As if the scenario from back during the first real fight of my army could only repeat itself, as soon as the ranks of enemy troops formed up, they presented their weapons and started marching forward. 

Despite most of the footmen wearing whatever they found to their liking rather than using similar uniforms, their ranks didn't look any less as impressive than the formations of the mercenaries that I fought with just a few days ago. Even if it lacked the spirit of uniformity that made all the armies look stronger just by making everyone look the same, just the fact that such a huge group of men could achieve similar dressing results despite having completely free reight over how they would dress up, only enhanced the feeling that at least the frontline troops that were attacking right now, consisted purely of veterans that knew what parts of their body they should protect with another layer of armour!

"Open fire!"

As soon as I shouted this command, I could hear the lesser officers responsible for each group within the first army, repeating it before taking aim and engaging in the combat themselves. Soon, the entire field formation of mine started firing, quickly reaping the lives of the attackers.

But as soon as someone would look at the bigger picture, then despite how many men were dying and falling injured with each second, something was different when compared to both of the previous battles.

"Slow, down! Shoot only if you have a killing shot! Save the ammunition!"

As complicated as this next order was, it was one of two things that I informed my troops about even before we left the safety of the concrete barricades of the market. Outside of normal fighting that they were already used to, they only had to remember two of the commands, one of which, being to slow the rate of their fire!

"Sir, at this rate…"

It only took a few moments for the first officer to appear at my side, with his face twisted in worry. Even all the way back in the city, they couldn't understand the idea of handicapping themselves for the sake of making the enemy think that our strength was already sapped even before the battle started. But in the end, their confusion and hesitation was what could convince the enemy that the situation was something real, rather than a cleverly set trap!

Which it obviously was!

"It's okay. Keep firing for now."

Calmly responding to my subordinate, I didn't even bother to look in his side, with my eyes completely glued to the lines of the enemy forces. And they were getting closer with each pa.s.sing second!

Despite a huge number of their brothers-in-arms falling to the ground for every step that they made forward, as long as one could detach himself mentally from the picture and ignore the losses, then their advance was actually just as costly as normal line warfare would be in terms of casualty rate!

"Sir, they reached their range!"

In the battle, there were are sorts of distances for the hot weapon to be used at. Starting at the stupid fire, when even if bullet managed to luckily hit something, it would be simply too slow to even penetrate through simple clothing, through the effective firing range when doing salvos with the entire line would yield some kind of real result, all the way to the real effective range, where soldiers could actually aim for specific opponents, all the way to point-blank range, where aiming or salvos no longer held any meaning.

And the enemy troops just approached this second-to-last distance! 

"Take aim!"

With their frontline stopping and raising their so-far idle weapons, I knew this entire fight would be settled within a few, coming seconds, even if everyone else but me would fail to notice it in advance.

"Take cover!"

As useful as those earthy ramparts made with bags filled with earth were when a continuous fight ensued, at the distance that currently separated both forces, even peeking just enough to locate the enemy, meant that there was a slight chance that the bullet would reach the head's owner!

And with that being the case, I didn't dare to break my own order myself! 

Ignoring how it could look like to all those n.o.bles drunk on their own position and the false sense of security coming from their fake honour, I dived right into the embrace of the earth, squeezing my body as close to its surface as I would when pressing my hips against Elia's crotch during our fun times. 

"Fire!"

Just as my head managed to slam against the hard face of the ground, the enemy officer finally gave the order.

BOOM!

With the thunderous sound of hundreds of rifles going off at the same time, I realised another thing about the current type of warfare. As stupid as it was to march in tight lines against those rifles of mine, this was the only way in which the enemy could ensure that at least a small part of the bullets would be effective!

Yet as if there weren't enough surprises for today, rather than taking their time to reload or even risking it all with a bayonet charge, the enemy officer managed to actually catch me off guard!

"Second line, fire!"

Boom! 

Once again, a hail of bullets went mostly over our heads or sank into the cold embrace of the earth within the bags that protected us from the harm. In most of the cases at the very least, that is! 

"AARGH!"

"MY HAND!"

"HELP ME!"

As much as I tried to ignore the screams of the enemies constantly ripped apart by the slow fire of my men when it was my troops that resounded with those screams, I was no longer able of ignoring it. 

Just a single look to the side, revealed that those earthen fortifications were either faulty, or at least some of my men failed to used them properly, putting their bodies unintentionally at harm's way.

And even if only a few of my men got injured, with even fewer of them actually losing their lives against this salvo, I knew that with how little of training and real battle experience my men had, even those few losses would be enough to tilt their morale out o balance!

"Third line, advance and fire!"

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