Chapter 377
(Kyle Calendar Year 515: Age 22)
Northern Front ⑭ –Change in
Tactics
Translator : PolterGlast
Driven forward by the intense strategic calculations and
speculations of the individual commanding officers steering the invading
coalition and the defending public forces, the physical formation and
disposition of the factions arrayed to confront each other across the
battlefield had undergone a massive, sweeping alteration. Occupying the
absolute far left wing of the defending side, Grand Commander Schulz
spearheaded a formidable force of 5,000
elite cavalry from the Royal Knights. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder
beside his banners was the Third Division, numbering 4,500
active troops under the overarching branch command of Gale. Confronting
this defensive line was the main unit of the Istoria
Orthodox Theocracy, a terrifying, swarming sea of 20,000 fanatic combatants
which was double the defenders' size,
but within that structural configuration, Gale, who had uniquely
volunteered his personal brawn to deal with the civilian columns of the
'Apostles of God', had led a precise allocation of 1,000 heavy shield titans
out onto the highway.
Positioned across their immediate right rearguard—tucked
comfortably between the combined First Division and Second Division
under the masterful direction of Marquess Gorman—lay the central main unit steered directly by Alexis, anchoring the peerless
tactical muscle of the Special Fire Corps. Under this specific grid
layout, for Alexis, he adopted a posture where he maintained an
incredibly fluid, multi-angle readiness array, able to instantaneously head for
support in either of the two hazardous directions that could not be taken
lightly: the Istoria Orthodox Theocracy, which was overwhelmingly
superior in numbers, and the Ville Kingdom army, an enemy that could not
be taken lightly.
That being said, because the individual allied divisions
were fanned out across an expansive matrix of plain terrain, they were
separated from their respective allied forces by a wide margin of nearly 5 km. Under these spatial parameters, a slight structural time
lag regarding the transmission of real-time battlefield data was entirely
unavoidable. Therefore, in his central main camp, post horses and fast-riding
heralds conveying the shifting parameters of the war situation were constantly
coming in and out in a non-stop, frantic traffic.
And then…… a completely unanticipated, terrible news he
hadn't even anticipated was brought to him and violently breached his gates.
「 R-Reporting! An emergency from the
absolute front line, Commander-in-Chief! Commander Gale has…… been
killed in action! Our foreman-general has fallen on the fieldーーー!!! 」
The exhausted messenger who came to notify of the
devastating obituary entered the tent of the main camp as if tumbling violently
through the entrance, and shouted the news across the room in a sorrowful voice
thick with unvarnished, bleeding agony.
The exact split-second the words resonated through the tent,
Alexis twitched his shoulders sharply for an instant and fell into an
absolute, dead silence, then locked his dark eyes straight to glare at the
trembling messenger and asked in a tightly controlled, slightly shrill pitch.
「 Is that an unmistakable, verified
story? I find it impossible to imagine that a warrior of Lord Gale's
caliber could be so effortlessly defeated, much less losing his life to a common blade…… I am sorry to his memory, but I will ask
the details slowly later; right now, your paramount priority is to tell me the
active situation of the enemies (the people) and our allies. 」
Alexis himself
had absolutely no choice but to ruthlessly kill his
heart, compressing the immense weight of his personal grief deep within his
soul, and dared to force himself to speak with frozen composure. If the
catastrophic obituary proved to be an immutable truth…… his deepest human
impulses craved nothing more than to fly to the front lines right now, sprinting
like a madman. Stifling such bleeding feelings and prioritizing his duty as the
Supreme Commander above all else.
「 Yes! The common outcasts who had
temporarily turned into a lawless, swarming mob have also regained their calm
and had their intellects restored to sanity due to the words of the former Holy
Messengers of the Istoria Imperial Kingdom, and are executing an
organized, peaceful withdrawal to retreat from the active battlefield following
our instructions. Also, regarding the precise 1,000-man shield
unit that dealt with them at the bottleneck, Lord Lars is temporarily
holding operational command authority, and I have been formally entrusted with
requesting instructions for subsequent actions and a request to dispatch a
formal permanent commander. 」
「 Tell me: are the ones obeying our
instructions only the common refugees of the Istoria populace? What
about the corrupt provocateurs who steered them and the church personnel? 」
「 They, who insisted on relentlessly
commanding a full-scale frontal assault and resisting to the end, were
violently attacked and cut down from within their own ranks by a portion of the
people (Reim) who defected ahead of time and initiated a domestic
uprising, withdrawing from the battlefield. The vast, overwhelming majority
were captured and pinned down, but a small remnant of several hundred broke
away and scattered to escape. Also, it seems a detachment of about 100 people
went in pursuit of them down the trails, but their subsequent tactical
movements are unknown to our scouts. 」
「 Then, to speak from a structural
view: the active combat across that sector has drawn to a definitive close and
the situation has stabilized? 」
Yes, within the rigid, unyielding matrix of Alexis's
executive duties as the Commander-in-Chief, this was the single, paramount
confirmation matter that he had to prioritize most before any other option
could be explored. If the tactical situation of the Left Wing was
disadvantageous and had collapsed into a vulnerability, he must immediately
dispatch reinforcements from his central reserves or order them to execute a
strategic retreat to preserve his strength.
「 Yes, Commander-in-Chief. The sector
is entirely secure, it is exactly as you deduce. 」
Hearing those definitive words, Alexis stood tall,
his features hardening into iron.
「 From here on, immediately send a
courier to deliver my absolute operational directives to the unit Commander Gail
led! I entrust the macro-command of the Third Division entirely to the
masterful hands of Lord Mars. For the time being, I entrust the
temporary command of the 1,000-man shield battalion entirely to Defense
Captain Lars, and therefore I hereby command the absolute execution of
the following points.
·
You shall flawlessly shepherd and
guide the returned common people out of the active war zone to a safe zone, and ultimately take charge of safely
escorting them to Kusanagi.
·
Return Lady Aura to the
central main unit, and have Lady Sior permanently accompany the
evacuation columns and strive for the psychological stability of the people's
minds.
·
Just in case to prepare against any
unlikely catastrophe, the vanguard escorts must pay sufficient, relentless
vigilance to Lady Sior's escort, and do not neglect dealing with any
hidden spies and lawless outlaws who dare trespass.
·
Lord Gail's sacred mortal
remains shall be immediately and temporarily transported back here to my
central headquarters, and we will arrange the logistics to send them to Termira anew. 」
Saying so and sending off the swift messengers to broadcast
his commands, he turned anew to face the initial messenger who reported the
obituary. That expression was washed out into one of profound, crushing sorrow
and filled with agonizing anguish.
「 What about Lord Gail's
beloved family? 」
「 His lady wife and his two young
daughters currently reside within the streets in Aegis…… 」
「 I see…… I am profoundly sorry to
force this burden upon you, but could you ride like the wind and run as a
special liaison messenger after this? Please coordinate the administrative
leverage to accommodate them so his family can smoothly come to Termira
immediately without a single delay. 」
「 Under…… stood, Sire. Your sovereign
command shall be discharged perfectly…… 」
Moved to the absolute brink of tears by the profound
benevolence and Alexis's deep consideration, the veteran messenger, who
had spent his entire youth laboring as Gail's subordinate, also bowed
his head and answered while his voice cracked, shedding tears.
And Alexis, reaching this exact juncture with the
structural parameters of the field locked down, finally asked the messenger the
precise sequence of details of how Gail met his demise. Merely closing
his eyes in silent, agonizing resignation and listening so as not to miss a
single syllable he spun out from his mouth……
『 I
see…… I was too careless, too profoundly naive…… If only I had
contract-dispensed and requested Lady Sior from the absolute beginning……
no, if only we had properly sat down with Gale to discuss means to calm
them down and pacify their hearts ahead of time…… Every single drop of this
tragedy…… is my absolute responsibility.
』
「 Send an immediate dispatch to the
commanding generals of every single unit upon this field, 」 Alexis whispered, his order issued softly as if he had to
physically squeeze it out from his raw throat. 「 Convey to their ears the tragic obituary of our fallen
hero, and detail how he boldly chose to offer his own body to act as an
unyielding shield to save the common people and averted a monumental crisis.
Furthermore, let it be known: those officers who passionately wish to bid a
final farewell and offer their parting words are officially permitted to
temporarily leave their camp and battle lines within a reasonable range to
gather and come to the central main camp…… Including the unit that Lord Mars has officially taken over the branch
command of the Third Division. 」
His soft, agonizing directive was executed with absolute,
instantaneous speed. While the individual units maintained a state of supreme,
strict, ironclad vigilance across the sectors, the premier main generals
anchoring the defensive grid gathered at the central main camp and saw Gail
off, silently swallowing the burning lumps and tears in their throats.
「 Good grief, Gail…… This is
remarkably, flawlessly characteristic of your stubborn soul, just like you. To
think you refused to lounge in safety and bore the exact same danger upon
yourself out of consideration for your comrades…… 」
「 Ever since the fated day Lord Takuhir
personally reached down into the dirt to pluck and discover us from obscurity……
for a magnificent man who was so vastly, exponentially younger than my old
bones…… this is far too early, my boy…… far too early…… 」
「 You are a truly peerless, splendid,
magnificent man. You safeguarded and protected the Archduke's sacred honor……
boldly risking your own life and throwing your very vessel into the
meat-grinder. The legend of the non-lethal Shield of Gaia will surely be
proudly transmitted and passed down for a long time across the generations of
the future along with your name eternalized beside it. 」
Marquis Solis, the noble master whom he had
faithfully served for many years; Mars, the master mage who had marched
shoulder-to-shoulder and served in the military together from the early days as
a fellow Mage; and Marquis Gorman, the high peer who had ridden and
lined up their horse bits as fellow generals—each of them spoke with a bitter,
profoundly sorrowful expression to their silent, unresponding comrade who would
no longer answer. The other remaining commanders locked their lips, conveying
their words of final farewell through the quiet prayers of their hearts and
merely saw his vessel off in solemn silence.
And then…… starting with Baronet Glenn, the prominent generals and
officers originally hailing from the ancestral domains of the Istoria
Imperial Kingdom did something that left the tent in awe: they cast their
frames and lay prostrate on the earth, forcefully rubbed their foreheads
against it, and saw his mortal remains off in an endless torrent of
uncontrollable tears, towards the saintly hero who acted as an unyielding
shield to protect their compatriots to the absolute end and did not let a
single innocent person lose their life.
※
Around this exact same moment, an obituary and terrible news
of an entirely separate, sickening nature in a different sense was also brought
straight into the headquarters of a completely different camp. The fate of not
only Reim and his infiltration cell, but also those corrupt agents who
had absorbed and solely received the unbridled, toxic hatred of the common
people they had led until now, was an absolute, tragic waking nightmare.
Because the primary stone bridge on the route they should have retreated on had
been violently dropped and collapsed by Gail's pre-configured tactical
instructions, they were entirely unable to execute a unified retreat, and
scattered like rats, frantically escaping the battlefield individually. In that
chaotic process, the shattered group dispersed into isolated stragglers, and
only a microscopic remnant of a little under 100 people managed to successfully
reach and scramble back to the encampment where the regular forces of the Istoria
Orthodox Theocracy were stationed.
「 What did you just say?! Tell me my
ears misheard you! What is the meaning of the 'Apostles of God' (refugees)
being completely, utterly annihilated?! Explain this catastrophe! 」
Receiving the report the exact second it left the
straggler's lips, Lugner was infuriated, violently erupting into a
towering, unhinged rage. Originally, within the cold, calculated matrix of his
macro-strategy, the fanatical 'Apostles of God' civilian columns were a highly
efficient, disposable tool necessary to plunge the enemy army's center into
absolute, suffocating chaos before his primary unit
went on the offensive. Because that very tool had boldly disobeyed the
executive intentions and directives of their masters and defected, turning its
teeth inward, his pure, unadulterated anger was immense.
「 Tch! To completely pull the rug out
from under and ruin our grand strategy, those wretched, spineless apostates
ignoring and defying the sacred will of God! 」
Saying so, he kicked the earth largely and violently with
one foot, venom dripping from his voice. Now that the prior pre-configured
operational blueprint had collapsed into cinders, how on earth to deal with a
defending enemy military that had experienced numerous brutal battles and was
widely considered to be peerlessly elite, became a terrifyingly severe,
headache-inducing problem walloping his command structure this time. In the
first place, to speak with absolute candor, even though their regular unit technically boasts an army of 20,000 active troops, the raw
structural percentage of genuine, veteran legionnaires who were originally
soldiers is catastrophically low, and nearly half of his active numbers consist
entirely of nothing more than common civilian greenhorns of relatively decent
backgrounds hastily and temporarily drafted. They were fundamentally distinct,
unlike the nearly 1,000 hardened, professional soldiers attached and
contract-dispensed to handle the 'Apostles of God'…… Therefore, he clearly knew
with certainty that if they foolishly clashed head-on with the elite titans of
the enemy forces' defense grid, they wouldn't be able to achieve even
a fraction of the performance or work according to their bloated numbers. Much
less, the primary long-range offensive technique they prided themselves on—the master longbowmen
indispensable for it—are catastrophically few in raw numbers, and aggressively
counting and including the hastily trained ones, their total archery assets are
barely around a meager force of 2,000 men.
「 Lugner, how do you intend to dynamicize our next play and what
will you do next? Surely you aren't going to claim that the legendary fountain
of your tactical wisdom has completely run dry, does it? Do we not still have a
fair chance of winning? 」
『 Tch!
What a remarkably carefree, smooth-brained piece of garbage you are. Tell me,
you arrogant bastard—what contribution is it that you have done across this
entire campaign up to now! 』 He thought the toxic thoughts
inwardly, but Lugner intentionally and forcefully swallowed the click of
his tongue and his words, keeping his features locked, and merely glared his
dark, icy eyes straight back at Azel in stoic silence.
「 The assets we have lost cannot be
retrieved and will not return from the dirt. But now, instead of wasting
precious mental energy lamenting over spilled milk, shouldn't we aggressively
weaponize and utilize the brand-new treasure and assets we have successfully
obtained? 」
『 Oh?
Tell me my ears aren't playing tricks on me. Are you saying that the silent,
mindless lapdog guy who has just silently followed along politely up to now
also actually possesses a hidden tactical plan inside his chest? If so, would it be amusing to permit him to showcase his
hand and let him try? 』 Re-calculating his options, he reconsidered that it might
be highly acceptable and fine to temporarily hand the strategic initiative to Azel,
even if temporarily.
「 Azel, if your chest truly harbors and you say you have a
definitive, campaign-shattering plan, I would very much like to gracefully
implore you to teach me its wisdom. 」
「 First of all, prior to the opening
of this war, I took the liberty of embedding and mingling some specialized,
exceptionally sharp-eyed deep-cover operatives among the ranks of the common
refugees. Operating entirely separate from your professional handlers and
soldiers, that is. Trapped within their soft compassion to protect the
refugees, they (the Demon Territory Dukedom army) will inevitably and
eventually put the entire unit inside
the walls of their primary sanctuary enclosure (Kusanagi). The exact
fraction of a second those gates clear, my operatives shall find themselves
uniquely blessed, and they will likely have absolute, unrestricted
opportunities to work as elite spies and deep-cover assassins. Faced with an
internal cancer of that magnitude, if so, exactly how will that detestable brat
handle his precious refugees? 」
「 Oho…… 」
A word of genuine, appreciative astonishment involuntarily
escaped and slipped out of Lugner's lips, but beneath his outer
composure, a subtle, cold trace of political paranoia began to warp his mind,
and he also had some dark thoughts towards Azel, who had flawlessly
executed a complex, covert deployment and proceeded with arrangements silently
completely behind his back without telling him.
「 I extend my humblest apologies for
doing it selfishly entirely independent of your counsel. 」 Azel continued, smoothly brushing away the paranoia. 「 Your Excellency used to routinely
deliver that sacred piece of advice to my ears and say it all the time, right?
It's merely a countermeasure just in case, 'Always spin your webs and lay schemes in absolute secrecy, and execute your plots with such
perfect deception to deceive even your own closest allies.' 」
「 Hmph. That senile, useless old
dotard fossil…… 」
Azel's keen
ears did not miss Lugner's short, bitter murmur, which he inadvertently
muttered quietly. 『 You are nothing more than a
pathetic, illegitimate brat who lacked the baseline caliber and wasn't even
included among the royal line of successors, do not dare get cocky and carried
away before my presence. 』 Azel thought so inwardly with intense contempt, but washing
every trace of his inner malice and without showing any sign of it on his
features, he smoothly drove his point home and continued.
「 Furthermore, if we align our
parameters with the public covenants and pacts formed with those three Kingdoms, our vanguard has officially
and successfully struck the opening blow, initiated the re-invasion, and hunted
down and struck down one of the enemy's frontline generals. 」
It couldn't be helped if Azel's declaration was
called an incredibly forced piece of rhetorical distortion and sophistry, but
it was also an undeniable, absolute truth of the ledger. Though the exact
identity of who among the enemy high generals they had run through with a blade
and struck down and such remained completely shrouded in mystery to their
intelligence, they had also verified and confirmed the death beyond a shadow of
a doubt from the trembling lips of those stragglers who fled back.
「 Therefore…… the strategic burden to
bleed their own flesh and next is their turn. Fortunately, it is an immense
blessing that there is also a proper, true veteran general waiting on the absolute vanguard of their front
lines, and in the first place according to our intelligence, the narrow-minded
King of Ville doesn't seem to think
well of that old veteran's presence. Furthermore, the Cain Kingdom army was thoroughly, wretchedly
and unsightlily defeated, and the Lute Kingdom army hasn't raised or secured a single scrap of military
glory or achievements either. 」
「 Which implies that you mean to
definitively showcase our battlefield war results before their faces, and next
forcefully compel their individual militaries to launch a simultaneous,
full-scale macro-invasion with their entire army…… is that your play. However,
we must account for a critical variable: our own regular unit's march might be severely delayed more than expected,
meaning the temporal synchronization of our breaches might suffer a glaring
discrepancy and the timing might be off, you know? 」
「 Discrepancies in timing are a
routine, natural course and something that often happens on the battlefield, 」 Azel responded with absolute indifference. 「 Because in the first place, the physical spatial distance
separating our encampment is over 10 km away from
the armies of the three Kingdoms.
Under those parameters, a flawless coordination of movements won't go so well,
and minor tactical blunders and mistakes will crack open. Even though they have
severely thinned out and reduced their numbers due to defeat across the opening
skirmishes, their combined manpower probably still comfortably boasts a
terrifying force of 26,000 active troops even now. If they are confronted by
and receive that full-scale, relentless macro-offensive and invasion, a
massive, fatal gap should inevitably fracture wide-open in the enemy army's defense grid as well. 」
Saying this, Azel let out a cold, chillingly intense
laugh.
「 ……Excellent. It seems your
calculated blueprint and plan stands as the absolute best possible move and hand
remaining upon our board. Shall we try riding along your matrix and on it. 」
With their internal agreement finalized and formed among
them, a string of swift emissaries and messengers bounded out of the camp,
sprinting and running to the headquarters camps of the three Kingdoms. The official diplomatic
dispatch declared, saying……
「 『 Our
elite advance vanguard detachment has successfully initiated the breach,
violently struck the enemy army's defense lines, and hunted down and struck
down one of their frontline enemy generals.
Leveraging this absolute momentum and taking advantage of this, our main unit officially transitions into a full-scale, relentless
macro-offensive expecting tomorrow morning, and we hold immense, vaulting
expectations and expect much from the magnificent glory and active
participation your prestigious militaries shall secure upon the field! 』 」
Confronted by this monumental testament of victory, the
three kings—who just hours prior had completely changed their nerve from the
beginning and become cowardly, hesitant, and reluctant—also firmly resolved and
decided to coordinate their lines to execute a synchronized, full-scale frontal
offensive and go on a full-scale offensive.
Standing directly before the jaws of this incoming cataclysm
and facing them from the absolute front are the 10,000 elite troops led by
Marquess Gorman and the 12,000 warriors of the unified Dlements-Kamin
Allied Army. In terms of raw numbers, the invading coalition army
was still at an overwhelming, crushing advantage. In terms of numbers, at
least……
Thus, erecting the absolute fulfillment of their individual,
dark ambitions across the matrix of the upcoming slaughter, the two
conspirators dynamically began moving to execute their operations and roles
carrying the speculations of each country.
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