Chapter 147: Chapter 67: Slaying Generals and Seizing the Banner! A Lone Rider Against a Thousand! The enemy’s central army has collapsed.
Following Duncan’s charge, the Huns’ vassal army began to fall apart on a large scale. The real main battle infantry was gradually slaughtered, and the remaining prairie slave army and prairie vassal army were just there to make up the numbers, collapsing easily.
However, unlike Duncan’s past defeats of other enemies, the collapse of the vassal army did not affect the main forces of the Hun cavalry.
The Huns have always used vassal armies as cannon fodder.
This battle has only entered the second stage now, as Charagan looks at the panting, weary British Legion, and starts to command the Hunnic cavalry on both wings to attack. Rangers ford the small river to encircle from behind, cutting off the retreat route, while the grassland iron cavalry assembles, led by him to lead a few hundred elite troops to seize the opportunity to break through enemy lines. The enemy’s right wing is nearly broken, and although the British Imperial Guard fights to the death, they couldn’t stop the cavalry from piercing their defensive line.
A strong battle will cannot change the huge gap in strength!
Now it’s the Huns’ turn.
Their vassal army was used to exhaust the enemy, and although this wave was forcibly shattered by Duncan and collapsed quickly, their purpose of draining the enemy’s stamina had been achieved.
Using fresh troops to slaughter the fatigued army.
Many of the Huns’ tactics were cunning: when outnumbered they harass with mounted archery, retreat if it doesn’t work, not engaging directly; when numerous, they use vassal armies to wear down the foe until exhausted, then focus the cavalry to seize opportunities for a swift knockout.
If that doesn’t suffice, they’ll employ feigned retreat tactics, enticing pursuit with the potential for a sudden counterattack.
As Duncan himself said, he could win, but completely annihilating the enemy is extremely difficult.
"Follow me!"
Duncan once again rallied the cavalry units behind him, handing the command of the general’s guard to Clegane, and solemnly said, "Lead the general’s guard in a charge against the enemy’s left wing, defeat all the vassal armies."
As the chaotic battle on the right wing concluded, the central army and left wing pressed forward, preparing to rout the enemy infantry in one swoop.
Duncan himself led the light cavalry, utilizing high mobility, in charging at the enemy’s grassland horse archers, whom the heavy cavalry couldn’t keep up with on the open terrain.
At this time, Duncan had already executed a flawless threefold ingress and egress on the battlefield!
—General’s Guard (One Star) (Panting Breath) (Moment of Victory) (High Morale) (Strategic Charge Hard at an Advantage).
Duncan’s warhorse was exhausted, panting heavily.
He directly snatched a prairie warhorse, riding onward with the still energetic light cavalry, stabilizing the precarious right-wing defense line. The Nord Bow unleashed a volley, shooting down five or six marked elite Hunnic horse archers.
As the battle progressed, the inadequacy of Duncan’s cavalry unit became evident.
The enemy still had substantial fresh troops, continuously harassing with mounted archery. Elite Hunnic riders seized opportunities to charge with impunity after breaching ranks, uncontested in pursuit, rendering the situation exceedingly passive.
Dimension Space, under the aerial view.
Duncan had already routed three thousand enemies head-on, yet the troublesome adversaries now were the Hunnic cavalry, even chasing after Hunnic nomads presented substantial logistical challenges, necessitating cornering them adeptly.
The battle had essentially reached a minor victory.
The Hunnic cavalry had no solution against them, and the British Imperial Guard stood firm against cavalry charges, while other units couldn’t easily be routed.
The enemy’s central army was soundly defeated, leading the British Legion to believe victory was certain.
Almost all units displayed the "victory within sight" mark.
Yet evidently, Charagan was not content with defeat and aimed to expand gains or even reverse the situation, as his true backbone, the elite Hunnic cavalry, remained unengaged.
He was still adhering to Hunnic traditional tactical thinking; as cavalry forces, they could advance or retreat at will, seeking to reclaim lost footing even if infantry faltered, looking for equilibrium or feigning defeat to lure the enemy for an immediate counterattack.
Duncan’s martial prowess was indeed astonishing!
Yet Charagan was also a legendary Hunnic heroic eagle shooter; if that man dared to rush forward, his personal guard riders, and surrounding eagle shooters were formidable too, capable of timely withdrawal even if unexpectedly overwhelmed; his mounted steed possessed extraordinary endurance.
—Charagan the Genocide (Hunnic Heroic Eagle Shooter) (Sanctuary of Ten Thousand Spirits) (Tribal Chieftain) (Centurion) (Slaughter Sanctuary) (Three Stars, Silver Gray)!
—Hunnic Eagle Shooter (Two Stars, Silver Gray)!
—Hunnic Chieftain’s Personal Guard (Two Stars) (Fight to the Death)! [Note: Upon the chieftain’s death in battle, his personal guards follow him in burial.]
—Hunnic Iron Cavalry (One Star).
—Elite Hunnic Mounted Archer (One Star).
Duncan routed the right flank of Hunnic nomads in a wave, but hesitated to rashly assault Charagan’s main forces, seeing from afar enemies marked with stars, vastly surpassing Saxon elites; Hun elite veterans carried an overwhelming record against the Eastern Empire before shifting focus to the Western Empire.
The battle status aligned with his initial judgment: capable of severely damaging Hunnic units, yet unable to annihilate their main cavalry forces.
"Molov!"
"Have you not made a decisive move yet?" Duncan’s eyes revealed a hint of killing intent.
The Frankish Holy Knights did not charge forward.
Duncan couldn’t completely annihilate the enemy, resulting in merely a minor victory, allowing enemy main forces to retreat calmly, despite a major defeat of the Hunnic vassal army.
At that moment, on the battlefield’s fringes, Frankish cavalry forces had arrived.
Molov was a burly Frankish barbarian, having recently converted to Arian Sect beliefs; he peered at the battlefield’s situation with an expression of awe, murmuring, "This man will likely be our formidable adversary in times to come!"
A subordinate queried, confused: "They’re developing on Great Britain; do you suppose they plan to attack the mainland?"
Molov remained silent.
Such a formidable leader, Great Britain likely couldn’t confine him; he would undoubtedly direct his gaze towards the European continent.
Alongside the leader stood a barbarian envoy, presently watching with fervor, urging in a low voice, "Let’s attack! Otherwise, the Hunnic main forces will flee!"
If the Franks didn’t charge forward, they couldn’t achieve a decisive victory.