They say the best defense is a good offense.
But this isn’t just about throwing the first punch – it has a deeper meaning.
Most modern individuals without real war experience think of “combat” as something that happens in video games.
Like in strategy simulation games, creating virtual soldiers and battling it out.
However, there’s one crucial element usually omitted – soldiers in actual war are not nearly as brave as people might imagine.
In games, soldiers fight to the last man, ready to die.
But in real warfare, witnessing such steadfast resistance is nearly impossible, and those cases that do go down in history are exceedingly rare, praised for their bravery and nobility.
In most wars, the path to defeat isn’t grand like the annihilation of a tank brigade, but rather, it often unfolds through the ebb and flow of morale.
Even if only a few hundred of the 10,000 soldiers are killed, as soon as some start dropping their weapons and running, it leads directly to the collapse of the entire army. Once morale breaks, the troops scatter and suffer a crushing defeat.
And that’s why the saying “the best defense is a good offense” came to be.
In this context, defense and offense don’t just refer to enemies invading one’s territory, but rather who strikes first.
Two armies facing each other.
The soldiers who take the initiative to swing their weapons at the enemy automatically gain momentum.
The momentum to advance.
Having drawn their swords and striking down the foe in front of them, these soldiers start to feel a flicker of determination to continue fighting, whether to kill or be killed.
From the moment they decide to attack, the situation has been initiated by them, so they are somewhat mentally prepared.
However…
Conversely, defense…
The side taking the hits can’t help but feel psychological pressure from the start.
Regardless of their own numbers, they see enemies charging at them, and the inescapable thought that they might die under the enemy’s assault looms large.
When the attacking side thinks about killing, feeling in control of the situation, it means they are not being dragged along by the tide of death.
A situation they can’t control brings unease.
In this scenario, the idea of escape… fleeing… inevitably pops up in their minds.
This fact means that if there’s even a hint of falling morale among allies, it can quickly lead to the soldiers fleeing and the collapse of formation, resulting in a shoddy defense leading to utter defeat.
And that brings us to the fact that the current Battle of Baeksan was unfolding differently from the original.
In the original story, under the command of Anhalt, the Bohemian army was caught up in optimistic thoughts that the enemy wouldn’t attack in such weather and remained hidden in the fog.
As a result, they faced a crushing defeat, being pushed back by the Emperor’s fierce attack cutting through the fog.
However… in this moment, unlike in the original, it was not the Emperor’s army that was attacking.
Instead of hiding behind a natural wall known as fog, the Bohemian army used it as a shield to launch their counteroffensive.
This bold offensive, rather than a timid defense, completely flipped the atmosphere for the Bohemian soldiers, leading to an intense and gritty bloodbath rather than a shameful defeat out of fear faced with the enemy.
Amidst the fog, distinct iron pillars and the light pouring from their tops became the targets for the Bohemian army to swiftly commence their advance.
“Charge!”
“Let’s wipe out those bastards who dare invade Bohemia!”
Led by the 13 noble houses of Bohemia, a force of 13,000, including about 1,000 mages, began to storm the Emperor’s lines.
“I will open the path from House Kasios! Everyone, follow our lead!”
At the front were the blue-armored mages.
Under the leadership of their lord Kasios, they began to form spells and launched them towards the Emperor’s formation revealed through the fog.
-BOOM!!!-
“Grahhh!”
“Cough!”
With a tremendous explosion, the ground violently shook.
In the aftermath, the fortifications set up by the Emperor’s army and the soldiers defending them were swiftly obliterated.
Just a few spells utterly dismantled the external defenses with an ease beyond imagination.
Normally, the enemy would have fired their guns or cannons before getting this close.
Ensuring maximum defense against enemy advances, especially keeping mages from running rampant, is the essence of defense.
Depending on the situation, having friendly mages utilize defensive spells is another tactic.
However, due to the thick fog, the soldiers couldn’t easily locate the enemy, let alone their positioning.
Worse, they couldn’t clearly distinguish their own positioning either.
If they’d at least been familiar with the surrounding terrain, it would have been one thing, but they had only just arrived a few hours ago.
On the other hand, for the Bohemian soldiers, this place was their home; even those coming from afar had thoroughly familiarized themselves with the locale over the previous weeks of stationed time.
The fog wasn’t thick enough to render them wholly disoriented, and moreover, the iron pillars and the shapes of light radiating from them allowed for a rough idea of their positioning and the enemy’s locations.
Thus, the Bohemian soldiers stormed into the Emperor’s formation, which had effectively become defenseless due to the dense fog.
Leading the charge were the powerful mages, pushing the Emperor’s forces back in an instant.
“Damn it! These filthy heretics!”
“Come at us! We are the proud Emperor’s army!”
The Emperor’s army scurried out, desperately trying to drive back the enemies in front of them.
Although their formation was in disarray due to the fog, and fatigue from marching still weighed heavily, their overall combat effectiveness was markedly diminished.
However, most of them were seasoned veterans, well-versed in the brutalities of war, adept at handling ambush situations.
“Take care of the enemies right in front of you!”
“Don’t panic! Our numbers are greater than theirs!”
Despite the thick fog, the voices of commanders rang out, urging their troops to push back against the intruding enemies.
Even though the damage from the surprise attack was significant, many among them were also mages, and the individual soldiers’ capabilities surpassed the average.
Consequently, an even match nearly unfolded in the fog, with both sides fiercely engaging each other.
Despite visibility being poor, they stuck together, relying on their unit’s flags to continue the bloody fight.
And among them was Anhalt, who was directly participating in the war, leading the Palatinate soldiers.
“Kill the enemies! We must lead this war to victory in the name of the Palatinate!”
Commanding a group of soldiers, Anhalt was charging forth, cutting down everything visible in the fog.
Although he wasn’t a mage, he possessed decent combat ability, leading from the front while bellowing commands to advance.
Then, amidst this commanding chaos, a concerned officer watching from the side spoke up.
“Your Grace! We must halt here!”
“Halt? What do you mean? We must eradicate every last enemy!”
“We’ve already gone too deep! It’s dangerous to be separated from the main Bohemian force!”
“What’s there to worry about? We have 7,000 men! Even if we are outnumbered, the Bohemian forces will have no time to worry about us while tackling their majority!”
“That’s not true! No matter what, we’re in the heart of enemy territory right now! If anything goes wrong with our significantly outnumbered mages… Cough!”
At that moment,
A sudden attack came flying from somewhere, and the officer screamed in shock.
Seeing this, Anhalt’s face grew dark with confusion.
And right after…
What he saw was…
“Wipe them all out! In the name of the Emperor, send those demon heretics to hell!”
A cluster of mages emerged from the fog, and at the forefront… Great Mage Tilly was leading them.
Watching this unfold, Anhalt’s face paled in an instant.
