I will be crowned king

"The so-called victory or defeat is often decided in the blink of an eye!"

Under the banner of the golden iris, surrounded by a group of imperial knights, Bernard Morwes held his head high and asserted categorically: "The key to determining victory or defeat has never been who can take the lead or which side has more morale. , or the soldiers are better trained and have more firepower."

"No, these are just the skin! They are false shells covering the core of truth, superficial phenomena - the real top priority is patience!"

"Only the more patient side can find a breaking point in a seemingly unfavorable battle situation, maximize its own advantages, and launch a fatal counterattack when the enemy plays its final trump card and makes a desperate move."

“Patience…is the ray of hope!”

Regarding this extremely correct nonsense, the surrounding officers and knights suddenly burst into flattery, praising "the minister in charge for his wisdom" and "your Excellency is indeed far-sighted and has a keen eye"...

The reason why this group of people boasted so much was certainly not because they suddenly changed their minds and decided from the bottom of their hearts to swear allegiance to Bernard. It was purely because the situation in front of them was indeed developing in the direction he "expected".

As the highly motivated Grenadier Regiment suddenly stopped its offensive, the Imperial line, which was at risk of collapse, immediately gained a firm foothold and launched a full-scale counterattack.

Once it switches from offense to defense, the strength disadvantage of the Storm Division as the original attacker is immediately obvious; with only five companies of the Grenadier Regiment, combined with the small number of troops of the Second and Third Infantry Regiments, it is impossible to stop the fully unfolded four imperial lines. The offensive launched by Pvt.

Even if the Empire's infantry drills are rigid and rigid, the expanded line width and firepower density can still be twice or even three times that of the Storm Division's leading troops; only an orderly retreat can ensure that they are not surrounded or defeated.

What excites Bernard even more is the reaction of the Storm Division on the opposite side... Faced with the successive defeats of the frontline offensive, the rear-line troops did not receive timely reinforcements. The four imperial line regiments were able to almost march straight in to launch a counterattack without encountering any attacks. hinder.

What does this mean?

This shows that the Storm Division has lost command and control, and each combat unit has begun to fight independently!

In fact, Bernard was not at ease with Sir Aimar at first. He knew the level of this old knight very well, and he was just trying to pick one out of the rotten eggs that could barely pass the mouth; his greatest expectations for him were also It can only contain the high ground and force the Storm Division, which is surrounded by enemies from both sides, to suspend its offensive so that it can be surrounded on three sides.

As for total annihilation, it is impossible. Even if there is a huge disparity in combat power between the two sides, the isolated Clovis people can burst out with amazing combat effectiveness under the stimulation of their desire for survival. The price the imperial army has to pay is too high.

The key to the battle is to force Sail City to take a stand and let them see the current situation clearly and show their "loyalty" to themselves and the empire as soon as possible. Whether they can kill Anson Bach is secondary.

But the changes in the battle situation also inadvertently caused Bernard's mentality to change.

If we could kill the Clovis garrison here, and even capture or kill Anson Bach himself, wouldn't a series of previous problems be solved?

This feeling of seeing the blue sky through the clouds and having a sudden understanding made the minister in charge make up a certain determination, vowing to wash away the shame of being captured when he was in Hantu in this coastal city of the new world.

"Imperials—forward!"

Amidst the passionate drumbeats, the four line regiments formed four horizontal formations on the left and right, stepped out of the position with a golden iris flag with a gold tassel behind them, and began to advance forward with an unparalleled look of arrogance.

On the other hand, the Grenadier Regiment looked in a state of disarray. The four attacking companies retreated in a hurry. Even the flags were thrown to the ground without any care. They retreated hastily without even cutting off the rear troops, leaving behind the regiment commander Fabian. I led a company of reserve troops to fight hard.

Under this situation, Fabian had no choice but to forcefully spread out the company into two horizontal lines, and at the same time continue to collect the "broken troops", finally preventing the retreating lines from collapsing at the first touch.

Almost at the same time, more good news continued to arrive:

Sent to the east, Lord Reyes found no sign of reinforcements from the rebel colonies (Free Confederacy) and was leading the 7th Line Regiment and a company of hussars in preparation for an attack on the right flank of the Storm Division.

The western front controlled three line regiments, and the heralds of the cuirassier company and the cavalry artillery company also sent news. They found signs of a large number of cavalry activities. They speculated that they were scouts sent by Sail City, and they were becoming more frequent.

In other words, these traitors have realized the problem and started to be afraid.

"I didn't remember until this moment, what were you doing earlier?" Bernard snorted coldly, his eyes filled with contempt.

Even so, he was still prepared to leave a way for Sail City to survive... It was not purely because of Louis' stubbornness. The imperial army was indeed unable to hold on to the siege any longer and had to fight it quickly.

As for the "liberals" in the city and Sado, the traitor who deserves death, I'm afraid they still have to be spared; with this victory, no bastard will dare to question his authority...

Just when Bernard began to plan in his heart how to punish the traitors, the Storm Division on the opposite side had completely lost the central battlefield that it had previously controlled; the four line regiments continued to maintain their unstoppable momentum, one battalion after another. Pressed up.

Although the specific location of Anson Bach's headquarters and the deployment of the Storm Division's troops were still unclear in the thick fog, as expected, they were all retreating towards the hills and highlands, gradually shrinking their troops' lines.

This is also the norm for a leaderless army that encounters a surprise attack. Without orders and support, scattered troops will subconsciously gather together to get support from friendly forces in an attempt to "reunite for warmth." Eventually, they will be surrounded by the enemy from all sides and have no way to retreat. The retreat is forced into a dead end.

But even if Anson Bach has really been killed, the Storm Division can still use the heavy fog to retreat from the weak eastern front... Although this is bound to cause heavy casualties, and a large number of soldiers will be chased and annihilated by the cavalry because they fall behind and get lost, but at least the core The main force can still be preserved.

If you want to seal this final gap and completely annihilate or at least cripple Clovis' only force in the new world, you must rely on the two thousand rebels led by Louis in the Sailing City to block the Storm Division's retreat from the east.

"So, now it's time for you to choose." The proud Bernard murmured to himself with a hint of ferocity on his lips:

"Is it to let go of your stubbornness and take the initiative to surrender, or..."

"Disgraced!"

………………

"Lord Louis Bernard, please decide!"

Sado shouted anxiously: "If we wait any longer until the outcome is determined, it will be too late!"

Looking at the sullen young knight who was still silent, the cuirassier battalion commander's heart was bleeding; he didn't even understand what was so melancholy about something so clear and obvious.

Just because Louis was slow to stand still, the Clovis people who had the upper hand were already in danger in the blink of an eye, causing the situation to develop in Bernard's favor.

Sir Sado knew very well that if Bernard really won this battle, others might survive. He, a traitor who escaped from the battle and conspired to rebel, had a thousand percent chance of not surviving. The minister in charge would definitely kill the chicken to scare the monkeys!

"Otherwise, just give me my battalion of cuirassiers!"

In order to survive, Sado was ready to break the pot: "You lead the other troops in the Sailing City and follow Lord Bernard's order to pretend to besiege the right wing of the Clovis people to cover us; I will lead the cuirassiers to take advantage of the opportunity. The raid on his headquarters..."

"no!"

Without giving Bernard a chance to finish his words, Louis directly intercepted and said:

"Not to mention how you are going to find his headquarters in a thick fog; but since he dares to make such a request, it means that Bernard is not afraid of the possibility of us betraying him!"

"If I'm not wrong, Uncle Bernard is acting together with the central line of troops. A small number of cavalry has no chance of succeeding in a surprise attack in front of a large-scale line; and our troops are also in blue and white uniforms, and in the thick fog It was impossible for the Clovis to distinguish friend from foe."

"Uncle Bernard... He only needs us to appear on the Eastern Front battlefield to block the Storm Division's retreat." The young knight said with difficulty, his face becoming increasingly ugly:

"No matter whether we really surrender or not, the surrounding Storm Division imperial army is equivalent to surrounding us... there is no way out."

Sir Sado was speechless, trapped in a dilemma of silence.

The fighting in the distance is still going on, but the sailing city defenders on the high tower have lost the original interest in "watching the show"; they know very well that when the Clovis people are wiped out, they will be the minister in charge. A goal.

"Why...why do you all talk as if the Clovis people are almost doomed?"

In the silence, the elf girl spoke again: "Didn't they lose the battle yet?"

Sado did not speak, and the young knight just smiled bitterly, not knowing how to explain to Freya.

Looking at the two people who were unwilling to speak, the elf girl blinked in confusion: "Really, why do you all have this expression? The Clovis people haven't lost the battle yet, oh... It seems that they are already preparing to fight back. Got it!"

Fight back?

Louis and Sado were stunned at the same time, looking at each other.

……………………

North of the hilly highlands, the Storm Division headquarters.

Looking at the grenadiers directly in front who were still retreating and moving closer to him, Anson stood there with a leisurely look on his face, not the slightest bit nervous:

"Send the order - let Fabian stop retreating, block the imperial line that is still attacking, and prevent them from taking another step forward."

"Are you sure?" Carl said slightly worriedly:

"The enemies on the east and west wings are still approaching us, and the attitude of Sail City is still unclear - it is tantamount to gambling!"

"It doesn't have to be equal, it is."

Anson smiled bitterly: "I said, we are only 20% sure; the key to success to some extent does not depend on us, but on three other things - Bernard's IQ and Louis' determination."

"Those are just two things, what about the third one?"

"Actually, there are still two things - reinforcements from the Confederate Army and the weather, but I have basically given up on the first one."

"..."

"But in the final analysis, no matter whether we succeed or fail, we have no retreat; no matter what the probability is, we must succeed and we must succeed!"

Anson slowly looked back at Karl, with an unprecedented determination in his eyes: "Storm Master, Ice Dragon Fjord, Clovis, Free Confederacy...the fate of all of them is weighed on the outcome of this battle...No, it should be It’s about the results!”

"Even if we were originally just cannon fodder thrown out to attract the enemy's attention, what we have to do now is already something that countless leaders dare not even think about; what we are fighting for is no longer just survival..."

"But more!"

The moment the words echoed, Karl's expression, which was still frightened, changed obviously.

The next second, the Major Chief of Staff of the Storm Division let out a long sigh and rolled his eyes at Anson indifferently:

"You'd better say encouraging words to others; I'm your adjutant, just tell me what to do!"

Seeing his impatient look, Anson was startled for a moment, and then the corners of his mouth raised involuntarily:

"Inform the 1st Infantry Regiment Alexei, the 2nd Infantry Regiment Norton, the 4th Infantry Regiment Yu Company, and the Hussars Company Jason to start action!"

"yes!"

………………

The right wing of the Storm Division, the front of the infantry regiment column.

Alexei Dukaski, who received the order, looked at the Imperial Line Regiment that was slowly approaching from his flank, took a deep breath, pulled out the saber from his waist, and roared loudly:

"First Infantry Regiment, all at the ready - stop advancing!"

"Use the battalion as a unit to form a hollow square array and spread it out on the spot!"

"Prepare to meet the enemy!"

As soon as the words fell, the 600 Storm Division infantry immediately began to take action - the four company-sized columns quickly disintegrated and split up; the soldiers closest to the right line stood still, and the soldiers in the front row quickly formed vertical columns in a counter-clockwise direction. Rotate and march forward to form the front side and left side; the back row rotates clockwise to complete the back side; finally, the soldiers in each row turn around to complete the formation.

Two minutes later, a slightly loose hollow phalanx appeared out of thin air and blocked the empire's central line and the east line.

Almost at the same time, the 2nd and 4th Infantry Regiments on the left flank of the Storm Division also began to change their formations, switching from columns to hollow square formations. The entire Storm Division front changed. From the initial full-line attack of the impact of the large column, it became There is a horizontal line in the middle and hollow square formations on both wings.

Bernard and the four imperial infantry regiments, who were still pressing forward step by step, were sandwiched between the left and right wing phalanxes. At the same time, his east-west troops had been completely cut off by the phalanxes and the center.

Encirclement on three sides has been completed.

"Um?"

A confused expression suddenly appeared on Alexei's face. He didn't know if it was an illusion. He suddenly felt that the figures of the imperial line infantry on the opposite side began to become clearer. Could it be that:

"Is the fog... about to lift?"