Amidst the rumbling, the Western Expeditionary Army began its artillery bombardment.
With the presence of that man-high earthwork, direct fire became unnecessary. The artillery, under Aegor's command, conducted indirect fire directly, lasting for a short wave. After simply proving they could still fire and boosting the morale and courage of the entire army, the script began to unfold according to Jon Connington's prediction: the stopped trapezoidal formation resumed operation, slowly, cautiously, but skillfully advancing twice more, or half a rolling push, moving the frontline half a "body length" of the trapezoidal formation toward the Reach army, closing in by several hundred meters. They only stopped again at a distance that felt almost face-to-face but was actually still outside arrow range, and re-established their artillery positions.
This move to close the distance served multiple purposes. Besides creating greater psychological pressure, improving shooting accuracy, and making it easier to confirm results... the most crucial core benefit was that, with the distance shortened, the artillery could bully the enemy with less gunpowder.
Ammunition was one of the most urgently needed resources for the Western Expeditionary Army at this moment, second only to provisions.
The earth trembled, the sky was torn... Gunsmoke, carried by the gentle east wind, spread across the entire battlefield, as if hanging a white veil between heaven and earth.
The bombardment proceeded wave after wave. From the warg conducting aerial reconnaissance, it was learned that apart from the first and second rounds, where the range was not well-controlled and slightly missed the target, subsequent shells almost all accurately landed within the Reach army's infantry formations. The Reach army was too vast. As long as the gunpowder charge and firing angle were correct, it was impossible to miss even with eyes closed. On average, every two or three shells could add to the casualties. Although the killing efficiency was far less than direct fire plowing the ground, it still possessed full deterrent power.
However, despite hundreds of shells hitting every unit in the Reachmen's frontline in various ways from east to west, south to north, the receiving side merely had logistics personnel silently carry away the wounded and dead. The remaining soldiers still held firm behind that earthwork, ensuring that the entire frontline showed no slackening, truly standing firm as a mountain!
If yesterday's battle situation was like a mass of food already swallowed but churning and flowing upstream in the Reachmen's stomach, then today's situation was the opposite, becoming like an eagle trapped in an iron cage. No matter how fiercely it flapped its wings, pecked with its beak, or clawed with its talons, it could only shake the cage but not escape.
The opponent had found the strategy Aegor most feared, defense in place of attack, turning the tables to force the Western Expeditionary Army to make a choice: either confront them here in a stalemate until provisions and ammunition were exhausted, or abandon the defensive advantage of the trapezoidal formation and actively attack, exposing their weak flanks to the cavalry.
This kind of overt strategy was difficult to counter without a brilliant scheme. It was clear that the Reachmen had completely abandoned illusions and decided to tough it out. Aegor took a deep breath, waved his hand to give the order, and, appearing composed but actually uncertain, initiated... the special move tailored specifically for this situation.
---
For the infantry facing the artillery bombardment head-on, today's Reach Plain was undoubtedly a living hell.
Continuously observing the frontline engagement through a lens, Garlan Tyrell secretly swallowed, grateful that he was a cavalry commander.
From several miles away, he could imagine the helplessness and panic of the infantry enduring the artillery bombardment, holding their positions, dizzied by the tremors and the whistling of shells, yet unable to take any countermeasures. That frontline with the earthwork as its vanguard appeared... no, at least so far it was indeed unmoving, but in fact, there was a hidden health bar called "morale." This morale bar was already low after yesterday's retreat, and each round of bombardment inevitably caused it to lose a little more. The strategy adopted by the command was to have the noble lords and soldiers hold firm together, using their presence to encourage the army to persevere.
In previous wars, the higher-ranking lords and nobles had better armor and equipment, and more knightly guards around them. No matter how brutal the battle, their casualty rate would be significantly lower than that of peasant soldiers. But this time, in the face of the Western Expeditionary Army's gunpowder and shells, armor and guards were useless. For the first time since the world began, the Reachmen on the battlefield had achieved equality!
It was conceivable that after the battle, he would surely hear news of many unfortunate feudal lords being wounded or even killed by shells.
The strategy of surrounding without attacking, while clever, was based on a gamble. The command was betting that after internal training on gunpowder explosion desensitization, the Reachmen were resilient enough to withstand the psychological shock of artillery bombardment. Led by the noble lords who were taking the lead, their own infantry's morale could hold up better than the enemy's ammunition supply!
Could they win this gamble?
Garlan did not dare to make a casual judgment, but he knew clearly that, whether as a son, a subject, or a general, all he could do at this moment was execute the new plan sent by the command, watch his own infantry units endure the relentless bombardment from afar, and not move even half a step before the Western Expeditionary Army made any move to break their defensive formation.
Doing this was frustrating and difficult, but if they could not bear it, the sacrifices would only be greater.
Today, much Reachmen blood would be spilled on this plain, but for the sake of future generations not being oppressed and humiliated, everything was worth it!
While he was thinking, the continuous artillery fire suddenly ceased. The plain fell into a strange and inexplicable silence. Garlan was wondering if the enemy's gunpowder reserves should not be so limited, when a deafening volley suddenly erupted again... This round of bombardment was much more intense than any previous wave, causing the ground to tremble so violently that the warhorse beside Garlan, which was clearly accustomed to the sound of explosions, became restless and agitated, trying to break free from its reins. It took two full attendants to hold it back.
Along with the inexplicably intensified artillery bombardment, even thicker gunsmoke than before billowed and surged up from Daenerys's army's positions... Its density and quantity were so astonishing, as if some god had poured a large bucket of pure white milk-and-rice porridge mixture into a glass tank named "Reach Plain." In an instant, it blurred the entire frontline of the engagement. The substantial sea of smoke made Garlan, watching from afar, subconsciously find it difficult to breathe, and he began to worry about the breathing conditions of the opposing artillerymen, which was extremely out of place.
The circular field of vision in the lens was blurred. Garlan put down his observation tool, preparing to let his right eye, which had been working for a long time, rest. But the next moment, another anomaly occurred: from the direction of the true chaos at the very front of the battlefield, a deafening roar of killing suddenly came. Its volume was far less loud than the artillery fire, but due to the huge number of sources, it was noisy and surprisingly penetrating. Garlan's heart tightened. He immediately raised his lens again and observed the direction of the sound source.
In the sky-obscuring gunsmoke, he vaguely saw the bottom edge of Daenerys's army's trapezoidal formation, the area where the two sides' infantry lines were closest. The soldiers on both sides had raised their banners and were charging and shouting together, opening the prelude to today's bloody battle. Looking closely at the emblems on the banners, among them was clearly the Tyrell family's army!
What was happening?
Shock and confusion intertwined in an instant.
Hadn't the command guaranteed in its orders that they would absolutely not attack proactively today, but wait for Aegor to lose patience first? Changing the plan at this moment, was it because they judged that they could not withstand the enemy's firepower, or did they suddenly discover some excellent opportunity, to the extent that they were willing to break their agreement and strike first?
There was no time to think too much. Instinct reminded Garlan what he, as a commander, should do at this moment: when the infantry of both sides were entangled, that was the best time for the cavalry to play its role. It took time to reach the battlefield from outside the range of the artillery. Regardless of why the command ordered the charge first, immediately providing support and cooperation, rather than rigidly sticking to the battle plan, was the correct choice!
"Give the order! The entire army attacks!"
(To be continued.)