Chapter 396
(Kyle Calendar Year 515: Age 22)
Southern Front ⑫ – Beneath the
Banner...
Translator : PolterGlast
Until capturing the signal fire tower and informing Big Bridge of his survival, the Third Prince's actions were also going
smoothly. Originally, the personnel deployed to the signal fire towers and
various supply bases had fulfilled their roles and retreated to Big Bridge along with the retreat of
the Eastern Army. The pursuing Turncoat
Kingdom army also hastily pursued the Empire
Army's Eastern Army, so they merely requisitioned the bases along the way,
neither destroying nor defending them, just leaving behind a few lookouts and
liaison personnel. Those who were deployed in such a way also hurriedly joined
up and retreated together when the main force retreated from Big Bridge. Because of that, this
signal fire tower had also become an unmanned base, and the Third Prince and his men merely
requisitioned it without receiving any hindrance.
There was a reason the Third
Prince set his eyes on this signal fire tower cum supply base called Gaitei.
The signal fire tower here was established on a slightly elevated mountain
standing alone beside the intersection of the main highway stretching
north-south and the main highway stretching east-west, and because of this, the
line of sight distance was extremely long. The Third Prince also held a faint hope that it might reach Big Bridge 40 km
away, but in reality, at that distance, even the black smoke raised by the
signal fire tower could not be visually confirmed. But even turning a blind eye
to that, the other reason he was particular about it was the supply base
concealed halfway up the mountain. Because Gaitei, located at a
strategic point on the highway, also had a role as a supply point in
preparation for emergencies.
And through several coincidences, his wish was granted.
「Your Highness, not only can we
receive supplies, but it seems some of the signal fire towers dotted along the
way are relaying our signal! With this, Your Highness's safety will surely be
transmitted to His Excellency the Chief of the General Staff.」
The scout who came to report announced so breathlessly.
A circumstance unknown to them, the reason these signal fire
towers could relay it was because the encirclement network had collapsed due to
Takuhir and the others' attack, and scouts had been dispatched to the
surroundings. As a result of a portion of them being deployed even to the
signal fire towers in various places established on the east side to transmit
information, it led to the signal fires being relayed one after another.
「That is right. But right now, we do
not understand the situation at Big Bridge
at all. Even though the Turncoat Kingdom
army retreated, we cannot let our guard down. Fortunately, the surrounding
enemy situation can be seen well from the summit of this mountain, so do not
neglect vigilance.」
Although the Third
Prince's army took a breather after obtaining supplies, the days of
tranquility did not last so long. Because the very next day, an anomaly was
reported by the lookout. Receiving that report, the Third Prince immediately climbed the watchtower of the signal fire
tower at the summit together with his close aides.
「Your Highness! A military force
heading this way has been confirmed. We cannot tell their affiliation at this
distance, but please withdraw immediately in preparation for an emergency!」
「Tch, whose army is coming out all
the way to this direction? Did I end
up luring the enemy army with the signal fire...」
「We do not know the details, but the
enemy army's numbers are approximately 10,000;
it seems they are mainly cavalry and their movement speed is also fairly fast. We
believe you should withdraw to the rear (east) immediately!」
「Even if you say withdraw, to where?
I do not know the information on the overall war situation, but if we advance
west it's Big Bridge, however the Sura Principality army's besieging
units are probably deployed along the way. The same goes for the north. I am aware of my own ruined state. No matter how much of a
fool he is, he must surely be ecstatic and capturing Ende right about now.」
South was of course out of the question. Because they had
originally retreated from the south, and the military force that seemed to be
the enemy army right now was also coming from the south.
「To the east... if we return the way
we came and can join up with the allied forces we left behind as escorts...」
「Do not say stupid things! Even if we
joined up, there is no way we, who are carrying thousands of injured soldiers,
could put up a proper fight. And what makes the situation even more villainous
is that if we withdraw, there is a possibility they will pass through here and
capture the detached force we left behind in the northeast direction.」
Saying so, the Third
Prince made a decision. His pride did not allow him to pointlessly lose
subordinates any further, nor to rout in defeat again.
「First, grandly raise a signal fire
informing of an enemy attack! Leave all flags at the summit and descend the
mountain with the entire army. Ambush the cavalry behind Mount Gaitei,
lure the enemy army to the summit and strike them once, and thereafter head
west with all our might!」
「Then Your Highness yourself will act
as a decoy...」
「Up until now, I have continuously...
lived long lives with my friends acting as decoys. I can no longer endure just
that. There are still several units of time before the enemy arrives here. Until
then, have the soldiers take a meal and rest, and thereafter descend the
mountain and prepare for interception!」
Receiving that lord's resolve, his subordinates also made a
tragic resolution, exchanging glances and nodding to each other.
『We must let His Highness escape
safely no matter what, even if we are annihilated. Otherwise, we cannot face
those who died protecting His Highness earlier. We must absolutely deliver the
banner.』
Even without the soldiers uttering words, what they were
thinking was all the same.
※
The ones aiming for Gaitei at this time was a cavalry
unit of 10,000 cavalry selected from the Sura Principality army's main force. They could never forgive the Turncoat Kingdom army that had
annihilated 5,000 of their own army with a cowardly betrayal. Because of
that, they returned over 40,000 troops to
the siege of Big Bridge, formed a
pursuit unit of 10,000 cavalry, and sent them heading from
south to east to pursue the routing Turncoat
Kingdom army.
On the way there, the pursuit army's reconnaissance unit
discovered a suspicious signal fire rising into the sky continuing from east to
west. Therefore, they hastened their horses' pace and advanced along the
highway aiming for the starting point of the signal fire, the direction of the
smoke that was rising the furthest east.
「Ahead, a new signal fire is rising
grandly at the summit!」
「Hahaha, we've caught up! The
shameless bastards are probably beyond that mountain. They are probably
informing their allies of the emergency, but it's already too late. Because we
have assembled cavalry boasting of their legs. The entire army, hasten your
horses' pace and commence pursuit! The prey is right before our eyes!」
They did not think it was a signal fire raised by the Empire Army, much less the Third
Prince. In their minds, the Third
Prince had already been struck down, and in the southern frontier region,
the mopping up of the defeated soldiers who had scattered and fled was also
progressing. Because they thought that with the remaining Empire Army
suppressed by the Eral Knight Kingdom
to the northwest and the First Prince
to the north (Ende), there was no
longer any place to escape, and there was no one anywhere other than those
holed up in Big Bridge.
However, upon approaching the foot of the mountain with the
signal fire tower, the scout they had sent ahead brought up an unexpected
report.
「Reporting! The ones holed up at the
summit are the Empire Army! Upon confirming the military
banner, it seems they are the Third
Prince's defeated soldiers! From the number of battle flags, it seems a
military force of several thousand is holed up!」
「What did you say! Does that mean
those bastards routed and fled all the way here? To have lost their place to go
and sought rescue from a fort on the verge of falling, it is a pitiful thing.
If so, surround the mountain! To hole up at a summit without a water supply,
what foolish bastards.」
The general who led the pursuit army issued a new order, and
began to move to capture Mount Gaitei, which stood isolated and sheer on
the plains. Even at that time, thick smoke continued to rise from the summit,
as if raising screams upon being surrounded by the enemy army.
※
The Third Prince,
who had his army lying in ambush in the woods spreading at the foot of the
mountain, was measuring the opportunity while peeking at the state of the Sura Principality army's cavalry with
bated breath. Another three days, no, two days is fine. Even if we cannot win, if we hold them back, our allies can reach the border between the new territory and
the former Empire territory. If they can attract the
enemy that far...
「The enemy army seems to have clung
to the summit! Flames have risen!」
Receiving that report, the Third Prince sprang into action. Dashing out all at once from the
shade of the woods, they struck a blow from the rear of the enemy army forming
a half-encirclement, and upon driving the enemy army—surprised by the
appearance of an ambush—towards the summit side, they reversed course and, as
if mocking them, systematically dashed out in the direction of the sun starting
to lean towards the west.
「Hahaha, it's too dazzling to see
ahead with this. For cavalry, this is the worst direction.」
Saying it was the worst, the Third Prince was laughing. In the direction they are dashing out
right now, a flat grassland zone and shrubs spread out, and there is nothing at
all to block the sunlight. Ahead, the setting evening sun illuminates the
earth, and even they themselves, who are accustomed to this land, lose their
sense of direction and are about to fall off their horses with their vision
deprived by the sunlight.
But... even in the previous battles over the current new
territory, they had always fought facing the sun. On the other hand, the Sura Principality army, although it was
their familiar former territory, was in a completely different situation.
Located to the southwest of the Empire
territory, they had always fought with the sun at their backs. Because they had
never once experienced fighting heading west in the evening until now.
「For us this is the usual, because we
were severely tormented by those bastards escaping like this. We will earn
distance by sunset, and after that, we will change course to the north under
the cover of darkness!」
Saying so, the Third
Prince looked back behind him. From the fleeing Empire
Army, if they looked back, the pursuing Sura
Principality army could be seen well, but from the enemy army, their own
figures were obscured by the dazzling light, making them extremely hard to see.
Like this, the distance between themselves and the enemy was gradually
expanding. But... the Third Prince
was also caught off guard by this advantageous posture.
「E-Enemy army from ahead! A-A large
army! At this rate we will be subjected to a pincer attack!」
Because it was a grassland zone, the dust kicked up by horse
hooves was scarce. Because of that, he himself had also failed to notice the
large army approaching from ahead due to the westering sun.
「Guh, did I misjudge... at this
rate...」
If they change course left or right to avoid the pincer
attack, this time they will lose their advantage against the enemy army
pursuing from behind. If they turn around and shift to attacking the pursuit
army, their backs will be assaulted by the new enemy. First of all, apart from
one or two cavalrymen, turning around to attack while an army of as many as 5,000 cavalry is being pursued is not something that can be done
so easily.
「It cannot be helped... Have the
entire army form a wedge formation and break through the center of the enemy on the west side!
May even one more cavalry slip through ahead!」
Simultaneously with those words, his subordinates began to
gather all at once as if blocking the Third
Prince's path. As if they were staking their lives to charge through and
open a hole in the enemy army...
「You guys! What are you selfishly...」
It was when he shouted so. From the enemy army ahead, the
sound of gongs used by the Empire Army,
which shouldn't have been heard for some reason, echoed out. And, when the line
of men and horses suddenly opened in front of them who had taken an assault
posture, the military force parted to the left and right.
「Wha... what does this mean? Who on
earth is this army?」
While driven by doubts, the Third Prince ran through the opened gap.
※
The ones the Third
Prince misunderstood as the enemy army were the Demon Territory Knights Order led by Takuhir, who had
hastily rushed over after seeing the signal fire announcing an enemy attack,
and the accompanying Empire Army
cavalry unit.
「Phew, that was close. The day we get
charged at by the allies we are trying to save, we wouldn't be able to stomach
it either, you know.」
「Indeed. It saved us that the Empire Army brought along gongs that can be used on horseback. It
seems Shannon also executed her job
flawlessly.」
「Right, then let's execute our job
flawlessly as well. Commander! I leave the rest to you.」
「Understood. From here on, each
cavalryman stop your horse and transition to an interception posture! Ring the
bell for simultaneous volley preparations!」
Along with those words, equal to the gongs from earlier, the
sound of rapidly struck bells echoed loudly into the surroundings, and the
cavalry unit stopped facing the approaching pursuit army, transitioned to an
interception posture, and began to ready their Estol Bows. Then, right before
the eyes of the approaching Sura
Principality army's cavalry unit, the bell rings changed to three strikes.
「What's that? Suspicious!」
「Guh, this blinding west-glare
completely obstructs my vision and I can't see ahead well. Let us stop...」
「They've stopped and are waiting...」
While such conversations were exchanged among the pursuing
soldiers, ten thousand arrows fired with fierce momentum cleaved through the
wind and assaulted the approaching Sura
Principality army.
「E-Enemy's...」 「Gwah!」 「Aah!」
The cavalrymen in the front row collapsed after being
showered with arrows all at once, and the successors were dragged in one after
another. Furthermore, a hundred of the assaulting arrows were long spears fired
by the Special Fire Corps, and the
men and horses showered in them somersaulted and collapsed.
「E-Enemy, you say?」 「It's an ambush!」 「R-R-Retreat!」
Even saying so, everyone was protruding forward in a pursuit
battle, and simply stopping was not possible. Much less, the field of vision to
the west was blocked by the sunlight, and it was a situation where they didn't
even know what was happening. In addition to that, they, who had thought they
were the hunting side until now, had unconsciously become the side being
unilaterally hunted. Out of sheer astonishment, the Sura Principality's cavalry unit suffered a total collapse and
began to flee.
「Entire army, annihilate them,
charge!」
Weiss's command
echoed out in order to deal a follow-up blow to them. The 2,000 cavalry Sieghart had dispatched also sprang
courageously and followed suit. It is said the Third Prince, who finally understood they were allied forces,
simply gazed at it in a daze.
Thus, the 10,000 cavalry
the Sura Principality dispatched for
a war of revenge had more than half struck down, produced even more injured,
scattered, and routed to the south. As a result of this battle, the banner
finally returned to those who believed in that flag. Through the assistance of
those called sworn allies. But, a new challenge had also been born. Because at Big Bridge Fort, the 40,000 Sura Principality army that had already turned back had arrived, and surrounded
the perimeter as if leaving not a single gap...
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