Chapter 359
(Kyle Calendar Year 515: Age 22)
Completion of the Encirclement Net
Translator : PolterGlast
The military force of 10,000 cavalry led by Takuhir had
been advancing south day after day in a fierce forced march, but it took a
corresponding amount of time to traverse the vast Empire territory. By the evening of this day, they had finally
arrived at the second logistical base where the merchants lay in wait, but they
had still only digested approximately half of the entire distance.
「Even so, the Empire territory is vast. Having actually run through it myself, I
feel its sheer scale anew.」
In this world, a map with an accurate scale does not exist.
Even distance is merely roughly assigned as the time distance moving along a
highway. Therefore, just as the Commander said, one only experiences that
distance for the first time by actually moving.
「That's right. Moving an army across
this scale makes it painfully clear that fighting a nation with this much
territory isn't just standard warfare—it's sheer recklessness. I
myself have experienced traveling from Teigoon
to the new territory governed by Count Model,
but moving an entire legion across a distance that far surpasses even that...
it really hits home just how monumental of a task this truly is. 」
「Indeed. Without their support, it
probably wouldn't have been realistic...」
Saying so, the Commander looked at the merchants who had
advanced to this supply base, and Accelerata conversing with them. Even
the distance we have advanced so far is roughly equivalent to the distance I
traveled from Teigoon through Kleirat and Salaam to Feari
when I was 20 years old in the past. Is there still nearly double that...
Thinking so, I felt like my mind was going to go blank anew.
With
long-distance movement as our baseline premise, the entire army's equipment has
been standardized to light cavalry and horse archers, completely doing away
with any supply carts or transport wagons. That is precisely why we are able to
ride long distances day after day without crushing our horses,
but it also makes me understand anew just how worthy of absolute admiration the
exploits of the Mongol Empire were in
Earth's history. Whether it's entirely true or not,
it is said that they prepared spare mounts and could sometimes travel over 100
kilometers in a single day, and experiencing this firsthand makes me realize
all over again that such a feat is nothing short of absolute madness. Well... we are doing a forced march close to that, though...
Much less, the convenience of movement in modern Japan and movement in this era
are completely different. I also occasionally have the bad habit of thinking of
unreasonable movement in this era based on past memories.
「It was fortunate that a
corresponding number of fresh horses were made it in time this time.」
Even though I said that, assembling enough spare mounts to
accommodate an entire army of ten thousand was utterly impossible. Even for the
homeland defense I entrusted to Alexis,
strategic retreat was kept in mind, meaning every single unit required a vast
number of riding horses. Therefore, the Commander had prepared everything down
to the absolute, razor-thin limit of our capacity.
「The Westlights Demon Territory
Dukedom, even after its founding, has actively procured cavalry from the Kyle
Kingdom and the Empire, and
prided itself on the extremely high cavalry ratio among its soldiers... and
yet, I am deeply sorry that our efforts still fell short.」
「No... this is something I chose, and
it’s not your responsibility, Commander. Besides...」
The logistics Sieghart had arranged also included
fresh horses. A massive number of mounts were also prepared at the villages we
stopped at so far, and the bases set up by the merchants. Perhaps because of
that, the number of cavalry increased with every march, and we were able to
hurry ahead while changing horses as needed. Accelerata called this road
a communication line (supply line) connecting north and south in an emergency,
but he probably also considered using it as a retreat path in the event an
unforeseen situation occurred in either direction. It is equivalent to me
maintaining the highways domestically and setting up Roadside Stations; it
means Sieghart had also been working within the Empire.
Even so, the
number of horses we've managed to secure at this particular logistical base is
quite substantial! We don't have the leeway like the Mongol army, but we can continue running without burdening the
mounts by rotating them to some extent. Therefore, our pace from here on will
probably be faster than before.
「...His Majesty the Archduke?」
Ah, no good, I was lost in thought. It seems I missed Accelerata's
words.
「Judging by your expression, it seems
you have a report for me…… and most likely, of the unfavorable kind. My
apologies, but please, go ahead and deliver it」
「Yes, it's information just obtained
from the merchants, but the First Prince has already departed Griffin
leading a military force of about 10,000 cavalry.」
「In that case, the destination is... Ende
after all? Can they hold it to the very end?」
「They can manage to hold out for a
short while. However…… it is highly likely they will choose not to engage in an
all-out, thorough resistance. What went ahead was 10,000 cavalry, but they say
a 20,000-strong army is proceeding with preparations for departure as followers.」
「hirty thousand, then…… Exactly as
our worst-case scenario predicted…… A bulls-eye I take absolutely no joy in
hitting. So, do you believe they intend to deploy onto the southern front as
well?」
「No, they will probably deploy the
army on the old border line and take a move to cut off the retreat path. Of
course, if we advance the battle advantageously, it's also possible they will
advance into the new territory under the pretext of reinforcements and shoot
arrows at our backs...」
「So until they explicitly declare
their allegiance and raise their banners, our hands are completely tied as
well? That is an incredibly thorny predicament.」
「Yes, Your Majesty—it is impossible
for us to initiate an attack from our side first. I am deeply sorry for causing
you such distress.」
「Excuse me, I have one more point I
am concerned about. I believe more than 20 days have probably passed since Sir Accelerata departed the Big Bridge Fortress until we arrive as
reinforcements... but how is the situation on the front lines?」
The Commander's doubt was something I also felt. Right now,
he was in the middle of a massive round trip across the vast Empire
territory—traveling from south to north, and now reversing direction to sprint
from north to south. Even assuming he could use the maintained main highway for
the shortest distance on the outward journey, and even if he changed horses and
horse-drawn wagons at every city and dashed through day and night, it’s a
journey that would easily take over ten days. Moreover, in this era, nighttime
movement is basically impossible. And heading south again with us... if we
spend a corresponding number of days, there's a possibility the war situation
has changed greatly.
Not only that. Even hypothetically, if they spurred their
horses day and night, the humans moving are irreplaceable. As long as they are
humans, eating, sleeping, and taking daily rests are necessary, and it would be
physically quite severe as well. In an anecdote about the Forty-seven Ronin
famous in Chushingura, there's a
story that a fast palanquin in the Edo period dashed through 620km in a mere
four and a half days, but... perhaps there are also points in this world that
cannot be judged by the common sense of modern Japan. But even so...
「Remarkably resilient...」
「Yes, Yes, Your Majesty—just as you
say, the fortress of Big Bridge is
absolutely impregnable. Under my lord’s
exceptional command, they are undoubtedly holding the line with ironclad
resilience.」
Ah... no, Accelerata-kun, that’s not exactly the
sense in which I meant it, you know? Well…… I
guess it’s fine.
「Even so, since Sir Accelerata
moved hurriedly from that fortress to Kusanagi, it must have been tough.」
Commander, nice supplement! As expected, you understand.
「That is... in the southern area of
the Empire during this season,
strong winds blow from south to north. So there are also parts where it can be
easy.」
「Winds...? Don't tell me, waterways?」
「Yes, it is exactly as Your Majesty
has so wisely discerned. We had heard rumors that water transport was not highly developed in
the Kyle Kingdom, but as
expected, your erudition is truly profound. Because it
is not a massive waterway, it cannot be used to transport large armies or
immense amounts of military supplies, but we ourselves have always utilized
this very channel whenever we needed to send sugar from the south to the north.」
Certainly, if utilizing waterways, it is possible to
continue moving 24 hours a day. Moreover, if just riding on a boat, sleeping and
eating can be done without any problems. If a strong south wind is blowing, if
you raise a sail, you can likely proceed at a decent speed even going upstream
against the current. No, wait... south wind?
When I was thinking so, my eyes met the Commander's.
「Sir Accelerata, for how long do you expect that south wind to continue
blowing so fiercely?」
「Sir Weiss's concern is reasonable. In all likelihood, it will persist
throughout the entirety of summer.」
「Takuhir-sama...」
Yeah, the content the Commander pointed out also relates to
the foundation of our tactics. Up to now, combining Wind Magic with the Esthol Bow and Longbow, we have fought advantageously with a
so-called out-range tactic. Right now, heading towards the enemy army deployed
in the south, the battlefield for us is a headwind; if that happens, the wind
becomes a great enemy.
「I think His Majesty the Archduke's
concern is a reasonable matter. Following my lord's
orders, we intend to understand a fragment of His Majesty's basic tactics. For
that purpose, we plan to guide you to the optimal location according to the war
situation. Well... there are other reasons as well, though.」
「Are you saying enemy armies are
swarming on the north side as well?」
「Yes, considering the time difference
in information, it is highly likely that upon our arrival, 30,000 enemies will
be deployed south of Ende, and 10,000 to the west, and the north side of
Big Bridge cannot be called a safe zone either...」
「Hahaha, so it
means conducting a breakthrough of enemy lines for our allies who will be
surrounded by 130,000 enemies by the time we arrive, huh.」
While the Commander laughed boldly, my cheeks were twitching
slightly. What anyone else would absolutely call reckless upon hearing, we are
about to do right now. Due to that heavy pressure, I felt my stomach hurt the
further south we proceeded.
Exactly as Accelerata's words, at this time the advance unit led by the First Prince had already closed in right to the north side of Ende. And on the other battlefield, the northern Empire, the movements of the enemy armies were also becoming earnest. While the war situation began to move and the eyes and ears of the parties involved and the surroundings were focused on the two front lines, piercing this gap, there were also those advancing north along the byway that Takuhir and the others had dashed through, but this fact had not yet been grasped by either camp.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
-
[Gold]
B random
Nepheos
[Silver]
Corey Hicks
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Jake Seagraves
Matthew Fraser
Tbaum56
Xavier O'Donoghue
Anton Lim
Austin Lorenzo
Baelee
Bloodyemperor
Ctdela
Curious Panda
David Bankole
Enrique Miranda
nick nasca
SD Fox
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
