Herald of Steel

Chapter 437 Alexander's Attack

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The ability to fight infantry from horseback or any animal for that matter was a great advantage for the riding men, as the higher elevation gave the rider more angles of attack, while also making it harder for soldiers down there more difficult to defend from the strange, downward thrusts.

This was coupled with the fact that the riders were able to put more force into their attack from the higher ground, thus able to tire the defending soldier more quickly and then break through his defense to deal greater damage.

And this was not even mentioning the role of the horse or camel, who was many times able to aid its rider by attacking the enemy with its kicks, and sometimes even biting down on them, tearing chunks of flesh in the process.

Thus, when an equally numbered cavalry fought infantry, it was usually the former who came out at the top, for they were able to deal much more damage.

Hence when Sunash proposed concentrating his forces along a narrow line with the aid of cavalry to cause a rout, it certainly sounded plausible to Faruq.

"Okay, then I will leave that attack to you," The commander of the army had thus clutched onto that one last hope.

The man was really desperate.

Now it was unknown whether Sunash really believed the tactic would work, or if he just said what his boss wanted to hear.

The reason for the latter being that if a subordinate was not too greatly trusted, sometimes it was a great taboo to say no or answer negatively.

Because many times it conveyed incompetence.

Hence it was certainly possible Sunash had made this up to please his boss.

Because remember, Alexander had moved his reserves to the front to precisely counter such a breakthrough.

But it was what it was, and whether Sunash truly believed it or not, nevertheless Faruq and him quickly set about implementing their plan.

So, the formerly beaten-back Jahal mercenaries were soon bought back to join the fray and their presence managed to stabilize their left flank by drawing the fire of the crossbowmen from targeting their infantry to making the archers defend against them.

And thus once again the battle seemed to have entered a state of stalemate, as the exchange of archer fire resumed, while the bloody, brutal melee continued in the middle.

But in reality it only seemed like a stalemate, for under the calm, stable facade was brewing discontent and disillusionment, like cracks in a fragile pane of glass, as Faruq's men in the middle, the infantry. were slowly starting to buckle.

And the reason for the cause was surprisingly not because of the men themselves per se, who after their rest did have enough in the tank to go on for much longer, but actually, because of the men leading them.

Or particularly to whom they belonged, their particular lords.

"My lord, Ural, Liakit, and Nyantim have all retreated. Please give us the order to retreat too. This battle cannot be won." The one who said these brave words was another Jamider (Earl), and the man currently alive with the highest peerage after Faruq, and Ural.

And he was also the one who contributed the most number of infantry, close to around 8,000, which was no small number.

This Jamider (Earl) was also not alone and had come to pressure Faruq with a small entourage of his retainers, consisting of many Shordars (Barons) and Takulders (Viscounts).

"Yes, let us stop this senseless bloodshed. We are killing our men for nothing," And the one chosen to comment after the Jamider was strategically chosen, for this particular statement was uttered by a Talukder (Viscount) who was a peculiarity among the nobility.

This was because he was one of the rare handful of nobles who truly cared for the peasants under him.

And this man had even come to fight against Alexander because he truly believed he was the devil, oppressing and killing the people under him.

So, when even this staunch man advocated for a retreat, it sent a clear message to Faruq about the morale of the army.

After all, from their perspective, the nobles saw no point in losing their men over something they had little to no chance of achieving.

Not when these men were needed badly in the fields.

While these men petitioned for a withdrawal, Faruq felt a headache.

He knew a withdrawal would be almost certain political suicide for him, and so seeing the men standing in front of him urging him to do exactly so made his head hurt.

But these men also controlled a combined total of about seventeen thousand (17,000) infantry, and though they had handled over the command of their men to him for better coordination and maneuver, Faruq perfectly knew well that they could snatch it back any time they wanted.

Those men were loyal to their lords after all, and not him.

And so, Faruq could not outright dismiss them.

Thus instead he tried to convince them of the plan and urged them to hold strong only a little longer.

"The enemy is weak. Their center is already straining. Just give me a bit of time," He pleaded, and then enticed, "Remember all the riches that are waiting for you in the city. And the secret to all those strange weapons! It's all there waiting for you, just a fingertip away."

This seemed to work temporarily, as some of the nobles were convinced by the plan, some by the pleading, and some by greed.

So they grumbled, and mumbled, before ultimately nodding and then urging Faruq to do whatever he was going to do quickly.

Because they could not wait forever.

While this argument was going on the back between Faruq and the nobles, Menes on the other hand sent a critical message to Alexander.

"My lord, General Menes is certain the enemy infantry is weakening. And he is urging you to start the plan. The time is ripe!" The scout reported.

Alexander did not need any more encouragement, as he himself was getting a bit frustrated by the stalemate.

This was because if this continued, though he was confident the lines would hold, it was likely a second battle would take place tomorrow.

And he absolutely wanted to avoid that for just a while ago he received a message saying that three-quarters of the arrow had been already used up.

This meant that in the up until 8-hour battle, one and a half million (1.5 million) crossbow bolts had been let loose out of the total stock of 2 million.

So, if the battle dragged on until tomorrow, Alexander would have almost no arrows to counter the Jahal mercenaries.

And at that point, he might as well raise his hands up and surrender.

Plus, given that there was only about one to two hours before sundown, he decided it was now or never.

The exhausted troops would have to give it all now and here if they wanted to win.

"Okay! Have the 6th legion commence the maneuver as discussed," Alexander thus gave the command, detailing, "Let them swing around to hit the enemy's left flank. And also order the 6th, 7th, and 8th battalion of the 5th legion to aid in the attack."

Thus soon about 7,000 men were on their way to attack Faruq's left side.

While this transferring of forces was going on, Alexander also remembered to send greetings to the 3rd legion commander, reassuring him that he was close by in case of support, which managed to rouse the fighting spirit of the men fighting.

In fact, Alexander's presence so close to the frontlines boosted the morale of the army in general, the caveat being he was now arguably more vulnerable to enemy attacks.

Alexander's tactic certainly did not go unnoticed by the enemy, who had first thought that the enemy was routing, which led to a massive cheer from the infantry initially.

And for some time, even the ferocity of their attacks increased as they felt victory was just another spear thrust away.

But the 3rd legion had been trained in this maneuver and was able to hold on even without Alexander's intervention.

While the enemy, seeing that the formation was not breaking, and the soldiers were holding their grounds, soon ceased their reckless attack, many also running out of steam in the process.

"The right flank! Commander, they are going to attack the right flank!"

And after a while, when it became clear where the 6th legion was going, and as the 3 battalions of the 5th legion made contact with the exposed side of the left infantry, alarmed shouts began to sound all around Faruq.

"Quick! Sunash reinforce them! Reinforce them! Go now!" Faruq maddeningly shouted when he foresaw the imminent collapse of the army and tried to divert the reserve he had built up to plug that hole.

But Sunash seemed to disagree, saying, "That place is too congested. Our camels won't be able to get through in time."

"And as for swinging around to the right and then hitting them in the back, the enemy already has two and a half thousand (2,500) men there as rear guards. We won't be able to charge because of the flaming weapons and won't be able to break through them any time soon."

"Instead of telling me what you can't do, why don't you tell me what you can?" Irritated by Sanush dismissing his idea, and moreover frustrated by how the battle going Faruq hence shouted.

So Sunash suggested, "Let us attack the center as planned, and hope they break before we do."