ocean-life Chapter 42
Chapter 42
The first encounter was between the 10,000 kingdom troops commanded by Bébys and the 7,000 imperial troops led by Viktor.
As they approached each other to a distance where they could see each other's faces, they momentarily held their lances in a standoff.
“Attack!”
With Bébys's command relayed, the kingdom army began the assault, marking the official start of the battle.
“Waaaah!”
The roar of thousands of men shook the ground.
“Attack! It’s an attack!”
With the rear reserves and cavalry included, their numbers nearly doubled, allowing the kingdom forces to widely extend their formation and push vigorously against the imperial left flank.
Though the offensive was not perfectly controlled, the overwhelming numbers seemed to render strategy and tactics unnecessary.
“Target their flanks!”
“Charge!”
The kingdom army pressed on with a barrage of assaults, suffering hundreds of casualties, and the imperial left began to be pushed back within less than thirty minutes of clashing lances.
“Retreat! There are too many of them!”
In response, the company commanders of the 1st Provisional Corps at the front shouted loudly for a retreat.
“The enemies are fleeing! Let’s go!”
The kingdom troops advanced energetically toward the slowly retreating imperial forces. Some companies in the rear of the imperial army even turned their backs and fled.
To the kingdom troops, it seemed that the formation of the imperial left was on the verge of collapse.
“Let’s win! Kill them all!”
“Waaaah!”
Fueled by their soaring morale, the kingdom troops charged fearlessly at the remaining imperial soldiers, who were still steadfastly holding their lances and retreating in an orderly fashion.
“The enemy is retreating! Their formation has already collapsed, and our soldiers are in hot pursuit!”
“...This is too fast.”
A short while later, upon hearing this from a messenger, Bébys felt something odd about the rapid collapse of the imperial forces.
“Stop and regroup...”
He intended to issue orders to slow the advance of the right flank, but upon seeing the messenger, flushed with excitement and eagerly awaiting his orders, he hesitated.
Knowing the capabilities of the imperial army, Bébys wanted to systematically attack the enemy after re-establishing their formation. However, stopping the troops who had already gained momentum was not something that could be accomplished with just a few messengers.
Furthermore, with 2,000 reserves stationed in the rear, he was cautious about issuing a halt order now, as it would be difficult to grasp the situation on the battlefield.
The morale that had surged with victory might plummet in an instant. If the imperial left really had collapsed, halting their forces would give the enemy time to regroup.
“Delong, how are the scouts?”
“There have been no reports of enemy sightings.”
“...Good! Relay to Baron Farad! The cavalry should move to the woods on the right flank to hit the enemy left’s side!”
“Understood!”
Bébys opted to reinforce the offensive, dispatching the 2,000 cavalry that had been waiting in the rear.
“...This offensive is likely our last chance.”
After giving his orders, Bébys steeled himself and stepped out of the barracks.
“I will advance! Follow me!”
“Yes!”
He began moving to assist the right flank with the reserves.
Baron Farad, upon receiving Bébys's orders, was cautious about the possibility of an ambush and instructed,
“Sir François Philippe, you will lead the vanguard.”
“Understood.”
He sent approximately 400 cavalry as the advance guard to lure out any ambushing troops. François Philippe was known for his valor even in normal circumstances, so he did not shy away from taking on a dangerous role.
“They’ve all passed. Let’s go!”
As François’s vanguard passed the expected ambush point without receiving any attacks, he moved the cavalry through the woods.
“Waaaah!”
“What, what’s happening!”
They were ambushed by the cavalry regiment of the 10th Corps, which had been waiting on Viktor’s orders, disregarding the advance guard.
“Retreat!”
François urgently ordered a retreat, but the kingdom's cavalry, attacked from the side by the imperial heavy cavalry while moving, suffered a heavy blow.
“Ugh!”
“Baron Farad!”
During this chaos, even the commander François was thrown from his horse due to the imperial attack, and the kingdom’s right flank cavalry, having lost their commander, was quickly annihilated.
The 10th Corps cavalry regiment, having nearly wiped out the enemy cavalry without significant losses, left only a small number to chase them and then, under Viktor’s subsequent orders, began to advance toward the side of the kingdom's right flank.
“We need to assist our allies! Move quickly!”
François, realizing the dire situation, hastily organized the remaining cavalry, but even when combined, they barely numbered about 500.@@@@
François attempted to execute an attack against the imperial left flank, but the spear units of the imperial army, who appeared to be retreating, formed a defensive line at the right moment to counter their attack.
“Enemies! Ugh...!”
“Run away! Everyone, run away!”
The already terrified kingdom soldiers scattered chaotically at the command to retreat.
“What... what’s happening? Our allies are fleeing!”
The sight of the kingdom troops falling apart was demoralizing, as the imperial forces under Viktor pressed their advantage.
The imperial cavalry, numbering around 6,000, swept across the battlefield, completely dismantling even the sporadic resistance.
The cavalry that had been supporting the kingdom's left flank, commanded by Charles Becker, became isolated in the chaos and, like the right flank, could not withstand the coordinated attacks of the spearmen, archers, and cavalry.
“The enemy is retreating! Pursue them!”
The imperial forces, focusing their attack on the kingdom troops, disregarded those who turned to flee, concentrating their assaults on anyone who attempted to resist.
Daniel managed to gather a small number of troops to escape to Saint-Touar.
It was a complete victory for the imperial army.
---
That evening.
After about five hours of intense fighting, the imperial army officers gathered in Gerhardt's tent to assess the battle's results.
“Casualties for the 1st Provisional Corps stand at 268 dead and 920 injured.”
Viktor, the deputy commander and commander of the 1st Provisional Corps, reported the casualties in a calm but somewhat somber voice.
“The 8th Corps...”
“The 10th Corps...”
As they compiled the losses from each corps, the total casualties for the imperial army were 937 dead and 2,881 injured.
The majority of the imperial army's losses occurred during the initial engagement with the infantry, and after the collapse of the kingdom's right flank, their casualties were drastically reduced.
“The casualties of the Brotan Kingdom army are estimated to be around 8,000. The number of prisoners is roughly 20,000.”
“Twenty thousand prisoners...”
In contrast, over 5,000 soldiers from the Brotan Kingdom had died, and around 20,000 had been captured.
Since it was impossible to recover all the fleeing troops, the expected remaining forces of the kingdom army were around 5,000.
The officers, elated by the extraordinary battle results of annihilating 35,000 enemies with just 3,500 casualties, were about to speak up when—
“Not all battles are over yet. By now, Commander Friedrich is facing an enemy several times our size. The deception could be uncovered at any moment.”
“Hmm.”
Viktor coldly acknowledged the still unresolved situation and began preparing the next plan.
“Assign the soldiers who fought most fiercely in the battle to handle the aftermath and prisoner management. We need to organize a fresh troop of less fatigued soldiers among the reserves to set out by tomorrow morning.”
“Is that so? What do the others think?”
“I agree.”
“I think so too.”
Unlike before, all the officers quickly agreed with Viktor’s suggestion, and the plan was swiftly established.
“That’s all.”
Viktor returned to his seat, waiting for Gerhardt's ensuing orders, but—
“It seems there’s still something to mention.”
Instead of giving commands to the officers, Gerhardt sat quietly, turning his gaze toward Viktor.
The other officers also looked at Viktor, who sat beside Gerhardt, with expressions of admiration and envy.
“...?”
In that oddly subdued atmosphere, the commander of the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 8th Corps, Karl Jaeger, suddenly stood up and approached Viktor.
“Deputy Commander!”
He grasped Viktor's hand and exclaimed with an emotional voice, “That was truly an incredible strategy and command!”
The previously murmuring officers began to rise from their seats one by one, applauding.
“No one was left behind; everyone has returned safely! Thanks to the general’s command!”
“The regrouping and counterattack following a strategic retreat... It was a tactic that no one else could dare to replicate!”
All the officers of the 8th and 10th Corps, who had previously held reservations about Viktor, now praised him for creating an unprecedented great victory.
From devising the strategy to detailed planning and his clear orders heard by everyone during the battle, no one now doubted Viktor.
Amid their heartfelt admiration, Viktor blinked for a moment before lightly bowing his head.
“Everyone's leadership and the soldiers’ hard work combined to produce this result. I too, like you all, fought for the empire's victory...”
“That’s not wrong, but you are the star of this battle. Isn’t that so?”
Gerhardt, who had been quietly observing Viktor’s modest words, finally spoke up.
“Indeed!”
“Absolutely!”
“...Hmm.”
Though Viktor's stern expression didn’t soften, he replied, “...I will go check on the soldiers first.”
“Ha ha... Very well.”
He hurriedly covered his mouth and exited Gerhardt’s tent.
His lips did not curve into a smile.