Chapter 16
(Kyle Calendar
Year 502: Age 9)
Bloodstained
Earth ①: Departure
Translator : PolterGlast
【⚔Solis Barony History⚔ Omen of Destruction】
Kyle Calendar Year
502, Goth Margrave of the Griffonia Empire,
invades the Kyle
Kingdom, aiming for the harvest season.
Hastburg Margrave and
allied noble armies intercept at the border.
The Hiyorimi
Viscountcy army collapses significantly, and the right flank's battle line
breaks down.
The Solis Barony army
on the far right becomes isolated, suffering forty percent casualties but fighting
fiercely,
supporting the right
flank and preventing the battle line from collapsing.
The Hastburg Margrave
army suffers many losses but repels the invasion.
The Goth Margrave
army, having slain many enemy soldiers and high in morale, retreats.
Both sides declare
great victory, but the borderlands are stained with the blood of the Kyle
Kingdom's soldiers, and the people of Estol greatly lament.
***
One day at the end of
summer, a messenger on horseback arrived from the Margrave of Hastburg.
There were signs of an
invasion by the Griffonia Empire. He was to lead his troops to the Southern
Gate Fortress as quickly as possible.
They were to
annihilate the enemy on the Southern Gate Plains, south of the Southern Gate
Fortress.
The time had come.
My father conscripted
a total of 550 men: 215 regular soldiers, including knights throughout the
territory, and 335 part-time soldiers.
He left a portion as a
reserve unit and led 360 men and the 40 members of the Twin-Headed Falcon
Mercenary Corps, a total of 400 men, into battle.
This number far
exceeded the 200 men allocated to those holding a general baronial title and,
while not reaching the 600 men allocated to viscounts, was a sufficient number
to maintain their honor.
By the time the army
arrived at the Southern Gate Fortress, the general outline of the enemy forces
had become clear.
Intelligence had
revealed that the main forces of the Imperial Army were not participating in
this invasion, and that the forces of the Goth Margrave were the main contingent.
(Well, I already knew that from the [history books]...)
This invasion was a
case of being caught in the crossfire of the Empire's internal strife.
It was not the faction
of the Third Imperial Prince, who would later become Emperor and order the invasion
of the Kyle Kingdom, but the faction of the First Imperial Prince that was
moving.
The First Imperial
Prince, with a strong sense of competition and hostility towards the Third
Imperial Prince, who was active on the Empire's southern front and achieving
remarkable military successes, ordered his subordinate, the Goth Margrave, to
dispatch troops.
...This was extremely
troublesome for the Kyle Kingdom.
Once the composition
of the enemy forces was clear, the Margrave of Hastburg advanced to the vicinity
of the border and deployed his forces in a crane wing formation on the hilly
terrain on the Kyle Kingdom's side.
＜Right Wing＞
Solis Barony Army：400 men
Cornell Barony Army：200 men
Hiyorimi Viscountcy
Army：600 men
Gorman Viscountcy Army：800 men
Right Wing Total：2,000 men
＜Center＞
Hastburg Margrave Army：3,000 men
＜Left Wing＞
Kilius Viscountcy Army：1,100 men
Kreutz Barony Army： 200 men
Bold Barony Army： 200 men
Herald Barony Army： 200 men
Left Wing Total：1,700 men
"What do you
think of this deployment, Commander?"
In this campaign,
Commander Weiss was serving as the Solis Baron's strategist.
Before the campaign,
Takuhir had consulted with his elder brother Dalek in advance and concluded
that it would be best if Commander Weiss, who would likely be in command, led
several of the proposed strategic plans.
Baron Solis was aware
of the manpower shortage when it came to military strategy and command, so
Commander Weiss had been requested by the Baron to serve as a strategist by his
side.
"The enemy has
approximately the same number of troops as us, 7,000, and has adopted a
fish-scale formation to flexibly change their attack. On the other hand, our
allies, both on the right and left wings, have secured the hilltops, which are
advantageous for defense, naturally leading to this crane wing formation.
In a situation where
there is no difference in troop strength, this formation has its dangers."
※Deployment Diagram
（Goth Iron Cavalry）
Goth Margrave Army
Ki Ki So So Ko
Ki Ki Ki Ki Go Go Go
Go
Man Man Man Hi Hi Hi
Bo Bo Bo Bo
Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo
Bo
Bo Bo Bo
Bo：Hastburg Margrave Army
Ki：Kilius Viscountcy Army
Go：Gorman Viscountcy Army
Hi：Hiyorimi Viscountcy Army
So：Solis Barony Army
Ko：Cornell Barony Army
Man：Kreutz, Bold, Herald Barony Armies
"Which
means?"
"The enemy will
likely attempt to defeat either the left or right wing individually, or seize
the opportunity to break through the center.
In response, our army
has adopted an encircling formation, which lacks depth, and there is a
possibility of unengaged troops once the battle begins."
Commander Weiss
continued, surveying the adjacent formations.
"Furthermore, our
army's right wing lacks coordination and is filled with suspicion. If the enemy
concentrates their offensive on the right wing, there is a possibility of its
collapse."
"So, we must be
wary of both the enemy and our allies, huh..."
"Yes, in this
battle, the viscounts may try to settle old grudges.
If they cannot
withstand the enemy's offensive and the Gorman and Hiyorimi armies retreat, we
will be isolated in the enemy's midst..."
"This is
dangerous..."
"Perhaps the
enemy thinks so too."
Commander Weiss smiled
with a fearless grin.
"The enemy's main
force, the Goth Iron Cavalry, is powerful. If we take their charge head-on, we
won't be able to withstand it.
Well, if we take it
head-on... that's also an opening for us to exploit.
The commander's face
was full of confidence as he said that.
"The Cornell
Baron's army, skilled in terrain manipulation using earth magic, is with us.
Our army has all soldiers equipped with Estol Bows, and we have newly formed
200 cavalry. I believe we can put up a decent fight.
Fortunately, the
Kilius Viscountcy army, led by the brave and renowned Viscount Kilius, leads
our left wing. If the astute Viscount responds to our offensive and shifts to a
semi-encirclement, the tide of battle will turn."
※
Yes, the biggest
things that were not in the [previous history] but existed in the [current
world] were...
・Commander Weiss (the ever-victorious general) is in
the Solis Barony army.
・Although small in number, the elite mercenary group he
leads is also present.
・The entire Solis Baron's army is equipped with Estol
Bows.
・And there is a significantly increased cavalry force
compared to the previous time.
Commander Weiss, a
genius of military strategy, would likely overcome any slight disadvantages.
Even Takuhir and the others who were not on the battlefield felt a strange
sense of reassurance.
Also, in the Solis
Barony army, all specialized archers were abolished, and instead, everyone,
including the cavalry, possessed the new crossbow called the Estol Bow.
Unlike bows, which are
greatly affected by skill, crossbows do not require expertise, so even the
conscripted part-time soldiers could fully utilize their advantages.
※
By the way, there's a
hidden reason for the increase in cavalry in the Solis Barony army.
During the grain price
surge two years ago, the Baron shrewdly bought up military horses and the like
at low prices.
In other territories,
there was a shortage of food, and in severe cases, they were slaughtering
horses for food or selling them for grain. Amidst the shortage of food for
people, they couldn't afford to spend resources on military horses.
In the future, the
Estol territory would need a large number of horses.
Furthermore, there
were plans to create a large-scale pioneer settlement near the Great Forest.
Given the location, in
the event of a large-scale monster attack, it would be necessary to deploy a
large number of horses so that all the citizens could evacuate quickly in case
of emergency.
Under such a pretext,
they purchased horses from various regions, releasing grain as payment.
As a result, all of
Commander Weiss's mercenary group was cavalry (part of their contract fee was
paid in horses), and many cavalrymen were also assigned to the regular army.
※
"The enemy is
about to move. The construction of the defensive camp by the earth mages
borrowed from Baron Cornell has been completed."
"All troops,
prepare for battle!"
At the Solis Baron's
command, the entire Solis Barony army entered battle formation.
Later, the battle that
would be called the Southern Gate Annihilation Battle finally began.
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