Chapter 7: The Charge
Instructor Hall is not an idiot. After ten years in the military, he has risen from the lowest-ranking soldier to being known as the Iron-blooded Instructor, holding the title of Baronet. He has earned this through countless battles, entering the battlefield repeatedly with sword and gun in hand.
Instructor Hall naturally understands the role of cavalry. The reason he made the "mistake" mentioned by the fat man is not because he's an idiot or trying to show off. In fact, he was adhering to the strategy devised by Duke Lionheart.
Facing a demoralized force of 10,000 with no capable commander, defeating the remaining 50,000 troops is all but certain. The main issue then becomes how much effort to expend in crushing that 10,000. As Duke Lionheart, of course, he would prefer to swallow that 10,000 without a single casualty on his side.
Hence the positioning of the cavalry at the forefront. The charge of cavalry, regardless of its actual strength, often inspires a sense of impending doom, a shock to the very soul.
The greater this shocking effect, the harder it hits enemy morale. Especially when facing a demoralized force of 10,000 from three countries.
On the Lionheart Plains, Duke Lionheart used the overwhelming momentum of his cavalry charges, arranged in several ranks, to push the enemy morale to its lowest point.
Faced with the charge of 3,000 cavalry in a long, geese-shaped formation, the enemy forces nearly collapsed without a fight. Archers' arrows lacked their usual force, crossbowmen's bolts lacked their usual precision, and infantry formations lost their coherence, becoming disarrayed in an instant.
That battle was nearly won by the cavalry charge alone. If not for the desperate resistance of elite guards and protectors, the battle could have ended within a quarter of an hour.
So, Instructor Hall is not unaware of how to use cavalry. He is simply too devoted to the classics created by Duke Lionheart.
And this is where the fat man found his opportunity.
As the orange-red flag waved, the sound of arrows piercing the air rapidly spread through the spearhead formation, and a sky full of arrows rained down on the cavalry.
The dark mass of arrows formed a terrifying canopy, the impact of which was no less daunting than the momentum of the cavalry charge.
Watching the jade slips fall towards the cavalry, the fat man grinned, a hint of mischievousness in his smile.
Meanwhile, at the rear of the battle array, Instructor Hall glared at the sky full of arrows but sneered. Although the cavalry armor was not as sturdy as one might imagine, it was definitely not vulnerable to arrows. Perhaps a lucky few would find their mark, but most arrows would fail to penetrate.
In a matter of breaths, the charging cavalry would trample the fat man's infantry.
But barely a breath had passed when a deafening rumble suddenly echoed across the battlefield. That dull sound...
"How could this be?" Instructor Hall could tell that the sounds were those of cavalry armor crashing violently against the ground.
Not just one or two, or even a dozen horses falling. It was hundreds, perhaps even thousands of cavalry falling simultaneously.
Instructor Hall's eyes fixed on the battle array, and his brow furrowed as he clenched his fists tightly.
The fat man, that despicable fat man, had not targeted the cavalry but their mounts.
Hundreds of horses stumbled and fell on the plains, their bright red blood dripping down the arrows, filling the battlefield with the wails of wounded steeds.
"Despicable..." Instructor Hall's face darkened to the point of dripping with fury. If the fat man were before him now, he would kill him without hesitation.
The remaining cavalry continued to charge, but their hoofbeats on the dry grass sounded less vigorous than before.
More importantly, the archers in the fat man's formation had already completed their second volley. The rain of arrows fell once more, this time claiming the lives of even more horses.
Horseless cavalry still charged as ordered, but how much strength could they muster?
"Increase the pace." Instructor Hall ordered a flag-bearing messenger by his side. At present, aside from the cavalry, there was still some distance between the two sides. From this distance, his archers' range could not reach the fat man's formation, so he could only try to close the gap as much as possible.
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Outside the war game...
"Did you teach him this as well?" Instructor Cangfeng looked at Qingyin with surprise. He never expected the fat man to gain the upper hand so early in the engagement.
He knew Instructor Hall's nature and understood why he made that mistake. A straightforward and valiant man, he did not think of the many twists and turns.
For Instructor Hall, Duke Lionheart's original plan was a classic, unparalleled. So he never considered whether using the same method now was appropriate or whether it would still work in a different situation.
If this were a real battlefield, like the historic Battle of Lionheart Plains, Hall's arrangement would undoubtedly be impeccable. But this is a game of war chess, where the puppets fear neither life nor death. No matter how loud your horse's hooves are, how awe-inspiring your momentum, it's all directed solely at Fatty.
Listening to Instructor Cangfeng's words, Qingyin remained silent for a moment, her full attention fixed on the game of war chess. At this moment, a trace of joy flickered in her eyes, erasing the composure that seemed impervious to anything.
Cavalry is a precious and formidable force, yet the cavalry of the Aras Empire is not outstanding.
This is not due to any other reason but the horses themselves. The horses of the Aras Empire all come from a pasture named Changtian in the northwest of the country.
Changtian Pasture is not a desirable place, with barren land, murky water sources, and grass so short that it barely reaches one's fingertips.
Can you expect to find good horses in such a pasture? Therefore, the so-called heavy cavalry of the Aras Empire consists only of knights in armor, while the horses, unable to bear much weight, are almost naked, covered only by thin leather armor.
That's why Fatty can easily crush this heavy cavalry unit in the blink of an eye. "Shoot the horse before the rider" is a basic principle every commander in Fatty's original world should know. But in this world, honor and integrity are the knightly codes of the Royal Academy. On the Silver Moon Continent, 70% of commanders are knights first and commanders second. They strive for victory through fair and frontal confrontations, through the clash of spears and swords, and through the strategic use of formations, such as the collision of formations and the employment of war chess.
So, orders to shoot horses are rarely given by commanders on the Silver Moon Continent.
Fatty is undoubtedly an outlier. Not only does he not know the rules of this world, but even if he did, he would still shoot without hesitation. Fatty believes in using any means necessary to win, whether it's hitting someone over the head with a brick or striking them from behind.