Chapter 61: The Battle of White Mountain (Bilá Hora) 2

There is a saying that the best defense is offense.

However, this does not simply mean that striking first gives a slight advantage for victory. It carries a deeper meaning beyond that.

The concept of ‘actual combat’ imagined by modern people who have not experienced real war often comes from games.

Strategy simulation games where you create virtual soldiers and fight battles with them.

However, there is usually one element excluded from these games that can be extremely critical in real war.

That is… the fact that soldiers participating in war are not as brave as people think.

In games, soldiers fight to the bitter end, ready to die.

But in reality, it was almost impossible to see soldiers fighting to the last like that. Such cases were so rare that their bravery and nobility would be immortalized in history.

In most wars, the process of defeat was not the grand annihilation of an army. More often, the outcome was decided by the flow of the war… in other words, by morale.

Even if only a few hundred out of ten thousand soldiers were killed, if some started throwing down their weapons and running away, it would quickly lead to the collapse of the entire army. It was all too common for a demoralized army to scatter pathetically, resulting in a disastrous defeat.

This is why they say the best defense is offense.

Here, defense and offense do not simply mean whether the enemy came to conquer your territory. It is closer to the meaning of which side initiates the battle first.

There are two armies facing each other.

The one that strikes first, raising weapons against the enemy, inherently has momentum.

The momentum to advance forward.

Having drawn their swords first to cut down the enemy before them, the soldiers gradually develop the will to fight, whether to kill or be killed.

From the moment they took out their swords and attacked, this situation was initiated by them, so they were somewhat mentally prepared.

However…

On the contrary, those on the defensive side inevitably felt psychological pressure from the start.

Regardless of their overall force strength, they saw the enemy charging at them. In war, whether they win or lose, they could not help but think they would die from the enemy’s attack.

While the attacking side thinks about killing, taking control of the situation, the defenders feel like they are being dragged into death, unable to take control.

An uncontrollable situation inevitably makes people feel anxious.

In this situation, one possibility automatically arises in their minds that they can control.

Evasion… in other words, the possibility of fleeing.

This means that if the allied forces show even a slight sign of faltering, it could immediately lead to soldiers fleeing and the formation collapsing. As a result, a halfhearted defense risks defeat.

In this regard, the current Battle of White Mountain was unfolding differently from the start compared to the original.

In the original, misled by Anhalt’s optimistic belief that the enemy would not attack in such foggy weather, the Bohemian army waited in the fog.

As a result, they were overwhelmed from the start when the Imperial army’s powerful attack pierced through the fog, leading to a miserable defeat.

However, at this moment, unlike the original, it was not the Imperial army that was on the offensive.

Instead of hiding behind the natural barrier called fog, the Bohemian army used it as a shield to launch an attack.

This proactive offense, rather than a timid defense, completely reversed the atmosphere of the Bohemian army compared to the original. Instead of a pathetic, disgraceful defeat after facing the enemy in fear, it became an intense, tenacious battle where both sides staked their lives.

Visible through the thick fog were iron pillars and lights emanating from their tips.

Taking them as targets, the Bohemian army rapidly advanced.

“Charge!”

“Wipe out those who dared to invade Bohemia without fear!”

A force of 13,000 led by the 13 Bohemian nobles.

Including 1,000 mages, this force instantly descended upon the Imperial army’s formation.

“Our Casius household will lead the way! Everyone, follow us!”

The blue-armored mages at the vanguard formed their magic centered around the lord Casius, then released it towards the emerging Imperial formation.

-Kwagwagwagwang!!!-

“Kuaaak!”

“Kuheuk!”

With a tremendous explosion, the ground violently erupted.

The resulting shockwave instantly swept away the Imperial defenses and soldiers guarding them.

Just a few spells were enough to make the outer defenses collapse pathetically.

Normally, they would have opened fire with guns or cannons before the enemy got this close.

It was standard defense to repel the enemy’s approach as much as possible, especially preventing mages from running rampant through long-range deterrence.

Depending on the situation, their own mages could also use defensive magic.

However, the thick fog made it difficult for the soldiers to even find their own positions, let alone locate the enemy.

They could not clearly distinguish friend from foe.

Perhaps if they were more familiar with the local terrain, but they had only arrived a few hours ago.

In contrast, this was the Bohemian army’s home territory. Even those from distant lands had thoroughly studied the area during their weeks of encampment.

The fog was not thick enough to completely obscure their position. Furthermore, the pillars erected here and there, each emitting a unique light, allowed them to roughly locate themselves and estimate the enemy’s position.

Penetrating the Imperial formation left virtually defenseless by the thick fog, the Bohemian soldiers began overwhelming the Emperor’s forces at the vanguard of powerful mages.

“Damn these heretic bastards!”

“Attack! We are the glorious Imperial army!”

The Imperial army frantically tried to push back the enemy before them in desperate moves.

Although their overall combat power was significantly reduced due to the disarray from the fog and lingering fatigue from the march, most of them were well-trained elite soldiers experienced in war.

They knew how to respond to such a surprise attack.

“Take down the enemies right in front of you first!”

“Don’t panic! We outnumber them!”

Despite the thick fog, the commanding officers’ voices rang out as the Imperial army struggled to drive back the enemy.

While the surprise attack had inflicted heavy damage, their ranks also included many mages, and the individual soldiers were highly capable.

As a result, the two forces were engaged in an intense battle within the fog, relying on their units’ flags and banners to maintain formations amidst the chaos.

Among them was Anhalt himself, leading the Palatinate soldiers in this war…