Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 704: Defeat

TL: Rui88

“They’re routed!”

The orc cavalry, unable to break the squares, retreated in disarray to their starting point. The Ordo side erupted in a sky-shaking celebration.

Many of the officers and soldiers who had retreated all the way here could hardly believe this scene.

Just moments ago, they had been fighting the enemy driven only by courage and hot blood, their minds gripped by fear and tension, with no time for other thoughts.

It was not until the dust kicked up by the enemy’s hooves grew more distant that they awoke as if from a long dream.

Many could not contain their excitement and began to roar hysterically.

“All formations, restrain the soldiers and enforce discipline. No unauthorized actions are permitted without orders.”

Schroeder immediately issued the command, lest these fellows do something that the enemy could exploit.

“The Northwesterners held against the orcs’ charge!”

The Royal Knights surrounding Catherine expressed their heartfelt admiration.

They had seen it clearly. The main target of the orc cavalry’s attack had been the two Northwesterner squares in the centre. The enemy had swarmed them like a pack of wolves, biting and tearing ferociously. The intensity of the assault had, for a time, blocked the view of the surrounding allied forces.

But the Northwesterners’ squares had stood like stubborn reefs, remaining upright despite being battered by wave after wave.

“Is the orcs’ retreat real?”

Catherine’s brow was tightly furrowed. She still remembered how, in Sunset Valley, it was the orcs’ feigned retreat that had lured the Ordo infantry to advance rashly, ultimately becoming the start of a series of defeats for the kingdom’s army.

When the orc flank cavalry had charged, the Royal Knights had briefly engaged them. Since the enemy had only come to cover the main force’s retreat, there was no large-scale entanglement, and they quickly broke contact.

At this time, they received a notice from Schroeder—to cover the infantry’s advance from the flanks.

The Ordo infantry immediately changed formation, shifting from the previous hollow squares to columns, and began to advance. Moving with them were the cannons.

The three-pounder and six-pounder light cannons were pushed forward by manpower, while the heavier artillery relied on horses for traction.

Because they were advancing in coordination with the artillery, the infantry’s movement speed was relatively slow, but those cumbersome metal tubes gave them a powerful sense of security.

The Alda battalions in the centre maintained a very neat formation and could switch back to the previous hollow squares at any time.

The allied infantry followed cautiously behind and to their sides. Further out were the cavalry providing cover, their speed matching the infantry’s advance, firmly guarding the left and right wings.

The entire Ordo army was like a road roller, cumbersome and slow, but rolling forward unstoppably.

“Lev’s squad, assemble here!”

“Grug, Lesa!”

“I’m here, Grug is dead!”

The orc position was filled with calls and shouts. Warhorses galloped back and forth, carrying their masters in search of comrades and superiors.

The previous failed attack and hasty retreat had thrown the various cavalry units into disarray.

Just as they were reforming their ranks, the advancing Ordo army halted—the cannons were once again within range of the orcs.

The six-pounders and smaller cannons were deployed very quickly. The heavy artillery was slower, but a deadly blow immediately descended upon the orc army.

Cannonballs whistled through the air, with places crowded with men and horses receiving special attention. The terrified warhorses scattered in all directions, causing widespread chaos, and the formations that had just been painstakingly formed fell into disarray again. The cavalrymen who could control their mounts had to spread out, increasing the distance between each other to reduce the probability of being hit by a cannonball.

“The orcs have lost their edge, and their formation has loosened. If our cavalry on both wings attack together, we can surely rout them quickly.”

Behind the Ordo infantry line, several knights who had galloped over from the flanks relayed their respective lords’ suggestions to Paul.

Paul frowned and asked his chief of staff, “Schroeder, what do you think?”

Schroeder swallowed hard. “When it comes to changing the overall battle plan, it’s best for you to make the decision. I am only responsible for the implementation of the details.”

Paul could sense that his chief of staff’s words implicitly agreed with the proposal.

To fight steadily, relying on the superior power and range of firearms, advancing step by step until the orcs could no longer bear the casualties and withdrew from the battlefield—this was the battle strategy decided upon before the fighting began.

Although it could only achieve a small victory, for the Ordo army that had been defeated all the way here, even the smallest victory was precious.

And a defeat would cause the kingdom’s army, which had just stabilized its footing, to collapse again, and it would also be a huge blow to the fledgling Alda army.

What Paul needed was a one hundred percent guaranteed victory, no matter the size. Under such a heavy burden, he hated anything outside of the plan.

But… he raised his telescope. The small lens showed the situation on the enemy’s position.

When the orcs had first arrived, their army had been neat, their fighting spirit high, and their momentum like a rainbow, a terrifying sight to behold.

But now they were in disarray. Perhaps they still maintained their will to fight, but it was more of an impatient restlessness born from the inability to achieve victory.

Annihilating this cavalry force would be like cutting off the demonic claw the orcs had extended towards the Northwest. The temptation was too great.

Paul’s fingers tapped lightly on the telescope barrel as he struggled fiercely inside.

Time passed minute by minute, until the orc horns sounded on the battlefield again—they had launched their second charge.

“Alright, gentlemen, go back and tell your superiors to stick to the original plan for now.” 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Paul’s hesitation caused a potential opportunity to vanish.

The lords who had made the suggestion all shook their heads in disappointment after receiving the reply.

“He ultimately lacks sufficient boldness, needlessly wasting a good opportunity.”

“Our commander has lost the chance to make a brilliant mark on the pages of history.”

“Although Count Grayman is young, he is excessively cautious, even more so than some of the old-timers.”

The lords grumbled as they commanded their soldiers to meet the second charge of the orc cavalry.

But this time, they were undoubtedly much more at ease. Advancing the cannons and bombarding the enemy had been the right move. Although the orcs’ eyes were red and each one was menacing, their attack lacked the tightness and order of the last one because they had hastily formed up under the threat of cannonballs.

Out of caution, the Ordo infantry still urgently switched to hollow squares. Bayonets, loading powder, firing—the soldiers in the different ranks within the squares each performed their duties. The enemy cavalry circled them again and again, ultimately leaving another ring of bodies before retreating in defeat. The second assault had been repulsed.

But only the orcs’ attack on the Ordo army had stopped. The Ordo army’s attack on the orcs had not ceased. The cannons began to fire again, their shells hounding the enemy until they were beyond maximum range.

“General, please select for me a group of the bravest warriors, and let me attack once more with them!”

The orc warrior Wardle, brandishing the sabre Kalem had gifted him, came before his commander in a rage.

Two consecutive failed attacks had drained his comrades of their morale, and their spirits were extremely low.

Wardle was furious, seeing these fellows as cowards. When he verbally rebuked them, he was immediately met with a retort, “Since you’re so brave, why didn’t you charge into the forest of human bayonets? If you had, we would have followed you without hesitation.”

Wardle was speechless. But was it his fault? He wasn’t afraid of death, but persuading the four-legged beast beneath him to die a heroic death was too difficult. The moment the horse saw the gleaming bayonets, it would disobey commands and turn to flee.