Chapter 238
The Eastern Front: Victory at Dawn
Translator : PolterGlast
On the Kyle Kingdom's eastern front, stood a heavily
fortified border fortress, flanked by defensive fortifications built on steep, unclimable cliffs to the left and right.
Working in coordination, these fortifications created a system where archers
could lay down a crossfire against enemy soldiers attacking the fort, making
the border defense famously impregnable.
However, struggling against the Istoria Imperial Kingdom's
catapult attacks utilizing Mages and trench warfare, Margrave Hamish,
who was in charge of defense, appeared to be utterly overwhelmed and helpless
from the opening battle.
"Eight days have passed since then. Any changes in the
situation?"
In the infirmary within the fortress, Margrave Hamish,
lying in a sickbed, asked one of his confidants, Baron Bauner.
The Margrave had been at the forefront of command amidst the
raining stone projectiles, inspiring and supporting his allies. However, early
in the morning on the second day of the attack, he was finally struck down by
the barrage.
Fortunately, the treatment by the accompanying Holy Mage was effective, and he
survived. He recovered sufficiently to resume command before
long, but it had been eight days since he was bedridden, and nine days were
about to pass since the war had commenced.
"Yes. As you said, the attacks have been sporadic since
then, and our damage has been minimal."
"Which means, as the Demon Territory Count said
before, the Imperial Kingdom has moved their Mages..."
The Imperial Kingdom's main attack is on the northern
border; the eastern border is a feint. Had he not been told that, the Margrave
would likely have been unable to gauge the intentions of the enemy army
weakening their offensive.
"To be completely fooled by a feint... we can only be
called comical clowns. It is about time we moved to the counterattack. Tell me
again the current damage and the status of the Mages."
"Yes. The greatest damage was to the archers stationed
on the rock walls to the left and right. About 500 from each side have dropped
out due to death or injury. Those stationed in the fort have lost 300 men.
Regarding the scouts and cavalry, a cumulative total of 600 mounted units were
lost."
"1,900 men...! ...How are the Mages?"
"Yes. Including command-class personnel, about eight Wind Mages, two Earth Mages, and one Holy Mage were killed or injured and have dropped out of the combat
force."
"I see. We did a terrible thing to them. Such precious
assets..."
Saying this, the Margrave fell silent. It was
understandable, given they had suffered a major defeat, losing more than twenty
percent of their entire army in the opening battle.
"Baron, are the water tanks intact?"
"Yes. The water stored over the past few years fills
the tanks to the limit."
Upon receiving this report, Margrave Hamish stood up
from his bed with a fearless smile.
"I see. Then this time, it is our turn to make them the
bait. The move the Demon Territory Count made for us will be the signal
for our counterattack. Baron, preparations are proceeding, correct?"
"Yes. Four Earth
Mages have been working
without rest or sleep. By tomorrow, they will reach about 300 m from the eastern rampart, just within range of the trenches
where the enemy archers are lurking. Since the second day, the enemy catapults
also changed their range; stone projectiles will not reach that position."
"Then tomorrow, we shift to an all-out
counteroffensive. Relay this order to all units immediately."
"Yes! Immediately."
At Margrave Hamish's instruction, the Eastern Border
Defense Army began to move busily.
Several facilities unknown to the Istoria Imperial
Kingdom, which had once occupied it, had been added to the Kyle Kingdom's
eastern border fortress. One of them was giant water tanks, reinforced firmly
by Earth Mages, reaching the height of the outer walls.
These water tanks were installed in four locations on the
west side of the fort. They were designed to draw water from dozens of bamboo
pipes leading from the cliffs on the left and right, and to collect rainwater
through gutters from atop the castle walls. Each tank had continued to collect
rainwater over the past few years and was now filled to the brim.
A mechanism similar to the simultaneous water attack Takuhir
had prepared as a last resort for the defense of Teigoon was also
installed in this fortress. Originally, it was installed instead of excavating
the thick bedrock to create a moat, intended to sweep away enemy soldiers
clinging to the eastern castle gate and ramparts.
And now, the time had come for these water tanks to
demonstrate their true worth for the first time.
"Report from the Earth
Mages. Four channels have
been completed to a position about 300 m from the enemy trenches!"
"Final check of the sluice gates and the internal
fortress waterways complete. No abnormalities! We can go at any time."
Nodding in satisfaction at the reports rising from various
places, Margrave Hamish gave the order.
"Then, let us go with a sunrise surprise attack as
well. Consider it payback for the opening battle. All forces, exit the fort and
advance beyond the enemy's range! Use yourselves as bait to draw all their
archers into the trenches. Wind Mages, deploy defensive formations
with Wind Walls while protecting the Water
Mages advancing at the front!"
The Margrave's order was executed immediately.
Before sunrise, the fortress gates were thrown wide open,
and the entire army defending the fort—2,500 cavalry and 3,500 archers—surged
out toward the Imperial Kingdom side all at once.
With the sun not yet fully risen, the Imperial Kingdom
commander could not hide his surprise that the Kyle Kingdom Army had
left the fortress, advantageous for defense, and invaded Istoria Imperial
Kingdom territory in great numbers.
"Are they idiots? Or have they reached the limit of
their patience? If they had just stayed quiet and held their breath inside the
fortress, they wouldn't have to die... At this rate, rather than a feint, it
looks like we're going to win, doesn't it?"
The Imperial Kingdom commander mocked the enemy army
and immediately issued instructions for a response. When he was ordered by Archbishop
Castro to take on a mission merely to draw the enemy as a decoy, removed
from the main offensive, he couldn't help but feel bitter. He cursed his
misfortune at not being able to participate in the great decisive battle on
which the Imperial Kingdom's fate hung.
But this time, due to the enemy's blunder, an opportunity
had arrived to achieve great military exploits by capturing the fortress and
boasting of his war merits. They might lack long range and raw power, and they
may be mere 'imitation' Longbowmen, but the collective might of 5,000 archers
was still absolutely devastating. A mere cavalry force of less than 3,000, charging blindly
against the glare of the sun could easily be mowed down from the trenches.
"All archers, wait in the trenches! They've gone to the
trouble of coming out here. Do not let a single horse return to the fortress!
Heavy infantry, wait in the trenches as well. Let the cavalry charge pass, then
crush the enemy archers! Other infantry, defend the catapults in units of 500!
Catapults, prepare for a barrage!"
His orders were executed immediately. When all the soldiers
of the Istoria Imperial Kingdom were in position, the sound of a bell
echoed across the battlefield.
The Kyle Kingdom Army stopped just at the edge of
firing range, as if waiting for something. Eventually, an eerie sound like the
rumbling of the earth echoed from the direction of the fortress.
"What is it? What's coming?"
The moment he thought that, water erupted all at once from
the front line of the enemy army, becoming a raging torrent. Strangely, the
erupted water did not spread out widely but became several concentrated
streams, pouring into the trenches while maintaining momentum.
"Wa-Water attack!"
"R-Run!"
Amidst the screams of the soldiers, the muddy stream rushed
through the trenches as waterways, washing everything away at once.
Seeing this, Margrave Hamish issued the attack order
he had been waiting for.
"Now! Cavalry, charge! Archers, charge into the enemy and
mow down the infantry hiding in the woods! Neutralize their catapults!"
The Kyle Kingdom Army began charging all at once. The
Water Mages guided the water flow
into the trenches, pouring in the muddy stream.
To begin with, the border between the two countries lies in
a small gap in the long mountain range connecting the borders. Naturally,
although it is a gap, the land where the fortress is built, located at one end
of the mountain range, has the highest elevation and slopes gently toward each
territory. The water flow gained momentum from that slope, flowing like a flash
flood while engulfing earth and sand.
The soldiers of the Imperial Kingdom hiding in the
trenches were tumbled about by the water flow and washed away. The wet earth
was brittle, and those trying to crawl out of the trenches fell back in along
with the collapsing soil.
Those lucky enough to crawl out of the trenches were
trampled by the hooves of the charging cavalry. Desperate to resist the water
flow, they no longer held bows in their hands to use for counterattacks.
Many other soldiers either sank into the debris flow or were
swallowed by the muddy stream, spun around, and drowned without knowing up from
down. Most tragic were the heavy infantry. Wrapped in heavy armor, unable to
float, they simply continued to roll along the bottom of the water while
struggling.
Paying no heed to the horrific carnage unfolding in the
trenches, a force of over 1,500 archers attacked
each of the two catapult emplacements. Attacked by a force three times their
number, the defenders attempted to resist, but were annihilated before
long.
Their catapults were specialized for long-range fire, and it
took time to adjust the range or respond to close range. And witnessing the
rushing water flow and the gruesome situation in the trenches, the dumbfounded
commander lost the opportunity for the precious first shot.
The catapults at the other two locations, which avoided the
attack of the Kingdom Army archers, fired the first volley of stone
projectiles, but most were blocked by the Wind Walls deployed by the Wind Mages, failing to achieve significant effect.
Eventually, the Kyle Kingdom archers who had
suppressed the two catapult locations turned to attack the remaining two, and
the enemy abandoned their catapults and fled in rout.
"Cavalry, pursue! Do not let a single one return! For
the sake of our allies fighting elsewhere, annihilate them!"
Margrave Hamish
made a ruthless decision. Normally, once the outcome was decided to some
extent, he would advise surrender or overlook fleeing enemy soldiers, but this
time he chose the path of a mopping-up operation, daring to annihilate the
enemy army.
The soldiers of the Istoria Imperial Kingdom were cut
down one after another by the cavalry advancing into Imperial Kingdom territory.
The border was painted red not only by the rising morning
sun dyeing the earth but also by the blood spilled by the soldiers of the Imperial
Kingdom.
"Hmm... Saved by the strategy left by the Demon
Territory Count again this time. It is a pathetic story for myself, but...
I have incurred another large debt..."
Checking the war results as they mopped up the enemy army, Margrave
Hamish muttered to himself.
"Leave the mopping up of remnants to the cavalry. Earth Mages will construct a new fortification ahead of this point. Fire Mages, cut down all forests within one km of the fortification
and burn all cover! Archers, change the line of fire of the catapults so they
can fire toward the Imperial Kingdom! Other Mages, cooperate with
the work."
Thus, the Eastern
Front concluded with a victory for the Kyle Kingdom, and the Istoria
Imperial Kingdom force was nearly annihilated. Margrave Hamish
constructed a new bridgehead at a point 800 m past
the border, preparing for an Imperial Kingdom counterattack.
"With this, I can say I managed to fulfill my role.
Though it is not over yet... To think I have to divert forces to the North even
a little... it is shameful."
On the northern battlefield that Margrave Hamish
worried about, neither camp yet knew of the change on the eastern border.
Count Model,
the Minister of Military Affairs,
would learn of this fact four days later upon the arrival of 2,000
reinforcement cavalry sent by Margrave Hamish, but for Archbishop
Castro, the circumstances were different.
Crossing the western border line on the second day of the war, Castro and the Mages were hurriedly riding
north to join the main unit advancing north.
By the tenth day of the war—with this battle now concluded—they
had already joined the main unit and were moving through the Uros Kingdom,
en route to the border with the Kyle Kingdom.
Another misfortune was that, under Archbishop Castro's
command, they had mobilized forces with considerable strain, betting everything
on this battle, so there were absolutely no rearguard forces at the eastern
border. Forces in the territory leading from the eastern border to the Royal Capital, and from the Royal Capital to the Uros Kingdom,
had all been mobilized to their respective fronts.
In this regard, it cannot be denied that Castro, who
was originally in a world far removed from battle, was an amateur.
A very few soldiers who escaped pursuit from the routed
decoy unit were unable to receive support from garrison soldiers that should
have been stationed in each town and village. It was eight days after this
battle that they barely managed to deliver the report of defeat to the Royal Capital.
And confused by the fact that the western border lay wide
open, the response of those remaining in the Royal Capital was poor, delaying the messenger to Castro. In
the end, the messenger sent to him traveled through the Uros Kingdom and
arrived at Castro, who had invaded the Kyle Kingdom, after
another 16 days had passed—ultimately taking over 24 days.
This fact would come to determine Castro's fate.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
-
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Corey Hicks
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Matthew Fraser
Xavier O'Donoghue
[Bronze]
Alan Sharman
Anton Lim
Austin Lorenzo
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Didntpassit
nick nasca
openope
rads
SD Fox
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
<<Prev << ToC >> Next>>
