Halve the Range

"It's over!" Acton's heart lurched.

He knew that a rout was like a plague. Once it began, it would spread rapidly and lead to the collapse of the entire line!

In an instant, the dazed look in Acton's eyes, which had been clouded by shock and fury, suddenly sharpened. A vicious, savage light like that of a hungry wolf erupted from them!

He charged at the fleeing soldier, and the broad-backed machete in his hand came crashing down with a whistle.

Thud! The deserter was knocked flat by the heavy blow from the back of the blade, blood spraying from his mouth and nose.

"Those who flee in the face of the enemy—die!" Acton roared like a beast. He raised the machete again and swung it down without hesitation!

Crack! Blood spurted as a terrified head rolled across the ground!

Acton held up the dripping machete. His ferocious gaze swept across every frightened soldier around him like a cold blade, and he bellowed with all his strength:

"Look closely! This is what happens to deserters!" He pointed toward the vaguely visible formations of Carnford Army cavalry on both flanks. "Look over there! This is open ground! Do you think you can outrun four-legged warhorses? Once our formation breaks, their cavalry will cut every one of us down like sheep! Not a single one of us will survive!"

His voice pounded against the soldiers' fearful hearts like a sledgehammer before changing into an intensely inflammatory incitement:

"If you want to live, there's only one road! Follow me and charge through! Charge right up to them!" He waved his bloodstained machete toward the Carnford Army's position. "Think of the villages they burned! Think of the family members they killed! That Goldspur lord over there is scouring our lands and slaughtering everyone in