The Extra Wants To Live

As autumn approached, the days became shorter.

So, the time when the two armies met was slightly late in the afternoon. Normally, it would have been wise to take a day off to rest and avoid fighting in the pitch-black darkness when the sun set during battle.

"You plan to fight?"

"Umm…"

But Siana's army was so busily preparing for battle that it could be seen from afar.

From Hardion's perspective, with a relatively high proportion of elite infantry, he wanted to rest as much as possible before fighting. Due to the nature of the desert, it remained quite hot during the day, even though it was the end of autumn. Even if the soldiers removed their armor while marching, fighting during the day while wearing armor with their stamina already drained was reckless.

"I will reorganize the heavy infantry within the range where I can cool my body using the water wizards," Carl decided.

What he chose here was to break the obsession with heavy infantry. This, however, caused a backlash, as those who had expected to command the heavy infantry and achieve great feats began to complain.

"The battle will go smoothly only if the heavy infantry on the front lines holds its ground. If the enemy's numbers are already large and their armor is stripped away, how can the infantry in the front line hold out?"

"Then why don't you just stand in the battle line wearing full plate armor and fight?"

"…"

But when Carl challenged, "Then do you want to do it too?" everyone had no choice but to shut their mouths and remain silent.

Fighting in the battle lines while the sun was still up, wearing full plate armor, and being physically exhausted? They might die of heatstroke before even being killed by the enemy.

Regardless, Carl did not suggest abandoning heavy infantry altogether. Instead, he planned to use the water wizards to create a mist to block out sunlight, lower the surrounding temperature, and spray water on the armor to cool it down. This way, even if the soldiers were not in peak condition, they could still fight effectively.

The reason this method was not used in the Battle of the Tishal Mountains was simply that there had been no need for it. By then, the soldiers had rested enough, and because they were blocked by the mountain range, the shadows lasted for a long time even after morning, making it not just cool but cold. Since the battle would have ended very quickly if things had gone according to plan, there had been no need to cool anything with water.

But this time, they had to rotate against enemies that were 1.5 times more numerous on flat ground with no natural cover.

Unless something extraordinary happened, the battle could last at least two hours until sundown, and possibly even after. Unless one was Carl or a Master with a perfected body, fighting without the aid of magic would be difficult.

The overall control of the infantry was left to the infantry captain, Baduan. He carefully arranged his central infantry, forming a rectangular formation of company units, slightly offset from front to back when viewed from above.

Well-armed heavy infantry was deployed on the flanks of the squares, positioned where they would face enemies attempting to break through the gaps between the front and the companies in the first rank. The second row consisted of light infantry carrying pikes, meant to block and push back enemies trying to sneak in through gaps.

In the last three rows, light infantry armed with swords or axes and small shields were placed, ensuring they could move quickly at any time. Archers stood at the front, firing before retreating to allow the infantry to engage in close combat.

Since the infantry was arranged in three rows, the overall formation was narrower. However, Baduan, experienced as he was, managed to provide sufficient width to the left and right of the ranks by carefully organizing the companies and adjusting the length of the squares.

This type of deployment allowed for fluid combat maneuvers, as units could move between gaps, and it had the advantage of allowing fewer troops to engage more enemies as they funneled into the formation. However, as the battle area increased, attrition on both sides would also rise.

The first-line company had the disadvantage of potentially collapsing in an instant if not managed carefully, as its flanks and rear would be exposed. Most critically, because the formation was designed to anticipate enemies rushing in from the front, it was highly vulnerable to attacks from the sides.

If the flanks were exposed, they would have to replace the three rows of reserve light infantry, and even then, there was no guarantee they would hold. Of course, if the situation reached that point, it would mean the battle had already been lost from the start.

The flanks and rear of the infantry had to be naturally protected by cavalry and archers.

Carl felt a slight regret as he studied the formation Baduan had proposed. If the army had been composed entirely of elite soldiers, they could have killed the enemy by firing through the gaps between the companies.

It might have been possible if Carl himself took direct command on the battlefield. However, with Siana present, Carl could not act recklessly. If he did, more arrows would end up striking the backs of his allies rather than the enemy.

Otherwise, it would simply result in a few scattered archers firing ineffective volleys.

In the dry desert, where sand dust rose in thick clouds and the noise of battle echoed, only a handful of troops could be controlled with precision.

In that case, it was more efficient to have the infantry engage while the archers withdrew to guard the flanks.

No matter how well-formed the ranks were, the enemy outnumbered them 1.5 to 1. They would certainly try to take the flanks by leveraging their superior numbers.

What was needed here were archers and cavalry.

The cavalry would tie down the enemy forces attempting to flank, while the archers would suppress and kill as many as possible.

Overall, Carl's forces were smaller than the enemy, and naturally, the number of cavalry was also lower. However, given the vast battlefield, defensive tactics were the only choice.

But victory would not come from simply defending.

Hardion's goal was to execute a bold infantry breakthrough tactic—withstanding the enemy's offensive with a three-row infantry line, and then, once the enemy's infantry was exhausted, charging through the gaps between the companies.

For this purpose, a separate breakthrough force consisting of knights had been assembled. They would wait in the rear, biding their time until the decisive moment arrived.

This tactic was viable because, although Carl's total troop count was smaller than Siana's, his army had a higher proportion of elite soldiers.

Siana pulled most of his standing army east to wage war against Yusuf, and lost most of it in the ensuing defeat.

Above all, it was a big deal that all the elite soldiers who had gathered in Bursa were lost when Siana took Seidman and fled after targeting Yusuf.

Siana's army is mostly made up of conscripts.