Volume 9 Chapter 7 (1/2)

There was half a month left of the deadline set by the emperor.

Folker Baran intended to make full use of the time until then. He saw no benefit in hurrying things and being the attacking side.

So for that reason, when a soldier came rus.h.i.+ng in, shouting ”e-enemies” as he gasped for breath, Folker eagerly stood up, thinking - have they finally made a move? However -

”T-To the west, Bafsk Fortress has lit a beacon. Western troops have appeared near the border. Their numbers: about a thousand!”

”The West, you say?”

For all that he was known for his nerves of steel, even Folker looked grim.

A short while later, an airs.h.i.+p flew in from the west.

To the west of Birac, at the end of the River Zwimm, Bafsk was the fort that defended the westernmost tip of Mephius. As it was situated in a gorge, there was no town attached to it and those stationed there were soldiers detached from Birac's garrison, so that it was, in effect, a detached bastion belonging to Birac.

According to the report, a large number of western troops had been sighted at dawn. Counting the infantrymen, dragoons, and cavalry, they numbered about a thousand.

The many banners of the western countries fluttered in the wind, but their a.s.sembled troops had made no further move. The large, black ma.s.s seemed to crouch silently and the Bafsk soldiers held their breath at the uncanny feeling they gave off. Coming as it was right after the battle with the Taúlian army in the area around Apta, and during further war preparations, they were requesting reinforcements from Birac.

d.a.m.nit!

Folker did not show any emotion in front of the soldiers, but inwardly, he was seething.

Normally, reinforcements to Bafsk would be sent from Apta and Birac. But naturally, they could not currently expect any a.s.sistance from Apta.

It looked as though in waiting for the enemy to feel under pressure, they were the ones who had ended up being pressured.

”So that impostor has revealed his true colours,” Yuriah sneered when he heard the news.

”What do you mean?”

”It's just as His Majesty said. The enemy is being backed by the West. This is the best possible proof that they're cooperating together.”

It was not that Folker did not share that thought, but that still did not explain why Rogue, Odyne, and the Garberan princess were supporting the impostor.

”It's possible that this is retaliation from Taúlia. But there's no doubt that this move is to the Impostor Prince's advantage.”

It was unclear whether the west and the impostor had formed an alliance, but naturally, they could not afford to ignore either of them. If both of them advanced their war horses at the same time, Folker's troops in Birac risked being attacked from multiple directions.

”How about first driving the West out of Bafsk then attacking the troops in Jozu Fortress?” Zaas, the youngest of the twelve generals, suggested. Folker however did not nod his a.s.sent.

They should not cross the border. It was too dangerous to push into western territory at this point. That one thousand... there was no way of knowing where an ambush might have been laid.

It was best to first sort out the Impostor Crown Prince's troops, since they knew what their numbers were.

While he was busy thinking, the lord of Birac, Fedom Aulin, also came rus.h.i.+ng in.

”They didn't heed the advice to surrender. But it wasn't entirely without results.”

”What do you mean?”

”According to the messenger's report, he was able to meet directly with the two generals, and it looked as though both of them had some doubts. They're still not certain whether or not it's the real prince, so, General, we should start with that side. If we attack them, they might prove unexpectedly fragile.”

Folker did not have any objections.

First, they took soldiers from each troop and sent about five hundred west to Bafsk as well as leaving three hundred overall to defend Birac. The main force of over two thousand began preparations to march.

Folker had heard from his scouts that the enemy had built a new fort in Tolinea Forest.

So it's to be battle, is it?

Although he regretted having been 'made to make a move', Folker did not think that was enough to overturn the situation in the enemy's favour. He had considered that if they were cooperating with the West, they might have secretly borrowed soldiers from Tauran, but it did not appear that any large number of people had been moving in and out of Apta or its vicinity.

”The enemy's troops are mostly composed of riflemen and air forces. In order to use their ranged weapons effectively, they have the option of remaining entrenched in their positions. But if they do that, they won't be able to hold out,” Folker said to Yuriah and Zaas. ”First, we peck at them with our spears. Whatever you do, do not chase them too far. For now, we just want Jozu Fortress to fall. The enemy is not in a position to be able to replenish their soldiers, so the plan is to tighten the net around them then fight them one by one.”

Folker was by no means looking down on the enemy. There was something uncanny about an unknown enemy army.

In the early morning of the day after the Western troops had appeared along the border, the army left Birac.

This was the earliest action in what would be known in Mephian history books as ”the Battle of Tolinea”.

So they've come?

When he heard that the army had left Birac and was starting to head south, Orba rose to his feet.

It was, of course, at his request that the Western troops had appeared at the border. He had estimated that Folker would not be able to disregard them and would definitely move his troops towards Apta.

Their strategy was already entirely set up. They had been able to complete their preparations before the enemy arranged their battle formations. The enemy were two thousand. Their own total number was half of that, one thousand.

It was said that in battles revolving around castles and fortresses, the defending side had the advantage. As the only troops they had enough of were Rogue's air force and Odyne's riflemen, if all they were to do was to defend, they should be able to withstand one or two a.s.saults.

However, exactly as Folker had guessed, their supply line was weak and they truly could not be said to have enough in the way of ground forces.

Moreover, Orba had divided the soldiers into two groups, one each in Jozu and Tolinea. Orba's field of expertise lay in making use of the mobility of small units but, if there was even a single mistake, each and every one of them would, in the twinkle of an eye, find themselves in danger of being crushed.

But at the same time, this division meant that the enemy would also be forced to divide their troops so as to avoid being caught in a pincer attack.

Orba intended to lure the enemy towards the two forts for as long as he was able to do so. Their infantry and cavalry was insufficient. Therefore, they would lure the enemy to the point of penetrating into the forts, where the riflemen would be able to snipe at them.

Of course, that would be no more than a delaying tactic. But that was fine. And if, in the worst case scenario, both Jozu and Tolinea were partially destroyed in the fighting and were no longer useable, that didn't matter either. To say nothing of Tolinea, which was no more than hastily constructed fences and turrets, even Jozu was, as far as...o...b.. was concerned, the equivalent of a paper decoration existing only to attract the enemy.

Meanwhile, we will be moving our detached force.

The cavalry of two hundred led by Pas.h.i.+r. They had been selected from among the best from Orba's Imperial Guards and from Rogue and Odyne's troops.

At the same time as the battle would start, they would circ.u.mvent it by taking a route going from south to east, and would arrive in a position giving onto the enemy headquarters. Since Orba liked investigating terrain, several possible routes had of course been established beforehand.

Once the detached force found the best place for them, a beacon would be lit.

At that moment, Orba would launch the dragoons, which would have been kept in reserve, into the fighting at Jozu.

The timing had to be simultaneous with the enemy becoming convinced that they could push through with brute force. For Folker, this would offer a longed-for opportunity to seize victory. So as not to lose the momentum, he would separate part of the troops defending the headquarters and would send them out to the front as a second wave.

As soon as the enemy headquarters were under-manned, Pas.h.i.+r's force would attack.

It would be at that moment that the soldiers from the two fortresses, Jozu and Tolinea, would finally also push out.

By aiming for the gap during which the enemy formation weakened and attacking in one go, they would even be able to score a direct hit on their headquarters.

There were a lot of sequences involved.

Jozu and Tolinea had to defend their positions to the death until Pas.h.i.+r's unit had finished moving into position, and Pas.h.i.+r's unit itself naturally had to move with caution. If any of these three forces made even a single mistake, the flow of battle would immediately turn to the enemy's advantage and it would be difficult to recapture it with any half-hearted measures.

And yet - the strange unsteadiness in his steps, which Orba had felt since before the war began, seemed to come from something different than the uneasy suspense before battle.

But to say that I'm afraid -

Princess Vileena's words were still echoing in his ears.

Certainly, even if they won, this strategy would not be able to avoid there being a great many victims. As the commander-in-chief who would be luring the enemy in close when the time came, while also covering Pas.h.i.+r's attack, Orba himself would need to lead a suicide attack, sword in hand.

The final effort.

In the instant that momentum was in their hands, they would push and push and keep pus.h.i.+ng to the end.

Which would come first: Pas.h.i.+r's unit successfully striking the enemy headquarters or their side falling to the enemy's superior resources? Unusually for Orba's strategies, a desperate gamble was incorporated at the very end.

Needless to say, this was because of the difference in military strength. Still, there should have been a way of lessening that pressure. They could have borrowed soldiers from the west and incorporated them among the frontline fighters.

Yet Orba had not chosen to do so.

Ax would have moved as many soldiers as Prince Gil requested, but the West had a long history with Mephius and, above all, there had been a battle not so many days past. Not only was it uncertain whether they would be able to cooperate effectively, there was also no telling how long the Tauran soldiers would be willing to risk their lives for Prince Gil.

And then there was one other thing. One other aim in this fight in which Orba was announcing himself to be Prince Gil.

First, we have to seize victory with by our own strength.

Since Gil had chosen friends.h.i.+p with Taúlia, borrowing soldiers from the West could, in a sense, be said to be Prince Gil's strength. However, what Orba needed to earn in this battle was not simply victory. What Orba was looking at was not Folker, the one who was right in front of him, but what lay beyond him: the Imperial Capital Solon and all the lords and generals of Mephius.

He needed to influence them by winning this fight. The resurrected Prince Gil was opposing the emperor's irrational orders and, with a strength born from righteousness, was fighting him headfirst and crus.h.i.+ng his evil designs. This was what Orba currently hoped for above all else. Therefore, without ambushes or surprise attacks, without borrowing the power of other countries, he would wage war with nothing but his own troops - such was his decision.

”Notification from all units. The preparations for the strategy are complete.” A messenger knelt before him.

Orba stood up, placing his sword to his waist.

Odyne was stationed here in Jozu, Rogue was at Tolinea.

The detached force led by Pas.h.i.+r had already started moving and Gilliam had been incorporated into the cavalry that would lead the a.s.sault, so neither of them were present.

s.h.i.+que was in the command room as the representative of Orba's Imperial Guards.

”Good.”

Without needing to be prompted by a glance from him, Orba hid the unsteadiness of his steps and, treading firmly with both feet, he stared sharply before him.

”Let's begin.”

Very soon after Folker's forces started taking up their battle formations, the day turned to early afternoon.

The sky was the colour of lead.

The wind was somewhat tepid.

”The enemy has apparently set up a new base in Tolinea,” while the battle formations were being set up, in the tent that served as their headquarters, Folker had unfolded a map and was showing it to Yuriah and Zaas. ”Well now, what could be their intention?”

”To have one of them watch for our a.s.sault while the other can attack us from the side,' answered Zaas. Now that it was right before battle, his nerves were stretched even tauter than usual, his eyes were flaring, his breathing was ragged and his expression was like a fiend's[1].

”Right,” Folker nodded gravely. ”But we can suppose that their aim is to make us cautious of what you've just said and have us divide our forces in two.”

”In that case,” said Yuriah, ”send my air force to Tolinea. If we burn the forest to the ground, that cobbled-together base will be destroyed in no time.”

”Naturally, I think so too. Anyone would think so. In other words, the enemy will also have thought of it,” Folker sounded neither hurried nor impatient. In fact, his tone was rather leisurely. This was the same att.i.tude he had whenever he was in a situation where bullets where might come flying at any moment, and it made him impressive in a different way than swinging a sword from horseback would.

Perhaps because they were fascinated by it, both the explosive Zaas and the overly self-confident Yuriah interrupted him as little as possible.

”For all that he's the scoundrel that is usurping Crown Prince Gil's name, the enemy's way of taking Jozu Fortress was pretty good, if you ask me,” Folker said easily. ”And so, I'm thinking I'll be a great fool and an incompetent commander.”

”What do you mean, General?”

”By all rights, this is an opponent that we should defeat without suffering the slightest wound ourselves, so we will deliberately expose our skin and invite ourselves to be wounded. In doing that, we will watch what the enemy does.”

Even now, you still want to watch what the enemy does? - was what no one said.

”First, Jozu Fortress,” Folker Baran tapped his finger at a point on the map. ”We will have soldiers advance on it.”

”Oh,” Yuriah nodded but Folker did not say anything further. The two young generals were bewildered for a moment by the unnatural silence, but very soon Zaas seemed to catch on to something and he looked towards Folker.

”And Tolinea? Are we going to ignore it?”

”For now, yes,” said Folker.

The enemy had taken up two separate positions and were planning a pincer attack. That much should be obvious to anyone, and therefore, -

They're trying to lure us to them, was Folker's a.s.sessment.

”They've probably placed the highly mobile air force in Tolinea and intend to defend Jozu so that they can contain the attacking forces there. So don't get drawn in by them. The enemy is planning something - something that will allow them to beat us despite their low manpower. And the first step to that is to have us divide our troops. And so the first thing to do is to deliberately advance our soldiers on Jozu. When we see how Tolinea moves and how much of their strength they send to Jozu, the movements of the entire army will be visible as a matter of course.”

Certainly, that's…, Yuriah and Zaas did not say anything, but the impression they had was the same.

If Folker were overestimating the enemy, or in other words, if the enemy were no more than an average commander, his tactics would undoubtedly be the height of stupidity. Many soldiers would die needlessly. Having perfectly understood that, Folker had said that he would from now on be ”a great fool, and incompetent”.

Gil Mephius - or rather, Orba, and Folker Baran.

Of the two of them, Folker had done a better job of clearing the initial hindrances.

Essentially, Orba was the one who had needed to become a 'fool'. He should have pretended that he was going to fight a large opposing army that there was no hope of winning against, and in fact, if he had been the same as he always had been until now, he would successfully have done so.

But this time, Orba had underestimated his opponent.

Was it because he had become conceited from winning fights in which he had been at a disadvantage up until now, or was it because he had, from the start, been fixated on the idea that a commander facing an army less than half the size of his own would not feel the need to be vigilant? Either way, he had been lacking in information about Folker Baran.

Orba's side did not have the reserve manpower or the spare energy to prepare a new plan in the case of their strategy failing. As such, one could say that a mistake from the start might well already determine how the battle would flow.

Folker removed his finger from the map and looked at Zaas Sidious.

”There'll be a dangerous task. Can I leave it to you?”

Zaas s.h.i.+vered. I was obvious from the gesture with which he struck the armour at his chest that it was absolutely not from fear that he was trembling.

”When it comes to the battlefield, the only orders at which I shake my head,” Zaas smiled ferociously, ”are the ones to withdraw before my sword has been dyed red.”

With their strategy and battle formations completed, all that remained was to wait for the signal to march.

Just when it looked like the sky had become dark and overcast, an especially strong ray of sunlight would occasionally break through a gap in the clouds and brightly light up the surroundings of Tolinea Forest, which would soon to be turned into a battlefield.

As per standard strategy, Folker established headquarters in an elevated position on a hill. It was defended by four hundred of the Black Steel Sword Division as well as by a hundred infantrymen led by Battalion Commander Walt.

Obviously enough, as this was the same man who had been the commanding officer at Jozu Fortress. Having splendidly been tricked and robbed of the fortress, he had become the laughingstock of those around him. Walt, however, was not the sort of man to seclude himself indefinitely and shun others out of shame.

”Please send me to the front,” he had pleaded with Folker on his knees.

As the commander, Folker was a willing taker of that zeal but, while he was ready to make good use of their numbers, he had not felt any need to incorporate a separate unit into his strategy at such a late stage, and so had given them the order to defend the headquarters.

Walt was definitely dissatisfied, but he had no choice but to accept the situation. Actually - if I see a chance - he was even willing to charge alone at the Impostor Crown Prince or at the swordsman Pas.h.i.+r who had smeared mud all over his face.

But -

Along with his ardent hostility, there were also doubts that he could not shake off beneath his heavy breastplate. He had heard from his subordinates afterwards that the man he had fought in single combat was called Pas.h.i.+r. They also told him about his history.

Walt had been running around getting ready to transfer to the fortress at about the same time that the Founding Festival was being held in Solon, so he knew practically nothing about who was this year's winner in the Gladiatorial Contest that he himself had once won, nor about the circ.u.mstances surrounding it.

According to what he had heard, although Pas.h.i.+r had been the runner-up in the contest, he was also a heinous criminal who had plotted an uprising against Mephius. However, the crown prince had incorporated the slaves, Pas.h.i.+r included, into his own direct subordinates.

It was conceivable that Pas.h.i.+r, hating Mephius to this very day, had conspired with like-minded people to kill the prince, put an impostor in his place and take over the country.

But, is that man really just an impostor?

Walt shook his head with his swollen face in confusion.

His bearing was very dignified. He had spared Walt when he should have taken his life. ”If you want to have a match with me, ask Folker to let you join the front,” were the words he had fired off at the time.

Well then, it's fine. Walt was not to sort to agonize endlessly. If there was something that he did not understand, he would just have to check with his own eyes and his own sword.

Wrapping it in that extra layer of meaning, Walt vowed to himself that he would, without fail, cross swords with the man who called himself the crown prince.

And thus, when the drums resounded, six hundred from Zaas Sidious' Spear of Flames Division were the first to sally forward. Most of them were infantrymen but there were also about two hundred of the soldiers who carefully carried guns. Two cannons mounted on wheels were being pulled by horses, and twelve airs.h.i.+ps flew overhead.

A further two hundred soldiers were advancing in front of the main force of six hundred. They had neither armour nor guns, and their appearance was truly wretched. They were what was known as battlefield slaves. They were in essence human s.h.i.+elds, and, in accordance with what could be called the Sidious House's traditional way of waging war, that family's troops always marched while pus.h.i.+ng the slaves before them.

While the tactic might seem despicable, both Zaas and his father were very good at grasping the slaves' hearts.

Each individual slave was only sent to the battlefield once. If they survived, they would be free. Of course, if the person themselves wished for it, they would officially be appointed as soldiers. The possibility of death was certainly very high, but, holding on to the thought that - if I can just make it through this one time - the slaves turned into demons of war. Sometimes, that spirit even allowed them to surpa.s.s soldiers who had been tempered through years of experience. Hoisting up spears and brandis.h.i.+ng crude blades, they marched on with rough footsteps.

”Don't hurry too much,” Zaas hurled the order from atop his horse. ”Walk slowly enough to give the enemy plenty of time to get scared.”

When they arrived within sight of Jozu Fortress, the air reverberated with a loud booming noise.

The fortress had fired the first shot.

When the cannonball crashed into the ground, fragments mixed with earth and sand were sent flying in all directions. Although they were still far, Zaas' horse reared up on its hind legs and whinnied.

While forcefully bringing it back under control, Zaas roared, ”Go, go, go!”