I will be crowned king

On July 6, one hundred and two years in the Saint's Calendar, the Jialan Legion stationed at the Red Moon Town Fortress finally set off for the battlefield of Junqi Mountain under Fernando's constant urging.

Even though he had reached an agreement with Anson, Sir Garland still did not dare to be careless. The entire army was led by two light infantry regiments and two cavalry regiments, and four elite line infantry regiments held the battle line. They could not advance until the front line was inspected and the camp must be set up. They chose a high ground near the water source with a wide view; they kept in communication with the Red Moon Town Fortress during the march, always maintaining a fixed rhythm, marching neither fast nor slow, and it didn't look like they were running out of time to put out a fire.

With such caution, whether Anson attacks the fortress midway or the main force of the Garland Army on the march, the other side will immediately notice it and have enough room to make adjustments to deal the most ruthless blow to the enemy who "does not abide by the agreement".

As a person who was in charge of the rear and was so trusted by Fernando that he could even hand over the retreat, Sir Garland had even more intelligence than Fernando, the commander-in-chief; he was confident that someone could assemble the troops immediately. There will definitely be no more than 5,000 men, and they lack heavy weapons.

Just like the difference between skirmishers and line soldiers, this tactic of dispersing large troops into small groups to advance quickly did allow the Ranger Corps to complete the penetration of the Red Moon Province with astonishing efficiency, completing the task with almost equal force. It was a pioneering feat to divide and surround the 60,000-strong imperial army with a slightly smaller force.

The price is that communication between various combat units is difficult, and it is difficult to regroup quickly. They are scattered everywhere, making overall planning very difficult. The complete combat system has also been completely dismantled, and it cannot be scaled up at all.

Of course, there is no solution, which is to plan the core combat units in each area before starting, and be responsible for different combat tasks. By decentralizing command authority, the problem of combat efficiency can be greatly improved.

Anson Bach, obviously he did this; it was also because of this that Sir Garland was able to insist that the number of troops in his hands would never exceed five thousand - this was to eliminate all the Rangers who were going to surround and suppress the main force of Fernando's army. After that, he could muster the largest force he could muster.

Five thousand men, and no heavy artillery fire... It is obviously not enough to storm the fortress. The only option left for Anson is a sneak attack, and it must be a sneak attack before the Jialan Army reaches the battlefield of Junqi Mountain.

Judging from the intelligence from two days ago, someone has obviously given up completely... The Clovis army, which has a size of about 3,000 people, has been lingering around Red Moon Town. Garland speculated that Anson Bach was probably waiting for him. Fulfill the agreement.

Well, unless he can cross the Red Moon Road that took him two days to pass in half a day without arousing his vigilance at all.

Obviously, this is absolutely impossible... As the most experienced commander of the Fernando Legion, Sir Garland has this confidence.

"Bang-!!!! Bang-! Bang-!!!!"

Scattered gunfire sounded in the wilderness. The Garland Army, which officially arrived at the battlefield of Flag Mountain on July 9, officially launched an attack on the 4,000 Clovis troops blocking the road down the hillside.

With full preparations, Sir Garland divided the 9,000-man army into three in advance and deployed eight infantry regiments in front to attack the Clovis defense line. The other 3,000 men detoured to the hills on the side and tried to sneak attack the opposite defense line. 's flanks.

The remaining 3,000 people were stationed on a high ground, guarding a small number of artillery and command posts overlooking the entire battlefield. When the battle situation turned or changed, they would consider whether to wait and see the changes or join the battle and deliver the final fatal blow.

This is naturally the plan that Sir Garland made after careful observation: the terrain of the Red Moon Trunk Road is not actually narrow, or it actually refers to just a flat, artificially constructed road, not similar to Shannan and Shanbei Avenues. Such a passage forcibly divided by mountains and forests leaves almost no room for detours.

Viewed from above, the entire road runs through the hilly areas of the Red Moon Province. The forests are generally small and can only be called jungles. As long as you occupy a highland, you can observe most of the surrounding areas. area.

On the contrary, surrounding enemies can easily observe enemies occupying high ground.

"So do you understand why I insist on setting up the formation here?"

Sir Garland, who was on the high ground, held up a monocular telescope and looked at the battlefield where the fire was taking place, surrounded by a group of staff officers and knights. His face was filled with infinite pride: "The reason is complicated, but the explanation is simple - if If our Lord Anson Bach fails to abide by the agreement, he will be immediately exposed to the sight of our army, with no way to hide."

"Some people may accuse me of being timid and too conservative in my style, but what I want to say is that those people are not real commanders at all; they are either self-righteous lunatics who think that one person can turn the tide of the war, or they are simply stupid. A fool who doesn’t understand what war is, is full of muscles, and only knows how to squander the lives of soldiers and the empire’s money.”

"No matter what time of war... the side that is more prepared and more cautious will always gain more advantages; whether it is bold tactics or unexpected strategies, they are just fancy additions. Only by fighting steadily and never taking risks can the victory be achieved. It is the foundation of invincibility!”

A resounding comment, or insignificant nonsense, caused the officers and staff present to applaud and applaud, saying that Sir Garland was worthy of being a pillar of the empire. Such insight was simply enlightening and refreshing.

Of course, it doesn't matter to them what their boss says nonsense. What matters is that under the command of a legion commander like Sir Gloria who is particularly good at protecting himself, the battlefield survival rate is not generally high.

Time gradually passed, and the battle started at 7:30 in the morning. By around 10:30, the Clovis defense line had begun to waver. The besieged Fernando Army soon noticed the fighting here, but they did not They did not immediately invest troops, but still maintained the blockade of Junqi Mountain, and at the same time slowly assembled their troops in the direction of Hongyue Trunk Road.

Fernando, who had urged the Garland Army to leave over and over before, suddenly seemed to be no longer in a hurry. He did not plan to join the reinforcements immediately. He fully planned to wait until the battle situation became clear before making any plans.

Faced with such a boss, Sir Gloria had no choice but to curse fiercely in his heart, so he did not show much concern for the task of rescuing the siege - anyway, as long as he defeated the Clovis army on the opposite side, why? Need to be in a hurry?

With this idea in mind, the Gloria Army, which also had a calm mind, also maintained a leisurely pace; at three o'clock in the afternoon, the Clovis army, which was attacked in the back, finally gradually gained a foothold, and the golden fleur-de-lis flag never appeared. Can open the gap from the front.

During this period, Carl Bain at the Flag Mountain camp also took the opportunity to contact the reinforcements besieging the south and north of the mountain, and launched a feint attack against Fernando's army; however, Fernando was not fooled and sent hussars to drive away the line infantry regiments that were tentatively attacking.

"Long live the Empire!!!!"

The heart-shaking shouts penetrated the smoke, and with the thunderous gunshots, they attacked the Clovis soldiers behind the defense line; waving golden fleur-de-lis flags, the tight phalanx with messy steps continued to beat and hit. The makeshift defense line had long since collapsed, leaving only temporary bunkers such as sandbags and foxholes to protect the Rangers.

Despite this, the Garland Legion's attack was still not going smoothly.

Shouting slogans and forming company units to attack the phalanx, the Garland Legion attempted to crush the defense line with bayonet charges, but the Ranger Legion was better at this than they were - grabbing the enemy who was less than eighty meters away. In the distance, the Clovis soldiers hiding behind the bunker suddenly concentrated their fire, then howled and picked up their rifles and rushed towards the enemy lying in a pool of blood. They rushed head-on into the enemy's messy firing muzzle without fear.

Both sides did not hesitate to regard lead bullets as the "opening" of bayonet battles, and ordered the firing distance never to exceed 100 meters; this seemingly rigid and even "preserving ammunition" tactic was actually the The most common dismissal between Clovis and the Empire; "armies" like the Storm Legion that place a special emphasis on shooting and fire at a distance of one or two hundred meters are truly rare exceptions.

Bayonet fighting is a victory of morale. Only the army that dares to face sacrifice and death can win. The imperial army often relies on the knights to fight bravely and stabilize the soldiers at the bottom to achieve the suppression of Clovis.

However, perhaps Sir Gloria did not intend to defeat the opponent in one go, and the subjective initiative of the imperial soldiers in fighting was also quite conservative; every time they achieved some results, they began to stabilize their position, allowing the Clovis soldiers to gain a breathing space. They were able to push back; the two sides were constantly pulling, entangled and intertwined with the smoke and corpses everywhere.

At the same time, another army of about 3,000 people had moved to the side of the Hongyue Trunk Road and began to shift from forced march to assembly, preparing to launch an attack from the flank.

"Very good, that's it." Sir Gloria on the high ground nodded slightly while observing the battlefield: "It seems that Lord Fernando can sit back and relax. The battle will be over before evening; the elite legion of 20,000 people is enough to stop the enemy. The Lowi people can move forward unimpeded as long as they counterattack."

Of course, this is not necessarily the case for the remaining legions... He murmured to himself in his heart that even if Anson Bach fulfilled his agreement, it would be extremely difficult to completely withdraw so many troops from the Red Moon Province.

In this regard, Sir Garland also had to admit that Anson Bach's "skirmishing line tactics" were executed quite perfectly. He used almost the same force to complete the division and encirclement of the 60,000-strong army, achieving a literal victory with a small number of troops. Attack more; the outflanking troops can even appear behind you without anyone noticing, which can only be described as terrifying.

But these are not issues that he should consider. The situation has become like this. The most important task now is to bring as many living forces as possible - such as himself - back home safely, and the rest are left to fend for themselves. Bar.

However, at this moment...

"Well, why is there no movement from the flank direction?"

Looking at the swirling smoke on the battlefield, Sir Garland took out his pocket watch from his jacket pocket with some surprise, and then looked at the other side who was still resisting the Clovis defense line tenaciously, and there was no sign of imminent collapse.

"Is it possible that their actions were discovered?" A staff officer asked tentatively: "After all, there are nearly three thousand people, six infantry regiments. No matter how concealed they are, it is difficult not to leave any traces."

"No, that's not the problem."

Sir Garland's pupils shrank slightly when he suddenly realized something. He pondered for a moment and then decisively ordered: "Notify the troops on the front line to get out of the battle as quickly as possible and move closer to the high ground."

"Obey, obey!" The staff officer did not dare to neglect: "But sir, in that case, the troops on the flanks are likely to..."

"There are no more wings!"

Without waiting for the other party to speak, Sir Gloria, who suddenly looked serious, directly intercepted and said: "It was a wrong decision to let them march from the flanks to attack... The Ring of Order was up, I should have been more cautious at the time, otherwise I wouldn't have Anson Bach can take advantage of this opportunity.”

"Anson Bach?" The staff officer widened his eyes:

"You, you didn't mean that he should be in..."

"Yes, it should be near the Red Moon Town Fortress, but he is at Junqi Mountain now!" Sir Gloria stared at the other side of the hillside. It was already 3:50 in the afternoon, and the sun was setting in the west. Crowe Apart from the lingering smoke, the battlefield flanks of the defense line were just shadows cast by the sun - the light was so strong that the backside of the backlit hills looked pitch black.

Obviously, he still misjudged the other party. The question is how did he do it? There is no doubt that Anson Bach and his five thousand troops can only pass by the Red Moon Road, but they are not aware of it.

"Where are our cavalry?!" Sir Garland suddenly turned around and looked at the startled staff officer: "Immediately organize the cavalry and armed forces to break out, inform Commander Fernando of the information, and say that we have found the enemy's commander-in-chief. , let him come immediately for reinforcements!"

"this……"

"boom--!!!!"

Before the staff officer could figure out how to respond, everyone heard a deafening loud noise behind them, followed closely by continuous gunshots.

"Commander of the Jialan Army, there is an enemy situation on the west side of the highland!" The messenger who ran from the camp held the military flag high and jumped off the horse: "The enemy has destroyed our outer defense line and seems to be heading straight for the command. Come here!"

"That's right, he is really a bold guy... Fortunately, I was prepared." Sir Gloria, with a solemn expression, murmured to himself: "Split the troops in hand into two, destroy the mobile force and attack the headquarters at the same time. Trying to kill the entire legion in one fell swoop...how many people does he have?"

"Uh, almost five hundred people."

"Very good! All combat units listen to my orders and immediately... huh?"

Sir Gloria suddenly realized something in the middle of his words and turned back to look at the panicked messenger:

"Five hundred people?!"