"Squadron, advance!"
Griffith raised the fleur-de-lis and led his squadron away from the battlefield and headed west. Gérard, Raye, and Mira led the squadron to follow him closely, forming a temporary Griffith Brigade and leaving Boulogne Ferry without looking back.
After adjustments, the squadrons of Lassalle, Milhaud and Warren Haydon stayed at the ferry, and with the cooperation of four ballistae formed the Boulogne Brigade to hold their position. Lana, Murat, Nona and Kulala all stayed here to strengthen their defences.
As early as the day after Maglius's camp was hit by the flood, Griffith was already imagining this battle.
Several days of sieges and counter-sieges around Bethe Manor and Castle, flooding of Maglius's troops and surprise attacks on Count Sindra's reinforcements, as well as a series of short but fierce assaults, raids and outposts were all part of this battle. an integral part. These large and small battles revolved around the same goal, which was the siege and reinforcement of the descendants of the Byellan nobles who were besieged in Beit Castle.
The final climax of the campaign was the battle that was about to break out at the Ferry of Boulogne.
Through several days of fighting and reconnaissance, as well as the intelligence provided by Fiona, Griffith clearly grasped the terrain of the entire battlefield and the strength of both the enemy and ourselves. His psychological sketch of the rebel commander Lance also became It became increasingly clear that a huge and thorough plan was already in place.
After repeated calculations and thinking, Griffith completed a careful campaign plan. The development of the war situation is under his control.
Through this battle, he will prove to Earl Larmore, Homemon Watts and Sidious that he is not a simple-minded pawn who only knows how to charge into battle, but a rare elite who can plan and command large-scale battles. If they plan any more conspiracy involving Griffith, the other end of the scale deserves more consideration.
His only concern is the safety of Sonia and everyone. If they want to abandon the army and flee to a safe place, he will not stop them, even if it means the complete collapse and destruction of the reinforcements.
Now that he was determined to fight, the battle of Boulogne would proceed according to his predictions and preparations.
Griffith is marching towards final victory.
On March 23, 1444, at 11:45 noon, the main force of the rebels in Reims approached the Ferry of Boulogne. Along the way, he took in several rebels who had broken up and defected to him, so he arrived a little later than originally planned.
After a long march, more than 500 of his more than 2,000 men were separated to block the road to the west. The others marched along the road in poor condition, which had turned into the shape of a sledgehammer. The four squadrons, all composed of veterans of the Verona Legion, and other elite rebel soldiers are hammerheads, and the other bandits, horse thieves, and recruited militiamen are long handles.
Lance's tactics are very clear. He wants to capture the ferry as soon as possible and block the exit for the nobles, young masters and ladies to escape to the east coast. Even if he couldn't stop the noble heirs, he still wanted to eliminate more than a thousand city defense troops on the west bank.
A bugle sounded, and the rebel longbowmen came out first. They bent their bows and fired arrows like locusts towards the ferry position. They fired five volleys one after another, and the rain of arrows made a dense clanging sound on the ruins of the ferry and the village.
After preparing long-range firepower, the rebels sounded the marching bugle, and the former senior centurion Theseus led two squadrons to attack.
They walked down from the Plachen low hill with neat steps. They had to cross a muddy depression and then attack the ferry and village on higher ground. They wore golden helmets, gleaming silver chainmail, and held large shields. They spread out on both sides of the road leading to the ferry like rolling waves.
Although the floodwaters have receded, the roads are still in terrible condition due to mud and standing water. Even with Platchin's Hill to assemble and mobilize troops, the rebels were still limited in the number of troops they could commit to a single charge.
The veterans of the legion lined up in neat formation, walked slowly but firmly across the slippery and muddy ground, and marched two hundred meters to the defense line of the ferry. There was no noise in the middle, and the formation was not disordered.
Lance watched from a distance on the low hill as the army was divided into two. Some stayed to guard the ferry, while others were rushing westward. He thought for a moment and then issued the order:
"The officers and soldiers wanted to disperse and flee. They must have known that there were so many troops that could not escape from this small ferry.
"Inform Huo Lan immediately and ask him to contain the officers and soldiers who are fleeing to the west. There is no need to fight or let them go. Wait for me to lead the army to support.
"Our army is attacking with all our strength."
After issuing the order, Lance turned to the two fallen mages who had just met and asked:
"Master Mage, how are you doing?"
"We are guarding here," Wizard Reed pointed to the village. "Plaqin is the assembly point, and I will guard here. In addition, I suggest that the troops led by Huo Lan and Lu Ping be recalled and attack from the west. Ferry, cover our left flank.”
"It's not necessary," Lance waved his hand and disagreed with recalling the army.
"My campaign goal is to completely annihilate the city defense forces in this area. If they are allowed to join the nobles to the west, they will pose a threat to our army's rear and hinder my subsequent war.
"I want to block the army's retreat to the west. If they escape into the noble territory there, this battle will be completely meaningless."
Master Reed still wanted to argue, but an angry battle cry suddenly erupted from the bottom of the slope.
"Get ready to throw your spear!"
"Three volleys!"
Theseus raised his sword and pressed down, throwing spears like a storm, setting off a murderous aura and attacking the city defense army's position.
Lannes and Warren Haydon's squadrons hurriedly raised their shields to resist. They had built a low earth wall in front of them to strengthen their defense.
The sound of ping-ping-pong-pong banging and the sound of flesh and blood tearing could be heard endlessly. After the heavy armor-piercing lance fired three earth-shattering volleys from a distance of less than thirty meters, the squadron commanded by the two men became shaken.
"This earthen wall is really in the way," Theseus said disdainfully, "Charge and kill them!"
The rebel legionnaires drew their swords and began to storm the defenses of La Salle and Warren Haydon. As soon as they came up, they pressed the city defense army's front line and pushed inward, fighting from outside the small ferry village all the way into the village. The situation was precarious.
Lasalle immediately sent out a punishment camp. Soldiers from two legions clashed among the ruins. Rebel veterans proved to be even better. They pressed the defense line and continued to advance slowly. Although the progress was smooth, the left flank of the rebel veterans was also exposed as the battle progressed.
Before the second wave of rebel legionnaires could catch up, a loud bugle suddenly sounded among the ruins. Millaud seized the gap exposed by the left wing of the rebel veterans and led his squadron from the right side of the village to storm the left wing of the legionnaires.
The pressure on Theseus increased greatly, and the veteran squadron on the left was flanked and was in danger of collapse. While holding his position, he called for support from the rear.
At this moment, a violent black shadow flickered on the broken wall and broken house, passed over the heads of people, and smashed in the direction of Theseus.
The rebel veteran who was in the midst of a fierce battle felt as if he had been hit by a thunderbolt, and his legs were numb.
Wearing black armor and carrying a terrifying sword on his shoulder, Lana rushed into the queue of rebel veterans. He wore a ferocious helmet like a wolf's head, pressed his hand on the hilt of the sword, and swept it towards him.
The black wind swept over the knees of the veterans, and they were cut down in pieces before they could react.
Like a mythical monster, Rana wreaked havoc behind the veteran lines, opening a huge gap in the blink of an eye.
Seeing his men being beaten to pieces by the sudden counterattack, Theseus roared and charged forward. He held a sword and shield and faced Rana head-on.
"Bang!"
The two collided like thunder and bounced back at the same time. Theseus' large shield blocked Rana's slashing attack, and even stabbed him in the arm with his sword.
"Yo! It's very hard!" Lana nodded with satisfaction, "I wish I could have it."
The cold horse-killing sword groaned in his hand, astonishing power was poured into the blade, and the next blow would carry astonishing power and destructive power.
Just when Theseus mobilized all his attention to guard against the sword, Kulala flashed out from a nearby tree and shot a precise arrow at Theseus. The arrow penetrated his neck guard and entered his throat.
Before he could retreat, Rana's blow followed, breaking Theseus's sword and cutting him in two.
The veterans of the rebel army were caught off guard. Their commander was killed as soon as the battle began. The remaining people could not withstand the fierce counterattack and lost their position and retreated.
The other two squadrons of veterans had already caught up. They combined the defeated troops of the first wave and launched another assault with almost no need to form a whole team. The densely packed swords and shields prevented Lana from finding an opening to strike, and the two sides fell into a stalemate, repeatedly tug-of-war near low walls and ruins.
Lance immediately sent follow-up reinforcements. There were more than 800 troops attacking the ferry and following behind. However, Shutoral's counterattack was very tenacious. Even if certain positions were captured, it would be difficult for the rebels to break through.
"Reed, send all the reserves up." Seeing that the veterans he had high hopes for could not attack the position, Lance immediately said to the mage.
Wizard Reed disagreed and still wanted to stick to the hill: "No, we must leave at least four hundred people to protect the hill and the village. Our follow-up troops are coming and we will reinforce them after they arrive."
Lance snorted coldly, passed Reed directly, and ordered to his subordinates, leaving two hundred people to guard Platchin Hill and the village, while the others quickly moved forward to support the rebels who were blocked in the attack.
At 13:20 in the afternoon, Lance gathered all the legionnaires and troops. The rebels of 1,200 people formed a dense formation. The main force advanced layer by layer close to the river bank, while the other part began to outflank the right wing of the city defense army.
…
Griffith and four squadrons marched over the wilderness. They gradually left the battlefield and could no longer see the battle at the ferry. Far ahead of them, a rebel group could be faintly seen moving. They carefully maintained a distance from Griffith's troops, neither attacking nor approaching.
That's clear. Lance sent them here not to outflank our right flank with superior force, but to prevent our escape to the west. Griffith was completely relieved.
If he was still uneasy and nervous at the beginning of the battle, as well as uncertain about the future development of the battle, then by this moment, he was already convinced that he would win.
"All troops stop!" Griffith raised the flag and ordered the entire army, "Turn left!"
The marching column advanced south for about 400 meters in horizontal formation. Griffith stopped the troops again and raised the flag. With the assistance of the squadron leaders and the Shutorals, the four squadrons of city defense troops used the left wing of the team as the fulcrum, and the center and right wing accelerated to rotate to the left, forming a horizontal formation facing the east.
"What are they doing?" Venomous Tooth Holland and his more than 500 soldiers gathered together and had already set up a formation waiting for the army to attack. However, the official army suddenly adjusted its direction, first marching southward, and then turning around again.
It's almost time. Griffith estimated the time. During the time they were maneuvering, the main force of the rebels should have already pressed forward and was storming the defense line at the ferry.
"Every squadron, speed up and move forward!"
Griffiths came to the center of the entire group, twenty steps in front of everyone, and lowered the military flag forward. Four squadrons followed him and rushed towards the battlefield to the east. The inexplicable rebel army was immediately left far behind.
His target was directly at the center of the rebel army - the low hill of Plachen, which was used to gather and mobilize troops and overlooked the depression below the ferry.
The oppressive haze once again enveloped the battlefield, and it seemed that Fiona's prayer time had come.
The brigade advanced quietly, following Griffith's flag.
He took a deep breath of moist air.
It’s been a long time since I felt like this. It feels like an era is so far away.
Surrounded by his comrades and infantrymen lined up, the battle flags were flying in the wind, as if he had returned to the familiar eastern battlefield.
For several days, in the non-stop battle, Griffith gained great satisfaction and enrichment. No enemy can resist his charge. Like a mythical hero, he even beheaded an enemy in battle, stripped off his armor, and single-handedly routed hundreds of men.
This is not the pleasure you can get from fighting goblins.
It’s simply so exciting!
The familiar, frenetic energy that characterized the charge of the armored cavalry named Griffith seemed to be back again.
He is one of the best armored cavalrymen in the regiment. The officers know him and his comrades admire him. On the remote and desolate battlefield, his honor and self-esteem were most satisfied. He was a born elite warrior, destined to become an unparalleled warrior.
His strong and brave companions trust him, and as long as he takes the lead in the charge, everyone will move forward. What a proud honor!
Krista relied on him, even the broken and incomplete memories were so warm. Obviously there are so many noble young people who admire her, but Krista still thinks about going to Byerland with Griffith and going to his seaside hut. What happy and beautiful memories!
The beautiful, mature and powerful Erza was close to him and regarded him as the most reliable adjutant in the squadron. This made him extremely satisfied, and sometimes he even wanted her.
Yes, that's what it feels like. Very real.
Today, the temptation becomes clear again.
What a nostalgic feeling. After leaving the East, he discovered that he had long been addicted to the life he once wanted to escape.
Griffith led the group forward.
The battle situation was under control, and the final contest would soon come... But his mind began to fly to distant places.
After walking for a while, his enthusiasm suddenly and inexplicably faded. That kind of satisfying passion comes and goes quickly, even faster than ever before.
His mind became a little empty, and memories of cruelty, indescribable loneliness, and pain came to his mind. He began to miss the East, or he couldn't help but fall into the memories of the past, wanting to get that comfortable feeling of satisfaction again.
Like a scum addicted to terazine, he began to restlessly and restlessly search for the short-lived pleasure just now.
He began to fantasize about the power of surging catharsis, wanting to destroy everything and plunder everything, trying to rely on this passion to find his own identity, named Griffith, respected by everyone, a feared armored cavalryman, warrior and butcher. .
However, this short-lived passion would suddenly fade away like a devil, leaving him feeling extremely empty and hesitant.
The surging power, killing, passion and pleasure seemed to really fill his heart, and then suddenly and without any reason left him like a psychedelic mist, leaving only an empty heart and an irresistible feeling after the tide receded. Panic.
In a daze, he suddenly realized a problem...
The pleasure and madness he needed could not be found in Beyeland, that gorgeous, soft and sweet place.
He wanted to enrich himself and couldn't help but pursue more power and blood. He used madness to arm himself with mysterious rings and sealed objects, and wrapped himself in thick armor so that the people of Beyelan could not underestimate him. , hiding among the strange eyes in the splendid drawing rooms of Beyeland and at balls.
It was okay at first, but gradually, he found that his soul could not be satisfied at all. Once the passion from the battlefield is lost, he will be doubly empty, and the passion and safety that he once was so familiar with can no longer be found in Beyeland's living room and ball.
The armor that protected him became increasingly fragile and even became a joke.
Everything in Beyeland is different from the past, everything seems fake. Which ones are false?
Where am I?
Under the gray sky and pale earth, Griffith's mind was filled with random thoughts as he advanced. Fortunately, he was not needed to speak or issue orders for the time being, otherwise the four squadrons would have thought their commander was crazy.
Just when it's confusing.
Griffith saw a gorgeous red. He originally thought it was a battlefield where a battle had just broken out, but when he got closer, he discovered that it was a field of roses that had been luckily preserved from the war.
The distant and intoxicating fragrance is blown by the afternoon breeze. A wonderful feeling enveloped him, sweeping away exhaustion and frustration.
That kind of familiar warmth emerged from the bottom of my heart along with piles of small memories.
It's obviously just trivial things that are so innocuous that it's embarrassing to mention them, such as the hidden biscuits, the confiscated albums, the scrambled mutton, and the messy chocolates, but they still make people feel so beautiful, so real and full, Filling every corner of his soul.
Every memory is so happy.
Griffith's mood became high again. He walked briskly, as if he had been blessed from the highest. An indescribable joy and fulfillment drove away the dark and ferocious memories and desires, caressing his soul.
"Ah——! If I can let you share the beauty I am experiencing at this moment, even if it means an expedition to the end of the world, I am willing.
"Garadia, what are you doing now?"
Griffith subconsciously touched his pockets to see if he had any gifts from the elf girl.
He found the Crystal of Insight given as a Frost Festival gift. Even though we have known each other for such a long time, we only have one Frost Festival gift, which is still an everyday tool. Although this is not bad, I always feel that it is not enough and something is missing.
"Okay, I have decided to bring a gift back to Galadia.
"In return, she must give me some small gift that I can carry with me! If she doesn't give it, I will grab this silly roe deer's pointed ears and pull out a strand of hair.
"Well, one strand may be too much. She will probably scream so that the whole school can hear it. I still can't beat her brother, so I'll pull out two strands!"
The Plachen Dwarf is right in front of you.
Okay, okay, pick yourself up! Griffith, who had been distracted all the way, rallied with unparalleled concentration and fighting spirit.
I want to penetrate the center of the rebels with one blow, crush their resistance, and then go to see Galadia as soon as possible!
