The Empire's army got into formation in a hurry. Many soldiers were not ready for battle.
Elector Umberto quickly realized that the plan they had discussed earlier had failed. Casfern's army had left the mountain ahead of time!
"Advance! Knights of Brittany! Tear the enemy to shreds! For the Lady! "Casfern stood in the middle of the army and roared at his army.
The knights blew their horns, and the warhorses galloped forward. The ranger knights got into formation and were ready to charge at the Empire's army. The serf archers pulled their short bows, and fire arrows and ordinary arrows were released from the Brittany's army and flew towards the Empire's army.
Many of the Empire's swordsmen and pikemen were hit by the arrows, and dozens of soldiers fell immediately.
Facing the sudden attack, the Empire's army was a little flustered. They pushed and shoved each other, and their formation was messy. They looked for each other and were caught off guard by the Brittany's knights.
Casfern showed a satisfied expression when he saw the Empire's army's morale was shaken.
This was what he needed.
After Casfern held a military meeting, the battle-hardened Duke immediately realized that the Empire's army would not only not defend to the death, but would also take the initiative to attack. This was because Karl-franz had this need.
If the stalemate lasted for a long time, it would only be harmful to the Emperor. He had to take the initiative to attack. Otherwise, Casfern's army would have enough time to rest.
Casfern immediately judged that the Empire would take the initiative to attack in the early hours of the morning. Therefore, the Duke ordered the Lake God's prophet to cast a large-scale divine spell – Goddess' Mist. Under the cover of the mist, the army entered the battlefield and faced the Empire's army that was still crossing the river.
The knights quickly broke through the first line of the Empire's army. The weak crossbowmen and pikemen were attacked by the knights before they could react. The first line was quickly broken. The Brittany's ranger knights used their lances to quickly break through the Empire's defense.
"Oh! No! "
"Help!"
"Ahhh!"
The first formation of the Empire's infantry battalions and crossbowmen had lost their morale under the onslaught of the knights. They screamed and fled in all directions. If the Ranger Knights were to pursue them now, it would be a massacre.
However, the Knight Rangers had received the Duke's orders in advance, so they did not pursue the fleeing soldiers. Instead, they charged directly at the second formation of the Empire's army.
According to Kasvane's plan, the knights should take this opportunity to attack the central army. As long as they could scatter the Empire's defensive line, victory would be theirs.
However, the situation on the battlefield disappointed Kasfan. Although the Empire's army was in chaos, Elector Umberto's ability to command was not easy. After the great Elector came to his senses, he immediately ordered the Empire's army to regroup and launch a counterattack.
Rick Hill and Ivy Hill were two of the richest provinces in the Empire. These soldiers were the direct subordinates of the Emperor and the Elector. After being stunned for a moment, they immediately reacted. The elite Great Swordsmen and Knights of the Golden Fleece commanded the remaining soldiers to form several lines of defense.
Under the Elector's command, the well-trained Empire's army quickly got into formation. The musketeers formed three rows, and the crossbowmen and archers formed a line of defense. They launched an attack on the Brittany's army.
"Bang, bang, bang!" A row of musketeers fired at the knights. The lead bullets created a barrage of bullets. Dozens of knights at the front of the line fell instantly. The musketeers who ran out of ammunition immediately reloaded and retreated. The remaining musketeers immediately took over.
However, this was not enough to deter the Brittany's knights. The Knight Rangers shouted the name of the Goddess of the Lake and galloped on the battlefield, sweeping everything in their path. The first formation of the Empire's army was completely destroyed by the Knight Rangers.
"Kill! The Lady has given us strength and protection! " The remaining serf infantry rushed into the Empire's army under the lead of the soldiers. A fierce hand-to-hand battle began. Although the Brittany's serf infantry was not as good as the Empire's army, the Empire's army could only struggle with the serf infantry when their formation was broken.
"The Lady has given us protection!" A serf infantry stabbed his spear into the chest of a Empire's spearman, but his arm was immediately cut off by the Empire's swordsman next to him.
"Die! You mud bastards on the other side of the mountain! " The Empire's officer tried to turn the situation around, but he immediately found himself surrounded by a tide of serf infantry.
Several spears pierced through his chest and stomach, and then a knight's lance pierced through his body from behind.
The first formation of the Empire's army began to crumble.
The Halberd Infantry formed a tight formation, sharp halberds lined up in several rows. Although the Brittany knights tried their best to charge into the second formation, they were already at the end of their rope. Arrows and muskets flew like locusts and formed a barrage of bullets that caused the knights to fall off their horses.
More than two hundred Pike Cavalry and Vanguard Squires flashed out from the flank of the Empire's army. These troops were made up of students from the Nur Firearms Academy and nobles. In the Empire, all nobles prioritized military achievements. Most of the nobles were sent to Brunswick University or Nur University to study. Many nobles entered the Pike Cavalry Regiment, hoping to be recognized one day and become an official knight.
The Vanguard Squires were the best of the Pike Cavalry. They were also known as the Empire's Dragoons. They were led by the Vanguard Squires, who were mounted on warhorses, had fancy beards, and wore bright clothes and fashionable hats. They poured out from the back of the Empire's army.
There was only one chance. The Pike Cavalry would not have the chance to reload in front of the Brittany knights. So when the Pike Cavalry approached the Brittany army, the Vanguard Squires immediately shouted, "Ready! Fire! "
"Fire!" Groups of Pike Cavalry and Vanguard Squires raised the muskets in their hands. Under the dim light of dawn, the battlefield was filled with thunderous sounds of gunfire.
BAM! BAM! BAM! Although they could only fire once, the result was unimaginably good. More than a hundred Brittany knight-errant knights who were fighting hard in the second wave were killed instantly. The dense barrage came from the side, and the Brittany knight-errant who were not prepared in time suffered heavy losses. Many knight-errant knights' mounts were hit by the lead bullets and fell off their horses on the spot and were captured.
(The army would not kill the knights who fell off their horses. In the eyes of the soldiers, they were all living gold coins.)
The Pike Cavalry and Vanguard Squires ran away after the battle. These light cavalry quickly disappeared behind the Empire's army.
"For the Empire! For Charlemagne! Hang in there! " Kurfürst Umberto roared. The Kurfürst's holy sword, "Mother of Destruction", emitted spiritual light in the darkness of dawn. The soldiers of the Empire were motivated. They tried their best to stop the knights before the second wave.
"Fight! Destroy the knights on the other side of the mountain! Victory belongs to the Empire! For Charlemagne! " The great swordsmen entered the battlefield under the command of Kurfürst Umberto. At the same time, the cannons and hellish storm rocket launchers at the back of the battle formation finally found a chance to shoot.
The cannons roared and plowed deep trenches in the Brittany's army.
The hellish storm rocket launchers were made of single-barrel rockets on the vehicles and the racks of the vehicles. These rockets contained a lot of black powder. After being carefully made by the master engineers of the Empire, they were installed on the vehicles.
"Ready!" Herman, the master engineer of the Empire from the Nur Firearms Institute, raised his hand and said, "Fire!"
Seven or eight rocket launchers were shot into the sky. They performed a brilliant fireworks show in the sky above Helmgard and then landed in the middle of the Brittany's army.
The destructive shockwave of the explosion swept across the Brittany's army. The ground shook and roared as it swept away all the enemies. A large group of serf infantry soldiers were killed on the spot by the hellish storm rocket launchers.
The morale of the Brittany serf infantry soldiers began to falter. Many serfs screamed and retreated. Groups of ranger knights began to show signs of defeat. They began to retreat and tried to regroup.
However, the poor accuracy of the hellish storm rocket launchers also caused a disaster. Even though the engineers of the Empire had tried their best to calibrate the accuracy of the rocket launchers, two of the rocket launchers still fell into the Empire's army.
The explosion made the Empire's soldiers dizzy. The great swordsmen of the Empire who were commanding the defense were bombarded by their own people. They suffered heavy casualties and the formation shook.
Kasvann, who was in the middle of the army, finally saw the opportunity.
After entering the battlefield, Kasvann realized that the most elite half-griffin knights of the Empire, the Rex Guards, and the Emperor himself were not in the Empire's army.
Obviously, Emperor Karl-franz would not run away. He must have left temporarily with his elites, or even planned to sneak behind and attack his army. Kasvann believed that there was no reason for the Emperor not to know about such a huge battle at the foot of Mount Doomsday. Therefore, he had to completely defeat Elector Umberto and the army of the Empire before Karl-franz returned with his elites!
Kasvann calmly turned his head and said, "Carnell!"
"Yes!" The Duke's deputy, Count Carnell, nodded. He raised his lance and said, "Knights! In the name of the Lady, we have gone to the Empire to fight. In the name of the Lady, we have fought until now. Now, let us give the Empire a fatal blow! "
Three hundred Royal Knights and forty Pegasus Knights responded loudly, "For the Lady! For the Brittany! "
This was the most elite force in Kasvann's army. The Duke had left this force for the last. Now, the Royal Knights would shout the name of the Lady and crush all enemies!
"Advance!!!"
The lance formation formed by the Royal Knights swept across the plains like a storm. They turned into a hurricane of death. The Royal Knights wore crowns and beautiful gowns. They did not speak much, but the impact they unleashed caused the Empire's army to collapse.
The storm formed by the Royal Knights swept through the second formation of the Empire's army. Even the halberd formation was unable to resist the charge of the Royal Knights. Count Carnell found a weak spot in the Empire's army that had just become chaotic. He took the lead and his lance pierced through an Empire's captain.
The strength of the Royal Knights of Brittany instantly changed the balance of the battle.
Count Carnell unsheathed the sword at his waist and cut an Empire's Great Swordsman in half. Then, a torrent of steel swept across the entire battlefield. The Pegasus Knights swept through the air and crushed the Empire's soldiers into pieces.
The Empire's second formation began to collapse after the Royal Knights' charge. Elector Umberto and his personal guards, the Knights of the Golden Fleece and the Great Swordsman Legion, finally appeared in front of the Brittany. The Elector ordered the Great Swordsman Legion to enter the battlefield and barely managed to stabilize the situation.
At this time, the sky had begun to brighten. The time had turned from dawn to dawn. In the cold weather, the Empire's army was still fighting a bitter battle with the Brittany's army. All attempts to reorganize the army had failed. Only the smoke of the chaotic battle was left on the battlefield.
Casfern knew that in terms of the battle situation, his army was currently at a slight advantage. Relying on the number of knights and the charge of the Royal Knights, the Empire's army was temporarily at a disadvantage.
Yes, it was only temporary. Casfern knew that although his army seemed to have a slight advantage, the Serf Infantry Legion and the soldiers were beginning to show signs of fatigue. After the Ranger Knights' charge, they had to be entangled with the Empire's army. The number of Royal Knights was too small. It was still very difficult for them to reach the front of Elector Umberto.
Casfern knew that he could not place his hopes on the Serf Infantry Legion and the soldiers because the Brittany's Infantry Legion was definitely not as good as the Empire's Infantry Legion. The reason why they could still hold on was because the Knights' charge had shaken the Empire's army. Once Emperor Karl-franz led the Knights back to reinforce them, Casfern would lose.
Duke Palawon was hesitating. Other than the thousand Infantry Legion that was used to guard against the Emperor's surprise attack from behind, he also had a reserve of two hundred Ranger Knights and one thousand five hundred Infantrymen.
Should he send this reserve team to the battlefield now?
Casfern was a little hesitant. If all the reserve team were sent to the battlefield, it would be a huge gamble. The gamble was that he could defeat Umberto and his Knights of the Golden Fleece before the Emperor's reinforcements came back. However, Elector Umberto was a saint who had experienced the great Holy War. Casfern knew that he was not as strong as him. The chances of winning this gamble were not very high.
While Duke Palawon was still hesitating, in the Empire's army, Elector Umberto Corleone of Tuscany had completely calmed down. The bearded Elector nodded and said, "Although it's not quite what I expected, Casfern has taken the initiative to attack. Karl-franz has achieved his goal."
"Now, it's time to let the Brittany Knights see the power of the Empire." Umberto waved his hand, and the engineers from the Nur Firearms Academy and the Brunswick Royal Academy of Engineering expressed their understanding.
The situation on the battlefield suddenly changed. From the middle of the Empire's army, the five steel behemoths finally revealed their fangs. Driven by the roaring steam from the pressure boilers, the steel behemoths rolled their huge wheels and spat out white steam into the sky as they entered the battlefield.
The Empire finally revealed their trump card in this war.
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