章節 250: Battle of the Biddeburg 6
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
"Prepare!"
Bryce shouted, riding alongside his officers and soldiers. Many of the allied generals were fighting alongside their troops, not necessarily out of bravery, but out of fear that their soldiers would break and flee if they weren't present.
With a clattering noise, the thousand-strong Alden army formed three neat lines. At Bryce's command, the first line immediately leveled their muskets and aimed at the Kent army ahead.
At this distance, the Alden soldiers could see the faces of the enemy clearly.
Bryce raised his hand and brought it down forcefully: "Fire!"
From the Kent army's perspective, a cloud of smoke erupted from the enemy side, followed by strange explosions and the "whoosh" sounds of objects slicing through the air.
Next, many people found themselves in trouble, especially the pikemen in the first line who were protecting the archers.
Seeing the Alden troops stop and judging that they were about to fire their "fire crossbows," the pikemen swung their spears repeatedly, trying to knock down the incoming projectiles, which they thought were similar to crossbow bolts.
However, this tactic proved useless against the rapidly fired deadly metal projectiles.
When the first line of muskets fired, the pikemen standing in front of the archers were almost entirely knocked to the ground. Only a few remained, dazed and still swinging their spears, not yet realizing what was happening.
The Alden soldiers, equipped with flintlock muskets, were packed tightly together. At a distance of 50 meters, the smoothbore muskets could still ensure a certain degree of accuracy. Moreover, the pikemen of the Kent army were also packed closely together, so even if the bullets didn't hit the intended target, they would hit those nearby.
Painful groans quickly filled the entire Kent army's right flank. The soldiers on the ground writhed and struggled, with many dying shortly after showing even slight movements.
"Fire! Fire quickly!"
"Suppress the Alden troops from a distance!"
The officers on the right flank of the Kent army remained calm and immediately urged the archers to counterattack.
As the enemy fell into confusion, the first line of the Alden army stayed in place to reload, while the two rear lines passed over their fallen comrades, preparing the new first line for firing.
They endured another volley of arrows, but this time the casualties were fewer.
Bryce gave the order: "Fire!"
Another round of gunfire erupted on the battlefield, this time affecting the Kent archers. After many were knocked down, panic set in. Many archers began to retreat, hiding behind others to avoid standing in the front. They realized that the "fire crossbows" did not fire in a curved trajectory but in a nearly straight line, so those in the first line had a higher chance of being hit.
Thus, the right flank of the Kent army began to slowly fall back.
However, in terms of the overall battlefield situation, the allied forces were in a precarious position.
The Kent army had more cavalry, a larger total number, and a higher armor rate. The scales of victory were gradually tilting in their favor.
Seeing the unfavorable situation, Earl Parker ordered all skilled generals to join the fight personally. Despite his age, he led his own cavalry in aggressive charges to turn the tide.
The arrival of the generals boosted the morale of the lower-ranking soldiers slightly, though it remained uncertain how long this would last, given the fundamental imbalance in strength.
"We must quickly conclude the battle on the left flank and then support the other allied troops."
Bryce, having surveyed the entire battlefield, called Joyce for a consultation and made this decision.
By now, the Alden troops had conducted four rounds of firing, causing significant casualties to the Kent army. Despite this, the enemy had not yet collapsed but had merely retreated. The arrows they shot were now much less effective, coming in scattered and disorganized.
"Prepare for volley fire!"
With the order given, the soldiers in the first line immediately knelt on one knee, and the soldiers in the other two lines aimed their muskets at the enemy.
"Fire!"
The three lines of soldiers simultaneously pulled their triggers.
In an instant, the sound of gunfire erupted, the intensity of which startled everyone on the battlefield.
Both sides, engaged in combat, paused in unison to look towards the Alden army's position.
A scene reminiscent of a pride of lions attacking a rabbit was unfolding.
The power of the three lines firing in unison was immense. It not only felled a large number of archers who were drawing their bows but also shattered the psychological defenses of the remaining archers.
"Oh, Father in Heaven!"
One archer, in a state of collapse, screamed and turned to flee. A comrade who had been standing in front of him was struck by a stray bullet, causing his head to burst open like a cracked melon, with fragments of his skull hitting the fleeing archer.
This scream was the last straw for the Kent soldiers, prompting them to flee en masse. Although they had been slowly retreating before, they had maintained some order. Now, however, chaos ensued, with everyone wishing they had more legs to run faster.
Bryce drew his sword and pointed forward: "Charge!"
"Kill!"
The three lines of Alden soldiers suddenly erupted with battle cries and charged with fixed bayonets into the scattered Kent archers.
A few archers who were still trying to shoot turned and fled quickly.
The Kent archers had long lost the protection of their pikemen, and their melee equipment consisted only of daggers, which were no match for the Alden soldiers' bayonets. Moreover, they were in disarray, with no one organizing a counterattack, and the officers themselves were too frightened to know where to run.
---
Jos, wielding a bayonet, closely followed Sergeant Markalov.
Previously, they had engaged enemies from a distance using muskets, but now they were to engage in close combat. Well, actually, they were engaging from behind as the enemy was retreating.
Sergeant Markalov caught up with an enemy soldier and efficiently drove his bayonet into his back.
Nearby, several enemy soldiers, seeing that they were being relentlessly pursued, turned around and drew their daggers, their eyes showing fierce intent.
"Ahhhh!"
It was unclear whether they were trying to intimidate the Alden troops or to rally their own courage, but the archers shouted in a strange manner as they charged with daggers raised.
Markalov signaled to Jos and another comrade, raising his bayonet to block the first attacker's dagger.
Jos and his comrade faced the charging archers. Jos's comrade pushed aside the enemy's dagger, and taking advantage of the opponent's stumble, Jos accurately drove his bayonet into the left side of the enemy's ribcage, as he had trained.
There was no hesitation or mercy; in life-or-death situations, one doesn't think too much.
However, upon reflecting after the battle, things might be different…
Other Kent soldiers who attempted to resist saw their comrades easily killed and their resolve crumbled, dropping their daggers.
"Spare us! We surrender!"
They knelt on the ground, their backs to the enemy, trembling uncontrollably.
Such scenes continued to play out on the Kent army's right flank.
"Congratulations, Lieutenant Colonel, a textbook example of a rout!"
The Third Battalion Commander Joyce said to Bryce, satisfied with the outcome.
(End of the Chapter)
---
FUN FACT! You can now support me and read advanced chapters of FirearmsFantasy!
Currently up to 345 as of 14Sep24.
Just visit my p atreon: Pa treon.com/CinderTL
If you are content with the free chapters, you can show your appreciation by joining me for as low as $1. You can read this and other series (more coming in the future) on my Pa treon.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票