Episode 160

Up until now, as a colonel adorned with two stars, I have already killed nearly 20 soldiers at the vanguard, and the knights and soldiers with me at the front were also fighting with all their might, holding firm.

Had we been fighting against countries like the Francois Republic or the Chekovia Duchy, the enemy infantry’s morale would have already hit rock bottom.

Even the enemy commander would have rotated the attacking forces, thinking that continuing this way would just needlessly drive his soldiers to a dog’s death…

“Die, you evil invaders! I’ll show you the pride of a Swiss mercenary.”

“You’re worse than pigs; I’ll turn your guts into sausages!”

“Die! Die! Die!”

Exaggerating a bit, fitting for a mercenary nation where the entire population was called mercenaries, these bandit scoundrels might have been low on stamina.

Yet, they still maintained some morale, and the soldiers kept coming in like waves.

Damn bastards, it was as if I was actually seeing the German troops in World War II or the Russian “Ura” charge, as if they were on drugs…

So, as I continued to cut down the approaching soldiers, I began to hear increasingly horrified sounds from around me.

“Damn, I’m sorry, Maria.”

“Even if I die here, I’ll die with you; you’re worse than a dog.”

“Sergeant, Sergeant! Ah! You filthy Swiss bandit bastards.”

Thanks to my fighting desperately at the vanguard, I didn’t hear any complaints against His Highness the Crown Prince or the other generals.

However, if things continued this way, the knights and soldiers would not be able to hold out, and then the defense of the hill would be completely breached.

Then, we would be annihilated here.

“Send out the second line. The first line currently fighting should retreat to the rear and rest! Rear forces, prepare hardtack and grain soup for the soldiers returning from the first line!”

Upon hearing that, the first-line soldiers fighting alongside me sighed in relief, finally able to rest and relieved to have survived.

At the same time, the signal to rotate the first and second lines was given through trumpets and flags, and a soldier behind me asked,

“Lieutenant General, you should go too. Haven’t you overexerted yourself by killing nearly dozens of enemies? Shouldn’t you also rest and replenish your strength?”

I would like to fall back and rest, too, but today, I must fight with the readiness to die, no matter what, until the enemy retreats.

This way, the soldiers would realize that there was a general who fought with them to the very end, even in this hellish situation.

Because, in the dreadful retreat battles to come, which we didn’t know how long would last, they could endure by taking Peter Yaeger as their mental support.

As General Yi Sun-sin once said, to live, one must be prepared to die, and sometimes, one must not shy away from suffering that makes death seem preferable.

“It’s my fault that I’ve put you on this terrible battlefield. But how could I just retreat from the vanguard on the very first day?”

“Haven’t you already fought enough? What if you get hurt or worse?”

“Didn’t I say yesterday? My mission is to save even just one more of you from this hellish place and safely send you back home. So, on my honor, as long as my heart beats and I breathe, I will not retreat today.”

I knew these words I’d spoken were quite cheesy. But now, it was an extreme situation.

Thus, these cheesy words might become a memorable quote in history, and even if they didn’t, if they resonated with the soldiers here, that was enough.

The first line of soldiers who had fallen back to the rear would be taking a rest and catching their breath, likely engaging in a lot of chatter.

Despite being a noble, Lieutenant General Peter Yaeger, who had risked his life to kill dozens at the vanguard, did not join the first army in resting during this time.

He had vowed to stay at the vanguard and continue fighting, refusing to retreat no matter what happened.

If this fact spread throughout the army, the soldiers would understand my sincerity and trust me.

I thought that whether I returned alive or in ashes to Laura depended on this.

Just then, I heard the footsteps and voices of the second-line soldiers behind me.

“There stands the flag of the 7th Division! And Lieutenant General Yaeger is at the front line!”

“The Lieutenant General has truly risked his life for us! Let us repay the Lieutenant General’s sincerity with our lives!”

“You fool! The Division Commander thinks of even the weakest soldiers as his children and wants us to return alive. So, we must kill them all and return home alive!”

Soldiers who were forced to enter the battlefield, especially in desperate situations, usually stood at the front with eyes like dead fish, trudging along.

However, just because I was standing here, these soldiers harbored the hope that they could return alive.

How could I leave these guys behind and rest comfortably?

“Until the sun sets today, or until those evil Swiss retreats, I will fight at the vanguard to the end. So, do not fear. I will ensure that even one more person is saved and sent back home.”

Naturally, my words were heard by both the Swiss soldiers and the Reich Empire’s soldiers.

My allies cheered as if they were fans who had just shaken hands with an idol, while the enemy looked as if they had heard that everything was over.

“Damn, we’re fighting the same way; why don’t our nobles even think of taking the lead? Isn’t that too much?”

“…This is crazy, really crazy. We are winning. They are completely isolated.”

“Mom, Dad. What’s this? I’m scared.”

Seeing the soldiers in front of me petrified as if paralyzed with fear, I swung my sword and started cutting down the one right in front of me.

Naturally, blood splattered on my armor, and I took advantage of the moment the enemies were stunned by the shock to wildly swing my sword.

I aimed at the neck, chest, thighs, and waists of the enemies, including those wearing quilted armor, etc.

After killing several of them, who were in a state of shock, I could see gaps forming in the enemy’s attack formation.

“Second-line soldiers, counterattack! We will push them down this hill! Just follow my lead! Flag-bearer of the 7th Division, follow with the division’s flag!”

Upon hearing that, a green lieutenant holding the division’s flag started following me, and the soldiers followed en masse, cheering wildly.

“Long live Lieutenant General Yaeger! You have made a way to live in this hellish place!”

“Break the skulls of those terror-stricken bastards to save them, as ordered by the Division Commander! Everyone, follow with your poleaxes!”

“Break more than 10 skulls today, and I’ll either be promoted to a non-commissioned officer or get my discharge papers when I return!”

Hearing that, I charged towards the Swiss guys, who were trembling so much that even the weapons in their hands were shaking.

Even though we couldn’t use weapons like long spears when attacking the hill, running in front of guys armed with maces that could kill me in one blow, as a division commander, was truly crazy, and anyone who knew what I was doing would try to stop me.

In fact, leading a charge from the vanguard when our army’s morale was high was relatively safe.

Because humans instinctively slow down their movements out of fear and trembling when they encounter a scary and strong group.

It made it much easier for me to kill with my sword.

Perhaps General Yi Sun-sin also meant to say that instead of trembling in submission to the instinct to want to live, one should move swiftly as if resigned to death.

“Save me, save me… Damn, I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die like a dog!”

When the enemy soldiers right in front of me, as expected, were trembling so much they couldn’t even hold their weapons properly, I smiled under my helmet and said,

“I will save you from the fear of death. Rest easy and die now, you Swiss bandit scum.”

Then, I swiftly cut the throats of the three in front with a horizontal swing of my sword, sending them off in one blow. When I was completely close to the enemy, I sheathed my sword.

Instead, I drew out a mace, the most suitable weapon for melee and excellent for smashing armor.

“I will smash all of your skulls and kill you! Haha, if you want to live, you’d better turn your back and run.”

After saying that, I struck at vital points like the waist, torso, arms, neck, and head as I reached them.

When the mace hit the enemy’s body, a tingling sensation, along with a crunching and breaking feeling, was transmitted to my hand.

“Son of a bitch, son of a bitch… coming into our land, acting all righteous by himself, that bastard.”

Those who didn’t die instantly lay on the ground, feeling their heartbeats grow weaker and cursing me.

However, I wasn’t in a position to be sentimental, so I just mechanically beat to death each one I saw in front of me.

After about 30 minutes or maybe an hour of fighting, I came to my senses, and I realized I was nearly 40 meters away from the hill where my allies were.

From the Swiss camp, I heard the loud sound of trumpets signaling retreat.

As soon as they heard the retreat trumpets, the enemy soldiers fled so fast, as if begging their feet to save them.

“Run away from the monster! Escape from that damned lion!”

“The Reich Empire’s army were monsters… monstrous bastards…”

“Even as mercenaries, I’ll never fight against the Reich bastards again. Damn! Damn!”

I wanted to pursue and slaughter the enemy, but there was a risk of getting caught in a trap if I went too deep.

“Today’s battle is our victory, the Reich Empire’s army! All troops, return and rest as it is!”

We must stop them here and return.