Chapter 185

At that moment, only 1 km away, the armies of the Croilet Marquess, Simon Marquis, and Count Laureant were engaged in a bloody battle.

Colonel Frost, a subordinate favored by the Marquess and leading the cavalry regiment, waited on horseback for the order to attack.

As others fought, soldiers who were unable to participate in the battle expressed their frustration in discontented voices.

Normally, Colonel Frost would have reprimanded the soldiers complaining about unnecessary chatter during combat.

However, feeling weary of merely watching the war unfold so rapidly without being able to do anything, he remained silent, merely listening.

Now, even the officers around him began to voice their discontent with the current situation.

“While our comrades are dying in front of us, we’re just sitting here waiting.”

“Lieutenant Blanc, you should watch your mouth. All of this is part of the Marquess’s operation. We don’t know when the enemy might come, so keep your guard up.”

“Captain, it’s not that I don’t trust the Marquess. On the contrary, I absolutely trust him. But seeing our soldiers on the front dying…”

“I agree, but if we miss the opportunity to move in and out, we could be annihilated. No, we’re the most likely to be wiped out. Isn’t that right?”

Upon hearing that, Lieutenant Blanc examined the uniforms worn by the captain and other soldiers.

The blue dyed fabric of their upper and lower garments symbolizing the Croilet Marquess family, with a pristine white belt and strap, along with a sword and matchlock rifle measuring about 70 cm.

Unlike the other infantry of the family, their attire specialized in striking the enemy’s flank with guns and had almost no defensive capability.

“Indeed, as you mentioned. If I get hit by even a single arrow…”

“And right now, Colonel, you must be feeling even more anxious. Because if the corps falters or suffers a heavy blow, not only will you feel guilty, but you could also be held responsible for not responding.”

After waiting for about 30 minutes for the attack order while listening to occasional complaints, a messenger rushed up and knelt down.

“It’s the Marquess’s command. The Frost Regiment is to secure the rear. Ammunition and matchlock rifles necessary for the operation will also be supplied shortly.”

“I understand. Were there specific instructions on how to proceed?”

“The Marquess said to act according to Operation 3.”

After delivering the message, the messenger hastily rode off to leave the regiment.

Before long, a supply officer ran out from the rear of the regiment and said, “Major Laila has issued us 1,000 matchlock rifles and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, the other infantry in the rear have also received reserve matchlock rifles and ammunition.”

The mass supply of essential war materials like matchlock rifles and ammunition indicated that a major battle was about to erupt here.

After all, in a place where the only means of transport can be a horse or a cart pulled by people, there wouldn’t be such a large effort to transport strategic materials without a significant reason.

Perhaps due to this, a tense atmosphere spread among all commanders and soldiers, including Lieutenant Blanc and the captain, who had been complaining just moments before.

Colonel Frost soon commanded his soldiers in a loud voice. “All commanders and soldiers of the Frost Regiment should load ammunition into their matchlock rifles and any additional supplies received! Next, each of you should load 10 rounds of ammunition into the ammo belts across your shoulders. Prepare yourselves to take the stage!”

At the regimental command, the soldiers and officers dismounted briefly, received their assigned matchlock rifles and ammunition, and began to ready themselves for the attack.

The officers began to issue commands as fastidiously as mothers-in-law scolding daughters-in-law.

“Those who packed two matchlock rifles should immediately load ammunition into them!”

“Hold one loaded matchlock in your hand and place the other with the muzzle angled upwards on the left side of the saddle! Make sure the powder cover is properly in place!”

“And make sure to have a small jar filled with lit fuses to guard against extinguishing flames on the saddle! Those who fail to prepare will be penalized by military law!”

Seeing the soldiers being diligently instructed by their battalion, company, and platoon officers, Colonel Frost muttered as he recalled the details of Operation 3.

“The Marquess predicted that Count Ilerias and Count Izza, being inexperienced yet overly confident, would certainly make a significant mistake this time. Then, naturally, their armies would suffer near-total damage and retreat, at which point our forces would be targeted by the enemy knights focusing on the front battle. Therefore, we would take advantage of the enemy’s operation by reinforcing the rear defenses and shooting at the galloping knights from both sides as they charged…”

Colonel Frost paused briefly, contemplating two possible futures.

One was if the Croilet Marquess failed to command himself and the soldiers in the rear to prepare for the assault from the enemy knights and ended up ambushed.

‘Surely, the soldiers in the rear would have been turned into paste under the weight of thousands of knights clad in iron armor and hundreds of kilograms of horses. Then, riding on that momentum, the enemy would have attacked from both sides and annihilated our forces…’

But what if they fought back against the enemy in a fully prepared state?

‘If we unloaded our firearms on the enemy knights, who would be somewhat weary from defeating Count Ilerias’s army, their momentum would certainly dwindle. Our soldiers have already proven capable of repelling knights with just spears and crossbows since the battle of Stuttgart Plain, so we could surely drive them back.’

Right after that, Captain Raccoon, who replaced Captain Mark as adjutant, approached Colonel Frost and said, “Colonel, all 1,000 men of the Frost Cavalry Regiment are ready for battle. Please give the order to advance.”

“Good. I will lead the charge in this operation as well. Follow me.”

With those words, Colonel Frost mounted his horse and led his regiment toward the rear of the Croilet army.

What they encountered after arriving was Count Ilerias’s army being overwhelmed by thousands of knights.

The army of over 10,000 soldiers had dwindled to around 6,000, or rather close to 5,000, visible even to the naked eye. Moreover, the ground was nearly obscured by the corpses of soldiers trampled to death by knights and the blood of both the fallen soldiers and knights.

At this point, suffering greater than 50% casualties beyond the 30% considered a tactical, strategic annihilation rendered rebuilding impossible.

Amidst such carnage, some commanders were likely feeling hopeless…

“Damn it, retreat!!”

“I’ll take responsibility! The Front Platoon will retreat from here!”

“The Count can no longer command or control us properly! We should rather use this opportunity to return to Ilerias!”

Hearing the orders from the commanders urging desertion, who would have no words if Count Ilerias were to hear them, Colonel Frost clicked his tongue and said, “If Count Ilerias is in such a situation, then Count Izza next to him must also be in dire straits. No, his forces must be entirely wiped out. That noble must also be… having suffered an attack from enemy knights.”

Just as he said, the two units were too weak to defend the rear without cooperating.

Thus, if one side collapsed, cooperation would fall apart, making it natural that Count Izza’s army could not hold out alone.

Just shortly after the Frost Regiment arrived near the battlefield, the flags representing the forces of Simon Marquis and Count Laureant were raised, and the sound of a trumpet rang out.

At that moment, the knights belonging to those two noble families quickly began to clean the blood off their swords, short lances, and maces before moving away.

Colonel Frost too timed his orders for his troops accordingly. “The enemy will soon form a wedge formation and disregard Count Ilerias’s army to strike our rear. We will advance in a straight line to the right, close to their wedge formation, and then turn right to shoot in unison as they charge toward our rear soldiers.”