Leo couldn't laugh. Although it seemed that his side had indeed successfully suppressed the Yan people, the price they paid was quite high. If they hadn't brought the entire army group and mobilized artillery units from multiple divisions, the casualties might have been even greater.
Now, Leo only hopes that once a breakthrough is about to be achieved on the front, the enemy's flank defenses will be affected, allowing his own flank forces to also achieve a successful breakthrough.
Just as he was thinking this, Saskia suddenly let out an excited shout:
"Charge! Take their position in one fell swoop! Seize their weapons, and then storm Pariston!"
——
"Sir, this won't work, we can't get through, now..."
North of Pariston, Riel, who was commanding his cavalry charge, looked grim. A cavalry lieutenant beside him offered advice, but before he could finish speaking...
"Bang bang bang!!"
A burst of rapid fire came from the battlefield ahead. The lieutenant looked up and saw cavalrymen being shot down in droves. In the smoke, he could even see the chilling blood-red mist.
That was all due to the terrifying damage caused by the enemy's rapid-fire cannons. Whether it was people or warhorses, they would be torn to pieces the moment they were hit. Limbs, remains, and blood almost exploded in the air. The horrific scene was even more shocking than the scene caused by the explosion of the cannonballs.
In less than fifteen minutes, the cavalrymen who were about to break through to the enemy's position were visibly defeated, and all their previous efforts were almost entirely in vain.
Casualties were mounting, and this charge felt like sinking into an abyss. The lieutenant knew they couldn't let things continue like this, but Riel gritted his teeth and said:
"No! We must establish an advantage here. This is not only General Halson's order, but also something General Saskis demands we do!"
"But... sir, the previous shelling has already caused us heavy casualties. Now the enemy's close-range firepower is like an impenetrable net. If this continues..." The lieutenant's face had turned pale.
Hal said with a grim face, "Take advantage of their reloading time and launch an attack in batches. We'll eventually break through this barrage of fire."
"Also, don't forget that General Halson has already led his troops to attack the rear of the Yan people. As long as they can put some pressure on the Yan people, the Yan people will definitely send troops to support them. In addition, our main force is also attacking the Yan people's defenses from the front. Under attack from all sides, the Yan people will eventually be unable to hold on at one point."
"Therefore, we must not slow down our offensive!"
Hearing this, the lieutenant was alarmed by the casualties they had suffered, but he could only grit his teeth and agree.
"I hope other units can bring us good news..." he murmured to himself at the end.
——
"Sir, General Saski has ordered us to maintain defensive pressure on the Yan people and not to retreat!" On the northern battlefield, a communications soldier who had been traveling all the way brought Saski's order to Phil, who was overseeing the battle.
Upon hearing the order, Phil shook his head in frustration and sighed heavily.
The faces of the cavalry captains who were waiting for the battle order turned pale instantly. Everyone knew that with this order, they would have to rush into the enemy's fire zone just like the troops in front.
Within this area of fire coverage, corpses now litter the ground. In the first half hour of the initial charge, thousands of cavalrymen died in the artillery fire. Although the enemy's artillery fire intensified afterward, it continued to inflict casualties on our side.
According to Phil's previous statement:
"If a quick attack cannot achieve results in a short time, then it is a failed tactical arrangement, and we may have to rethink our tactics."
After that, Phil sent a communications officer to Saski to request instructions.
But now, with Saski's orders arriving, a heavy weight seemed to press on the officers' hearts. One officer took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, saying:
"Sir, the enemy's artillery fire has decreased recently, which means our other units have put a lot of pressure on their defenses. If we launch multiple cavalry columns at once to attack the defensive line, we should be able to break the stalemate."
As soon as he finished speaking, Phil turned to look at the officer, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
In fact, in his view, this flanking maneuver had failed, and the enemy's current long-range firepower gave Phil the feeling that the enemy was still in control, after all, this was only the line they had set up a kilometer away from Pariston.
As for Pariston's internal situation, so far there is no clear intelligence indicating that the Yan Kingdom's forces are insufficient. The previous intelligence could only be used to speculate and estimate the enemy's strength.
However, the situation has deviated from the initial plan. Attacks have been launched on three fronts, but so far there has been no news of a breakthrough from any of the fronts. This is enough to show that the Yan army in Pariston may have a considerable number of troops, which can also be seen from the strength of their defense.
Although Phil had already given up hope of this flank breakthrough, he didn't reveal his true thoughts. Instead, he told the officers something else entirely:
"As you said, it's possible that General Saski has put immense pressure on the Yan people from the front, and they are mobilizing troops to support them."
"However, this kind of relentless assault is not a solution. We need to slow down and withdraw the frontline troops first. We need to regroup and launch the attack again in an hour."
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback, because Phil's decision seemed to contradict General Saski's orders in some ways.
Slowing down the offensive at this juncture will only give the enemy a respite, during which time they can do many things.
An officer immediately whispered, "Sir, isn't this... a bit inappropriate?"
Phil looked up at the officer, staring into his eyes, and said, "Mig, do you really think that the main force personally commanded by General Saskia cannot break through the Yan Kingdom's defenses head-on?"
The cavalry captain, called "MiG," noticed the meaningful look Phil gave him and, considering the implications of his words, paused for a few seconds before quickly nodding and saying:
"I understand, sir."
Phil turned to look at the others, and the other officers exchanged glances and nodded in unison.
"Yes, sir, then we'll stop now."
"We'll launch the attack again in an hour!"
Phil looked up at the carnage on the battlefield ahead, remained silent for two seconds, and then shouted:
"Order the troops to retreat!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
