Chapter 100

* * *

【The Roar of the Wolf Pack】

At that moment, General Huygens was surveying the battlefield through a telescope. Below him, the infantry and cavalry regiments were spreading out to the left and right, attempting to annihilate the nearly defeated imperial army.

"I thought something would happen, but nothing did."

Captain Mitzel, the staff officer, chuckled.

"Once again, you'll be called a 'worrywart' or a 'theorist' by the higher-ups."

"That's fine. If I weren't a worrywart and a theorist, I wouldn't be fit to be a military advisor. I won't let my guard down until the end. Is there any strange movement in the surroundings?"

"No, not at the moment..."

Captain Mitzel's words were cut off by a deafening roar. The walls of the castle crumbled, and stones and wood cascaded down like a waterfall. The operations table, where maps and documents were laid out, was crushed under a beam and split in two.

"Whoa!?"

"Stay calm, get out through the door! Head for the shade of the building and then outside!"

While shielding the staggering Captain Mitzel, General Huygens made his way to the corridor.

Cannon fire echoed in the distance, and the sound of destruction resonated throughout the castle. The sound of wood splitting, glass shattering, and stones breaking filled the air.

Captain Mitzel, covered in dust, had a tearful expression.

"Sir! What's going on!? There shouldn't be any artillery on the enemy side!"

"You're right. Even if there were hidden troops, there's no way a cannon could reach this distance..."

At that moment, General Huygens turned on his heel and rushed back into the room.

"Impossible!?"

"Sir! Which way!? That way is dangerous!"

In the room with a gaping hole in the wall, General Huygens stared at "Sheep's Hill." From a distance that no ordinary cannon could reach, smoke rose from "Sheep's Hill."

"What is this... Has the enemy developed a new type of cannon?"

"Sir!"

To the staff officer who rushed in, General Huygens calmly said,

"Mitzel, return to the capital, Lotsmer immediately. Inform His Majesty the Duke that 'Our army has been defeated by a surprise attack from the enemy's new long-range artillery.'"

"Defeated!? But our army is still overwhelmingly superior!"

But General Huygens shook his head.

"No, the battle is over. I will stay here and command until the end, but this information must reach His Majesty as soon as possible. Go in my place. Stay alive."

Captain Mitzel saluted silently, tears welling in his eyes.

"Please, sir, stay safe."

"I'll do my best. Hurry."

* * *

【The Goddess of the Battlefield】

At that time, on "Sheep's Hill," Lieutenant Hanna Hayden was brandishing her saber.

"Good, the castle is almost destroyed! The first and second cannons, continue firing at the castle to prevent the enemy's messengers from getting close!"

There were camouflaged temporary gun emplacements all over the hill, and the rifle cannons were aimed at the Blücher forces.

The tall Hanna shouted loudly, her voice drowning out the cannon fire.

"Other cannons, change your targets to the enemy infantry regiments! The third, fourth, and fifth cannons, aim at the front of the marching column! The sixth and seventh cannons, target the rear! The rest, disperse your shots in the center of the formation!"

Immediately, the female artillery soldiers operated the cannons, loading the next rounds while adjusting their aim.

"Fire!"

The hill shook with the roar of the cannons, and a few seconds later, dust clouds rose on the plain. Soldiers could be seen falling one after another.

"Wow, miss, maybe we didn't need any guards after all."

This was said by Admiral Virgent, who had arrived with the naval landing force.

Lieutenant Hanna turned around and smiled.

"For you, Lieutenant, I'll do my best!"

"Whoa, you mean me?"

In response to Virgent's joke, Hanna replied seriously.

"No, I mean Lieutenant Chromberg."

"I know. Damn, that smooth-talking guy."

As he kicked a nearby tree trunk, a naval officer quietly spoke to him.

"I don't think you needed to come, sir. Sharks don't come ashore, Admiral Sharkstorm."

But Admiral Virgent kicked the tree while barking.

"Idiot, sharks can wreak havoc on land, and even fly in the sky! After all, I'm 'Sharkstorm'! Besides, Lieutenant Hayden is a junior from the naval academy, it would be a shame not to see her in action!"

The female artillery soldiers watched them.

"Who's that guy?"

"He's a big shot in the navy. Thanks to him, we were able to transport the cannons disguised as a merchant convoy."

"So he's a good guy. Ah, the shots are a bit off. Please load the next round."

The female artillery soldiers continued their conversation while efficiently loading the cannons.

"Seems like he's close with our staff officer. I'll adjust the aim to the right by one notch."

"Ah, that's the feeling? Wait, let's cool the barrel a bit."

"What do you mean? Here, a wet cloth."

"Wow, that's impressive. I'll fire now. Cover your ears."

The cannonball, almost without a parabolic trajectory, shot straight and penetrated a squad of the Blücher infantry regiment.

With just one shot, over a dozen soldiers, including a non-commissioned officer, were killed or wounded, and the squad lost almost all of its combat effectiveness.

* * *

I peered through the telescope and smiled with relief.

"The enemy's 54th Infantry Regiment is in chaos. Hanna's artillery is accurate."

"Are you happy?"

When Brigadier General Altsar smiled, I chuckled.

"I'm glad her skills are being recognized. I wish she could have flourished in other fields as well."

In my previous life, she could have been not only a soldier but also a female chess player, a model, or a fighter. It's a shame that in this world, she didn't have other options.

The brigadier general nodded slightly.

"You're right. But let's be glad that her skills have saved us now. We will shift to an offensive. Surround the enemy's 52nd and 53rd Infantry Regiments!"

The enemy received the order to launch a pincer attack, but their headquarters were shelled while their flanks were moving.

Seeing the destruction of their headquarters, they were confused and hesitated about whether to continue the pincer attack. They couldn't seek orders as the headquarters no longer existed.

The success of a pincer attack depends on the coordination of the units, so any disruption can create a breakthrough.

This time, the enemy's cavalry regiment became the weak link.

They halted their charge and retreated to the rear.

"Correct for the regiment, but how about for the army?"

Brigadier General Altsar smiled and gave orders to his rifle-musket squad.

"The enemy's left flank is in disarray due to the retreat of the cavalry. The female infantry squad will deploy on the far right and support our forces!"

The rifle-musket, capable of long-range sniping, was ideal for flanking fire. It could reach the target even from a distance and deliver a significant impact with a small number of soldiers.

The company commanders saluted briskly in response to the brigade commander's order.

"Understood. Shall we go, Lieutenant Lane? I'll show you how to shoot ducks."

"Yes, I'll accompany you!"

The experienced Captain Fulton and the beautiful Captain Lane immediately carried out the orders.

As the maroon-uniformed soldiers formed a line, the gunfire flashed. The white smoke billowed.

Despite being just two companies, the enemy's left battalion was falling one after another. The accuracy was vastly different, and the enemy's counterattack was ineffective.

"We've pinned down the enemy's left flank. The right flank will be hit by the rifle artillery squad."

"The enemy must be shocked. No manual mentions artillery fire from such a distance."

"The more knowledgeable about artillery, the more surprised they'll be. There hasn't been significant progress in cannon design for decades."

The "Sheep's Hill," where the enemy had their headquarters, was of moderate height, and attacking it from the plain required getting quite close. Of course, the enemy infantry would obstruct the attack, making it difficult.

However, the rifle artillery had a range three times that of conventional cannons, with superior power and accuracy.

It was a trump card, a hidden weapon for this battle.

After confirming the enemy's confusion through the telescope, the brigadier general turned to me.

"What about the center?"

"If the flanks are crushed and the rear is a steep slope, the only option left is a frontal assault. But even if they break through, there's nothing beyond."

The units in the enemy's center were tactically dead. They still had combat capability, but there was no effective way to use it.

The enemy regiment commanders would understand this. Regimental commanders are generally competent in any country.

The enemy regiments began to retreat slowly, bypassing the hill's slope to the rear. However, most soldiers couldn't escape and surrendered in battalions and companies.

It was good that unnecessary killing was avoided, but it was a bit of a problem, so I informed the brigadier general.

"It's a good strategy. We can't kill the prisoners, but we can't leave them on the battlefield either. We'll be delayed by their treatment."

"A good way to delay us without killing soldiers. I might use it next time. No, with you around, we won't lose."

That's pressure. It's harassment, sir.

The battle that started early in the morning ended by mid-afternoon, with white flags raised by the Blücher side, signaling the end of the fight.

The empire lost about 900 soldiers to casualties and desertions, a significant blow.

Fortunately, the female infantry, who mainly engaged in long-range sniping, had only a few casualties, though there were some fatalities.

The Blücher side had about 1,500 more casualties than the empire, but with the large number of unit surrenders, they lost nearly 3,000 soldiers in total. It was a crushing defeat, leaving them unable to recover.

The female cavalry, returning from reconnaissance, reported.

"The remaining enemy forces are retreating at full speed along the road. The rear is around the Falbour Bridge, and it looks like they've set something up on the bridge piers."

Brigadier General Altsar chuckled.

"They intend to blow up the bridge to cut off our pursuit. But we don't have that luxury."

I scratched my head.

"Yes, we have a lot of prisoners..."

The enemy had left nearly 2,000 surrendering and wounded soldiers as a parting gift. Mainly from the 52nd and 53rd Infantry Regiments, including many non-commissioned officers and officers.

But the brigadier general smiled.

"From here, it's a test of statecraft, not military strategy. Shall I take care of it?"

"As you wish, sir."

I bowed respectfully and decided to watch what my lord would do.