It’s been four days since we set up camp on the southern plains of the Tiora River.
Finally, as we were enjoying a rare moment of relaxation, uninvited guests we had been waiting for arrived.
[Traitors who have forsaken the gods and the royal family! I, Duke Alexander, have come to punish you scoundrels!!]
The guy in front, using amplification magic to shout loudly, was blabbering on and on, but I decided to ignore him for now.
Facing the suppression force that came straight from the capital, my impression could be summed up in one word.
“Wow, that’s really flashy.”
The cavalry, decked out in gleaming, pure 100% gold-plated breastplates and helmets.
The pikemen and riflemen, all adorned in brilliantly colored uniforms with weapons clearly crafted by master artisans.
Compared to that, our troops were somewhat modest, but clearly equipped with high-quality gear, enough to cover a couple of battalion-sized units.
Just a quick glance was enough to discern the enemy’s formation.
The commander earlier mentioned Duke Alexander, right? The king’s cousin, who also serves as the commander of the royal guard.
This is definitely the royal guard’s main force, along with the garrison that protects the capital, Rahator.
These idiots really brought the main force of the royal capital here.
“It’s more like a display case of high-end art than a military formation. What kind of armor is encrusted with jewels?”
“Are these nobles spending the taxes from our family to make stuff like that?”
“They’re really wasting money, but in an artistic way.”
My subordinates seemed to share the same opinion, clicking their tongues and throwing in a few remarks about the gaudy-looking army.
Half of it was envy, the other half was to fire up their spirits before the battle.
I purposely dropped a few insults, something I usually wouldn’t do, to release the tension that had been tightening around us.
“Alright, stop talking and get to your positions. Move as instructed.”
“Yes, sir!”
The moment our commanders scattered, the enemy began to move.
They placed their artillery in the rear and deployed cavalry at the front in a standard formation.
The infantry was split into three groups: one in a tight formation at the center, while the other two formed battle lines on the left and right, supporting the cavalry behind them.
“They just arrived, so their soldiers are probably exhausted. They must be in a real hurry.”
“Rather, it’s confidence. Confidence that we can win even if we fight while completely drained.”
If it were a bunch of peasants who started a rebellion, that might make sense, but what’s the deal with doing this against regular forces like us?
Well, it’s fine by me.
It means I don’t have to deal with a tough fight.
Against the suppression army, I too set up our formation.
With the Tiora River at our back, I arranged our infantry in a long crescent shape, forming a defensive line.
I sent the cavalry to the far left rear, out of the way, and divided the artillery into smaller units, attaching them to battalion-sized subunits to ensure close-fire support.
I used scouts to monitor the enemy’s approach, and since I had already prepared everything from the morning, it didn’t take long to deploy.
Once the soldiers stood up and held their weapons in place, that was all.
“Advance the entire army 50 paces and halt.”
“Yes! 50 paces forward!”
I moved the whole formation slightly forward.
The meaning behind this was a provocation—“Come at us if you think you can.”
Duke Alexander, eager to crush us, immediately launched an aggressive attack.
“Cavalry approaching! Heavy cavalry!”
“Since their formation is wide, they’re likely attempting a frontal breakthrough. A standard method, it seems.”
The charge of heavy cavalry, protected by thick armor, is powerful.
If we recklessly clash with them, we won’t even have the bones to pick up.
This is one of the tactics commonly used in the plains when countries engage in skirmishes.
Moreover, the Duke had ordered the infantry to follow up behind.
His strategy was blatantly clear: if our formation breaks, they would exploit the gap and tear it apart.
If we’re breached here, our forces will split into two.
The separated units will be defeated one by one—that’s the natural course.
If things go wrong, the revolutionary army might collapse without putting up much of a resistance right from the start.
“We would never use such a method.”
But then again… do you know why standard tactics are called “standard”?
It can be effective if used well, but it’s too predictable, so it’s easy to counter.
In other words, it’s perfect for a counterattack.
Do you think I would deploy tactics without knowing the weaknesses of my formation? Not a chance.
“Lower your weapons in the front line and the row behind it, and raise the stakes. Rear units, lower your spears and tighten up by unit!”
Before we even decided to start the revolution…
The Northern Army would receive reinforcements once or twice a year.
These flashy troops, equipped with the best gear and trained in orthodox tactics, would come.
But what do you think would happen when they were deployed?
Within three months, most of them would be found dead from exhaustion, frozen in the snow.
The few who survived would be split up and incorporated into other units.
In a place where humans are forced to use their brains 24/7 to kill other humans, relying on outdated knowledge would never work.
There is no enemy in this world that waits for you to adapt to reality.
—Crack!
Like right now, for example.
“Hold on tight! Hold out until the Imperial Guard’s momentum breaks!”
“Fire at will, musketeers! They’ll be easy targets, just shoot and you’ll hit!”
The stakes I had hidden underground as soon as the camp was set up.
I’d crossed the logs, securely tying them together and sharpening the ends—designed specifically for cavalry.
I had predicted where the battlefield would be and positioned them accordingly.
In fact, one of the reasons I ordered the entire army to advance 50 paces was to make sure we could pick them up.
I had used them effectively when I was stationed up north to stop cavalry charges.
The snow there made it easy to hide them.
Each infantry formation lined up in unison, and in an instant, a barrier of stakes made of wood was formed—one filled with the corpses of soldiers.
“Good. They’re completely stuck now.”
The first and second rows turned into skewers as they were impaled on the stakes, while the third and fourth rows were pierced through the necks by the pikes sticking out behind them.
The rear units, already stumbling over the fallen bodies of their comrades, only added to the chaos.
Seizing the opportunity, the waiting musketeers emerged from the formations, or aimed their muskets through gaps between bodies to open fire.
Elite cavalry, trained at great expense, were slaughtered in droves by conscripts who were worth only a fraction of their value.
“Is the cannon ready yet?”
“Almost there!”
“Then don’t deploy them just yet—let’s wait a bit longer. I’ll signal when to fire.”
As the cavalry were being wiped out like insects, the reinforcing infantry from the rear rushed to intervene, firing their guns as they advanced and artillery bombarded from behind.
It seemed they were trying to break our lines and destroy the stakes to save their forces.
I issued the command to hold back.
We waited until the enemy drew closer.
The distance gradually decreased.
500 paces, 400 paces, 300 paces, 200 paces…
As the enemy approached within 100 paces:
“Fire!”
The cannons, distributed among the units, emerged between the formations and fired a barrage of canister shots.
“Ughhh!!”
“My leg! The bleeding won’t stop!! Aaaagh!!”
“Everyone fall back! If we advance like this, we’ll all be torn to pieces!!”
From the triple-digit cannon batteries, a majestic volley erupted. That single strike delivered a fatal blow.
Canister shots—essentially a form of scattershot—fired hundreds of small iron balls at once, boasting the highest anti-personnel lethality.
Thanks to this, the cannon’s range was sacrificed, along with several other drawbacks, but when used right, it was incredibly effective.
In an age without machine guns or grenade launchers, it was one of the few precious close-range firepower weapons.
“Did we just kill thousands of them at once?”
“At least a regiment’s been wiped out. It’s rare to see such a direct hit to the front like this.”
The enemy, who had fallen into a trap that the Northern Army would never have been caught in, paid the price with their lives.
This single strike must have shattered the control over all their units, except for their artillery.
There was no way that the troops hit directly by canister shots would retain discipline or morale.
Though the infantry still formed a line, they were essentially crumbling.
They might recover with time, but… there was no reason to give them that time.
“Tell our cavalry on the left flank. It’s time to wipe them out.”
Our cavalry, in perfect position, charged at the exposed, vulnerable sides and rear of the enemy.
From the left to the right flank, they charged forward without hesitation, trampling over the enemy forces like they were bugs.
“This… this can’t be happening.”
Duke Alexander couldn’t believe his eyes.
How could this be? Surely, they were the royal army, blessed by the goddess herself, while these were nothing but a ragtag bunch of rebels.
How could they be so utterly crushed and destroyed?
“I was defeated before I could even react. There wasn’t even a chance to counter.”
What he had read in the books was nothing like this.
It was different from every battle he had observed in the past.
From start to finish, every step flowed smoothly like water, and he was swept away without even being able to interfere.
“Was it a mistake to send the cavalry out so early? No, that wasn’t bad at all.”
Starting the battle with a cavalry charge was a universally applicable and decent tactic.
Though it was blocked, this was also a common occurrence.
However, the way the so-called revolutionary rebels responded was utterly bizarre.
They used strange structures to halt the cavalry and then shot them down with guns, trapping the cavalry in place, preventing them from retreating.
“I should’ve sent the infantry first. Even if I had to abandon the cavalry, I should have preserved the infantry!”
In an attempt to buy time for a retreat, he urged the infantry forward, but even they met a horrific fate.
Who could have predicted a canister shot barrage from the artillery?
Because the enemy’s formation was wide, the Duke’s forces had to spread out as well, which only maximized their losses.
None of the units were able to escape the barrage—they all took hits equally.
And now, half-dissolved, the cavalry’s coordinated charge struck them like a domino effect.
It was a devastating blow, leading straight to their destruction.
The flow of this battle, where they were utterly trampled, was astonishing, but what truly shocked the Duke was something else.
“To control such a large force with such coordination… Is that even physically possible?”
The enemy forces were moving with seamless coordination between units.
There was no delay in the execution of orders.
Others typically fight by shooting, then waiting briefly before receiving the order for a mass charge, but these people are charging immediately after firing.
They don’t even give the enemy a chance to react.
Is this even possible? There is absolutely no gap in the actions between their units!
To have tens of thousands of soldiers move as one body—how long must they have worked together and coordinated to achieve this?
No, even that isn’t enough. It’s not something you can achieve without having crossed dozens of lines together.
If they can understand each other’s intentions without words and be willing to trust their lives to one another, such a performance would be impossible otherwise.
“I… What was I even trying to fight against?”
Only then did the Duke realize.
They were monsters.
Real, battle-hardened veterans of war, far more trained than his beloved personal guard.
This battle was always doomed to failure in a direct confrontation.
He would have been better off taking General Albrecht’s suggestion to fortify.
“Ah.”
With that sigh, the revolutionary cavalry reached the main force.
The blade of a cavalryman aimed at the Duke’s neck was the last thing he saw in his life.
That day’s battle ended before the afternoon.
The suppressing forces, who had attempted a reckless assault for a quick victory, were met with a counterattack and suffered devastating losses.
In the end, the revolutionary army, using that opening, launched a flanking attack that wiped out the top leadership of the suppressing forces, including the Duke.
The revolutionary army suffered around 2,000 casualties.
In contrast, the suppressing army lost over 8,000 soldiers.
It was a decisive victory for the revolutionary army, led by Major General Carolus.
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