April 2, 1703, dawn, Principality of Valstad, village of Setovice.

This small, previously obscure village is about to become famous, and a bloody battle will be named after the village.

Fifteen divisions of the coalition army, totaling more than 70,000 men, were about to launch a fierce assault on the defenders of the principality stationed here.

The light cavalry reconnoitred in front, and a short distance behind, the line infantry marched slowly towards the village in a horizontal formation, and this remote place had never been so lively.

The defenders on the high ground behind the village were the 9th Division of the Duchy of Valstad, which had already requested reinforcements, and the other two divisions of the 3rd Army, the 7th and 8th Divisions, soon arrived on the battlefield.

The commander of the Third Army of the Duchy of Valstad, Marshal Roland Caspar, set up his headquarters on a high ground a thousand meters away from the main battlefield, which provided a good view of the whole situation.

The roar of cannons heralds the official start of the Battle of Settowice, and a killing feast is about to take place in the land.

Before the coalition forces arrived, the shells went first.

The artillery fire was so ferocious that the village of Setovice was reduced to a sea of fire in an instant, but fortunately, the villagers had already evacuated their homes.

The positions of the principality army were generally higher and had a clear geographical advantage, and although the coalition forces had many artillery, it was difficult to attack the defenders hidden in the anticline of the high ground.

The sound of artillery gradually stopped, and the snare drums and bugles of the coalition troops sounded in unison.

As in countless classic battles in the past, the first to break out was a skirmish between the light cavalry of both sides, and after the hussars and chasseurs of both sides came into contact, the Duchy's side, which was clearly inferior in numbers, wisely retreated.

These light cavalry, known for their speed, were in charge of reconnaissance in the early stages of the campaign, and they were also very good at chasing after a victory, but rarely charged the infantry as shock cavalry, which was the task of the heavy cavalry.

The light cavalry of the coalition army observed the infantry line of the principality from a distance, and after gathering enough information, they quickly withdrew to their position.

On the wide front of the battlefield, the coalition forces began to attempt to launch the first wave of the offensive, and several battalions of line infantry formed columns and attacked in dense formation.

At this time, the artillery of the principality opened fire, which was deployed on both flanks of the infantry line, and bombarded the advancing coalition soldiers with crossfire.

The cannon's shells had a relatively straight trajectory, plowing black smoke gullies in the steppe, and only a few shells hit, but they also caused serious casualties.

Huge solid iron balls whizzed in, easily piercing the fragile flesh of the soldiers, forming a path paved with flesh and blood in the dense infantry column.

Shrapnel exploded in the air, raining deadly iron rain down on the ground, and incendiary bombs ignited everything near the drop point.

The troops involved in the first wave of the offensive were soon forced to retreat due to heavy casualties, and the second wave of the offensive was imminent, outnumbering several times more than the first, and these infantry battalions marched in horizontal formations towards the defensive line.

The infantry on both sides began to exchange fire, and soon the defenders were crushed by the powerful Allied offensive, and the soldiers of the first line of defense were either killed or captured. More fled to the rear.

Field Marshal Roland Casper, who was stationed at the headquarters of the Third Army, remained calm, he was well aware of his mission, and the goal of the Third Army was not to destroy the enemy, but to slow down the enemy's advance as fast as possible, and wait for the support of the other three armies.

The positions of the various units of the Third Army appeared to be extremely dispersed, with units relying on high grounds, rivers, or houses to hold back, delaying time by the depth of the defensive line.

The 153rd Infantry Battalion was deployed in an abandoned castle, and the fighting had not yet reached the area.

Battalion Major Dali Einfurt stood on a tower in the castle and observed the situation at the front with a telescope.

The smoke was getting thicker in the distance, and some of the retreating soldiers were fleeing in the direction of the castle.

"Quick! Open the gates and let them in. He commanded.

The panicked soldiers ran into the castle with all their might, falling to the ground exhausted.

Captain Gavin asked them, "How's the front going?" ”

An officer with a face blackened by gunpowder replied: "Oh my God, it's hell out there!" The ranks of the coalition forces are pressed on top of each other, and there is no end in sight! We repelled their vanguard, and before we could rejoice for a moment, we were driven out of our positions by the ensuing attack. Our Eighth Division, and the Ninth Division...... Heavy casualties. May I ask what kind of unit you are here? ”

"We are the 153rd Battalion of the Seventh Division, on the orders of the marshal, guarding this castle."

"Friends! Let's just take a few minutes and give us a few rifles! Some people lost their weapons when they fled. Now this is our new position, and we are at your command! ”

"The Supreme Commander here is Major Dalí, welcome to join us, friend." As he spoke, Gavin gestured to the officer in the tower.

With the complete defeat of the 8th and 9th Divisions of the Duchy of Valstad, the allied forces approached the castle, and the uniforms of the Papal States and the Knights were pure white, except for the difference between the military caps and ornaments, which could not be distinguished from a distance.

"Their cannons have not yet kept up, brothers! Defend the castle gates! With that, Major Dalí took a deep breath, and the dense coalition soldiers outside the castle were approaching here, they numbered tens of thousands, while the defenders inside the castle were only about six hundred people.

He thought with a wry smile: (No...... No...... No! I'm going to die here? I promised her to come back alive...... I'm sorry, dear, but it looks like I'm going to break my promise. At least...... I want to be a qualified soldier, obey the orders of the marshal, and fight to the last breath. Don't be timid, never! ）

The two battalions of grenadiers of the coalition army rushed towards the castle in a battalion column, and these grenadiers were the troops dedicated to the fortification, they were tall and strong, and the feathers on their military caps indicated their elite status.

Undenied by the fire of the defenders of the walls, the men at the front, carrying ladders and axes, rushed to the bottom of the castle and threw the fuses of grenades lit by the fire rope into the castle, and the ladders were attached to the walls, and immediately someone climbed up and fell from the ladder. Several strong men, shirtless, frantically slashed at the city gates with long-handled axes.

The battle was fierce, many soldiers of the 153rd Battalion were injured by the grenades thrown in, and the soldiers on the walls were trying to prevent the grenadiers on the ladder from climbing to the top, the projectiles flew in all directions, bayonets pierced into the body, and people kept screaming and falling.

These brave white-clad grenadiers chanted slogans such as "God's will", "Long live the Order", "Long live His Majesty the Pope".

These were faithful members of the Templar Church, believing in the Triune God and holding their faith high and showing no sign of retreat.

The gate of the castle gate was about to be split open by a sharp axe, and Major Dalí quickly ran to the gate and ordered the soldiers to press their bodies against the gate.

Once this place is lost, it is really all over.

Soon, the gate was split in two, and the soldiers inside and outside the door began to wrestle, and the door was pushed open a gap, and a shirtless man with a sharp axe desperately squeezed in, and soon his body was killed by several bullets, and his body was blocked between the two door panels, and several grenadiers squeezed in, all of whom were quickly killed.

Seeing that the crack in the door is gradually expanding, once the large army outside the door pours in, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"If you want to survive, resist it! Come here at the city gates to help, quick! Drag the body away! Major Dalí shouted hoarsely.

The corpses in the cracks in the gates were dragged away, and the soldiers forced the gates shut, using the pitchforks in the castle as new gates. The crisis at the city gate was temporarily lifted, but a new situation emerged.

"Sir! Oh no, come up and take a look! ”

Dalí quickly ascended the wall, and the sight from above was shocking, blood seeping into the cracks of the stones, and corpses lying on the side of the battlements.

"What a bloody battle! You're all good! He patted one of the soldiers on the shoulder.

"Sir, you're here, look over there!"

Dalí gasped at the scene outside the castle, their Grim Reaper had arrived—the Coalition artillery had arrived.

If those heavy cannons are deployed, the walls will be easily crushed and the castle will be flattened by the army.

The soldiers all looked at him, waiting for his decision.

(If you hold on here, you will surely die.) If they surrendered, the whole battalion would be taken prisoner, and everyone would be able to live. But what about the marshal's order? The success or failure of this battle depends on how long the Third Army can hold out, and if the white flag is raised, I will become a coward and be pointed out by a thousand people! If they continue to hold on, the whole battalion will die here. ）

Just as Dali's heart was fiercely fighting, the familiar sound of a military horn was heard in the distance.

His spirits were shaken! Run to the other side of the city wall and take out a telescope to observe.

"...... in the distance Is that...... The Midknight family's night owl flag! It's the army of our Duchy of Valsta! ”

A squadron of cavalry bore the brunt of the attack, quickly approaching the area, faintly recognizable to the rest of the cavalry ranks in the rear, as well as the blackened infantry columns in the distance.

"This is not someone from the Third Army, it can only be ......"

Major Dalí excitedly shouted to his men:

"Hold on, friends! Reinforcements are coming! ”