Chapter 404
(Kyle Calendar Year 515: Age 22)
Southern Front ⑳ - Former Master and
Servant
Translator : PolterGlast
Once he decided to retreat, the First Prince's speed
of escape was faster than the Third Prince had imagined. Of course, it
was none other than because he was abandoning the slow-moving infantry and
baggage trains along the way to flee, but there were two other reasons why he
succeeded in withdrawing from the battlefield. The first was that roughly two
thousand soldiers who showed loyalty to the First Prince until the very
end put their lives on the line to block the pursuing enemy soldiers. They were
primarily the soldiers under Harry's command who had lost their master,
but it is said that even the pursuing Third Prince was moved by their
loyalty and couldn't help but feel a slight pang of pain in his heart. The
second was that the offensive of the Principality of Sura Army pressing
their attack from the south was extraordinary. Until now, they had constantly
struggled in their attack, unable to even leave a scratch on the city walls.
Then, even if only temporarily, the First Prince's Army, which had just
joined the battle, dyed the city walls of the detestable enemy army in
hellfire. The magnificent flames engulfing the north city wall could be seen
even by them, positioned on the opposite side. They, who had been adopting a
wait-and-see approach and watching the transition of the battle situation on
the north side, were astonished; feeling pressured that they would lose face at
this rate, they had no choice but to begin a desperate attack. Due to such
circumstances, the Third Prince's army was not permitted to become
absorbed solely in pursuit.
「Grat-denka, please
pull back! One who is called a famous general also knows when to withdraw. You
must not forget this!」
The Third Prince—who was mourning the subordinates he
had lost so far and fiercely pursuing with the flames of revenge boiling in his
chest—returned to his senses at these words from Weiss, gave up the
pursuit, and temporarily withdrew his army. Truth be told, among the Third
Prince's close aides, those who could offer such direct advice had already
been lost. This was because all such individuals had thrown themselves into a 『Sutegamari』 strategy to let their lord escape and scattered during the
first battle where they suffered a great defeat. Under such circumstances, even
as a guest general, Weiss possessed the courage and cool-headed gaze to
dare commit a discourtesy and reprimand the Third Prince. Hearing that
story later, it is said that Takuhir couldn't help but smile wryly,
realizing that this was exactly the 『Protection』 that Sieghart had hoped for.
「General Weiss, you have my
gratitude for your direct advice. At that rate, driven by a desire for revenge,
I would have lost sight of what is important. So, what does the general judge
would be best to do from here on?」
「Ha, I am grateful for your tolerant
words. In that case, I believe it would be good to entrust ourselves to this flow
for now.」
Being told that, the Third Prince made a surprised
expression and unconsciously gave a wry smile.
「I believe you were the one telling
me to stop the pursuit earlier?」
「Pursuit is a poor plan, but halting
the offensive is also a poor plan. First, we should take control of the
soldiers who have submitted to us, lead the entire army as it is to bypass the
battlefield, and strike the rear of the Principality of Sura Army, which
is launching an offensive from the south.」
This was a bold proposal. The army led by the Third
Prince, even if its numbers had somewhat decreased in the recent battle,
was only five thousand cavalry. In addition, the Demon Territory Knights
that Weiss led and advanced to the battlefield with were eight thousand
cavalry. He was saying they should face an enemy army of nearly forty thousand
with a combined military force of thirteen thousand, so... Paying no mind to
such a Third Prince, Weiss continued his words.
「Right now, the enemy army is
desperately launching an offensive, trying to cling to the south city wall. We
must strike before they learn of their ally's defeat on the north side and
rebuild their formation! My lord in the fort will surely not overlook this
golden opportunity either.」
「I see, so we shift the flow to our
side all at once... However, between your army and mine, a combined thirteen
thousand, can we accomplish that?」
The Third Prince's point at this time was correct.
However, Weiss was not the kind of man to spout big talk without a
basis.
「Fufufu, battles are not fought with
numbers. Normally this would be the excuse of the weak, but sometimes it also
becomes the truth. Battle is always something conducted by people. Meticulous
preparation and strategy are a major premise, but the 『Opportunity』 and the 『Flow』
are with us right now.」
Saying so, Weiss smiled fearlessly and raised his
hand. Upon doing so, several men stepped forward from behind him.
「Forgive my presumption, but first, I
would like Denka to bestow
some words upon them.」
「Don't tell me you guys... since
when?」
In the midst of the pursuit battle, Weiss had already
made his next move and prepared for 『what lay ahead』. This was because he had dispatched Eisen, Fero,
Ferm, Yaurun, and others—who were under his command as former
iron cavalrymen of the First Prince's Royal Guard Army—to the units of
those who had joined our side midway, in order to confirm their true
intentions. Currently standing behind Weiss were the commanders who had
gathered after being invited by the four who were formerly their comrades; the
five who were introduced simultaneously dismounted their horses and prostrated
themselves on the earth.
「Even though we did not know the
truth, we humbly apologize for drawing our bows against the Empire (Denka)! Please, forgive us! If we
may ask, an opportunity to restore our honor!」
「We simply wished to protect the Empire,
and in thinking so, advanced down the wrong path. We are deeply sorry! The
responsibility for joining the unruly rebel army lies with me. Please, I ask
for a lenient disposition for the soldiers!」
「We are an army dispatched by the
order of our master, but we have made a decision, considering the Empire
to be more important now than our lord's intentions. We wish to work to our
heart's content under Denka,
and thereby restore the honor of our lord!」
「We learned the truth from Denka's words, and now feel ashamed
of our own shallowness. Please, grant us permission to follow Denka! We wish to be granted an
opportunity to prove our loyalty to the Empire!」
「I had always felt doubts about why
we were concluding a peace treaty with an enemy nation that had invaded Imperial
Territory. Besides... as a knight, I could not overlook such cowardly
behavior! I wish to fulfill my pride as an Imperial Soldier.」
The origins of those who appealed in tears while saying so
varied. To begin with, for this expedition, the First Prince (Glorious)
had summoned not only his own Royal Guard Army but various soldiers
remaining in the Empire.
・ Commanders of the frontier guard units who were summoned in
response to this national crisis
・ Those dispatched from the Emperor's Royal Guard
Army guarding the Imperial Capital for the defense of the Empire
・ Those dispatched by the Margraves of the pro-First Prince
faction who hold dominion over the southeastern region of the Empire
・ Those who manage the former northern frontier noble soldiers
whose houses were abolished and absorbed into the First Prince's Army
・ Those who served for many years as the First Prince's
Royal Guard Army and had continued to maintain interactions with their
former colleagues (Yaurun and the others)
「Ohh! You are the ones who did well
to return to the righteous path. I offer my thanks anew. As per my earlier
words, the crimes shall not be questioned, so apologies are unnecessary. There
is but one request I have of you! From here on, we shall strike down the enemy
army that has invaded the Empire and recover our national territory! For
that purpose as well, I want you to lend me your strength.」
「「「「「Yes!」」」」」
「Denka,
with this we are now twenty-three thousand. If we can catch them in a pincer
attack with a surprise assault and a counterattack from the fort, it seems
there is a chance of victory for us...」
Saying so, Weiss smiled fearlessly. And the Third
Prince recognized anew the true worth of the man named Weiss, whom Sieghart
evaluated highly.
「So General Weiss, you were already moving with an eye on the
future even in the midst of that battle... I am no match for you. If you had been under my command, we might have been able
to destroy the Principality of Sura long ago.」
The words Grat unconsciously muttered were precisely
the facts of the path history should have originally followed. Because in the
previous history, these two had cooperated, completely defeated the Principality
of Sura Army, and destroyed it...
「Well, we have constantly faced off
for many years against all of you who overwhelmingly surpassed us in numbers...」
For these words of Weiss, in the previous history, 『all of you』 was simply replaced by 『the Principality of Sura』. If one were to say which was which, Sieghart
excelled at overturning strategically disadvantageous situations, while Weiss
excelled at overturning tactically disadvantageous conditions; there was such a
difference.
「Then we, with thirteen thousand
cavalry, will bypass the battlefield and advance rapidly, striking the rear of
the enemy army from the southeast. The ten thousand, including infantry, will
pass through the flank of the wetlands from the west side, and combined with
the fort, we will attack and annihilate the enemy army from three directions
all at once!」
After declaring so, the Third Prince laughed and
turned back to Weiss.
「How's that? Can I get a passing
grade from the general with this?」
「As you command.」
Originally, they were two who fought together as master and
servant, and they had good compatibility not only in coordination on the
battlefield but also in personality, so Weiss also responded with a
satisfied smile.
「Then we depart immediately! Imperial
Soldiers, we shall annihilate the enemy army in one fell swoop here and
take back our national territory!」
「Entire army of the Demon Territory Knights, follow
me!」
「「「「Yeah!」」」」
They, who had been entirely on the defensive until now, would strike out from the front for the first time, taking the victory in the northern direction as their opportunity. The situation of the long battle finally began to move rapidly toward its final phase here.
-----
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
Baelee
Christopher Feliciano
Ctdela
Curious Panda
nick nasca
SD Fox
Sébastien Dionne
Z
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
