Chapter 276
Northern Front ⑥ — The Song of God
Translator : PolterGlast
In the lands
of Agincourt, the Istoria Imperial Kingdom
Army
abandoned the fortifications they had built, falling back one line at a time.
Mirroring their movements, the Northern Army led by Count Model advanced little by little, keeping the pressure on the enemy.
"Heh heh heh. It seems they cannot use their prized
catapults while on the move. Are they so afraid of our longbowmen that they
dare not approach within range?"
"Yes, it is as Your Grace the Archbishop says. However...
was it wise to leave that man's soldiers in the rearguard?"
"General, Uros soldiers and that man's soldiers are expendable here. For the retreat, we will
place cavalry at the front to clear the way, while the main camp moves as the
middle army with the longbowmen, and solidify the very rear with Imperial
Kingdom infantry. Are the arrangements complete?"
"Yes, with longbowmen and Mages placed in the
core, whether attacked from the front or rear, while the front line holds, we
will rain arrows on the enemy's head."
This could be called a mobile Dublin Tactic, where although
they cannot deploy a defense-in-depth formation, the front cavalry and rear
infantry each act as barriers while the formation shifted.
The power of arrows fired by as many as 8,000 longbowmen
would be a considerable threat to the enemy army. Castro himself
intended that if the Kingdom Army panicked and charged recklessly, he would switch formation to defense-in-depth, lure them in, and
counterattack to slaughter them one-sidedly.
However, the situation did not proceed as he expected.
"Reporting! Dust
clouds spotted in the direction of our retreat! A considerable number of enemy
troops appear to be heading this way!"
An urgent report was brought to Castro.
"Cavalry, deploy in a line formation and intercept 100
m ahead of the longbowmen!
After contact, the center will fall
back while both wings advance! Coordinate with the wall created by the cavalry;
the longbowmen will advance on the left and right to form a defense-in-depth
formation. Prepare to fire at the maximum range of 300 m! As for the rearguard,
leave them to stall the enemy behind us—there is no need to concern ourselves
with them!"
Beside Castro, the man called General issued orders
in rapid succession. The longbowmen nocked arrows to their bows and waited for
the order to fire.
Darek and his
ten thousand cavalry charged at the enemy army, deploying in a column formation
against the enemy cavalry corps in a horizontal line formation. And dozens of
columns of cavalry, with Darek at the head, seemed about to pierce
straight into the enemy formation like a single spear.
"Erol! I leave the left wing to you. Right wing,
follow me!"
At his signal, 200 m before reaching the Imperial Kingdom cavalry corps waiting in a wall
formation, they all turned left and right simultaneously like an opening
flower, and changed formation to the same horizontal line formation as if to
completely put a lid on the Imperial Kingdom cavalry advancing to
intercept.
"Everyone, fire a volley while mounted! Ring the
bells!"
At Darek's order, all cavalrymen took out crossbows
attached to their harnesses and fired arrows in time with the third chime.
10,000 arrows, supported by Wind Mages positioned throughout the ranks,
flew through the air almost horizontally and pierced the Imperial Kingdom
cavalrymen who had deployed in front and were galloping toward them.
Since they were densely packed to support the longbowmen and
arranged to stand as a wall, they took this volley squarely.
Horses bathed in multiple arrows reared up raising death
cries, throwing off their riders. Some fell pierced by arrows along with their
beloved horses, while others fell and were trampled by horses.
Castro and the
others could only watch the scene in blank amazement. Because their prized
longbowmen were still behind the cavalry, and the defense-in-depth formation
was not yet complete. Furthermore, since they were out of range to begin
with, firing arrows recklessly would only result in friendly fire hitting their
own allies.
And with the retreat path blocked by an enemy army of 10,000
cavalry in front, and the enemy army approaching from the rear
scattering the rear guard used as sacrificial pawns by the Imperial Kingdom
Army, an army of over ten thousand led by Count Model was closing in.
Those used as sacrificial pawns and routing, in their desperate
flee toward
the front, involved even the infantry Castro
had placed in the rear, causing further confusion.
There, a loud, clear voice resonated across the battlefield.
"Brethren of the Istoria Imperial Kingdom,
please listen! I am Aura, who was once called a Divine Messenger and fought on the battlefield with you. And
here with me are 1,000 longbowmen who returned to the righteous path with
me."
"Wh-!" "Why? Where is this voice coming
from?" "More importantly... Divine Messenger-sama?"
"The stories of the Kyle Kingdom being like devils that you were told are all lies. Don't you think their act
of saving lives with utmost effort and sincerity, even for enemy soldiers they
crossed blades with, is truly an act overflowing with God's benevolence?
We had our lives saved by that very grace.
Right now, they fight only to protect their own beloved country and the people
who live there. It is the Istoria Imperial Kingdom that abuses Divine
Messengers, trapped by its own lust for power, invades a neighbor desiring
peace, and commits atrocities. Please, understand this, and do not turn your
eyes away from the truth.
Think of how they treated us when we were their enemies!
Think of how grateful those who became prisoners were! Think of why we chose,
of our own free will, to move our families to this enemy nation!
Even at this late stage, they are giving you a chance to be
saved. Please, I beg you, open your eyes! Throw down your weapons and please
remain where you are."
Then, another male voice echoed.
"She who spoke just now is a genuine Divine Messenger-sama.
We will now show you proof, but consider this a warning. Please, do not move
from where you are. Please do not force us to shoot our own brethren."
Simultaneously as the voice ended, arrows fired from far to
the west soared over the heads of the Imperial Kingdom soldiers and mowed down
the trees on the eastern side, which seemed to be the only retreat path.
It was the high-power long-range attacks called Long Spears with the
magic support of Christoph and Aura.
"Wh-what!" "That range, how on earth?"
"Mowing down trees with bows, that's..." "I remember. That is
indeed the Divine Messenger-sama's divine work." "Then... is it
really Divine Messenger Aura-sama?"
Among the 8,000 longbowmen, although few, there were
soldiers who served in the previous war and witnessed long-range shooting with Aura's
support.
"A-Aura
was alive?" "Aura-chan, safe..." "Kuh, I can't
believe it."
More than the soldiers, those who knew Aura well—of
the 12 Divine Messengers serving in this war, 8 received a great shock. To
avenge their compatriot Aura slain by the Kyle Kingdom Army; the Mages
of the Istoria Imperial Kingdom participated in this war with this as
one of their objectives.
"I am Glen, former captain of the Longbow Unit
1st Battalion. Lady Aura's words are true! Those who once ran across the
battlefield with me, please listen."
"I am Geese of the former 2nd Battalion. Our
lives were saved, and now we live peacefully with the mission to protect Divine
Messenger-sama. Please, live with us."
"Everyone, do you remember my voice? 3rd Battalion...
no, Alan the Drunkard, you'd recognize that better, right? The true
teachings of God are here. We live happily with our families. By the way, I'm
sober."
"Everyone, don't die in a war like this! 5th Battalion,
no, Reim the Heavy Drinker. This is easier to understand, right? The
booze in this country is good too, and there are a tremendous number of Divine
Messenger-samas. Some Divine Messengers are understanding and even drink with
us!"
Those who were once compatriots called out one after
another. All voices were amplified by Sound Mages and echoed across the
battlefield.
Although a
gag order had been imposed on the soldiers, strictly forbidding them from
speaking of the previous war and its aftermath, many had heard the rumors.
"Kuh... Vicious. Everyone, do not listen! It is all the
enemy army's deception. Do not lend your ears to the devil's words."
Archbishop Castro shouted loudly, but his voice was
drowned out by the amplified words of the soldiers.
At this point, he realized he was significantly inferior in
both troop numbers and morale.
And the 'truth' told by former compatriots strongly shook
the hearts of soldiers on the battlefield, far from home.
"Do not be misled! They are impostors! Apostles of the devil pretending to be our brethren! I don't
care how many sacrifices we make! Break through this encirclement from the
right wing and aim for the northern border! Move! Why won't you move?!"
Even to Castro's order, the soldiers' reaction was
very slow. Because it was obvious that the retreat path in that direction had
just been attacked by Long Spears and become a death zone.
There, a grand chorus of a song praising God, often sung in
the Istoria Imperial Kingdom, echoed. This was also sung by the 1,000
longbowmen led by Christoph waiting on the west side.
Castro, losing
patience, and some of the longbowmen, front cavalry, and rear infantry began to
flee from the battlefield aiming for the only open retreat path.
Their number exceeded 10,000, but nearly 4,000 cavalry,
infantry, and longbowmen combined parted ways with them, threw down their
weapons, remained on the spot, and began to sing in the same way.
Yes, many of those who remained there knew.
Those who returned home due to prisoner return, former
friends who chose to migrate to the Kingdom; those who heard their stories knew
of the treatment of prisoners called the Matsuyama
Method, which was utterly unbelievable in their own country, and the way of
life afterward.
Those whose lives were saved on the battlefield receiving
the Goddess's divine work from the enemy army's Divine Messenger, and the words
of gratitude they spoke with tears.
Until now, only the official announcement from the Imperial
Kingdom side, "Prisoners and brethren who migrated to the Kingdom are
exposed to misery as slaves, and we must liberate them," had been
exaggeratedly conveyed to them.
There were
many who, despite harboring doubts about these claims, had suppressed their
personal feelings and followed orders to serve in the war.
Upon hearing
the voices of those who were once their brethren, their hearts swayed
decisively in one direction, turning
their resolve into something firm.
In conducting this operation, Darek and the others
intentionally left a retreat path open to the west. Completely surrounding and
psychologically cornering the enemy army is not a good plan. Furthermore,
fighting against desperate soldiers who have lost their retreat path would only
result in heavy casualties for our side.
Rather, giving the enemy army room to be shaken, and if
lucky, striking the back of the routing enemy army and conducting a mopping-up
operation would result in fewer friendly sacrifices.
"Hmm... it's surprisingly effective. To think Sound
Magic and calling out alone would cause the enemy army to collapse this
much... Is this also Takuhir's strategy?"
Saying so, Darek muttered his admiration and issued a
new order.
"All forces, enter pursuit phase
from here. No need to chase them recklessly. The path ahead is a dead end
anyway. Leave those remaining in the center to Christoph and
the others; we will pursue slowly while joining up with the Minister of
Military Affairs' cavalry!"
Issuing this order, they began to slowly pressure the enemy
army.
At this point, further calamity befell the routing soldiers
of the Istoria Imperial Kingdom.
"It has come to this, it's now or never. If this goes
on, the battle will end. If I don't have at least a souvenir, I'll lose face!
No, it's late to say, but if I die like this, I can't apologize to my
ancestors..."
Simultaneously with those words, Ice Magic—frozen ice
spears—suddenly assaulted Castro and the others' backs.
"No good! Incoming!" "Eek!"
The ice spear piercing Castro's body inflicted a deep
wound and made him fall from his horse.
"Sa-sa-save... gueh!"
Falling to the earth and screaming, Castro was kicked
by subsequent horse hooves and vanished beneath them. Here, a man born in the Istoria
Imperial Kingdom who harbored great ambition exited the stage of history
all too simply.
And one more person...
"Avenge the Archbishop! All forces, shoot that
traitor!"
By the order of the general running alongside Castro,
the one who fired the ice spear was shot from all sides, fell with his beloved
horse receiving arrows all over his body, and never rose again.
It is said that the man's face strangely wore a satisfied
smile.
Thus, the Northern Front closed its curtain in an abrupt
form.
The Istoria Imperial Kingdom Army, having lost its
chief commander, was mopped up and annihilated in the process of routing; in
addition to the 4,000 who surrendered beforehand, they produced another 5,000
prisoners and wounded before being totally annihilated.
The Uros Kingdom Army abandoned as the rear guard was
also annihilated by the unit led by Count Model, and the former Marquis Cocyust
Army similarly placed lost many and was ultimately annihilated after fighting
amongst themselves with the Istoria Imperial Kingdom Army.
Count Model advanced north with reinforcements led by
Darek, solidified the noble territories scattered in the north, entered
the Margrave Mesquino territory on the border, and then surged into Uros
Kingdom territory as is. The Uros Kingdom, having already lost the
majority of soldiers meant to protect the homeland, surrendered unconditionally
the moment the invasion reached their Royal Capital.
The campaign invading the Kyle Kingdom from four
directions concluded in this way. This battle, which inflicted massive damage
on both defenders and invaders, left deep scars on each front.
The four invading countries—Istoria Imperial Kingdom,
Uros Kingdom, Fearalt Principality rebel army, and Griffonia Empire Army—were all
annihilated, except for the Right Wing Army led by the Third Prince.
On the other hand, on the Kyle Kingdom side as well,
except for Margrave Hamish, the three Margraves in charge of the South,
West, and North lost their lives in the campaign, and families losing their
heads appeared one after another among the surrounding nobles.
As a result, the Kyle
Kingdom was destined to be reborn. However, the battle for Takuhir and his companions would
continue for just a little bit longer.
To help the King of the neighboring country who called him a friend.
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