Chapter 71
Southern Gate Defense Battle ③
(Day 2 of War)
The Truly Feared Enemy Is...
Translator : PolterGlast
This time, the
timeline goes back a bit from Chapter 71.
Also, the location
shifts from Teigun to Southern Gate.
The subtitle indicates
the timeline and location, so please refer to that.
~Timeline: Returning
to Southern Gate Fortress on Day 2 of the War, ~
-----
"Urgent news for
Baron Solis! Open the gate! Open the gate, please!"
I was greatly agitated
by the dire news brought by two cavalrymen.
Approximately 3,000
men from a detached unit were heading towards Teigun.
Would Miseri-san and
the others be alright?
I had left many of
those I wanted to bring with me this time.
I had deliberately
left Claire behind.
She should be able to
support Miseri-san.
And for the Teigun
checkpoint, we had all put our heads together to devise countermeasures.
It should be fine,
they should be able to hold off about 3,000 men...
"It turned out
just as Takuhir feared. You have taken sufficient measures, right?"
"Yes, Father.
Teigun is a natural stronghold, and we have all put our heads together and made
considerable adjustments."
"Then, let us
pray for their success here. A commander, even with anxieties, must not let his
subordinates see through him."
"Yes, I will be
more careful from now on."
I felt ashamed of my
own immaturity and looked down.
"By the way,
Weiss, they show no sign of moving today, having withdrawn their army. What do
you think?"
"The army that
detoured, including the infantry, departed today, which means they will
probably arrive in Teigun tomorrow. Their intention is likely to agitate us
with news of Teigun's fall the day after tomorrow or later, and then launch an
offensive.
If that happens, we
will be forced to make a big decision.
We, with our already
small army, will have to divide our forces to defend the path from Teigun,
first to the town of Est, then to the Cornell barony, and from there to the
royal capital.
They will probably aim
for that and launch an all-out offensive."
Commander (Weiss)
paused for a moment and continued.
"Incidentally, as
one of those involved in Teigun's fortification, I can state with certainty
that it is impossible to take the current Teigun without thorough
preparation."
"Is it that
formidable?! A town that makes even Weiss say so, I would certainly like to see
it when things calm down."
"Yes, Father and
Brother, I would very much like you to visit it once.
Not just the defensive
facilities, but the town is also shaping up to be quite interesting."
"I see, then I
shall look forward to it."
"The only
headache is that when my sister Chrisia came to Teigun, she discovered that
establishment..."
"What?!"
Father was visibly
agitated. Yes, it was about the brothel.
Of course, at the age
of 12, I had no connections to invite such a business.
It was all thanks to
Father's support.
That matter would be
revealed to Mother through Chrisia.
Father, sensing this,
became agitated.
"Begging your
pardon, Father, as a commander, if you let your agitation show... would that be
alright?
And Takuhir, when this
battle is over, I definitely want to go visit too."
My brother's comment,
a perfect boomerang hit on Father, made everyone present struggle to suppress
their laughter.
"Ahem, Father,
the enemy has withdrawn their forces for now, but the ambushes are probably
still in place.
We also need to pay
attention to reinforcements, and there's a possibility they are also provoking
the Kilius Viscountcy territory in a similar way."
"Just as Takuhir
points out, while the enemy is waiting, it's a good opportunity for our
reinforcements to join up, but I don't think the enemy will allow that so
easily."
"I see. I will
report this to Margrave Hastburg, along with the Teigun attack."
The immediate
information sharing ended, and we returned to our posts.
---
~A little north of
Southern Gate Fortress~
"Why?! Is
Southern Gate Fortress not right under our noses? Why are we not allowed to
enter the fortress?"
"Even the Second
Youth Knight Corps has already achieved military honors!"
"They're nothing
but good-for-nothings. We, on the other hand, could easily scatter any ambushes
and show them how it's done!"
The members of the
First Youth Knight Corps were impatient.
Having departed from the
royal capital at the same time, they had made the disgraceful mistake of
arriving late for the start of the battle, and moreover, the Second Youth
Knight Corps had already achieved military honors.
Even they understood
what this major blunder of arriving late for the battlefield meant.
In such a situation,
their pride, which was nothing but haughtiness, had already reached its limit.
"Since this is
the case, we should advance to the fortress ourselves and dispel our allies'
anxieties."
"If we move, the
forces staying here will surely follow."
"If they see our
majestic advance, even the Turnip Baron will fear the enemy that can be
defeated for military honors, and won't be able to do anything."
The pride of
high-ranking nobles blinded them to many facts.
Having erupted, they
ignored Margrave Hastburg's military orders and began to advance towards
Southern Gate Fortress.
Just as the old saying
goes, "If everyone crosses on a red light, it's not scary," several
Viscount and Baron armies, also eager for glory, followed suit and began their
advance.
The forces of Goth
Margrave, who had hoped to participate in the Teigun conquest and were lying in
wait to the west of Southern Gate Fortress, could not believe their eyes.
A group marched
leisurely as if there were no enemies around, and they were even accompanied by
servants and carriages.
"500 Iron
Cavalry, 1,000 cavalry, charge and strike their flank, breaking through!
Infantry and archers, circle behind and cut down the rear units! After
inflicting heavy damage, swiftly redeploy, keeping your distance from the
fortress... wreak havoc!"
The order was executed
immediately.
"The enemy has
appeared!"
"What? Those
charging towards us are fewer in number than us, aren't they? Let's surround
them and claim military honors!"
Even at this point,
they underestimated the enemy.
Even the seasoned
Hastburg Margrave's army had struggled against Goth Margrave's cavalry units,
so those with no battlefield experience were far too complacent.
In the initial strike,
the center of the First Youth Knight Corps was shattered, and their army was
instantly cut in two.
The units in the rear,
mainly composed of retainers and servants not suited for combat, trembled in
fear and fled in disarray.
"Hiiiii!"
"H-hurry to the fortress!"
Their initial pride
gone, the 1,000 cavalrymen at the front clung to their horses and rushed at
full speed towards the north gate of the fortress.
The 300 men in the
center had already disappeared in the initial strike.
Unfortunately, the viscount
and baron armies who followed them suffered an even more tragic fate.
The Goth Margrave's
cavalry, having broken through the center of the First Youth Knight Corps,
circled counter-clockwise and then enveloped them. They were surrounded by
infantry and archers coming from the opposite direction.
The baronial armies
were mere 200 men each.
Even the viscount
armies, with around 400 men, were unable to defend as a unified force and were
defeated individually.
"What are those
idiots doing?!"
Margrave Hastburg,
upon hearing the urgent news, roared and dispatched 1,000 cavalrymen, also
sending out the following infantry as reinforcements.
He took in the routing
allies into the fortress and moved his troops to confront Goth Margrave's army,
but Goth Margrave, having caused enough havoc and achieved his objective,
casually withdrew his forces.
The third battle ended
in a one-sided defeat for the Kyle Kingdom.
In this battle, one
baronial army was annihilated along with its lord who led it, and two other
baronial armies suffered damage severe enough to make continued combat
impossible, forcing them to withdraw from the front line.
Two viscount armies,
although they managed to hold out amidst the general collapse of the battle
line, both lost approximately half of their forces.
The First Youth Knight
Corps saw 800 men killed or captured by the enemy, but among them, the majority
were non-combatants such as retainers and servants who had accompanied them.
Due to their reckless
actions, the Kyle Kingdom lost over 1,500 soldiers on this day alone.
『What one should really fear is not a competent enemy,
but an incompetent ally』
I recalled these
words, attributed to Napoleon.
First Youth Knight
Corps: 2000 -> 1,200 (remaining in reserve)
Viscount Army ①: 400 -> 200 (half strength)
Viscount Army ②: 400 -> 200 (half strength)
Baron Army ①: 150 -> 000 (annihilated)
Baron Army ②: 150 -> 50 (withdrew from front line)
Baron Army ③: 150 -> 50 (withdrew from front line)
-------------------------------------------------------
Total: 3,250 ->
1,700
-----
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