207 – Operation ‘Storm’ (2)
Around the time when the Kreutel Kingdom army was rapidly moving towards Esters.
The 10 snipers, including William, who were scheduled to shoot the Duke of Orléans, have just arrived at the foot of Mount Humer, where the operation is being carried out.
It was a rough place where even wild boars didn’t go well, but even in places like this there are often scouts, so we thoroughly searched the area.
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After confirming that there were no enemies nearby, the sniper unit leader, Captain Hilton, looked over me and the other members of the unit and said quietly.
“I think everyone already knows, but His Highness said this.
‘The fate of the kingdom will depend on whether the sniper unit can completely eliminate the Duke of Orléans and other vassals.’ And we trained hard to live up to those expectations.”
Although I and the other comrades had different motivations for applying for the sniper, they lived together in the same barracks for a year and received hell training.
5 Days of hell where only 5 hours of sleep are allowed in 5 days to make sure you have the tenacity and stamina needed to shoot.
A method of reading the direction and speed of the wind by feeling it in order to hit an object hundreds of meters ahead. To secure the stability of aiming, training to keep a pebble on the end of a matchlock and keep it level… I’ve been trained countless times.
“Like an eagle snatching its prey from high up in the sky, out of sight, we have the ability to shoot down an enemy commander from a distance the enemy never thought possible.
And now is our chance to use all our abilities. Gentlemen, I won’t say any more. Perform as well as you showed in training. Then you will surely succeed. Good luck.”
After the sniper commander finished speaking, the other soldiers and I simultaneously responded briefly and boldly.
“Hooray!”
“Let’s be sure to succeed! Let’s win!!!”
“We can do it!”
With that determination, we formed a group of two as planned and carefully moved to the corner of the road where the Duke of Orléans was expected to pass.
Fortunately, while walking to the destination, I didn’t encounter anything other than a few wild beasts.
Me and my partner, Gilbert, thanked our luck, and checked our location from the map, the terrain around us, and the shape of a small road in the distance. A fork in the corner of a square, a small stream, a giant pine tree that stands out… It matches the information of the target point that other intelligence unit members surveyed the terrain and handed over.
My partner, Gilbert, seemed to think so as well, so he said it first in a low voice, as if to prove that I was right.
“William, the ambush point for our group is estimated to be here. It matches the topography shown on the map and in the drawing depicting the objective.”
“I think so too. Now we can wait here for the enemy to come. Then, just like during training, I’ll keep an eye on the road where the large army passes, and you, Gilbert, watch out for your surroundings. By shifting every hour.”
“Good. According to the information obtained by the spy who infiltrated the duke’s army, I heard that they will pass through this Ramus Road as early as this afternoon and as late as tomorrow morning. If you don’t sleep for one day, the decision will be over.”
Hearing that, the memory of when I first applied as a sniper came to mind.
When I was first training, it was really hard to die just by not sleeping one night. I had only been training for a few hours without proper rest, but my eyes kept trying to close, my vision was shaking, and my judgment and motor skills were deteriorating.
So, in the mock battle training, it was difficult to stop the crossbow shooter’s arrow from an ambush about 50 meters away from any obstacles, or even the infantry charge, which would normally have been withstanding. At that time, I even felt helpless thinking that I was such a weak being.
What was especially difficult was waiting for the enemy to come at any time in the mountains where only grass bugs could be heard for sniping… This is because observing deeply was accompanied by extreme physical exhaustion.
But now, after countless hours of training, I’ve gotten used to waiting for the enemy without sleeping for a day or so. However, the question and doubt that the enemy will come on the path we are vigilant for, and the fear of failure, no matter how many times we have been trained, in practice… We never get used to it.
I’m just not spitting out words ‘What if I fail?’ The thought filled my head.
A few hours after sunrise, while I was watching the mountains and forests around me, Gilbert tapped me on the waist.
Is the damn Duke of Orléans finally here?
Without making a sound, I quietly turned around and looked at where Gilbert was watching. Where his finger was pointing, he saw knights riding horses and a flag symbolizing the Duke of Orléans.
I wanted to cheer for a moment at the fact that my hard work was not in vain, but if I shouted here, everything would be in vain.
So I caught my breath and looked for the most gorgeously dressed person in the crowd of over 10,000 enemies. At this time, the commander-in-chief of the enemy army, who does not know the concept of sniping, wears the most expensive and shiny clothes to preserve his dignity.
How long has it been? We saw the duke protected by knights in silver armor and with the grandest banners. He was wearing a cloak of red velvet and a robe of silk, even on a hot day. No matter how important your dignity as an aristocrat is, to wear that kind of clothes on a hot day like this…
Me and Gilbert made eye contact, exchanged signals, and aimed our guns at the target. The distance is 240 meters, and the wind blows lightly to the east.
Next, I put gunpowder and bullets into the gun, and drove the bullet deep into the gun. Seeing that no footsteps could be heard in the surrounding trees or forest, the enemy patrols were unable to detect us.
The two of us pulled the trigger with a determination not to fail, and soon after, the sound of other comrades firing echoed through the mountain. The Duke of Orléans fell from his horse, bleeding from bullets from many directions.
Me and Gilbert looked at each other in quiet voices and shared joy.
“I did it. Let’s bounce.”
“Since you were hit like that, you should have searched, and immediately move to junction B. Let’s hurry up.”
**
And 7 days later, Esters Temporary Garrison Barracks exclusively for the King.
An officer hurriedly ran in front of me and said in a quick tone.
“His Highness the King! Captain Hilton and nine snipers who went to snip the Duke of Orléans have returned. According to them, the sniping of the Duke of Orléans was successful.
It’s difficult to check the rest of the troops further away, but since the most important duke is dead… It’s as if this plan has already succeeded!”
The concept of assassination exists, but the concept of killing an enemy with one shot from a distance of more than 200 meters did not exist.
So it was a new method that no one could counter, and I succeeded in killing the duke without even fighting the enemy.
“You worked hard to deliver the good news! I’ll give you a bounty later, so you’re going to tell the entire unit today.”
“Yes, Your Highness!!”
After the officer who announced the success of the sniper unit had left, I immediately spoke to the senior adjutant standing next to me.
“Adjutant, if the enemy’s leadership collapses in war… Do you know what to do?”
“From what I have learned from Your Highness, I know that I must use it to subdue at least one enemy soldier.”
Now that the head of the Duke of Orléans family is gone, there will inevitably be checks on who will take the lead, no matter how bad the situation is. Since the commander-in-chief was gone, even the gathering speed would slow down.
If the count, the second in command of the dukedom, is still alive, this confusion will soon be resolved… Seeing the successful assassination of the duke, it is highly likely that other vassals, including the count, will not be able to escape from the molars of the sniper unit.
Assuming that even the barons, commanders of unit independent units, are gone, the scattered unit units are bound to fall into chaos. If they attack like a storm before clearing up the chaos, even if they gather 50,000 troops, cooperation between them will not work well.
Because it is human nature to not want to suffer loss while helping others, even though we know we must cooperate.
“Every minute and every second is urgent. Immediately pack your armor, weapons, and 2 months worth of rations and start preparing for the march. All troops must fully occupy the Duchy of Orléans from this point on, and begin preparations to fight against the army of the Duke of Brussels, who will come down south.”