The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

The commander of the Anjou army didn't take the scout squad's report too seriously.

Although it was indeed strange that the Capetian army, which had been holed up in the city, suddenly went out and started to move around, in this era where honor and the monarch were more important than one's own life, one had to make a show of strength when one's own monarch was insulted.

So the commander of Anjou thought that his emperor's taunt had worked, and quickly ordered the army to advance, first sending out a cavalry unit to drive the enemy into the encirclement.

This time, as always, we will surely win a great victory.

Even though Capet's border troops have begun to learn from Anjou in some areas, such as integrating the professionals and placing them under a single command system, some deeply ingrained things are difficult to change.

Although Capet's southwestern border army had managed to get the professionals belonging to various lords to obey a single command, the army as a whole was still a mixed force of professionals and ordinary soldiers, and its combat strength in a direct confrontation was certainly not as good as Anjou's professional legion.

Muskets are indeed troublesome and deadly for ordinary soldiers, but they are not very effective against professional squads. As for cannons, aren't those things used for defending cities?

However, when the knight squadron returned, the commander noticed something was wrong. The casualties of the knight squadron were much greater than expected. It was already considered that the enemy was an elite force if there were any injuries. This time, there were even casualties, and the enemy had not been driven to the designated position.

According to the returning knights, the enemy seemed to have acquired new firearms, namely a type of musket capable of rapid fire, which posed a great threat to the knight formations and exerted a strong suppressive force. As a result, the cavalry formations dared not charge rashly after losing several knights.

The staff officer thought for a moment and said, "Commander, why don't we abandon this attack? The enemy has new weapons. We need to investigate thoroughly before making a decision."

But the commander retorted, "No, if we give up this time, wouldn't that mean we're afraid of them? Then they'll definitely try their best to publicize this victory, and His Majesty's plan will be ruined."

The commander's thinking was indeed correct. Alberto was able to taunt them so closely because he had absolute confidence in the Anjou army on the battlefield and was certain that the enemy only dared to defend the city and not engage in open battle.

Now that the other side has taken the initiative, if Anjou doesn't respond, Alberto's proposal will seem rather clownish.

The staff officer nodded after listening and said, "In that case, how about we send out more scouts and cavalry squadrons this time, not seeking battle, but focusing on reconnaissance?"

"Good strategy. This way, we won't appear afraid of them, and we can find out about their new firearms."

Anru's command was not clouded by the situation; she remained rational and prepared to continue probing.

But at that moment, a scout squad returned and reported: "Commander, that Capetian army has suddenly begun to retreat, and they even confiscated the armor of our fallen comrades and hung it on the flagpole!"

"They even sang victory songs!"

Upon hearing this, Anjou's commander immediately realized what was going on.

Capet's shameless army, having only managed to withstand the cavalry charge and kill two of his own brothers, shamelessly considered this a great victory and prepared to retreat back into the city.

Forget about how many people died, just tell me if we won or not. As long as there are real spoils, how many people died, and who died, isn't it all just hearsay from Capel's people?

According to this commander, killing just a few enemy cavalrymen was enough for those shameless nobles to exaggerate it as a great victory. Why? Because Anjou had experienced a similar situation before, except that Anjou had already emerged from its quagmire and no longer needed such a so-called great victory.

"All troops, cavalry formations, charge out! We must keep the enemy there! We need to break camp quickly and engage the enemy in full force!"

The commander, realizing what was happening, immediately issued the order, and his staff did not try to dissuade him.

If we let the enemy escape now, regardless of the specific circumstances, they will have won Anjou in open battle. Where will His Majesty's face be then? If we take the initiative to engage now, as long as we can achieve a resounding victory, then the previous losses of the cavalry formation can be ignored.

Anjou's military orders were issued much faster than those of Capet, and soon the entire army began to move and quickly engaged Capet in battle.

Soon, Anjou's commander realized something was wrong. The enemy had clearly come prepared. Although they were retreating, they had left an ambush, obviously having calculated that Anjou would come to challenge them.

The commander of Anjou knew that the other side would definitely have this precaution, but the firepower of the new muskets still exceeded the commander's expectations.

Not to mention the machine guns that constantly spewed fire and required two or three people to operate, even the muskets of ordinary soldiers were semi-automatic and didn't require bolt action.

Anru had only just determined the direction of her research on firearms when the other side already had a complete, finished product.

No wonder those knight squadrons were wounded and injured.

The opposing team's few professionals were already doing their best just to defend against the professional squads on Anru's side. The old-fashioned muskets were okay against ordinary people's squads, but they were no match for professional squads.

But this time it seems different. It's fine during long-range firefights, but once we get into close combat, the enemy's bullets come at us like they're free.

Moreover, once he actually charges to the front of the enemy lines, Capet will throw out an explosive device. Although the hit rate is questionable, the power is considerable. If it hits directly, it can blow up a low-ranking knight.

On the battlefield, a barrage of fireballs, lightning strikes, wind blades, and ice spikes flew towards Capet's army. The professionals Capet had organized only needed to raise their shields to defend, no longer needing to frantically help ordinary soldiers defend against Anjou's soldiers and knights as before.

As soon as Anjou's knights and soldiers charged forward, they were mowed down by machine guns and muskets. With the added suppression of grenades, it was very difficult for Anjou to organize an effective charge.

The commander on Anjou's side immediately stopped the charge. If they couldn't crush the enemy in one fell swoop, any further charge would be suicidal.

Just like how Cape once overestimated himself and tried to break up Anjou's spellcaster formation with his cavalry.

The knights could only maneuver around Capet's army, trying to find a weak point to launch a charge.

Neither side can gain the upper hand right now; they're both waiting for the other to launch an attack, as if they're both shouting, "Come on, come on!"

Alberto once concluded that while spellcasters in a professional squad could help the army gain a huge advantage on the front lines, it was the melee-type professionals, especially knights, who would truly end the war. When both sides were exchanging spells, whichever side's knights could break into the enemy ranks first would be able to deliver the decisive blow.

If we can't launch a fatal charge, with our current firepower, all we can do is: Stop! Stop right now! You can't kill anyone like this.