I will be crowned king

Passionate shouts exploded over the array of the imperial army, accompanied by the rapid drums and the footsteps of the soldiers as they lined up, resounding throughout the foggy sea.

The heroic 8,000-strong imperial army unfolded one after another, like knights ready to go, raising their spears and hitting the kite shield's coat of arms with their iron gloves, provoking their opponents.

In contrast, Clovis' army, as the attacker, did not make a single sound except for its normal march.

Five thousand soldiers formed offensive columns in companies, with only an elbow's distance between them. There was almost no difference in pace between columns, and they advanced silently... It was terrifyingly quiet.

Looking down from the dome through the layers of thick fog, you can see that the entire formation of Storm Division is like a huge arrowhead, rushing towards the imperial army with "two arms" shooting left and right.

The top of this "arrowhead" is the essence of the entire Storm Division - the Grenadier Regiment that evolved from the "Previous Storm Regiment".

"Everyone is ready——"

Looking around at the soldiers, Fabian looked tense and shouted loudly: "Fix bayonets!"

"Fix bayonets——!!!"

Uniform shouts exploded from the throats of the seven hundred grenadiers, and their pupils were filled with a burning fighting spirit. They stepped up their pace with the increasingly faster drumbeats, and charged towards the imperial line.

Bernard, who was behind the line, immediately tensed up his nerves and ordered the four regiments in the middle to deploy defensive formations as soon as possible - because the thick fog could not clearly see the enemy's line, the four regiments could only be arranged in a line and organized into battalions. Form three lines of defense to avoid accidents.

Although it is mainly an emergency expedient, Bernard also has his own considerations: Compared with the rigid and rigid imperial line, the Clovis military system emphasizes the mobility and flexibility of the infantry, and can attack obliquely when in doubt. Tactics are almost standard for Clovis' army.

Frontal containment, outflanking, and finally the "revolving door offensive"... The Clovis people, who had weak artillery firepower and lacked excellent cavalry, could only give full play to the firepower and mobility of their infantry in order to not fall behind in the battle with the Empire.

Therefore, Bernard believes that if you are on the defensive side in a Clovis confrontation, you must not only consider sufficient front width, but also set up multiple lines of defense to prevent the flanks or even the center line from being breached by one blow, causing the front to collapse.

But when he confidently deployed his formation, the first thing he encountered was not the overwhelming tide of Clovis's army, but a harsh sound of breaking through the air.

"Boom!!!! Boom!!!! Boom!!!!"

The violent sound of artillery exploded on the hilly highlands, lighting up clusters of fire in the middle of the imperial line.

Facing the sudden artillery fire, the imperial soldiers in the dusty line suddenly stood there as still as if they were puppets and clay sculptures; as if the fire exploded around them, their screaming companions were blown away and their bodies were covered with shrapnel and rubble. The wounds that were opened were just his own illusions.

However, despite the fierce momentum, due to the dense fog and Bernard's specially dispersed defenses, the impact of the artillery shells was not accurate. The actual casualties were basically minimal, and it did not cause a serious blow to the imperial line.

"They really didn't abandon the artillery positions on the hills, just as I thought!"

Looking at the overwhelming artillery fire, Bernard, whose vision was blocked by thick smoke and dust, was very excited - such violent artillery fire was impossible for the poor Clovis people to come up with. It could only be from the previous empire. The loot captured by the defenders.

They specially turned the muzzle of the guns for defense, but little did they know that they had made a fatal mistake: as long as they could capture the hilly highlands, the entire Storm Division army would be exposed to the muzzles of the guns!

At that time, four regiments on the front will block the Clovis attack, one regiment on the eastern front will block the retreat, and elites on the western front will attack layer by layer... Finally, combined with the artillery fire from the southern highlands, all five thousand Clovis will be wiped out in Sailing City. outside.

"The ambition of the Clovis people will end in Sailing City, and Anson Bach, who has humiliated the empire, will also die here!"

Facing countless admiring eyes, Bernard made his final judgment without changing his expression.

Just as he was accepting the cheers of his close followers, the bullet marks across the sky gradually began to become sparse, and the deafening roar also dissipated.

But the real battle has just begun.

Almost as soon as the last artillery shell hit the ground, the Grenadier Regiment, which was ready to attack, immediately launched a full-line attack on the four imperial line regiments in the middle, pounced on them unstoppably.

Four of the five grenadier companies lined up side by side and launched an attack from the front. The last company, led by Fabian himself, was deployed as a reserve team in the rear row to form a three-row firing line. followed by the speed.

Following the shouts of the knight officers, the Imperial Line privates began to load ammunition in an orderly manner; but the Storm Division grenadiers on the opposite side did not stop shooting as they expected, but raised their bayonets and charged directly.

Without stopping, without firing a volley in line, he faced the Imperial line soldier who raised his gun at him and directly launched a charge.

"boom--!!!!"

Choking smoke rose into the sky in the sudden flash of gunfire. The grenadiers who fired volleys at the Imperial line quickly rushed through the smoke and the short fifty-meter gap after paying the price of more than a dozen corpses. The distance was like four sharp knives piercing the chests of the four infantry regiments.

"Grenade!"

Looking at the black cylindrical objects that were scattered out of the smoke and flying toward them, still emitting white smoke, the imperial soldiers who had remained calm during the bombardment instantly turned pale in panic, ignoring the shouts of the officers. Flee around.

"Dang——! Dang——! Dang——! Dang——!"

Four groups of fires lit up on the front line one after another, paving the way for the grenadiers to attack; more than 600 grenadiers passed through the flames and launched an assault on the panicked Imperial lines.

What followed was brutal hand-to-hand combat.

Although the Imperial line soldiers were caught off guard, the entire defense line was not shaken by a single explosion; the panicked soldiers were quickly recalled by the knight officers, regrouped and fought face to face with Fabian's Grenadier Regiment.

Facing the enemy with a numerical advantage, the Grenadier Regiment in the melee made full use of its previous experience in besieging the position. After tearing apart the defense line, the column quickly spread around in groups of five. The shotguns were equipped with bayonets, and they were strangled together with the imperial line whose strength was four or five times their own, and they continued to maintain the rhythm of column assault.

At the same time, Fabian, who was on the rear line, led the reserve team to launch a firing line and fired on both wings to prevent the enemy from waiting for an opportunity to outflank the Grenadier Regiment's retreat.

Looking at the chaotic battlefield and thick fog in front of them, the Imperial Knights who could not distinguish between ourselves and the enemy could only command the troops based on experience and shoot at the reserve team of the Grenadier Regiment... As for whether they accidentally injured their own people, they could only rely on order. The environment protects you.

"Let the troops on the front line retreat and reorganize, and the line barracks on the second line of defense go up!"

Bernard, who was watching the battle, frowned slightly. The enemy actually sent out the most elite grenadiers to launch a bayonet charge from the beginning, which he did not expect.

However, if you think about it carefully, it is not difficult to understand that when you are at a disadvantage and take advantage of the heavy fog to launch a surprise attack, you must be hoping to get the first advantage and scare yourself away; even if you cannot win immediately, you will be forced to slow down your offensive or even retreat. Uighurs all have advantages.

But what a pity, Anson Bach, your desperate struggle is destined to be fruitless!

During the melee, the front row of the Imperial line, who had been stunned by grenades and shotguns, began to retreat while fighting. The infantrymen of the second line of defense behind them raised their rifles and stepped on the robes and enemy bones one after another. Battlefield, fighting the Storm Division Grenadiers.

Almost at the same time, the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Regiments located on both wings of the Storm Division's "Arrow Arrow" also deployed nearly half of their troops to put pressure on the center of the Imperial line.

Taking advantage of the situation opened by the Grenadier Regiment, the two battalions of Storm Division infantry successfully crossed the outer defense line and attacked the gap between the central part of the Imperial line and the east and west wings in an attempt to directly outflank the rear route.

But Bernard had already guessed this possibility - while the front line retreated, the troops of the third line of defense moved to the left and right flanks, quickly filling the gaps in the front.

The two sides acted almost at the same time, bumped into and discovered each other at the same time; the officers on both sides tacitly gave up the opportunity to fire a salvo and gave the order to charge with bayonets!

"God bless the empire——!!!"/"Long live Clovis——!!!"

Amidst the heartbreaking shouts, the blue-white and red-black "color blocks" collided fiercely.

The sound of rifle shooting, the snapping of bayonets, the sounds of dying curses, and the wails of blood... all stirred up among each other in the open grassland. The line that had just been broken through was pushed back again, and under the flag that was cut down a second ago It stood up again in seconds, and the scene was extremely chaotic.

Although the Storm Division was gaining momentum and almost overwhelmed the entire line several times, under the command of Bernard, the Imperial line also showed its strong side: resilience.

Yes, the empire's infantry has always been known for its rigidity; but usually as long as the commander is not killed or disappears, they can show extremely terrifying resilience, and there is almost no possibility of retreat.

Therefore, the Storm Division can rely on the momentum of the attack to force the Imperial line to retreat, but it is still unable to defeat it. It is extremely difficult to even tear a hole... It's like a hound full of fangs encountering brown sugar, and it is impossible to eat it. .

In addition, the imperial army still occupies a strength advantage, which makes the attacking Storm Division increasingly weak and difficult to achieve an effective attack.

But in fact, Bernard was also having a headache at this time - the direct consequence of the heavy fog was that he was unable to judge the actual situation of the current battle.

Whether the hilly highlands have been captured, whether the enemy has reinforcements, what Sail City plans to do, whether Anson Bach really only has the four to five thousand troops in front of him... nothing is known at all!

This uncertainty made Bernard timid. Although he clearly had superior strength, he did not dare to attack easily. He could only wait silently for the battle situation to change.

He could only wait.

……………………

"No, we can't delay it any longer!"

In the noisy and chaotic position, Joseph gritted his teeth and looked at the fortifications in front of him that had been blown to pieces and the imperial army that was coming up behind him. He shouted hysterically to the surroundings: "Notice. Everyone, we have to retreat! Retreat!"

Almost at the same time that the Grenadier Regiment launched an offensive against the second line of defense of the Imperial line, the two infantry regiments led by Sir Amar on the eastern front had also successfully raided the artillery positions on the hills behind the Storm Division.

The person responsible for holding on here is Joseph, the commander of the Second Infantry Division of the Confederate Army and the former leader of the Long Lake Town militia. Anson entrusted him with the important task of leading the Long Lake Town Infantry Regiment and the Winter Torch City Skirmishers to hold on to this Storm Division's " Base Camp”.

"...After we launch the attack, the imperial army on the opposite side may come, or it may not come; it's best if he doesn't come. If he comes, how did you fight us before, how will you fight him this time - All in all, be sure to pay attention to safety!"

These are Anson's exact words.

If Joseph originally thought it was because he did not trust himself and the Confederate Army, then the moment the imperial army entered the position, Joseph was completely convinced.

In order to seize this crucial position for the Imperial Army, the Imperial soldiers of the two infantry regiments tried their best to attack again and again despite the crossfire of the defenders; the original will to fight was The relatively weak Confederate Legion was quickly broken through the defense line and strangled with the swarming Imperial soldiers.

Faced with a surging tide of enemies and a defense line that collapsed at a speed visible to the naked eye, the option of "retreat" immediately came to mind from Joseph to ordinary soldiers; but before that, there was a very real problem:

"If we retreat without even saying hello and let the imperial army occupy the high ground, what will happen if the entire Clovis army is wiped out?"

"What should I do?!" Facing his subordinates who cautiously asked questions, Joseph rolled his eyes directly:

"Who do you think you are, the savior?! As long as you stay here and hold your position, you can turn the tide of the war, and even influence the outcome of the war?"

"Wake up, that kind of thing has nothing to do with us! You are just a fisherman who has been in the army for less than three months, and you are facing a veteran who has been fighting for half his life. The two sides are not the same concept at all."

"If you stay here, you can fight as you like; if you run away, you can fight as you want - so if you die, your death will be in vain!"

After being awakened by Joseph, his subordinates finally realized the nature of their rabble. They no longer had any complaints and quickly began to organize a retreat route.

At the same time, Sir Amar, who had high hopes from Bernard, was still directing the soldiers to quickly capture the outer positions, and even went to the front line to fight in person, trying to gain a foothold on the high ground as quickly as possible; completely unaware that he was fighting with him in front of him. The enemies he killed were actually starting to prepare to run away.

As time passed, the elite Imperial line soldiers gradually occupied most of the positions; the Confederate soldiers who originally stood there have evacuated in batches according to the pre-set transfer route.

Thirty minutes later, a large flag of golden fleur-de-lis was erected on the towering hills.

Regarding the establishment of the Storm Division, if you don’t sign up, the three infantry regiment commanders’ shares will be gone~