Chapter 123 – A Decisive Battle for the Fate of the Empire (3)
A decisive battle for the fate of the empire (3)
The morale of the imperial army, which had plummeted, recovered slightly thanks to the encouragement of the front-line commanders, but their suffering did not end there.
The imperial troops, except for the guards, went to bed in the early evening to soothe their exhausted bodies after two months of marching, but soon after, they were forced to wake up.
Floating, Floating, Chae-Aeng-Chaeng-Chae-Anchang
“It’s a night raid!!”
“It’s a surprise attack by the enemy!!”
Why~~
This was because the guards sounded an emergency alarm at the sound of drums and gongs coming from around the base.
“Wake up!!”
“Assemble your ranks!! The Prinz army has launched a night attack!!”
The imperial troops, who hastily came out of the barracks and armed, quickly formed their ranks and set up defenses like elites.
But…
“What? Nothing happened?”
“You said it was a night raid? Where are the enemies?”
“Guardians!! What are you doing? Didn’t you hear nonsense while you were dozing off?”
There was no attack by the Prinz army, and the criticism that the troops who had been forced to wake up from their sleep poured out against the troops on guard increased.
In the end, even Derian, the commander-in-chief, had to come out and check what was going on. He received reports from the commanders in charge of the guard and made the best judgment under the current situation.
‘There is no possibility that hundreds of guards would have mistakenly heard noises like drums and gongs. Perhaps the Prinz army attempted to conduct a night raid with a small number, but was surprised by the tight security and returned.’
“The guards did not mishear! It looks like the enemy was trying to launch a night attack but returned after seeing our troops’ strict night guard posture! So, let each unit stop criticizing their comrades and praise them for their hard work!!”
Although they were annoyed, the commander-in-chief’s judgment was clearly right, and if there had been a night raid, someone here would have definitely lost their lives. So they only said a few words of apology for being annoyed and went back to bed.
But that night, they had to repeat the same situation three more times.
Even the cavalry was dispatched to chase the sound of the drums, but dozens of drums that played automatically due to magic were placed in the place where the drum sounds were sounding. They could not overcome their sense of futility, and after leaving only one drum to report to Derian, they destroyed everything and returned to base. .
In the end, the imperial army had to stay up all night until dawn, and their fatigue was evidenced by the dark circles around their eyes.
“Damn it… Such a cowardly move on the eve of a sacred battle… I don’t know who it is, but I won’t let it go!!”
Baron Sigwald, commander of the 4th Corps, ground his teeth in anger, but Baron Derian, commander-in-chief, maintained his cool.
“The guy who got hit is an idiot. What’s the point of cowardice in war? Let’s put aside our anger for a moment and discuss how to break through the Prinz Army’s defenses.”
“Our army is overwhelming the enemy in terms of the number of soldiers, the number of knights, and the quality of the troops. Normally, we would have just pushed them back, but…”
“Yes… If we are overwhelmed in a fight between masters like we did last time in the Zenon Plains… There may be variables.”
The worried corps commanders opened the barracks door and two men appeared.
“Do you guys really think that we will lose to the Third Prince?”
“Your Excellency!!”
The two men who appeared were Count Kashu and Viscount Amin.
“Well… I admit that we were pushed back by that guy in Tiruen on the Plain of Zenon. I wasn’t even physically mature at that time… His level was almost comparable to that of Captain Liechtenauer.”
“Then…”
“But His Majesty gave me the last elixir that I kept in Vigo just in case of an emergency. Now my body is completely fine. In fact, I’m even stronger!! Now I feel confident even if I fight against that Thiruen guy!! “
Count Kashu drew out his sword and displayed the sword’s energy swinging with violent force before the eyes of the corps commanders.
“Since I have spread the rumor that I have entered convalescence again, His Majesty the Third Prince will only have Viscount Amin in mind. While Viscount Amin steps forward and engages in a duel with the Third Prince, I will find the opportunity to stab His Majesty in the back.”
“But it’s a knight’s…”
“Do you still see me as a knight-errant in your eyes? I don’t need that kind of honor. Today, I will cut off the third prince’s head and present it to His Majesty, and then ask Tiruen for a chance to get revenge!!”
Baron Derian nodded his head in agreement at Count Cassu’s violent behavior, but he couldn’t help but feel sad at the sight of Count Cassu’s deterioration.
‘Before he fought Tiruen, he was the most just knight of all time… How did he end up like that because he suffered some kind of humiliation from him?’
“However, His Highness the Third Prince is not the only Master the enemy has. We must remember that his lover and fiancé, Princess Eliza, has also previously achieved Master status.”
“Don’t worry. A brat who has only been a master for a year or so is no match for us. So, you must launch an all-out attack as soon as the battle begins. Otherwise, I will cut off your head and order my troops to launch an all-out attack! “
No matter how much of a master he was, the principle was to leave the operation of the troops to the commander leading the army, but Count Kashu’s violent instructions ignored the principle.
Baron Derian, who was dizzy after hearing the order to launch a reckless all-out attack, sent a look to Viscount Armin asking him to dissuade Count Kashu.
Viscount Amin also looked perplexed by the look in his eyes, but he seemed unable to dissuade Count Kashu, who was a master above him and much more senior.
“… Okay. I will trust you two. I hope you win.”
Seeing Count Kashu’s appearance shining with violent madness, Derian eventually accepted his instructions, and he had no choice but to ask each corps commander to command the troops according to each situation.
As soon as the sun rose, the imperial army finished preparing for battle and set out on the plain of decisive battle.
After a formal surrender recommendation document was exchanged, with the sound of horns announcing an attack, the Imperial Army Capital Corps and the 3rd Corps at the front began to advance simultaneously, while the 1st Corps on the left wing and the 4th Corps on the right watched the opponents’ reactions.
“Why don’t the left and right launch an all-out attack?”
“Those two corps alone are more than the number of enemies. Moreover, the 1st and 4th corps fought together with the Third Prince in Streve last time. As such, it would be more efficient to deploy them after the two of you defeated the Third Prince. I thought”
“Hmm… I understand. As soon as I defeat the Third Prince, I will send you in.”
Count Kashu seemed a little displeased, but he seemed to get over it and headed towards the front with Viscount Amin.
And looking at those two people, Baron Derian let out a deep sigh.
“Damn, I could really lose this… If His Highness the Third Prince wins… I’ll have to make the next move right away.”
Baron De Lian recalled another trump card he had and sent one of his messengers to a barracks hidden deep in the camp.
On the other hand, the Prinz army, watching the approaching imperial army, maintained a dense square formation and took a firm defensive posture.
“Don’t forget what you’ve trained so far! His Majesty the Third Prince taught you how to live!!”
“If you don’t believe in yourself, believe in the difficult times you’ve been training!! And believe in His Highness the Third Prince who trained you!!”
Each commander encouraged the soldiers by shouting at the top of their lungs, and when they thought of Yuno, the soldiers also felt their tension relax a little and looked at the incoming imperial army.
“This… Comes out strong from the beginning? Isn’t Derian that kind of reckless person?”
“If our troops had stayed the same as before, that might have been a good idea. The enemy would have been ahead in both troop numbers and training. But…”
Looking at the clash between the imperial army’s shield soldiers and the friendly army’s shield soldiers, Viscount Leverkin continued his words.
“From this moment on, the imperial army will have realized that our forces are not easy.”
With a grin, Viscount Leverkin calmly commanded his troops using the commander’s authority he had received from Juno.
“Go forward with a thorough defense! The enemy will never be able to break through our defenses!!”
As Viscount Leverkin said, the leaders of the imperial army felt that the Prinz army was a formidable opponent.
Kwaaaaang!!
The shields made of steel collided, creating a loud noise.
The destructive impact of dense heavy infantry units colliding with and pushing against the enemy tried to push the enemy back, but the heavy infantry of the Prinz Army did not move and instead bounced them to the other side.
“What? Is that all you guys are capable of?”
“I guess you didn’t even eat breakfast properly? Haha, when I let you go quietly, go back and eat properly!”
The Imperial soldiers were feeling ashamed at the ridicule of the Prinz army coming from in front of them. Until now, I had never seen a unit that was not pushed back by their charge, and they were heavy infantrymen who had never been pushed back in an all-out war even in the defeated Battle of Zenon Plain.
However, their condition, which had deteriorated due to fatigue and lack of sleep accumulated from long-term marches, brought their condition to a very bad state. On the contrary, the Prinz army, which had become extremely strong through Yuno’s training, was greeting the imperial army in a fresh condition, so the judgment of the imperial command was not satisfied. They were in completely opposite positions.
“Come on! Let’s show those legionnaires what a real heavy infantry is!”
“Push!!”
With a powerful shout of joy, the Prinz army’s line pushed back the imperial legionnaires.
The shields of the two armies collided once again, creating a gap in the imperial army’s line, and at the same time, the pikemen in the second line of the Prinz army squeezed through the gap.
“Kaaaaa!!”
“Block it properly! You bastards!!”
At the same time as the screams of the first dead in the battle rang out, only the screams of the imperial troops came out from here and there on the front lines.
In this way, the imperial army’s general attack began to gradually lead to the imperial army being pushed back.
*Eliza’s knight’s uniform illustration on the battlefield
