nucmednet Chapter 36 Sir, times have changed!
Chapter 36 Sir, times have changed!
Kester sat on the ground, staring blankly ahead. Broken horses, shattered swords, shattered armor, and mangled limbs were scattered as far as he could see. Miraculously, he had only been knocked off his horse and had not suffered any fatal injuries.
In just ten minutes, he witnessed—the end, the end of the knights. He recalled the scene just now, what a terrifying sight it was. The enemy army—the troops led by that prince—didn't even have a single piece of armor; he was certain they didn't. They relied on those weapons—information from scouts indicated they were weapons called "muskets," and their specific combat methods were similar to crossbows; in fact, he also regarded those weapons as crossbows.
But what kind of crossbow could have such power? As the saying goes, three arrows are not as good as one sword. Humans can resist crossbow bolts, let alone the stronger demons.
Before him lay a dead knight, his ribbons supported by fine fabric, his magnificent coat of arms crafted by the finest tailor in Saxony. Kester knew him to be a decorated mercenary knight who had rendered great service to his employer.
But he died just like that. There was a huge hole in his armor, and it was this hole that pierced through his entire body. It was such a small hole that killed a knight. Those knights who didn't wear armor didn't even engage in one-on-one combat with them. They used a weapon called "musket" to kill one excellent knight after another from afar.
Their heavy armor couldn't protect them from musket fire, so it became a burden, hindering their mobility. Kester braced himself on the ground, grabbed a small, hard lump, picked it up, and held it in front of him.
It was a deformed lead block, stained with blood. He suddenly realized that this was what had killed the knight. Yes, it was just this small piece, just this small piece.
He put the small piece in his pocket, tried to stand up, and looked at the river where there had once been two boats, without sails or oars, billowing black smoke, with a waterwheel-like mechanism on each side, carrying something similar to a musket, but without a doubt, a larger and more powerful weapon.
He had a premonition that the age of knights was over, at least here; knights were outdated. He looked around and saw more corpses of knights and horses.
This is not war, this is utter slaughter! He thought to himself, his knightly order is dead, and he, Kester, as a knight, is dead too.
He staggered out of the slaughterhouse, deciding to report what he had seen to his lord and then return to his manor, far from the war, regardless of who won.
Just don't let him see these things again.
The complete victory of the 6th Cavalry Division brought a sigh of relief to the frontline command, signifying that their new army had completely overwhelmed the old one.
Of course, you can't say such things out loud, since it's really hard to say whether something is a "poisonous milk" (a Chinese idiom for jinxing someone).
"Send orders to the 6th Cavalry Division to hold its position and allow the troops along the Rhine to advance!"
The overall objective of the campaign was to inflict as many casualties as possible on Duke Grant's forces and, if possible, seize his entire territory. However, on a larger scale, the Duke Grant's forces were significantly larger than the Amerlancy Vanguard. The number of mercenaries on the front lines alone was nearly 200,000, while the Amerlancy Vanguard's entire land force numbered only a few hundred thousand, with combat personnel numbering less than 100,000.
In this situation, maintaining firepower is of utmost importance. The ships on the Rhine River not only serve as fire support vessels but also as ammunition supply ships. The entire logistics department of the Amerinsky Vanguard Army has over a thousand wagons, which are used to transport personnel, gunpowder, and supplies to the front lines.
"My lord, Lord Kester's knightly order... has been completely wiped out."
"what?"
Grant looked at his men in disbelief. He was very familiar with military battles. Usually, if more than 40% of the troops were killed or wounded, the entire force would collapse, and at least half of them would have to return.
How can there be such a thing as total annihilation? He didn't give Kester the order to fight to the death, and if that's the case, then the situation might have changed.
"That lord... has returned? Or... is the little princess not as simple as we thought?"
"Where is Kester?"
Grant needed to know the situation, whether it was false or true, even just a few words. He stepped out of the barracks to find a flurry of activity outside, with knights and heavy infantry moving out. Regardless of Kester's Knights, several key points had to be captured, or the battle would collapse.
"grown ups."
He saw Kester, whose armor was no longer pristine, covered in dirt, blood, and black ash, as was his face. He knew Kester had failed, but he was no pushover. Kester had fought his way up from a young man to the commander of a mercenary knight order under his command, fighting valiantly.
"How are you?"
"I narrowly escaped with my life, but my men, they..."
“I already know what happened to you, and I need to know what happened.”
"Yes, sir..."
Kester took out a small metal object, and Grant frowned. He recognized it as a piece of deformed lead, something typically used in alchemy.
"We greatly underestimated our opponents. Their muskets are different from the crossbows we anticipated. These weapons are capable of penetrating armor and inflicting fatal wounds on knights. In fact, their cavalry are completely unarmored, using their so-called muskets to inflict damage on the knightly order from a distance. And when heavily armored knights try to catch up with them, they are left behind by the weight of their armor..."
"But that's not the reason why the Knights were wiped out, is it? I don't think the Knights are stupid; at least they knew how to escape."
"This is the key point... My lord... You must know one thing: the large muskets mounted on those ships on the Rhine can fire explosive fireballs... Just one shot can kill many knights, not to mention that we knights charge in close formation..."
"So that's how it is... It wasn't that person's power?"
"I'm afraid I didn't sense that person's presence..."
Grant nodded and waved for Kester to leave, but Kester simply took off the sash from his chest and placed it on the table, along with the accessories.
"I'm sorry... my lord, I think I can no longer serve you. I request to return to my manor... I will live out my life in peace, raising my son. Please understand..."
Grant said nothing, simply letting him leave. He stood there, looking at the blood-stained sash and the broken sword.
"Sir, would you like to...?"
The subordinate made a throat-slitting gesture, but Grant simply shook his head: "Let him go. His courage has been broken, and I don't need such a person in the army. But he has served me for many years, so let him remain a mediocre man."
Is the world about to change? Grant pondered.