267 – Battle of Gryfino (5)
Warsaw Utzro Castle, offshore.
The naval battle that will completely determine the victory or defeat of the Warsaw Expeditionary Force will soon begin.
Until I boarded the ship, I performed numerous administrative tasks to prevent the people of Warsaw, who had become the new subjects of the empire, from starving to death.
We spent a hectic amount of time preparing for various battles, starting with the production of siege ballistas, while handling a workload that would put even the worn-out administrators of the empire to shame.
He even went around various castles, including Gryfino Castle, to persuade them to participate in the fire operation.
I was so busy that I had no body left and ran to make thorough preparations.
Even now, right before the battle, we are doing our best to create a situation where our troops can fight against the enemy and win.
Looking out at the sea where there are no enemies yet, I try talking to myself in a voice so low that no one can hear.
“I did everything I could to win this naval battle, but I’m still not sure if I can really win. “Well, I’ve already done everything I can, so why am I feeling anxious now?”
No one would have heard what I was saying because it was drowned out by the sound of the waves.
Meanwhile, when I climbed up to a relatively high deck for command and looked down, I saw officers and soldiers moving around dizzyingly.
“Check whether the dedicated arrows are properly loaded in the ballista! Check if the knife is well sharpened! I’m sure no bastard came here with a damn spear!”
“Corporal Max, Private Gent! Bring some rocks to load the damn ballista! “If you roll around, everything will be searched, so bring the special box first.”
“One crossbow per soldier! Even load everything! “We don’t even have small ballistas, so if they try to touch the ship, we’ll have to shoot that at least!”
Seeing them frantically preparing on the deck, I feel like a fool for being a little anxious earlier.
When have I ever fought with confidence in victory?
I, Peter Yeager, jumped into the gambling game of the battlefield with winning tactics and strategies in mind, and somehow achieved victory over my opponent.
The current situation means that the number of enemy ships is three times greater than that of our allies, but compared to stopping the 100,000-strong Swiss army with only 8,000 men on the damn Richen Hill, isn’t it a battle worth fighting?
Furthermore, the tactic I borrowed is similar to the strategy used by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, so it will be difficult for Captain Timo to respond because it is an unexpected strategy.
“Gyeonsisu! “What is the distance between our main unit and our scouting unit now?”
The watchman on top of the mast answered loudly.
“I can’t see it with the naked eye, so it’s more than 5km away!! Even if the enemy scouts spot us, our main force will not be visible!”
The navy commanded by Captain Teemo is probably scouting with several ships at the moment, and if I encounter them, I will act very embarrassed and show an impatient appearance.
It’s funny to say this, but it is said that the bounty on the head of a captain named Peter Jaeger is set very high in Warsaw.
In such a situation, there is a chance of victory only if Captain Teemo bites the live bait Jaeger leader who moves hastily.
After a while, the watchman rang a bell on the mast.
When the sound of ding, ding rang out, everyone’s attention turned to the mast, and even the officers who had been noisily giving orders just now fell silent.
“I see five enemy ships to the northwest! The size of the ship appears to be the same as that of our warship, and the distance is approximately 2km!”
The speed of the warship I am currently on is approximately 8 km/h, so if I go straight like this for the next 15 minutes, I will come into contact with the enemy.
The die has already been cast, so all I have to do is win this war at any cost.
“Unfold all sails and send a rallying signal with the flag! Enter into combat with the enemy reconnaissance fleet! “I’m going in to make Warsaw bastards into fish food!”
When the order to prepare for battle was given to the officers and soldiers, they all raised their weapons high in the sky.
“Everyone prepare for battle! Let’s get those damn Warsaw bastards buried here today!”
“Long live the Reich Empire! Long live your Majesty the Emperor! Long live Deus!”
“We have Captain Jaeger! Everyone, don’t be afraid and let’s fight until the end!”
When the soldiers signaled with their flags, the other ships following me lined up and moved in a line with the flagship as the standard.
In that state, the four ships, including the flagship I was on, dug in to where the enemy scout fleet was located.
“The distance to the enemy is approximately 200 meters!”
Full-scale combat will begin soon.
“Raise the general flag. Also, send a signal and give strict orders not to fire ballistas, crossbows, or arrows until I give the order to fire.”
The flagship, especially the captain’s flag, which indicates that the commander is on board, is generally not raised unless it is a safe situation.
Because even if the flag symbolizing the commander is not raised, the captains belonging to the friendly forces can tell where the ‘captain’ is riding just by looking at the other flags.
If you openly reveal the commander’s location in front of the enemy, all attacks will be focused on that direction, and if you are not careful, a disaster may occur where the commander is killed or taken prisoner.
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The officers looked dumbfounded when they heard my order to inform them of the commander’s location in a dangerous situation. If you’re going to hang a bait, you have to hang it properly so the enemy won’t get caught.
“Repeat the name and spread the command!”
The officers repeated their names and only then raised the captain’s flag and spread the order to the entire fleet to stop shooting until the order to fire was given.
At that time, a barrage of arrows and magic rained down like crazy from the enemy soldiers.
As arrows, arrows the size of stakes fired from small ballistas, and magic flew, even laughter mixed with joy could be heard from the enemy ship.
“There’s that damn Peter Yeager on board! If I just cut that bastard’s head, I’ll be a noble from today! “f*ck!”
“Move your hands! “We will avenge our Grand Duchy!”
“Turn the Reich Empire into fish food!”
The enemy ship approached us shooting arrows and using magic like crazy, but surprisingly, not many hits were made.
Because the ship was shaking in the waves and our aim was disturbed, arrows and magic flew off the deck or into the air even if we aimed for where we were.
However, because I had raised the flag to attract the enemies, many of the soldiers on the flagship were killed or injured.
“Arrow! Arrow! Someone please pick me!! Ahh!”
“My eyes! “I can’t see!”
“I told you to wear your helmet properly and not look up, you idiot!”
Soldiers dying after being hit by arrows or magic, or having huge holes in their heads, shoulders, and abdomen from stakes thrown from ballistas.
Because they march in close formation on land, they have no choice but to advance relatively without any distractions, so they are hard to see, but it is shocking that they are so visible from a boat.
If I, the commander, think like this, the feelings of the soldiers must be truly beyond words.
But now we have to wait.
“Enemy ship 70 meters away! “An enemy ship is within 70 meters!”
Hearing those words, I immediately waved my baton and shouted loudly.
“Delivery to all ships! Shoot the siege ballista! Then reload right away! The helmsman turns the ship 30 degrees northwest and sails diagonally! Shoot!!”
The soldiers using ballistas had been waiting for this moment, so they were able to fire the loaded stakes right away, and arrows and magic flew frantically toward the enemy.
The stakes fired from the siege ballista broke through the bulkhead protecting the deck of the enemy ship and literally pulverized the enemy ship’s crew.
Soldiers in the launch orbit would have died because their torsos were cut in half, or when they came to their senses, they would have found that parts of their bodies had turned into pieces of meat.
“You damn bastards! “How powerful is the siege stake!”
“It’s a shame for children who aren’t as good as dogs.”
“This is an order to reload one more shot! “Reload!”
With the soldiers cheering, we turned northwest and diagonally away from the enemy, and the enemy’s reconnaissance fleet began a fierce pursuit to chase after us as we fled.
However, I ordered my soldiers to deliberately slow down just a little bit compared to the enemy so that they could catch up.
The enemy attacked us like crazy with siege ballistas and crossbows, gradually closing the distance.
“The distance from the enemy ship is 10 meters! “It’s about 10 meters away!”
As I had been waiting for, when the distance to the enemy became close enough to engage in hand-to-hand combat, I pulled out the sword I was wearing at my waist and gave an order.
“Load the ballista with rocks! Load the crossbow with arrows! Then, when the enemy tries to make contact, shoot all at once! Then follow me and cross the enemy lines! Do you understand?”
When hand-to-hand combat was ordered, everyone, both soldiers and officers, responded positively with evil voices.
Your future success or failure will depend on how well you perform here.