Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 172: Phalanx
How many soldiers would it take to form a square formation?
Of course, the more the better.

Because quantity equals courage.

Fifty-seven years ago, in the Battle of the Spurs, the army that supported Richard's succession only formed two square formations, but used 13,000 spearmen.

Each formation had over six thousand people, they were clumsy and heavy, and moved like turtles, yet they still won.

The other party vying for the crown, Richard's uncle, Earl Philip of Northumberland, commanded a large number of noble cavalry, but was utterly defeated.

After the war, Philip the Covet was beheaded, thus ending the two-year War of the Succession.

In that battle, Ned Tormes was just over nineteen and an insignificant squire. He was ridiculed by his comrades for his trembling legs when he went into battle, and he ran to the river to secretly shed tears.

Emperor Richard was eleven years old, thin and small, and his mother called him "Little Pea".

Richard was still a child at that time, and all he wanted to do every day was ride horses and play. No one could have imagined that he would later be nicknamed "the madman".

As the greatest contributor to this victory, François of Milburg was granted the title of Duke of Arlian and was feared by nobles of all ranks as "the Butcher" for his ruthless methods of leaving no survivors.

With his unbreakable spear and halberd formation, the Butcher Duke rarely suffered defeat in his campaigns.

The array of spears and halberds made them fearless against cavalry charges, which allowed infantry to once again become the main force of the army.

While everyone was vying to emulate the Duke of Butcher, a few astute soldiers had already noticed its flaws: the phalanx tactic was a serious waste of manpower, and the larger the phalanx, the greater the waste.

After each battle, during the inventory, it was often found that only the outermost soldiers of the square formation had blood on them.

As for the people inside the formation... they were just there to embolden the people outside; they did nothing but shout encouragement.

When the enemy is defeated outside, those inside rush out to hunt down the fleeing enemy; when the enemy is routed outside, those inside can only flee as well.

When Ned Smith began to improve phalanx tactics thirty years ago, he limited the number of soldiers in a single phalanx to less than three thousand. At the same time, he reduced the proportion of melee soldiers, replacing them with musketeers and crossbowmen.

The new composite phalanx defeated the old spear and halberd phalanx, and after this tactical innovation, mathematics became a compulsory course for officers.

Because to arrange a square array, one must understand geometry and be proficient in verbal multiplication, division, and square root extraction.

As mathematics became more widespread, a new theory was proposed: "small square formation tactics," which states that with a fixed number of troops, the smaller the individual square formation, the more soldiers can engage the enemy.

However, small square formations are not without their costs. The smaller the square formation, the easier it is to break through, and the higher the morale required of the troops.

At this moment, the Plattite troops who were confronting the Hed were using small square formations.

They were ambushed halfway through the journey, leaving the commander only a few seconds to make a judgment.

Colonel László, the brigadier general's deputy, arrived on horseback, speaking rapidly: "I'll take men to hold them off! To buy you some time!"

"It's too late!" Sackler calmly ordered, "Use the small square formation! Trumpets!"

Corner, war drum, flag, spellcaster—Palatu's army relied entirely on these four things for command.

The sharp bugle call pierced the thunder of horses' hooves, and the battalions beat their drums in response. The six infantry battalions, which were marching in columns, quickly changed formation.

The soldiers simply discarded their packs, equipment, tents, and other miscellaneous items, taking only their weapons and ammunition.

Amidst the rapid drumbeats, four close-combat squads of a hundred men converged under the battalion's banner, forming a solid square formation with a distance of six steps between them, on the left and right elbows.

The extra-long spears enveloped the halberdiers and swordsmen, the military flag was protected in the very center, and two hundred-man musketeer squads were positioned at the four corners of the formation.

The irritable soldiers ran through the ranks, cursing the disoriented soldiers. If they saw anyone standing in the wrong position, they would kick them. In this way, the square formation was quickly formed.

Right under the noses of the Hed, six Paratul infantry battalions formed a battle array with their backs to the river, with small square formations arranged in a line from east to west along the riverbank.

The enemy cavalry was about to arrive in the blink of an eye, and the musketeers of Palatine had not yet lit their matchlocks.

Seeing this, Sackler made a decisive decision: "Have all the battalions bring the musketeers inside!"

Upon receiving the order, the bugler exerted all his strength to play another melody.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert, commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 6th Army Corps, couldn't hear clearly at first. He closed his eyes to try and make out the details, then suddenly shouted, "Roy! Varga! Take your men into the square!"

The two centurions—Lieutenant Roy and Second Lieutenant Varga—immediately took action.

Led by the centurion, musketeer Pint retreated into the square formation.

He stopped between two spearmen, grasped the flint and the end of the rope together, and struck them hard with the flint and steel.

Starting a fire is usually a breeze, but now it's incredibly difficult.

"Damn it!" The thunder of hooves echoed in his ears. Pingte's hands trembled violently, and he couldn't hit the target no matter what he tried. Frustrated, he cursed with each tap, "Damn it! Damn it!"

"Shut up!" Centurion Roy roared, "Anyone who makes a disturbance in the face of the enemy shall be executed!"

Pingte shuddered, his lips pressed tightly together as if glued shut. After striking the fuse a dozen or so more times, the charcoal at the end finally caught a spark.

Pingte was overjoyed. He quickly gathered the end of the rope with his hands and carefully blew on it. The faint sparks gradually grew stronger, and a few wisps of smoke emerged.

Seeing that Pingte had made up his mind, the musketeer next to him quickly came over to borrow a light.

The leading cavalryman was less than two hundred meters away, and the distance was closing rapidly every second.

The Parat people could already hear the strange cries and howls of the Hed barbarians, and the red and white feathers swaying on the barbarians' heads were clearly visible.

The small square of five hundred men in Robert's battalion was solemnly silent, except for one scarred soldier carrying a halberd who walked in the ranks, sternly repeating military law:

"Anyone who looks around in the face of the enemy shall be executed!"

"Anyone who makes a disturbance in the face of the enemy shall be executed!"

"Anyone who fires a gun without orders shall be executed!"

"Those who advance or retreat alone will be killed!"

"Anyone with a red mark on their back shall be executed!"

Beside Lieutenant Colonel Robert, a military policeman holding a short bow and equipped with red arrows gleamed with a fierce look in his eyes.

[Note: This is a military law inherited by Plato's army from the nomadic era. Before each battle, military police would escort the troops with short bows and be armed with cinnabar arrows. Anyone who made a disturbance, hesitated to advance, or retreated alone would be shot with a cinnabar arrow. After the battle, those with cinnabar marks on their backs would be executed immediately.]
The messenger cavalryman with the green plume rushed to the side of the square formation and shouted, "Lieutenant Colonel Robert! The general orders your unit to seek an opportunity to move closer to the riverbank!"

The six small squares were arranged in a line, and the overall formation was very poor. Robert's square was located at the eastern end of the entire line, in the most dangerous position.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Robert roared back angrily, "We'll talk about it after we get through the first wave!"

The cavalrymen were less than a hundred paces away, and the soldiers patrolling outside the formation also retreated into the square formation.

No Paratist was unafraid of the terrifying force of thousands of cavalry charging at full speed.

From privates to sergeants, then to centurions and battalion commanders, everyone experienced uncontrollable dryness of the mouth and tongue, dilated pupils, and rapid breathing; even the hands holding weapons felt weak and sore.

Suddenly, a voice amplified by magic resounded across the wilderness: "I'm in the formation!"

The Paratians on the battlefield looked in the direction of the sound and saw the general's magnificent helmet plume.

"If I take a step back!"

"Cut off my head!"

Sackler strode into the square formation, halberd in hand.

In that instant, even the most timid coward would feel boundless courage surge from the depths of his heart, and the morale of Plato's army reached its peak.

"Long live! Long live! Long live!"

The shouts even drowned out the rolling hooves.

"Riflemen!" Lieutenant Colonel Robert roared at the top of his lungs, "Ready to fire!"

"Long live!" The first rank of soldiers pressed their rifles to the ground.

"Long live!" The second rank of soldiers held their spears level. "Long live!" The third rank of soldiers raised their spears high.

Three rows of spears pointed forward simultaneously, their tips gleaming coldly.

The Plato phalanx and the Hed cavalry roared as they clashed.

Musketeer Pint was no coward, but when Heard's cavalry charged in front of him, he instinctively closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, Pingte found himself unharmed.

The barbarians under Hurd did not break through; at the last moment, the enemy pulled on the reins, grazing past the front of the formation with their spears.

Hundreds and thousands of Hart's cavalry charged toward the square formation like a monstrous wave.

But only a few riders charged straight into the forest of spears without flinching. The other barbarians either dodged at the last moment or their warhorses reared up uncontrollably in front of the spear tips—even if the men weren't afraid of death, the horses would be.

Right next to Pint, a fearless Herd man rode a fearless Herd horse and charged into the square formation.

The Paratites were thrown off balance by the impact, and the spearmen who faced the charge were instantly torn apart by their own tiger's mouths, only to be knocked down by their warhorses, their fate unknown.

Hedema was pierced through the chest by the spear tip, and then two more spears broke in succession before he fell to the ground.

The rider of the Hed was thrown from his saddle and fell heavily into the square formation, with the Paratians around him scrambling to get out of the way.

Centurion Lieutenant Roy drew his sword and lunged at the Hurd rider, stepping on his chest and killing him with a single blow.

As soon as the first Hedman broke through the gap with his life, several fierce barbarians followed closely behind and charged into the formation.

"Ukaha!" the barbarians roared in incomprehensible Hede, wielding their scimitars in a frenzied hacking spree. Riding high on horseback, they swept away chunks of flesh with each swing.

"Let's kill him together!" The scarred soldier charged towards the barbarian with his halberd: "Don't be afraid!"

Led by the scarred soldier, the other halberdiers surrounded the barbarians, dragged them off their horses, and killed them.

A soldier from Palatine turned around in panic to look at the battle situation inside the formation. Without saying a word, the escorting military police shot the lookout in the back with a red arrow, sentencing him to death.

Roy was furious: "In the heat of battle, kill without mercy! All of you, look ahead!"

Soon, more than a dozen Hed people who rushed into the formation either broke their necks or were surrounded and killed by the Paratu people in the square formation.

The seriously wounded and the dead were carried into the phalanx, and the soldiers in the rear quickly filled their empty spaces, turning Robert's phalanx into a pincushion of spears once again.

Robert's phalanx was like a solid rock in the riverbed, splitting the torrent of Hart's cavalry in two.

Undeterred by their setback, the Huds began to ride around the square formation.

"Watch out!" Lieutenant Colonel Robert shouted, seeing the movement of Heard's cavalry. "Javelin!"

The Hed men on their saddles drew their bows and javelins and hurled and shot at the Palatu's hedgehog formation.

Arrows flew towards the square formation from all directions. The Heds didn't even need to aim. The Parats, who were fighting in formation, had nowhere to hide.

The outermost spearmen bore the brunt of the ranged attacks, but fortunately, they were heavily armored, and most of the arrows were deflected.

The true weapon of the Hud was the javelin. Hud cavalrymen, javelin raised high, would charge towards the phalanx, only striking when they were as close as possible. Utilizing their horse's speed, the javelin could pierce through an unarmored soldier before striking the next Paratul.

"Raise the lance!" Robert shouted urgently, standing up in his stirrups and waving his arms.

The Palatine spearmen immediately began to shake their super-long spears, and the afterimages of more than two hundred spears obscured the square formation, with arrows being deflected by the spear shafts from time to time.

Shaking the spears could only deflect a small portion of the arrows, but it was the only means of defense for a spear phalanx lacking shields.

"Those barbarians are scared! They think they can wipe us all out with arrows? Dream on!" Lieutenant Colonel Robert laughed angrily, "Blow them down!"

The spear formation never relied on passive defense, but rather on proactive counterattacks.

Lieutenant Roy shouted, "Musketeers! Free fire!"

Pint walked to the front of the outermost pistolman, a position where he wouldn't accidentally injure his comrades and would still be within the protection range of the extra-long pistols.

With his musket firmly resting on its side and cheek pressed tightly against the butt, Pint aimed at a target, pursed his lips, and pulled the trigger.

A flash of red light, a gunshot, and the wooden stock struck his shoulder, causing him excruciating pain.

As the smoke cleared, a Hart cavalryman slid off his horse, his arm raised.

When the Hed barbarians fired arrows at the Paratu people, it gave the Paratu people the opportunity to fire back at them.

Pint pulled out the iron fork holder, retreated into the square formation to reload, and another musketeer took Pint's place.

Musketeers generally did not fire from within the square formation, as the crowded square was dangerous for both the muskets and the musketeers.

But when the situation becomes urgent, safety is crossed off the list.

Gunfire erupted from all sides of the square formation, and under the cover of spears, the Paratist musketeers began to rotate and fire.

Lieutenant Varga, brandishing the holy emblem, fervently rallied his musketeers: "Kill! Slaughter all these heretical barbarians! We will all attain immortality!"

One by one, the Huds, who were circling the square formation and shooting arrows, fell off their saddles. Most of their arrows hit the plate armor, and most of the arrows that hit the plate armor were deflected.

If a Hedman is hit by a Paratul's heavy musket, he will be seriously injured even if he is not killed.

Especially in the area between the two square formations, any Hart cavalry passing through would be subjected to crossfire.

The balance of power in the battle began to tilt little by little in favor of the Paratists.

Hart's cavalry gradually became unable to withstand the casualties and began to withdraw from the battle.

Robert's battalion, located at the easternmost end of the line, was besieged by the largest number of Hed soldiers. The Maral battalion, adjacent to Robert's battalion, even had the spare capacity to send a small squad of musketeers to support Robert's battalion.
Finally, the Hurds, who had surged in like a tide, retreated just as quickly, leaving behind a ground littered with corpses and those who were still alive.

The Paratites, who had temporarily won, seemed to have all their strength drained away and collapsed to the ground.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert was equally exhausted. He beckoned to Scarface Sergeant: "Old Scar!"

"Sir? What's the matter?" The scarred soldier walked over carrying a halberd.

"Take two teams out and bring back a few survivors," Robert said briefly.

But the scarred sergeant understood: "Yes."

The scarred sergeant led a dozen swordsmen and shieldmen out of the formation, cut off the ears of Hed's corpse, and released the remaining Hed barbarians—bringing two alive meant killing the rest of the Hed barbarians.

Robert's squad had no time to rest; they immediately set off to join General Sackler's square.

The Heds did not leave, trailing Platt's troops at a distance. Robert's battalion was forced to maintain a square formation throughout the march.

By the time the six battalions had regrouped, it was already getting dark. Marching at night would only give the Harts an opportunity, so Sackler ordered a camp to be set up on a high point on the shore.

The Paratites dug trenches and built breastworks, awaiting reinforcements. Their light cavalry was nearby, while their heavy cavalry was on the opposite bank of the river.

Since the Heds failed to devour them all at once, now is the time for the Paratul to devour the Heds.

The reinforcements arrived quickly, faster than anyone expected—including Sackler.

The reinforcements themselves were even more unexpected—they weren't Palatine cavalry at all.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a dozen or so rafts drifted down from the upper reaches of the confluence river, carrying bread, gunpowder barrels, and several fragrant pots.

Even the light cavalry of Hed, who were monitoring the Paratites, were dumbfounded.

"We are the JSKA Battalion, ordered to provide support. We've brought you food and drink," said the burly officer in hussar uniform, casually pointing to a wooden raft: "and a pontoon bridge."

I'm late, but there's still one more page to write today, though I might not finish it until tomorrow morning.

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(End of this chapter)