Translator: Cinder Translations
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The fourteen cannons of the artillery company continued to bombard the enemy forces, which were advancing in a dense formation, until the barrels became too hot to touch. Only then did they stop to cool them down with water.
The Kent forces were initially thrown into disarray by the bombardment, with many soldiers fleeing despite warnings from their superiors.
A cavalry detachment, assigned to enforce discipline, pursued the fleeing soldiers. By collecting the heads of a dozen deserters, they managed to stabilize the situation.
"This isn't a solution!" Jaius frowned deeply.
Although the entire army had been warned the day before about the enemy's legendary thunder hammers and advised to prepare mentally, the actual impact of the thunder hammers left most soldiers terrified.
In reality, the casualties caused by the artillery at this distance were not severe; it was the overwhelming show of force that was most frightening.
"Can our crossbows reach them?"
"My lord, I'm afraid not…"
The officer in charge of the long-range weapons spread his hands helplessly.
"Continue advancing!"
Jaius, irritated, waved his hand dismissively. However, he believed that with their numerical and equipment advantages, they would achieve victory as long as they could get close to the enemy. Although the thousand or so troops from the Alden army were troublesome, their small number would not be decisive.
The Kent forces, having regained their composure, continued their advance, but their formation was now much looser to avoid the long-range damage from Alden's artillery.
They could no longer reclaim the high ground. Once the Kent forces had descended into chaos, Earl Parker saw this through his telescope and immediately seized the opportunity, ordering his entire army to advance at a run.
As the Kent forces were reorganizing their formation, the allied forces had already set up their positions on the slope. If the chaos continued, the allies would rush in to take advantage of the situation.
"Are those Alden troops on the left flank?"
Jaius carefully observed the enemy's formation and made timely adjustments to his own troops' deployment.
The allied commanders were also observing the enemy from a distance.
"They have a lot of archers, at least 1500 or more… Hmm, they've moved to the right flank."
The allied commanders noticed a new development, which had not been detected in previous scouting reports.
Everyone began to suspect a possibility: could the enemy's suggestion to delay the battle for two days have been to wait for these archers to arrive? Was Derrick's guess correct?
The Kent forces had over 8,000 soldiers, including infantry and archers, divided into four formations. Three formations were on the front line, one as a reserve, and over 500 cavalry were on the left flank.
The allied forces, totaling nearly 7,000 men, were also divided into four formations, similar to the Kent forces. However, about 400 cavalry were on the right flank, facing the enemy's left flank.
When the Kent forces were about 400 meters from the allied forces, Earl Parker looked around and, with a bow, said, "The rest is up to you all."
"Take care, my lord!"
The commanders returned the salute and rode back to their respective units.
Bryce also returned to his own troops. The Alden army, positioned on the left flank of the allies, was facing the newly deployed archers of the Kent forces.
"Woo—"
Earl Parker ordered the horn to be sounded, and the allied formations advanced towards the Kent forces.
The first contact was between the cavalry units of both sides. Although the Kent cavalry had a numerical advantage, the artillery company focused its fire on them. Under the bombardment, the Kent cavalry could never form a dense charge formation and had to advance in a loose formation towards the allied forces.
The allied forces, however, had no such concerns and advanced in a dense formation towards the enemy.
When the cavalry of both sides first engaged, each Kent cavalryman faced multiple lances, dodging one but unable to avoid another, resulting in many being thrown from their horses.
The initial contact caused significant casualties among the Kent cavalry.
However, the Kent cavalry's numerical advantage was still significant. Once the melee began, the allied forces' formation advantage diminished.
From the allied side's perspective, the infantry formations from right to left also faced off.
As both sides' infantry generally charged forward with a shout when they were about 200 meters apart, the battle turned chaotic once they mixed. The previously orderly formations were now in disarray.
The Alden army was an exception. They advanced steadily, marching to the beat of the drum.
Following them were the Heller family's infantry. Two days ago, Derek had led a group to deliver a wave, and afterward, gathered the remaining troops. There were less than a thousand infantry left. Since the Alden army did not charge, they did not either, as there was someone to block the way.
Facing the Alden army were the Kent archers, who seemed to have been specifically deployed to the right flank to counter the firearms.
As the Alden army advanced, a rain of arrows was shot at them. Many soldiers fell with arrows sticking in them, but the soldiers continued forward, stepping over their fallen comrades, with their eyes fixed ahead.
As the infantry passed a certain spot, stretcher-bearers quickly ran over to carry the injured to the rear for medical treatment. These people were civilian workers hired by Bryce, many of whom dared to venture into the battlefield to earn some money for their families.
The Portley infantry following behind were moved by their allies' determination. The disappointment from their defeat two days ago vanished, replaced by an inexplicable feeling of inspiration.
They had previously wondered why the Alden people beat drums during battles. Now, their steps unconsciously matched the drumbeat, and their initial formation miraculously held.
It wasn't that the Portley infantry were exceptionally skilled; more likely, it was because the enemy's archers focused on the Alden infantry in front, leaving fewer arrows for them. Had they been in front, they would have rushed forward like other troops.
…
The officer commanding the Kent archers was puzzled. The distance was close enough, so why weren't the Alden troops firing their crossbows?
According to those who had used crossbows before, these weapons could hit targets from about a hundred meters away. Lord Jaius had ordered the archers to engage the Alden troops and tie them down, preventing them from supporting other units.
Yet, the Alden troops continued to advance, allowing arrows to fall on them without any sign of retaliation.
As the distance between both sides narrowed to about 50 meters, the Kent forces noticed the shiny bayonets on the tops of the "fire crossbows" in the hands of the Alden troops.
Could the Alden troops intend to engage in hand-to-hand combat, but their "fire crossbows" were too short? Although the archers were generally equipped with only daggers, they had a row of pikemen protecting them.
With these questions in mind, the officer directed the archers to shoot twice more, causing significant casualties among the Alden troops.
Finally, when the distance between both sides was about 50 meters, the Alden troops stopped advancing.
(End of the Chapter)
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