Chapter 522: The Tide Turns
TL: Rui88
“General Fedotov!”
The messenger’s horse reared up its hooves high in front of Fedotov, almost failing to stop itself.
The man on its back practically tumbled off.
“What happened?”
Fedotov’s ominous premonition grew stronger and stronger.
“Our cavalry… our cavalry…”
The messenger’s voice was choked with sobs.
“Speak!” The muscles on Harper’s face twisted as he grabbed the messenger’s clothes with both hands. The shadow of his last defeat once again enveloped his heart.
“Our cavalry is finished.”The cavalry? Most of the Crusader Army’s cavalry had been hidden behind a series of earthen mounds. According to the pre-battle plan, this main cavalry force was to act as the reserve. If the Crusader’s frontal troops fought well, the cavalry would strike when the Etonians retreated, shattering their last line of psychological defence and turning their withdrawal into a rout. If the Crusader’s frontal troops were not faring well, they were to use the cover of the terrain to circle around to the flank and rear of the Etonian formation to harass them.
As the army’s commander, Fedotov forced his mind to calm down. He asked the messenger, “Don’t panic. Tell me exactly what happened.”
The messenger recounted the situation. “We were waiting quietly behind the mounds for your orders. Suddenly, bright flashes of fire erupted in the crowd, and not just fire, but also terrifying noises. The fire and noise didn’t cause much harm to our knights; only a few unlucky ones were burned. But for our warhorses, it was a disaster. The poor animals had never seen such a spectacle. Their coats are also very flammable. The warhorses were terrified and no longer obeyed their masters’ control, running wildly behind the mounds.”
The messenger recalled the scene with lingering fear. “So many powerful warhorses, trampling wantonly through the crowd. Many warriors were trampled into meat paste on the spot.”
“Ah!” Fedotov covered his face in anguish. “And then? Was the situation brought under control?”
“Through everyone’s efforts, the horses’ agitation calmed down a little, but they still weren’t very obedient. We were trying our best to soothe them. Just then, a group of people charged towards us. Some were on horseback, some on foot, and they didn’t seem to be in any formation. We thought it was a small detachment of Etonians and immediately organized men to resist their attack. But at that very moment, the strange flashes of fire and noise appeared again. The mounts panicked once more, and we were attacked by them in a state of extreme chaos.”
“And then… and then…” the messenger stammered, “we… we were cut down and scattered by them. I rode desperately to report to you.”
“Damn it, how many men were in that force?”
“It was shrouded in smoke at the time, so I couldn’t judge precisely, but I estimate there were over five hundred men.”
“Over five hundred men? You were wiped out by just over five hundred men?” Fedotov was furious.
“The situation was too chaotic, and the men leading that force were like demons from hell. Our swords couldn’t harm them at all, especially their leader. He was swinging a great iron chain, and every swing reaped a great swathe of lives.”
The messenger described this with a look of terror on his face.
“The demon swinging an iron chain?” Harper’s body twitched. He recalled his own terrible defeat before. Back then, it was also that chain demon who had led the charge into his own ranks, slaughtering his soldiers like chopping vegetables.
“General?”
Harper looked to his superior, Fedotov, hoping for further instructions.
Fedotov’s mind was in turmoil. Should he withdraw the infantry currently engaged in combat to rescue his cavalry? They were an extremely valuable force. In every battle, Fedotov was reluctant to let the cavalry lead the charge, instead using the infantry as cannon fodder to wear down the enemy’s strength before sending in the cavalry to deliver the decisive blow. This time was no different, but he had never expected the cavalry, waiting in the rear, to be the first to face a crisis. Not to mention the combat strength of this cavalry force, its members were also mostly knights and the sons of nobles. If they were lost under his command, he would definitely face dire consequences when he returned.
But what would be the consequences of withdrawing the infantry, who were locked in a stalemate with the enemy? What if some fool misinterpreted his order and shouted, “The Crusader Army is defeated”? Wouldn’t it all be over then?
He looked towards the earthen mounds that had previously concealed the cavalry. A faint smoke was now drifting from there. “Relay my orders!” Fedotov roared. “Urge the troops at the front to fight with all their might! If the battle can be finished within half an hour, everyone will be rewarded with 10 gold coins… No! A reward of 50!”
“Harper! You will take some men immediately and rally the cavalry!” Flames of fury shot from Fedotov’s eyes, searing his subordinate. Harper’s fear of him surpassed his fear of the chain demon. He shuddered and then roared, “Yes, General!”
“All remaining men!” Fedotov turned his horse around and quickly scanned his surroundings. He still had about six or seven hundred men with him. “Guard against a possible sneak attack from the Etonians!”
He now pinned his hopes on quickly ending the current battle and then sending his main infantry force to deal with that strange enemy unit.
The order of a 50-gold-coin reward was relayed to the infantry in the midst of battle. The effect was just as Fedotov had hoped: morale soared, and the soldiers swung their weapons with even greater vigour.
What he had not anticipated, however, was that the Etonian army, which had been steadily retreating, also reversed its decline, and its morale was restored.
“Damn it, do they know what happened to our cavalry? Curses!”
Fedotov cursed loudly.
With the shing of a blade being drawn, Fedotov unsheathed his own sword.
“Men!” he roared at the subordinates around him. “This is the most critical moment! This battle will decide the success or failure of our expedition. Whether we return as heroes to enjoy the glory of victory, or as a defeated army to bear the shame of failure, it all comes down to this moment. I order all of you to follow me closely and charge the Etonians! Do you see that man in the white helmet and armour? That is the Grand Duke of Eton! He is the primary target of our attack! Whoever captures or kills him, I will personally report it to His Majesty the King and the Archbishop. Titles, wealth, beautiful women…you can have as much as you want!”
After this rousing speech, Fedotov raised his sword high. “Now I command you…charge!”
He squeezed his mount’s belly hard with his legs, and horse and rider shot forward like an arrow from a bowstring.
The men who had remained in the rear with him all had their own mounts, and they too followed Fedotov, charging towards the Etonian army.
Fedotov, leading the charge, did not notice a unit appear from behind the mounds where he had previously hidden his cavalry, stealthily moving towards them along their charge path.
And above the fighting Etonian infantry, a terrifying ball of heat was gathering.