Claude wasn't in the mood to care about who the next two recipients of the Knighthood would be. It wasn't easy for Prince Hansbach to announce the start of the ball after the coronation ceremony ended. The band played a cheerful tune and the young officers started chatting with the beauties they fancied. Claude went to look for Welikro and the two of them found a secluded corner to talk about what happened after they parted ways.
Welikro said that he wrote quite a few letters to Claude, but Claude only received one when he was in Bluefeather. When the war broke out and the troops were sent to the frontlines, the address kept changing and he couldn't receive any letters from Bluefeather after that. Instead, he received two letters stating that he couldn't be found. He was worried that something had happened to Claude.
That was the obvious outcome. Claude's infirmary guard was no longer part of Bluefeather and was assigned to guard the entrance to Odin Mountain Range in Amis. Then, he was sent to the first prince's new ranger camp. The postal service didn't have the time to investigate the matter. Had it not been for Claude's letter to his family, he probably wouldn't have received any letters from them.
Welikro said that after his family moved to the royal capital, his father became a count's guard through a friend's recommendation. He, on the other hand, joined his father's old unit, the royal guard, as a recruit. Unlike Claude, who was bullied by the veterans in Bluefeather, Welikro's path was smooth sailing and he didn't face any difficulties. After the recruit training ended, he became the personal bodyguard of the regiment commander of the 212th Line due to his outstanding performance.
As the regiment commander's bodyguard, Welikro was able to avoid the fate of being cannon fodder on the frontlines. But gold always shines. Later on, the 212th Line was ordered to attack a castle on the frontlines of Rimodra. They tried to surround it four times but failed every time. A few enemy soldiers took off their pants and started cursing at the top of the castle. The regiment commander's face turned green with anger and he asked if anyone had a way to deal with the enemy's arrogance.
Due to the dangerous terrain, the royal guard's cannons couldn't be pushed up and the light infantry cannons were useless against the castle. At the same time, they were suppressed by the enemy's defensive cannons. The royal guards couldn't get close to the castle and the enemy used four cannons to seal off their path of attack.
Welikro said that he was in a daze at the time and rushed up with his musket. He found cover about two hundred meters away from the castle and took aim. He killed three of the enemies cursing on top of the castle with five shots. The rest of the enemies didn't dare to show themselves anymore. Welikro grew more and more confident as he fought. He charged forward about fifty meters on his own and sealed off the entire front of the castle with his musket. As long as the enemy poked their heads out, there was a high chance that he would kill them.
For the enemies guarding the castle, Welikro became a huge worry. The cannons didn't have enough range to hit the fellow who was firing from below. Furthermore, it wasn't possible for the cannons to aim accurately and the distance between them wasn't high enough for them to shoot at Welikro. As for the accurate aim of the musket, it was also because the range wasn't high enough and Welikro had cover, so they could only passively take a beating. The slightest bit of carelessness could lead to a huge risk of getting hit.
It was precisely because Welikro single-handedly suppressed the enemies at the front of the castle that the sky turned dark that the regiment commander of the 212th Line mobilized his troops to get close to the castle and used a barrel of gunpowder to blow up a corner of the castle. Then, they broke into the castle and wiped out the enemies guarding it. After the battle, Welikro was promoted to sergeant and was promoted by two ranks.
From then on, Welikro made a name for himself. Most of the soldiers in the royal guard knew that there was a sharpshooter in the 212th Line. In the subsequent attacks, Welikro showed off his skills even more. Whenever the frontlines were obstructed, Welikro would be sent to the frontlines to kill the enemy's cannons and commanding officers. Then, while the enemy panicked, the soldiers at the back would charge forward and easily take over the enemy's defensive position. As the battle progressed, Welikro's rank kept rising and he was now a captain in the royal guard, just like Claude.
Claude found it strange. Aubass' Tri-Mark matchlock could only be aimed at a range of a hundred meters. Beyond that, the gun would start to drift. Even he could only hit 50% of the time at a distance of 120 meters. Whether or not he could hit the target depended on luck. How did Welikro hit the enemy from 150 to 200 meters away?
Welikro said that he wasn't too sure himself. Every time he raised his gun to take aim, he would feel something in his heart. It was as though he knew how much the shot would miss and adjusted it slightly. Basically, he would be able to hit an enemy every two shots. Coupled with his good night vision, it was the best time for him to aim and shoot when dusk came. As long as an enemy appeared in his shooting range, they wouldn't be able to escape.
Perhaps that was Welikro's talent for marksmanship. Claude could only sigh. He recalled the time he went on an adventure in Egret with his friends at the age of 16 and set up an ambush by the creek. Relying on the dim starlight, Welikro managed to hit a mountain deer in the head with his obsolete Gally mark 3 matchlock. From that, it could be seen that Welikro had already fused his talent for marksmanship into his body's instincts. He was a natural born marksman.
Claude told Welikro about his recent situation and the two of them reminisced about the good times they had in their youth. It was then that Welikro recalled something and his face darkened. He called out a few names that Claude found familiar, but he couldn't remember who they were.
Welikro said that they were his middle school classmates who had graduated from the physical sciences. They were conscripted into the battlefield as well, but they were assigned to the second line corps, the local corps of the three southwestern prefectures. After they went to the frontlines, the three second line corps were assigned to the royal guard corps to attack Rimodra's defensive line.
Those classmates were unlucky and died on the battlefield. Welikro only found out about it when he bumped into Shayekov when he went to the infirmary to visit his injured comrades.
Shayekov?
The image of a chubby boy appeared in Claude's mind. He seemed to be one of his classmates and was also a physical sciences student. His grades were below average in the school. The main reason he remembered him was because his family owned a bakery in town and their honey white bread was the best there was. Also, the chubby boy was often assigned to be his sparring partner during physical sciences classes. Every time he saw him scowling like he was about to get beaten up, Claude felt like laughing.
"What's wrong with him? Where is he injured?" asked Claude.
Welikro hesitated for a moment before he sighed and said, "Perhaps it's a good thing for him. He can finally go back and take over his family's bakery. He lost a leg on the battlefield and his left foot was taken away by a cannonball. Fortunately, the bleeding was stopped in time and his life was saved."
"He got injured during the formation attack?"
Welikro nodded. "That's right. The second line corps is still using the old tactic of forming a phalanx to attack the enemy's defense line. In fact, the enemy won't engage us in large-scale battles anymore. They're mostly holed up in their fortifications. Attacking in a phalanx is already outdated. Every time I see the soldiers forming a phalanx, I'm reminded of the cattle and sheep that were herded into the slaughterhouse. The casualties are simply too high.
"If it wasn't for the royal guard being equipped with aubass mark 3 muskets and using accurate aim to suppress the enemy before launching an attack, we might've lost our ability to fight much earlier like the second line corps. When we first attacked Rimodra, the royal guard suffered huge casualties. Fortunately, the higher-ups sent a notice to change the tactic in time and forbid us from forming a phalanx anymore. That's why we still have the strength to hold on until now."
It was an era of change in the military, be it for the enemy or for their own side. Claude guessed that the attack on Wilfgang had given Prince Hansbach some inspiration, which was why he gave the order to no longer use the old tactic of forming a phalanx. Even if they managed to take over the enemy's defense line, the casualties on their side would be too great. It wouldn't be long before the kingdom ran out of troops to attack.
It was said that in the earliest wars between the two kingdoms, the outcome would be decided by a large scale battle. But after the war broke out between Aueras and the five anti-Aueras nations, the alliance had no intention of engaging in a large scale battle. Instead, they wanted to use a large defensive line to defend against the kingdom's advance, stalling for time and exhausting their men and resources in order to achieve a satisfactory outcome. That was because the leaders of the alliance knew very well that Aueras' army was unrivalled among the nations in the eastern part of the continent.
The war had been going on for more than three years and neither side had the intention to engage in a large scale battle. Instead, they focused on attacking, defending, and skirting. Even though the anti-Aueras nations put up a tenacious defense, the initiative of the war was still firmly in Aueras's hands. Askilin was on the brink of destruction and the hundreds of thousands of anti-Aueras troops gathered in Rimodra didn't fare too well either.
"I saw Boa," Welikro told Claude another piece of surprising news.
"Is he doing well?" Claude was pleasantly surprised.
"He's doing well. I think he's put on some weight too. The Bangilia garrison he's in has arrived in Sidins along with the three second-line corps from the three prefectures in the southwest. However, the garrison is only responsible for defending the rear and doesn't have to go to the frontlines. I met him in August last year at Effenasburg. He was shopping with a few men and he's already a sergeant major. According to him, he's quite popular in the garrison and he's in charge of all the logistics in the garrison. The former head of logistics, Second Lieutenant Conard, is old and weak. He was bedridden when he arrived at Effenasburg and everything was handed over to Boa to handle. He went out to see if there were any profitable businesses he could do."
"Is he still stationed in Effenasburg?"
Claude chuckled. Looking for profitable businesses was Borkal's habit. He should be doing well in the garrison or he wouldn't have so much free time on the streets.
"I don't know. Perhaps he was transferred somewhere else," Welikro said with a shake of his head, "Our royal guard hasn't rested since we entered Rimodra. We've been staying at the frontlines.
Boa and I have been asking him to write letters to us at other times, but he hasn't sent any. "
Claude smiled bitterly and consoled Welikro. It's either he's been assigned to a different place or he's been too busy. Borkal staying at the garrison and being in charge of logistics was much safer than the two of them at the frontlines, so there was no need to worry about his safety.
"Hey, how are you?"
A young officer with a captain's epaulette just like Claude and Welikro came in front of the two of them. He also had a violet-gold sash draped over his shoulder and a dazzling knightly medal on it.
"Nice to meet you, Captain Mentaske. This is my good friend, Captain Claude," said Welikro as he introduced the captain to Claude. Both of them were from the royal guard.
Unlike Welikro, who killed a lot of enemies, Captain Mentaske used the principles of a catapult to create a simple pole to toss the barrels of gunpowder at the enemy's defences. In a single day, he took down four enemy defences and captured a large number of enemies who couldn't retreat in time. That was how he was awarded the Order of the Knight.
Claude shook hands with him in a friendly manner. They were both captains of the same rank and they were holding glasses of wine. Given that they were on the dance floor, there was no need for a military salute.
"You guys are the best. Hiding in a corner and chatting.
It's really awkward to see all the lieutenants here. I have to salute everyone I see, "said Captain Mentaske with an apologetic smile as he found an excuse to join in the fun.
Another recipient of the Order of the Knight was a second lieutenant from Bluefeather. It was said that his regiment held their ground against two enemy divisions and suffered heavy casualties. In the end, he was the only official officer left.
Even the regiment commander and the officers from the logistics department were forced to defend their positions and died on the battlefield.
That officer continued to resist and commanded the remaining hundred or so soldiers to hold their ground until reinforcements arrived.
Because of that, he was promoted to captain and received the Order of the Knight. But as he hadn't fully recovered from his injuries, he left early after the dance started.
So, Captain Mentaske felt a little bored wandering around the dance floor. If it wasn't for the violet-gold sash and Order of the Knight on his chest, he might have been mistaken for a junior officer waiting at the side.
Left with no choice, he went to find Claude and Welikro and joined their conversation.
Claude turned to look at the dance floor and saw Lieutenant-Colonel Ledefonk chatting away with an elegantly dressed woman.
So, he suggested, "Why don't we return to camp first? I bought a case of good wine in the city yesterday. I'll get some food when we get back and we'll have a good night's chat.
That suggestion was approved by Welikro and Captain Mentaske and the three of them headed for the door.