Chapter 19
Waffenstadt light cavalry walked alongside Anarchic Horsemen, protected from sight by their exotic magicks.
The rolling hills and tall grasses of Leibenstadt provided excellent cover from anyone approaching. Unfortunately for the enemy, they did not have the protection of Anarchic Horsemen.
A few hundred yards away mounted men crested the hill, standing a decent amount apart in an open order formation. The dust they kicked up was also notable, but far less than one would expect for a place as dry as Leibenstadt, a quirk of the province that helped the Anarchic Horsemen become the terror of the plains..
An officer signaled his men to stop at the top of a particularly tall hill. He turned to the subordinate to his left.
“We are going to fire a volley on my whistle then charge them, understood?”
The man nodded and spread the word. The men were dead silent, despite being filled with the rowdier and more hotheaded troops of the light cavalry corps. The men nervously cocked their rifled carbines and waited.
However, not everyone was nervous. The Anarchic Horsemen stood tall, strong, and confident, watching as their opponents drew closer and closer up and down the rolling hills of Leibenstadt. They cocked the hammers of their gun lances and couched them in their armpits.
Soon, the enemy was within range, and the officer raised his whistle to his mouth. He blew a high pitched squeal which could almost be mistaken for wind from any distance outside 50 yards, another invention of the Anarchic Horsemen.
The men fired their volley, breaking the delicate and carefully crafted enchantments and magic that the Horsemen used to conceal themselves. Bullets ripped through the mounted scouts, and they suddenly found an entire cavalry company on them, charging from less than a hundred yards away.
They drew sabers and counter charged, screaming their battlecries as they rode forward swords held high in the air. The two sides crashed into each other, a whirlwind of lance and saber that left the tall grasses splattered and flattened by blood and bodies.
A Waffenstadt horseman flicked his wrist and chopped to his opponent’s armpit, severing the major artery there before he again flicked his wrist and slashed the man across the face, ripping him down off his horse and scaring it off. He turned and attempted to parry another slash, but was slightly too slow, finding himself quickly slipping off his horse to bleed out in the tall grass.
A trumpet was blown and the Imperial horsemen began to retreat. A few seconds later the Waffenstadt officer ordered his own retreat, heading back to headquarters to report what had just occurred.
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A bullet punched through the thin tree a young Waffenstadt skirmisher was taking cover behind. He aimed his own shot and fired, unfortunately missing his mark. He kneeled behind the tree and immediately began to reload, struggling with his bullet as he had to force it down through the rifling with a mallet.
More bullets crashed into his tree, and one of them flew close enough for it to lift the hair off of his head, causing him to drop flat on the ground. He looked around and saw his comrades reloading in whatever position they found themselves in to get away from the bullets, so he shook his head vigorously, grabbed his tools and got back to work.
He aimed his rifle and fired, seeing a man nearly a hundred yards away drop like a rock. His heart pounded and his hands shook. It was the first man he had ever killed. He stared at the enemy for a while, watching them aim and fire at his position, missing him only by some miracle. He flinched and dropped his head down again.
He felt someone slap his shoulder and heard them yell into his ear.
“You’re not dead yet boy! Get up and load!”
The man coming to his assistance was a veteran of the Leibenstadt rebellion. He had already seen combat, and so Imperial Etiquette of War stated that it was his duty to get the new recruits through it alive. He grabbed the young man and pulled him to his feet and forced him to crouch.
“This spot’s too hot, officer said fall back!”
He pulled the man up a hill and nearly threw him over, running while crouched the entire way. Bullets whizzed past as the two men crested the hill, barely missing them by less than a few inches.
“Get to loading son-you’re safe here! Just keep your head down.”
The young man looked at the veteran, then to his gun. After a few seconds he got to work on reloading, flinching at every bullet that flew overhead. The veteran laughed as he hammered his bullets down the barrel.
“Don’t worry son, you get used to it! The rebels a few years ago were relentless! Guess we’re the rebels now, though.”
A few men around them shared in a laugh, other veterans of the prince’s rebellion. The veteran peaked over the hill and immediately ducked as a bullet impacted the earth in front of him.
“Fuck they’re close. Sir! Orders?”
The officer threw a grenade over the hill, cheering along with the men around them after they heard a loud boom followed by screams of agony.
“Let’s give them a bloody nose before we go! Everyone get off one more shot and retreat!”
His men acknowledged his orders and redoubled their reloading efforts, firing at point blank as men crested the hill before running as quickly as they could.
The young man ran next to the veteran, matching his pace and step instinctually. As they reached the top of another hill the veteran flew forward, tumbling down the hill as a bullet impacted his back. He rolled to a stop at the bottom and struggled to stand, his hand slipping on the bloody grass.
A few seconds later he felt himself being dragged. He looked and saw the young man, a look of pure determination on his face. The veteran drew on reserves he didn’t know he had and stood himself up.
I can’t let this rookie save my life!
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Ludwin and Udo stood a good 300 yards away from the battlefield, observing with looking glasses given to them by the Baron.
The battlefield was a typical sight in Leibenstadt, rolling hills as well as scattered trees. The hills provided cover for approaching troops, but also a good vantage point for artillery.
The forces of Waffenstadt numbered three battalions, around three thousand men in total, with twenty one companies in total. The forces of the Grand Imperial army contained two battalions, just two thousand men in total, with fourteen companies in total.
The forces of the Empire did not appear to be fully modernized. There were plenty of guns, around five companies worth, but the rest of the army was made up of traditional units, pikes and greatswordsmen.
Ludwin smiled.
“This will be interesting to watch. A true test of old versus new.”
Udo nodded.
“Yeah, I just hope we end up getting to intervene.”
Ludwin glanced behind them, looking over their new units, both cavalry companies. Udo had been outfitted with a dragoon company, heavy cavalry with firearms, while Ludwin simply had heavily armored heavy cavalry, but no firearms.
The two armies had a stare down from a few hundred yards away as their artillery moved into position. Waffenstadt found a good place to set up, a particularly high hill, and began firing at the approaching troops.
The first volley missed their targets, arcing down into one of the hills, gouging out huge chunks of dirt as they bored into the hill. The artillerists adjusted the angle of their cannon and loaded as quickly as possible, as their enemy was nearly 300 yards away now, the gunners leading with pike and greatsword behind, the perfect target for artillery.
The second volley slammed into the gunners, flying through their lines and into the dense formations of the melee troops, killing nearly a dozen men each. The men cheered as they heard the screams of the dead and dying off in the distance.
As the enemy drew closer the Waffenstadt forces decided to meet them, ordering a few companies to spread out and take various hills, the ones with sparse trees. The rest stood just below the horizon so they would stay safe from artillery.
A Waffenstadt line infantry company took their spot on top of the hill and readied themselves. After a few seconds, a cannonball smashed through their line at an angle, taking out five men at once. This pattern was repeated around the hill as Imperial cannons finally began to fire.
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The man leading was one of Von Puckelsmark’s retainers, a young man by the name of Derek Ortenheim, gave out an order.
“I want the Anarchic Horsemen to take out those cannons. When they see a good opportunity to get in and out unscathed, they are to take it. Understood?”
The runner saluted and ran off.
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The Imperial officer felt nervous. He was leading a pike unit, out of date and inexperienced men were all he had to work with. He raised his saber and shouted.
“Forwards, towards the hill in front of us! Stay at the bottom for the time being!”
His men did as ordered, lining up in the trough in front of them, crouching and leaning on their pikes, which were concealed due to the tall grass..
The men felt the woosh of air next to them, finding nothing but grass when they turned to look. Grass and dust kicked up in the air, like someone had just passed by. The officer turned around and gasped when he saw nearly one hundred light cavalrymen appear out of thin air, charging at the cannons from less than 100 yards.
They slammed into the crews, laying into them with the bayonets of their gunlances, flipping them around and holding them in a reverse grip after their charge was done. Within just a few seconds an entire cannon crew was killed, and their lances were aimed at the officer’s pikemen.
There was a flash, then a whizzing sound, then the dropping of men. The officer raised his saber and shouted as loud as he could.
“About face men! Brace!”
His men turned, slowly and sloppily. Nervous recruits, hands shaking from the rush of warfare, dropped their pikes as they tried to turn. By the time lances reached their lines their formation was already breaking, as there was nothing more terrifying to those unaccustomed to battle than charging horsemen.
The inexperienced men dropped their pikes and spread out, allowing the Anarchic Horsemen to rip through their lines, killing dozens as they smashed the formation to pieces and kept moving forward. They weaved around another pike unit and ran through a company of gunners, again killing dozens as they passed through back to their lines.
Officers desperately tried to keep their men together, screaming orders and threats and waving their weapons around to get attention on them.
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“They did what?”
Ortenheim shot up from his spot in front of the table.
“Send in the infantry now! Keep the momentum going!”
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The Imperial forces watched as three thousand men crested the hills and began to march forwards, lines relatively neat, at least compared to the scattered Imperial units. An officer raised his greatsword high in the air.
“Steady boys! Beating pointy sticks is the reason we exist!”
His men cheered and steeled themselves. The officer looked around and was horrified to see the disorder the left flank was in. He raised his greatsword and pointed towards the left.
“Reinforce them men! Encourage them!”
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His men ran over to the disorganized pikes and began yelling at them to stay in line, largely unsuccessfully. Soon enough they had fully scattered, leaving just the veteran greatswords standing.
“Guess we’re holding it now boys!”
The greatswordsmen roared in acknowledgement, and the enemy was only 100 yards away. The first row took aim and fired, dropping five greatswords. Just as the officer was ready to order a countercharge a horn was blown from behind, the signal to retreat.
Any remaining pikemen immediately broke and ran, it was clear that they were outmatched. Gunners released one last volley before running, downing a handful of Waffenstadt soldiers. The gaps in their lines only grew as Waffenstadt artillery punched through the dense formations, skipping and killing more men as they ran.
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Ludwin nodded. It was about what he expected, the traditional troops were no match to their modernized forces. Udo clicked his tongue
“They’re just testing us, and they got a bunch of rookies killed doing it.”
Ludwin nodded.
“Yes they did. They can afford it more than we can. Looks like we only took a handful of casualties.”
Udo sighed.
“Yeah, it went well, me and the boys didn’t even get to intervene!”
Ludwin looked off in the distance, towards Bergzitadelle Frederick.
“I imagine we will have an opportunity in the near future.”
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The next day, a much larger force met the Waffenstadt forces in the field. The Imperials were fielding seven battalions, seventy companies of modernized line infantry, as well as four units of artillery. Waffenstadt was fielding six battalions and sixty companies of modernized line infantry, as well as eight units of artillery.
This was almost the entirety of the Waffenstadt army, while the Imperials sent out just a fraction of their forces.
Waffenstadt’s artillery bombarded the Imperial forces as they approached the battlefield, rolling hills and small clusters of trees around a few dozen miles outside of Leibensburg. Skirmishers stood in open formation, firing at will at enemy skirmishers as the two forces drew closer.
The accuracy of the Waffenstadt rifles made picking off enemies a breeze, however they took nearly triple the time to reload as the smoothbore muskets. And the skill of the Imperial skirmishers made it so the fighting was done on relatively equal terms.
A cannonball ripped through a marching column of men, tearing its way through nearly a dozen men at once. Imperial officers shouted to fill the gaps and soldiers obliged, making the column look like it wasn’t even scratched.
An Imperial artillery unit set up on a high up hill, loading and firing with beautiful efficiency. Their shot flew over the heads of Waffenstadt infantry and the artillerist adjusted their cannon. A cannonball flew over the heads of the crew as they fired, immediately adjusting the cannon for counter-battery fire.
Massive blocks of infantry walked up and down hills, their march columns neat and orderly. The Waffenstadt forces shifted nervously in their positions. Their enemies looked very organized, and they were outnumbered.
A few columns broke off and stopped near the artillery pieces, a measure to protect against the Anarchic Horsemen.
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Ortenheim looked at the map spread out on his table. He had a general plan: pepper the enemy with artillery, then use the concealed Anarchic Horsemen and heavy cavalry to exploit any gaps. After that they would send in the infantry to push them off the field.
“Send the order to the horsemen. When they see an opportunity they are to take it. When the infantry see disorder in the ranks, charge and drive them from the field.”
The runner saluted Ortenheim and left to spread his orders.
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An Anarchic Horseman officer waited, sweat forming on his brow. They were dangerously close to the enemy, less than a hundred yards, and their artillery couldn’t even see where they were.
A cannonball ripped through the ranks of a company, killing just three men of the three ranks deep line. The officer shifted in his saddle, waiting for a properly devastating hit to any nearby unit. He was hoping to get after their artillery, but it was protected by two units of line infantry. They could probably silence the guns, but they would not get out unscathed.
“How many of us are willing to die today?”
Everyone in his unit nodded their heads.
“Then we wait for my whistle. When it comes, we fire at the artillery crews then charge the scattered infantry. In and out, we don’t want to stay long. Right back to our lines.”
His men silently acknowledged his words and the officer went back to watching. After a few more volleys some shots found a good angle on the infantry to the left of the crew, with nearly twenty casualties from four cannonballs.
The company was disorganized, as the entire center of the formation had a massive gap, as well as dead and dying men. The officer blew his whistle and his men began to trot forwards. When they came within range they fired, breaking the invisibility enchantments and ripping through the artillery crew.
They yelled at the top of their lungs and charged from less than fifty meters. The infantry were still reorganizing, they had no idea that there were horsemen so close. The Anarchic Horsemen slammed into the disorganized troops, killing a dozen men in less than five seconds.
A bayonet thrust up and pierced a horsemen’s armpit, twisting in the wound before being ripped out. A lance bayonet pierced the throat of a soldier, killing him near instantly. More lances thrust down at infantry, piercing through their gambesons with ease.
Just as fast as they came the Anarchic Cavalry pulled out, riding as hard as they could and dancing around the infantry around them. Men fired at the cavalry and horses fell as the company tried as hard as they could to get out alive.
They managed to get over a hill into the tall grasses and the officer immediately began to cast his magic, his eyes glowing with multiple colors at once. The magic swirled in his eyes and soon enough they were concealed within the grass, suddenly popping out of view. They continued to ride back and the officer took count, finding that they had only lost fifteen riders.
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Soon enough the infantry were getting closer and closer, and skirmishers continued to take pot shots at the enemy, occasionally killing a man in line or the field.
Artillery ripped through lines and columns, killing a few men with each cannonball. A cannonball skipped overhead as a crew loaded their guns. The enemy’s counter-battery fire was getting closer and closer to hitting, which made the crew very nervous.
The enemy had only three sets of guns left after the daring assault by an Anarchic Cavalry company, while Waffenstadt still had their eight, a massive advantage in artillery. The Imperial infantry drew closer and closer, ducking behind hills and groups of trees whenever they could.
At 200 yards some Waffenstadt line infantry fired on the opposing force, injuring a few but not killing anyone outright. A few of them were even knocked down but got back up a few seconds later.
The disciplined forces of the Grand Imperial Army walked through the hail of bullets with steely resolve, returning fire as they reached the apex of a hill. They continued to approach even while reloading, the sheer discipline and readiness at play unnerving the more inexperienced Waffenstadt forces.
Cavalry moved around either side, looking for a good opportunity to cause mayhem while staying out of range for the time being. A roundshot flew just over the heads of a heavy dragoons unit and the men involuntarily ducked, immediately moving from their position.
Finally, the infantry was getting within range of each other. Cannons roared and men screamed as roundshot tore gaps in their lines. The crack of gunfire came from the Imperial regiments, firing at 100 yards at their enemy on the various hills.
Waffenstadt infantry returned fire and began to reload, officers shouting at the top of their lungs to keep everyone in line, in order, and loading. The Imperial infantry found the Waffenstadt forces were holding strong and pulled back to take cover behind the hills. A cannonball punched through the line and gouged out a massive chunk of earth as it hit the mound behind them, causing men to scramble up the hill in a less organized fashion than before.
A unit of Imperial light cavalry kicked up a small amount of dust as they began to charge at an exposed unit of infantry. They got within 75 yards before turning and riding away, causing the Waffenstadt infantry to waste their shots, hitting nothing but air and earth.
A single Waffenstadt company on the right flank was hit with four cannonballs at a sharp angle, killing over a dozen men and heavily disorganizing their lines. Imperial light cavalry charged, firing their carbines at 75 yards, killing even more men.
They decided to fully commit, smashing into the disorganized company with sabers flashing down at anyone they could reach. A man turned to flee and was immediately cut down as a cavalryman rode past, slamming into the men next to him and sending him tumbling to the ground.
After around thirty seconds the 23rd company of the Waffenstadt Armed Forces was scattered to the wind, the cavalry on the right flank had an opportunity to take out a cannon crew, which they took, immediately charging as their officer’s orders when the 23rd had fully scattered.
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“Udo, go help those idiots on the right.”
Udo smiled and turned towards his men.
“Let’s get going boys!”
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The 15th Imperial Light Cavalry had successfully silenced one of the eight Waffenstadt gun units, killing in its entirety the crews of four cannons. The officer heard the beating of hooves in the distance and saw a company of heavily armored horsemen crest a nearby hill, less than a hundred yards away.
The Imperial Light Cavalry officer immediately ordered a retreat and his men did as asked, taking a few casualties as Udo’s dragoons fired their rifled carbines into their open order formation.
Udo chuffed as he watched the riders disappear over a hill.
“Cowards. Don’t even want to fight a superior enemy!”
His men laughed raucously. He looked around to gauge how his allies were doing.
For the most part, they weren’t doing horrible, though with their artillery advantage Udo figured they should be doing much better.
Guess you really can’t replace experience with technology, huh?
The left flank and center was holding fine, but the left was shaken by the loss of an entire company in mere seconds. Udo figured he would stay for the time being, as the left flank could use a confident unit of veterans to keep them together.
He raised his fist and yelled.
“Give ‘em hell boys!”
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Waffenstadt cannons fired and killed a handful of men, and a few seconds later the Imperial cannons returned fired, killing fewer. Roundshot slammed into a Waffenstadt line infantryman’s leg, ripping it off at the knee.
He laid on the ground and screamed as hard as he could, continuing as he was dragged back out of formation and put on a stretcher. He cursed the gods as every step sent sharp pangs of pain up his leg, traveling from his shattered knee to his brain through his spine, the worst pain he had even felt in his life.
The men in his line shifted nervously as they listened to his screams fade as he got farther away. Each of them had the same thought in their minds: Am I going to end up like him?
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“Send the 39th and 41st company from the reserves to the left flank.”
The runner saluted Ortenheim and ran off. He addressed another runner.
“The right flank are to overtake their enemy, focus the artillery there and begin to advance after a few volleys. I want Anarchic Horsemen to keep their disorganized lines disorganized.”
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The Waffenstadt infantry began to advance as cannonballs ripped Imperials out of formation, splattering their former brothers with gore and viscera. They jogged into position on a hill 100 yards from the enemy and the first row fired, dropping a few of the enemy.
They advance further down, the second rank firing at 75 yards. This, combined with the artillery barrage, had significantly weakened the Imperial right flank. Officers lifted sabers high in the air.
“Men! Form an attack column, just six men abreast!”
The 19th, 20th, 21st, and 26th Waffenstadt Line infantry formed dense columns, shots killing and injuring men left and right. Nearly eighty men packed tight into a single, segmented square of steel stood strong, despite the casualties.
The grounds were silent for a moment, like the battle had completely stopped as the two sides simply stared into each other’s terrified and battle crazed eyes. Then, officers tilted their sabers forward. Roaring as they sprinted uphill, the Waffenstadt rebels pushed as hard as they could to defeat the enemy, covering the high ground in mere moments. The Imperials formed into as strong a line as they could to absorb the charge, but to do so they had to clamber onto the bodies of their comrades, very poor footing.
Bayonet scraped against bayonet as the two sides clashed, men screamed at the top of their lungs, both battle cries and grunts of pain. Screaming was all many men heard as they fought, their ears ringing and their instincts taking over completely as they began to fully understand what it meant to put their lives on the line for freedom.
The Imperials held as strongly as they could, pushing back with all the training and discipline that came with being in the Grand Imperial Army. But, slowly and steadily, the Imperials were pushed back by the dense attack columns of the Waffenstadt forces, as they had been depleted and disorganized forcefully by small arms and cannon fire.
A young Imperial smashed the butt of his gun against the face of a Waffenstadt soldier, knocking him down and finishing him with a bayonet to the gut, twisting it before pulling it out to defend against another thrust. He had no time to consider the horror of his first ever kill, only able to fight as he was surrounded by enemies.
A Waffenstadt soldier pushed forward, encouraged and emboldened by the dense formation of men behind him. He thrust forward and ran his bayonet through the chest of an enemy, kicking them to the ground and chambering another thrust before being forced to duck a swipe aimed at his head.
Soldiers shoved and stabbed and beat each other with fury and determination, the Waffenstadt forces driven by sheer fervor and momentum, the Imperials carried by pure discipline and determination.
They fought as hard as they could, clearing their minds of anything but the enemy, relying solely on their training and experience. However, courage could only carry a force without momentum so far.
Soon enough the Imperials were pushed down from their hill, and their officers ordered a retreat through frantic shouts, and the playing of bugles. Anarchic Horsemen appeared seemingly out of thin air and ran down the retreating companies, scattering them to the winds before turning their attention to the center.
Four companies had turned to face the Waffenstadt rebels, firing upon them in a single, disciplined, devastating volley. Horsemen and infantry flew back as bullets ripped through their lightly armored bodies, killing a few and incapacitating dozens of good men.
Still, the men charged on, assisted by a few dozen battalions from the center. They slammed into the enemy line at the front and side, completely enveloping the right flank. Bayonets laid into exposed backs, and gun butts shattered bones. Soon enough the center was beginning to waver, and the Imperial officers ordered a full retreat.
Cavalry followed after the retreating forces, picking off anyone disorganized and out of position with lead, lance, and saber. The Anarchic Horsemen were a terror on the battlefield, appearing seemingly out of thin air and charging from just a few dozen yards away. They killed and maimed dozens from any company they could find before being called back, as the Imperial cavalry had started to fight off the Waffenstadt pursuers.
The rebels had carried the day through grit and determination, and they cheered as they watched the Grand Imperial Army’s neat and organized columns retreating back to Leibensburg. This was a victory for the workers of Waffenstadt against the Imperial oppressors, as well as the first real battle fought between Waffenstadt soldiers and the Grand Imperial Army.
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Ludwin nodded his head and closed his telescope.
“It seems we won. The only way to go is forwards, we must pursue them to Leibensburg.”
His men all agreed.
“Send someone to Ortenheim and tell him my orders. Klarwasser is marching towards Leibenstadt. We must make use of this momentum!”
Ludwin looked off into the distance, not towards the mountain citadel but towards Bickenstadt, as one of his riders left.
“I wonder how Fergus is doing…”