Chapter 77
Southern Gate Defense Battle ⑨
(Day 5 of War)
Emissary from the Underworld
Translator : PolterGlast
As dusk fell on
Southern Gate Fortress, a fast horse arrived.
"Urgent news!
Urgent news! Please, a swift audience with Lord Takuhir of the Solis
Barony!"
The messenger was
immediately escorted into the fortress and led to the room where those
discussing future countermeasures were waiting.
"It is fine. Let
these individuals also hear your report."
Father spoke to
Raphael, the Dark Mage, who was prostrating himself.
Present were Margrave
Hastburg, Viscount Kilias, Viscount Gorman, Baron Solis, Baron Cornell,
Commander Weiss, my elder brother Darek, and myself—eight individuals.
"Yes, I report to
all of you, sirs. A moment ago, we confirmed the presence of Gryphonia Imperial
soldiers retreating from the western Demon Realm border. Their number is
approximately 300! They are likely remnants from the Teigun front."
They've come!
Then surely... I let
out a sigh of relief.
"Almost all the
soldiers are gravely wounded.
Furthermore, a vast
number of monsters are confirmed to be pursuing them.
We could not confirm
the exact number due to the danger to our soldiers, but it is a considerable
force."
"One-tenth of the
invading army! What has become of the battle situation?"
"The area beyond
the enemy lines, leading to the Hiyorimi Viscountcy and the Demon Realm border,
is overflowing with monsters.
The messenger from
Teigun has likely been blocked by monsters and has not arrived."
Raphael replied,
clearly intimidated by Viscount Gorman's question.
"If Teigun had
fallen, I don't believe the wounded soldiers would have returned through such a
dangerous path."
I answered instead.
"Indeed, if it is
the town of Teigun, it has sufficient capacity to accommodate an invading force
of around 3,000, and certainly to quarter them if they were victorious. We can
state with certainty that they have been routed."
My brother then added.
"Then... Teigun
met our expectations and held out, or rather, achieved even greater results?"
"I believe it is
safe to assume so."
I replied to Margrave
Hastburg, who had a beaming smile at the good news.
"And they
violated the taboos of those who dwell on the edge of the Demon Realm. They
must have led a large army of monsters to the enemy's camp..."
"Your Excellency!
I believe we too must quickly gather our commanders and proceed with a
response!"
Viscount Kilias,
usually calm and composed, panicked and interrupted my words.
※
As an emergency, the
nobles were summoned to Southern Gate Fortress.
And Margrave Hastburg
stepped forward before them.
"A moment ago, a
report came from the scouts we had hidden on the west side of Southern Gate
Plains.
A detached unit of the
Imperial Army that invaded Baron Solis's territory from the west side of the
Demon Realm lost many soldiers, and the wounded have fled back to the enemy's
main camp."
"Oh!"
"What?!"
Amidst the
exclamations of the generals, I noticed one man who, inadvertently, let out a
cry of surprise that seemed out of place.
"Anyone here
would understand the meaning of fleeing back through the edge of the Demon
Realm with a large number of wounded.
They have done what
should not be done.
From now on, we will
move to prepare against monsters invading our territory. Immediately! There is
no time to spare."
Thus, instructions
were given for responding to this urgent and critical situation.
＜Policy＞
The monsters led by
the Imperial Army from the Demon Realm could cross Southern Gate and cause harm
beyond it.
In response, it is
necessary to quickly dispatch troops to protect nearby farming villages and
towns, and to take measures to contain the monsters on the Southern Gate
Plains.
Scouts must be
immediately recalled, replaced by fully armed reconnaissance units, and the
movements of the monsters must be confirmed.
Dispatch defensive
units to adjacent towns and villages.
Urgently construct
earthworks on the east and west sides of Southern Gate Fortress.
Absolutely prevent
monsters from entering north of the earthworks.
At night, we will focus
solely on defense, and at sunrise, we will conduct a forced reconnaissance of
the enemy camp to confirm the status of the invading army.
If they are in
disarray due to monster attacks, or if their forces are noticeably depleted, we
will seize this opportunity to launch a surprise attack, sweep them away all at
once, and push them back across the border.
Thereafter, we will
launch a large-scale monster extermination operation throughout the Southern
Gate Plains, burying all monsters that have invaded human territory.
＜Response＞
Instructions were
given to each unit in response to this policy.
◯ Defense of Nearby Towns and Villages
"Barons Kreutz,
Bold, and Herald, who have combat experience with monsters and have spare
capacity, shall be in charge.
Prepare immediately
and depart as quickly as possible."
"Understood!"
The three nobles, upon
being told which towns and villages they were responsible for, immediately left
the room and began preparing for their departure.
◯ Reconnaissance Unit
"Viscount
Hiyorimi, disperse fully armed units to various locations and quickly recall
the lookouts.
Proceed with
preparations urgently before darkness falls, and after that, enter the
earthworks built today and maintain strict night vigilance."
"Understood, then,
I will now proceed..."
Viscount Hiyorimi also
rose from his seat.
◯ Earthwork Construction
"Baron Cornell,
with your earth mages, immediately construct earthworks. On both sides of the
earthworks built today, deploy vast earthen walls. It's a race against time. A
rough construction is acceptable.
Do not let a single
monster pass beyond it to the north."
"Understood. The
matter is urgent. I would be grateful if we could borrow earth mages from Baron
Solis as well."
Having received
Father's permission, Baron Cornell rose from his seat.
◯ Earthwork Defense
"Noble Allied
Army First Army, defend the newly built left earthwork. The Fourth Army will
take charge of the right side.
Until the earthen
walls are complete, protect the construction unit, and after completion,
conduct vigilance and earthwork reinforcement in shifts within the unit.
Be mindful not to
neglect coordination among yourselves. Do not spare bonfires, and do not create
darkness.
The safety of the
north from here depends on your valiant efforts."
"Aye!"
The generals belonging
to the First and Fourth Noble Allied Armies stood up.
◯ Surprise Attack Unit
"All others,
prepare for a surprise attack on the enemy army at dawn tomorrow!
Rest in shifts and do
not neglect preparations for sortie!
This will likely
settle the matter. I expect great things from your actions tomorrow."
"Aye!"
All the remaining
generals rose from their seats, their faces a mixture of tension and
exhilaration.
The rapid, yet
full-force, response was perfectly natural for those living on the edge of the
Demon Realm and those who knew the terror of monster attacks.
The Gryphonia Imperial
Army, unaware of the taboos of the Demon Realm, was far too complacent.
※
"It's nothing but
unpleasant reports since earlier! In the first place, those wretches boasted
that Teigun was as good as an empty fortress, and that it would fall easily if
we advanced!"
The First Prince
Glorious slammed his wine cup, cursing at his silently prostrating attendant.
"Earlier this
evening, there was also a report that those holed up in the fortress were
frantically building earthworks on the battlefield. What do you think of
that?"
"..."
"You don't even
know that...?"
The First Prince
sighed and looked around.
"The enemy
cavalry may have suffered greater damage than we thought.
Therefore, it may be
an earthwork aimed at dealing with our cavalry." One determined individual
answered his lord's question.
"Then why are
they lighting more bonfires than necessary? Their movements are completely
visible to us, aren't they?
We have been
constantly manipulated by the cunning schemes of those wretches. Do you think
they would do something so transparent?"
"..."
"You, take a
lookout and go see for yourself! You shall not return until you have an answer
that satisfies me!"
"Yes, Your
Highness!"
The attendant,
answering briefly, left the tent in confusion.
If it were simply as
he said, our response would be easy too.
If we levy all the
cavalry from the incompetent Earls under our command and integrate them with
the Imperial Guard's Iron Cavalry and cavalry, we would have around 4,000
cavalry.
The enemy's cavalry is
probably around 2,000. We just need to overwhelm the enemy with twice their
mobile forces.
The useless Earls and
their remaining forces can be used as arrow fodder for the enemy archers.
Now that our forces
are significantly reduced, if the enemy were to hole up in the fortress and
engage in a siege, we would lack a decisive attacking force.
However, if they were
to set up camp and come out onto the battlefield, our cavalry would have
superiority in numbers and training, and there would be room for tactical
maneuvers.
At that very moment,
screams and confused shouts erupted from a nearby allied camp.
For into their camp,
from the darkness, came messengers to lead them to the underworld.
This was the beginning
of what would be called the "Night of Bloody Nightmare."
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