Chapter 51: 051 Breaking the Formation (Part 1)_1
Translator: 549690339
The North Wind howled as the snow once again began to sprinkle down on the expansive Sky Ice Plain.
However, not even the heaviest of snowfall could interfere with the continuation of this battle.
Nine days had passed since the Dark Cavalry caught up with, and began relentlessly harassing, the main force of the Troll Army, forming a peripheral attack on this “turtle shell”.
For nine solid days, the fifty thousand-strong Dark Cavalry had been divided into three groups, taking turns to assail the Troll Army with guerrilla tactics.
During these nine days, the Troll Army had only managed to advance less than fifty kilometers.
With this tortoise-like pace, it was uncertain when this Troll Army would be able to return to their Residential Area located in the northern half of the Sky Ice Plain.
Moreover, along this short fifty-kilometer trek, they have already left behind over thirty thousand corpses of the trolls.
Perhaps this casualty number might not seem significant for an army of over two hundred thousand, it didn’t seem to be a crippling loss.
But the prospect of not seeing hope of escape exerted a strangulating pressure on the fragile nerves of the Troll warriors, constantly shoving them to the precipice of collapse.
And the army formation of the Troll Army began to leak more and more flaws under the relentless raids.
Despite this, the Dark Cavalry had still not launched an all-out attack.
They were like a seasoned, cruel hunter, constantly marking tiny cuts on their prize prey, watching as it bled, struggled, and gradually weakened…
Marquis Garcia was very patient.
So was Colin.
In fact, Colin even hoped that the Trolls could hold on a little longer.
Because following Marquis Garcia in this period, he had truly come to learn a great deal about cavalry warfare.
These things could not be learned from military texts, or from examples in historical fiction.
Nor could it be matched by the military education of the Angler family.
In Colin’s memory, the family’s military education was almost entirely about infantry combat.
There was no choice, the Angler family simply couldn’t afford a cavalry.
But now, after witnessing the terrifying power of the Dark Cavalry, Colin could hardly contain his desire to raise his own cavalry force, even if he had to sell his pots and pans to do it.
Once this thought formed, it took deep root in Colin’s mind and would not leave him.
And to better experience the way of cavalry combat, with the permission of Marquis Garcia, Colin personally participated in several harassments by the Dark Cavalry.
Although he didn’t keep a detailed count, Colin estimated that he had killed about thirty to forty Troll soldiers himself.
He didn’t care about this small military accomplishment, after all, Marquis Garcia was not his lord, and no matter how he performed, he couldn’t receive any nobility from Marquis Garcia.
However, Colin felt that what he was learning from Marquis Garcia was far more valuable than money, territory, or even nobility.
He didn’t even understand why the Marquis was treating him with such favor.
But Colin didn’t waste a moment of this invaluable learning opportunity.
“My Lord Marquis, during harassment operations, could each of the cavalry units be slightly bigger?”
Seizing the opportunity, Colin began his inquiry.
The Marquis Garcia was already accustomed to this: “The key to determining the size of a cavalry unit lies in striking a balance between mobility and attack power.
If the size of the cavalry squad is too small, while their mobility may be extremely good, their attack power would be lacking.
However, sending out too much cavalry is also not ideal.
Once a cavalry exceeds ten thousand, the commander needs extra caution. Orders cannot be too complex, and changes must be minimized. Because if orders are changed on the spot, chaos will ensue.
Therefore, a cavalry unit is generally controlled within a scale between one thousand and three thousand, a balance between mobility and attack power is fairly achieved within this range.
“As for how to deploy, it depends on the objectives of the battle, the state of the enemy, and other factors to make on-the-spot decisions.”
Colin listened and nodded repeatedly.
It was now almost noon, and the warriors of the Dark Cavalry who had gone out to harass the enemy in the morning were gradually returning to camp.
But Colin still sensed that the half-day harassment operation in the morning ended a bit prematurely.
He hadn’t paid much attention to it. After all, after days of continuous combat, even the iron-hardened warriors of the Dark Cavalry couldn’t possibly not show signs of fatigue.
However, the increasingly solemn atmosphere in the camp eventually indicated something to Colin.
Having quickly gulped down some food for form’s sake, and having taken a drink of fresh blood to recover his strength, Colin made his way to the tent of Marquis Garcia.
The guards outside the tent didn’t stop him; they were already quite familiar with the son of the Baron who was well regarded by Marquis Garcia.
“Marquis, are we preparing for the decisive battle?” Colin asked with excitement upon seeing Marquis Garcia, assisted by his attendants, putting on his armor.
Marquis Garcia gave a slight smile, “Yes, it’s about time.”
With that, he stepped out of the tent.
Colin hastily followed.
Outside the tent, the warriors of the Dark Cavalry were beginning their pre -battle preparation.
What’s more, Colin noticed that the warriors who had participated in the morning’s harassment were also undergoing preparations.
In addition, the three thousand Heavy Armoured Cavalry who had not been involved in the harassment operations before were finally armored and ready to go.
These fully armored Heavy Cavaliers, looking like iron beasts, emitted a terrifying and intimidating aura, as well as an ultimate desire for bloodshed.
They had been waiting for too long, and they were already extremely eager! There has always been controversy about the Heavy Armoured Cavalry because both its advantages and disadvantages stand out.
Expensive, heavy, limited application… but these disadvantages cannot overshadow the most significant advantage of the Heavy Armoured Cavalry— its extremely terrifying attacking power!
Therefore, the Heavy Armoured Cavalry is the best weapon for breaking through an infantry formation.
At this decisive moment, Marquis Garcia finally brought out the ace in the hole of the Dark Cavalry- the three thousand Heavy Cavalrymen!
However, much to Colin’s surprise, in addition to his excitement, Marquis Garcia had also put on full armor, took a lance in hand, and placed himself at the very front of the Heavy Cavalry formation. “Are you… are you going to lead the charge yourself?”
“Of course.
The casual manner of Marquis Garcia left Colin somewhat taken aback. He simply couldn’t understand why Marquis Garcia, as the highest commander of the Dark Cavalry, would put himself in such a risky position.
You have to remember, the terrifying mortality rate of the Heavy Armoured Cavalry who break through an infantry formation is something you cannot ignore because of their terrifying attacking power.
Earl Dawson, standing by their side, said to Colin with a smile, “Every time the
Heavy Armoured Cavalry is dispatched, it is led by the Marquis himself.”
As Colin stood there, too shocked to speak, Marquis Garcia suddenly asked with a smile, “Knight Colin, do you dare to charge with me?”
“Of course!” Colin replied without hesitation, “It’s my honor!”
“Excellent!” Marquis Garcia laughed heartily, “Then, you shall carry my flag for me!”
“Yes!” Colin stepped forward to receive the heavy Black Lion Flag.
The flag bearer who handed over the flag slapped Colin hard on the chest. The force of his blow led Colin to suspect that the man was probably jealous.
The distant sound of the horn arose once more.
The slaughter began!