Field Marshal Wellesley was interested to see how the battle would end. When he heard about the fires, he was quick to understand that the enemy would try and breach the city. With this in mind, the Field Marshal ordered 10,000 cavalrymen to assemble outside the eastern gatehouse. They were to be held in reserve until the Field Marshal wanted to use them to cut off the retreat of the Gu Army.
With the signal flare exploding high in the sky, the cavalrymen saw it and began their charge. Hooves hammered on the earth as the horses galloped. Their riders were hanging on tight, steering the horses on the correct path. The darkness played a factor; however, many of the riders were equipped with torches. They would dual-wield them with their sabres.
Prince Gu Yichen was still in the rear, spectating from the shadows through his golden spyglass. His emotionless expression did not falter as he witnessed thousands of his men flee from the city. He was unaware of the horrors of what was going on in the city, so he was most displeased with this sight.
Yichen still had an additional 50,000 infantrymen held in reserve. "Captain, signal for the remainder of our men to charge into the city. It seems we are faltering. Let them turn the tide of this battle," The prince ordered.
The captain nodded and led the remaining 50,000 infantry into battle. They soon surged towards the gatehouse, avoiding any retreating soldiers in the process. As they drew near to the gatehouse, the sound of hooves began to be heard in the distance.
Many of the advancing soldiers stopped to see where the noise was coming from. To their horror, they soon saw the wave of 10,000 cavalrymen descending upon them. Yichen's face shifted into anger as he watched the impending carnage play out.
The Gu soldiers' lack of discipline was a huge flaw and it would continue to bite them in the arse. They stood frozen as the Luxenberg cavalry charged towards them. Many of the Gu soldiers were smart enough to continue their charge into the city, hoping to avoid getting trampled by the enemy. Some of them flat out retreated, making haste to safety. As for the rest, they were crushed by the Luxenberg cavalry.
If there were some organisation or discipline in the Gu Army, they would have quickly tried to form multiple infantry squares to combat the charging cavalry. That tactic was renowned for its effectiveness, especially in Victor's former world. The battle of Waterloo was a prime example of how formidable the infantry square was.
Prince Yichen was fuming at the floundering of his men. He had thought that the military had improved drastically in the last 5 years; however, to see them struggle like this was both infuriating and eye-opening.
The Gu prince had only ever fought against people from his own continent. The Kingdoms of Sun and Zhao were worthy opponents, but they were only insects when compared to the Kingdom of Luxenberg. Prince Yichen was getting first-hand experience at seeing warfare on a larger and more difficult scale. At the same time, however, his army's failure left him with a sour taste i his mouth.
"We must return to the camp. This night was a failure," Prince Gu Yichen stated to his bodyguards. They promptly left the area and rode back to their camp, leaving Stetson and the remainder of the army to fend for themselves.
Stetson worked tirelessly to get his men to retreat. They had lost 35,000 men already, and many more were either fleeing or injured. Their efforts at attacking the defensive position had garnered them zero results. Eventually, Stetson managed to rally his troops and lead a retreat, but to his shock, he was greeted by the horrifying scene of the Luxenberg cavalry slaughtering his reinforcements..
"What the fuck," Muttered Stetson as he stepped outside the city. His reinforcements were being slaughtered. Trampled corpses littered the field outside the city gates. Blood-soaked blades of grass glistened under torchlight. 20,000 of the 50,000 reinforcing infantrymen had perished during the chaos.
"Everyone! Run for your lives! Retreat to the camp!" Yelled Stetson, trying to organise a retreat for his soldiers. Tens of thousands of Gu soldiers sprinted across the field of battle, away from the city, all the while having Luxenberg cavalrymen picking them off.
While the Gu soldiers were in full retreat, Field Marshal Wellesley walked amongst the carnage on the middle street leading from the western gatehouse. A foul stench of blood and guts hung in the air as the Field Marshal manoeuvred past the thousands of corpses. His defenders had done a marvellous job. Casualties were low, and they dealt a significant blow to their enemy.
After hours of fleeing, Stetson and the survivors of the nighttime assault had returned. The sun was already beginning its ascent when many stragglers from that army began to appear. Shattered and shocked, the Gu soldiers hung their heads in misery. Their failure was glaringly obvious; even Stetson felt the looming weight of misery.
Medics in the Gu Army were overwhelmed by the number of wounded soldiers that were pouring into the camp. Many limbs were amputated, and some soldiers could not survive their injuries.
Prince Gu San-Tong watched in horror as the battered and broken soldiers returned. From among the crowd of thousands, the prince was able to spot a demoralised Stetson. San-Tong rushed to Stetson and escorted him back to their lodgings, where Prince Yichen was waiting.
"What happened in the city, mister Stetson?" Prince Yichen asked coldly. San-Tong remained silent as Stetson took his time to answer the question. "It was a trap, Your Highness. They had anticipated that we would breach the city, and they were more than prepared for it. They turned the main street into a kill zone. Our men did not stand a chance; they were being slaughtered effortlessly."
Yichen frowned at this news; it was troubling to hear that the enemy was prepared for them to breach the walls. It either meant that they were overly prepared and extremely thorough defenders, or there was someone who tipped them off about the assault.
Yichen knew better than to lead a witch hunt for a spy that may not exist, so he deduced that they were overly prepared. "Their commander is quite capable. It would seem he has pushed us into a difficult situation," Prince Yichen stated, before looking down at the map and making a suggestion.
"We must rest for a little while. I think it is time to cut our losses and leave with some of our forces still intact."