Chapter 168
The Rebel
Army's Battle ⑪ -
Battle in the Suburbs of Burg ② : Dublin's
Trap
Translator : PolterGlast
To Count Goyoku, on
the verge of conquering the city of Burg, an unsettling report arrived.
"A report from
the scouts. To our rear, on the highway leading toward the Royal Capital, a
force of several hundred has taken up position, using the forest as a
shield."
Count Goyoku received
the scout's report in front of his assembled generals.
"Speak in detail!
Whose army is it? Friend or foe?"
"Well...
strangely enough, the banner appears to be that of Baron Solis..."
"Darek of the
Frontier Knights! How did he manage to circle around to our rear?"
"No, that's not
it. The banner seems to be that of the younger brother, and we were also able
to confirm the flag of the accompanying Frontier Knights Fifth Corps..."
"What is the
meaning of this? Aren't they on the eastern border?"
The scout had no way
of knowing such circumstances. He remained silent, his head bowed.
"Perhaps he
deserted the battlefield when the rebellion was exposed? My, my, to flee in the
face of the enemy, what a despicable fellow," a viscount under the Count's
command stated his personal opinion with a sneer.
"Indeed, an
unforgivable fool. But how rude of him to block our rear and interfere with the
capture of Burg. This is intolerable."
Having received the
report just as he was about to attack the Margrave, the Count was extremely
displeased, feeling as though this cunningly maneuvering enemy had thwarted him
at the outset.
"If it is a force
of several hundred, please leave them to us. We will show you that we can crush
them in an instant..." boasted another viscount, not under his direct
command but who had answered his call to arms, puffing out his chest. They did
not know the strength of Takuhir's army when it was their enemy. The impression
that had been strongly left on them was of their struggle during a reckless
charge at the end of the previous war, when they had been saved by Viscount Gorman's
army.
"No, no, his army
likely has mages. We too shall face them with our full strength. And all mages
are to be taken as prisoners."
Count Goyoku, who
prided himself as the leader of the punitive force against the traitors (as they
understood his position), replied magnanimously, hiding his ulterior motives.
『Once captured, they are mine. All of his mages will
become my property. 』
He was thrilled to
have gained the opportunity to make the beautiful female mages under Baron
Solis his own, something he had once given up on.
"Viscount Gogan,
I am giving you the most important mission.
Take 2,000 infantry
and 500 archers and get behind the city of Burg, which the Margrave is
defending. Do you understand? When you move, act in a particularly conspicuous
manner to draw the Margrave's attention.
As my nephew, you
shall carry out your duty as my second-in-command!"
"Yes, sir!
Well... is it only to draw their attention? With the forces you are entrusting
to me, our numbers are almost equal to the Margrave's. We could defeat them for
you."
"Hahaha, I like
that spirit! But hold back this time. This is part of an important strategy, so
do not act on your own."
The Count said this,
rebuking his nephew.
The Count himself
inwardly disliked his nephew, whose personality—greedy and arrogant—was like
looking at himself in a mirror. He had intended to keep him away from the main
battlefield this time as well.
There was another
reason.
There was a fact that
had not been revealed to the nobles who had answered his call and participated
in this war. This was the second reason he had decided on this deployment.
That it was Count
Goyoku's faction that was in league with the Empire.
Therefore, it was they
themselves who were the rebel army.
That the final plan
was to invite the Imperial army into the kingdom.
Other than his nephew,
there was no one here who knew these truths.
All others who knew
this secret had been given the task of conquering the pro-Margrave nobles in
other regions.
The nobles gathered
here were fools who had believed the false information about a rebellion and
the fake royal decree that Count Goyoku had fabricated.
Moreover, they had
been told that a large reward would be given according to the number of troops
they contributed, guaranteed by His Majesty the King himself. Lured by this
non-existent bait, blinded by greed, they were clowns, even more pitiful than
fools, who had pushed themselves to the limit to bring the largest force they
could muster.
In their minds, they
were only thinking of siding with the winning horse for an easy victory and
receiving honor and a large reward.
What's more, they had
been told that the territory to be distributed after the war would be vast, an
opportunity for promotion in rank and an increase in their domains, and they
were fired up.
Due to these
circumstances, it was undeniable that he had no choice but to entrust the parts
he could not oversee to his nephew, the only one among the accompanying army
who knew the situation.
"Tch, does he
plan to take all the credit for himself? No, is his aim the mages? As always, a
greedy bastard."
Viscount Gogan, who
had muttered this so as not to be heard, could not bring himself to like his
greedy and lecherous uncle. To an outside observer, it was simply what one
would call a case of mutual dislike between kindred spirits.
"We will take a
force of 1,700 and eliminate the threat to our rear! Do not forget, the mages
must not be killed. At worst, you may kill the men, but if there are women
among the enemy, there is a high probability they are mages. Do not, under any
circumstances, kill the women! Now, gentlemen, to battle!"
The Count emphatically
reminded his allies.
Unlike the marquesses
of the Restorationist faction, he had seen the prowess of mages on the
battlefield with his own eyes. Therefore, he understood the value of the mages
under Baron Solis better than they did.
However, the Count's
highest priority was not the value of mages in battle, but simply his own
desires...
※
And so, the two armies
confronted each other on the outskirts of the city of Burg.
Against Baron Solis's
army of 1,000, Count Goyoku's army numbered 1,700, mainly cavalry. However, the
500 longbowmen under Baron Solis were hidden in the forest, so on the surface,
he appeared to have only 500 men.
"Hmph, so he
scraped together some forces from somewhere. As if such a hastily assembled
army could be of any use. The enemy has less than half our number! Our victory
is as good as guaranteed!"
Although he was
slightly surprised by the army, which had grown from the initial 200, Count
Goyoku was still overwhelmingly superior in numbers and, confident of victory,
he inspired his allies.
"Yeah!"
A great cheer rose
from Count Goyoku's camp.
Baron Solis's Army
森森森 ▽ 森森森
森森 ▼ ▼ ▼▼▼ ▼ ▼ 森森
森▽森 ▼▼▼ ▼▼▼ 森▽森
森▽森 ▼ ▼ 森▽森
森▽森 ‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥‥ 森▽森
森▽森 森▽森
森▽森 森▽森
森▽森 森▽森
森▽森 森▽森
森▽森 森▽森
森▽森 森▽森
森▽森 森▽森
森▽森 ●●●●● 森▽森
森▽森 ●●●●● 森▽森
森森森 森森森
森森森 森森
Count Goyoku's Army
〇〇〇〇 〇〇〇〇 〇〇〇〇
〇〇〇〇 〇〇〇〇 〇〇〇〇
〇〇〇〇 〇〇〇〇 〇〇〇〇
〇〇〇〇 △△△△ 〇〇〇〇
〇〇〇〇 △△△△ 〇〇〇〇
〇〇〇〇 △△△△ 〇〇〇〇
△△△△
△△△△△△
△△△
森 :
Forest
▼ :
Cadet Knights Crossbowmen (300)
● :
Frontier Knights Fifth Corps Cavalry (200)
▽ :
Istoria Imperial Kingdom Soldiers (500)
.. : Obstacles (Pitfalls, abatis,
etc.)
〇 :
Count Goyoku's Army Cavalry (1200)
△ :
Count Goyoku's Army Infantry (500)
From the perspective
of the army led by Baron Solis, it seemed that the Goyoku allied army, centered
on the cavalry pressing from the front, had blocked the highway beyond the
forest and was pushing in.
"They've come at
us with the exact move we expected, arrogant in their numbers. As planned, we
will now lure them into our annihilation formation. All troops, charge the
enemy's left flank!"
Under the command of
Commander Weiss, Baron Solis's army began its charge.
The 200-strong cavalry
group formed up in perfect order and charged toward the enemy's left flank in a
column.
"The fools have
begun a reckless charge. Relay to the vanguard: the left flank will receive the
enemy's charge, the center will strike their flank! The right flank will remain
on standby."
Count Goyoku, who was
in the rear of the center, sent out the order.
In fact, he and his
personal troops were on standby at the safest position in the very back. Count
Goyoku knew the power of Baron Solis's crossbows and was wary of their fire, so
he had placed the armies of the nobles he could afford to lose at the vanguard.
"I thank you all
for answering my call this day, and I grant you the honor of the vanguard and
the merit of victory."
Having been told this
by the Count, in a battle where victory seemed certain, they had eagerly taken
up the vanguard position.
However, 100 m before
the allied formation, Baron Solis's army suddenly swerved, began to move as if
to cross their front, and demonstrated the remarkable skill of firing their
crossbows from horseback.
The forces of the left
flank, which had been advancing to intercept, took crossbow bolts one after
another, and the number of those falling from their horses was endless.
The enemy was
attacking from horseback at a full gallop, so their aim should have been poor.
But the soldiers of Goyoku's army were shaken by the fact that many of the
shots were accurate.
However, Count Goyoku
smirked as he watched the scene.
"A perfect
opportunity! The fools have armed their cavalry with crossbows. They can't even
reload properly on horseback. Now is the time! All troops, charge the enemy's
main camp!"
The threat of the
crossbows he had feared was suddenly diminished.
Having seen through
this, at the Count's command, they let out a war cry and charged all at once
down the highway sandwiched between the forests, heading for the enemy camp.
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