jdhmnovel Chapter 42 Counterattack
Chapter 42 Counterattack
When Alice led two platoons of infantry back down the hillside, the mercenaries of the Third Mercenary Regiment were immediately invigorated. Driving the enemy off this strategic location and forcing them to "flee" was, in their eyes, a symbol of victory.
After all, wars large and small have proven that retreat is often synonymous with "collapse," and a commander's tactical retreat is very likely to turn into a chaotic escape.
However, the modern army that Alice assembled was not like that. Two lines ran down the hillside as neatly as possible, followed ten meters behind by a tide of mercenaries, most of whom were shouting to embolden themselves.
But as the two columns they were chasing ran down the hillside, the charging mercenaries began to discover that on the gentler slope behind, the enemy's main force was lying in wait, thousands of Minié rifles pointed their dark muzzles at them.
Because the entire force was deployed on a gentle slope, with staggered lines, the lines on the hillside could pour their firepower onto the opposite hillside. The previously retreating lines quickly lay down in front of the front row, and Alice took the opportunity to squeeze into the line.
"Fire!"
It was too late to retreat. Thousands of people were crammed onto the downhill road and immediately experienced the reality of the so-called "hall of bullets." Soldiers clutched their wounds and fell helplessly. Smaller soldiers were shot down directly. A merciless Minié rifle bullet tore apart a soldier's skull, and then, along with fragments of armor, bones, and even demon horns, flew towards the next soldier's face.
Alice estimated that the knights had killed or wounded at least 5000 people in this round. The corpses and wounded rolled down the slope. Alice raised her command sword, and the two battalions that had retreated earlier crouched up and formed two horizontal lines again.
"Raise your gun—fire!"
The mercenary commander had only climbed to the top of the slope after a volley of fire. When he looked down and saw the First Infantry Division standing ready for battle, he was stunned.
"This is a trap! A trap!"
The two retreating battalions immediately launched a volley, which swept away the mercenaries running down the slope. Then, Alice raised her command sword.
"attack!"
The war drums sounded the call to action, and thousands of bayoneted muskets—which were essentially just spears—charged forward, shattering the already low morale of the mercenaries once again.
Before automatic weapons are fully equipped, bayonet fighting should be the main focus of combat. During the three weeks of military training, bayonet tactics were almost the entire process. Every private must be familiar with the bayonet and rifle in his hand. Every bayonet attack should be carried out with all his might. Even if the enemy is wearing armor, as long as multiple people cooperate, the bayonet is the most effective weapon.
The flag bearers, carrying the flag high, charged at the forefront. The flag was not only a symbol of morale, but also a symbol—a symbol of the battle line.
Alice hadn't been this active in a long time. A thought struck her: vampires were considered a magical race because their magical power surpassed that of almost all other races on the continent.
"Blood Blade Enhancement!"
Blood condensed, and the command sword in her hand turned blood-red. Alice swung the long sword, brandishing the blood-red blade. The scarlet light blade danced like flower petals, slicing off the heads of two soldiers.
"For the country and the people!"
Alice felt a surge of adrenaline rush to her head. She shouted and fired a shot, while the soldiers around her, holding muskets, also shouted their slogans.
"For Amelia!"
Before them, the mercenaries were retreating. War is decided by the strength of morale, and now their morale had plummeted to rock bottom. Even though the First Infantry Division was not equipped with armor, the gleaming bayonets forced the armored infantry to retreat straight back.
Alice relentlessly pursued them, and the entire First Infantry Division went into battle lightly armed. Compared to the mercenaries who were fully armored or wearing chainmail, they had more stamina for the pursuit and for the fight.
Therefore, when the battle situation reversed, many mercenary soldiers who were exhausted had to take off their armor and throw away their weapons in order to run further. Some simply threw down their weapons and lay on the ground to be dealt with.
"First Regiment! Stay behind to take the prisoners!"
Alice shouted, and immediately a column of cavalry charged out from the ranks. They were armed only with Minié rifles with bayonets fixed, and some of them used the bayonets as sabers, slashing at the fleeing enemy.
Alice stopped, looked up, and saw the faint smoke of gunpowder being blown away by the wind. With a wave of her hand, the red light on the blade disappeared, and she ordered the sword to be sheathed.
"Ha... I can't believe I actually did it? Heh heh~"
The pursuing soldiers charged directly into the Third Mercenary Group's camp. The sound of muskets rang out continuously. Under the order of free fire, they could choose when to fire, thus causing more casualties.
"Sir, we... Whew... Our First Infantry Regiment has successfully completed its mission! Our valiant soldiers have routed the enemy, and the soldiers of the Second Regiment have stormed into the enemy camp. We are now mopping up their last remnants!"
"Take a break!"
"Yes!"
Alice looked at the officers who had surrounded her. Most of them were panting, their uniforms covered in blood and grime. This was normal; if officers were not on the front lines, they would have difficulty mobilizing troops and leading their subordinates in an attack.
"Gentlemen! You have done a great job! We have responded forcefully to that bastard Grant's provocation. Today's battle proves one thing: our vanguard force is undoubtedly a strong army. What we defeated today was the enemy's Third Mercenary Regiment, an undeniably powerful force, which I believe you have all heard of."
The soldiers nodded. Indeed, today's battle meant they had defeated a powerful force. Their banner was still behind Alice, carried by a sergeant.
"Given our current ammunition reserves, I order the cleanup of the battlefield, the contraction of the defensive line, and the waiting for friendly forces to attack."
Alice returned to the town of Great Mill and took stock of the battle. The entire battle had consumed a quarter of their ammunition, with the largest consumption coming from the pursuit of the enemy—the frequency of volley fire was not high, but free fire maximized the firepower.
The prisoners brought back numbered in the hundreds. They were tied together with ropes and imprisoned in the garrison camp in the town of Great Mill. Several officers interrogated them. Of course, most of the intelligence came from the spoils of war in the camp. Several soldiers found letters, plans, and maps belonging to the mercenary commander. These documents immediately provided Alice with an intelligence advantage for her next deployment.
“That’s right. Grant has deployed most of his troops to the front lines. These troops are comparable in strength to the Third Mercenary Legion, but with reinforced mage squads, well, you could say they are artillery-equipped units.”
The role of mages on the battlefield is limited to a few things. For mercenary mages who specialize in warfare, fireballs, ice blades, and high-pressure water jets are the most commonly used spells, but their range is only about 100 meters—less than a Minié rifle. As far as Alice knows, human magical skills are far superior to those of demons.
"Wait, set up positions, and then send a small cavalry squad southwest. We need to know the location of our allies."