v3c4 part1-2 (1/2)
Chapter 4 - The Hakone Siege[edit]
Part 1[edit]
”How peculiar”
This wasspoke in a rather carefree manner
On the east side of Hakone was the first tutelary fort, Seiryuu Gate Wei Qing had just witnessed the appearance of the ifrit guarding this place
It was Nove
”I never thought I'd ever encounter such a '
Hakone's sky andsun's rays
The ancient Chinese general was flying in the sky over Hakone Yumoto
He was riding a silver wyvern—The Eastern Ro retainer beast This was virtually the sa across battlefields as a general on his trusty steed
However, his attire was still a robe instead of a modern military uniform
”The fortification walls are merely decoration So that kind of monster is the real fortress here Just as I've heard,” Wei Qing renancy
He was currently near the Hakone Yumoto station, in the mountains a couple kilometers to the south
This was the location of a star fort and nation-protecting keep, known as Seiryuu Gate, Hakone's first tutelary fort In the sky over the nation-protecting keep, a strange monster had manifested
It was a shi+ning golden dragon, seventy th—
Iic circle behind their back, but this golden dragon's gigantic body had an equally huge set of three eyes behind it
The giant eyeballs were the an le Fay
Exaon's face closely, one would also notice a third eye had been added to the forehead area
Next
The three-eyed golden dragon roared thrice
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
A noesis barrier in the forolden doolden dragon
”A golden dragon capable of creating a wall of light And it has three eyes too, huh?”
For a Chinese general like Wei Qing, the dragon was supposed to be a mythical beast familiar to him
However, Wei Qing son”
Soed divinity co to infor is apparently called the Four Gods”
Flying next to Wei Qing, a giant eagle had opened its beak
This was an aquila, a Rospan of al with the voice of Staff Officer Alexis Yang of the Roman army
”This rare treasure asted the whole time because japan lacked a spirit and a Chevalier capable of controlling it Looks like it's been collared by the leader of the British forces!”
”Ah, you mean the Black Prince of rumor?”
Staff Officer Yang was physically lying down in the barracks of the Suruga tutelary fort this instant
After being told that Wei Qing was attacking Seiryuu Gate, he had possessed the eagle retainer beast with his consciousness and flown to Hakone to observe the battle, so as to inforeneralissimo of the battle's process
The ancient Chinese general also consented to Staff Officer Yang's presence
”Resurrected in the ainst that kind ofcontinued to converse with a wry smile
Taken literally, his words sounded like co However, his carefree attitude was brilliantly balanced while his tone was cal none of what he had said to produce any negative impression
Only a man who had abundant experience in both honor and hardshi+p would be able to attain such a level of enlightenment
”First, let us attack using the method seen on recorded video previously”
”What do you mean by that, General?”
”I a to use exactly the same tactics as the Black Prince had employed”
”I see So in other words, a frontal assault using a Resurrectee's Chevalier Strength of over a thousand to sureat ar the four cardinal directions, right?”
Such brute force tactics were ie army
As the one who suggested a bold and dignified approach to battle as befitted a king, Wei Qing's Chevalier Strength reached 1051, a powerful force living up to his historical rank of ”generalissimo”
Odawarajou was the Kantō tutelary fort nearest to Hakone Fro mobilized with an army of a thousand
”Centuriae, please prepare to attack as I have just described”
Wei Qing's tone sounded more like a request than an order
The army under his coion type, the Centuria
The Centuriae raised their bayonet rifles and aimed at the enemy position
Less than eight e in build They were outfitted with crested helular shi+elds in one hand A single glance at their warlike appearance was enough to tell that they were ”soldiers”
They were adorned all over by red fabric The decorative wings on their backs were especially distinctive
The Centuriae for force The dome-shaped noesis barrier of the Four Gods was surrounded by the silver-white Rorees
This was a donut-style encircling formation with a hole in the center
”What an aiance to the Han Dynasty yet coions”
Staff Officer Yang co and Wei Qing agreed with a smile
The type of Legion summoned by a Resurrectee was deterht the world
Wei Qing had been summoned from the underworld by the twin silver wolves of Remus and Romulus—in other words, the sacred beast entity that the Eht to East Asia from the Mediterranean
Wei Qing issued orders without haste
”Begin the attack to thoroughly penetrate the wall created by the Four Gods Puncture and demolish it”
The Ro beams from their rifles
Heat and shock struck the Four Gods' noesis barrier violently in volleys without interruption
The focused barrage continued for around ten minutes
However, the noesis barrier remained unscathed Let alone a hole, it did not even suffer the slightest visible dae
The first tutelary fort Seiryuu Gate's three-eyed golden dragon was in equally good condition—
After firing continuously for an extended duration, the Centuriae were exhausted, having consu ordered the and take a breather
”Using the same tactic, the Black Prince had effortlessly crushed the four strongholds' defenses Unfortunately, it doesn't work against the Four Gods, so this will be troublesome”
The handso in his unique carefree attitude
His voice did not sound too troubled Through the aquila's beak, Staff Officer Yang gave his opinion as a noetic master
”This noesis barrier's hardness must be extraordinary for it to survive focused fire fro the four ifrits' noetic energy in one place, an especially sturdy barrier is formed!”
”Living up to its nanable fortress Impressive”
No sooner had Wei Qing spoken, so the first tutelary fort
The giant dome, two or three kilometers in diameter, erupted with intense sparks from all over its surface—
'Meteorological decree Activate shi+ning spear, bring forth death'
An adorable girl's voice resounded in the sky
Naturally, this was a an
The noesis barrier covering the first tutelary fort began to release electricity, sending giant bolts of lightning outwards to s the thousand Centuriae gathered in the surroundings
”Isn't this firepoay too crazy!?”
”Centuriae, please deploy your barriers”
The ed divinity of the Four Gods had released incredibly powerful lightning on awas extremely shocked
However, Wei Qing remained unfazed and issued orders calmly
The Centuriae deployed protective barrier particles, glohite while their mystical properties took effect to neutralize external attacks
The denser the forreater the effects of the protective barrier—
Over a thousand strong, Wei Qing's Centuriae did not fear the suddenly incoical decree at all The mystical effects of the barrier particles enabled theht without casualties
After the electrical discharge, the noesis barrier vanished unexpectedly
Taking its place, a large force of black British Legions—roughly four hundred of the keep at the center of the first tutelary fort These Legions were not ordinary Crusades
They were the Knights of the Garter, the personal guard of Edward the Black Prince
The Garter Knights divided up into four squads of a hundred Each squad entered a square wall formation to occupy the positions east, south, west, and north of the tutelary fort
Wei Qing murmured, ”I see now So this is the enemy's intent”
Every black knight was equipped with a longbow, nocked with an arrow of light, aimed outward
”Outward” fro the tutelary fort With eneet Positioned at each of the four cardinal directions, the Garter Knights had all 360 degrees covered
As expected, the four squads of Garter Knights began to attack with arrows
Furtheruaranteed death—
”That's Prince Edward's Feat of Arms!”
”The English longbow, isn't it? I have heard that its firepower is extraordinary”
The Centuriae deployed their protective barriers
However, these barriers were completely useless The barrier particles, supposed to neutralize attacks, could not stop the arrows fro the Centuriae's silver armor deeply
Many Centuriae hastily raised their shi+elds
The heavy shi+elds just ions
Those who failed to raise their shi+elds in ti to the ground, dead
The four hundred Garter Knights kept drawing their bows to fire
Fro the arrow, the whole process only took five to ten seconds They were a in succession The Ro the upper hand, were now ”sitting ducks”
Staff Officer Yang could not help but say, ”General! Hurry and order the Centuriae to hide behind their shi+elds—”
”No, it is futile The Centuriae's shi+elds probably won't last for long” Wei Qing rejected Staff Officer Yang's advice decisively and said, ”Centuriae, please attack instead of defending The soldiers in front should try to shi+eld your comrades behind you as much as possible”
A minute or so went by
The nighthter them
In merely a minute—only sixty seconds—102 Centuriae had been shot dead This nuions
However, under Wei Qing's command, the Centuriae kept their enemy encircled the whole time
Enduring the rain of arrows, they raised their rifles again and pulled the trigger, trying to shoot back in retaliation
They targeted the first tutelary fort and the longboielding Garter Knights entrenched inside
The ene of arrows
Logically speaking, the Centuriae's counterattack ought to inflict heavy day was redeployed with perfect ti just before the attack In control of the Four Gods, the powerful British spirit Morrigan had read the Centuriae's movements accurately
Just before the barrier went up, the black knights also lowered their longbows
The Black Prince in coboweneral He was fully aware of his supporting spirit's intentions and achieved perfect tacit coordination of offense and defense
Facing the tutelary fort whose barrier was deployed again, Wei Qing said, ”Oh dear, this is truly”
Reduced to roughly nine hundred, the Centuriae continued to surround the enemy
The Roman army resumed their volley fire, but the noesis barrier was rock solid As soon as the focused barrage stopped, the British side retaliated ain—
The noesis barrier released aattack in all directions
All Centuriae were paralyzed by the electrical shock The eneed the noesis barrier to allow the four hundred Garter Knights to ready their longbows and fire in succession
After sixty seconds, Wei Qing lost another hundred Centuriae
The Roman army's efforts to strike back were futile as the eneain
”At this rate, the siege battle is just going to repeat itself My army will be wiped out in less than a day”
Only twenty an, the army of Centuriae had already lost two hundred troops
Witnessing the casualties, General Wei Qing si at all
Quietly, he said, ”With the ene themselves within the noesis barrier, there is no way for h from outside”
”You probably won't find another noesis barrier this durable elsewhere in the entire world Why not withdraw for now and think of another strategy?”
”Then we ht as well retreat back to Odawarajou”
”Huh?”
The aquila retainer beast was an eagle in form In other words, a bird of prey
However, Staff Officer Yang's stupefied voice coe as a fierce bird of prey at all In contrast, the handsoentle demeanor and said with a snable' There is no need to attack now”
”Ah, I see”
The reason why Staff Officer Yang was fortunate enough to serve Generalissi abilities in strategy
Bluntly stated, he was ard Caesar ence officer with noetic skills” Still, he was a staff officer after all
With Wei Qing's hint, he finally understood the intent
Staff Officer Yang concluded in his mind, What an unfathomable man
Fa
Since his birth mother was renowned as a beauty and attracted overn to be his father took hi him no better than a slave since childhood
Theherd sheep
Spending his days with a flock of sheep in thelivestock One day, a chance to travel to the capital of Chang'an ca-absent elder sister had summoned him
Employed in a rich and powerful household, the elder sister had the good fortune of encountering the e his beloved concubine
Indeed, the en established the height of the Western Han Dynasty's supreer brother of the ean his rise in position and authority
However, perhaps due to his hus
General Wei Qing kept a low profile for his entire life, unwilling to attract attention
”He is clearly a Resurrectee whose, Chevalier Strength exceeds 1000,” said the sian in puzzlement
The doll was figure-size and stood thirty centi on Edward's shoulder
”In the end, he retreated so easily Is he unused to siege battles?”
”Possibly, but even so, he is still an experienced warrior”
The confidence brought by victory made Edward smile
He was riding a British white wyvern, flying leisurely in the sky over Hakone Yumoto Previously cooped up in the noesis barrier, he was especially delighted for the chance to fly freely now
”What do you mean, Prince?”
”Basically, effective siege tactics boil down to only two types And neither of them are instantly effective Given this dearth of choice, no matter which tactics are considered, all of the troops to their deaths”
Edward thought back to the distant Middle Ages and the wars he had taken part in
”How about exalish longbows slaughtered the French armies? Contemplate the extent of their folly”
The Feat of Arms—Archers of Crécy—had the ability to turn the Black Prince's knights into longbowmen
Everyone knew that this ability originated frobow deployment
The defeated French arhts”
Knights, or heavy cavalry in other words French knights rode their steeds gallantly across the battlefield to charge the English army that had set up their formation on a hill
English longbow a rain of arrows
The French knights who braved the chaotic hail of arrows to reach the English position were greeted with ditches and pits ahead of thehts dismounted voluntarily to ambush the enemy as infantry
As a result, the English won an overwhel victory at the Battle of Crécy
At the Battle of Poitiers ten years later, the ditches and pits were replaced by a protective hedge
In both of these great battles, the reason for the French defeats was the sa recklessly into the English army's secured position”
”By the way, there was a siht in japan I believe it was called the Battle of Nagashi+no”
”Whether firear when the enemy possesses powerful projectile weapons”
Saying that, Edward grinned
The eneht a protracted battle could be sureneral of unknown name and face had retreated here
However, the British side was fully prepared
For the past two months, the Restoration Alliance—no, the British Imperial Forces—had made various preparations to establish a reliable foundation to invade Kantō This included securing supply lines to an impeccable extent
That hy the British had not aggressively launched a ”surprise assault on Tokyo”
”Now then, ill be your next move, Tachibana-dono?”
The Black Prince knew the alias and appearance of the enea
Fully prepared to face any attack, Edondered what hts in hisin his heart
Part 2[edit]
”This is a video recording of the battle at Hakone's Seiryuu Gate yesterday”
Reportedly, General Wei Qing had attacked Hakone before withdrawing very decisively
Present at his side, Alexis Yang had used noetics to record the whole battle as a video
The specialist in charge of replaying the video was Fujinomiya shi+ori This princess was currently the Tōkaidō Fiefdouu”
The group had traveled to the Fuji tutelary fort to hold a war council
Apart from Odawarajou, Fuji was the tutelary fort nearest to Hakone The new Tōkaidō provincial arone to the frontier in order to keep their ”proeneralissimo
Attendees included the new Governor General, Akigase Rikka
Also present was the ”rising star” Tachibana Hatsune, whose Chevalier Strength was already 72 at the young age of sixteen
Then there was Tachibana Masatsugu himself
Tachibana Masatsugu was an alias, but no one knew his true name yet
Recently, people have been secretly referring to him with another name Everyone called him Imperial japan's hero, Hijikata Toshi+zō
Due to this, Masatsugu was given a squad with the flashy naumi” Of course, since he was not very interested in his ”real identity,” this did not pose much of a problem
”Even a three-eyed dragon caions I've never seen so so powerful at any tutelary fort I've been to” Sitting next to Masatsugu, the little sister gave her opinion
Everyone present was sitting at a round wooden table
The table was large enough to sit over twenty people, so the group gathered together in the middle
Other Chevaliers and officers were going to join later, but before that, the ”new Tōkaidō Governor General and her closest advisers” were having afirst
”I never knew japan had such powerful defenses”
”No one had the ability to control it, so it has been sitting there unused for a long tih
Incidentally, Hatsune was still dressed in Haikara-san style despite her new post as captain of the shi+nsengumi's first unit
”Forty years ago, the situation betestern japan and the Kantō Fiefdoainst attacks frothen Hakone Checkpoint's fortifications Back then, the first Empress, Her Majesty Himiko, prayed to Lord Tenryuu and received the enchanted ritual of the Four Gods Union”
Sacred beasts were Godlike existences
They would generously grant ”s” in response to prayers from their consorts or descendants
In this manner, various countries in the world obtained ions or ifrits
Hence, women who had inherited the blood of sacred beasts were put on a pedestal as royalty or ihest of privileges—They were treated as ”princesses”
However, Masatsugu had previously learned from shi+ori
The price for these ”prayers” was one's lifespan These princesses consumed much of their lives in every case Who knehat price had been paid in order to seal the Four Gods of Hakone?
”By the way, Princess, about that Roeneral,” Hatsune asked curiously ”Why did he retreat iuardian deity was very powerful, but he probably could've lasted longer”
”As it is right now, Hakone is impossible to breach from any direction”
Well-versed in ave an answer
”Presumably, he believes there is athe fortress”
”There's so like that!? Then why don't we use the same method to—”
”Unfortunately, that is impossible”
Hatsune's expression was full of optiuu of Tōkaidō rained on her parade
”In truth, even faenerals did not have e warfare If I may put it in extreme terms, there are no more than two methods One is to rely on specialized equipment to overcome moats and fortifications”
”And the other is to starve the eneht?” Rikka revealed the second solution ”You are quite correct, Your Highness Tachibana, did you know? Since ancient ti affairs, which is why 'holding a castle' is especially effective”
As one would expect from a seasoned veteran, Rikka knew this very well
In fact, she had personally held the Suruga tutelary fort for over a month
”By focusing on defense while waiting for external reinforcements when the enemy attacks, defenders in many cases were able to reverse an initially unfavorable situation”
”Oh right I've heard 'two years of siege' before”
”General Wei Qing's choice is precisely the use of starvation tactics” Now that Hatsune understood, shi+ori said to her, ”His victories in his past life were all won against the Xiongnu tribes The Xiongnu people were fierce equestrians who dominated the lands to the north and to the west of China”
At this juncture, shi+ori inexplicably sneaked a glance at Masatsugu
Rather thanto hiaze involuntarily
”Since the Xiongnu were nomadic tribes who followed their herds and did not build towns or castles, naturally, General Wei Qing should have virtually no experience in besieging fortifications”
”No wonder he chose starvation tactics instead But we definitely can't do that”
”Indeed, Lord Caesar is set to arrive in japan eight days later It is impossible to sever the British supply lines and starve them within this time frame”
”Then what about the otherequipment to breach a castle”
”During ancient andraineering or explosives But there are no such equivalents in the modern world”
”After all, tutelary forts are protected ions”
shi+ori sighed and Rikka concurred wistfully
”Ulti side needs to outnureat are warfare However, exactly how ions would be needed to attack a tutelary fort that stood up to a thousand Centuriae?”
Perhaps everything that needed to be said had been said
The ladies naturally sealed their lips and stopped talking Silence descended upon the scene They were not in deep thought, instead, it was the heavy atmosphere of helplessness
After a good au finally spoke up He kneas his turn to share his view—
”I've thought of several ways to attack Hakone”
”Really, Onii-sama!?”
”Yes So We definitely don't have much time But there is still some leeway”
Hatsune's eyes brightened up Masatsugu offered her reassurance then proceeded to speak indifferently as always
”My idea will be taking form in the next few days You'll need to help me out too”
”Yes, no problem!”
”Masatsugu-dono, could you enlighten us regarding your solution?”
Masatsugu's calm tone was extraordinarily effective
Rikka recovered her usual dignity and iu about his battle plan
”Of course, we n intentions to cut off Hakone's supply lines to conceal our aim for a quick shon Also, Princess, please act as a liaison together with that Staff Officer Yang to maintain close communications with the Roman army”
”Rou-dono?”
”Yes That General Wei Qing is quite a useful man”
Masatsugu assessed Wei Qing's ability very clearly and decisively
Frankly speaking, the strategy displayed in Wei Qing's first battle was less than satisfactory Trying to find the most suitable method in the heat of thehad not deeneral
However, his ”plain” and ”disappointing” qualities were terrifying
Masatsugu even went as far as to conclude that these traits hat , truly valuable, no less than the nificence of Prince Edward or the untamed nature of Richard I—
assu tactic on purpose
Then he would be a man to be depended on
”The greatest issue here is that I need a full resupply”
shi+ori and Hatsune shuddered as soon as they heard the word ”resupply”
The special u with ectoplasirls
Rikka was puzzled, so Masatsugu revealed his secret candidly to clear up the new Tōkaidō Governor General's doubts
After listening to the explanation, Rikka was uncharacteristically flustered, her entire face turned bright red
”I-In other words, Masatsugu-dono, your ectoplashness and Tachibana?”
”Exactly”
”O-Obtaining warh skin contact?”
”Indeed”
”As princess and knight, or siblings in na in such scandalous behavior!?”
”Yes However, I am loath to increase the princess and Hatsune's burdens any further Because of that, I've come up with an alternative solution”
”!? What do you u-sama!?”
”Y-You don't need the princess or my help anymore!?”
”If we do it ain”
shi+ori and Hatsune juu in a panic After replying to theazed upon Rikka's beautiful face
The alternative solution required approval from her, the new Governor General
”Rikka-dono—”
”M-Masatsugu-dono, don't tell me you would like”
”Indeed That is exactly what I'ive me your consent”
”I-Isn't this too early to discuss!? I-I need to prepareit, I aht away!”
Rikka cried out e her head away in embarrassment
She could no longer bear Masatsugu's straightforward and sincere gaze
How rare to see such a reaction frou's request was far too abrupt
However, there was no other way Masatsugu bowed his head and pleaded in earnest
”Please Those Chevaliers of the Tōkaidō Fiefdom—Allow me to take ectoplasmic fluid from them”
”Huh?”
For some reason, Rikka was rendered speechless She was so surprised that she could not speak
”Fro my fiefdom?”
”Yes Previously, I had no one to turn to except for the princess and Hatsune, but the situation is different now We have gained many Chevaliers”
”Masatsugu-sama, it is true that we have more Chevaliers now, but please note that they are all men!”
The denified shi+ori was inexplicably shaken too
”A-Are you tellingthat with men too!?”
”Of course If I rely on the will beand healthy men—”
Masatsugu had not forgotten that he was to bla and frail shi+ori
”If I use them to resupply, I won't have to worry about health burdens”
”Denied, Onii-sah I'd like to watch too!”