The Battle of Aroe Maroe
Typeset by: Hiiro74
Fourth Army headquarters.
Altina was riding on a horse.
Regis was mounted on a horse and standing to the side although Eric was the one holding the reigns.
Regis couldnt ride a horse, but he couldnt keep riding together with the commander. He also needed to make a show of it at tis.
Eddie ca.
Yo Regis. We are neither too near nor far from the city, arent we?
Thats right.
Our artillery wont reach, but they can still see the battle clearly. Is the fort a part of the battlefield? Or is this place just a bit close to the city, so they should concentrate on the battle on the plains?
It will be a success if the enemy commander notices that.
Oh? So its fine either way?
This is a battle on the plains.
He didnt plan for the 20,000 troops of the Eighth Army that were defending Aroe Maroe City to attack. Regis couldnt ignore their existence, but he didnt need to account for them in his plan.
Regis explained:
There is no point in adding in troops that cant coordinate with us. Its better for them to defend the base.
Thats unexpected. Regis thinks the Dorval of the Sixth Army is more useful than Rockhoward from the Eighth Army.
Yes.
But the Sixth Army probably wont cooperate either. They dont like to jog around.
The bulk of the Sixth Army are veterans with plenty of experience. They should be quite capable in a fight.
According to the military records, they had quite a number of engagents.
But their losses were minimal, which proved their excellent command structure and tenacity as a unit.
Eddie shrugged.
But fighting spirit is the most important thing, right? Those guys pushed all the fighting to the Fourth Army.
Thats true, its about ti to get them motivated. After all, defending the south is the responsibility of the Sixth Army.
You have a plan? Like giving them bonuses?
Unfortunately, even after becoming the Office of the Gnralissi, this unit is still poor. Most of the armies in the Belgarian Empire are funded by the nobles themselves. And we dont have that much money.
Altinas mother was also a commoner. Although she was a royal, she didnt have access to much funds either.
Just the Fourth Army alone had 8,000 n.
If you include the guards working in the Office of the Gnralissi Administration Building in the capital, the unit despatched to the east and the defenders left in Fort Volks, they numbered over 20,000 n.
And the Seventh Army might be rostered under their command too.
The Sixth and Eighth Army might be assigned under Altinas command too, so their numbers would grow to 70,000.
They also need to consider other expenses too.
Regis face turned pale just thinking about it.
Ughhh We are really running out of money.
H-Hey.
Ah, its fine. Even without money, I have a thousand ways to spur motivation from the soldiers.
A ssenger ran over.
And got down on one knee before Altina.
The enemy is heading right for us!
She nodded.
Just as Regis thought!
Well, this isnt strictly a prediction, but an inevitability.
Is that really true? Eric asked.
Actually, Im a little worried The enemy might not co at us, but head for Aroe Maroe City instead.
In that case, we will win if we strike the back of the Etruria Theocracy army, right?
The front of a unit might be strong, but their rear and side would usually be weak.
How could they make the retarded mistake of exposing their rear to the main forces of the Belgarian Army? The enemy commander definitely understood such common sense.
Things were going well.
Eric pondered.
When fighting alone, if an enemy attack from the side, the only choice is to turn and engage.
If they expect the enemy to attack from the side and plan for it, that wont be too much of a hassle. Its the unexpected turn of events that gets you.
Hmm?
Eric didnt participate in many battles involving many large units.
And his unit had never been attacked from the flanks or the rear. Soldiers who experienced that and survive were either extrely lucky, or possess exceptional prowess.
Regis pointed to the back.
Lets make an assumption. Lets say the Sixth Army is attacked from behind. Well, behind them is a lake, so that will never happen.
And of course, he already checked the lake before deploying the troops.
Eric tilted his head.
In such a situation, the Sixth Army will need to turn around and engage the enemy right?
At the sa ti, the enemy before us will also attack. There are 30,000 enemy soldiers before them, and an unknown number to their rear. How many people should turn and engage the enemy?
Hmm How about half of the Sixth Army positioned at the back, 10,000 of them engaging the enemy?
Conveying such an order will take 5 minutes. During this ti, there will be soldiers who turn back or move forth on their own They would be soldiers who panic and ss up the formation after seeing the enemy attack. How many troops will be lost before they regain order?
Hmmm then we should decide ahead of ti on what to do if the enemy attacks our flank.
Yes, you are right. With enough training, the soldiers wont panic even in the face of a surprise attack. Alright, lets put it all together then. Look around you.
Yes.
This was the center of the Fourth Army, and soldiers in tidy formation were all around them.
As this was near the headquarters, the troops were ford up neatly as if they were asured with a ruler.
Eric tilted his head, and Regis said:
See the distance between each of them, they are almost standing shoulder to shoulder right? Like I ntioned before, if there are gaps in the formation, a soldier will need to face two or three enemies at once.
Ah, thats right! Infantry has to form tight formations.
Yes A tighter formation is stronger, which will give an advantage in numbers locally. Alright, regarding the issue of a surprise attack. What if we let this unit turn to one side?
Ahh?!
When humans walk, their arms and legs would swing. They couldnt move shoulder to shoulder, so they need space to their front and back.
It was difficult for a unit to turn in a certain direction.
Regis added:
And of course, we have been conducting training to change our formation But it is impossible to switch our direction so swiftly in battle. Do you know how much ti is needed to reorganize the formation of 10,000 n?
Its exactly as you say!
No matter what, the soldiers morale will plumt if they are attacked from the flanks or the rear. The fault will lie with the tactics of the commander. Troops that had lost their will to fight can never win.
Morale was important.
The enemy is only 4 Ar (286m) away!
When he heard what the ssenger said, Regis raised a hand.
Your Highness!
Altina thrust her giant sword into the sky.
Rifle team, fire!!
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