You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 295 Overwhelming Firepower (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader Little Eagle Lord)

This is Roman's fourth year in this land.

Winter came late this year.

A massive army, and an even larger one, converged on each other without prior arrangement.

Field combat!

In the absence of key terrain and defensive structures for either side to rely on.

Regardless of the type of warfare being waged—mobile warfare, guerrilla warfare, raid warfare, ambush warfare—although these are all different tactics, they can all be categorized as field warfare.

There are only two objectives in the tactics.

The first is to preserve oneself, and the second is to eliminate the enemy.

Roman also hoped to use some tactics when fighting against the noble alliance.

However, the soldiers at that time were not up to standard.

If you let him feign defeat, he will actually lose. You can't even call him back, and even if you do, it will take half a day to reorganize his formation. What can you expect from such an army?
You find a place to ambush the enemy, waiting for them to enter the ambush area, but before they even get in, some new recruits shoot an arrow right away. What benefit is there in such training?
They can't even set up a slightly complex military formation properly.

Roman dislikes uncontrollable factors.

Now, the army has met the standards, its equipment has been upgraded, and the foundation for completing tactics has been laid.

but……

What other tactics are needed?

……

After a day of marching, it was getting dark in the afternoon.

Winter nights come quickly.

The two sides were more than ten miles apart, which could be considered a safe distance, so they set up camp.

"Should we raid their camp tonight?" Jett asked.

He countered, "If I give you three thousand men, how many can you bring back for me?"

Jet silently estimated for a moment and said, "No less than two thousand!"

Ordinary believers would certainly be panicked, but swordsmen and other troops would definitely be on guard.

But the effect was that he was able to crush most of the holy war army in one battle.

Roman waved his hand: "Then forget it. Let them get some rest. Just arrange for sentries, both overt and covert, to keep watch at night."

His absence does not mean the enemy will not come.

It's good to stay on edge during special times.

I spent the night peacefully.

The servants prepared a big meal.

Today's breakfast consisted of steamed bread, bacon, bacon soup, and a small bowl of maltose for each person.

A very simple breakfast, but it effectively replenishes energy.

After the soldiers finished eating, the servants, who didn't even have time to eat themselves, began to help all the soldiers put on their armor. Those soldiers who were already in armor also helped those who weren't. The armor was padded with cotton clothing underneath, and the plate armor fit snugly against their bodies.

Each set of plate armor weighs an average of about 30 kilograms, because it is not a full-body suit; a full-body suit would be too complicated.

The specific components are the breastplate, helmet, neck guard, shoulder armor, arm guards, and leg guards, which are connected by drilling and slotting.

Those parts have all undergone heat treatment including quenching and tempering, and have also been polished, oiled, and waxed to prevent rust.

Only the joints such as the hands, feet, elbows, and knees are unprotected by armor.

During their training, they would wear plate armor every day and gradually get used to its weight.

Their daily task is to run five kilometers with a 60-pound load for half an hour each day.

After eating and drinking their fill, they had put on their plate armor.

The Holy War Army on the other side was in a similar situation, and their logistical difficulties were even greater than those of the River Valley Army.

It's impossible to fight a war on an empty stomach.

By morning, both sides had begun their advance towards each other.

The secondary roads along the Black Iron Avenue.

The north wind was howling, which made the hazy sun in the sky seem somewhat warm.

Then, the Jihad Army saw thousands of gleaming figures on the horizon of the Black Iron Road.

They stood in neat rows, forming square formations that together created an arc.

From above, the land appears as a shimmering, silvery "C" shape.

"My gods above!" Matthew groaned, his breath almost stopping.

He was horrified to discover that, after the Battle of Spring Rains had resulted in the loss of more than half of his army, and while everyone thought the King of the Valley was licking his wounds, a new, stronger, and better-equipped army had emerged from that basin.

They stood right in front of him. Standing perfectly aligned, just as the defeated knights of judgment had described.

Their formation exuded a unique aura.

It is stern and solemn, lofty and sublime, invincible and unconquerable.

Any knight who charges into battle will ultimately perish.

“They’re coming toward us…” Bishop Elva exclaimed.

He had lived for quite a long time and had seen the Sinnoh Shield Guard before, but he had never seen an army like this before.

Individually they may not be strong, but when they come over, you will feel an amazing sense of oppression.

Marshal Archie remained silent, his eyes fixed on the plate armored corps advancing on foot.

"Lord Matthew! Let's launch an attack!" Angus shouted.

"Are you crazy?!" Matthew stared at him in shock.

"We have nowhere to retreat!" Sir Angus declared firmly. "Our followers are behind us. What will they do if we don't fight?"

Yes! They had nowhere left to retreat.

Where to retreat to? Leave this wilderness?
The blasphemer was right behind them, following at a leisurely pace.

Retreat to Kant's territory? The blasphemers pursued them to Kant's territory.

There was still no formidable terrain there, making it indefensible; a battle was ultimately unavoidable. Should they continue to avoid war? Or withdraw from Kangde Territory?

Wouldn't that just hand over our base to someone else?

They can return to Sinnoh, and go back in disgrace, but what about the farmers who joined the Holy War and the remaining residents of Kandeland? Should they just be left to be harmed by the blasphemers?
“Your Excellency!” Matthew looked at the papal bishop.

Elva wanted to suggest withdrawing the troops, but his loyalty to the Papacy and his faith in the gods prevailed.

Ultimately, they came here to punish the blasphemers!

"Let's launch an attack!" Archie said.

On the surface, they might not be without a chance of winning this battle...

Even if the outcome is dire.

They also had three thousand armored soldiers, although most of them wore chainmail, leather armor, and cloth armor, while the rest were unarmored units.

……

An army of 30,000 was too large. As they marched here, dust filled the sky behind them, truly covering the entire mountainside.

The Judgment Knight and the Demon Hunter Knight observed and loitered on the flanks.

They were highly disciplined and never charged blindly. They would first check for barricades and traps, and if they were unsure of the situation, some knights would rather wait until the war was over than risk their lives.

Of course, once the war starts, everything will be exposed.

……

“They’ve sent men to attack,” Jet said. “Horse archers.”

Hundreds of horse archers charged forward, their target the flank of the valley army, probing and harassing, attempting to disrupt their formation.

"Sniper!" Dick shouted.

As soon as the archers approached within a hundred meters, dozens of arrows suddenly shot out from the valley formation, piercing the air and killing more than thirty light cavalrymen on the spot.

When the archers charged to within fifty or sixty meters, they fired their arrows and were met with a volley of arrows, and dozens more archers fell to the ground. The valley square formation was completely immobilized, and the remaining archers had no choice but to retreat in disarray.

There were forty snipers in the formation, all of whom were first-tier knights in terms of physical attributes. After being promoted to snipers, their talents were enhanced, and their shooting accuracy was far superior to that of ordinary people. They were the squad leaders among the archers.

The other soldiers were fully armored, while the archers were half-armored, and the sniper team was completely unarmored.

Ordinary soldiers used single-handed longbows, while sniper teams used recurve bows, and some were equipped with broken longbows captured during the Battle of Spring Rain.

The archer cavalry's probing did not hinder the advance of the valley phalanx.

They continued to approach on foot.

Closer! Closer! Closer still!
Walking across the wilderness felt like being swept away by a silver torrent.

Ahead of that silver torrent of steel was a large, mottled holy war army, resembling a ball of yarn.

……

"Armored soldiers, prepare! Swordsmen, prepare!"

When the jihadist army saw that the light cavalry had little effect, they took further action.

Thirty-three hymn nuns and 666 choir nuns from the holy city began to sing together.

More than 30,000 fanatics, believers, and novice believers, inspired by hymns and faith, were able to unleash astonishing morale.

Although Matthew felt the battle was extremely difficult, he still believed that even if the enemy had thousands of armored soldiers, they could not be defeated directly.

After all, with so many people, theoretically they could completely surround the enemy.

In close combat, the Holy War's attrition warfare can wear down the blasphemers' army, but at a high cost.

……

"Attention! Halt! Prepare for first fire!"

The message spread like wildfire, from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, and all the team leaders were shouting it out.

Thousands of plate-armored soldiers halted their advance, removing longbows from their backs and quivers from their waists.

While the holy army stood there stunned for a few seconds, a total of six thousand plate-armored soldiers stepped forward and raised their longbows and arrows in unison.

"put!"

……

A total of 30,000 people simultaneously noticed that the light in the sky dimmed for a moment, as if it had been blocked by something.

Then it regained its brightness.

Then came a pitiful scream!
The jihadist army's formation wasn't too dense, but it wasn't too sparse either. The front ranks of the jihadist army were directly covered by the rain of arrows.

They certainly had shields, but not everyone had one, and not all shields were able to withstand the barrage of arrows.

Only now did I realize that the enemy was not only fully armored, but also equipped with bows and arrows.

They possess basic shooting skills and can form a powerful firepower coverage.

……

"All hands, prepare for second firing!"

"put!"

……

The sky darkened once again.

More screams echoed within the Jihad Army, this time even affecting some nuns, causing the entire army to waver.

"Conquering Knights! Lead your men to charge the enemy's flank!" The Judgment Knights and Demon Hunter Knights had no choice but to lead their cavalry in a charge. The Conquering Knights unit numbered about three hundred men, with the rest being ordinary cavalry.

"Swordsmen! Attack!" the swordsmen's marshal shouted.

"Spear throwers! Spear throwers!"

……

"Prepare for the third round of firing!"

"put!"

……

(End of this chapter)