Warhammer Fantasy:Steel and gunpowder

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NachexenPfugzeit-24-31,2489 IC

More days passed as we continued waiting for the general's army to finish assembling, until what we had been expecting from Nuln arrived: twelve cannons from the Nuln forges.

That was the weapon that could turn the battle in our favor. With the cannons, we could smash the walls of Monfort and take the fortification. While the plan seemed solid, the problem was the second step: if we managed to take Monfort, holding it would be a pain in the ass. Because all those damned Bretonnians would charge at us like rabid dogs. I hope the general has something planned, like reinforcements from the capital or that another army is being formed while we're in Bretonnia... because honestly, I doubt we'll leave there victorious.

But there we were, around 18,000 men that the general had gathered, far more than he had expected. Though that didn't erase the bad taste in my mouth.

When the general decided he had enough men, he simply sent the order to break camp and start marching toward Bretonnia.

Fortunately, my men, being highly disciplined and standardized, were wanted by the general to stay fresh for any important combat that might arise later. Therefore, we didn't get too many complicated tasks, beyond marching along the steep roads that separated Bretonnia from the Empire.

The skirmishes, many of them, were carried out by the general's mercenaries, who moved well along the treacherous paths. Especially the ogres. We saw how a Bretonnian knight was struck down and turned into pulp along with his horse, and then the ogre ate the horse.

Many of those skirmishes were fought by the mercenaries, who seemed eager to participate, as they were taking everything they got.

And this time, compared to the previous one, which was just a minor skirmish, now it was an open war between the Empire and Bretonnia. That's why I approached the mercenaries who had recently seized Bretonnian horses from some knights, and I started buying them. Most likely, I could keep them as war spoils and improve the breed of my horses in a few years. I could probably sell them for a very high price in the Imperial markets, as nobles won't resist an Imperial warhorse with Bretonnian pedigree.

The hard ones to convince were the ogres, because damn it, those guys just wanted to eat the horses and their riders. But apparently, they weren't allowed to eat humans... for now. I had to do a lot of mental juggling to get them to understand that with the gold I was giving them, they could buy even more food than the horse, and much tastier. And when I managed to make myself understood, they accepted the deal, thus saving the horses that were going to be their meal that same day.

When we finally camped, we were assigned some night guard duties and kept an eye on the Bretonnian movements observed from some hills not far off.

We kept advancing and only found abandoned Bretonnian camps, as the numbers were on our side, while the Bretonnians could only retreat, losing ground.

As we kept moving, we found empty villages. Apparently, the Bretonnians had evacuated their peasants in time before they fell victim to the mercenaries.

During the march, there were many problems with the horses that were transporting the cannons, as many times the carts broke down, and we had to waste time repairing them or trying to push them. Without the cannons, there was nothing we could do against the fortifications of Monfort.

Once again, we had to camp after a long day of slow marching over the rough terrain, which wasn't making things any easier. But on my part, I kept talking to the mercenaries and buying many of the things they took from the Bretonnians. I was buying armor that was in good condition to try and cover some of the shortcomings my men had, so I bought everything useful and, at the same time, all the available horses.

On the third day of marching, the largest skirmish so far took place. A group of Bretonnian knights charged against the vanguard of the column, where they managed to cause many casualties among the poorly armed militia gathered by some nobles from Bogenhafen. But by the end of the day, many of those knights ended up dead, either during the charge or when the knights of all the nobles united launched themselves against the Bretonnians, driving them to flee, overwhelmed by the losses they suffered in that battle.

It took time to regroup the marching column, but we kept advancing along the road, while the skirmishes continued at all times between the mercenaries and the Bretonnian knights, along with their men-at-arms, who desperately tried to buy as much time as possible.

When we reached the village of Juinard, as usual, it was completely empty. The knights had evacuated their peasants. But we were at the gates of Monfort: we only needed to cross a river to the east, and we would have the Duke's fortress right in front of us. However, to the west lay the Duchy of Parravon.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Imperial forces were organizing to cross the river—since the mercenaries had expelled the knights from their defensive points—I decided to prepare a little gift for the possible reinforcements coming from the west.

I had brought thorns that I had ordered to be made with some leftover iron during the days we waited for the general's forces. Something very simple to make: a piece of metal with four sharp points, always leaving one pointing up.

Before we crossed the bridge to Monfort, I ordered my men to scatter them along the road leading to Parravon, so that any reinforcements trying to catch us from behind would get a very unpleasant surprise.

With the road covered in thorns, we continued the march, crossing the river by the bridge heading toward Monfort.

That same day, we broke camp and began preparations for what would be one of the toughest battles we'd face in a long, long time.

By midday, a Bretonnian knight arrived, although it seemed he was on our side. Quite rare.

I made sure my part of the camp was set up, at least with a decent palisade for us. If something went wrong, I wanted to have a place to retreat to.

The next morning, the camp was a hive of activity. Men preparing, cleaning their weapons, checking their ammunition. The Imperial engineers were running back and forth, making sure the cannons were ready to be hauled or fired.

I took the opportunity to check the terrain. I didn't like it at all. There were too many steep hills that hindered clear lines of fire. To make matters worse, Monfort was well positioned, guarding the only exit to the east of the mountain passes. If the Bretonnians entrenched themselves there, taking the walls would be a bloodbath.

I got my men ready and had them prepare for the worst. The terrain wasn't good for our tercio-style formations, but it wasn't favorable for cavalry charges either. It was a ruin for everyone.

We waited for the general's orders, which finally arrived. Our mission: to scale the mountains to the south if possible and completely encircle the Monfort knights. Another noble had the same task, but from the north.

We prepared for that. Scaling those steep mountains with war gear wouldn't be easy. As we organized, we were surprised by what happened: the Monfort knights were coming out of the fortress.

"Idiots," I murmured when I saw them leave the walls. They came out with men-at-arms and a large number of peasants armed with whatever they had: farming tools, sickles, hammers, shovels.

"Baron Albrecht!" shouted a knight who was riding toward me from behind. "Change of plans! The general wants to crush the Bretonnian force immediately." He was riding between the nobles to deliver the change in strategy.

We obeyed the Imperial chain of command.

We immediately began to form up. I organized my men in the usual tercio formation: halberdiers at the front, with nearly full armor; behind them, a mass of musketeers ready to fire at my command; in the center, pikemen, prepared to resist any frontal charge.

We formed a battle line as straight as the uneven terrain would allow, ready to face the Bretonnian fanatics who had made the mistake of leaving their walls.

We began to advance slowly, maintaining formation while the Imperial forces were running to take control of some elevated positions advantageous for artillery and Imperial arquebusiers.

We faced men-at-arms and peasants.

For some strange reason, the fight hadn't started yet. The Bretonnians were letting us position ourselves in good spots for the artillery. They also took some good positions, but their lack of firearms made them almost ineffective. Especially because their peasant archers weren't the best. They were just that: peasants with a bow who, by some luck, knew how to use it.

The advance continued until both armies were face to face, one in front of the other, staring at each other from hills, waiting for the general's order to attack.

We stood there for a few minutes… until the first cannon shot from the right flank hill rang out. Then, several more explosions followed. Huge chunks of iron flew through the air. Although many missed, some hit directly, striking a group of peasants and sending bodies flying.

Finally, the battle began. The Bretonnian forces started to move.

As we descended, I noticed a group of Grail Knights charging straight at the center of our forces.

"Shit!... one... two... three... four... five... five Grail Knights," I said as my forces descended the hill, seeing the large group of knights charging furiously at our center.

When we reached flat ground, we found ourselves face to face with a lot of men-at-arms from the House of Monfort, displaying their heraldry everywhere.

My men lowered their pikes and presented them to an enemy that only had swords. The difference in reach was vast.

Our formations moved slowly, both sides trying not to crash too soon.

"Musketeers!" I shouted.

My musketeers moved from the flanks, running, and formed three perfect lines further ahead, without blocking the pikemen's advance. They all positioned themselves, aiming their muskets.

"Fire!" I shouted.

And hundreds of muskets fired, almost without generating any smoke on our side. The first line crouched as they began to reload; the second line aimed their muskets and fired, then crouched, and the third line fired immediately. Then, they all stood up and began to reload.

I immediately saw the chaos in the Bretonnian formation: hundreds of their men had fallen.

At that moment, while my musketeers prepared to fire again, I saw a massive number of arrows coming towards us.

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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.

Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.

I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.

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