On April 2nd, 1991 of the Holy Calendar, the battle for Fort Bidou, a significant stronghold contested by two major factions in the Northwest Bay, officially commenced.
As the sun began to rise, the allied encampment was engulfed in a cacophony of sounds: officers’ roll calls, reprimands, the cracking of whips, the movement of men and horses, and the clanging of weapons and armor, all contributing to an atmosphere thick with tension and solemnity.
It took over two hours for the allied forces to form up properly.
Leading the formation, Price Parker and other generals stood mounted at the forefront. The old Count, facing the rising sun, drew his sword and pointed it diagonally towards the sky. Reflecting the sunlight, the sword shimmered brilliantly.
With a stern expression, he shouted, “Target: Kent’s encampment! Forward march!”
In unison, a thunderous roar erupted from the troops.
The allied forces, organized into various square formations, slowly began their advance towards the enemy camp located in the east.
For this battle, aside from leaving over a thousand men to guard Fort Bidou, the allies committed all their remaining forces, numbering over six thousand, to the front line.
This situation reminded Bryce of the first “parade” held under Count Grayman’s recent ascension. Just like the current marching troops, the Alda army then, no matter how well-organized at the start, inevitably fell into disarray after a few steps.
A scout returned with a report: “Kent’s troops are also advancing in a well-organized formation. The two armies will soon engage.”
Count Parker raised a telescope, a gift from Bryce under Paul’s suggestion, towards the east. This device, capable of spotting enemies from miles away, was treasured immensely by the old Count, who kept it with him at all times. Other lords and generals, envious, had offered substantial sums to Bryce to acquire similar telescopes, but he declined, using the same rationale as with firearms.
Through the telescope, dust clouds in the east indicated the approach of a large force.
Bryce rode up to Count Parker and advised, “My Lord, our army is facing the sun, while the enemy’s back is to it. This is disadvantageous for us.”
Count Parker nodded, asking, “Does Colonel Ald have a strategy?”
Bryce pointed towards a high ground in the northeast. “If we can seize that hill first, we can mitigate the disadvantage of the sunlight and give our artillery an advantageous position.”
Alda’s military officers, though hastily trained under Knight Schroeder at the Grayman Military Academy, had ingrained basic military knowledge. Bryce was particularly sensitive to terrain and had scouts survey the area before the battle.
Twisting his beard, Count Parker hesitated, “The idea is sound, but if we suddenly accelerate, I fear…”
“There’s no need to trouble the lords’ troops. The Alda army will take the lead and secure the high ground for our forces,” Bryce interjected.
After a moment of contemplation, Count Parker agreed, “Very well, I entrust this task to Colonel Ald.”
Bryce saluted in a manner slightly unfamiliar to the onlookers, then rode back to the head of his unit.
“To the First and Second Infantry Battalions, and the Artillery Company, all units, target the high ground to the northeast, double time!”
The Alda troops promptly moved out, running ahead of the main allied force. Each artillery piece, pulled by at least four horses, demonstrated high mobility, closely following the two infantry battalions.
Despite running, the Alda troops maintained a reasonably tight formation, ready to engage the enemy upon contact.
Such discipline and efficiency left the other lords in the allied forces in awe.
“It seems the rumors of Grayman maintaining a standing army are true.”
Under Count Parker’s urging, the main body of the allied forces also slightly hastened their pace, moving toward the high ground to the northeast. Official source is novel⟡fire.net
The First Battalion was the first to approach the high ground, discovering figures already present. The officers of the leading company, identifying them as scouts from Kent’s forces, immediately charged up and fired several volleys.
After losing several men to the unfamiliar weapons, the remaining figures retreated in panic from the high ground.
The soldiers of the two battalions, breathless, climbed halfway up the hill and quickly reformed their linear battle formation.
“Quick! Get the artillery company to set up the cannons and bombard the advancing Kent forces!” Bryce urged urgently. Through his telescope, he observed that the direction of Kent’s forces had slightly shifted northward, clearly heading towards the high ground.
It was crucial to delay their advance. In this critical moment, the artillerymen, reflecting their rigorous training, swiftly established a firing position atop the hill.
Accompanied by thunderous booms and thick smoke, 14 solid cannonballs, each carrying massive kinetic energy, flew towards the advancing Kent forces.
The current artillery company was equipped with six 6-pounders and eight 4-pounders, all fitted with flintlock firing mechanisms, significantly enhancing firing efficiency.
In this bombardment, the artillery company attempted the “artillery group tactics” for the first time – using all available cannons to concentrate fire on a primary target or the enemy’s path of advance. Given the difficulty in direct hits, the strategy was to bombard a key point as a substitute for precision.
Fortunately, despite the distance, several cannonballs landed among Kent’s troops.
“Maintain formation! Execute anyone who disobeys orders on the spot!”
Jace hysterically shouted, his command being relayed by knights around him.
Jace’s original plan was indeed to seize that high ground, but he hadn’t anticipated the allied forces beating him to it. Frustrated, he ordered an acceleration in their advance to recapture the high ground. Scouts reported that the number of allied troops who had rushed to the high ground was not large.
However, just as his troops began their advance, they heard a booming sound from afar.
The sound, all too familiar, gave Jace a bad premonition.
Sure enough, something whizzed through the air and struck the marching infantry formation.
A soldier, clutching his severed limb, cried out in agony. He was the first casualty.
The cannonballs, bouncing off the ground, continued to wreak havoc, causing chaos and cries of pain and fear.
Seeing their comrades suffer such a horrific attack, other formations in the Kent-loyal forces halted in their tracks.
An indescribable atmosphere permeated among the lords’ armies loyal to the Kent family.
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