Chapter 167
The Rebel
Army's Battle ⑩ - Battle in the Suburbs of Burg ① : The
Latecomers
Translator : PolterGlast
Takuhir and the party
led by the Commander were pressing on, hurrying to enter the Estol territory on
their way to Teigoon.
They had already
reached a point less than half a day's journey from Burg, the central city of
Margrave Hastburg's domain.
"Report from the
scouts! An army has been confirmed beyond the forest ahead, besieging the city
of Burg. Their numbers are approximately 4,000. It appears they are confronting
Margrave Hastburg's army, which is deployed to defend the city!"
"They've taken up
an unpleasant position. We can't get past the highway junction ahead to go
through Baron Cornell's domain to Est, nor can we go through the Southern Gate
to Teigoon.
Furthermore, if a
force of 4,000 deploys against us, it will be extremely difficult for us to
break through on our own. Well, it's not that we don't have a way..."
The Commander said
this with a fearless look on his face.
"Indeed... it
hurts to lose precious time here, but it seems we have no other choice.
Raphael! I'm sorry to
ask, but can you infiltrate the enemy camp to scout, and then try to make
contact with Margrave Hastburg's army, which is likely defending the city of
Burg behind them?
Tell them we are
thinking of a pincer attack to annihilate the enemy force at once, and that we
wish to discuss the details of the operation later."
"Yes, sir!
Understood. I will depart immediately."
After watching Raphael
depart, the Commander and I reviewed the tactics we had each devised.
"Commander,
whether we're heading to Teigoon or Est, it seems we'll need to deal with the
rebel army in front of us. We're at a numerical disadvantage, but if we use the
terrain to our advantage... what do you think?"
"I agree. There's
a forest spreading out just ahead, which is perfect for our purposes. Shall we
teach them what we learned in the battle on the eastern border? Fortunately,
our army is well-accustomed to this strategy."
"Let's. Then
let's call Astor and Bart at once. And Marianne and Ranatoria as well. After
that, shall we have all the Wind Mages... and Lord Alexis join us to discuss
the arrangements?"
Thus, after confirming
that we were both thinking the same thing, we proceeded with the preparations.
※
"Reporting! A
messenger from Baron Solis, Lord Takuhir, has arrived. What are your
orders?"
To Margrave Hastburg,
who was holding his defensive position with the city of Burg at his back, the
arrival of an utterly unexpected messenger was announced.
"Baron Solis? The
younger brother? He should be fighting in the war on the eastern border right
now... I will see him! Bring him here!"
Until now, Margrave
Hastburg had been at a loss as to what to do.
The army led by the
First Prince, positioned on the Empire's side beyond the border, remained
motionless on Imperial soil, a step back from the border itself.
Just in case, he had
deployed 2,000 cavalry from the First through Fourth Corps of the Frontier
Knights and a 1,600-strong force led by Viscount Kirias and others to the
fortress currently under construction.
It was 10,000 against
3,600, but in a siege, they could hold out for a while even if the Imperial
army were to attack. Right now, the most dangerous place was the domain's
capital, Burg, which the Margrave himself was defending.
The city's defenses
were markedly inferior to those of the Southern Gate fortress or the border
fortress under construction. Moreover, a defensive battle involving many of the
citizens was bound to be an extremely difficult fight.
For that reason, the
Margrave had deliberately chosen not to wage a siege battle, instead gathering
his 2,500-strong force and taking up a position on the outskirts of Burg,
confronting the rebel army led by Count Goyoku.
The nobles on the
western side of the southern border, his sympathizers, were each in the midst
of battle with the detached rebel forces that had invaded their lands and could
not move.
He was in a situation
where he could only pray for the success of his son-in-law, Darek, whom he had
already sent as reinforcements, while he himself was fully occupied with
solidifying his defenses.
His only hope now was
for reinforcements from the Royal Knights First Corps remaining in the capital,
but that too would likely be obstructed by the Restorationist faction and was
not guaranteed to succeed.
That was what the
Margrave was thinking.
He knew that Count
Goyoku had beaten them to the punch and that they were now under suspicion of
being traitors, thanks to a secret messenger sent by Duke Klein...
Due to these
circumstances, the Margrave himself felt that he was at a stalemate and his
anxiety was growing.
※
"Thank you for
granting me an audience. My name is Raphael, a subordinate of Baron Solis. I
have come bearing an urgent message from the Baron."
The Margrave
recognized this man's face. He was the man who had served as the Baron's scout
and delivered reports during the battle at the Southern Gate last year.
"It is fine.
Speak freely and in detail."
The information
Raphael brought was astonishing, even for the Margrave.
The battle over the
eastern border had already ended in a great victory thanks to Baron Solis's
efforts, and he, leading his troops, had rushed to a location very close by.
And now, he was
proposing a pincer attack on the very rebel army that the Margrave was
struggling to deal with.
"As always, your
master never ceases to amaze me. Tell the Baron that I have understood the
details. My force is 2,500 strong, mainly infantry, but all of them are
equipped with crossbows. Tell him we are prepared to go on the offensive in
coordination with the Baron's army."
"Understood. I
will return at once and relay this to my lord."
With that, Raphael
returned.
"We are always
being saved by those brothers. I must thank Viscount Solis... no, I must thank
Lord Chris. For bringing such fine children into this world."
The Margrave muttered.
※
Meanwhile, in
Takuhir's camp, the planning, strategizing, and preparation for the
counterattack were proceeding at a rapid pace.
A stroke of good
fortune was that they had gained the cooperation of the prisoners, whom they
had thought of as a facade, whose only use on the battlefield would be as
laborers.
"We heard from
the Divine Messengers. That there are scoundrels attacking our saviors, the Divine
Messengers.
We have no intention
of working for the Kyle Kingdom on the battlefield. We also refuse to draw our
bows on our own countrymen. But if it's to protect the Divine Messengers,
that's a different story. What's more, they say our opponents are a rebel army
of the very same Kyle Kingdom army we've been fighting. In that case, we don't
need to hold back at all.
Please, let us also
participate in the battle to protect the Divine Messengers."
I was surprised by
their offer.
For once, I was grateful
to the Istoria Imperial Kingdom for calling the mages "Divine Messengers"
and for deifying them to a point that could be called nothing short of
brainwashing.
However, I hesitated
to give them weapons (longbows).
"As Raphael's
report said, what they are saying is likely true. Even if they were to betray
us, their opponents are an enemy army; their treatment would not change either
way. I think we can trust them."
The Commander's words
made me resolve myself.
Before starting the
construction of the camp, I had Bart take out the captured longbows and a large
quantity of arrows, and had Marianne and Ranatoria hand them directly to the
soldiers.
"We've received
bows blessed by the Divine Messengers!"
"There's nothing
to be afraid of anymore!"
"As users of
divine bows, this is something we can be proud of!"
They were ecstatic,
their spirits soaring. And so, the preparations for the operation were
complete.
From the information
Raphael brought back from Margrave Hastburg's camp, we learned some details
about the rebel army facing us and a little about the situation in the domains
we were worried about.
The one leading the
rebel army that had advanced on this land was Count Goyoku.
He was a person with a
checkered history with us, having been entrusted with the First Army of the
allied nobles in the bloody battle of the Southern Gate, but had failed to move
his army even when the commander-in-chief, the Margrave, was in peril, and had
later schemed as a member of the Restorationist faction.
Under his command were
the viscounts and barons who had participated with him as the First Army at
that time, as well as nobles who had participated in the Fourth Army but had
responded to Count Goyoku's call and joined the rebellion, bringing the total
number to over 4,000.
The force to be wary
of was the cavalry unit of about 1,200 riders.
The Margrave had
incorporated most of his original cavalry, 1,000 riders, into the Frontier
Knights, so he was at an overwhelming disadvantage in terms of mobile forces.
"Even so, even if
he scraped together the forces of viscounts and barons, the number is
considerably larger than usual. This means they are facing this battle having
left their own domains almost empty."
The Commander seemed
to have sensed something suspicious in their inexplicable actions.
"That is
certainly true. They should be leaving 20 to 30 percent of their total forces
to defend their domains... As the Commander says, that is what they should have
done when they fought the Empire in the past."
"There is
something ominous about this rebellion itself. It would be best to be
cautious."
The Commander said
this, seeming to steel himself as well.
"Let's have
Raphael go over there one more time. To strengthen our coordination with the
Margrave, let's have him explain our operational plan.
And soon, the enemy
army will likely notice us. Let's have him report on their movements as
well."
"Indeed. The
Margrave is a veteran of a hundred battles. If he were to fight them head-on,
it would be like twisting a baby's arm."
The Commander's point
was correct. The level of training and morale between us, who have constantly
been at war starting with the Margrave, and the rebel army were completely
different.
"Also, it was
good news that my brother Darek headed for Teigoon."
"Lord Darek is my
best disciple. The defense of your domain will be perfect."
Yes, it was because of
this information that I was able to calm down and focus on the enemy before me.
"Well then,
Commander, shall we give Count Goyoku a hearty repayment for all the trouble
he's caused us? Without forgetting to be cautious."
At that moment, I was
apparently wearing a smile filled with a tremendous amount of killing intent.
And so, the battle on the outskirts of Burg began.
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