Chapter 184

After the soldier who delivered the news of Count Ilerias and Count Izza left,

I immediately turned my head and thought about how the battle would unfold afterward.

First of all, the foolish Count Ilerias and Count Izza, who were tricked by the enemy’s lure operation, would begin to retreat as their knights faced a joint attack.

With the two broken figures suffering significant losses to their main knight forces from a military perspective, they would have no choice but to withdraw for reorganization.

However, if they retreat, they would likely face punishment for violating the overall commander’s legitimate orders upon returning from the expedition, with the possibility of execution following a loss of title in a martial court overseen by the Emperor.

This is because the Emperor believes that imposing the cost of the failed Eastern Expedition on the two of them is the most efficient way to maintain his authority.

Moreover, knowing this fact, they would likely try to protect the rear at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing their soldiers, in an attempt to create some leeway for mitigation.

But what of the army led by the two counts, who are embracing knights nearly decimated?

It is quite likely that several adult men charging at them like a wall of straw would bring them down with a mere headbutt.

It is only a matter of time before our rear is breached by the enemy’s knights.

However, if I establish tactics assuming that it will be breached, I can turn around and exploit the enemy’s weaknesses.

And since the best attack is to use the enemy’s strength against them, using this would be a matter of course.

“Given the situation, there’s no helping it, Major Laila! Immediately send half of the reserve matchlock rifles and ammunition to the soldiers waiting at the rear. After that, instruct Colonel Frost’s firearms regiment to cover the rear. Also, if anyone asks how to move, tell them to act according to ‘Operation 3.'”

“Yes, understood.”

“Also, to prevent the enemy from realizing that we’ve caught on to our tactics… I will personally stand at the front lines and encourage the fight. In the meantime, I’ll delegate command of the knights at the rear to Beerman Baron, and command of the infantry to Baron Frost. Additionally, I will instruct Count Walt to lead his subordinate troops immediately to my flag.”

Having finished my orders, I led my bodyguard and walked straight to the frontline, where engagement was occurring in the center of our legion’s formation.

After about 15 minutes of walking in my armor, I could see soldiers fighting for their lives against the enemy.

“Die, you lousy minions of Marquis Simon!”

“All you cowardly chicks, die! I’ll send you all to your mothers! I’m sure they’ll love it.”

“I heard Count Louis is a coward; you lot fighting under him are more like peeing babies!”

While the voices of shouting soldiers were filled with intensity…

Compared to when they first began fighting, it was evident their movements with the spears and their stances when reloading their firearms lacked some strength.

They were alternating with the rear at regular intervals, but with merely 1 hour and 30 minutes of rest, their physical strength could not have completely recovered.

Given that, even after an hour of playing soccer, it would take at least a few hours of rest to return to their original state….

However, I couldn’t just pull them out midway to let them rest, so it was best to make it known that I would fight alongside them.

By doing so, the soldiers who realized I was fighting alongside them would be motivated.

In such a situation, if I personally encouraged the soldiers, the overall commander, Marquis Simon, would probably misunderstand it in his own way?

We have no leeway to withstand the direct attacks coming at us, so Marquis Croilet is personally encouraging the soldiers.

Then perhaps, feigning to be unable to monitor the rear due to focusing only on the front would be a courteous act to allow them to at least dream good dreams for a moment.

“Raise the banner of the Croilet Marquis family and announce my arrival with horns and drums! From now on, my bodyguard will assist those among our infantry who are being overwhelmed!”

Following this, I drew my sword and raised it to the sky.

As I did, the banner representing me was raised, and the sound of trumpets spread widely.

In my declaration that I, the Marquis, would personally lead the soldiers to overcome the disadvantageous battlefield, our troops cheered even as they were struggling to fight.

“His Excellency has personally stepped onto the battlefield!”

“I have fought under His Excellency since Eslon, and since the Marquis has stepped up, no matter what the enemy does, we will win! Just hold on a little longer!”

“Our lord is personally watching; no one should show a disgraceful figure, fight like you’re ready to die, and change your fate!”

On the other hand, the enemy soldiers, who had only just begun to lift their spirits, spoke in despairing voices.

“The damned reaper has come directly to the battlefield!”

“We are all dead…”

“I want to go home… No, if I had known it would be like this, I would have followed that damned Mark guy…”

As I expected, our morale began to rise while the enemy’s morale started to decline.

Now, simply holding the flag at the front and encouraging the soldiers would be enough to lure the enemy’s overall commander, Marquis Simon, into a trap.

Logically, when news spreads that an overall commander has personally stood at a specific location on the front line, everyone would assume that is where the army’s main force is concentrated.

But since I intended to be a fisherman luring people, I thought it was courteous to use plenty of bait to catch as many enemy soldiers as possible.

Thus, I grabbed the captain of my bodyguard beside me and said, “From now on, we will move around the front lines to support those who are being overwhelmed!”

The bodyguard captain showed a face as if to say, ‘Am I hearing things?’ but soon began to command his subordinate bodyguards.

As such, my bodyguard and I crossed the battlefield, encouraging the soldiers engaged in battle and supporting those who had been wounded to be evacuated as swiftly as possible.

In particular, there was one soldier who was severely injured and on the brink of death, but due to delayed evacuation…

I personally carried him and handed him over to the medical unit directly behind his unit.

As I threw out the bait to lure the enemy while encouraging and supporting the rear, I noticed the adjacent formation was being pushed back.

It wasn’t completely collapsed yet.

However, seeing that the vertical line of soldiers was shorter compared to other formations indicated that many had either fallen or been evacuated.

But if left unchecked, the formation could soon be destroyed by the enemy.

Then, just like a tiny hole bringing down a massive wall, our army could face a disaster caused by the breach in the formation.

Naturally, the enemy commander would be fighting personally now, encouraging his serfs to ensure he does not miss this opportunity.

“If we break through this formation! I, Marshal Clausewitz, stake my honor!! I will grant serfs a year’s tax and corvée exemption, and each soldier will receive five silver coins!! Fight with the resolve to die!!!”

While a mere commander would not typically wield such wealth and influence, he surely was using this as a means to entice them by recognizing that breaking my formation would yield greater rewards for him in the aftermath of the attack.

So I had no choice but to kill that guy and reorganize this unit as quickly as possible.

“I will lead my bodyguard to rescue the companies holding the front line! I will also charge with you in the midst, so give your all to save your comrades!”

As soon as my command dropped, the bodyguard formed up in a four-row formation and cut through the empty space beside the formation, aiming for the enemy’s flank.

The serfs and soldiers of the enemy, surprised by the unexpected ambush from the bodyguard, delayed their counterattack, and in that window, we slaughtered as many as we could.

I also helped some of my front lines during the process, personally cutting down several serfs.

With each enemy soldier I killed, the bodyguard captain shouted loudly, “The Marquis Croilet has personally slain the enemy for you!”

At those words, the enemies began to lose their will to fight, and my direct unit, the bodyguard, managed to save the beleaguered company without suffering a single casualty.

Then, without even receiving a thank you from the rescued company commander, I continued to seek out and support units that were struggling against the enemy.

After about 30 minutes of this, I spotted nearly 5,000 knights from the enemy’s right flank moving to the rear through this gap.

The fact that 5,000 knights moved simultaneously meant…

“Count Ilerias has completely wasted his troops.”