Translator: Cinder Translations
...
In this battle, the Alden army deployed 10 six-pound cannons and 4 twelve-pound cannons.
Following Andrew's orders, the artillery concentrated their fire to bombard the center of the Church Army's wedge formation with a salvo.
The sound of fourteen cannons firing simultaneously was immense, resonating across the battlefield and shaking everyone's hearts.
The high-speed projectiles slammed into the Church Army's formation, bouncing joyfully on the ground, stirring up a bloody storm. No flesh-and-blood body could block these metal projectiles, which contained tremendous energy, until their power was spent, and they sank into the soil, motionless.
The Church Army's soldiers screamed in agony, as their shields and armor provided no protection against the incoming cannonballs, which were as fragile as cheese in comparison.
Alden's artillerymen aimed at a single formation as a target, and the first salvo achieved a considerable effect. The main reason for this was that after the enemy launched their offensive, the distance between the two armies had closed, significantly increasing the accuracy and power of the shots.
From the perspective of the Church Army, the fifth formation from the left seemed as if it had been struck by invisible giants wielding massive wooden clubs, causing many soldiers to be killed or wounded. The remaining standing soldiers became disorganized, horrified by the screams of their fallen comrades.
Morale plummeted, and fear gripped everyone's heart.
Soon, Alden's infantry, moving forward at a quick pace, entered the range of fire.
"Stand firm!" the commander shouted.
Due to their earlier rapid movement, the infantry's line had become uneven, but they quickly regained their formation within fifteen seconds.
"Aim!"
"Fire!"
The soldiers executed the orders smoothly, their strict training having ingrained the actions into their muscle memory.
Another roar of cannon fire erupted, and to the Church Army soldiers across the field, it sounded like a series of popping noises from frying beans.
Amid the flames and thick smoke, a barrage of high-speed projectiles slammed into the already damaged formation. Soldiers in the front rows exploded in blood mist, collapsing to the ground.
"Ah!" "Devils!"
The soldiers in that formation screamed in terror, immediately scattering in all directions.
Webster stood dumbfounded, watching the once-intact formation reduced to a pile of corpses and heavily wounded soldiers unable to move.
At the beginning of the battle, the Alden artillery had been firing sporadically from a distance, causing casualties within the Church Army's capacity to withstand.
But as the distance closed and the Alden army concentrated their fire, with cannons and firearms firing continuously, the casualties soared, and the psychological impact grew more devastating.
In terms of actual damage, the artillery fire had killed only a few hundred soldiers from a formation of over two thousand. While this casualty rate was severe for armies of the old era, it wasn't fatal to the elite, highly trained soldiers of the Church Army.
However, the terrifying part was that these casualties occurred quickly, violently, and in a manner that could not be resisted, rather than through slow, face-to-face combat where soldiers engaged in one-on-one struggles.
As a result, the Church Army's wedge formation lost its cohesion, leaving a gaping hole.
Realizing this, Webster was furious and ordered his troops to close the gap and concentrate on attacking the enemy soldiers in thin, horizontal lines who were holding flamethrowers.
Although the Church soldiers hesitated, they obeyed their commander's orders and moved toward Alden's infantry.
The Alden artillery commander immediately split the artillery into two groups, aiming at the enemies approaching from the left and right, which greatly delayed their movement. The infantry would handle those coming directly from the front.
"Aim!" "Fire!" "Aim!" "Fire!" The officers' commands echoed through the noise of the gunfire.
Aside from one Marine battalion that had been sent to support the armies of Eaton and other countries' armies on the left flank, over four thousand Alden soldiers remained in the center, forming three wide ranks of infantry.
Facing the advancing enemy, the officers used a volley tactic, continuously delivering fire to inflict constant casualties.
The Heretic soldiers, holding useless shields, slowly advanced. But seeing one comrade after another fall, they hesitated, and this hesitation quickly turned to fear. The first soldier to turn back was quickly followed by many others, and soon the entire unit began retreating to what they believed to be a safe distance.
They didn't break and scatter, but they no longer dared to press forward.
Seeing the enemy's retreat, Andrew didn't hesitate and immediately ordered his troops to continue the advance, with the artillery also moving forward to provide support.
The Church Army's originally organized wedge formation was greatly damaged, splitting into two parts. The leftmost part, still engaged in a chaotic battle with the Horns Bay mercenaries, remained at the front, while the central and right sections were pushed back by Alden's infantry, with the gap between the two growing wider.
Webster, sensing he was losing control of his army, recalled his cavalry, intending to flank and counterattack the Alden army's advancing forces.
However, he didn't need to send a message, as Fedotov, aware of the change in the situation, quickly gathered his cavalry and abandoned the engagement with the Eaton forces, heading to support the central battlefield.
"We can't let him succeed! Catch up with them!"
Duke Eaton ordered his army to pursue at full speed, despite the risk of encountering a counterattack from the enemy cavalry.
In the end, thanks to their efforts, Fedotov's plans failed. Realizing that his main force had been split and that there was no turning back, he saw that the Eaton forces were closing in from behind and did not dare risk being caught between two enemies. He led his cavalry in a retreat.
"We've lost!"
The soldiers on the leftmost flank of Webster's assault, realizing that reinforcements were not arriving, quickly understood the severity of the situation. The army collapsed, with some surrendering and others fleeing for their lives.
This marked the beginning of a rapid, unstoppable collapse within the Church Army.
Webster, both angry and deeply reluctant, waved his flag, sent messengers, and personally issued command after command, attempting to salvage the situation. But, painfully, no army would obey his orders anymore.
Finally, he lost control over the entire army. The only order that could still be followed was the retreat.
Faced with the advancing forces of the New Faith from all sides, Webster helplessly gave the order to retreat, a humiliating command that marked the end of the battle.
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (FF) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c860. [+1]
🔔Early Access at $5.
✔Translated (5) Series, (2.8K+) Chapters, (3.9M+) Words.