The Assyrians' defeat boosted Herman's confidence.
The terrifying impact of the Blood Warriors was annihilated by the officers and soldiers of the 1st Brigade and 1st Regiment in the most direct way.
Herman ordered people to carry the corpse of the Blood Warrior to the rear, built it into a mountain of corpses, and then set it on fire.
He invited senior officers from friendly forces to come and watch, which was both a show off and a declaration, and he used this to make these officers submit:
"I have received the authorization from the crown prince, and now all your troops are under my unified command."
Hermann pointed to Lieutenant Frank standing aside and the soldiers who broke out from Gondia last night:
"I order you to organize your troops immediately. Some will be our swords, some will be our shields, and others will only be responsible for logistics.
I don’t care how you familiarize yourself with your new subordinates, or how you manage your troops. In short, I give an order, and everyone must move forward bravely."
"The crown prince is in Gondea. He has prepared two things. One is a medal. Those who have meritorious service will receive due rewards. The other is an arrest warrant. Those who disobey the order will be shot for treason!"
Hermann held the banner of the crown prince, used his surname and existing strength to make everyone bow to him, and successfully became the commander-in-chief of the imperial armed forces outside the city of Gondia.
Time was tight, and he could not slowly reorganize the troops. He had to collect weapons, ammunition and supplies, and first arm the 19th and 20th divisions that he had short of clothes and guns, so that the 17th Army with more than 3,500 people could quickly recover.
to pre-war levels.
This is where Herman's confidence lies.
Hermann also formed another three divisions. These three divisions had complex sources of troops and barely had a certain degree of combat capability. However, Hermann could not expect these three divisions to be of much use.
During this period, the 17th Legion also faced daily provocations from the Assyrians. This Assyrian army was not trapped here.
At 5 o'clock in the morning on February 15, 1835, before dawn, the 17th Army launched an attack.
The artillery poured down on the Assyrian position costlessly, and each artillery unit slowly advanced forward under the cover of the infantry.
The sound of gunfire rumbled and the smoke filled the air.
The officers and soldiers of the 1st Brigade of the 21st Division, which was responsible for the main offensive task, moved forward with firm steps. On their left and right were the 2nd and 3rd Brigades.
However, the first to attack was the Dragoon Regiment of the 21st Division. They took advantage of the infantry to attract most of the enemy's attention and suddenly broke out from behind the ambush mound.
Above the remaining snow, the cavalry charged directly at the Assyrians' left wing. The Assyrians at the front retreated one after another, only to reveal the bloody warriors sitting on the ground resting behind them.
The blood warrior carried a giant ax and slashed at them head on. The war horse jumped into the air and threw the heroic imperial cavalry down. The horse was chopped off a pair of front hooves by the giant ax, and blood surged like a fountain.
Once the cavalry regiment started, it would not stop. Facing the powerful blood warriors, they paid a heavy price. The artillery fired at close range in an attempt to provide support to the cavalry. This was a difficult task.
At the same time, the infantry of the 1st Brigade began to approach the enemy soldiers in front of them. They suppressed the urge to shoot first and did not fire until they were 80 meters away. By this time, many of them had already fallen to the Assyrian guns.
Under the mouth.
Amidst a burst of intense gunfire, the Assyrians fell in pieces. The infantry of the 1st Brigade stopped briefly, and the 2nd and 3rd Brigades each pressed forward and opened fire gradually.
At this time, the cavalry regiment finally got rid of the entanglement of the blood warriors and withdrew, but less than half of them survived.
Hermann had no time to pay attention to the casualties of the cavalry and looked anxiously at the battle situation of the infantry. No matter how confident he was in front of officers and soldiers, on the battlefield, like any commander, he always concentrated on any disturbance on the battlefield.
They will make him stand ready.
The Assyrians were not passively beaten, they organized a massive counterattack. A group of about 2,000 Assyrian soldiers came over like a torrent.
They held their bayonets and shouted and charged forward. After firing the lead bullets in the barrels, the soldiers of the 1st Brigade had to put on their bayonets and engage the enemy hand to hand.
Upon seeing this, Hermann immediately ordered the 2nd and 3rd brigades to detach a regiment each and quickly outflank them, trying to cut off the oncoming enemy troops to prevent most of the enemy troops from pressing forward.
Compared with the opponent's Blood Warriors, the 21st Division will definitely pay a heavy price.
Within half an hour, the 1st Brigade lost 500 men and had to retreat temporarily, but they also succeeded in retaining all their opponents.
At this time, the defenders in the city of Gondea began to break through.
In order to speed up the passage, General Schmidt ordered a section of the city wall to be blown up. There were still many cavalry in the city. Although Jean had personally ordered the slaughter of the horses to save money, two regiments of cuirassiers were still retained.
Schmidt ordered the cuirassiers to lead the way. Under the cover of the city's cannon, they rushed into the Assyrian position, and most of the infantry followed.
Rather than saying it is a breakout, it is better to say that this is a big battle.
At 10 o'clock in the morning, Schmidt's troops successfully joined forces with Hermann's troops. At this time, the Assyrians had retreated south, and the crown prince arrived at the headquarters of the 21st Division under the escort of the Guards Regiment.
The arrival of the Crown Prince boosted the morale of the 21st Division.
They raised their rifles and shouted slogans "Long live the crown prince" to welcome his arrival.
Hermann didn't like this slogan. He was the uncle of the second prince Philip. But he had to admit that the crown prince went to the battlefield in person and defended the isolated city for four months, which made the Assyrians afraid to go south with all their strength, resulting in
Falling into the dilemma of dividing troops is not something ordinary people can do.
"Thank you, Nicholas!" Jean said, "In fact, half an hour ago, I didn't know that your troops were fighting bravely."
"Nice to meet you, Your Highness!" Herman said, "I have to apologize to you and ask for your forgiveness."
"What's going on?" Jean frowned. He saw Lieutenant Franco Frank standing among the welcoming officers. The lieutenant stepped forward and explained to him in a low voice the whole story of Hermann's false message.
Jean was not an unreasonable person. He said to the senior officers: "As the commander-in-chief of the Northern Front, I now officially appoint Lord Nicholas Hermann as the commander of the 17th Army. He is also the commander of the Northern Front."
Deputy Commander-in-Chief, after me and General Schmidt, he is now a general."
Jean's additional appointment made Herman very happy. In fact, it not only recognized Herman's fait accompli behavior, but also praised him.
Although his surname determines that his official career is much faster than that of ordinary people, the 46-year-old general is not easy to obtain. The award on the battlefield is the highest praise for him.
Jean met with senior officers from this battle, and he was extremely impressed by the 21st Division, especially the 1st Brigade.
"I heard from Franco that Count Sean Connery was once your subordinate?" Gene asked Colonel Horns.
"Yes, Your Highness. Do you also know Sean?" Horns said.
"Of course I know him. This person is actually very suitable for joining the army. You are all outstanding soldiers!" Jean said.
"It's a pity that this is not his ambition." Horns said, "But if Sean were here, he would definitely stand with us."
"I believe this. Although this man is very cunning, he will definitely complete the task assigned to him very well. Maybe my door panel will not be removed," Gene said with a smile.
Jean's evaluation surprised Herman. Everyone who knew the count spoke highly of him.
As for the crown prince’s door panel, what the hell is that?