Chapter 54
Guillaume used the term "fish scale formation" to persuade the soldiers, but he knew that the kingdom army wasn't elite enough to execute a proper fish scale formation. He had merely mentioned the fish scale formation, one of the representative aggressive formations, to stand at the opposite end of Antoine's assertion, and his actual thoughts were different.
Guillaume's strategy was extremely simple.
It was the orthodox strategy that had brought him victory in the battle against the Caen Kingdom: spreading out the troops to induce the opponent's line to thin, and then deploying elite troops at the enemy's vulnerable points - a strategy used when one has more troops than the opponent.
The kingdom army's formation preparing for attack became close to a giant trapezoid, except for the center slightly protruding. Although it was shorter in width and thicker in depth compared to a typical linear formation, even the widest rear rank was similar in width to the imperial army's linear formation.
Guillaume knew that in a battle on plains with almost no obstacles, it was advantageous to increase width while maintaining appropriate thickness. However, to increase the width any further, the kingdom army would have to either disperse the elite troops placed in the center or deploy inexperienced conscripts in the front row.
Since they aimed for a central breakthrough, they couldn't remove the elite troops from the center, and placing unskilled soldiers in the front row could make them worse than useless, bringing confusion to the entire kingdom army. Therefore, Guillaume chose to deploy troops densely to maintain morale and limit the cavalry's attack routes.
Targeting the center was also aimed at complete annihilation, and he chose the option with the greatest reward when breakthrough succeeds, as the imperial army's line was thin overall without any particularly thick spots.
"The imperial army has deployed their troops in this formation."
Thus, when a messenger delivered a map with a brief description of the imperial army's deployment to Guillaume after the kingdom army began its march,
"...Hmm."
As he alternately checked the map and the actual appearance of the imperial army visible in the distance,
"Haha. Hahaha..."
He suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Your Majesty, what's the matter?"
"I'm laughing because the enemy is so pathetic. Look."
Guillaume showed the imperial army's deployment to the officer who approached him.
"...They're still maintaining a linear formation. The cavalry is deployed on both wings..."
The imperial army's deployment drawn on the map had hardly changed from before the kingdom army set out.
Guillaume had maintained tension while leading his troops because the reports had described the imperial army as if they were gods of war. However,
"It's a deployment so naive it's almost foolishly honest. Don't you think so?"
The utterly ordinary appearance of the imperial army, with their line thinly stretched to match the width of the troops and cavalry placed on both flanks, looked no different to Guillaume than the Caen Kingdom soldiers who had instantly collapsed in defeat.
"Aren't they trying to attempt an encirclement?"
Some officers suspected that the cavalry deployment strengthening both wings might be intended for encirclement, but,
"Encirclement? Was that a joke? I hope it was a joke."
Even considering the difference in troop quality in terms of morale and training, the kingdom army's strength exceeded 1.5 times that of the enemy.
Neither Guillaume nor the officers on the battlefield took those words seriously.
"The enemy's infantry strength is only about half of ours. If we attack the enemy on all fronts while breaking through the center, what forces could they possibly use to encircle us?"
"That's right. With the enemy's center being weak, even if they aim for encirclement, our soldiers will be able to break through before that."
It's common sense that encirclement is basically a strategy used when a majority faces a minority.
The kingdom army officers thought that if the imperial army, with only half the number of infantry to maintain the battle line, dared to attempt encirclement, the elite troops placed in the center could easily pierce through that thin line.
If the battle unfolds with the current troop deployment, the imperial army's center would have to face about 30,000 troops with only about 10,000 troops.
"Yes. For now, just think about breaking through the enemy."
Guillaume thought it was best to control the soldiers with simple instructions to charge towards the enemy, as he wasn't sure if the soldiers entering actual combat would properly understand instructions to prepare for the flanks even if given.
"Count Damien Larouche, a moment."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Your role is important. If the enemy cavalry tries to attack our flanks or rear, you must interfere with their attack."
"..."
"I'm not telling you to go fight and die. You may retreat if you truly feel it's dangerous, but please buy us time to break through the enemy."
"...Understood."
After instructing Damien, who would command the cavalry, to prepare for the enemy cavalry, Guillaume slowly moved among the advancing soldiers.
Later, when the gap between the kingdom army and the imperial army narrowed to about 200m.
-Shing.
"Listen, everyone!"
"Yes!"
"Are you all ready, men! Ready to repel the villains who dared to attack the Brotan Kingdom!"
Guillaume drew his sword in the middle of the marching troops and raised his voice.
"The future of the families we left at home depends on our hands, on your hands! Let's show our strength to those evil imperial bastards who burned our land and killed our comrades!"
"...!"
"The enemy is only 30,000 strong! Let's advance! Towards our victory!"
He raised the soldiers' morale with a majestic voice, and,
"All troops, charge!"
"Waaaaaaah!"
"Let's go!"
"Yaaaaaaah!"
He announced the start of the battle by pointing his sword towards the imperial army.
---
The kingdom army, which had to grasp the formation from limited directions through the eyes of mounted officers and messengers, thought the imperial army was just standing in a line, but the reality was different.
The imperial army's center, which had been slowly marching in a linear formation, increased its speed upon confirming the enemy's approach, moving slightly faster than the left and right wings.
Also, some of the soldiers deployed at the rear of the imperial army moved to the back instead of advancing together.
"Attack!"
"Waaaah!"
At the point when the kingdom army initiated their charge, the imperial army was in a shallow crescent shape protruding towards the enemy in the center.
The kingdom army entered the battle without recognizing this point, and the vanguard led by Maurice Berto was the first to engage in combat.
"Count Berto's forces have entered combat!"
"What? Increase speed! We'll follow too!"
To support the protruding allied flanks, the kingdom army all began to charge as soon as news that the vanguard had encountered the enemy was delivered.
The problem occurred here.
"Let's go too! Let's smash the enemy!"
The forces corresponding to the kingdom army's center could charge without difficulty and engage with the imperial army, but,
"The enemy is too far to initiate a charge!"
"It looks like it's over 300m even at a rough glance..."
At that point, the kingdom army on the flanks was still too far from the enemy to initiate a charge.
"Don't hesitate! If we hesitate, it's our allies who will die!"
"Let's defeat the enemy! Charge!"
However, Guillaume, who had long given up on detailed command of troops due to a severe lack of junior officers, ordered all troops to charge to at least utilize their numerical advantage, and the officers who received his order shouted for a charge.
-Clang! Clang!
"Kill them!"
"Aaaagh!"
"Yaaaah!"
Moreover, the sound of the vanguard, who quickly faced the enemy, crossing swords and spears, urged on the hesitating soldiers.
"...Yaaaaaaah!"
"Waaaaaaah!"
"Uh, uh?"
"Just run for now, just run!"
"Uh, uaaaaaaah!"
In the end, even forces twice as far or much farther from the imperial army than the vanguard initiated a reckless charge, and when the elite troops in the front row moved, the conscripts following behind also rushed towards the imperial army.
"Let's go... Gaaah!"
"Wh-What. Where are our allies!"
It's difficult to charge over 300m while holding weapons and wearing armor.
The kingdom army's charge lost its power towards both ends, and even those who reached the enemy had consumed most of their strength in the charge, collapsing without even properly swinging their weapons.
"Break through the enemy's center!"
"Help Count Berto!"
Seeing this, the kingdom army officers thought that breaking through the center was the only hope and concentrated all possible forces in the middle.
"Shields!"
-Thud!
"Thrust!"
-Crack! Clang!
"Aaaagh!"
Of course, the situation wasn't so good for the kingdom army's vanguard facing the 10th Corps infantry, the most elite in the imperial army, but,
-Clang!
"Ugh, gaaaah!"
"Stick close! Pull down their shields!"
"Eeek! Die!"
The relatively combat-proficient vanguard was slowly pushing back the imperial army while utilizing their numbers, despite suffering tremendous casualties.
As the kingdom army's forces, abandoning the flanks, gathered in the center, the kingdom army ended up attempting to break through the imperial army's center in a wedge shape close to the fish scale formation Guillaume had claimed.
"Don't stop! The enemy is being pushed back! Keep pressing on!"
The imperial army, which had been enduring the enemy's attacks with armor and shields, slowly retreated as if unable to withstand the offensive, and the kingdom army officers, including Maurice, saw this as a sign of successful breakthrough and urged on the soldiers.
"The enemy is running away! Chase them!"
"Yaaaaaaah!"
The kingdom army's elite troops continued to push against the imperial army's center, and the conscripts following behind also rushed forward, carried by that momentum.
The imperial army's formation, which had protruded towards the kingdom army, naturally became a crescent shape protruding in the opposite direction as the center was pushed back.
The kingdom army charging towards the curved imperial army line was utterly chaotic with conscripts and experienced soldiers all mixed up, but they continued to push back the imperial army with their overwhelming numbers and momentum.
"Victory is near! Charge!"
"Charge! Charge!"
As the imperial army's line gradually thinned, when the kingdom army officers were certain of a successful breakthrough,
-Buuuuuuu!
"Waaaaaaah!"
"For the Empire!"
Along with the sound of trumpets, the imperial army's battle cry was heard from the flanks and rear of the kingdom army, which had been charging vigorously towards the enemy.