Battle of Saint-Jean

The Battle of Saint-Jean was a major battle of the Six Years' War, pitting a sizable Almeronian force under King Charles III against a Stahlheimian host under the command of Marshal Erwin Mueller. It was a bloody and convoluted battle, leading to a tactical Almeronian victory but a strategic Stahlheimian victory. King Charles was able to reinvigorate his men with a taste of the enemy's blood, though the number of men lost as well as the larger availability of men to the Empire meant it was far less costly for Stahlheim. Some 4,000 Stahlheimian soldiers died in all, compared to 3,500 Almeronian soldiers. It was the only major engagement of the war for several months until the Battle of Mentanon.

Background
The battle of Saint-Jean followed the Almeronian defeat at the Siege of Bellemont days prior. A force composed of professional men-at-arms and levies under the command of King Charles defended the village of Saint-Jean. After failing to claim a major victory during the war's course Charles understood that further defeats would take away the country's physical ability to wage war, regardless of the fighting spirit of his people. Similarly, Marshal Mueller understood that if he could win the battle decisively then the war would be all but won. The added knowledge that a reinforcement force was marching from the recently conquered Bellemont to assist him urged him to make even bolder decisions.

The two forces met on the farmlands in front of Saint-Jean.

Course of the Battle
The battle was characterized by the vicious hand-to-hand fighting in tall acres of corn fields, prohibiting situational awareness and essentially blinding any man who fought on foot. The battle inside the corn fields was largely a bloody melee, soldiers from both sides simply swinging until they died or were no longer capable of doing so. This back and forth continued during the entirety of the hours long battle, neither side gaining any real ground as the forces outside the fields maneuvered and attempted desperately to turn the tide one way or another.

Though for the first portion of the battle the Almeronian forces had the upper hand, the arrival of 4,000 Stahlheimian reinforcements from Bellemont threatened to reverse the tide entirely. The reinforcements arrived from behind Charles' front lines, assaulting his reserves and only being repulsed by expert use of his heavy cavalry as well as his personal presence to inspire his forces. The Almeronian center was in disarray and both flanks were under heavy pressure and slowly collapsing. Unwilling to accept defeat, Charles threw all of the reserves he had left into holding off the enemy reinforcements and rallied his heavy cavalry. He personally led the vanguard, pushing past his own lines and crashing into the rear of the Stahlheimian right flank before he could be overtaken. The enemy flank soon collapsed and Marshal Mueller began an organized withdrawal, allowing his marksmen to take out as many foes as possible as he did so.

Charles ordered his men not to pursue, not willing to risk more soldiers in a gamble. Each volley of crossbow fire was met with one in return, though at that point the battle was largely over. Charles stood the victor in large parts due to his talents as a general and the valiance of his cavalry, though he had arguably suffered far worse than the Marshal had.

Aftermath
The victory further galvanized the Almeronian people, convincing them they needed to defend their home to the last no matter the cost. It greatly hurt those very efforts, however, as the continued death of good soldiers and knights meant that Charles had to rely on levies to win his battles against professional armies. Marshal Mueller was forced to fall back and regroup, though his losses were far less harmful due to Stahlheim's vast industry and military complex. He soon prepared to meet the King in battle again, waging a campaign throughout the countryside to weaken the fighting spirit of Almeron.