Life of Being a Crown Prince in France - Chapter 1238: 1143: Pyramid Battle, Part 2

Chapter 1238: Chapter 1143: Pyramid Battle, Part 2

Standing on the northernmost side of the hollow square formation, Chommon gripped his 1790-style rifled gun like a statue, completely ignoring the approaching swarm of Mamluk cavalry. He turned his head and shouted to the soldiers of his company, “Let these guys know what it means to be a warrior of France!”

Just over ten meters away, another officer, with a shallow golden border on the outside of his epaulet, was also loudly encouraging the soldiers, “The enemy will soon retreat, everyone hold your position!”

“For glory! For France! Grip our guns tightly!”

“Hey, Company 17 wants to earn the Medal of Courage from this battle!”

“Did you hear that, Company 21? Someone wants to compete for the medal, we can’t let them win!”

Indeed, Chommon and other officers are the honorary representatives newly assigned during the French Army’s second military reform.

They were all strictly selected, not only demonstrating exceptional military capability but also passing political evaluations. Their main responsibility was to boost morale, assist soldiers with daily psychological counseling, and teach cultural lessons.

Honorary representatives are the “glue” among soldiers and also the backbone during battles.

They have almost replaced the roles historically assigned to priests accompanying troops and grenadiers—the number of field priests has now reduced to one-third of what it used to be.

Tasks like leading soldiers in prayer and hearing confessions can now be managed by honorary representatives. Priests are currently responsible only for overseeing holiday masses and the burial ceremonies of fallen soldiers.

This is also a crucial measure by Joseph to reduce the church’s influence over the military.

Under the leadership of honorary representatives, the entire hollow square formation remained steadfast in the face of the Mamluks’ tidal surge attacks.

Soon, two cavalry teams swept past the northern side of the square preparing to turn around for regrouping and then launch another attack.

However, the soldiers forming the hollow square immediately began to raise their guns and fire.

With a stream of fire bursting from the northern side of the square, over a hundred Mamluk cavalrymen were pierced through the back by gunfire, accompanied by a series of screams, one after another fell off their horses.

The French Army is now fully equipped with rifled guns, completely changing the flintlock gun era where “accuracy relied solely on faith,” allowing almost pinpoint aiming within 100 paces.

Sean loudly reminded his comrades nearby, “Do not panic, reload as trained! First row cease fire!”

A dozen seconds later, the soldiers in the rear two rows fired another volley.

This time, however, the Mamluk cavalry had already distanced by nearly 100 meters, greatly reducing the effect, only killing over 20.

From afar, through the overwhelming dust storm, Ibrahim could vaguely see his elite cavalry endlessly circling several thin formations yet consistently failing to break through, his heart growing increasingly restless.

He bowed his head in prayer for a moment, then drew out his horse saber and yelled to his trusted aides around him, “Fight for God’s path! Charge with me, crush the infidels!”

Ibrahim fiercely pinched his horse’s side, leading nearly a thousand reserve cavalrymen to charge towards the second hollow formation.

However, when he was still a kilometer away from the French Army formation, he saw hundreds of blood-covered Mamluk cavalrymen fleeing his way.

The leading officer, half of whose cheek was shredded by gunfire, saw the Bey’s banner, hurried forward to stop him, and croaked painfully, “Lord Bey, it’s too dangerous, please return quickly!”

Ibrahim took a long time to recognize this was Hajid, ranked among the top three warriors under his command, and his heart tightened immediately.

Hajid is a fearless soldier in battles; if even he chose to retreat, there could only be one possibility—even if all the cavalry were sacrificed, they could not break through the French Army’s lines.

In actuality, the Mamluk cavalry had proven very resilient. As with Hajid’s unit, out of a total of 1200 cavalrymen, they decided to retreat only after being reduced to 700.

Indeed, many Mamluk cavalrymen started fleeing towards Inbaba Village as the Battle Commander flailed his sword to stop them, yet like leaves in an ocean, they were quickly swept away by giant waves.

Ibrahim was utterly horrified, hurriedly retreated to Inbaba Village, and ordered his officers to gather the retreating soldiers.

Half an hour later, Murad also returned in a miserable state from his mission attacking the French Army’s flanks.

After repeated inquiries, Ibrahim learned that Murad was rendered helpless under the attack of more than 400 French Chest Armor Cavalry combined with the cannon.

Murad had taken 1200 cavalrymen, but less than 1000 returned.

Ibrahim was poring over a map contemplating the next tactical moves when an officer rushed in to report, “Lord Bey, the French are now less than 2000 girah away.”

2000 girah is approximately 1.5 kilometers.

Ibrahim glanced towards his attendant, “How many cavalrymen have returned?”

“Currently, there are less than 5000 cavalrymen, Lord Bey.”

Ibrahim, being the Mamluk’s most militarily capable general, hesitated a bit before turning to the Order Officer and commanding, “Tell Abdullah to prepare to face the enemy head-on.”

He looked at Murad, “Lead all your cavalry south along the river, bypass the French flank, attack their rear. If you encounter their cavalry, retreat and attack elsewhere.

“Once the French display disorder, I will launch a frontal counterattack to coordinate with you.”

This is the Nile River plain, the domain of cavalry.

Earlier, Ibrahim launched the decisive battle to quickly resolve the situation west of the Nile River.

But in reality, his cavalry needed to leverage their high maneuverability to keep stretching the enemy’s lines, to gain an advantage.

This tactic, however, would consume considerable time.

Ibrahim turned to look towards Cairo and whispered to himself, “I hope during this time Fadl can hold off Rauf.”

Soon, the drumbeats of the French Army faintly resonated into Ibrahim’s command center.

Ibrahim climbed atop a granary’s roof and, through binoculars, observed a sparse, white line of infantry reaching the outskirts of the village.

He involuntarily let out a sigh of relief. Based on his knowledge of European armies, this infantry line should be arranged as closely and orderly as possible, indicating the French could not ensure formation during their advance.

Most likely, the French commander opposite was adept at defense but not very capable in offense.

This rekindled his hope.

Murad loudly promised hefty rewards to the cavalry post-battle, leading the troops south along the Nile River, simultaneously dispatching numerous cavalry to scout the French Army’s position.

However, he advanced nearly 4 kilometers yet still found French infantry in full formations on the western flank.

Eventually, his path south was blocked by a stretch of desert—the geography of the Nile River is such, combining rivers, oases, and deserts.

Murad realized, although this desert is less than 6 kilometers wide, it’s utterly impossible for him to cross through and return.

Moreover, his cavalry had already fought for nearly half a day and lacked the strength to cross the desert.