dognovel Chapter 651 A great victory
Chapter 651 A great victory
Count Ander stared intently ahead. The artillery positions were already shrouded in thick smoke, and the sound of cannons had completely fallen silent. He knew that the artillery was no longer a hope.
If the troops remain stationed there, they will only become easy targets for the enemy.
Count Ander's eyes darkened, and he immediately made a decision. He raised his hand and gave the order:
"Heavy cavalry will flank the enemy from both sides and get behind them. The infantry will then launch a full-scale charge."
His idea was to have the infantry withstand several rounds of artillery fire, then immediately engage the enemy in close combat, causing their artillery to lose its advantage, and then crush the enemy with sheer manpower.
Orders were issued one after another, and the messengers beside him immediately took their orders, turned around and strode off towards the various units.
Their figures moved quickly along the edge of the battlefield, eager to accurately transmit orders.
Soon, a series of urgent bugle calls rang out. The bugle calls pierced through the noise of the battlefield and reached the ears of every soldier clearly, accompanied by the waving of several flags.
The infantry phalanx was the first to move. They marched heavily toward the enemy positions.
The heavy cavalry on both sides moved out simultaneously, the thunderous hooves of their horses echoing like rolling thunder. Dust billowed up, forming two long trails of gray smoke behind the cavalry.
The knights leaned close to their horses' backs to minimize wind resistance, their legs gripping the horses' bellies to urge them to go faster.
The speed increased, and the cavalry formation resembled two sharp scimitars, flanking the enemy's flank.
On the King's army's position, a black-clad Watchman officer was observing through binoculars.
The lens reflected the faint light of the battlefield, allowing him to see the enemy's movements clearly.
Upon seeing the enemy infantry charging and the cavalry flanking from both sides, the officer immediately lowered his binoculars and gave orders to the messenger beside him.
"Order the rocket force to prepare for launch."
"Artillery units, replace all artillery shells with shotgun shells."
The order was concise and clear. Without the slightest hesitation, the messenger immediately turned around and ran towards the rocket and artillery units to quickly relay the instructions.
The rocket troops were already prepared, with rockets neatly arranged on the launch pads and their fuses exposed.
Upon receiving the order, they immediately picked up a tinderbox and lit the rocket's fuse.
The fuse hissed and sparked, the sparks spreading rapidly along the fuse, each sound striking the soldiers' nerves.
Soon, the first rocket shot into the sky with a whooshing sound, leaving a faint trail of smoke behind it.
Then, the second, the third... one rocket after another rose into the sky from the launch pad, their dense silhouettes piercing the horizon.
The rockets traced arcs through the air before plummeting towards the charging enemy positions. Their target was clear: the chaotic infantry ranks.
The rocket exploded the moment it landed, and flames spread rapidly, quickly forming a sea of fire that engulfed the charging infantry.
The enemy soldiers charging forward were caught off guard; flames climbed onto their bodies and scorched their skin.
Screams rose and fell, and the once orderly charging ranks instantly descended into chaos.
The soldiers threw down their weapons and tried to pat the flames off their bodies, and their formation completely collapsed.
Meanwhile, the artillery units had completed the replacement of their shotgun shells.
The soldiers moved quickly, unloading the round shells and replacing them with shotguns filled with lead bullets.
The cannons adjusted their angles, lowered slightly, and aimed at the infantry charging at the forefront; every cannon was ready to fire.
"Fire!"
The Blackwatch officer gave the order.
Dozens of cannons roared simultaneously, creating a deafening roar.
The shot, carrying immense power, spewed from the cannon muzzle and hurtled towards the enemy infantry.
The soldiers at the forefront were caught off guard; the shot pierced their bodies, leaving trails of blood.
The soldiers fell in rows, their bodies crashing heavily to the ground, never to move again.
Each shot tore a gap in the infantry ranks.
Upon seeing this, the soldiers ahead showed fear. They could clearly see the tragic state of their comrades ahead. Although many had experienced the bombardment of Yoda's army, being hit by artillery fire was still a low-probability event. This time, the fact that rows of soldiers were dying directly filled them with dread.
But the order to charge had already been given, and retreating would be disobeying orders, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue charging forward.
However, a second wave of shrapnel soon followed, and the artillery loaders quickly completed the reloading.
Another round of intense firing occurred, and more soldiers fell, their bodies piling up in front of the position. Blood seeped into the soil, and the infantry's charge was firmly suppressed, making progress difficult. Every step forward came at a heavy cost in casualties.
The heavy cavalry on both sides also encountered trouble. They galloped away, their hooves kicking up clouds of dust as they pounded the ground.
They were about to circle around to the rear of the king's army and complete their encirclement mission.
Just then, they spotted rows of Blackwatch musketeers ahead.
The musketeers stood in neat rows, three ranks alternating, their flintlock muskets already loaded, all pointed at the approaching cavalry.
The heavy cavalry knights tensed up; they hadn't expected the enemy to be prepared. They tried to speed up and break through the musketeers' line, but it was too late.
"Fire!"
The musketeer officers shouted the order.
A chorus of gunfire erupted, like thunderclaps, flintlock muskets spewing fire as lead bullets hurtled through the air towards the cavalry.
The warhorses were hit by bullets one after another, neighing in pain. They fell to the ground uncontrollably, some with broken forelegs, others convulsing.
The knights were thrown from their horses by the immense inertia and crashed heavily to the ground. Some were hit in vital areas by lead bullets and died on the spot, while a few were pinned down by their fallen horses, unable to move and only able to groan in pain.
The charging heavy cavalrymen were instantly thrown into disarray, their once-mighty encirclement attack collapsing in an instant.
The remaining cavalry tried to turn their horses around and retreat, but in the chaos, they collided with each other and were unable to organize any effective action.
Count Ander and two other counts stood on the high ground behind, taking in the entire battle situation ahead.
After witnessing firsthand the infantry charge being thwarted and the cavalry's encirclement attempt failing, their expressions grew increasingly grim.
The offensive is going so poorly that continuing it will only increase casualties.
The three counts were well aware of this; the situation had completely spiraled out of their control.
"We can't fight anymore, retreat immediately."
Count Kreuz spoke, his tone tinged with urgency.
"Most of the casualties are mercenaries; our main force is still intact."
Count Alejandro quickly added.
"Immediately issue the order to retreat and preserve our strength."
Count Ander said decisively, raising his hand to make a retreat gesture. Losing the battle is not a big deal. The king only wants to establish his authority now. He will not kill them all, nor will he directly annex their territory. As long as they preserve their strength and return to their territory, they can write a letter and send someone to the king to apologize. The king may forgive them.
The three counts reached a consensus and, without any delay, the order to retreat was quickly relayed.
The surviving soldiers, upon receiving the order to retreat, felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They lost their previous resolve and turned to flee.
Staggering, some even dropped their weapons, just wanting to run faster and get away from this death zone.
The king's army's artillery fire gradually ceased, and the artillerymen put down their tools and began to check the condition of the cannons, preparing for subsequent operations.
Smoke filled the entire battlefield, lingering for a long time. Gray smoke shrouded the land, blocking out the sunlight. The ground was littered with the corpses of three soldiers from the rebel count's army, their dark red blood flowing down the slopes and pooling in the low-lying areas.
The surviving soldiers had long since vanished without a trace, leaving only a scene of devastation.
On the battlefield, the infantry regimental commander held up his binoculars, observing the situation.
He carefully examined every corner and confirmed that the enemy army had been completely defeated.
A slight look of satisfaction appeared on his face. Not a single person on his side had died, and they had repelled the enemy's attack. We and Blackwatch are simply amazing. This is an epic victory, a complete triumph!
"Charge! Pursue the remnants of the rebel army!"
The regimental commander put down his binoculars and immediately gave the order.
Of course, this time the goal was not to annihilate the enemy, but to drive them further and further away from Windam, and incidentally let the nobles along the way see how brave His Majesty's new army was.