CHAPTER 537: CHAPTER 529: LIGHT CAVALRY CHARGE

"Let me lead my men down the mountain to pursue them! Commander Largren, I can assure you, my troops will wipe them all out!"

Standing on Kurgan Mountain, George Brown’s thoughts stirred again as he gazed at the large group of fleeing Russian Imperial soldiers in the distance.

Though his First Division was already quite exhausted after prolonged combat, the morale and fatigue levels of the Russian soldiers hastily fleeing Kurgan Mountain were clearly more severe than those of the First Division.

George Brown firmly believed that his troops only needed to launch a surprise attack on those retreating Russian forces, and they would frighten the Russians so much that they wouldn’t dare to face them. An army without command was like pigs awaiting slaughter... no, even worse than a group of pigs.

Humans, who pride themselves on being higher beings, are restrained by reason and will decisively choose to surrender when they know they’re outmatched, whereas a bunch of pigs, without rational restraint, would still struggle against the butcher’s knife.

Faced with George Brown’s determined request for battle, Commander Largren shook his head and said coldly, "We no longer need your intervention!"

"But!" George Brown said, somewhat unwillingly.

"Look over there!" Commander Largren pointed elsewhere, where a large cloud of gray-brown dust billowed in the distance.

"What is that?" George Brown squinted and reached for his adjutant, who handed over the binoculars wisely.

Through the binoculars, Sir George Brown saw the "hidden" azure tide within the dust and shouted loudly, "That’s... our cavalry!"

Indeed, the creators of the dust were none other than the British Kingdom’s Light Cavalry Brigade.

This cavalry team, previously defeated at the Bulqanak River, would wash away their disgrace in the coming battle.

The Light Cavalry Brigade was commanded by the Duke of Cardigan, James Thomas Brudenell, who, born into a traditional English aristocratic family, had his path to join the military set by his noble father from the beginning.

To help the Duke of Cardigan adapt to military life early, his father, the old Duke of Cardigan, sent him to a church-established academy to study at a young age.

Under the constraints of the Church Academy’s priestly teachers, the Duke of Cardigan did not become a libertine like the new generation of English nobility; his years in Puritan life instilled in him a spirit of hardship and endurance. After graduating from the Church Academy, on his teachers’ recommendations, the Duke of Cardigan entered Oxford University’s Christ Church College for further education. After graduating from Christ Church College, he never lost his original intention and unhesitatingly chose to join the British Army. With family help, he purchased a position in the Cavalry Corps.

The Duke of Cardigan, having long cultivated in the cavalry, regarded the honor of the cavalry as more important than his life. Upon hearing that his Light Cavalry Brigade had faced a loss at the Bulqanak River, he resolved to personally remove the blemish on his cavalry team. Before the Battle of Alma commenced, the Duke of Cardigan had requested Commander Largren to let his cavalry charge at the forefront, clearing obstacles for the following troops.

At that time, Commander Largren decisively rejected the Duke of Cardigan’s proposal. For Commander Largren, a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, the role of cavalry was limited to scouting enemy movements and pursuing scattered enemy troops.

Using cavalry as infantry was considered irresponsible, so even as he refused the Duke’s request to lead a cavalry charge, Largren agreed to assign the task of pursuing the fleeing troops to the cavalry.

Upon receiving the task, the Duke of Cardigan immediately assured Commander Largren that he would not let a single fleeing Russian soldier escape.

Once the war began, following Commander Largren’s instructions, the Duke led his cavalry northwest for about 4 kilometers along the Alma River, finding a still-intact bridge. Over 2,000 cavalrymen, now reduced to two regiments from the original three, spent over an hour crossing the bridge.

After everyone was across, the Duke of Cardigan, adhering to Largren’s instructions, circled around to reach near Kach River, located south of the Alma River. He was to move southwest along the Kach River to intercept any Russian soldiers who might flee there.

Soon, the first group of Russian deserters appeared before the Light Cavalry Brigade, and the Duke of Cardigan immediately led his cavalry to surround them.

This group of fewer than a hundred deserters quickly surrendered to the Duke of Cardigan, who then inquired about their unit designation and whether they were from the forces fleeing Kurgan Mountain.

The deserters told the Duke of Cardigan that they belonged to the infantry of the Moscow Corps and had ended up in such dire straits due to a surprise attack by the French Army.

"Where are you planning to go?" The Duke of Cardigan asked as he placed the long sword in his hand on the neck of a Russian deserter who appeared to be an officer.

"We were originally planning to retreat to the Sevastopol Fortress, but unexpectedly, the higher-ups ordered us to hold the Sevastopol Path to guide the main forces away!" The deserter replied to the Earl of Cardigan in an orderly manner: "Originally, we had escaped successfully, but we had to follow our officers to guard the Sevastopol Path..."

At this point, the deserter’s voice began to tremble: "But before we were ready, those French soldiers who shattered us at Telegraph Hill chased after us like mad dogs! Relying on their powerful weapons, they once again easily crushed our regrouped forces. The scattered troops started fleeing in all directions, trying to escape the battlefield. My subordinates and I found a direction to break out! After finally breaking through, we were preparing to head to the aid station by the Kach River for treatment, only to run into you!"

The Earl of Cardigan listened intently to the deserter’s information. From the deserter’s scattered intel, he gradually deduced the possible locations of the Russian Imperial Army. After a while, the Duke of Cardigan moved his sword away from the deserter’s neck and said, "Sir, I hereby formally notify you! You and your subordinates are now prisoners of Britain! I hope you will give up resistance!"

"Officer, do we look like we want to resist?" The Russian Imperial deserter replied to the Duke of Cardigan with a bitter smile.

Subsequently, the Duke of Cardigan specifically assigned 200 of his 2,000 soldiers to guard these Russian deserters. He then mobilized a regiment of cavalry to head to the aid station by the Kach River based on the deserter’s location. If possible, they could seize the aid station in advance and await the arrival of subsequent forces.

Finally, the Duke of Cardigan led his remaining troops toward the Sevastopol Path near Kurgan Mountain. According to the deserter’s information, the main Russian Imperial forces were likely to appear there. He had to reach there quickly to not miss the opportunity to hunt the Russian Empire.

When the Duke of Cardigan led his over a thousand cavalry rapidly to a high ground less than 2 kilometers from the Sevastopol Path (less than 3 kilometers from Kurgan Mountain), he, on horseback, used a telescope to see the fleeing Russian Imperial Army in the distance.

Despite the fact that this force in the telescope was more than ten times his own in number, the Earl of Cardigan did not feel afraid. Instead, he felt a strange excitement.

In the breeze filled with the fragrance of grass, wearing a splendid blue uniform with several shining medals on his chest, the Earl of Cardigan drew his long sword.

"Attack!"

With the Earl of Cardigan’s order, all of his over a thousand cavalry drew their long swords hanging from their waists. Immediately, under the urge of their masters, their warhorses galloped. The previously slowly moving air suddenly accelerated, and the gentle breeze became turbulent with the cavalry’s gradual acceleration. The pounding of over 6,000 hooves on the ground caused the earth to tremble slightly.

Gradually, the cavalry’s speed increased more and more. The dust kicked up by the hooves created a phenomenon similar to smoke behind the cavalry.

This was the scene seen by the commander of the First Division on Kurgan Mountain. Without the help of a telescope, they couldn’t even capture the cavalry’s silhouette.

Under the gaze of Commander Largren and others, the Light Cavalry Brigade pierced into the chest of the retreating "Russian Giant" like a sharp knife.

The Russian Army, whose morale was already low, was caught off guard by the sudden attack from the British Light Cavalry. In panic, the Russian soldiers began to scatter in all directions.

"Quick! Defense! Defense!" The officers in the army were desperately trying to maintain the stability of the entire army, but in such an environment, few truly obeyed their orders.

Several commanders trying to organize a local defense were killed by their own soldiers attempting to escape. In just a few minutes, nearly 500 Russian Imperial soldiers died, the vast majority not killed by the British Light Cavalry, but due to trampling among the Russian soldiers themselves.

After repeated charges, the ten-thousand-strong deserter force was forcibly split into two sections by the Light Cavalry, with the artillery at the rear becoming the focus of the British Light Cavalry.

The panicked artillerymen, having forgotten to resist, abandoned their cannons and desperately tried to escape the battlefield.

Unfortunately, the Duke of Cardigan had no intention of sparing these valuable troop types. One by one, the artillerymen were cut down by the cavalry.

This situation continued for nearly 10 minutes when a 500-strong Russian cavalry unit appeared, which was the Kiev Cuirassiers Corps.

After battling the Kiev Cuirassiers for several rounds, the Duke of Cardigan led his cavalry unit, causing the Kiev Cuirassiers to leave the battlefield after losing over 50 men.

The Russian Imperial deserters also fled the battlefield in several groups, and the Duke of Cardigan had to divide his cavalry into five squads to pursue in different directions. He then led the remaining troops back to Kurgan Mountain.