268 – Battle of Gryfino (6)
As I expected, the Warsaw scout fleet turned its bow toward us and approached at maximum speed.
With the distance between them and us and the current speed of the enemy battleship, we wouldn’t be able to make a hole in our ship with the prongs attached to the bow.
Unlike us, it is virtually impossible to sink other ships, including the flagship I am on, using only small ballistas, arrows, and magic, so they are probably trying to compete in hand-to-hand combat.
Although it was a reconnaissance fleet, the enemy ships outnumbered ours by two (3 to 5), so the morale of the Warsaw soldiers approaching us seemed to be very high.
“Kill Peter Yeager! “There’s that bastard, Peter Yeager, on that damn flagship!”
“This is your chance to change sides, kill the bastard by any means necessary!”
“There are 5 ships on our side and only 3 ships on our side!”
The soldiers on the deck of the flagship I was on looked eager to rush out as soon as close combat began or to fire ballistas and arrows at the enemy soldiers huddled around the bow.
Among the officers, there was one who asked me with his eyes to shoot me right away.
If we suppressed the boiling urge to kill the enemy until the right time, our side, which had fewer numbers than the enemy scout fleet, had a chance of victory.
“Ballistas, crossbows, and magic must be fired upon my command! “Anyone who shoots first for no reason will be severely punished later by military law.”
When he heard that anyone who tried to kill an enemy by pulling the trigger carelessly would have his head cut off at the end of the war, the soldiers on the flagship deck stamped their feet in sorrow.
As if to tell us that the wait would not be long, the Warsaw idiots threw a rope with iron hooks towards our ship.
Once the hook was caught on the wall that covered the deck of the ship, they began to pull with all their might.
The enemy fleet seemed determined to capture the flagship I was on, with one vessel attached to the bow of the flagship and one to the side of the ship.
If things continued like this, it was going to be a 1:2 close combat on the deck…
If it’s about 2 to 1, it’s worth it just by what I’ve prepared.
“From now on, each battleship will aim its ballista, crossbow, and magic at the enemy ship clinging to its side! “Fire all at once just before they set up their hooks and come over, and each ship will engage in close combat independently under the command of its captain!”
In this way, I prepared as perfectly as possible for hand-to-hand combat, the highlight of medieval naval battles, and headed toward the bow with my sword in hand.
This is because all firepower, including the ballista, was currently concentrated on the side, making the bow side relatively weak.
However, since the side, which provides a certain amount of firepower, must engage in close combat against one enemy ship, additional troop deployment is necessary.
“Captain Foch leads a platoon to the side of the ship and prevents the Warsaw bastards from landing without permission! And everyone, don’t use a one-handed sword just because you’re trying to be cool, but pick up a sword and follow me! “I will be at the forefront.”
Captain Foch, following my orders, led one platoon and quickly moved toward the ballista, while I walked toward the bow, where the enemy was trying hard to land with a hook.
In the meantime, the soldiers let out loud cheers as if they thought that they had already won this hand-to-hand combat when I really stood at the forefront.
“Captain Khan Slayer Jaeger is at the forefront!”
“Don’t fall behind the boss! Risk your life and follow me until the end!”
“Long live the captain! Long live the Reich Reich!”
In the era before gunpowder weapons appeared, the battlefield was unfavorable, and I was taught that the best way to raise the morale of the allies was to stand at the forefront as long as the commander was capable.
Often, when I realize the effect in the field, my heart beats without even realizing it.
Since I am also a soldier and a commander, it is inevitable that I will get excited when I receive enthusiastic cheers from the soldiers under my command.
However, only by keeping your heart warm and your head as cool as possible will you be able to give them the promised victory. You should never get excited.
When I arrived at the bow, the soldiers from the enemy ship there tried to climb over the deck wall and board our ship.
A heavy crashing sound of something breaking was heard from the right, followed by the screams of the enemy soldiers followed by shouts from the allies.
As I turned my head, I saw that the soldiers who were trying to stick to the right side of the ship had been torn to pieces by four siege ballistas, crossbow arrows, and a barrage of magic.
Some were crushed beyond recognition or died with limbs missing, and due to the nature of naval battles, many soldiers were not wearing armor, so many of them turned into hedgehogs.
“Sal, save me… Ugh, it hurts!”
“You damn Reich bastards!”
“…… Mom!! Mom!”
Most of the soldiers on the enemy ship who tried to approach the side were terrified and fell into a state of great confusion.
Captain Foch sent support with one platoon and saw that the enemy army was completely wiped out in one go and was not properly controlled afterwards.
As if he was planning to follow me, he drew his sword and went over to the enemy deck with the soldiers of the Reich Empire and began slaughtering the enemies.
As I watched the scene for a moment, Vincent next to me spoke in a loud warning voice.
“Captain, soldiers will soon arrive from the enemy ship right in front of us!”
“Is that so? Good, I can’t show Captain Foch any shame. If they try to cross over to our deck, we will crush their heads with a flat lance. Do you understand?”
The guys who followed me responded by shouting with their mouths together.
Soon after, the enemy soldiers advanced to climb over the wall to get onto the deck of our ship, but our Marines, including myself, fought back with the determination not to send even a single person back.
I cut the head of one soldier in two with the sword in my hand, and blew a hole in the neck of the guy coming from the left.
Because the speed at which I swung the sword was quite fast, unless you were a person of considerable skill, it might seem as if I had killed two people with a single swing of the sword.
Our soldiers fighting together broke the head of the enemy who was momentarily defenseless while crossing over with their helmets, or completely shattered one of his shoulders.
“Warsaw bastards, no matter how much you crawl, you can’t even reach Captain Jaeger’s toes.”
“We have a captain with us who is called a ‘one-man battalion’ when he holds a sword!”
“Be good when you die, you motherless bastards.”
In that way, we unilaterally slaughtered the enemy soldiers who tried to come onto the deck, and I was the first to board the enemy’s ship.
Immediately, several arrows flew at me, but even though I was at sea, I was standing in the vanguard as a captain, so I wore plate armor.
Therefore, the arrow did not pierce my body.
At that time, I saw the wizards pointing their wands at me and chanting magic spells. Fortunately, I was able to get to them a little faster than when they finished their spells.
From noble mtl dot com
“According to the covenant made with the spirit of flame… Pa…”
“Die, you son of a b*tch.”
The enemy was cut in the waist by the sword I swung from bottom to top with the staff pointed at me.
Blood flowed from the enemy’s body as the sword passed through it.
Then, I turned to the right and cut off the head of the wizard in front of me. Then, I took another turn and cut off the other guy’s head.
The faces of the enemy soldiers who witnessed the scene were astonished.
“What the f*ck, is this a monster? How many people are you killing by yourself?”
“…… Save me.”
“Is that the f*cking Sword Master that bards often talk about?! Why the f*ck, can even our captain bastard do that?”
But whether they were shocked or not, I continued slaughtering the enemy soldiers with the determination not to miss a single one.
Let’s kill each and every one of them by cutting off the head, chest, armpits, and even the crotch if there is a gap.
The Warsaw guys lost control when they saw the kid who was clearly wearing a 4-star rank insignia going crazy.
“You idiots! Unite! “If we stick together, we can survive!”
“Platoon leader, then please kill that damned Peter Jaeger bastard! How do you beat that bastard?”
“…… Catch that crazy bastard who is at the forefront with a sword, a spear, or whatever!”
The soldiers who did not listen to the officers’ orders were not soldiers but simply idiots who were weaker than civilians, so the soldiers under my command mercilessly slaughtered them except for those who laid down their weapons and surrendered.
After about 12 minutes, there were no more enemy soldiers visible on the deck of the Warsaw Battleship where I was now.
“Go below deck and subdue all the rowers. “If he surrenders, we will tie his hands and put him in our boat shed, and if he doesn’t, we will kill him.”
In that way, I succeeded in completely taking over the enemy ship, and immediately returned to the flagship with my soldiers.
After returning, I was briefed on the situation of the battle, and it was said that the other allied battleships also swept out the enemy with ballistas in close combat and fought with momentum, so they all achieved victory without suffering much damage.
“One of the enemy ships deserted immediately after the close combat began. So they limited themselves to seizing four Warsaw ships. What would you like to do?”
In normal times, I would have tried to capture the person who ran away as much as possible and return, but I can’t afford to do that now.
You must prepare to deal with the 116 enemy ships that will immediately pursue you.
“Like this, we will lure the enemy to where our main force is located. “We will rest like this for 10 minutes, and as soon as the enemy fleet comes into view, we will fall back.”
Just chase after me, you idiot.