Section 9 Planning

"I want to ...... It should be Ryan....... ”

"It was a beautiful piece of copper! He had a distinguished family, a beautiful appearance, could say pleasant things, and had a dead face on Thomas. If it's peaceful, sticking it to your gate will make it look more brilliant. But you don't expect him to be able to withstand the onslaught of the enemy and turn the tide. Don't expect him to turn into your blade and slash your enemies! Because he is too ambitious, sooner or later he will cause you trouble. If you have the chance, it would be nice to get rid of him!"

"Besides, who else do you see that is more useful?"

“...... Sir William Daley......"

"It's just a piece of pig iron. It is swarthy and inconspicuous, and it can be seen everywhere in the world. Is that all you have to see? I thought you had a lot of potential!" the black-robed old man roared angrily as he poked the girl's body hard with his cane. Although the girl shrunk into a ball in pain, she didn't dare to escape.

"Can't you see that Ashrufat is the real thing? If Thomas is a piece of gold, Ashrufat is a pearl! You can throw away the gold for a while, because it is always so dazzling, and you can always get it back. But if you abandon the pearl, then he will be drowned in dust, and you will never get it back!"

The black-robed old man stopped and gasped.

"That kid is absolutely extraordinary, proud and confident, full of strength!" he began to mumble to himself, no longer caring about his granddaughter on the ground. "The strength of his body...... It's beyond the realm of human beings...... If you can use it well, you can use him to create a supreme treasure. But one is not careful, and he will slip out of his hands......"

......

Although in many accounts, the Greyhound Knights (or Greyhounds) were a group of bandits, robbers, hooligans, and fugitives. But in reality, in addition to the bandits and bandits recruited from Cassilos, a considerable part of the Greyhound Knights' strength is made up of Paro people, and there are a large number of temporary mercenaries. They were poorly equipped than the rest of the Paro armies, but they also had a large number of muskets. This army was not only fierce, but also lightly armed and fast. This is also the reason why they can chase Princess Irina all the way and not be able to settle down.

Under the high-speed pursuit of the Greyhound Knights, almost all the city fortresses along the way were captured unsuspectingly. It was often Princess Irina who entered the city with her front foot, and the Greyhound Knights rushed into the city gate with her back foot.

However, with Princess Irina formally organizing her army in the mountains, the Greyhound Knights halted their previous pursuit. In the mountains, they were ambushed by Count Thomas and suffered certain losses, and had already lost a great opportunity to destroy Irina in one fell swoop.

The Greyhound Knights began to gather forces in an attempt to launch a campaign to eliminate their targets. This was of course the right choice, but unfortunately they delayed it too long. By the time the Greyhound Knights had gathered their forces, Princess Irina had the full support of the lords of the remote mountains, and thus had an army of three hundred and fifty regular knights.

The commander of this army is the most legendary and legendary veteran of St. Jean, who has the reputation of "invincible".

Although the Greyhound Knights had a numerical advantage, the experienced Thomas chose the battlefield in an unnamed valley where superior forces could not be deployed......

—Excerpt from "History of the Styghian Wars"

......

"The latest information is here!" Thomas said, pointing to the map and turning to all the officers. "The main force of the Greyhound Knights has arrived in this area...... The total strength would not be less than five thousand, of which there were eight hundred musketeers and the same number of cavalry, not equipped with magicians and without cannons. This number means that they cobbled together all their forces. Once we can win this battle, they will have to retreat and defend, and they will no longer be able to fight us in the field. ”

Thomas spoke very calmly, as if he had forgotten that his army numbered less than four thousand, and that the knights numbered just over three hundred. This is to prevent the greyhounds from making a detour and raid, and a part of the force must be deployed at various intersections just in case.

"It looks like the greyhounds want to have a big battle with us so as not to stall for time. I think we might as well meet their demands. Everyone go back, have a good rest, and tidy up their weapons and armor. Tell all the soldiers to prepare a dry ration, lunch may be eaten on the battlefield, and there may not even be time to eat. Tomorrow morning we will fight, and we must defeat the enemy before it gets dark. ”

"Let's go back and prepare. Ashrufat, Leo, and Ryan, you three stay for a moment. ”

The crowd dispersed, and now there were only four people left in the tent.

"Now the strength and disposition of our two sides are very clear, and you have all seen the terrain. Tell me, how is this going to be fought? Tell me first, Ryan. ”

"The enemy is numerically superior, our terrain is superior. So the basic idea is to defend and counterattack. Ryan replied immediately.

"Very good, like a textbook, exactly the right way of thinking. Leo, tell me, how to defend, how to counterattack?"

"The Greyhound Knights are dominated by bandits. Leo thought for a moment before replying. "The characteristic of bandits is that they attack fiercely, but they are not resolute in their will to fight. Combat effectiveness is strong, but it cannot last. Therefore, in defense, it is necessary to set up corresponding field fortifications, rely on the terrain to hold on, and consume the enemy's physical strength and will. I propose to set up breastwalls and trenches to protect against bullets. In terms of counterattacks, I felt that I would leave a reserve and attack while the enemy was retreating, and crush the enemy in one fell swoop. Considering that it is all mountainous, only the middle of the valley is flat, and there is no room for war horses to gallop around and twist. The enemy will definitely dismount the cavalry to fight, so we can also let the knights dismount and fight. ”

"What do you see, Ishrufat?" asked Thomas.

"I think...... The enemy should think the same way. If I were the Greyhound Knights, I would definitely recruit the death squad with a high bounty. Break through the defense by force from the front. After all, even if there are fortifications, the defense capability is limited. It is likely to be broken through by death squads. If the death squad fails to break through, I will simply stop fighting, evacuate the mountains, and wait for reinforcements. Paro could send reinforcements to the greyhounds at any moment, but the mountain lords were all gathered here. If it is blocked here by the Greyhound Knights, it will be wiped out sooner or later. ”

"Hahaha...... Ashrufat, I'm glad you're not an enemy. Indeed, I am most afraid that it will not be them who will come to war, but they will use superior forces to block us in the mountains. However, Ashrufat, you think about one point but you can't think about the second. That's what the greyhounds have to fight us. This is determined by their circumstances. Go on. ”

"And I think that even though there is little flat land here, the knights still don't need to dismount and fight. The advantage of the enemy's light cavalry is a detour, so it is useless here, but our knights have excellent horsemanship and can charge the enemy's battle formations head-on. Although there is little flat land here, it is enough to speed up the war horse. ”

"Have you forgotten their muskets? It is extremely unwise to charge head-on in front of them. Ryan retorted suddenly.

"That's true. Well, go back too. Thomas waved his hand.

Ryan and Leo went straight back, but Ashrufat turned around and returned to Thomas's tent. He saw Thomas sitting in his chair, looking thoughtfully at the top of the tent.

"General Thomas. He screamed. Thomas blinked as if he had woken up from a big dream. After discovering that it was Ashrufat, he let out a wry smile.

"General, what's wrong with you?"

"I'm just thinking about tomorrow's war. They say I'm an invincible general, but I don't have that much self-confidence. I'm just an ordinary person. A little clever at best. ”

"Have you already figured out what to do?"

"I am the commander of the Greyhound Order. I know who my opponent is. He was a master strategist with an undefeated reputation and a variety of tactics. Thomas did not reply, but said as if talking to himself. "A cunning and dangerous opponent. And this battle took place in a mountainous area with complex terrain, which was a good terrain suitable for an ambush. I've been ambushed once and I've suffered heavy losses. Although I now have the advantage of troops, I am not familiar with the terrain, and my opponent came to the battlefield a few days before me, so he has already familiarized himself with this place. There is no doubt that my opponent is willing to fight with inferior forces, and there must be some trap arranged. I will be on the attacking side, but I will be careful and prepared in every way so as not to fall for the enemy's tricks...... When I arrive at the battlefield, I will place the musketeers here to keep them safe and at the same time have a good angle of fire...... I'm going to put the infantry here...... I will leave a unit in the rear to prevent a surprise attack by the enemy in a detour to the rear...... I will have the cavalry as mounted infantry to support the battlefield on either side at any time......"

"Tomorrow you won't need any strategy. Thomas suddenly smiled. "Frontal offense. The knights were arranged on the left flank. Ashrufat, led by you. Attack as soon as the enemy appears!"

......

As the sun rose in the middle of the day, the banner of the Greyhound Knights finally appeared across the valley. One by one, the phalanx entered the battlefield under the military flag.

"The whole army is ready to attack!" Under the banner of the Chinese army, Thomas gave the order to attack wearing silver-white dazzling armor.

"William Dell, you lead the militia, lead the troops in great strides, and once the knights engage the enemy, they can charge. Leo, you go and lead the archers, you have to run forward, and when you reach the arrow range, shoot three arrows as fast as you can, and then you can immediately retreat. Eshurufat, lead the knights to attack first, don't hesitate!Ryan, you go to the reserve team at once, and let all the trainee knights take off all armor except helmets and cuirasses, and so do their vests. ”

The knight's queue slowly moved and began to approach the enemy.

Although this valley was not particularly large, it was still large enough for less than three hundred knights. Although the terrain is uneven, the knights of the mountains have long been accustomed to galloping on such rugged ground. The knights began to move slowly, gradually accelerating, turning into a trot, then into a gallop.

Standing on the high ground where Thomas was, he could see the small phalanx of knights slowly approaching the huge army of enemies. Although he knew that the knights were now galloping fast, the speed seemed to be slow because of the distance. Opposite them, the Greyhound Knights were rapidly forming in formation.

And the pace of the archers and militia was even slower. It makes people unconsciously have an illusion - by the time the militia rushes in front of the enemy, probably the daylily will be cold. Now, the knights are alone in the depths, attacking the enemy's army alone.

Thomas smiled calmly, his smile gave everyone around him a lot of confidence. But only the most careful person noticed that Thomas's hand was unconsciously clenching the reins. Grip so tightly, as if to break the reins.