54 Episode 22 Battle of Apatia Introduction (2/2)
The sun shone on the land, and the ground was flat as far as the eye could see.
The Lemurian army had trampled it down, but it was originally fields, rich with golden ears that filled the land during the harvest season.
The Lemurian army was encamped in the relatively large village of Apathea on such a plain.
They had driven out the inhabitants and made it their headquarters.
What is the enemy's strength?
”About 260 infantry, 300 heavy cavalry (cataphracts), 700 medium cavalry (cribanarius), 200 light cavalry, 400 crossbow troops, total 420.
”Hmm, ...... is a little different from the first report.
Hercule listened to the rough estimate of the distant ...... army of Foulds, which was not yet visible but would soon appear, and put his hand on his chin and thought.
(There are fewer infantrymen than expected. ...... Did they reduce their numbers by marching too hard? The number of cavalry has increased, either because reinforcements rushed in later ...... or because I miscounted ......).
However, it won't affect the situation too much.
Hercule will lead two infantry corps, totaling 2,400 troops. Six battalions of cavalry, 720. Six battalions of archers, 720. And one battalion of newly organized light cavalry, 120.
The total is about 396,000.
The reason for the ”about” is that the number of troops has been somewhat reduced by the march and the battle so far.
The actual strength of the army is about 3,800.
Now, ......
Hercule stands in front of the soldiers and checks their faces.
There was a hint of anxiety on their faces.
Of course.
The opponent was the Kingdom of Phallus, which had defeated the Lemurian Empire many times before.
On top of that, the enemy general is Coward ......, a renowned general in the Kingdom of Phallus.
And they are also outnumbered.
Looking around at them, Hercule began to make a speech in a loud voice.
His court magician used the magic of loudspeaker to amplify the voice of Hercule.
”Gentlemen, the enemy is General Coward, renowned in the Kingdom of Foulds. I'm sure you've heard of him. Of course. After all, he's one of King Sasan VIII's lieutenants.
The enemy is strong.
Hercule said darkly to the soldiers. The soldiers' expressions darkened.
However, the following words drew the soldiers into Hercule's speech.
”But, gentlemen. That is all.
What does that mean?
The soldiers look up and wait for Hercule's words.
”Gentlemen, the enemy is a general without ...... soldiers.
Grinning, Hercule smiles.
”King Sasan VIII of the Kingdom of Foulds is on his way to Sindhira. All of the elite of the Kingdom of Foulds are on their way to Sindhira. ...... So to speak, the enemy we are about to fight is a second level ...... or even a third level enemy. Besides, they are exhausted from marching day after day.
Hercule said methodically.
”You, on the other hand, are elite. I have raised you from the ground up, and you are the best of the best, having defeated the enemy many times before. And you are well rested. How can you be defeated by second- and third-rate soldiers like them? No, you won't. At the very least, I am convinced that you will win!
Hercule inspires the soldiers.
Gradually, confidence began to appear on the faces of the soldiers.
”And ...... who is your commander, your general, your sovereign?
””His Majesty the Emperor, Your Majesty!
The soldiers shouted loudly.
Hercule nodded loudly.
”Exactly! The strongest soldiers, led by the strongest general. What do we have to be afraid of? No, you don't. Isn't that right?
”Yes, Your Majesty! Your Majesty!
The soldiers shouted as loud as they could.
Hercule smiled.
”Come on! Let's show them what real war is all about! God be with us!
”Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! God be with us! God be with us!
”Well, gentlemen. Unlike the soldiers, I'm not going to sweet-talk you. This battle is going to be very tough. I'd like to say we have a ninety percent chance of winning, but ...... I'd say thirty percent would be better.
After his speech, Hercule gathered his generals, ...... Galfis, Edmond, Karolina, Darios, and Oscar, and said.
We win without fighting. Or only fight battles you can win.
But such generals are only in stories.
In reality, it is almost impossible to win without fighting, and no matter how much you estimate you can win, sometimes you will be defeated by chance or forced to fight an unwinnable battle.
To say that a true general can win without fighting is like saying that a true detective can solve a crime before it happens.
In front of his soldiers, Hercule is sure that he will win, but he can't say that much to his subordinates, his generals.
The odds of victory that Hercule can guarantee in this battle are about 30%.
The difference in strength is such a big factor.
”I told the soldiers that the enemy was second- and third-rate. Yes, it's true that the infantry is second- and third-grade ...... and even fourth-grade. But the cavalry is first class. And they outnumber us by five hundred to one.
Hercule stated plainly, stating only the facts.
Therefore, this battle will depend on how well we remove the cavalry from the battlefield and settle it with infantry.
The only advantage that the Lemurian army has over the Foulds army is the quality of their infantry.
The only advantage the Lemurian army has over the Phallus army is the quality of their infantry, so they must fight only with infantry and try to outnumber them.
”Ready? I'm going to tell you a plan. The name of the operation is 'The Magician's Right Hand'.
Hercule gave the generals his well-thought-out plan.
Then he looked around at the generals' faces.
There was no concern on their faces. Darius, for example, is smirking as he compares the name of the plan to the battle plan.
If I were to decipher his inner thoughts, I would say, ”You have a good sense of naming things.
”Any objections or questions?
”'No, sir!
Hercule nodded in satisfaction at the generals' reply.
Good! I look forward to your efforts. God be with us!
”God be with us!
I don't think we're going to get an easy victory, General Shaheen.
No, sir. ...... But then, so is the enemy.
While Hercule was explaining his plan to the generals, Coward and Shaheen were also planning theirs.
”General Shaheen. ”I'm sorry, General Shaheen, but you'll be under my command this time, won't you?
”I understand, sir. I will follow your command. So, what's the plan?
Shaheen asks Coward.
Coward replied in a flat voice.
We have more men than you. But we are defeated in the quality of our infantry. And the ...... archers of Lemuria are a nuisance.
If that's the case, then the victory will surely be decided by cavalry.
The infantry will catch the enemy, and the cavalry on both wings will wrap them up.
This is exactly the royal tactic.
That would be most desirable this time.
But the Emperor of Lemuria has already anticipated that.
So the Lemurian emperor will do something. So the Lemurian emperor will somehow try to remove the cavalry from the battlefield.
Hence, ......
”General Shaheen. I entrust you with the command of the cavalry. I want you to defeat General Galfis and crush the enemy's flank. Can you do it?
”General Galfis. You'll have no shortage of opponents.
Shaheen grinned.
Shaheen is more of a man of might than of wit.
I'll lead the infantry and make it hold somehow. You are the key to victory.
I know what I'm doing. ...... Abra Dazzle. Give us victory.
”Yes, ...... Abra Dazzle, bless you. May God bless us all.
After a while, the two armies rearranged themselves into a strategic formation and slowly approached each other.
First chart
Vice Admiral Vice Admiral Vice Admiral Coward Shaheen
◇ ◇ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□ ▽▽▽▽
★★★★★★
▲◆ ■■●● ▲▲▲▲
●●●●■■■■■■■■■■●● ▲▲▲
Edmond Oscar Hercule Darios Galfis
Karolina
Shiro ...... phallus kingdom army. One symbol is about a thousand. Name is commander.
(......) Heavy Cavalry (Cataphract)
...... Medium Cavalry (Clibanarius)
◇...... light cavalry
☆...... crossbow troops
□...... infantry (spearmen)
Kuro ...... Lemurian army. One symbol is a battalion. The name is the commander.
▲...... Heavy Cavalry (Clibanarius)
...... light cavalry
...... longbow troops
...... pike troop
...... halberd troop
Hercule first made the right wing thicker and the left wing thinner.
Then he gave the command of the right wing to Darios and the command of the left wing to Oscar.
Coward, seeing this, saw that Hercule was aiming for a single-wing encirclement with a diagonal line formation, and thickened the left wing of the phallus corresponding to the right wing of Lemuria, making the right wing thinner. In order to withstand the onslaught of Darius, he took command of the left flank of the phallus himself, leaving the center and right flanks to his second-in-command.
To destroy the thick Lemurian right flank, he thickened the corresponding cavalry on the left flank of the phallus, and deployed the skilled Shaheen. On the other hand, the right flank of the Phallus cavalry was also thick enough to be entrusted to his second-in-command.
Seeing this, Hercule entrusted the command of Lemuria's right flank cavalry to Galfis and deployed a large number of cavalry to deal with Shaheen, who, like Coward, was a great general. The rest of the cavalry was placed on the left flank of Lemuria, with Edmond and Karolina taking up the slack.
And ......
Looking at each other's completed formations, they muttered to each other.
”I see .......
”As expected.
Both Hercule and Coward smiled at each other.
You'll be able to see what each other has in store for you.
It's just a matter of which one is reading more deeply.
Thus, ......
The famous ”Battle of Apatia” was about to begin.