193 – Linz Plain Grand Race (5)
“Even if I die here, not a single person can pass through to where His Highness the Crown Prince is!”
“All the ironclad piglets are killed here.”
“Put the spear firmly into the ground and look straight ahead! Don’t just aim your spear at the knights’ heads, aim at the horses’ heads.”
As the saying goes, one of the things infantrymen should never do when dealing with a knight was to try to kill the knight by stabbing him with a long spear.
This was due to the fact that long spears were usually over 6 meters long, making it almost impossible to pierce vital points between armor.
Therefore, following the instructions of their commanders, the soldiers quickly aimed at the horse’s neck and stared straight into the face of the enemy in front of them.
With the sound of horses’ hooves clattering, tens of thousands of knights aimed their lances and approached the Reich Imperial Army.
“Let’s step on and kill the Reich invaders, who are no bigger than dogs!”
“Kill every single one of them!!”
“Follow Vice Admiral Jaeger’s neck! “Let’s hang the crown prince’s head on the pole and go back!”
As a few seconds passed, the infantry of the Reich Empire and the knights of the Grand Duchy of Austria clashed.
Approximately 1,000 horses went on a rampage with their necks pierced and blood gushing out, throwing the owner riding on them to the ground.
The unfortunate knights thrown to the ground were usually trampled into pieces of meat by their comrades who followed up from behind.
Also, the battlefield turned into chaos as the horses were tangled together and kicking without distinction between allies and enemies.
“f*ck, don’t kick you damn horse!”
“Help me, Gagibal!” “Anyway, why aren’t these crazy bastards getting through?”
“Retreat! Retreat! We are at a disadvantage in this situation! “Turn the horse’s head!!”
On the other hand, the soldiers of the Reich Army’s 7th Guards Division, which took the brunt of their charge, also suffered tremendous damage.
Some of the soldiers who took the brunt of the knights’ first charge were hit by horses and flew high into the sky, falling to their deaths, or being trampled to death.
Also, in places where the lance entered properly, a gruesome scene unfolded, with two or three people being pierced and killed at the same time.
Of course, screams and groans rang out throughout the formation, and such devastation occurred that it was difficult to open one’s eyes and see.
“Ensign Flo! Lieutenant! “Platoon leader!”
“Is this a time when you are losing your mind over your fallen comrade? “Come to your senses and get back into shape!”
“Do not let the sacrifices of our dead comrades be in vain! “His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is watching you.”
It is virtually impossible for an ordinary unit to withstand the lance charging of such a large group of knights and rebuild the unit.
This is because it takes a long time for the soldiers of a division to regain their morale due to the mental and physical trauma of losing hundreds, perhaps even a thousand or more soldiers in a single attack.
So, Major General Grunwald, who commands the Austrian knights, thought.
‘Lieutenant General Jaeger of the Reich Empire, the crown prince really has outstanding skills. Otherwise, how could 20,000 knights be blocked with just one infantry division?’
Despite showing such respect, he was confident.
I am confident that if I quickly turn around and carry out the second knight charge, this unit will be completely destroyed and I will be able to win.
“All knights prepare for the second assault! “We must capture the crown prince and Vice Admiral Jaeger here at all costs, even if it means trampling on the corpses of our comrades!”
At the same time, he thought with full confidence.
‘The crown prince is helpful in gaining territory, but that bastard, Lieutenant General Jaeger, must be killed. How would he have been able to block the knights with one infantry division? If this guy is left alive, it will be a huge obstacle to the development of the Grand Duchy of Austria.’
Although he was confident of victory, something happened that made Major General Grunwald and the other knights, who were afraid of Lieutenant General Jaeger’s potential, doubt their eyes.
“Reform your formation! “We will never fall!”
“Didn’t we experience a bigger crisis than this all month long on Richen Hill? “If it collapses to this extent, we will have to give up the title of Guard Division!”
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is watching us! “Remember the harsh training you’ve had so far!”
At the same time as those words were said, it was as if the soldiers were firmly engraved in their subconscious.
His body began to move of its own accord, and the soldiers of the 7th Guards Division naturally formed a new formation.
After that, he returned to a state where he could fight, although he showed some signs of exhaustion compared to before receiving the charge.
The knights despaired at that sight.
“Why do these monster-like bastards, infantry bastards, still want to fight even after we charge them?”
“f*ck, we won’t make it. “I just feel like I’m screwed.”
“……Satan-like bastards who crawled up from hell.”
On the other hand, although the Crown Prince did not have Lieutenant General Jaeger’s advice, he was able to sense it intuitively.
The time has come when we must push on.
“Now is your chance! Push on! I will engrave your bravery into my eyes! Fight and win!”
The Crown Prince, who had taken all his flags, armor, and weapons, walked with great strides until he was very close to his enemy knights.
When one company of his SS was stationed there, he personally waved his own flag to encourage his soldiers.
“I will never run away again. So, if you lose this battle, you will die here with me, and if you win, we will all have a triumphal ceremony together! “Charge with all forces!”
Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Jaeger was secretly impressed when he saw the Crown Prince charging the 7th Division a little faster than himself and gave an order.
“The 31st Division, which was kept in reserve, will be deployed at the location of the 7th Guards Division to fight the infantry at the front. At the same time, mobilize all reserve units deployed on the left and right wings of the 7th Guards Division to completely block the left and right sides of the knights. In addition, I send a signal to the knights and order them to stab the guys in the rear with lances to prevent them from running back.”
The order was immediately conveyed through flags and shouts, and messengers quickly ran out to inform each division of detailed information.
Then, the 20,000 knights who failed to break through or break away from the 7th Guards Division in the assault were suddenly surrounded on the front, left, and right.
“The idiotic Austrian knights have fallen into a trap! “Kill me!”
“His Majesty the Great Crown Prince said that if you kill two or more knights, he will reward you with a set of captured armor! “That’s all a bunch of money!”
“Kill every single one! No, capture those you want to take prisoner, and just kill those you want to kill!”
When surrounded like this, the knights of the Grand Duchy of Austria tried their best to somehow escape the siege.
The vanguard of the knights was unable to move carelessly as it failed to break through the 7th Guards Division, and the infantry was increasingly pressing in from the left and right.
There was not enough free space to turn the horse around and go back.
“Give up the vanguard! “You have to get out by any means necessary.”
“Turn back! “You have to turn back!”
“Change direction as a battalion unit, hurry!”
Thanks to this, the knights tried their best to somehow change direction on horseback, but the situation often became more and more confusing.
The veterans who had fought in actual combat several times knew that a detour was impossible, so they were just preparing to get off their horses.
And Director Grunwald also realized that there was no answer and gave an order.
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“There is no need for everyone, everyone just get off the horse. While engaging in hand-to-hand combat, find a way to retreat. We also have to send a signal to request support from infantry units.”
In the current situation, the knights could not turn their horses, so this was the best order to survive.
The knights of the Austrian Empire had no choice but to dismount from their horses.
At the same time, the division commanders of the Reich Army gave orders as if they would not miss this opportunity.
“Shoot arrows and magic. Not a single one can be left alive! “Kill them all!”
“Push like crazy! “We must win.”
“We have to kill them all here!”
With that order, he applied maximum pressure to the left and right, minimizing the space for the knights to escape.
Once they were cornered like that, the knights found themselves in a situation where they had no way to respond.
Behind them, about 10,000 knights of the Reich Empire ran toward them with lances in hand.
“Every single one of them must be killed. Step on them and kill them!”
“Tell us the greatness of the Reich Empire!!”
“Let us end the history of the Grand Duchy of Austria starting today.”
With that said, the disaster of the charging Reich knights approached the Austrian knights.