Chapter 399
(Kyle Calendar Year 515: Age 22)
Southern Front ⑮ – That Which
Had Been Long Awaited
Translator : PolterGlast
The Sura Principality
army, which had severely disrupted its formation due to an attack resembling a
pre-dawn natural disaster, finally regained its chain of command around
sunrise, and had pulled back and repositioned its encampment to the southwest
of Big Bridge Fort. Their expressions,
which had been convinced of victory until last night and immersed in a
triumphant mood, had changed drastically. While feeling bitter about that
situation, the two generals in a position to command the Sura Principality army on the battlefield were discussing how they
should fight from here on out.
「How is it? Has the soldiers'
agitation settled down?」
「Right. That was merely a bluff. The
light and sound are tremendous, but the light is only effective at night, and
the sound is nothing special once you get used to it.」
「Right. It will take time for the
cavalry horses to get used to it, but it looks flashy and the fire isn't that
much. Unless it's a direct hit, it's just a few burns, and the direct damage is
far less than an attack from a catapult.」
As they said, even Takuhir himself who utilized it knew this
was nothing more than a "first-time kill". It only produced a great
effect on the first sight precisely because it was a surprise attack during the
sleeping hours of late night.
「So, how is it? What's the enemy's
situation?」
「It seems that when the encirclement
was broken earlier, about two thousand bow and arrow soldiers secretly left the
fort and hid. After the attack, it seems those bastards fled back into the fort
again. Because there are people who confirmed that state.」
With poor visibility late at night, the headquarters itself
in confusion, and the soldiers falling into a state of panic, they were unable
to grasp accurate information. Only that there were ambushing bow and arrow
soldiers on the north side. That the number of arrows left on the scene when
morning broke was equivalent to two thousand. That lights were lit in the
hidden passage on the north side, and the enemy army used it to retreat into
the fort. That was all that was known as fact.
「So, what are we going to do? Over
two thousand soldiers on the north side are dead or injured and useless. Even
including some injured soldiers, we barely have eight thousand, about that
much...」
「You mean to say most of them tripped
and injured themselves while running around in a panic!?
How infuriating. And what about communication from the unit that went out in
pursuit?」
「Yeah, where are they frantically
pursuing... I just had a messenger run to tell them to join us. Our army is
less than forty thousand against a fort where twenty thousand enemies are holed
up. In a siege battle, that's unreliable.」
「Indeed... Then let's order the new
arrivals to be the main attack, and we'll encamp to the south and west to
solidify the encirclement. Even knowing it will fall eventually since it's an
isolated siege without reinforcements, it's an irritating story.」
「Oh? By new arrivals... you mean he
is coming out?」
「Yeah, the messenger I sent out
earlier returned. That bastard, as a result of me denouncing the fault of
adding traitors to their circle and threatening to pull back our camp and
demand new reparations, seems to have departed Ende in a great panic.」
「Then we shall expect those thirty
thousand to work, and we shall be bystanders. Eventually the ten thousand
cavalry we dispatched will probably return as well.」
The recognition of the two generals speaking so had fatal
discrepancies in several parts. First, the pursuit army they sent out had
already suffered heavy damage, and the defeated soldiers were routing to the
south. Second, ten thousand cavalry reinforcements who had secretly traversed
an impossible distance had arrived. Third, the Third Prince they thought they had struck down was alive and well,
and had joined up along with five thousand cavalry. As a result of those, the Third Prince's side had also greatly
expanded its forces, and the military strength holed up in the fort had become
thirty-seven thousand, which in reality was a number rivaling them right now.
However, as a result of Takuhir and
the others maneuvering cleverly, that was not something they knew.
Meanwhile, at Big
Bridge Fort as well, a war council was being held to examine future
responses. Compared to the previous time, the expressions of the Empire Army staff officers were bright, and there was no sign of tension or eagerness whatsoever. There, several proposals for an
offensive were brought out, but Takuhir
seemed negative towards them.
「It seems Lord Takuhir is opposed to an offensive.
Do you mean we should hole up and quietly observe as is for a while?」
「Your Highness, I am not opposed to
an offensive itself, but I believe we should wait for the time for a little
while now. We should pretend to be holding our ground at the very limit, and
need to gather the enemy army a little more right now.」
「Then the encirclement will become thicker
and we will become even more disadvantaged; there were concerns like that, though?」
「Even if it becomes thicker, we just
have to break it. Rather, we should wait to make it thicker. To begin with, to
the enemy army, this fort is an annoying existence that looks like it will fall
but doesn't. Because once they lift the encirclement, they will begin to
wriggle and take villainous actions.」
Sieghart listened to those words grinning. Because the very
person carrying out "villainous acts" towards the enemy army in the
first place was saying that.
「The Sura Principality army was convinced of victory and dispersed their
military strength. Now that we have defeated them individually, those bastards
don't have enough soldiers to forcefully push forward a siege battle. If so,
what will happen next?」
Sieghart responded to Takuhir's
question.
「They will probably summon that fool
(the First Prince) who got carried
away. After all, that fool is in Ende
right now. Because on that side as well, the war won't end unless they strike
us down, so sooner or later they will probably join the war.」
「...」
(That fool... he means the First
Prince, right. Is that okay?)
「Hahaha, don't mind it. This man (Sieghart) has a foul mouth. He's an
insolent fellow who doesn't hesitate to call a fool a fool, regardless of
whether they are royalty.」
「Your Highness, isn't that a harsh
way to put it? Prince Glorious is a
criminal of high treason who showed rebellious intent towards the Empire. That
is exactly why I called him that. Before that, I only called him a fool in
front of Your Highness.」
「...」
(No, I feel like that
doesn't change much either, though...)
「By the way, His Majesty the Archduke, earlier you said that no matter how thick the encirclement
becomes, you will show that you can easily break it, but with what kind of
tactics do you intend to deal with it?」
Sieghart bit into that with his eyes sparkling. He tried to hear in
detail about Takuhir's tactics shown
yesterday before this conference, but he was reprimanded by Grat.
『Your Highness gives away pledges too
easily. Please do not interfere with my intellectual curiosity from now on.』
Takuhir was also informed by a wryly smiling Grat that he had rebuked Grat
saying so.
「Well... we have constantly prepared
counterattack means in siege battles in preparation for the Empire Army's invasion for many years. Depending on the situation,
tactics vary...」
When he said that much, Sieghart's
eyes sparkled again. However, Takuhir
himself also wouldn't do something like revealing his hand in such a war
council. Feeling the flow of the conversation was bad, Grat changed the topic.
「By the way, Lord Takuhir, putting aside the story of
weapons that should be concealed for now, that weapon said to have made that
fool lose his footing in Aegis and
thwarted the rebel army's intentions in Feari,
did you bring it this time as well?」
What Grat pointed
to was the annihilation weapon the Demon
Territory Dukedom boasted of, an attack method called the Diffusion Magic Cannon. Detailed
information on this one hadn't been made public either, but its power and the
war results it brought were recognized to the extent that it became a topic of
conversation in various countries.
「I do have it this time as well.
Only... I want to carefully consider where to use it. Because if I get carried
away and use that, then it really can't be helped if I am called a
slaughterer, a Demon King.」
『Already, there are fellows who call
me that in some countries, though.』
At the end, Takuhir
muttered regretfully in a small voice, and further continued his words.
「I only intend to use it against
those worthy of being shot by it, those who have carried out similar massacres.
Those who shoot should be prepared to be shot at. That is what I think. Because
the greatest meaning of that weapon is to break their will to fight, so to
speak, intimidation.」
「Hahaha, to us who do not possess it,
those are words with a pleasant ring. I am the same. By using that weapon
watching for an opportunity, I wish to intimidate that fool who got carried
away, break the soldiers' will to fight, and save the lives of the officers and
soldiers who reluctantly obeyed even a little more.」
「Certainly, if he understands that that
is here, the First Prince who once
had a painful experience in Aegis
will likely be quite surprised. I acknowledge Your Highness's proposal.」
「Then, since the opinions of Your
Highness and His Majesty the Archduke
have aligned, please set that up on the northern wall. In my estimation,
they will come from the north.」
「Sieghart, your grounds for that?」
「To begin with, that fool is in Ende north of here. In addition, the
existence of the hidden passage in the north must have become widely known by
now. Because if it were me, I would use it during the capture, or expand it and
secure an approach route. Much less there is a castle gate on the north wall
too.」
『That's certainly true. If it were
me, it would take time, but before a siege battle, I would fill in the
surroundings of this fort and strip it completely bare. It wouldn't just be a
moat, but the entire surrounding area, so it would take time...』
Takuhir also thought so, and gave a large nod to Sieghart's words. Seeing that, Sieghart also smiled broadly and turned
back to Takuhir.
「Then after the conference ends, I
would like to consult with His Majesty the Archduke a little more about 'villainous petty tricks'. Would that
be alright?」
「Understood.」
After this, the two collated information on the weapons they respectively held, and went into preparations to set up a perfect interception posture. And the next day, exactly as they expected, a new military force appeared from the northern direction. The Empire Army amounting to thirty thousand, who originally should have been allies, entered the war as reinforcements for the Sura Principality army...
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