Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 441 The Great Alliance Marches Forward (Part Fourteen)

Colonel Bode Gates frowned as he surveyed the battlefield.

The smoke screen released by the enemy before the battle had long been blown away by the wind. Looking down from the top of the church bell tower, bridges, villages, roads, fields, billowing smoke, flickering firelight, spears covered with chunks of flesh and blood, frightened warhorses dragging riders' corpses... every detail of the battlefield was laid bare.

Gunfire was deafening. The messenger waiting in the stairwell couldn't contain his curiosity and stood on tiptoe, peering out from the window.

Through the smoke of battle, he saw thousands of humans placed in a fold of the vast earth, fighting to the death—spectacular, strange, and awe-inspiring—but nothing more.

In Bode Gates' view, the battlefield is an open book.

By identifying flags, observing clothing colors, and even distinguishing the differences between cavalry caps and plumes, he traced lines along spear tips and hoofprints, separating the two intertwined armies and abstracting the bloody battle of tens of thousands of soldiers into the offense and defense between a few square formations.

The colonel carefully assessed the strength and morale of each formation, calmly deducing the course of the battle and the enemy's strategies.

Standing atop the clock tower and looking north, five light brown square formations stretched out in a line across the golden fields, advancing aggressively.

The Allied left flank, which had previously retreated to avoid artillery fire, now took the initiative to engage. The five squares of Redfield County and Borderlands County, also arranged in a single line, advanced rapidly under the guidance of Skul Mecklen's silver-edged banner.

On the Northern Front, where the two armies clashed head-on, the battle unfolded in a traditional manner:

The hedgehog-like square formations continued to close in on each other. As the distance between them decreased, plumes of white smoke emerged from inside the spikes—the musketeers who had retreated into the inner part of the square formation were firing.

The two cavalrymen, dressed similarly, circled and fought like snakes around the "hedgehog," each trying their best to drive the other away from the battlefield, while also using all their skills to lure the opponent to their own "hedgehog."

Whether wounded, driven away, or fleeing in panic, cavalrymen kept falling into the narrowing gaps between the "hedgehogs" and were shot to death along with their horses.

Colonel Bode turned his gaze to the hills across the northern battlefield, where the cannons mounted there had been turned to aim at the Allied left flank.

Among the bare-chested gunners, Colonel Bode easily spotted the enemy artillery commander. The artillery officer, dressed in a field officer's uniform, seemed to notice the colonel's gaze, turned to look at the church tower, and dotted his hat in salute.

Colonel Bode quickly sifted through all the artillery officers of the rank of major and above within the old Palatine Army system, but still could not identify the other party's identity.

Based on the enemy intelligence report sent by Winters Montagne this morning, the colonel has already made a judgment—if the other party is not a captain who was promoted after some battle in the Great Wilderness, then he must also come from the "friendly nation" United Republic of the Eighteen Provinces.

Bode felt a pang of pain. No matter how much sophistry or excuses he made, from the moment the soldiers of the United Provinces appeared on the battlefield, this civil war was no longer confined to Palatour, but had in fact become a civil war within the Alliance.

The colonel saw six battle flags with the pattern of galloping horses fluttering in front of the artillery position, which meant that the enemy's right-wing commander had an infantry battalion that had not yet been deployed in battle.

Even with the addition of the six hundred-man squads guarding the artillery positions, the "Reorganized New Reclamation Army Corps" still had one infantry battalion that remained undetected.

Colonel Bode gazed at the hills where the enemy artillery positions were located, as if trying to penetrate the grass-covered soil to uncover the truth on the other side of the ridgeline.

If he guessed correctly, a fully equipped infantry battalion was also hidden on the reverse slope of that low hill.

In this way, all eight infantry battalions dispatched by the "Reorganized New Reclamation Army Corps" appeared on the enemy's right flank.

What about the central command and the enemy's left wing?

Colonel Bode's gaze traveled down the hillside, finally settling on the center of the battlefield:
On the riverbank opposite the village, four white military flags with diagonal cross patterns fluttered in the wind.

The supply wagons traveled along the provincial highway to the front line. The auxiliary soldiers and laborers unloaded small-caliber rotary cannons and boxes of ammunition from the wagons, and then loaded the wounded onto the wagons and sent them back to the rear.

The two infantry battalions that had been previously repelled were regrouping, and the two infantry battalions that followed appeared ready to launch a new offensive.

Sanel Karoi's New Reclamation Expedition—four of the Grand Council's most powerful battalions—appeared in full force on the front lines of the village, in the center of the battlefield.

Sanel's personal flag was raised on a low hill at the end of the wheat field behind the front line, facing Colonel Bode's flag across the distance.

Colonel Bode believed that the bargaining chips he had gained by sacrificing his own body were already well worth it.

Although the enemy did not send a large force to besiege Hegu Village, his plan could be realized as long as he could temporarily tie down the enemy's most elite troops.

However, Colonel Bode's primary focus was not on the front lines, nor was his most pressing enemy the New Reclamation Expeditionary Force.

The colonel turned and looked south, where half of the Sixth Army Corps came into view.

Unlike the River Valley Village and Northern battlefields, where close combat had already taken place, the Southern battlefield was unusually calm.

On the east bank of an unnamed stream, five infantry battalions bearing the banner of the "Seven Former Kings" did not attempt to occupy as much of the battlefield as possible, but instead formed a strange double-line formation:
Two battalions were in front, controlling the riverbank; three battalions were behind, ready for battle.
The three cavalry squadrons were combined into one large column, positioned even further back than the infantry. No one was on their saddles; the riders had all dismounted and were resting.

The formation of the Sixth Army Corps indicated that they had no intention of attacking, and the White Mountain County troops in front of them were already on the defensive.

Musketeers from both sides fired from the riverbank, the water filled with smoke. However, both the Allied right wing and the Grand Council left wing remained on the riverbank, neither willing to cross.

While fierce fighting broke out between the River Valley Village and the Northern Front, the Southern Front was rapidly depleting both sides' gunpowder, lead bullets, and patience in a stalemate.

Colonel Bode took a deep breath. He had a clear view of Sanel's deployment.

Overall, the enemy's right flank was mainly composed of the "Reorganized Newly Reclaimed Land Corps," with three cavalry squadrons and all the heavy artillery attached.
Five infantry battalions of the enemy's "Sixth Army Corps" were sent to the left flank, attached to the remaining three cavalry squadrons.
Finally, Sanel positioned four of his elite infantry battalions from the "New Reclamation Expeditionary Force" in the center of the battlefield—keeping the most valuable spoils for himself.

The large battlefield can therefore be divided into three parts: south, north, and villages.

The Northern Front is currently embroiled in fierce fighting, with no clear victor yet;

The village in the middle of the valley is littered with corpses, and a new round of fighting is about to break out;
Only the southern battlefield remains in a stalemate, with both sides occupying one side of the riverbank and neither taking the initiative to attack.

However, the various battlefields were by no means isolated islands. Colonel Bode's gaze shifted back to the immediate area:

As the "hedgehogs" trampled each other in the wheat fields to the north, a battalion on the enemy's right flank seized the opportunity to break into the area connecting the northern battlefield and the river valley village, attempting to separate the Allied forces' left flank from their center.

The only bridge across the river had been destroyed and burned by the defending troops, causing considerable trouble for the enemy force.

The brown-clad soldiers had to wade through the river and climb the steep banks by hand, which severely slowed their crossing. The first two hundred-man squads that reached the west bank boldly launched an attack on the valley village.

However, their hasty attack was repelled by the 2nd Battalion of the Leigh County Infantry, which had retreated to the village of River Valley, leaving behind more than twenty corpses on the roads and in farmhouses.

Colonel Bode watched as the Redfield soldiers, who had repelled the enemy, hid behind the wall and exchanged fire with brown-clad soldiers hiding below the embankment on the other side of the road. An indescribable sense of sorrow welled up in his heart.

Any captain in the former Plato standing army—even the most mediocre one—would not have been so passively defensive. They would have seized the opportunity presented by the enemy's thwarted offensive, launched a preemptive strike, and driven the reckless enemy off the riverbank.

"Go ask Lieutenant Zoboyao!" Colonel Bode grabbed the messenger, pointed his severed arm at the provincial highway outside the village, and, barely suppressing his anger, ordered, "Go ask him! Ask him what he's waiting for? For the enemy to arrive?!"

The messenger dared not delay, turned around and squeezed past another messenger in the stairwell, then ran down the tower with a "thump thump thump thump".

"Go find Captain Loson!" Colonel Bode grabbed another messenger and waved his severed arm between the cavalry waiting in the west of the village and the enemy troops to the north: "If the enemy troops outside the village are repelled, have him send cavalry from Bianjiang County to provide support, but under no circumstances should they be allowed to cross the river to pursue them!"

The second messenger raised his hand in salute and disappeared at the end of the stairs in the blink of an eye.

Another series of hurried footsteps came from below, and a soldier with a face covered in soot and blood appeared at the opening in the floor: "Sir, Lieutenant... Lieutenant, please evacuate immediately."

Bode turned his head, his gaze lingering briefly on the soldiers before quickly refocusing on the ongoing battle on the Northern Front: "Have the wounded been evacuated?"

The soldier thought for a moment before realizing what the colonel was asking, and hurriedly replied, "They've all been taken away. They loaded them onto trucks and drove them away before the cannons bombarded us."

“Let Lieutenant Woods stay at his post.” Colonel Bode’s gaze never left the northern fields as he coldly replied, “I will stay at my post as well. Tell him that, and go.”

The soldier nodded emphatically, muttering the colonel's words as he ran down the stairs.

Bode stood by the window watching the soldiers leave the church and head towards the riverbank, when he suddenly heard a series of hoofbeats coming from outside the village.

Immediately afterwards, a series of muffled thuds sounded again at the colonel's feet.

This time, it wasn't a messenger who climbed the clock tower, but a lieutenant. Compared to the messengers who shuttled between River Valley Village and the Northern Front, the lieutenant's clothes were remarkably clean and tidy.

The lieutenant, panting heavily, saluted and anxiously asked, "Sir! Colonel Geza requests permission to launch an attack."

Bode leaned against the window frame, gazing at the battlefield south of the village, without saying a word.

The lieutenant dared not utter a sound, not even dare to breathe heavily. He stood on the stairs, awaiting the colonel's decision.

"Attack." Colonel Bode silently pondered the word, repeatedly weighing the pros and cons.

Sanel clenched his fists, revealing his vulnerable chest.

Against this formation, which is heavily weighted on both flanks and weak in the middle, the best course of action is to concentrate all cavalry and launch an assault from the high ground of the river valley village that juts out from the battle line. First, rout the newly established land-based expeditionary force in the middle of the battlefield, then sever the enemy's left and right flanks. Once one flank is destroyed, the other will crumble without a fight.

But campaigns never follow a plan, much less develop according to the participants' wishes. It's like a mad bull, constantly struggling to throw its rider off its back and crushing the rider's knees and thighs.

"Cannons, cannons, cannons..." Colonel Bode turned to look at the artillery positions to the northeast.

The advent of cannons altered the balance of power, rendering the three-county coalition's tactical advantage as the defenders obsolete—it's no exaggeration to say that it changed everything.

Sanel set up his cannons on a hill on the opposite bank, the second highest point on the battlefield, overlooking the fields to the east and north of the village.

If the Allied cavalry set out from River Valley Village to attack the New Reclamation Expeditionary Force, their flanks would be swept away by hail-like shrapnel.

If Allied cavalry appeared on the northern battlefield, they would also suffer the same death rain poured down from the high ground across the river.

It is no exaggeration to say that before the enemy brought cannons to the battlefield, the primary task of the three-county allied forces was to win.

After the enemy deployed cannons to the battlefield, the urgent task for the three-county allied forces became destroying the cannons—before they themselves were overwhelmed by artillery fire.

The dilemma that has tormented every commander in history is now agonizing in Bode Gates' heart.

When Sanel committed heavy troops to the enemy's right flank, the pre-war "left hook" plan had already failed.

Even if Skull manages to repel the enemy in front of him, they will find it difficult to breach the artillery positions, given that the enemy has reserves on their right flank.

Contrary to pre-war expectations, the enemy's left flank, consisting of only half of the "Sixth Army Corps," was the weakest link in the enemy's front line and the only battlefield where the Allied forces might have a numerical advantage.

"Was my strategy wrong?" Bode thought to himself over and over again. "Should I have changed from a left hook to a right hook?"

But when he recalled the smile in Sanel's eyes, and the man's past cunning and risky actions, he couldn't help but wonder: "Is there something I've overlooked? Is Sanel's strategy really as I see it? Am I falling into his trap?"

No one could give him an answer.

Because the mission of a military commander is to hold the lives of the soldiers in his hands and lead them into an uncertain future.

No one can take this responsibility for Bode Gates, and Bode Gates must be responsible for the lives and deaths of everyone involved, for the success or failure of this battle, and even for the earthquakes and tsunamis that the battle's outcome will trigger.

One wrong step and you'll be shattered to pieces.

A loud bang came from the church bell, startling the White Mountain County officer who was waiting for orders.

Colonel Bode turned around, clutching the severed limb tightly, his eyes burning with rage.

“I have made my decision,” the colonel said.

The officer instinctively brought his boot heels together and stood up straight.

"Order—Colonel Gaisa Adonis, with three battalions, launch a pincer attack on the enemy on the east bank." Colonel Bode paused, then turned to stare at the eight heavy cannons entrenched on the earthen mound on the opposite bank: "Order—Captain Loson, prepare to launch a strong assault on the enemy's artillery positions."

[Sorry for the long delay in updating again]
[The rain lately has been so...unbearable (facepalm). Work always gets so hectic at times like this.]
[I was really looking forward to writing a long piece this weekend, but I ended up working another day on Saturday, so this is all I've managed to write today...]
[I didn't ask for leave because I'd been squeezing in time to write the past few days, and I kept thinking, "I should be able to squeeze out an article today," but then I realized it was already dawn...]
[The passage quoted in the book is, "Gathering the masses of three armies and throwing them into danger, this is the business of a general." This is not a literal translation, and the interpretation may not be entirely accurate; please forgive any inaccuracies.]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
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(End of this chapter)