eris with a very pale complexion was looking at me.
Seeing how Lord Beaumont, standing behind him, couldn’t hide his worry, it looks like he couldn’t stand it even when they tried to stop him again.
…I really can’t stop you.
“What’s the situation like?”
“The situation.”
Even though you squeezed everything and tens of thousands of troops lost their lives, you said that in front of Eris that you might have to retreat due to lack of strength – no.
“…There is a reserve unit.”
It’s here.
The strongest cavalry that easily surpasses dozens of cavalry.
It is also the best decoy to prevent the enemy from even thinking about dividing their units and attacking the infantry.
“yes? “A reserve unit, Sir?”
While Alexandre Werther was confused, I looked at Eris and asked.
“your majesty. Are there any crystals left?”
“There is one left. “I lost my mind just now…”
How is your physical condition?
I was about to ask that before I knew it, but I swallowed my words and said something else.
“Think of this as the last time and give the strongest protection possible to about 2,500 people. Would you like to do so?”
“Your Excellency the Marquis of Lafayette, no matter how much protection you receive from Her Majesty the Queen, it is impossible to stop 5,000 heavy cavalry with 2,000 light cavalry and 500 heavy cavalry that you just acquired. The enemy will also divide their units into appropriate units to attack the infantry-”
“I will hang my flag and go to the front. Sir Gaston, please help me. “I beg your pardon, but I will also borrow Her Majesty Lord Beaumont.”
When dealing with 5,000 heavy cavalry, 2,000 light cavalry and 500 heavy cavalry will only hold you back for a moment.
But what if Eris receives the blessing and the three strongest knights of the revolutionary army take the lead?
“The commander-in-chief is leading an outnumbered army and jumping in right in front of his eyes, but there is no cavalry that can ignore it just to catch common soldiers.”
“This is reckless!”
Alexandre Werther was shocked and objected, and Gaston looked like he wanted to say something, but I ignored it and asked Eris.
“Is that possible, Your Majesty? “This is the last way to ensure that the sacrifices on this battlefield are not in vain.”
Eris, who had just come to her senses, was confused, but seemed to quickly understand the situation just from the conversation.
The shaking purple eyes slowly calmed down and determination took their place.
Eris opened her mouth.
“I trust you as always. “I will do whatever I can.”
I answered.
“I will not disappoint Her Majesty’s trust.
* * *
We gathered together the Chasseurs, who were exhausted from long cavalry battles and reconnaissance battles, and the cuirassier cavalry that barely returned alive after fighting through the enemy lines.
However, even if all the cavalry that can be gathered immediately are gathered, the number barely exceeds 2,500.
The blessing that Eris bestowed by squeezing out all of her last crystals and strength took away her fatigue and infused her body with overflowing strength, but even so, no one knew that this would be a fight in which she was absolutely outnumbered.
I made eye contact with Sir Gaston, who was standing next to me.
A man who was the son of a mercenary who simply admired the knight in the story, but who became a braver and more loyal knight than anyone else, is with me.
On the other side is Sir Frederick de Beaumont.
The knight who was a royal guard before the kingdom collapsed and who protected Eris even before she became queen has come to help me under her orders.
How long did they wait? The characteristic dust of the galloping cavalry began to rise from afar.
…This is the final turning point of this battle.
I took a deep breath and looked at the flag with the rider next to me.
A flag engraved with the Lafayette family crest.
Somehow it made me laugh.
Turn and turn and turn.
It’s Lafayette’s battlefield again.
Soon, thousands of Krafte cuirassiers appeared from beyond the hill.
Immediately, tension appears on the troopers’ faces.
On this battlefield, in this situation.
In the face of absolute inferiority, the Blue Knight, carrying Lafayette’s flag, charged ahead.
I spoke from the top of the hill that followed the bloody path he traversed.
Now I, Lafayette, will raise the flag for you.
As I drew my sword, all the soldiers’ eyes focused on me.
The Blue Knight is my father.
These are the words spoken by Hubert de Lafayette as he drove thousands of troops to their deaths for the sake of his everlasting legend.
“Follow!”
but now.
For all the sacrifices of Christine, Eris and Franzia.
In order not to let the lives lost by tens of thousands of people be in vain.
“Then I will make you legends!”
I kicked the horse’s butt and started running towards the very center of the enemy camp.
