149 – Battle of the Jungfrau Plain (6)
As the arrows and magic of both armies soared into the sky and flew towards the other side at the same time, the company commanders and platoon commanders of the Reich Empire shouted in loud voices. .
“Do not be afraid of the magic and arrows fired by the bandits of Switzerland! “What good could a man from the Reich Empire do if he was so scared!”
“If you don’t want to die, don’t raise your head just to block an arrow! I can’t stop it anyway. “If you raise your face, you’ll get hit in the eye socket!”
“From the moment you enter the battlefield, your lives are in Deus’s hands! So empty your mind!”
Hearing those words, Peter Yeager was reading the current battle situation very calmly and rationally even though arrows were raining down.
In his opinion, Switzerland did not have knights, but most of his infantrymen were men with rich combat experience at the level of non-commissioned officers in the Imperial Army.
I thought that there would be casualties if they were hit with arrows and magic, but the morale of the soldiers would not drop or the formation would collapse.
Thus, the Imperial Army and the Swiss soldiers entered into a direct confrontation, and although it was initially expected that the Swiss infantry would have the upper hand in the battle.
‘But that doesn’t mean there’s no way for us to beat them in an infantry battle. Rather, they are addicted to the winning formula that has worked well so far, from the lowest soldiers to Count Ticino. If the imperial army takes advantage of that and hits them in the back, they will definitely have a chance of winning!’
When the soldiers under his command lack experience or ability, as Major General Yeager does, what a commander must do is identify the weaknesses in the opponent’s strategy.
Isn’t it the job of a master to attack the opponent’s weak point and hit him hard in the back?
When Major General Jaeger was planning a plan to deal with them, the arrow fired by the Swiss army reached the vanguard of the imperial army.
“f*ck, it hurts so much!”
“Among those who were hit by arrows, those who can survive because they were not hit in the vital area should move forward while pulling out their arrows! “If you can’t pull it out, break the arrow stem and hold on!”
“Maria, I loved you. “I wanted to touch your breasts once before I die.”
At this time, soldiers were largely divided into three types.
He was hit by an arrow, but was lightly wounded and was able to continue the fight as it did not hit the vital area.
A person who was hit by an arrow or magic and was seriously injured or killed and was unable to fight any more.
And then, the majority of soldiers were not hit by arrows at all, or were hit on top of their armor and suffered no harm at all.
However, in any case, the death of colleagues and subordinates who had boasted that they would go to Changgwan or get married if they returned alive together only moments before had died brought great pressure to the soldiers and officers participating in the battle.
This pressure was a complex mixture of emotions, such as the fear that I might die, and the sense of loss and sadness over not being able to be with my colleague again after his death.
In the meantime, one thing was certain: he knew that if he tried to run away now that he was heading towards the enemy, his life and that of his colleagues around him would be in greater danger.
The only option given to the soldiers is to overcome the fear they feel and move forward.
As the soldiers of the Reich Empire were dying from arrows and magic, Major General Jaeger calmed his mind and gave orders in a calm tone.
“Assign soldiers carrying rifles between the spearmen deployed in each row to support close combat. In addition, mobilize the soldiers of the headquarters company and spray the prepared material at the entrance to the forest on our right. However, if an enemy surprise force is discovered during the operation, the headquarters company is to retreat immediately.”
As soon as the order was given, the members of the headquarters company around Director Yeager quietly headed toward the forest entrance, each holding a large basket that reached up to their waists.
The messengers ran to the battle line as quickly as possible and delivered orders to the side soldiers to support the spearmen.
So, without revealing any of the anxiety he was feeling to his soldiers, Major General Jaeger tried his best to give them hope that if they just followed me, he would be able to achieve a great victory like he always did.
The officers and soldiers around Director Jaeger did not look nervous even though it was a battlefield with arrows and magic flying around.
I gained hope from seeing the Major General calmly and cool-headedly giving appropriate instructions sequentially, with unwavering confidence in our team’s victory.
Although they were in the midst of intense slaughter, they had hopes that they would somehow be able to return alive without dying if they were with the warden, and they also had faith that even if they got into a corner, he would somehow provide a way to win.
Meanwhile, Count Ticino, who commanded 9,000 soldiers of the Principality of Switzerland, was laughing at Major General Jaeger, who boldly approached the subject of being weaker than them in infantry combat.
“They say that in the Reich Empire, there was no one who could properly serve as a general, so a 27-year-old brat became the general. Now you’ve lost your mind and are thinking about going toe-to-toe with our Swiss infantry! “This is definitely proof that the Goddess of Victory is smiling on us!”
When he said this, not only the nobles around Count Ticino but also the infantrymen laughed out loud even though they were advancing while being hit by arrows.
Because the Swiss infantry was considered the strongest infantry and mercenary in Europe, and since Switzerland became independent 200 years ago, there has never been a time when the infantry fought head-to-head and lost.
Out of thousands of wars and battles, there were only a few dozen, and in all the remaining battles, they won brilliantly.
Although it was a dangerous situation as they were attacked with arrows and magic, they could afford to laugh at the Reich Imperial Army walking on their own feet in search of a place to die.
“However, a lion never lets down its guard until the hunt is successful, and we must do our best to deal with Director Jaeger. Therefore, when the spearmen clash and the battle becomes violent, the Dopelsöldner (two-handed swordsman) must be sent out, and when the long spearmen engage in fierce battle, sufficient skilled soldiers who crawl on the ground must be deployed.”
This is the strategy that Count Ticino is thinking about now.
First, when they face the infantry of the Reich Empire and a full-scale battle begins, they will naturally try to lift each other’s spears and strike them with their spears, and a battle for dominance will begin.
Then, of course, the enemy infantry, including the spearmen standing at the front of the enemy army, will instinctively focus only on the friendly infantry aiming their spears at them.
At that time, the Doppelsöldner, holding a two-handed sword, saw an opening and dug in, cutting down the spears of the Reich Imperial Army with his sword, preventing them from fighting and breaking their formation.
Or towards the Reich Empire infantrymen whose eyes were fixed on the spears held by the Duchy of Switzerland infantrymen in front of them.
Skilled soldiers crawled under the windows of both armies to reach the Reich Imperial Army and then hacked their insteps and calves with daggers.
Then, of course, the lines of the imperial soldiers would begin to crack, and the Swiss soldiers would take advantage of that gap and attack all at once.
From noble mtl dot com
Switzerland has used this tactic hundreds of times so far, but it is a fighting method that can be said to be the principality’s secret weapon that has rarely been destroyed.
While Count Ticino was confident of his victory, he could not hide his smile at the thought of killing Peter Jaeger, a 27-year-old young general who was well known to him, and increasing his position within the canton.
Soon, the distance between Switzerland and the Reich Empire became very close.
The two armies implicitly did not attack each other until the archers and wizards retreated, as if they had reached an agreement.
To those who don’t know, it may seem like they are plotting against each other.
Soldiers who use long-range weapons show their true value when they are at a certain distance from the enemy, but are not very useful in close combat.
If you charge before the archers and wizards are all gone, your crossbowmen, wizards, and infantry will all be mixed up and the formation will become a mess. This is a phenomenon that occurred to prevent such a thing.
Soon, the infantry of the Principality of Switzerland began to advance majestically, pointing their spears at the soldiers of the Reich Empire.
The soldiers of the empire also let go of their fears and slowly moved towards the soldiers of the principality.
Then, when the blades of each other’s spears were almost touching, they stopped, then took another powerful step forward and stabbed with that force.
“Die, you bastards of the Empire!”
“I’ll show you a taste of the spears of great mercenaries!”
“I will make a pretty hole in your throat!”
When the Swiss infantry and the Reich spearmen faced each other, the battlefield naturally became chaotic.
In that crowded atmosphere, the soldiers of both armies were slowly dying, and their eyes gradually focused on the enemy’s spear in front of them.
“Now is the time! Doppelsöldners support the enemy spearmen by holding swords with both hands and cutting down the spear bars of enemy spearmen, while skilled soldiers hold daggers and crawl on the ground to stab the enemy’s insteps and cut off his ankles and calves!”
Switzerland’s hidden trump card moved to end the lives of the Reich Imperial Army.