Chapter 1612: Battle (Ⅱ)

Lord Custis smiled and replied calmly: "Joan, before I got the title of nobility, I was also a country bumpkin born and bred in Alfheim. In the eyes of the aristocrats, this kind of combat method that focuses on the mobility and suddenness of marching in order to win by whatever means is only worthy of being called "pirate play", and there is an even more ugly term called "bandit". Brawl'."

"Then what kind of model should war look like in the eyes of noble knights?"

"Hehe, as you can see, just like what Laval and I did in our open letter to General Cornwallis, the commanders-in-chief of both sides followed the gentleman's demeanor and greeted each other politely. They have the right to decide when to start the war, and if the weather is a problem, both the enemy and the enemy will abide by their promises, and the two armies will face each other at the agreed time and place, and the confrontation will start in an upright manner."

"This series of etiquette about war also includes many details that are ridiculous to a young man like you."

"For example, in the tradition of our imperial knights, officers should dress up beautifully on the day of the decisive battle, wearing white breeches, sky blue army coats, armor and shields decorated with conspicuous family crests, and helmets should also be inserted. The colorful peacock or pheasant feathers, sitting on the horseback, look personable, but also a very conspicuous sniper target, right?"

"Don't worry, according to the rules of war of noble knights, it is not allowed to snipe enemy officers with crossbows or rifles, because this is a very ungentlemanly and immoral behavior. Anyone who does this will be condemned by the upper class .”

"Fei Zhen is strong in infantry rather than cavalry. Relatively speaking, Fei Zhen's knights are not as elegant as our imperial knights, but Fei Zhen also pays great attention to war etiquette."

"The military uniform of Feizhen's army is very gorgeous. They uniformly wear a red army coat with a lapel, white half trousers and stockings, a triangular hat with fringe on their heads, and black riding boots. The real Feizhen thinks that this kind of attire is full of style. It looks like boiled lobster to me, which is kind of funny."

"Every time the Feizhen army goes out, it must bring a military band and spread out formation on the battlefield. The first to start working hard is the military band, blowing loud and clear horns, beating sonorous drums, and the infantry phalanx With the accompaniment of the team, we marched forward with neat steps, and even if the comrades around us were shot and fell down, we couldn’t lose the rhythm.”

"That sounds funny, doesn't it?"

"It's a bit funny..." Joan's mouth twitched slightly, resisting the urge to burst out laughing.

Lord Custis saw the disapproval in his eyes, and continued: "In fact, I admire the so-called 'pirate style of play' and firmly believe that this is the trend of future war development. As for the old-school nobles trying to add moral principles to war , Trying to beautify the bloody battle between the two armies into a classical knight duel mode is too romantic, to put it bluntly, it is obsessive and self-indulgent."

"That's right, the mode of warfare that the nobles admire is imitating the duel of knights. The two parties agree on the time and place, and a notary is invited. The party being challenged has the right to choose the weapon used in the duel, such as a lance. Or saber, I heard that pistol duels have become popular in recent years, and most young nobles choose this fashionable duel method."

"You may ask, since Lavalmin and I know that this classical knightly style of warfare is outdated by the times, why did we make such an old-fashioned decision to openly challenge Fidelity?"

There was a hint of slyness in Lord Custis's smile.

"That's because the combat staff of the headquarters, after repeatedly discussing various tactics, generally believe that our side will have a greater chance of winning if we adopt this kind of upright confrontation strategy."

Joan frowned, and asked softly: "General Cornwallis and the staff around him, can't you see this? If they realize that confrontation is definitely not the best choice, I'm afraid they won't accept you and Baron Laval openly. Proposed battle."

"Joan, if other generals lead the Feizhen army, such as Earl Winthrop or his eldest son, the 'Blood Prince' Bannister Winthrop, it is indeed possible that the letter of engagement issued by our side will not agree. Ignore it, and march and fight in the way that's best for them, for they're a very realistic kind of people."

"But Thomas Cornwallis is different. You can hardly tell whether this guy really advocates chivalry or is a hypocrite who puts on airs and pretends to be decent. Anyway, he has successfully created the public image of 'Knight General', and this person is very concerned about it. His image in the upper class even cares more about the outcome of the war."

"In General Cornwallis' own words, 'he would rather lose with dignity than to steal victory with ugliness'."

Lord Custis's lips curled up in a sarcasm.

"Joan, think about it, a general like Kang Huali, who is proud of his noble origin and imitates the style of classical knights, can he reject our open letter of engagement?"

"What's more, even if there is an open duel on the designated battlefield, Feizhen's side has a better chance of winning. If General Kang Huali is confident that he can fight a big victory beautifully, he will win the praise of the upper class and become the leader in people's minds. A perfect and noble example of chivalry, why should he avoid open engagements, and thus suffer the infamy of cowardice, and damage his most cherished reputation?"

"My lord, I understand. It turns out that this is a psychological tactic!"

After listening to Lord Custis' explanation, while Joan was relieved, he also had a deeper understanding of the sick old man in front of him.

As Lord Custis himself said, he was not born a nobleman, but earned his fame through solid achievements. He was a grassroots hero who was killed on a bloody and cruel battlefield. In order to survive and protect his own Homeland and relatives, he did not hesitate to sell his soul to the evil gods, how could he care about noble dignity, chivalry, and binding his hands and feet on the battlefield?

In fact, Lord Custis had already launched an offensive against the enemy on the psychological level before the real war began.

Joan didn't know if Thomas Cornwallis was a veritable "noble knight", but he was sure that Dandridge Custis was definitely a real "old fox". Blood poured out of his face!

Sure enough, as Lord Custis expected, he received a reply from General Thomas Cornwallis two days later.

General Cornwallis, with his elegant words and his aristocratic style, readily accepted Lord Custis and Baron Laval's open engagement.

Thank you book friend: tce, reward 100 starting coins this week