The Vanguard Knights were the elite among the Pistol Cavalry. Known as Imperial Dragon Cavalry, they led the Pistol Cavalry, riding horses with flamboyant mustaches, dressed in brightly colored clothes and stylish hats, erging from behind the Imperial Array.
There was only one chance, as the Pistol Cavalry would not have another opportunity to reload in front of the Brittania Knights. Therefore, as soon as the Pistol Cavalry slightly approached the Brittania Army, the leading Vanguard Knight officer imdiately shouted, "Prepare! Fire!"
"Open fire!" Masses of Pistol Cavalry and Vanguard Knights raised their muskets, and in the dim light of dawn, the battlefield resounded with thunderous volleys.
"Bang! Bang!" Although it was only a single volley, it achieved unimaginable effectiveness. Over a hundred Brittania Ranger Knights in the second line fell instantly. The dense barrage from the flank caught the unprepared Brittania Ranger Knights by surprise, causing heavy losses. Many of their mounts were hit by lead bullets and captured on the spot after falling.
(The army wouldn't kill the dismounted knights; to soldiers, these are living gold coin exchanges.)
The Pistol Cavalry and Vanguard Knights fired and retreated, quickly disappearing behind the Imperial Array.
"For the Empire! For Charlemagne! Hold the line!" Umberto Prince-Elector shouted angrily, the Prince-Elector's Holy Sword "Mother of Destruction" glowing in the early darkness, invigorating the morale of the Imperial soldiers, who struggled to hold the knights back before the second line.
"Fight! Eliminate the knights across the mountain! Victory belongs to the Empire! For Charlemagne!" The Great Swordsn, under Umberto Prince-Elector's command, entered the battlefield. Simultaneously, behind the battle formation, the Cannon Brigade and Hellstorm Rocket Artillery Brigade finally found a shooting opportunity.
The cannons roared, plowing deep furrows through the Brittania Army.
The Hellstorm Rocket Cannon, made up of vehicles and single-barrel rockets mounted on fras, contained a large amount of Black Powder in their warheads. After precise engineering by Imperial Engineering Masters, the rockets, with their added tail fins and firing assembly, were mounted on large carriages.
"Prepare! Fire!" Herman, an Imperial Engineering Master from the Nuer Gunpowder Academy, raised his hand: "Launch!"
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~" Seven or eight rockets soared into the sky, creating a magnificent fireworks display over Hemgart's sky before falling into the advancing Brittania forces.
The devastating explosive shockwaves swept through the Brittania array, along with ground-shaking rumblings, obliterating all enemies. Many peasant infantry corps were killed on the spot under the Hellstorm Rocket bombardnt.
The morale of the Brittania's peasant infantry began to falter. Many serfs scread and retreated, and clusters of Ranger Knights started to show signs of defeat, attempting to regroup.
However, the poor accuracy of the Hellstorm Rocket Cannon also yielded adverse effects. Despite the engineers' efforts to calibrate them, two rockets landed within the Imperial array.
The explosions jumbled the Imperial troops, causing great casualties to the Imperial Great Swordsn, who were directing the defense. The formation wavered.
Located in the central army, Casvan finally seized this opportunity.
Upon entering the battlefield, Casvan noticed that the Empire's elite Half-Griffin Knights, Rick Guards, and the Emperor himself were absent from the Imperial array.
Evidently, Emperor Carl Franz could not have fled, aning he must have temporarily left with the elite, possibly planning to flank his army in a rear attack. Casvan trusted that in such a significant battle under Doomsday Mountain, the Emperor was aware; hence, he had to decisively defeat Umberto Prince-Elector and the Imperial Army before Carl Franz and his elite returned!
Casvan turned calmly: "Karnel!"
"Yes!" Count Karnel, the Duke's deputy, nodded, raising his cavalry lance, "Knights! In the na of the Lady, we fight across the Empire. In the na of the Lady, we battled to this point; now, let us deliver the Empire its fatal blow!"
Three hundred Kingdom Knights and forty Pegasus Knights responded loudly, "For the Lady! For Brittania!"
This was the most elite force in Casvan's army. The Duke had kept this force in reserve, and now, the Kingdom Knights were to crush all enemies in the na of the Goddess!
"Advance!!"
The cavalry lance array ford by the Kingdom Knights swept through the plains like a stormy torrent. They beca a whirlwind of death, the crown-adorned, beautifully clad Kingdom Knights were sparing with words, but their impactful charge utterly defeated the resisting Imperial Army.
The storm ford by the Kingdom Knights engulfed the second line of the Imperial Army, even the long halberd arrays couldn't withstand the group charge of the Kingdom Knights. Count Karnel pinpointed a weak spot in the Imperial Army's recently disrupted lines and led the charge, his cavalry lance piercing through an Imperial Captain.
The prowess of the Brittania Kingdom Knights instantaneously tipped the scales of the battle.
Count Karnel drew his sharp sword from his waist and cleaved an Imperial Great Swordsman in half with one strike. Following this, the steel-ford torrent swept across the battlefield, Pegasus Knights skimd low, lifting Imperial soldiers, and crushed them to pieces.
The second line of the Imperial Army began to collapse under the group charge of the Kingdom Knights. Umberto Prince-Elector and his Prince-Elector's Personal Guard—Golden Fleece Knights and the Great Swordsn Legion, finally appeared before the Brittania people, with the Prince-Elector ordering the Great Swordsn Legion into the battlefield to tenuously stabilize the situation.
At this point, daylight started breaking fully, transitioning from dawn to morning. In the cold weather, the Imperial Army continued its fierce battle against the Brittania forces. Every attempt to reorganize formations had failed, leaving the battlefield under a haze of ongoing chaos.
Casvan understood that strategically, his army currently had a slight advantage, relying on the knights' nurical superiority and their grouped charge to push the Imperial Army into a montary disadvantage.
Yes, only montarily. Casvan knew his army might look slightly superior, but peasant infantry and soldiers had begun showing signs of fatigue. Ranger Knights got embroiled in scuffles with the Imperial troops post-charge. The quantity of Kingdom Knights was too sparse, making it quite difficult to reach Umberto Prince-Elector in the forefront.
Casvan knew he couldn't place his hopes on the peasant infantry and soldiers, for Brittania's infantry quality was no match for the Imperial Army. Current persistence was due to the knights' group charge causing instability in the Imperial ranks. Once Emperor Carl Franz returned with the knights, he would undoubtedly face defeat.
The Duke of Paragon was aware but hesitated; besides a thousand-man infantry corps held back to guard against the Emperor's potential flanking maneuver, he had two hundred Ranger Knights at his disposal. Committing them entirely would be a huge gamble—betting that he could rout Umberto and his Golden Fleece Knights before the Emperor's return. However, Umberto Prince-Elector was a Holy Sanctuary Powerhouse who had endured the Great Holy War, and Casvan knew his strength paled in comparison to him, making this gamble risky.
The Duke of Paragon was hesitating. anwhile, Umberto Corleone, Toscan Prince-Elector, remained completely serene. The Prince-Elector, with his full beard, nodded, "Though it's not exactly as imagined, Casvan made the first move, and Carl Franz's aim is clear."
"Now it's ti to show the Brittania Knights the might of our Empire." With a grand hand gesture, Umberto signaled, and five Giant Beasts made of steel finally bared their fangs from within the central army. Their massive forms, driven by compressed steam from roaring boilers, rolled forward on giant wheels, belching columns of steam as they moved into battle.
The Empire finally revealed its trump card in this war.
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