Thursday, May 29, 2025

[WN] Jitsuwa 3-Domedatta : Chapter 16


Chapter 16

(Kyle Calendar Year 502: Age 9)

Bloodstained Earth : 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 Army400 men

Cornell Barony Army200 men

Hiyorimi Viscountcy Army600 men

Gorman Viscountcy Army800 men

Right Wing Total2,000 men

 

Center

Hastburg Margrave Army3,000 men

 

Left Wing

Kilius Viscountcy Army1,100 men

Kreutz Barony Army: 200 men

Bold Barony Army: 200 men

Herald Barony Army: 200 men

Left Wing Total1,700 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

 

BoHastburg Margrave Army

KiKilius Viscountcy Army

GoGorman Viscountcy Army

HiHiyorimi Viscountcy Army

SoSolis Barony Army

KoCornell Barony Army

ManKreutz, 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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