Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World

Chapter 246: The Battle of Fort Bidou, Firing Squad in Formation

TL: Etude

The artillery company’s fourteen cannons continuously bombarded the enemy troops marching in tight formation, only ceasing fire to douse the barrels with cool water once they became too hot to handle.

Initially, Kent’s forces were thrown into disarray by the attack, with soldiers disregarding their superiors’ warnings and fleeing in panic.

A team of cavalry, assigned to supervise and motivate the troops, managed to stabilize the situation by executing several deserters.

“This is no solution!” Jace frowned deeply.

Though it had been announced to the entire army the previous day that the enemy possessed the legendary Thunder Hammer, and they were warned to be mentally prepared, experiencing its destructive power firsthand still left the majority feeling fearful.

In reality, the artillery caused minimal casualties at that distance; it was primarily the sheer terror of its impact that was daunting.

“Can our crossbow artillery reach them?”

“I’m sorry, my lord…”

The officer in charge of long-range weapons helplessly spread his hands.

“Continue advancing!”

Jace waved his hand irritably, but he was confident that with their numerical and equipment superiority, victory would be theirs once they closed in on the enemy. Although the Alda troops, numbering a thousand, were troublesome, their small size wouldn’t be decisive.

Kent’s troops, regaining their composure, continued their advance, though now in a more spread-out formation to minimize casualties from Alda’s long-range artillery.

However, seizing the high ground was no longer an option for them. Count Parker, observing through a telescope, realized this amidst Kent’s confusion and immediately seized the opportunity, ordering his troops to advance at a run.

As Kent’s forces were reorganizing, the allied forces had already formed their lines on the slope. Had the enemy’s disarray lasted a bit longer, the allies would have charged.

“Are those Alda men on the left flank?”

Jace scrutinized the enemy’s formation and promptly adjusted his troops’ deployment.

The leaders of the allied forces also observed the enemy from afar.

“There are many archers, at least 1500… Ah, they’ve moved to the right flank.”

The allied commanders noticed a new development, previously undetected in their reconnaissance.

They all began to suspect that the enemy’s proposal to battle in two days was to wait for these archers’ arrival. Could Derrick’s speculation be correct?

Kent’s army, comprising over 8000 infantry and archers, was divided into four square formations. Three were on the front line, with one in reserve. Additionally, a cavalry unit of over 500 men was positioned on the left flank.

The allied forces, numbering nearly 7000, were similarly divided into four square formations, mirroring Kent’s deployment. However, their cavalry unit of nearly 400 was on the right flank, facing the enemy’s left-flank cavalry.

As Kent’s forces came within about 400 meters of the allies, Count Parker looked around at his men, saluted, and said, “The rest is up to you all.”

“Take care, my lord!”

The commanders returned the salute and then rode back to their respective units.

Bryce also returned to his troops. Alda’s army was positioned on the left wing of the allied forces, directly opposite Kent’s newly positioned archers.

“Woooo—”

Count Parker ordered the bugle to sound, and each of the allied formations advanced to meet Kent’s troops.

The initial clash was between the cavalry units of both sides. Despite Kent’s cavalry having greater numbers, the artillery company specifically targeted them, preventing Kent’s cavalry from forming a dense charge formation. They had no choice but to charge at the allied forces in a loose formation.

On the other hand, the allied cavalry had no such constraints and charged in a dense formation towards the enemy.

At the moment of contact, each Kent cavalryman found himself facing several lances simultaneously. Unable to evade all, they were quickly unhorsed.

The allied cavalry inflicted significant casualties on Kent’s forces in the initial clash.

However, with numerical superiority, Kent’s cavalry eventually negated the formation advantage of the allied cavalry as the battle became a chaotic melee.

From the perspective of the allied forces, their infantry formations also engaged from right to left in succession.

Typically, the infantry of both sides would advance to within about 200 meters of each other before charging with a shout, as if by some unspoken agreement. Once engaged, the battle became chaotic, and the previously orderly formations dissolved.

The Alda troops were an exception; they advanced step by step to the beat of drums, approaching the enemy steadily.

Following them were the infantry of the Heller family. After Derrick led a team to deliver supplies two days prior, they had regrouped their remaining forces, now less than a thousand men. Since the Alda troops in front did not charge, they also did not, content to have someone leading the way.

Facing the Alda troops were Kent’s archers, seemingly specially assigned to the right flank to counter musketeers.

As the Alda troops advanced, waves of arrows rained down on them. Many were struck and fell, but their comrades continued forward, stepping over the fallen and keeping their eyes fixed ahead.

When infantry passed a certain point, stretcher bearers, hired by Bryce for a fee, rushed to carry the wounded to the back for medical attention. These were brave civilians willing to risk the battlefield for the sake of earning money to support their families.

The Portry infantry, following behind, were impressed by their allies’ determination. The despondency from their defeat two days ago vanished, replaced by an indescribable feeling of inspiration.

Previously, they had wondered why the Alda troops drummed during battle. Now, they too found their steps unconsciously matching the drumbeat, miraculously maintaining their formation.

It wasn’t that the Portry infantry were of exceptional quality; rather, the enemy archers were mostly targeting the Alda troops ahead, sparing them from heavy arrow fire. Had they been at the front, they might have broken ranks and charged like the other units.

…

The officer commanding Kent’s archers was puzzled. The distance was close enough, so why hadn’t the Alda troops fired their muskets?

According to those who had encountered muskets, these weapons could hit targets at about a hundred meters. Jace had ordered the archers to engage and tie down the Alda troops, preventing them from supporting other units.

Yet, the Alda troops kept advancing, unresponsive to the arrows falling upon them.

As the distance between them narrowed, Kent’s forces could see what the Alda troops held. The shiny bayonets attached to the top of their ‘muskets’ caught their attention.

Did the Alda troops intend to engage in close combat? Their ‘muskets’ seemed too short for that, and the archers, typically armed only with daggers, had a row of pikemen in front for protection.

With these questions in mind, the officer ordered the archers to shoot two more volleys, causing significant casualties to the enemy.

Finally, when the distance between them reduced to about 50 meters, the Alda troops stopped.

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