"Raise your shields!"
Brad roared, standing on the frontline of the first row, as soldiers on both sides began to shift into a tight formation, raising their shields to withstand the enemy’s initial charge. Then, their short heavy swords would seek opportunities to strike down. This was the classic tactic of the Roman Empire, emphasizing "defense and counterattack." As long as they could withstand the first wave, once the enemy’s momentum was spent, they would fight back with increasing vigor.
In the past, it was the Youth Army that led the vanguard, while the Mature Army decided the outcome of the battlefield. Now, however, the first row had to be filled with elites, or they couldn’t withstand the Barbarian Race’s first powerful charge. If the formation was immediately disrupted in the first confrontation, it would be even harder to fight back.
After the Empire’s military reform, it was the Field Army’s responsibility to annihilate the enemy.
Brad was a descendant of the Romans left on the Great Britain Island back in the day, with the early British Legion being trained by his father.
They were the only heavy-armored infantry, holding the line at critical moments.
Not all frontline defenses were handled this way, as there would always be unexpected variables on the battlefield.
For example, the Frank axe-throwing infantry, a group that Duncan had temporarily incorporated, numbering only a few dozen, mixed with the Frank infantry. Due to their strong combat capability, they were placed on the frontline of the right wing.
The Gepids had just charged forward, only to be met head-on by a barrage of Franks’ flying axes. Before they could even recover from the shock, the enemy was already howling as they raised their shields and swung their battle axes, counter-charging towards them.
This counter-charge was significant; even the Gaul Warriors couldn’t hold back. One by one, they unleashed their battle cries, all launching a reverse charge.
Whenever they let out a battle cry, it had a chain reaction, turning defensive battles into offensive ones.
Good news, they directly stunned the Gepids.
A wave of counter-charging left the enemy’s frontline troops completely shattered, and within moments, they had struck down dozens.
Bad news, a gap appeared on the right-wing defense line, as the Gaul Warriors had overcharged, pulling away from the second echelon, the British Imperial Guard, fully exposing the flank archer units. The Huns’ mounted archers seized the moment, preparing to take out these overextended soldiers with a wave, further devastating the British archers inside.
Because of the Gaul Warriors’ battle cries, the entire battlefield was filled with their frenzied roar for a time. This chain reaction not only excited their own side but also the enemy units, with the Huns’ heavy infantry and East Goth heavy axe-men entering a reckless state, marked as "charging on their own accord."
Suddenly, the entire northwest was in chaos!
Although the Gaul Warriors lacked strong discipline, they excelled at dragging enemies into chaotic melee, ultimately relying on their practiced chaotic combat techniques to defeat the enemy.
As long as you charge recklessly like us, we’ll be on an even playing field.
They couldn’t improve their own discipline, but they could lower the enemy’s. The adrenaline-inducing battle cries directly caused nearby Barbarian Race soldiers on both sides to lose their heads.
In an instant, Duncan and Charagan simultaneously cursed.
The Gaul Warriors overextended, exposing the second echelon, the British Imperial Guard, as reserves, also putting the British Auxiliary Archers right in front of the enemy cavalry. If they took a frontal charge, the British Imperial Guard couldn’t hold, and the right wing could plunge into a significant disadvantage.
However, the enemy wasn’t much better off. The East Goth heavy axemen, another Barbarian force, began charging with battle cries, turning the right wing into a chaotic melee. Since they were the aggressors, their exposed weaknesses became more apparent, causing the entire right wing to become disconnected and presenting a significant strategic gap. If intercepted, the entire frontline troops would face a massive rout!
With just a roar, the right wing immediately became the decisive area for the entire battlefield’s outcome.
Duncan now faced a decision.
If he played it conservatively, he would support the right-wing defense, push back the Huns’ elite cavalry, and protect the British archers, letting the British Imperial Guard hold on, regroup the forces, and break the enemy’s first wave of attacks.
This is a strategy for a minor victory.
Because the enemy could still regroup the fleeing troops, a second wave would follow quickly.
The aggressive approach was straightforward.
Duncan completely ignored the right-wing, ordered the British Imperial Guard to hold on, and personally led the cavalry to break through. Although the Gaul Warriors were reckless, they indeed shattered the enemy’s frontline. If Duncan then pierced through, they could entirely destroy the Huns’ East Goth elite axemen.
At that time, no matter how many infantry the enemy had, the main battle army capable of fighting would have been annihilated.
Once the main battle forces were wiped out, the remaining troops would quickly fall apart.
——Gaul Warrior Battle Group (One Star) (High Morale) (Crush the Enemy) (From a Commanding Position) (Reckless Charge) (Panting) (We’re Going to Win)!
This reckless bunch didn’t even realize they had overextended.
They fought wildly in every direction!
They were battling the besieging enemies back and forth, dragging the entire right-wing battle line off course, whether it was their own or the enemy’s side, even causing individual combat units to show a "headhunting" special mark.
At this moment, Duncan completely followed his intuition. Logically, supporting the right wing was safer, but he now wanted to seize the opportunity to crush the enemy’s main infantry force.
The Gaul Warrior Battle Group bore so many positive statuses; they could withstand at least two or three more waves of attack.
No worry for discipline, Gaul Warriors and Oathsworn Warriors had top-tier morale!
Chaotic battle—it’s what they excelled at.
The pounding of hoofbeats resounded as Duncan led the general’s guard and cavalry units straight toward the enemy’s right-wing flank from behind, utterly exposing his own weaknesses and caring not, betting on mutual backstabs to see who first collapses the enemy’s army.
Now it was Charagan’s turn to find himself in a predicament!
Originally, he held the initiative, whether attacking the enemy’s right wing or wiping out the Gaul Warrior Battle Group; everything flowed smoothly.
But now with Duncan charging, Charagan found himself in a dilemma.
——The die has been cast!
The General’s Guard led by Duncan was like a scorching iron hammer striking down, and once it hit the battlefield, it could smash the Huns’ vassal army to pieces. The only ones who could stop Duncan’s charge were Charagan and his personal guard. He could rescue those vassal armies, but that would mean losing the opportunity to break through the enemy’s right wing.
Rescuing the vassal army could mean a minor victory, slowly wearing the enemy down.
Attacking the right wing could mean a major victory, directly crushing the enemy’s main forces.
Charagan was ruthless too!
At this moment, like Duncan, he chose to follow his instincts, directly leading the Huns’ elite riders to charge at the flaw in the right flank’s defenses. If this assault succeeded, the enemy’s central army would collapse with it, leading to the Huns’ cavalry engaging in their specialty: pursuit and extermination.
They could completely annihilate them this way!
At this moment, the battlefield was like two starving wolves tearing at each other; you bite yours, I bite mine, with entrails and intestines spilling, just to see who would collapse from exhaustion first.
Duncan had absolute confidence in his martial strength.
While Charagan believed that his elite riders could easily crush these second-rate troops comparable to the Empire’s Border Defense Army.
His intuition wasn’t wrong. Indeed, the British Imperial Guard was a replica of the Empire’s Border Defense Army, a second or third-rate combat unit. However, he overlooked one thing: the incredible morale of the British Imperial Guard led by Duncan!
Duncan, like a warrior capable of challenging a thousand, wielded the Sword of Oath and Victory, and where it reached, heads rolled, limbs flew, shields split, blades severed, and no one could stop him, ten thousand warriors were no match!
This was only the first collision.
In one wave of assault, Duncan slew over ten men, and the subsequent forces of the General’s Guard expanded the outcomes, killing dozens, completely shattering the morale of two Gepid hundred-man squads.
——East Goths elite heavy infantry (one-star) (gasping for breath) (encountering strong enemy) (frightened) (ghost god) (wavering morale)!
A black Dragon Head Banner fluttered among the chaotic troops.
"It’s the Dragon Banner! The General is here!"
The Gaul Warriors, already gasping for air and caught in a chaotic battle, roared fiercely; despite being ’tired’, they launched a charge, slashing the Gepids in front of them.
The cavalry led by Duncan seemed like a hot knife through butter, with the frontline vanguard riders easily splitting the enemy into two, then turning their steeds to encircle the East Goths heavy infantry. Duncan broke through the formation directly, the Sword of Oath and Victory gleaming coldly as it slew a two-star marked East Goths elite axeman. Soon the enemy bore the marks ’commander slain’ and ’command disarray’.
On the other side of the battlefield, Charagan’s face changed rapidly.
The enemy charged too fiercely and too fast!
At this moment, Duncan pushed his personal martial prowess to the limit, in a wave of assault continuously crushing seven or eight hundred men, turning his steed to encircle the East Goths elite axemen, causing the Huns’ main infantry to crumble in defeat, their morale shaken.
His army’s charge was practically unstoppable!
Behind him, the elite heavy cavalry of the General’s Guard stormed through the battlefield like bulldozers, crushing the enemy’s defenses one by one.
"Why aren’t these Border Defense Army troops breaking?!"
"Even the archers dare to draw weapons to engage us in close combat?!"
Were they throwing their lives away?
Charagan, after all his years of warfare, had never seen archers, when confronted by a cavalry unit in close quarters, refusing to flee and instead drawing weapons, taking up shields and spears left by fallen comrades, to counterattack the fully armed cavalry unit.
At this moment, although the British Imperial Guard suffered heavy casualties, they did not flee. Instead, they formed a dense formation, using long and short spears to withstand the Huns’ cavalry’s onslaught.
The entire right flank of the battlefield was piled high with bodies. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs NoveI(F)ire.net
Without any defenses, without any trenches, the British Imperial Guard had literally used their flesh and blood to withstand a strong assault from Charagan’s personal guard cavalry. This was practically life for life, and not even the most elite Empire’s Eagle Banner field army had such astonishing morale.
——British Imperial Guard (suffering heavy casualties) (high morale) (fight to the death) (the gods promised us a grand victory)[Odin’s Gaze]!
This was a miracle of the Middle Ages.
As a replica of the low-budget Border Defense Army, the British Imperial Guard literally held off the Huns’ most elite cavalry unit. In the sky above the battlefield, a Valkyrie with a bird-winged golden helmet appeared. Accompanied by two Valkyries with bird-winged silver helmets, she silently watched the British Imperial Guard fighting to the death below.
In the moment of a death battle, they did not retreat a step!
Lord Duncan had said, the gods promised us a thrilling grand victory!!!
At this moment, the power of a mortal’s belief gathered.
These British Imperial Guard troops, looked down upon by the Saxons as weak and incompetent, fought with astonishing resolve to the last moment, with entire hundred-man squads dying in formation (completely annihilated). This caused the three Valkyries to hover above and even drew the legendary Odin’s Gaze.
Strength was not the only standard for entering the Heroic Spirit Hall.