162 – Battle of Litzen Hill (5)
Even after Major General Zeppelin’s division withdrew, the remaining Swiss Expeditionary Force continued to take up positions on Litchen Hill and engage in defensive warfare. Continued.
I continued to fight at the forefront, encouraging the soldiers every day.
As the days passed, my body became heavier, and I thought that if I continued like this, I would die from exhaustion rather than from fighting.
No, by the time the three divisions stationed here retreated at the same time, it was so difficult that I even thought about dying.
Even when I was sober, my body was so tired that I didn’t even want to pick up a spoon or a knife, but as soon as I woke up, I had to put on over 20kg of armor and then fight.
But if there is one good thing…
‘The 19th Division led by Major General Falken, who remained until the end, also retreated three days ago, so now we can quickly escape from this hellish place.’
That’s why I was able to smile with hope even in situations where I felt like I was going to die of exhaustion.
Although on the way through the Ticino Canton, you will have to fight against the soldiers scattered by the Duke of Switzerland, so escaping will not be that easy.
No matter how difficult it is to escape, it will be easier than staying on the hill and continuing to block the 100,000 Swiss soldiers by relying only on the narrow hill like now.
And just then, Charlotte came in wearing a maid uniform stained with the blood of his wounded soldiers and asked.
“You haven’t smiled in the past few days, but today you are smiling. Is something good happening? Or were you thinking of Madam and Master, who are now in Reichburg?”
If Laura had given birth sooner than expected, she could have already given birth.
Then, His Highness the Crown Prince, who has gathered the soldiers at the border and is waiting for me, has sent me a messenger informing me of the current situation and the name of the child he has chosen.
Thinking of that made me laugh, even though I found a way out.
“No, that’s not it. But now we can finally escape from this hellish place. “It makes me smile to think that I can come back alive.”
Although she had never participated in a battle, she must have felt the same fear and fear that she might die on the battlefield.
So when she listens to me, she too will feel that the burden on her heart has become a lot lighter.
Charlotte said with tears in her eyes, perhaps because she was happy that she was able to return alive as I expected.
“So now the master no longer has to go out and fight in front of his soldiers? Also, every night, before I go to sleep in my field bed, I feel anxious and think of the dead and feel sad…”
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I thought you would be happy to be able to safely return to your family.
I never thought that people would consider my ability to return alive as more important than their own survival.
I was a little embarrassed, but I felt very grateful that he cared for me so much.
So, to express her gratitude, I patted her head without any ill will and said,
“Thank you for truly caring about me. “Thanks to you, I think I will definitely be able to come back alive.”
After speaking, I took off my armor and walked towards where the soldiers were.
Finally, he had a strategy in his head to tie up the Duke of Switzerland’s feet.
**
Swiss Expeditionary Force, square around the barracks.
“If it weren’t for the real division commander, I honestly would have deserted. “No, isn’t it a miracle that we were able to hold out for almost a month against a large army of 100,000 people?”
“Sergeant Zach is right. f*ck, no matter how good this place is for defense, the difference in troops is enormous, but we’ve held on so far. Really, every time I see our division commander, I wonder if he is the same person as us.”
“I heard from Sergeant Tilly, the recorder, that the division commander alone has killed nearly 200 people. Even the knights from the bards’ nonsense wouldn’t be able to do this.”
As he said, if I had not come to the forefront and fought together with the soldiers, our expeditionary force would have been annihilated already.
No matter how the Crown Prince escaped, the other divisions would have scattered and retreated without order, encountering the unique terrain and resistance of ‘Switzerland’.
The unit would have collapsed in the process.
As an aside, the record keeping, which is mainly done by non-commissioned officers in each unit, usually records less than the number of people I actually killed.
Because in cases where there is confusion about who he killed with, whether he was killed by an arrow, etc., If I put it as my merit, it becomes difficult to peddle my merits.
So, it can be said that I alone defeated almost twice as many enemy soldiers as 200.
I don’t know the actual number because I was so focused on decapitating the enemy that at some point the number became uncountable.
Thinking of that, I walked across the soldiers chatting and playing dice with a few pieces of beef jerky or biscuits at the base square.
Everyone’s eyes were naturally focused on me.
I spoke loudly as soon as I arrived at the center.
“Gentlemen of the Reich 7th Division, I am truly proud of you. “If it weren’t for you, we would have been defeated no matter how much I felt like jumping into a fiery pit and stood in the vanguard.”
Then I took another deep breath and shouted.
“From officers to non-commissioned officers and soldiers belonging to the 7th Division, we have come this far without giving up. Thanks to this, everyone except our unit was able to retreat safely.”
However, if the enemy finds out that other units have retreated, the remaining imperial forces could be in danger.
When we made porridge made with wheat flour and barley powder, we used one pot per person and pretended that all 50,000 people were stationed in the camp.
The barracks and facilities used by over 50,000 people are being utilized to their full potential.
Of course, even if we do this, the Duke of Switzerland will not believe that all 50,000 of us remain.
Anyway, you can fool yourself into thinking that the number is several times higher than 8,000.
“And we will also retreat in two days. So, I want you to risk your life and fight with me, thinking that you can only last two days.”
If another general had said this in a situation like this, there would have been many soldiers thinking to themselves what kind of nonsense this was.
But so far, I have been consistent in my words and actions to gain the trust of my soldiers.
“If the division commander says so, I will believe it! It’s been two days. I will do my best to hold on until the day after tomorrow. “I will return alive.”
“Of course, just leave it to us!”
“Let’s go home now!”
The soldiers’ reaction was, as I expected, that they could believe anything that the 7th Division’s Division Commander Peter Yeager said.
Then we should start preparing in earnest now.
“Exactly two days later we will leave here. And even the Duke of Switzerland, who is not much of a moron, will notice this. So he will somehow want to decapitate you and me before we escape.”
Unless the duke is an idiot, he would already know that His Royal Highness has run away.
They will try to exterminate as much as possible the soldiers of our 7th Division and other expeditionary forces with the idea of using chickens instead of pheasants.
Based on this overwhelming victory, they will try to proceed with post-war negotiations in a direction that is advantageous to them.
“So we will strengthen the defense of the hill as much as possible tonight and pack our bags to escape. All the 7th Division soldiers will flee at once on horses left behind by another unit. “Be sure to put beef jerky, grain powder, and a water bottle on your horse’s saddle to last for a few days.”
They fought by bringing beef jerky, grain powder, and water containers with them, which is what the Mongolians brought with them when they waged war against the rest of the world.
Here, it is a northern-style combat ration often eaten by the archers led by Anastasia.
“I will also participate in the construction of the camp, so everyone do their best to strengthen the defense. Spears left behind by dead comrades are driven into the ground and a cart is placed on top of them. Also, if you just let go of the cart, the Swiss guys will easily knock it over and come over. “Put a lot of heavy things on the empty grain sacks, like alcohol or unused barracks.”
After saying that, even before I gave the order to start work, I started to carve polearms that were lying around unclaimed and turn them into stakes.
The officers gave instructions to each unit to carry out my orders.
We were really busy tonight and were able to build a usable position.
However, common sense tells us that if our team is in a disadvantageous situation and says they will run away 2 days in advance, but actually holds out for 2 days, then he is a fool.
Because if the Duke of Switzerland hears about it, he will use 100,000 soldiers to make thorough preparations to prevent us from escaping.
So I ordered the soldiers an hour before sunrise to get him to shovel.
“Everyone in the 7th Division must now ride their assigned horses. And we will get out of this hellish place right away. “Every minute and every second is urgent, so hurry up.”
Like that, the entire division’s troops mounted horses and began a great escape. When they saw them leave, they stayed behind and followed them, burning a cart full of liquor barrels and the entire military camp.
The items I left behind were flammable, so I was hoping to hold off the enemy for at least an hour or two.