When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

#412 - Alman's pre-war deployment and Mizam's plan

Black smoke billowed and chaos reigned in the Church Army's position.

The originally crowded squares pushed and shoved, making way for guards engulfed in flames.

They screamed, carrying the aroma of roasted flesh and oil, as they plunged into the stream.

The clear water instantly extinguished the flames with a 'hiss,' turning the pristine stream into a murky mix of embers and blood, with iridescent oil slicks floating on the surface.

As the smoke and flames dissipated, the guards who had jumped into the stream finally showed a hint of relief, only to scream in terror once more as they tried to stand, supporting themselves on their knees.

They looked down to see their bodies covered in wrinkled skin and pus-filled blisters.

The tender flesh beneath the skin was exposed to the air, sending excruciating pain throughout their bodies; many convulsed in agony, some even foaming at the mouth.

Amidst the chaos, the monks finally arrived with buckets of holy water, barely managing to contain the spread of the fireballs' damage.

The holy water only extinguished the fireballs themselves; the subsequent fires needed to be put out the old-fashioned way, with water from the stream.

After all the commotion, at least seventy or eighty men were dead or wounded, reducing their forces by at least two hundred.

These weren't just peasant conscripts, but real guards and armored soldiers.

"Those mountain goats," Count Komar, his face covered in soot, muttered, wiping his face with a damp handkerchief on a hill behind the battle lines, "those fireballs are a little too accurate."

Alman's face was grim as he weighed the charred remains of his staff, now only half its original length. "Of course, they fitted arrow shafts to the fireballs; a ballista is bound to be more accurate than a catapult."

Turning his gaze from the staff, Alman frowned, three distinct lines appearing on his forehead.

Beneath the clouds, everything seemed veiled in a dim haze, blurring the edges.

The hot wind stirred the chamomile beside the fence and the hems of the guards' uniforms.

The raised ground was about three meters above the earth, and the guards shifted their feet or shuffled in place.

Beads of sweat streamed down their foreheads, whether from the heat or the residual warmth of the fireballs was difficult to say.

The square was not close to Alman's position, but he could still sense the fear and unease.

Alman rubbed his brow; for someone more skilled in social interactions and duels, a large-scale battle involving over thirty thousand people was beyond his capabilities.

If only waging war was as simple as seducing a noblewoman.

He had thought the Red Dragon Breath had been detonated by the mole he sent, but he hadn't expected so many more to appear.

In his mind, the Fireball Ballista of Rapid Current City had reached the limit of its power and range, but the Salvation Army had given him another surprise.

This wave of ten fireballs had struck three infantry squares, the worst hit taking six fireballs directly.

They hadn't even engaged yet, and he had already lost hundreds of men.

If they continued with the original plan, these infantrymen would collapse before they even succeeded.

Alman's army besieging Rapid Current City numbered about 32,000 men; those left behind, besides the understrength Edict Legion, consisted of about 10,000 peasant soldiers and ordinary foot knights.

The remaining 21,000 had been departing in waves since yesterday, gathering at the Vechintoli Manor.

They had assembled their forces before Horn and the others arrived.

Twelve large, gray, and multi-colored squares of 30x50, arranged in groups of three, two rows deep, forming four formations in a pyramid shape.

These large squares were composed of armored soldiers on the outer edges and long spear guards in the center, with some foot knights forming an attacking vanguard in front of the formation.

This square formation was called the Dungar Grand Square, but the real Dungar Grand Square required a high degree of training, with strict requirements for troop ratios and formations.

Alman's version, where everything except the number of people was arbitrary, was not even a pale imitation.

But in Alman's view, it was more than enough to suppress peasant rebels, as long as they weren't facing the Empire's regular veteran legions.

Scanning over the rows of heads wearing hoods or ear-covering felt hats, Alman turned his gaze back to his own position.

Unlike the tightly packed infantry squares, they, the most noble knights, would not mix with the infantry like Horn's peasant rebels, but remained isolated on the flanks.

The right flank consisted of 1,200 local knights and 600 mercenary knights led by Countess Marika, while the left flank was led by Alman himself, with 300 men from the Edict Legion and 900 Transcendent Knights transferred from Hottam County.

The combat power of these local Transcendent Knights varied greatly, ranging from Edict Knight level to mediocre, all mixed together.

In the old Empire, classifying equipment and formations based on combat power, like the Edict Legion, was considered advanced military technology.

For the local noble knights, combat power was not linked to titles, and personal feuds were common, leading to frequent cases of mutual disrespect or amateur counts commanding expert knights.

Therefore, it had to be a noble recognized by everyone to take command.

Countess Marika had a powerful family, Alman's reputation as a knight was well-known, and Count Komar was the Bishop's dog, so these three were able to take command.

“Continue to stand still?” Countess Marika asked impatiently, combing her greasy hair behind her ears.

She sat astride a stout Chian horse, only such a massive animal could bear her weight.

Alman glanced at Countess Marika, then looked at Mizam, who was still meditating with his eyes closed, and said nothing.

Count Komar, the infantry commander, narrowed his eyes at the Salvation Army's ballistae as they wound their strings again, and said with a bitter face, “Your Excellency, at least take out those ballistae in front, if this keeps up, those cowardly guards will run away.”

Of these night watch guards, recruited from armed farmers, at least 8,000 were transferred from Hottam County.

Having fought away from home for so long, their morale was already low, and they might suddenly collapse in one of these fireball barrages.

This was also why Alman hesitated; he had not anticipated the Salvation Army's fireballs to be so accurate.

If they continued to bombard them with such precision, Count Komar's words might come true.

“Don’t move yet, if you move, you’ll fall into their trap.” As the commanders racked their brains, Mizam finally spoke, “Go to the upwind side and gather some firewood to burn.”

“Will that work?” Komar scratched his head, “The smoke shouldn’t choke them to death.”

Mizam finally opened his eyes and glanced at him, “Although I don’t understand how these astrologers calculate direction and distance without stars, they still need vision as the foundation of their divination.

Once the firewood burns and the smoke rises, blocking their vision, they won’t be able to aim accurately.”

“But the second wave of fireballs is about to come down…”

“Then let the mercenary knights charge and harass them, the main force is not allowed to move.” Mizam replied without looking up.

Seeing that Mizam still maintained his stance of avoiding battle, Countess Marika finally couldn’t bear it anymore.

She wasn’t as cautious as Komar and directly questioned him, “We are the ones with the advantage in numbers, why are we waiting for them to attack?”

“You should ask Berault and Nidsal that question.” Mizam sneered mockingly, but turned his head and looked at Countess Marika with extreme politeness, “Have some patience, my valiant Marika, your time to fight will come.”

Countess Marika slammed her riding whip in front of Mizam, the impatience in her eyes now undisguised, “Wait, wait, wait, how long do we have to wait?”

“Don’t be anxious, my lady.” A gentle smile appeared on Mizam's face, “Soon, we will get what we are waiting for.”