191 – Linz Plain Grand Slalom (3)
The Archduke of Austria felt that Lieutenant Benner’s confident proposal was quite good.
Because what he said was a statement that supported what he had argued at the meeting yesterday, and it was also a strategy that the Archduke wanted to hear from his staff.
This is also said by the person who knows the Reich Imperial Army best.
Lieutenant Benner thought after reading the change in the expression of the Archduke of Austria.
‘We need to dig deeper now.’
“The reason Lieutenant General Yeager used such aggressive measures is probably because he judged that it was obvious that he would lose in the battle of physical strength among the soldiers. So he used strange commands to turn the tide in his favor early on. So, it is up to His Majesty the Archduke whether his operation will end in success or failure.”
Usually, when saying this, it is common to offer words of comfort by saying that the enemy commander made a mistake and now is an opportunity.
From noble mtl dot com
However, if the opponent is a very famous general, rather than mentioning the opponent’s ‘mistake’ until just before the opponent is defeated…
‘It is better to boost the abilities of the person who is the target of flattery by considering the reputation you will gain after winning. The best thing is to make the Archduke believe that Lieutenant General Jaeger led him to make a mistake when reviewing his tactics in the war.’
“Your Highness, I propose that you order an all-out infantry attack immediately. Additionally, send out your knights when the conflict between allies and enemies becomes most intense. “As long as our army has a lot of soldiers, it is safest and most certain to move unconditionally.”
When the Grand Duke heard that, he smiled and said.
“It’s a good strategy. Especially if the opponent is someone who is rising to the rank of master, it is better for him to follow the standard than to do something in vain.”
“It is an honor, Your Highness.”
“No. In the future, if you have any questions or suggestions about the situation of the war, you can often give your opinion like this as one of my advisors. “It doesn’t matter even if I don’t ask.”
Hearing those words, the other staff members cast jealous glances at Lieutenant Benner, who had received the Archduke’s favor, but the person in question did not pay any attention to their gazes.
This is because, as a party involved, he was only concerned about how to cause great damage to the Austrian army in this battle, as per the orders he received from Lieutenant General Jaeger.
‘If my betrayal, which has been acting as a spy for Austria up until now, is discovered, the heads of my old friends Matthias and the others will be blown off. ‘Because to me, my wife and children are more important than those who betrayed His Highness the Crown Prince.’
The Archduke thought that what Lieutenant Benner said was completely correct, but he thought it would be better to apply it a little more than just follow it, so he gave the order.
“Send out the reserve infantry and attack them all at once. The longer we have to fight with the Imperial soldiers, the quicker the Imperials will tire out due to their smaller numbers than us and lack of replacement personnel. In addition, the knights, including the Imperial Guard, should prepare to stab the rear of the Imperial Army’s 7th Guards Division when my order is given.”
At those words, the military band and flag bearers gave a signal to deploy 40,000 infantrymen and 5 divisions in reserve at once.
The messenger from the main camp rode toward the knights waiting nearby.
“I am reporting this to Deputy Commander Jaeger. Now scouts report that the Grand Duchy of Austria has mobilized its infantry reserves.”
“How much of the infantry reserve was mobilized? “Did you accurately understand the scale?”
“I heard there were about 40,000 people. “It is believed that the entire infantry reserve unit has been sent out.”
Considering that the Archduke of Austria mobilized a little over 20,000 knights, the Austrian army had approximately 160,000 infantrymen.
In addition, considering that the reserve force is usually about 25% to 33% of the infantry strength, 40,000 people, which is 25% of the infantry force, represents the entire reserve force.
This means that the Archduke of Austria responded to a head-to-head battle with all his might from the front, as Lieutenant General Jaeger wanted.
“Everything is going better than expected. And the world is really fun. “Unexpected things often happen.”
“Yes?”
“It’s not that important. It’s not something you, a member of the scout department, should worry about. The knights may move soon, so you need to pay attention to the movements of the enemy knights. Please keep in mind that His Royal Highness’s life depends on how accurate and fast your report is.”
Those words were not empty words.
This is because the Crown Prince had only about 3,000 guards standing only 40 meters away from the Vice Commander’s command post where Lieutenant General Jaeger was located.
If we are defeated here, there is a high risk that the crown prince will be captured.
“I understand, Lieutenant General!”
When the scout who had just reported left, Lieutenant General Jaeger gave an order, brandishing a gold-plated baton symbolizing the authority to command the SS entrusted to him by the Crown Prince.
“The 7th Guards Division and the SS troops, excluding one company that will directly guard His Majesty, are in the vanguard as of the current time. However, reserve forces other than our 7th Guards Division will continue to wait in the rear. “Keep your stamina intact until the order comes.”
At the same time as those words were said, the soldiers belonging to the 7th Guards Division and the SS shouted loudly.
“A brave warrior named Li Chen, who gained stamina through guerrilla training and overcame hell, is coming out.”
“Let’s go in and show hell to the Austrians!”
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also risked his life. Let us, too, risk our lives and dedicate victory to His Majesty! Charge!!”
At the same time, we quickly switched with the division that had been fighting at the forefront up to now, and the Austrian soldiers reacted violently as soon as they saw us newly appear.
“f*ck, Lieutenant General Jaeger and the crown prince…”
“…… What the hell, those crazy people look so dirty. Scared.”
“Get ready first! Those guys are all trash! Long live Austria!”
Usually in situations like this, it would be a rule for the commanding division commander to come forward and give a short speech, but there was no need to say such superficial and decorative words to the 7th Guards Division.
So instead, he pointed his baton at the enemy and gave orders.
“Assault the 7th Guards Division, sacrifice your life for the glory and honor of Her Highness the 4th Princess Louise. Prove your courage and strength beyond the bravery you showed on Richen Hill.”
It was a very cringy phrase, but it was well understood by soldiers and officers in this era when the romance and admiration of knights was still alive.
It worked so well that the soldiers slowly but heavily advanced towards the enemy with a momentum that made them feel like they were clapping.
“Cute bastards that squeak… I’ll break every one of them’s heads.”
“Fight so as not to be ashamed of the name of Her Highness the Fourth Princess!”
“Only attack those bastards who don’t value their lives!”
The soldiers of the Reich Empire, who advanced with such momentum, showed the Austrian soldiers an even more terrifying scene of battle.
Not only the officers but even the lowest-ranking soldiers had grim expressions, as if they were not afraid of spear blades.
He moved with restraint, as if measuring it with a ruler, thrusting and withdrawing his spear, and striking the pole of the spear.
If you look at them individually, there were no soldiers who did everything they could, but each soldier had the strength and skill to handle at least three people, so they moved as a group.
The formation of the Austrian soldiers began to slowly break near the center of the attack by the 7th Guards Division, and the imperial infantry slowly began to push through the front lines.
At this time, Lieutenant General Jaeger gave an order to confirm victory.
“Please deliver this to His Majesty the Crown Prince. “Move to the rear of the 7th Guards Division, send a message to the six surrounding divisions, and watch out for the enemy.”
As soon as the messenger moved to deliver the order, I issued another order.
“Tell them to send out elite troops from the two leftmost divisions on the left wing and the two rightmost divisions on the right wing. “Now that they are busy keeping each other in check with their long spears, it is time to crawl under the pole and play with their feet.”
‘If this happens, both the left and right wings will gradually tighten their grip as if they were protecting the enemy, and the Archduke of Austria, seeing this, will aim for a shot to overcome the crisis.’
And of course, the target of that one shot would be the 7th Guards Division, where the crown prince is located.
“Order the captain of the royal guard to go support His Highness the Crown Prince. “I will also set up a stand-in here wearing my armor and go that way.”
After 30 minutes, the Archduke of Austria shouted angrily, just as Lieutenant General Jaeger had intended.
“Damn you! Now that it’s like this, I’m stabbing the 7th Guards Division, who are fighting the most fiercely, in the back! “Lieutenant Benner, Captain Martius, what do you think?”
Mattius wondered if it was okay to ask this question, and Lieutenant Benner wondered how he could drive the Grand Duchy army into hell.
However, unexpectedly, the answers these two gave were the same.
“Time to send the knights out.”
“You must display the dignity of His Majesty the Archduke. “Please place the Knights of the Guard as the vanguard.”
Lieutenant Benner thought in his heart as he said that.
‘Lieutenant General Jaeger, my brother-in-law said this. Now, our Imperial soldiers have risen to a level that can compete with the Swiss infantry. In particular, the 7th Guards Division is said to be stronger than most knights who do not ride horses. The Archduke is almost finished.’