Chapter 139
Eastern
Border War ③ - The
Honor of the Vanguard
Translator : PolterGlast
※※※ First Day of the War
Even though it was the
height of spring, the eastern border of Kyle Kingdom was enveloped in a
freezing tension. This was because of the unique atmosphere that permeated the
air before the battle was about to begin.
The excited faces of
the mounted soldiers lined up alongside their horses, which neighed in response
to their masters' heightened spirits.
The day after the war
council, in front of the distant enemy fortifications, the cavalry of the
nobles who had rushed to reinforce them took their positions in the front line.
With a total of 5,000 cavalry, their forces exerted an overwhelming pressure on
those who beheld them. Behind them, infantry with shields followed, also
numbering 5,000. They eagerly awaited the command of the Count leading the
attacking force as the vanguard. After a moment, a man clad in particularly
ornate armor stepped forward before them. It was the aforementioned Count who
had offered to lead the vanguard.
"I ask you, noble
Knights of the glorious Kingdom! Who brought about this prosperous Kingdom? To
whom do we owe our peaceful and abundant lives?! Was it not our ancestors, the
Knights of this Kingdom, who risked their lives to clear, build, and defend
this territory?! To strike down the treacherous individuals who conspire to
invade our territory and seize its blessings, we shall now rise, staking our
lives here!"
"Ohh!"
A great roar from
10,000 men shook the surroundings. Was the Count himself intending to lead the
charge? It felt a little different from the southern nobles who had come as
reinforcements to Southern Gate, who were all talk and no action.
"All forces!
Charge!"
At his command, 5,000
cavalry galloped forward, followed by 5,000 infantry. The thundering hooves of
men and horses shook the earth with a deafening roar.
The nobles of Kyle
Kingdom's eastern region had a large number of cavalry compared to other
regions. This was partly due to being a prosperous region, but also because of
the many flat grasslands suitable for pasturage. Therefore, their armies had a
very high proportion of cavalry, and their formations differed from those of
other regions.
"Commander, I've
heard about it, but there sure are a lot of cavalry, aren't there? Their
deployment, however... seems to still be quite green."
"Indeed. If they
charge from this distance, both horses and men will be exhausted before they
even reach the enemy lines."
Among the reserve
group that had rushed out from behind them, I exchanged words with the
Commander. All of us were on foot, carrying shields. And we had horses pulling
carts. Some of the carts were loaded with sandbags. Amidst the dust raised by
the vanguard's charge, we followed behind with the reserves.
Some allies would
probably describe their actions as incredibly foolish and self-inflicted. But I
knew from history about battles like that, and the immense cost. The Battle of
Crécy in medieval Europe. In that battle, the French army, which was
numerically superior with 30,000 to 40,000 troops, was completely defeated by
12,000 English troops. Compared to the English army, which suffered almost no
casualties, the French army, according to various accounts, suffered 10,000 to
30,000 casualties. So much did the English army's Dublin tactic torment the
French army.
From that historical
perspective, it was almost certain that our allies would suffer 30% to over 80%
casualties in this battle. It was precisely because I thought this that I
deliberately volunteered to be in the reserves, having prepared a strategy
beforehand.
As the vanguard
cavalry approached within 500 m of the enemy fortifications, suddenly, the sky
directly above them, diagonally, turned completely black.
"What?! No way,
at this distance!"
As the Count cried out
in a panic, a storm of arrows assailed them. The sheer number of arrows was so
dense that the eastern sky appeared completely black, a concentrated volley.
Fortunately, perhaps because they were outside the effective range for armored
cavalry, many mounted soldiers, protected by their armor, did not lose their
lives. However, the arrows relentlessly assailed the horses. Many were thrown
from their rearing horses, or fell with their horses.
"H-help me!"
"Someone, help me
up!"
Heavily armored
cavalrymen, once dismounted, sometimes couldn't get up on their own, even if
uninjured. Furthermore, some seemed to be injured by the impact of the fall and
unable to stand. These unfortunate souls were trampled by friendly hooves. As
the following infantry tried to rescue them, a relentless second and third
volley rained down upon them. Infantry who had put down their shields to
perform rescues fell one after another, struck by arrows. The 5,000 infantry
were thrown into confusion by the obstructing fallen, suffering heavy
casualties themselves.
Despite the furious
rain of arrows, over half of the cavalry managed to advance to within about 300
m of the enemy's fortifications. At that distance, hidden traps that had been
hidden from the charging Count and his men began to reveal their teeth. They
failed to notice these until they were right upon them.
"Tch, how wicked!
Slow down! It seems there are traps everywhere! This won't allow a cavalry
charge!"
Beyond this point, the
space leading to the enemy fortifications was riddled with various
obstructions. Pitfalls, abatis in trenches, and other anti-cavalry measures
were everywhere. Furthermore, stakes and logs were scattered beyond that,
designed to trip horses.
Even so, they slowed
their charge, dodged arrows, and somehow advanced to about 200 m in front of
the enemy lines. But there, they became completely stuck.
"We-we can't
move! What kind of tactic is this?!"
At that distance, the
Imperial Kingdom army's arrows, instead of arcing from diagonally above, flew
in a straight line from the enemy lines, piercing the Knights' armor and
inflicting fatal wounds. As they approached the fortifications, they were
subjected to a crossfire of arrows not only from the front but also from their
diagonal right and left flanks. Kyle Kingdom's cavalry fell one after another,
and riderless horses, struck by arrows, galloped wildly. Even when they tried
to retreat, the rear was also a storm of arrows, and the confused infantry
blocked their escape route. And finally, they were trapped.
"At this rate...
we're done!"
The Count braced
himself for annihilation. He himself had taken several arrows and was barely
clinging to his horse.
Just then, an unusual
group emerged from behind them, from within the reserves. Accompanied by
packhorses laden with supplies, they advanced to the front lines, undeterred by
the relentless rain of arrows.
"Watch out for
arrows! Everyone, be careful not to leave the umbrella of the wind barrier!
Astor, Gold! Advance to the very front and deploy the blinding dust as planned.
Other Wind Mages, focus on arrow defense! Get as many as possible under the
umbrella, and open an escape route! Recovery team! Disperse and begin
operations. The Mages will protect you. Rescue as many wounded as
possible!"
With that voice, an
unexpected change occurred on the battlefield.
Now, there were no
galloping horses or charging soldiers on the battlefield. All had stopped, confused
by the rain of arrows. Yet, between the Kyle Kingdom army and the Istoria
Imperial Kingdom army's positions, a dense cloud of dust rose with the wind,
obscuring the enemy soldiers from view within their lines and the nearby
forest. If the enemy couldn't be seen, effective firing was impossible. Only
occasional blind shots toward presumed positions and suppressive fire from
diagonally above were carried out. Under the Mages' defensive umbrella, which
was deployed in various locations, the recovery team moved freely, loading
immobile wounded onto their packhorses.
After a while, when
the unusual dust cloud cleared, and the battlefield could be seen again, the
Imperial Kingdom army's soldiers were faced with a sight that made them doubt
their own eyes. They had expected to finish off the probably thousands of enemy
soldiers lying on the battlefield with a rain of arrows. However, before their
eyes, there were only a few scattered corpses, far fewer than anticipated. And
there, far beyond their range, the enemy forces were leisurely withdrawing.
They could do nothing but watch in a daze.
※
Returning from the
front line, back to our camp, I first went to thank the Margrave.
"Margrave Hamish,
thank you for your assistance during the recovery of the wounded."
"No, I, too,
wished to save the lives of our soldiers. Nevertheless, your ingenious tactic,
I was surprised!"
Before this battle, I
had gathered carts and draft horses from our supply units. Also, we had
collected dry, fine soil near our position and packed it into sandbags,
preparing for the operation.
Among the units I led,
each had a specific role. The vanguard, accompanying me, the Commander, and
Alexis, consisted of two of our Wind Mages and one Wind Mage from Viscount
Gorman's territory, plus Astor the Earth Mage, and 30 guards. In addition,
there were 10 packhorses loaded with sandbags. This unit, at the very front,
scattered the soil from the sandbags, generated wind to create a blinding dust
screen, and recovered the wounded. And while the battlefield was in chaos,
Raphael led a small detached unit and infiltrated the forest amidst the
confusion.
Following them were
all the remaining Frontier Knights and 300 selected from the Cadet Knights.
They led over 200 packhorse units, accompanied by three Wind Mages for arrow
countermeasures and escort, and three entrusted Royal Command Mages (Wind
Mages). Additionally, two Royal Command Mages (Earth Mages) leveled the retreat
path for the packhorses during the withdrawal. Thanks to these packhorse units,
many wounded (and some deceased), over 2,000 individuals who were immobile on
the battlefield, were recovered. Furthermore, the lightly wounded who didn't
need to be carried, those who had lost their horses and were in dire straits,
and the confused infantry, all completed their retreat safely, without falling
to enemy arrows under the umbrella of the Wind Mages. Moreover, Margrave
Hamish, upon seeing our actions, made an immediate decision on the battlefield,
redirecting his own troops to assist the packhorse units and help recover the
wounded allies.
"However, your
plan was surprising, and the power of the Mages is truly remarkable. And your
keen eye for utilizing it on the battlefield, it's understandable why His
Excellency Klein keeps a close watch on you."
"!"
Huh? Is he connected
to the Headmaster? Now it was my turn to be surprised.
"This expedition,
His Excellency gave me a letter saying he's entrusting you all to me. Oh! I was
told to keep this confidential, but... well, it's fine."
Saying that, the
Margrave chuckled mischievously.
So, Margrave Hamish
was also part of the Royalist Faction... I somewhat understood.
"This time, of
the soldiers who served as the vanguard, more than half, probably around 80%,
would have been lost. However, thanks to you all, the enemy's arrows lost their
effectiveness midway. Therefore, many soldiers who should have been lost in
that battle were saved, and we were able to rescue the wounded. That was truly
fortunate. I, too, didn't want to incur unnecessary casualties, but I never
imagined that over 80% would survive. Some of the Restorationist Faction nobles
who participated in the campaign will surely have their eyes opened by your
assistance, and be grateful. Well, that might be a faint hope, though."
"Is that
so...?"
Somehow, with various
circumstances, I was convinced. Many of the nobles dispatched as reinforcements
this time apparently belonged to the Restorationist Faction. I later heard that
some of them, sympathizing with the Restorationist Faction in the capital, were
even working to ostracize me and my brother. Hmm... was it really a good idea
to help them?
※
Concurrently with our
withdrawal, another battle was unfolding in a corner of the Kyle Kingdom's
camp.
"Lanatoria! Leave
the triage to the Margrave's medics! We'll focus on healing the severely
wounded!"
Upon arriving at the
battlefield, Marianne immediately conferred with the Margrave's medics and had
already established a response flow. Fortunately, the Margrave's camp also had
Holy Mages and doctors, and by cooperating with them, she was able to focus on
her duties.
As a result, those who
should have been left behind on the battlefield and couldn't be saved, those
who couldn't receive proper treatment on the battlefield and were highly likely
to die later, and those who were already in critical condition due to severe
wounds, were successively saved.
They shed tears of
gratitude for the miracles (healing magic) she performed. And later, Marianne
and Lanatoria would be inundated with marriage proposals from countless
soldiers whose lives they had saved, becoming utterly exasperated and troubled
by how to handle them. Well, if it's a beautiful woman who saved your life,
your feelings would naturally be intense... There's also the saying, "angels
in white."
As an aside... all of
them were reportedly splendidly rejected.
The tears of many men
moistened the land of the Eastern Border. Tears of a different kind than those
of battle...
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