221 – All-out war in Alas (4)
Two weeks after I dispatched Major Short, the Kreutel Kingdom army led by me arrived at the next battlefield, the Brightenfield Plain.
Even if it is a plain, there are features such as small streams, hills, villages, forests, and mountains in or around the plain, so you can use it…
Unusually, from the entrance of the plain where I am standing now to the far beyond where I can see the horizon, only the flat land covered with weeds and grass spread out.
When I saw it on a map, I just thought it was an unusual place, but when I saw the vast plain in front of my eyes, various emotions started to pass by.
But I soon made up my mind.
Because, from now on, I have to prepare for a battle to end the bad relationship with the Elain Empire.
“I order the entire army. The allies set up camp along the Lepiers River, about an hour away from here. The Corps of Engineers make sure that the heavy wagons can pass, and the rest of the soldiers, excluding the reconnaissance units, set up long-term camps.”
**
First night of arrival at Brightenfield Plain.
As always, in this battle, the counts who command the corps, the largest strategic unit, were summoned to the command barracks.
Although Balt, Biermann, and Frost are all three counts.
Before the meeting, I poured wine into everyone’s glasses.
They silently received the wine, then drank the wine in one go with me and said,
“I never thought that the day would come when I would face the Emperor of the Eline Empire like this.”
“Me Beerman, I always feel new while following Your Highness… I feel the best today.”
“Only Count Beermann will do that. Thinking that Balt can finally give the Emperor a shot makes me feel relieved as if a tooth had been knocked out.”
Honestly, when I was a vassal of Count Schwein, there was a time when I thought that if I nurtured and nurtured only the Kreutel territory to create a fruitful barony, I would be able to live a comfortable life.
So I just wanted to live in the corner as a baron, earning moderate money and managing the land well so as not to stand out too much… The people around you didn’t leave me alone.
Evil foes from the Count of Schwein, the Duke of Brussels, the Duke of Maxburg, the Duke of Akitel, and even the furious emperor we will now fight sword to sword.
Among them, the fate of the emperor who has been bothering me the most is actually decided here.
And I want to give that bastard a proper blow, no, just put it in a coffin, cover it, and bury it, as Balt said.
Because that bastard tried to kill me in a way that was so absurd. To repay the favor.
“I think so too. I never thought I’d be fighting that goddamn emperor up there, and if possible, he’s something I’d never want to see again in this world.”
After saying that, I unfolded a large map on the desk in the command barracks and said.
“First of all, before discussing the battle in Brighten Field, I will give you some good news. According to news received just now, 40 agents under the command of Major Short have disabled 10 of the enemy’s 12 cannons. They also ignited the gunpowder in the powder magazine and succeeded in killing 20 artillerymen nearby.”
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The most important achievement here is, of course, making 10 of the enemy’s 60 cannons unusable. No one will dispute this.
However, the fact that 20 soldiers died and gunpowder exploded because the spy infiltrated before the enemy was properly engaged could have a more significant ramification..
Because until now, it was thought that if the soldiers and commanders were vigilant, there would be no chance of being attacked by the enemy.
Because it has the effect of causing the entire Elaine army to experience tremendous mental wear and tear, even on the way to here after being completely broken.
Especially, His Majesty the Emperor, who is at the end of the Suspicious Sickness, is sure to have an intruder, so he will go on a rampage saying that there is a traitor inside.
Looks good, goddamn emperor son. By now, as you savor the taste of the gift I sent you, you must be in a fit of joy as if you had been given an electric shock.
In normal times, I don’t want to look bad, so I’ll do whatever it takes to make it stop, but for now, I hope you’re having fun.
“When I heard that the enemy had cannons, I was at a loss as to what to do with them, but you broke 10 cannons and fed those damn bastards with candy!”
“The enemy’s morale will hit rock bottom. Especially since the gunpowder has exploded, they won’t be able to use the matchlock they brought with them.”‘
Anyway, everyone seemed to be satisfied, so I felt better.
There’s just a bit more time left until the enemies arrive here, so let’s destroy the road and twist the road to get here…
It’s tactically profitable, and it can also raise the morale of your subordinates, so it kills two birds with one stone…
No, it’s good to do that, but the enemy’s nerves will be sharpened and the vigilance will be strict, so if I touch it more now, it may only result in the sacrifice of the poor agents. I need to stop thinking about this
“As you said, their morale must have fallen to the ground already. It feels good, but now is a difficult time, and you can’t be intoxicated with small victories. Now, let’s deliver the operation. Everyone, take a good look at the map.”
As soon as I said that, all three gazed at the map.
“As you can see, there are no obstacles in Brightenfield. In a way, it’s the most ideal battlefield… Instead, it is difficult to use tactics such as ambushes, surprise attacks, and diversionary attacks. Therefore, the emperor and we will meet head-on without any obstacles.”
In this case, armed with weapons such as matchlocks, cannons, and grenades, we will have the upper hand in firepower, so if time is long, we will win.
However, the enemy must be aware of this fact, so they will definitely try to take a different approach.
“Then the enemy will pretend to respond to a head-on confrontation, then divert knights and infantry to our flank or rear to exploit our loopholes. If not, they will try to break through our army like an awl by concentrating their forces on the left wing, right wing, or center. Other than that, there is no sharp point.”
A beginner who does not know much about war, or a fool who tries to establish a strategy based on theory, will answer like this when he hears this.
‘Then, shouldn’t the commander focus allies’ efforts on the area where the enemy’s attack is concentrated and respond?’
It’s really easy to say, and it’s a story that’s close to the standard that no one can refute…
The problem is that such an agile response is possible only when the commander-in-chief is stationed on a very high mountain and can look down on the entire army.
In the plain as it is now, if both armies exceed 100,000 each, the length of the transverse band alone will reach several kilometers. You can’t put it all in one glance.
In addition, considering the unique chaos that occurs in war, it is impossible to respond in real time even to a great commander who will go down in history.
However, since the detached troops coming back out of the ranks are easy to see, that much can be intercepted right away… That doesn’t really matter, though.
“However, as the Lords know, even the enemy can figure out where the attack is weak and where the attack is strong, unless they are fools. And since it is the cannon that is responsible for the firepower of the allies, rather than the matchlock gun… By placing more cannons on the left wing, we induce the enemy to aim for the right wing.”
Then the enemy’s movement will be concentrated on the right side, and as the war progresses, both armies will move in a clockwise direction.
“If the enemy bites the bait, I will mobilize designated gunners with 1,000 Kreutel-type matchlocks, which I will deploy on the right wing, and snipe their artillery as much as possible to neutralize the artillery and weaken the infantry. At the same time, mobilize the knights behind the infantry on the right to attack the troops on the other side of the right at once.”
If you do this, the enemy left wing opposite your right wing will not be able to withstand the impact and will begin to collapse.
“After the enemy’s left wing begins to falter, our right wing forces all at once, after fire support from the arquebusiers, charge into battle engineers, spearmen, and two-handed swordsmen in order to completely break the enemy’s momentum. Afterwards, the right wing surrounds the enemy as if besieging them and drives the enemy troops until they are reduced to powder.”
Even if you do this, a huge force of over 180,000 is moving, so it will be impossible to scatter them all.
We’ll still have to regroup, so they’ll fall back… Ride the flow and gnaw through the empire. What should I do?
“I wish I could destroy the enemy forces as much as possible and then capture the mad emperor… Don’t let the number of troops in your army dwindle as you focus on capturing the emperor alive. More than.”