Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 197 Imagination

The main force fought a major battle with the allied forces of various tribes forty kilometers away, and it ended forty kilometers away as well.

The officers were still unclear about the specifics, and Winters had only fragmented information.

Some say that General Alpad charged in and out of the barbarian ranks seven times, causing the barbarians to fall and be routed.

Some say that General Sackler killed the three tribal leaders with three shots, and the barbarians were utterly defeated and fled in terror.

Everyone spoke with such conviction, as if they were right there at the scene.

Lieutenant Colonel Jessica took out a map, rested his chin on his hand, and searched for a long time before suddenly clapping his hands: "This should be it."

Winters and Andrei moved closer to watch.

The lieutenant colonel tapped twice on the map.

"valley?"

“A valley running east to west, with trees covering the north and south sides.” Lieutenant Colonel Jessica stroked his chin. “The messenger said the old man had set up an ambush in the valley. In my opinion, he just chose a place where he wouldn’t be surrounded.”

"Then?"

"Then we set up our formation and started fighting."

"It's that simple?" Andrei asked in disbelief.

"How difficult do you think it will be?" Lieutenant Colonel Jessica said coldly. "Isn't a battle just about offense and defense? The difficulty isn't in fighting, but in getting the enemy to start fighting on the battlefield you've chosen."

Winters pressed further: "How did General Sackler manage that?"

"Want to know? Ask him." Lieutenant Colonel Jessica sighed. "We'll see him soon."

……

Forty kilometers southwest of the vanguard echelon lies an unnamed valley.

Calling it a valley is a stretch; it's really just a low-lying area between two hills.

This lowland, less than two kilometers wide, is now littered with the dead, wounded, and the carcasses of warhorses.

The Palatul soldiers, covered in blood and wounds, walked through the valley, stabbing any surviving Hed soldiers they encountered with their knives.

Sackler coughed up blood as he sat in the carriage listening to Colonel László report on the battle situation.

This battle was extremely dangerous; the most ferocious of Hart's cavalrymen came within five meters of Sackler himself.

Sackler's formation was attacked from all sides, and Sackler himself was hit by three arrows, two of which hit his breastplate and one hit his helmet.

Colonel László mechanically repeated: "Fifty-six auxiliary centurions...all wiped out, eighteen centurions alone died—some were untrained, some were from the United Provinces and Veneta. Twelve more centurions await court-martial. The four battalions of the Sixth Army on the left flank were also routed..."

[Note: "Untrained" refers to officers without formal training, including so-called "Palatu officers." These officers are few in number, not given important positions, and never rise to the rank of field officer.]
……

The day before yesterday at dusk.

"Let's go." Sackler gave the army one last inspection and walked out of the camp without looking back.

Plato's army marched eastward under cover of night, while the rearguard burned everything they could not take with them.

……

Yesterday morning.

"The barbarians have retreated!" The soldiers of Palatul shouted to each other, encouraging each other as they watched the enemy's retreating figures.

The Hurd strikers caught up with Palatour's army, and after a small skirmish, the Hurd strikers were routed.

Plato's army continued eastward, abandoning one damaged baggage wagon after another.

……

Late last night.

Plato's army finally arrived at the battlefield chosen by Sackler.

Sackler deployed his troops in the valley, arranging them in three rows.

A small number of light cavalry were placed in the first row, auxiliary troops in the second row, and the standing army in the third row.

The chief battalions of the two legions were positioned on the hills to the north and south.

The health-conscious individual is eager for a fight; to prove his ability and establish his prestige, he needs a decisive victory.

He dispatched troops to stop the fighting among the various tribes over spoils of war and urged their cavalry to pursue them overnight.

Both sides were eager for a decisive battle, and the fight broke out in this nameless valley.

……

This morning, the two sides' cavalry outposts clashed first.

Plato's light cavalry was outnumbered and routed.

The two centurions retreated without authorization and were executed on the spot according to military law.

As dawn broke and the fog dissipated, Hart's light cavalry returned to their base, and the allied forces of various tribes arrived at the battlefield.

The narrow width prevented the Hud from deploying, but the fast eaters still sent troops to outflank them from a greater distance.

Around eight o'clock, the combined forces of Hart's tribes pressed forward head-on.

Hart's cavalry charged into the auxiliary lines, and in the narrow valley, the two sides were crammed together.

The splattered blood flew into the eyes of both sides' soldiers, and the killed men couldn't even fall down.

In this fierce battle, the auxiliary troops were also quickly routed and retreated to the third line.

The regular army's large formation began to engage the enemy.

The impregnable square formation halted the charge of Hart's cavalry.

Following the White Lion's advice, the cavalrymen dismounted and engaged in infantry combat.

The chief battalion, positioned on the hills on both sides, was supposed to provide fire support, but they were entangled on the left and right flanks of the Hart's forces.

In the fierce fighting, Plato's army began to squeeze its overall formation toward the right flank, leaving more and more space exposed on the left flank.

The healthy eater had been waiting for this moment, and he personally led the elite troops of Suz's main force straight to the gap on the left flank of Palatul's army.

The Suz tribe's brave warriors charged straight into the forest of spears without flinching.

Riders and warhorses were killed on the spot, but a gap was also knocked open in the forest of spears.

The rest followed closely behind, rushing into the formation to kill, and the already crumbling left flank of Palatul's formation was instantly broken.

The Suz cavalry began to outflank the rear of Parat's army. Seckler sent out reorganized auxiliary troops to resist them, but they were no match for the well-rested Suz cavalry.

"[Herd's] win!" the health eater laughed loudly.

The Hart coalition was poised for victory, and Suz's cavalry was sweeping across the front lines from south to north.

“We won.” Sackler was exhausted.

The Hed-led coalition has pressed forward across the board, and Sackler has revealed his trump card of patience hidden in his sleeve.

The mournful bugle call echoed through the valley.

Four large battalions of heavy cavalry launched an attack from the woods on the south side of the battle line, charging towards the rear of the Suz cavalry.

The tried-and-true rear attack routed the Suz cavalry in an instant.

The Plato infantry were greatly encouraged and shouted as they pushed back against the Hart coalition.

The other units on the front tried to turn around and fight back, but they were unable to organize effectively and were eventually swept away by the fleeing soldiers.

One Hudman started to run away, and then all the Hudmen started to run away.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the left and right flanks of Hart's allied forces also began to retreat.

The Hed people, who had retreated outside the valley, received news that their old camp had been breached by another group of Paratul Hussars.

In fact, there was no need to attack at all. The vanguard camps of the various tribes did not even have a wagon wall; they were just a flat, sheltered area used to store their horses and a small amount of supplies.

[Note: From "horse," meaning spare horses]
The remaining courage of the cavalry was completely extinguished, and they scattered in all directions to return to their own camps.

……

"This is yet another battle in which infantry shed blood and cavalry gain glory." Every officer in the valley couldn't help but think this.

A makeshift gallows was erected, and the execution ground had been set up on the hill.

According to Plato's military law, once the battle was over, executions would begin... the execution of one's own men.

The twelve centurions were stripped of their armor, bound hand and foot, and made to kneel in a row—the soldiers had not broken up, but the officers had deserted in the face of battle and were hanged.
Soldiers with vermilion marks on their backs were dragged out one after another—those with vermilion marks on their backs were beheaded;
More soldiers began drawing lots for life or death—if officers did not retreat and soldiers were routed, they would be executed.

For the past two decades, Sackler has never been lenient, because military law is everything in Plato's army.

But today, even the heartless Sackler can no longer kill.

"Let it go," Sackler said softly.

Laszlo asked expressionlessly, "What did you say?"

“I said, forget it,” Sackler said, pounding his chest and coughing. “Shave their heads and put them in death row.”

"Yes."

“Tell them. If they can return to Palatul, give them their lives. If they can't, take a Hedman with them.” “Yes.”

Sackler then asked, "Has Alpard returned?"

"Not yet, they're probably still hunting down the remaining enemies."

"No need to wait for him. You take some men and find the trucks we abandoned along the way. I'll wait for you up ahead. Just one day, one day. Find as many as you can."

"Yes." Colonel László turned and left.

Sackler struggled to his feet. He was seven years younger than Arpad, yet he aged much earlier.

He looked at the ditch filled with corpses: dark red liquid flowed down the hillside and gathered at the bottom of the valley.

If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, no one would believe that "blood" could really "flow like a river".

A messenger cavalryman with a green plume charged into the valley, rampaging towards the direction of the eagle banner.

The guards, halberds in hand, intercepted them, and ordered the cavalrymen to dismount and stumble towards the eagle flag, clutching a letter.

The guards around the eagle banner would certainly not allow him to get close to the general easily.

Two guards seized the messenger, while another guard snatched the letter and handed it to Sackler.

Sackler took the letter, tore it open, and remained silent for a long time.

His left hand, which held the letter, had so much force that his knuckles were completely bloodless.

Thirty years later, the iron hooves of the Heds once again trampled on the land of Palatine.

The invasion of barbarian cavalry, which had not occurred for thirty years, terrified the Council of Palatine.

The Grand Council bypassed Army Headquarters and issued five orders in succession, strictly ordering the Expeditionary Force to withdraw and return to reinforce.

But now, the Grand Council no longer needs to worry about the Herd Raiders.

Because they came back.

They also destroyed the second pontoon bridge of the Plato expeditionary force.

……

after one day.

The familiar felt tents, the familiar tribal leaders—a few were missing, but the atmosphere was completely different from before.

"You ravenous glutton, you rotten skin that crows peck at! Wrapped in grass, even cows wouldn't eat your carrion!" The Blackwater chieftain was furious. If he hadn't been unarmed, he might have already fought the ravenous glutton to the death.

He pointed at the healthy eater's nose and angrily rebuked, "You dumped the Blackwater tribe on the two-legged people, but your Suz tribe ran away so fast! Do you even deserve to be a war leader?"

Arpad led his hussars in a pursuit that covered fifty kilometers, specifically targeting and killing small tribes.

Seeing their allies being hunted down, the Haidong and Suz tribes ignored them and only cared about escaping.

On the contrary, the Teldun-Red River allied forces took in many of the remaining soldiers.

"Shortbow! You tailless gelding! You dare question me? I'll question you too!" The glutton also roared in anger: "Seeing the central army's unfavorable situation, why didn't your left flank come to their aid?"

"Go back to your mother's milk!" the Blackwater chieftain cursed. "You lost, and you want us to take your place? Let me ask you, why did you assign the Eastern Sea to your central army, but not let Gray Eyes command the left wing?"

"I don't need to explain to you!"

"You can't answer that, can you? Let me tell you! You're full of selfish desires, worried that Gray Eyes will gain merit by leading a wing alone, so you put Gray Eyes and you in the central army, while we small tribes are on the left wing! We small tribes don't listen to anyone else anyway, do you expect us to fight?"

"That's your problem," the healthy eater sneered.

"You war leader! I refuse to submit!" The Blackwater chieftain, having given up all hope, was determined to bring down the Strong Eater today, or the Blackwater tribe would face its demise tomorrow: "You have never considered the well-being of the tribes! You are unworthy to lead them!"

"If I'm not worthy, who is?"

"I elect White Lion! Hai Dong and Su Zi treat us small tribes like livestock! Only White Lion treats us like human beings! You, I won't accept this! White Lion, I accept this!" The Blackwater chieftain glared at the other tribal leaders: "Speak up!"

No one responded to him.

"Speak up!" roared the chieftain of the Blackwater tribe. "Do you want to be slaves to the Suz tribe?"

There was another moment of silence.

The chieftain of the Blackwater tribe angrily took off his hat, threw it on the ground, and was about to walk away when another person stopped him.

The man tending the fire grabbed the Blackwater chieftain's arm and looked at the current war leader: "Savage Eater, the tribal leaders gave you a chance, but you betrayed their trust. Why can't someone else have a chance?"

The tribal leaders gave each other approving glances, but dared not speak.

The glutton stood up, his eyes blazing with murderous intent as he surveyed his surroundings: "The White Lion is not a descendant of the Golden God, and has no right to be the Great Khan!"

The red-faced man warming himself by the fire immediately retorted: "Who wants to elect the White Lion as Khan? We just want the White Lion to lead us into battle!"

"With you! With me! With Gray Eyes! And so many descendants of the Golden God! There's no reason to let an outsider be the leader of the war!" the Glutton roared as well.

“We don’t need to fight over seats like dogs fighting over meat,” the white lion said calmly. “Let’s follow the rules of the Great Council. Extinguish the lights and cover the dome. If the tribal leaders agree, they will shout ‘Ai’; if they disagree, they will shout ‘Uh’.”

In a secret meeting, no one can see each other, only hear each other's voices; it is equivalent to an anonymous vote.

This method is rarely used in major deliberations among various departments, because such deliberations are occasions where one speaks frankly and there is no need for concealment.

"There are really very few people who dare to openly oppose healthy eaters," the little lion thought. "Otherwise, my brother wouldn't have asked for a secret meeting."

The oil lamps were blown out, the yurts were covered, and the tribal leaders exchanged positions in the darkness.

The White Lion spoke: "We cannot afford to fight the Parat people head-on until our reinforcements from various tribes join us."

A chorus of "Ai!" echoed from inside the tent.

The Blackwater chieftain shouted the loudest and most obviously. Since he had already offended the Healthy Eaters, he might as well go all out.

“The Palatines can’t stay in the wasteland forever. We should use the methods we are best at. Raid them with a dozen or so riders, intercept and kill messengers, and seize their supplies. We should just avoid a direct confrontation.”

Another chorus of "Ai!" echoed in agreement.

"Harassment?" the muscular man couldn't help but question, "Can harassment alone kill all the two-legged people? Once we cross the River Styx, we won't be able to stop them anymore!"

"Then let them never cross the River Styx."

"Why can't they cross the River Styx? They're heading northeast, clearly looking for a shallow place to cross!"

“The Parat people didn’t have enough food and water to go to the shallow waters upstream, so they prepared pontoon bridges.”

The health-conscious person realized: "You want us to build a pontoon bridge?"

“No,” the white lion replied, “I have already sent men to fight.”

……

……

Seven days later, at dawn.

Winters and the old charlatan strolled along the west bank of the River Styx with the little lion.

The little lion was listless, walking lazily along the riverbank, leaving a trail of paw prints.

Its mane hadn't grown out yet, and from a distance it didn't look like a lion, but rather like a dog with an exceptionally large head.

The old charlatan pulled his leather robe tighter around himself and yelled, "You little beast, hurry up and pee! I'm freezing!"

"You still have the mind to walk the dog?" Winters asked, his voice heavy.

The riverbanks were littered with charred remains of floating pontoons.

The first pontoon bridge used prefabricated components brought from Palatine.

The second pontoon bridge used floating boxes made of wooden planks and asphalt.

If the planks are gone, they can dismantle trucks or cut down trees; the engineers still have some asphalt.

The problem is that there are still several thousand Herd people waiting on the other side of the river.

Indeed, the Hed raiders, who burned the pontoon bridge—for the second time—did not cross the river. Instead, they set up camp on the opposite bank, facing Plattul's army across the water.

No matter how skilled the engineers of Palatine were, they were not capable of building a pontoon bridge if the other side fell.

Brother Reed casually recited: "[Selica language] If Mount Tai collapses before you, your expression will not change; if a deer runs past on your left, your eyes will not blink. Only then can you control advantages and disadvantages, and be ready to face the enemy."

"What are you talking about now?"

The old man stroked his beard and glanced at Winters: "I'm just telling you, no matter what happens, you have to have a good attitude. Look at you now, with that long face, like the sky is about to fall."

Winters sighed: "Judging from your unhurried manner, you must have prepared the shamanic attire for Hard shaman well in advance, right?"

"Hmph, how could I possibly accept two salaries?"

"Does the living sage have any brilliant plan to teach me?"

“Cough. You’re in enemy territory, with pursuers behind you and a river in front of you, and enemy troops waiting on the other side.” Brother Reid said casually, “Boy, in every history book I’ve read, this is a sure-fire death situation for you.”

“There is a way,” Winters said softly. “It just takes a little imagination.”

[This battle in the valley was modeled after the Battle of Kulikovo, where the Golden Horde faced off against the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Mamai Khan discovered a weakness on the Grand Duchy of Moscow's left flank and staked everything on it. Just as he was about to sweep through the Grand Duchy of Moscow's lines, he was routed by a rather "clichéd" rear attack by heavy cavalry.]
One chapter returned, one chapter still owed.

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(End of this chapter)