Road To The Crown 241 To Advance Or To Not Advance

19th July 1574

One by one, the teams made up with small groups of my men were coming out from behind the fortifications. As if taking a fun, little stroll rather than going on to potentially battle with enemy forces, one could describe their speed as a leisurely one.

But it couldn't be helped. With each soldier burdened by the weight of two bags, shovels, fence parts, rifle, ammunition for himself and all the other items required to let my men fare nicely through the battle. 

Yet while I really wanted to focus on the sight of my troops coming out from behind their covers and starting to form on the huge plain separating the marketplace from the forest where the enemy forces were hidden, I had to keep my eyes glued to the line of trees as to prevent enemies from getting us with a surprise attack.

After all, this deployment of mine was never intended as the real introduction for the full-scale battle!

But no matter how worried I was, waiting for the response of the enemy force, they didn't bother hindering the movements of my troops at all! All this time that my people took to set up their firing positions and secure it with a fence, were not hindered by our opponents in the slightest!

"This is strange… If we keep doing that…"

Muttering under my nose, I fixed the belt that held my private rifle on my side, before scanning the entire area. Just a single look at the line of the trees was enough for me to spot several lookouts of the enemy, yet no matter how long my men were taking to finish the last bit of their field fortification, nothing was happening!

"Sir, we are done and ready!"

With one of the officers immediately jumping to me with his report the moment all the work was finalised, I could either think of something else or just wait for the inevitable even if delayed reaction of the Ostros troops.

Wait, waiting? 

What the heck was I even considering? 

In the war, taking even the worst course of action was still better than just idling away, because it allowed one to hold the initiative in one's hands! 

"Everyone! The last team from every unit will leave their positions and bring back enough bags for the rest of their units to create another holding point! Everyone else, dig up the earth from behind your covers and use it to strengthen the barrier!"

If the enemy was willing to give us enough time to prepare, then there was no need to stick with a barrier made out of bags of earth. With enough time, we could turn the entire forward barricade into a proper trench! 

What's more, by the time this groundwork would finish, we could set another barrier at the front, getting even closer to the end of effective firing range of the enemies in the forest… but by doing so, we would create a barrier that would hinder the enemy accuracy at the same time as allowing my men to fire with even more precision!

Yet as soon as I gave the order, the trees at the other end of the small clearing that I hoped to turn into the battlefield, started moving. Before even a single man of mine managed to leave his encampment, more and more people started appearing at the treeline, quickly moving around to form basic ranks.

"It seems they are at least at the level of those mercenaries… or just below them."

Just from watching how strangely chaotic at first, but orderly in just a few moments, the moves right at the entrance to the clearing were more than enough for me to gauge the combat ability of the enemy troops.

It seemed that if we were to fight with them in the current setting, then even with the encampment, even with the superior weapons of mine, their numbers and discipline would be just enough to overwhelm my first army and push them against the walls of the marketplace fortifications!

But that could happen only if we took both the second and third army out of the picture!

The field fortifications that my men made were, after all, nothing more than just a bait! By closing the distance between us and the enemies, I basically pushed the effective range of my people all the way to the treeline! While their shoots could easily reach it front the concrete fortifications behind them, with how I wanted to keep the real range of my rifles a secret for as long as I could, all that mattered, for now, was how would my enemy interpret those moves of mine!

"Sir, marketplace spotted a detachment of their cavalry trying to flank us! What should we do?!"

With how far our enemies allowed us to peer into the future battlefield before my own senses kicked in, stalling the advance and allowing my soldiers to prepare their covers, there was a tiny spot between our line and the fortifications of the city, that remained completely unmanned and unprotected… Or at least, that's what one would think without the prior knowledge about my reaper guns!

"Pa.s.s the news to the city. I want two reapers to guard those choking points. Also, notify our flanks to add some cover against the fire from the marketplace. We don't want to engage in friendly fire."

Diverting my attention from the frontline only for a moment to deal with the messenger was enough to let the enemy troops finish forming up, prepare themselves for the fight and start advancing. From their uniform marching speed and exactly the same posture, I could tell that they were d.a.m.ned veterans, putting another load on my soul.

After all, I couldn't save them if they were to go against me, while the loss of every single soldier of theirs would mean less capable fighters to defend the country!

Yet what I could do about it? In this very moment, as the rhythmic sound of the enemy troops. .h.i.tting the ground with their feet sounded like a set of war-drums that G.o.ds would send to this place to celebrate the carnage that was about to ensue.

And as pained as it made me, I couldn't let them advance even a single step further, as that would put my own men at the risk.

"Open fire!"

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