Translator: Cinder Translations
...
On August 10th of the Holy Era, the four new infantry battalions arrived in Fish Tail Town, accompanied by Paul Grayman. As the supreme military commander of Alden, he was not about to miss out on witnessing the final moments of the enemy's despair... or rather, to grab the battle achievements for himself.
Before Paul had a chance to rest in Fish Tail Town, he received a report from Schroeder on the front lines. The Duke's army had launched an attack with an overwhelming force, estimated to be nearly 10,000 strong. The Alden forces had suffered a defeat and were now retreating to a town called Saint Mir, where they were holding out.
Ten thousand troops? A defeat? Paul nearly jumped at the report. He had become accustomed to Alden's continuous victories, so hearing the word "defeat" was hard to accept.
Schroeder's forces, aside from two regular infantry battalions, included about 1,000 militia and auxiliary troops recruited locally, totaling around 3,000 men. Although Paul was confident that his side's training and equipment were superior, the disparity in numbers was a bit concerning.
Paul sent a reply to Schroeder: hold the position and wait for reinforcements; he would bring the four infantry battalions south to join him immediately.
Thus, the more than 2,000 men who had just disembarked had no time to rest and began their rapid march south.
After two days of forced marching, Paul's troops arrived at Saint Mir Town and joined up with Schroeder's forces.
The old knight, feeling somewhat ashamed, said, "I apologize, my lord. It was my poor command that brought shame to Alden's army."
Paul waved his hand dismissively, "This is not your fault. Your troops were simply too few."
Even with the defeat, Schroeder's army still had 2,500 men left. Upon learning that the enemy's numbers far exceeded their own, Schroeder had wisely chosen to preserve his forces and await Paul's four infantry battalions.
Among Schroeder's troops, only the 1,000 soldiers from the Second and Fourth Infantry Battalions were truly battle-worthy, along with about 1,000 poorly defended Alden militia equipped with spears. The locally recruited auxiliary troops were hardly worth mentioning.
"What is the enemy's situation?" Paul was skeptical that Maltz Kent could have trained 10,000 soldiers; otherwise, what were they even fighting?
"Based on our observations, the truly trained soldiers number between 3,000 and 4,000, with nearly 1,000 cavalry, including around 400 regular knights," Schroeder reported.
"3,000 to 4,000?" Paul crossed his arms, mentally comparing the forces on both sides.
This meant that if they only considered the "regular troops," the numbers were roughly equal. Including their militia, they had nearly 4,000 men. Alden had the advantage in terms of quality, discipline, and organization, while the enemy had the advantage of cavalry.
The remaining miscellaneous troops in the Duke's army were not a concern for Paul. After such a long time, he knew what level these temporary recruits were capable of. If they were allowed to charge together, the situation would likely descend into chaos.
Paul asked Schroeder for his opinion, "Do you think we can win with our current strength?"
The old knight confidently replied, "If the enemy does not receive new reinforcements, it's absolutely possible."
Schroeder's confidence was based on the fact that, in addition to the four infantry battalions, the earl had brought 20 field guns, which would definitely give the Duke's army a hard time.
Paul patted several large crates, smiling as he said to his chief of staff, "Aside from boosting our firepower, material incentives are also essential."
…
Two days later, the enemy army appeared south of Saint Mir Town. After resting, the Duke's forces advanced, and the Alden army quickly formed up south of the town. However, only two battalions were in position; the rest of the troops were hidden inside the town.
"Good. It seems they haven't reinforced their numbers," Schroeder said, using binoculars to estimate the enemy's strength. After previous battles, the Duke's forces now numbered over 8,000.
…
"My lord, we've thoroughly checked; there are no ambushes around the town."
A knight rode up to Jaius, reporting loudly.
Jaius looked at the Alden army in the distance with a mix of frustration and suspicion. He found it strange that the enemy always seemed to spot them first. Previously, during engagements with Schroeder, the Alden forces always appeared ready and waiting. It was as if their scouts had almost supernatural vision.
Could it be, as his father suspected, that Grayman had secretly received help from sorcerers and gained some mysterious powers?
Regardless, he was determined to end this troublesome opponent here. At least, the forces they faced were still the same 2,000 men as when they retreated last time.
Jaius ordered his officers, "Begin the attack according to the previous plan."
Their tactic was to send in a wave of expendable soldiers at the front to deplete the Alden army's ammunition, followed by spear and bow troops.
Since the Alden army's flintlock rifles had direct fire capabilities, the expendable troops provided good cover for the following units before they were all wiped out or fled. The only significant threat during the attack was the long-range artillery.
Once the front line infantry were close to the Alden position, the expendable troops were nearly exhausted. Archers provided suppressive fire, and the spear troops moved in to engage.
During this process, the cavalry circled around the enemy, applying psychological pressure and searching for weak points in the enemy formation to exploit.
Previous battles had shown that, when the enemy was outnumbered and lacked cavalry, this strategy was effective.
It seemed this was the first time since the war began that they had managed to push the Alden army to retreat. Jaius was unsure whether to laugh or cry.
…
The sounds of cannons, gunfire, and close combat filled the air as the two armies clashed fiercely on the plains south of Saint Mir Town.
Under heavy rewards and strict punishments, the Duke's soldiers repeatedly assaulted the enemy lines. The Alden soldiers, however, were greatly boosted by Paul's direct command and receiving military pay many times higher than usual, and they repeatedly repelled the attacks.
Watching the battlefield strewn with corpses and wounded, Schroeder signaled to Paul, "It's about time."
Paul nodded heavily, and Schroeder immediately ordered, "Withdraw to the town!"
Taking advantage of the enemy's lack of a new offensive, the Alden army collectively turned and ran towards Saint Mir Town.
At this moment, Jaius had learned of Paul's presence. A knight who had been wounded in the charge and returned had brought the news that the man who had embarrassed the Kent family was right in front of them.
This made him even more determined to eliminate this bold troublemaker who had come to their rear. As long as he could kill or capture Paul Grayman, clearing the entire Northwest Bay would be a matter of time.
"The enemy is retreating! They're running towards the town!"
More than one person noticed the Alden army's movements.
"Quickly! Assemble all the cavalry and follow me to attack the town. Infantry will follow up! Jim, take your men and block the other exits from the town."
Jaius made his arrangements within a minute. Clearly, the enemy was retreating under pressure, and pursuing them was a fundamental military strategy.
"Grayman, you're not getting away!"
The thunderous sound of hooves echoed across the plains as a dark mass of cavalry surged towards Saint Mir Town.
Jaius saw that some Aldens tried to pull the artillery back into the town, but upon seeing the cavalry charge, they immediately abandoned the artillery and ran with the others towards the town. Ha, what a bunch of cowards.
They're in! They're in!
Jaius whipped his horse, leading the cavalry around a street corner.
And then he saw something that mad his blood freeze... row upon row of dark cannon muzzles, seemingly radiating endless coldness.
(End of the Chapter)
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