Chapter 62
Southern Gate Defense Battle ①
(Day 1 of War)
First Move,
Archery Showdown
Translator : PolterGlast
On the morning of the
third day after my brother's arrival, I had the opportunity to speak directly
with Margrave Hastburg, who was inspecting the various camps.
"Takuhir, it has
been a while. I hear that Baron Solis has brought an army almost equal to a
viscount's this time, and that your contributions were great.
It seems the Teigun
development is also progressing well, yes?
I did not expect you
to return 1,500 gold coins in the first year."
"Thank you, my
Lord. I attribute this entirely to the assistance of Margrave
Hastburg-sama."
"When this battle
is over, would you perhaps allow me to see the town of Teigun, which you have
developed and now govern?"
"Those are kind
words, my Lord. All the citizens of the town look forward to welcoming you with
utmost sincerity.
Regarding Teigun,
there is something I would like to bring to your attention at this
opportunity."
I explained something
that was fundamentally related to this battle.
"I hope it is an
unnecessary worry, but...
There is a possibility
that the enemy will send a unit towards Teigun.
Although we have taken
countermeasures against this, could you please keep this matter confidential
from our allies, especially the neighboring territories?
I believe we should be
especially cautious if, by any chance, thousands of enemy troops disappear from
the battlefield."
While we were
exchanging these words, a fast horse arrived, and the alarm bells rang from our
bell tower.
A messenger ran up to
the Margrave.
"Enemy forces
approximately 30,000 strong! They have crossed the Southern Gate hills and are
advancing towards us!"
"Good heavens,
our reinforcements have barely arrived, and the enemy is already here?
All forces, promptly
take your positions!"
"Yes, sir!"
I gave a short reply
and ran off as well.
※
The Southern Gate
Fortress was almost square in shape, with a maximum capacity of 25,000 people.
Thick, sturdy walls extended in all four directions (east, west, north, and
south), and formidable gates in the south and north repelled intruders.
When I first saw it, I
thought it looked exactly like a fortified city from China's Spring and Autumn
or Warring States periods.
Approximately 1,000
defensive troops were deployed on each of the four walls, with the main camp of
Margrave Hastburg positioned in front of the gates and in the center.
Gryphonia Empire
Invading Army
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
＜South Gate＞
Second Youth Cavalry Solis Baronial Army
Ki Ha Ha Ko
Ki Ko
Ki Ha Ha Ha Ha Go
Ki Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Go
East Ki Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Go West
Side Ki Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Go Side
Ki Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Go
Ki Go
Ki
Go
Ki Ha Ha Go
KuKuBoBoHeHeHiHiHiHiHiHi
＜North Gate＞
＜South Wall＞
Solis Baron: 570 men
Second Youth Knight
Corps: 500 men
＜East Wall＞
Viscount Kilius: 1,000
men
＜West Wall＞
Baron Cornell: 230 men
Viscount Gorman: 800
men
＜North Wall＞
Viscount Hiyorimi: 600
men
Baron Kreutz: 200 men
Baron Bold: 200 men
Baron Herald: 200 men
＜Center＞
Margrave Hastburg:
3,200 men
My brother, looking at
the enemy army from the castle wall, spoke to me, perhaps to ease my tension.
"Takuhir, how is
the battlefield?"
"I feel reassured
to be deployed in the same unit as you, Brother."
"Well, we've been
deployed to the toughest spot, just like Father."
"Given the
archers' success last time, it's probably the right place for them."
"Takuhir, are you
going to start from the beginning?"
"Yes, first, I'll
reduce the enemy's numbers by thousands at once. The four wind mages are
dispersed. I think the crossbow unit can do quite well."
"I see. I'm
looking forward to seeing the results of your training in Teigun."
In the center of the
south wall, soldiers holding various colored command flags stood.
Correspondingly, four flag bearers with the same flags and wind mages were
positioned at equal intervals on the southern wall.
※
The Gryphonia Empire's
First Prince's army advanced to the front of the fortress and then paused to
observe.
"What, are the
enemy troops underestimating us? I heard from intelligence that the defending
forces in the fortress are at most 8,000."
"Their
reinforcements probably haven't arrived yet. Their lifeline, the Royal Capital
Knights, are stuck in the east."
"At this rate,
couldn't we take it even without a special strategy?"
The First Prince's
words to his strategist were by no means an exaggeration.
It is said that
"the attacking side needs about three times the forces of the defending
side," but his army numbered 28,000 in total.
There was a good
chance they could attack successfully even with brute force.
"First, send the
infantry with shields at the front, and behind them, 5,000 archers to break
through the enemy on the castle wall!"
The First Prince's
order was immediately carried out.
※
5,000 archers,
protected by an equal number of shield infantry, a total of 10,000 Imperial
Army soldiers, advanced towards us.
Their numbers alone
were more than the entire defending force.
Darek calmly
encouraged his trembling soldiers, making them ready their crossbows, which had
been assigned to them by Father.
"Commander, our
allies also have the advantage of height. I'd like to respond with normal
firing first. What do you think?"
"I think that's
an appropriate judgment. First, let's reassure the new recruits who are
intimidated by the enemy arrows."
A yellow command flag
was raised, and the flag bearers positioned in four locations also raised the
same yellow flag.
"The enemy's
long-range bombardment will come soon. But there's no need to worry. Their
arrows will never reach us. Watch without fear."
On the castle wall,
Darek deliberately exposed himself to the enemy.
The enemy's archers
aimed their arrows at maximum elevation. Soon after, 5,000 arrows, accompanied
by the roaring sound of cutting wind, blackened the southern sky as they flew
in.
My brother Darek stood
exposed on the castle wall, calmly observing.
Seeing him, the Second
Youth Knight Corps remained calm.
His courage was truly
remarkable. My brother's leadership ability had grown to an admirable level,
incomparable to before.
Just as the rain of
arrows was raining down, a sudden gust of wind erupted, causing the arrows to
lose momentum just before reaching the wall, falling scattered in front of it.
Not a single arrow
made it over the wall.
Loud cheers erupted
from the area where the Second Youth Knight Corps was stationed.
And the second volley
yielded the same result.
The panicking enemy
commander seemed to be ordering further advance.
Commander Weiss's
right hand was raised.
"Prepare to
fire!"
Father's command rang
out. The yellow flag remained raised, but next to it, a red flag was slowly
being waved.
And the moment the
enemy tried to ready their arrows, Commander Weiss's right hand swung down.
"Fire!"
With Father's command,
the red flag was brought down, and 1,000 arrows were released simultaneously.
The enemy archers, who
were in firing position, fell one after another, showered by the rain of
arrows.
The arrows from the
Solis Baron's side, in particular, had exceptional power, and some even pierced
through shields.
"Second volley,
third volley, prepare for continuous fire!"
Father seemed to be
pressing the attack.
"Fire!"
For some reason, the
invading army's arrows, fired within range, did not reach.
Yet, from above the
castle wall, fierce arrows of unimaginable power continued to strike
accurately, one after another.
"That's
impossible! Even with the advantage of being on the castle wall, the difference
shouldn't be this great!"
The Gryphonia Imperial
soldiers screamed.
Their own attacks
seemed to fail completely.
No, they were falling
short one after another, even though they should have reached.
Yet, the enemy kept
repeating effective volleys from the very beginning.
The enemy in front, a
mere thousand, were supposed to be overwhelmed by five times their number of
archers, but they were being overwhelmed instead.
With no organized
retreat order, the Imperial Army's archers and infantry units were in disarray
and were struck by the third volley.
The enemy army had
thus taken a total of 3,000 arrows.
Actually, this was one
of the things I had arranged three days prior.
Lines were drawn on
the ground at regular intervals, barely visible from the approaching enemy but
visible from the fortress.
I instructed Astor to
subtly manipulate the soil with earth magic, creating imperceptible undulations
in the ground.
These undulations
created shadows in the sunlight, which appeared as lines from above the castle
wall, serving as range markers.
Even the new recruits
of the Second Youth Knight Corps, simply by firing arrows at the pre-set
angles, hit their targets with surprising accuracy.
Furthermore, with
10,000 enemy soldiers densely packed and deployed in a band-like formation, it
was truly a situation where every shot would hit.
And the four wind
mages positioned at various points were secretly using wind magic.
The released arrows
rode the wind, were guided to their targets, and their power was accelerated.
"Begin free fire
for each unit! Don't let any escape!"
At Father's command,
the soldiers of the Solis Baron's army and the Second Youth Knight Corps fired
arrows one after another.
The enemy soldiers,
who never expected to lose an archery exchange with a force so much smaller
than their own, received a one-sided attack. Finally, their morale broke, and
they began to flee in disarray.
There was a reason why
the enemy's command was confused and there was no organized counterattack or
retreat order.
After the unified
third volley, at my instruction, the yellow flag was lowered, and a blue flag
was waved in its place.
This was because the
four wind mages, Gale, Gold, Aral, and Lilia, seeing this, were using wind
magic and Estol Bows to strike down prominent commanders one after another with
their shots.
The entire army was in
a state of rout, and while effective shooting with crossbows was already
difficult at that range, the arrows, accelerated by the wind, reached
terrifyingly far.
Even with reduced
power, they were sufficiently effective against the fleeing enemy army with
their backs turned.
Furthermore, the Estol
Bows could still deliver powerful attacks.
The arrows from the
Solis Baron's army, positioned on the right, still pursued their backs,
delivering effective blows.
The Gryphonia Imperial
Army retreated after suffering nearly 2,000 casualties in the short duration of
the initial engagement.
Thus, the first act
was concluded with an overwhelming and complete victory.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
-
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
RobertJay
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Creris
Fred A.
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Geral Aponso
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Joe Smith
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
