Free Web NovelChapter 68: Chapter 59: You Really Think a Commander Only Knows How to Command?
Henry sent all the Heavy Armor Soldiers under his command to the front, forming a line with the Legion’s own Heavy Armor Soldiers.
The Heavy Armor Infantry, clad in thick, heavy armor and wielding battle-axes and large round shields, formed up in a tight square formation, creating a nearly impassable defensive line.
The Armored Tiger People, Bearmen, and Minotaurs, relying on their natural advantages in size and strength, were the first to charge the Heavy Armor Soldiers.
The square formation of the Heavy Armor Infantry slowly advanced. Their steps were steady and powerful, their shields locked tightly together to form a nearly seamless shield wall.
Meanwhile, the Armored Tiger People and Bearmen charged them with terrifying speed and power. Their eyes glinted with wildness, and the battle-axes and long-handled Wolf Fang Clubs in their hands reflected the cold light of the sun.
The Armored Tiger People, with their agility and speed, tried to bypass the Heavy Armor Infantry’s square formation to find a breakthrough. Unfortunately for them, the vast numbers of the lesser nobles’ Private Armies and serfs were not just for show; there was simply no way to get around them.
The lesser nobles’ Attendants and Personal Guards possessed considerable combat strength. Though the Tiger-men’s charge had inflicted some casualties, a breakthrough? Impossible.
The Bearmen, on the other hand, used their astonishing strength to swing heavy hammers or great-axes. Every blow was powerful enough to shatter a shield or even pierce armor.
The Minotaurs used their massive bodies and powerful momentum to try and smash directly through the square formation. Their battle-axes and warhammers spun in their hands, each swing carrying the force to destroy everything in its path.
The Heavy Armor Infantry did not retreat in the face of these powerful enemies; instead, they drew even closer together. They set their long-handled razors like pikes, forming a forest of blades. Every time a Half-Beastman charged, it was met with the fatal strikes of several weapons.
The commanders of the provisional Heavy Armor Infantry, Philip, Vasco, and the others, who were personally on the front lines, continuously issued commands, adjusting the formation to counter the attacks of the different Half-Beastmen.
The clash of iron weapons, the sound of shields being pierced, the roars of the Warriors, and the bellows of the Half-Beastmen...
Although the armored Half-Beastmen had the advantage in strength, the Heavy Armor Infantry, as the empire’s Standing Legion, had the upper hand in this battle thanks to the discipline forged from years of service.
They used their long-handled razors and shields to block every charge from the heavy-armored Half-Beastmen, gradually weakening the Half-Beastmen’s offensive with precise thrusts and orderly formations.
Eventually, under the steadfast defense and constant counterattacks of the Heavy Armor Infantry, the armored Half-Beastmen began to show signs of fatigue and disorder.
Their attacks were no longer as powerful, their steps no longer as firm. If they lost here, the defeat of the Kobolds and Gnolls would only be a matter of time.
The Heavy Armor Infantry seized the opportunity, launched a counteroffensive, and switched to their battle-axes to hunt them down and slaughter them.
Meanwhile, on a nearby battlefield, Bain, now what one might call a battle-hardened Knight’s Squire, was leading the Heavy Cavalry against the Centaurs.
He was clad in three layers of heavy armor, mounted on his treasured warhorse, and wielded an iron steppe Riding Spear over three meters long, charging forward with a roar.
As he charged, the Heavy Cavalry surged forward like an unstoppable force. Bain’s warhorse, which he groomed daily, seemed to sense its master’s will, its hooves flying as it bravely charged at the very front.
A Centaur, also wielding a long spear, tried to run Bain through, but the understanding between Bain and his warhorse was perfect. He leaned slightly to the side, and the tip of his spear sliced open the Centaur’s chest.
The move was a single fluid motion, no less skillful than that of a Square Banner Knight.
In one charge after another, Bain led the Heavy Cavalry straight for the Fox People and Rabbit People behind the Centaurs. They were like a sharp spear, piercing the heart of the Half-Beastman rear guard.
Henry was very pleased with the bravery and leadership Bain displayed during this charge.
’There are plenty of gluttonous nobles—Boman is one—but you must have the ability to back it up. With enough ability, no one dares to critique your manners.’
Henry glanced at the other deteriorating battlefields, then back at the one before him, continuously issuing orders to change the battle formation.
Once the Heavy Armor Soldiers had gradually gained the upper hand against the Heavy-Armored Minotaurs and Heavy-Armored Tiger People, Henry immediately grabbed his iron Sharp-beaked Warhammer and led the Supervision Team in a charge! This was the final assault!
"Long live Caladia!"
"For the glory of the Bro Clan!"
Henry gripped his warhammer, took a deep breath, and then swung it with astonishing speed and power as he charged into the battlefield with the Supervision Team.
Henry first noticed a Heavy-Armored Tiger-man in front of him. It held a great-axe and came roaring at Henry, swinging.
Henry calmly dodged the axe and brought his warhammer down on the Tiger-man’s shield with a heavy THUD.
The Tiger-man’s shield shattered instantly. The bloodlust in its eyes cleared for a moment, but before it could react, Henry followed up with a blow to its Chest Armor, the impact shattering its heart.
’You really think I stay off the battlefield because I can’t fight?’ frёeωebɳovel.com
As the battle progressed, Henry displayed strength and combat skill that far surpassed that of an ordinary person.
He continuously swung his warhammer, every strike accurately hitting his enemies’ vitals.
Although the Heavy-Armored Tiger People were well-equipped, their defenses seemed to crumble before Henry’s warhammer. He could always use his Sharp-beaked Warhammer to pierce their armor or even smash in half of their faces. freēwēbnovel.com
Seeing this, the surrounding Gnolls tried to use their numerical advantage to surround Henry from all sides.
But Henry was fearless. He picked up a steel sword from the ground—its owner unknown—and sent a Gnoll’s head flying.
The Gnolls’ agility seemed insignificant in the face of Henry’s strength. They couldn’t get close to him, only to be struck down one by one by his warhammer.
When the listless serfs saw the Supervision Team join the battle, their fighting spirit instantly soared. And when they saw the heroic figure of their commander, Henry, they immediately went into a frenzy, charging the Half-Beastmen with their wooden spears.
Fight! If we fight, we can win!
The battle raged for an unknown amount of time. Henry’s warhammer had already killed dozens of Heavy-Armored Tiger People and more than eighty Gnolls. The battlefield was littered with enemy corpses.
Henry’s warhammer was slick with blood, but his gaze remained firm, showing no trace of fatigue.
Right now, he was exhilarated. Perhaps after the battle ended, he would collapse and rest for a whole day.
Fass and Mace, leading their nearly depleted Personal Guards, began moving toward Henry, gathering up leaderless soldiers from fallen officers’ units as they went.
Mace stabbed a Kobold to death and asked while fighting, "Knight Fass, is Lord Henry really that powerful? Does he have any rivals within the empire?"
"Yes. The empire’s population is immense. How could there not be other Warriors with great strength and Endurance?"
As he spoke, Fass, protected by his Personal Guard, ran two Gnolls through with his long spear, skewering them together.
"Then, when I beat the three of you Knights in Odoche, was that..."
"It’s fine. Nobles from the academy basically just throw matches to make money. Before you’re knighted, you’re a commoner, and the arena is about honor. After you’re a knighted noble, people only care about your army and your Dinars."
