Time was short. Louis had to strengthen his fief's fighting power as much as possible over the next few days.
So he took his white-haired little secretary, Sif, to the training grounds to check on the soldiers' progress.
Sif's lips parted slightly as she watched the battle formations move in perfect unison.
This was her first time watching the soldiers of the Red Tide Fief practice their formations, and she was stunned.
The tactics used by the Red Tide Fief's soldiers were entirely different from the methods common in this world.
Most lords' tactics amounted to piling a disorderly mob into a wall of flesh, hoping sheer numbers would withstand a cavalry charge.
But the Knights usually tore through their formation and routed them in a single strike.
The Red Tide Fief was different. Its soldiers used the "layered formation" Louis had designed.
He divided the formation into three layers, coordinating ranged suppression, close-range interception, and a deadly counterattack.
The formation's first layer: archers.
The archers stood at the front, divided into three groups that fired in continuous rotation. Much like three-rank volley fire, this kept up an uninterrupted rain of arrows.
"Target the horses!" the drill instructor shouted on the training grounds.
The soldiers drew their bows, sending arrows flying like raindrops.
Thwack!-Thwack!-Thwack!
Arrows struck the targets in dense clusters. Most were off the mark, but sheer volume made up for it-with that many shots, some were bound to hit.
The simulated targets were not the Knights themselves. After all, attacks like these had little effect on Knights who possessed battle aura.
Their true targets were the horses beneath the Knights!
Apart from magical beast mounts, ordinary horses usually had no armor and could not use battle aura.
Accurate shots at their legs or bellies could disrupt the enemy