v3c6 (1/2)
Chapter 6 - Two-Headed Dog[edit]
Part 1[edit]
”Morrigan, inform the defensive forces at each tutelary fort on my behalf”
After the ed divinity of the Four Gods vanished, Edward immediately issued orders
”Tell the their respective tutelary forts for two hours Once this designated duration is over, each ar circumstances”
”Affirmative”
The loyal spirit Morrigan nodded in response to Edward using the doll she was possessing
They were on the roof of the nation-protecting keep at the first tutelary fort, Seiryuu Gate Edward quickly walked over to a waiting wyvern
”Very well It is tiuard, the Knights of the Garter, and leave this first tutelary fort Morrigan, you come with me too”
”Affire with the main force, Prince?”
”Indeed, you knoell”
Seeing the subtle expression on Morrigan's face, Edward smirked
Despite losing his inable fortress, the superior officer seemed to be in excellent spirits Edas thankful for the leveled playing field, allowing hiu on equal terms
Morrigan was appalled by the Black Prince's love of battle, but felt curious about hoould command his army
”Let us set off, Morrigan I have brought four hundred Legions to Seiryuu Gate, with eight hundred re at the central coions should be plenty enough forces The japanese enehts of the British Empire will be the ones to dominate the Hakone battlefield”
Apart frohts, there were another hundred and fifty-odd Crusades at Seiryuu Gate
The Black Prince ordered theuard to converge with the ”centralto launch a vicious counterattack next, to destroy the enemy armies in the four cardinal directions respectively—
This was Edward's plan However
”Of course, you are going to hinder ht? Tachibana-dono”
Leading the four hundred Legions under his direct command, the Black Prince moved towards Oowakudani—
There was another ahts of the Garter were already detected Leading a total of a thousand and two hundred Legions, Prince Edas setting up his position in the sky over Mount Souun—
Retainer beasts such as aquilas and yatagarasus had returned with the above reports
Needless to say, Tachibana Masatsugu was kept informed of such intel at all times
However, there was one matter that needed to be discussed and settled prior to entering the battlefield It would not be wrong to call it a negotiation In other words, a eneral of japan's ”ally,” the Eastern Roman Empire
The key point was how to defeat the enemy's leader, Edward the Black Prince—
Riding blue wyverns, Masatsugu and Rikka headed to the rendezvous point in the sky over Oowakudani
After the battle at Suzaku Gate, six hundred of Masatsugu's Kanesadas remained while Rikka's hundred and fifty Kamuys were virtually unscathed
Meanwhile, riding a silver wyvern, General Wei Qing brought roughly four hundred and fifty Centuriae
In order to hold the Black Prince's attention at Seiryuu Gate, Wei Qing had confronted the English longbow for over half of his army of a thousand as a result
The rest of the Roman and Tōkaidō forces had stayed at the four tutelary forts in the north, east, south, and west
Those forces were currently fighting the armies left behind by Prince Edward
Currently, the hundred and fifty Tōkaidō Legions coive a total of a thousand and two hundred
Given the proportions, it would not be wrong for Tōkaidō to be in command However, if the Roman army, which had sacrificed the most so far, refused to cooperate, this battle would be extreht—That was how the proportions worked
While thinking over these u reached the rendezvous point in the sky over Oowakudani
Leading his Centuriae in a spherical for arrived from the direction of Hakone Yumoto
”Masatsugu-dono”
”Yeah, I' to talk to him for a bit”
Masatsugu gave Rikka a look and left the Tōkaidō ar his wyvern alone, he approached the Roman army of four hundred and fifty Who kneould co?
The two of them met in the sky over Oowakudani
Wei Qing said very candidly, ”I au-dono”
”Now that's really helpful of you to be so acco”
That being said, Masatsugu could not help but grumble this time
”Since I haven't even told you the plan, aren't you agreeing too quickly?”
”Please rest assured, this is the power of my Feat of Arms”
”What?”
The ability to renact ty feats from the battlefields of one's past life—
Such was the special power of Feat of Ar this conversation? Masatsugu was greatly puzzled
Wei Qing pointed at his own te in a mischievous tone of voice for once
”I have no idea whether my daily conduct resulted in karmic backlash, or I am simply afflicted with poor luck, but as a result, I am always surrounded by troubles outside of battle Examples include unreasonable treat forced to lead armies that are clearly weaker than the enemy”
His words sounded like coh he were not talking about himself
In fact, there was a gentle s's face
”Perhaps due to this, my intuition is especially sharp when it comes to matters of advance or retreat”
”Intuition?”
”Yes My expertise lies in knohen to advance or retreat, knohere to eous All this is clear to me in a kind of premonition”
”You can really see that stuff?”
”This time, my intuition tells me that you hinted at is the most effective path to survival This is precisely the effect ofYouhui”
Wei Qing easily revealed his co ability
Masatsugu was very intrigued Did this really count as a Feat of Arms?
Wei Qing sain and said, ”There have been many eccentric people around e of character, but had poor understanding of huenerals, etc Perhaps after being pushed around by those people for long years, I developed this kind of ability as a result”
”I see”
Masatsugu understood, but he was only half-convinced
General Wei Qing having such an ability was probably true Otherwise, he would not have obediently co in advance
However, a Feat of Ar intuition”—That was quite difficult to believe
Masatsugu speculated that Wei Qing had exercised ”te part of the truth The true effects of the Feat of Arms should be
”General Wei Qing, if a chance arises, I'd really like to get to the 'bottom' of you some day”
”My true nature is not interesting at all On the other hand, Tachibana-dono, your identity is far ”
”Me, you say?”
”The way you have fought your battles so far are only possible with a deep belief that your troops are the elite of the elite Such are the types of tactics you employ, which take an excessively heavy toll on the soldiers”
””
”It isnation, or perhaps you were a general leading heroes of the most elite sort?”
”Speaking of which, you said the troops you led were old and weak, General?”
Faced with Masatsugu's question, the handsoeneral sned cavalry to nu tribes Unfortunately, the riders and horses were all raised within Han borders Co across the steppes—The difference was as great as between heaven and earth”
In any case, the matter of command was settled with unexpected ease
Dozens of ainst Edward the Black Prince
”Morrigan, it is tiin”
”As you command”
Edward had divided the Knights of the Garter into two divisions
First of all, nine hundred of them formed a all formation as the ”front rank” A couple hundredthree hundred were the ”back ranks”
With the black knights in the back ranks all equipped with longbows, ”lais” was fully prepared
Edward hienie had switched to a doll-size si on the Black Prince's shoulder
Looking out at the enemy position, Edas quite surprised
”Drawing a diagonal line across the battlefield An oblique formation, huh? How old-fashi+oned to eenerals of past and present, oriental and occidental, all use the same methods, is that it!?”
Speaking of hts, the majority of them were actually uncultured brutes
The point of pro chivalry was to impart a system of basic morals on these unruly hts were nowhere as elegant as iined by modern people
However, there was a rare exception right here
Having received an elite education since childhood as part of the English royal faance and etiquette
Apart fro and the arts of war, he was also well-versed in Latin with deep knowledge in classical Greek and Roman texts—This hat Black Prince Edas like as a person
Now, he noticed that Tachibana Masatsugu had recreated a famous tactic from ancient Greece
”We are about to have a real shon against the prince All units, assemble into a line to create a wall”
Now consider the coalition force between the Tōkaidō Fiefdom and the Eastern Roman Empire
They had also entered a all formation like the enemy Both sides were in the sky over Mount Souun at Hakone, forions
However, the coalition force's as very different from the British side's
Starting fro across, there were six hundred red-purple Kanesadas, then four hundred silver Centuriae, and finally a hundred and fifty blue Kamuys
Along the entire line, only the Kanesadas on the left were intentionally arranged in a column
Thus, the formation became an ”L” with a protrusion on the left instead of a perfect horizontal line
█
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█ █ █ █ █
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The column on the left consisted of the six hundred Kanesadas
Instead of uniforehest troops on the far edge in extremely deep ranks This tactic was known as the oblique order, a type of unbalanced formation
Part 2[edit]
Back to the second tutelary fort, Suzaku Gate
The great phoenix of the Four Gods guarding this fortress was already gone
However, the hundred-odd Crusades stationed here by the Black Prince were still around, currently fighting the coalition force of Centuriae and Kurou Hougans
They had probably received orders to stay in the tutelary fort and continue to draw the enemy's attention
At this rate, things should be fine
Relieved, shi+ori decided to change the subject
”The oblique order is an ancient Greek tactic”
The Tōkaidō side had set up a simple tent as a temporary camp on the lawn inside the tutelary fort
shi+ori was sitting on a foldable chair in the tent with a blanket over her lap Activating the reatly
Fortunately, she remained conscious and was still able to use noetic control
Currently, she had sent reconnaissance yatagarasu to observe the shon between Masatsugu and the Black Prince
The battle situation was projected into the air for a live broadcast On the screen, Tachibana Masatsugu had ordered the Legions to enter an oblique formation
”Back then, the mainstream tactic was to deploy troops in phalanxes ide ranks of equal depth However, Epaminondas, the commander of the city state Thebes, deliberately used aa Spartan army of twice their number”
”Winning when outnuliet is why it's a 'foronal line'!”
”By concentrating elite troops on the left, the left side inevitably advances ahead If the center and the right fail to keep up, the scattered forces would be subjected to either a frontal breakthrough or defeat in detail”
Consequently, the soldiers in the center and the right, which are advancing slightly slower, must follow the elite troops in the left—shi+ori drew a diagonal slash in the air to explain
”Froonal line has been drawn on the battlefield froht”
”Princess, if Onii-saht be from ancient Greece!”
”This is undoubtedly impossible”
”Y-You don't have to reject my idea so decisively!”
”The essence of oblique order is not about 'drawing a diagonal line' but 'concentration of force on one side to be e troops with this principle in mind, one would naturally choose similar formations”
After explaining the tactic in detail, shi+ori added, ”This has nothing to do with a coins, or era”
”Oh I see now”
”On this occasion, it just happens to resemble oblique order, that is all”
”I get what you mean now, Princess But fro you already know Onii-sains?”
”Is that so? I had no intention of insinuating that”
Hatsune pointed out the heart of theshi+ori
Acting as though nothing had happened, she hid her true feelings very naturally After observing Masatsugu's behavior for a while now, shi+ori had come to her own conclusion
However, she had no evidence It was not yet tie
It was imperative to focus on the battle at hand to reach a swift conclusion, so that they could hurry to Tachibana Masatsugu's aid as early as possible—
”By the way, Hatsune, Masatsugu-sama also mentioned that your power is absolutely essential to this battle You ht?”
”Yes, Princess!”
”I shall reatest spiritual powers to foil Prince Edward's calculations”
shi+ori knew roughly what the Black Prince was thinking
He intended to defeat the two Resurrectees of Tachibana Masatsugu and Wei Qing at the center of Hakone beforethe four tutelary forts in the four cardinal directions, to defeat the Roman-Tōkaidō coalition forces
Hence, he had ordered the Legions stationed at the various tutelary forts to stick to defense
Conversely, shi+ori's side had to do the opposite
They must swiftly defeat the defense forces at the four tutelary forts then head over to aid the Tachibana-Wei coalition force in the center, to encircle the Black Prince—
Fujinomiya shi+ori was the key to this battle plan
Taking a deep breath, she focused her noesis again
Back the sky over Mount Souun
Masatsugu's Tōkaidō-Roman coalition force versus Edward's British army
Facing each other, separated by several kilometers, the two ar like this, they would enter e
Naturally, the two arunfire
Capable of firing at a rate of ten shots per second, the bayonet rifles kept shooting, again and again
Each side consisted of a great ar This implied a total of two thousand and four hundred rifles discharging scorching beaunfire
White protective barriers neutralized the endless beams
The glow co from both armies was precisely their means of survival Unfortunately, iant soldiers in their ar them directly
In this rifle shon, the coalition force was holding a slight upper hand
In other words, the united arhtly
The reason was siions in the British back ranks had not participated in this contest of volley fire
The black carcasses of the British Knights of the Garter kept crashi+ng down one after another
Naturally, the three hundred black knights did not remain still They drew their bows and nocked their arrows of light, launching an archery offensive from the back
”All archers, I aain”
Responding to Edward's coh speed
Draw, nock, loose Arrows fleith the sound of tearing wind
Such was the nature of bows and arrows as a weapon, unlike rifles that shot with a pull of the trigger The contraptions of modern convenience could fire at ten shots per second, while the English longbow could only reach a maximum rate of one or two arrows every ten seconds
However, these arrows of light were capable of piercing protective barriers
Even with their radiant glow for defense, the Legions of the coalition arhts' arrows
Furtherhts in the front rank had forbow against the back ranks
Enabling the longbowlais”
The le to release their arrows Tracing out parabolic trajectories, the arrows hurtled towards the coalition army's position
One after another, ions, red-purple, silver-white, or blue in color, were shot down by the arrows
They were clearly dying hts The British E match
However, the coalition army was not to be outdone
Using an echelon formation, the Tōkaidō-Roman coalition's left column stood out especially
The Kanesadas assigned to the left side were flying slightly faster than the Centuriae in the center and the Kaht
With the left wing ahead, the entire aronal ”” shape
In contrast, the Garter Knights on the enemy side were in the shape of a horizontal ”-” line
In ato clash with the leading Kanesadas head on
”Kanesadas—the two hundred of you in the front—Draw your swords and charge”
”I kneould come to this Focus the rain of arrows on the advance party Do not let them succeed, or else the samurai swords will disrupt our formation”
The aronal were many ranks deep
The two hundred at the forefront accelerated and charged, causing the unit to protrude even further, closing in on the Garter Knights in one go
The bayonet rifles in their hands all turned into the famed sword, Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada
The Kanesada unit with draords uard to approach and cut down the British Legions, thereby disrupting the ene numerous dead bodies
Once a packed foran to break, all that was needed was to focus attacks at the breach and the formation's collapse would be inevitable
However, arrows continue to rain down
The longbow to annihilate the Kanesada vanguard that had their swords drawn The red-purple Legions swung their japanese swords, deflecting the rain of arrows
Blades and arrows clashed
Alu had used the sabows many times
However, the situation today was different from last time
”Tsk”
”Sure enough, the eneued”
Masatsugu clicked his tongue whereas Edward grinned
The Kanesadas' swordsinal acuity
Noru the vast majority of arrows, but today, one out of every two arrows met their mark
Dozens of Kanesadas crashed down froed
”Transporting the Tintagel was an excessive drain, huh?” Edward chuckled
Odawara's shore was roughly sixteen or seventeen kilou had ordered his Kanesadas to fly while carrying a 183e destroyer Of course, this consumed substantial ectoplasmic fluid
For Legions, this depletion of ectoplasue in humans
No longer sharp in swords mistakes they would not normally make
”My archers, no need to pity theht”
Edward told his troops that this was the chance for victory
Thethe red-purple swordsued Kanesadas
In the end, over half of the vanguard died before they could engage the enemy
Even so, the echelon foruard finally approached the horizontal line of Garter Knights—
”All units, draw your swords Show the enemy Hijikata Toshi+zō's swordsmanshi+p”
In the ensuing battle, the famed blade and Hijikata Toshi+zō's swordsmanshi+p were of paramount importance
The re four hundred and seventy or so Kanesadas entered the flat seigan stance and rushed at the British black knights, the Black Prince's personal guard
Unexpectedly
”Sha the red-purple Legions in the front, make use of shi+elds”
The Black Prince recited holy words to invoke a Feat of Arms of the shi+eld
The Garter Knights and the katana-wielding Kanesadas clashed head on The short inscription of ”Honi soit quiLatin, appeared on each shi+eld wielded by the Garter Knights
”My knights, you are protected by the insignia of the garter Now raise your shi+elds of justice to triump over evil!” ”
The Garter Knights resisting the Kanesadas head on were one hundred out of the entire army
Their arular shi+elds—not English longbows The shi+elds were alion's body
This was another of the Black Prince's truainst Tennen Rishi+n Style swordsmanshi+p before
However, the Kanesadas had no choice but to soldier on Masatsugu ordered theet about defense—Go”
A hundred British Legions had given up their rifles for offense to raise up giant shi+elds
In that case, there was no need to strike a balance between offense and defense Just attack with the strongest slash at full strength The Kanesadas swung their swords to chop at the ”black knights with raised shi+elds”—They used the stance of hassou
The so-called hassou was a type of upper stance with the sword Gripping the hilt, one would raise both hands to mouth level
The vertical sword's tip would point at the sky and the clouds, thus in Tennen Rishi+n Style, its nickname was ”the cloud-oriented sword”
”Cut theht”
The Kanesadas kept chopping at the hundred shi+eld-wielding Garter Knights
They focused all their strength on their one sword strike without thinking about defense or follow up attacks
However, the japanese swords were alhts Soed to cut into the shi+eld's steel, but they were rare exceptions
”Hohohoho, are samurai swords only capable of this much?”
”Try harder You are the troops led by the ot, watch out for the mockery you'll face in hell”
The cohts smiled whereas the Merciless Vice-Commander calmly ordered the attack
Responding to Masatsugu's orders, the Kanesadas lived up to their na hassou slashes, they attacked from behind their failed comrades or went over the heads of the troops in front of them—Fresh red-purple swordsman rushed out nonstop
As for the Garter Knights, they raised their giant shi+elds to cover their entire body
The Kanesadas used their own bodies to sions off balance Then seizing the opportunity, swords their deadly swords to leave ion's body
This ht by the spirit of japanese swordsmanshi+p
Instead, itin large groups”
Thisenemies was unique to the Feat of Aru a chaotic battle, one could not rely exclusively on skillful swordsmanshi+p
At the sau
”Impressive as always, Tachibana-dono Does the oblique formation take credit for this fierce offensive?” Edward muttered from the back of the British army
While the soldiers in the front were locked in combat, troops in the back would rush forward to deliver a second strike, and a third, etc, fighting relentlessly to break the enemy formation—
Putting elite troops in a column with deep ranks had this effect
And currently in a colu Kanesadas had turned into a sword's tip to stab into the line of Garter Knights
At this rate, the black knights' for
However, the Black Prince had expected this as soon as he saw the enemy's oblique formation
He said, ”I knew long ago You are a fa your saht, I have prepared retaliatory measures as well”
Edas flying on a wyvern mount
He looked down at theplace between the two armies The Tōkaidō-Ro the line of Garter Knights
The protruding left side of the echelon forht side of the line in a chaotic battle
However, the other soldiers were separated by dozens to a hundred or sothe chaotic battle at all
Edward calmly observed the battle situation
He atching the hts
Breaking through at that point would instantly overturn the battle situation—
”Upon a knight's honor Pierce them”
The Plantagenet prince issued the order for death
The three hundred Garter Knights in the back had been focused on firing their bows so far Their armaments spontaneously turned back into the normal bayonet rifles
Rising by a height of four hundred meters, they occupied the sky over the echelon formation
The Black Prince coe at full speed with all your ht!”
Edward had ordered a cavalry charge
The cavalry charge was the favorite tactic of Richard the Lionheart
Using the bayonets as ”cavalry lances,” the Legions fleards the eneion armor with the sharp blades The ie was able to scatter the enee was to use hundreds or thousands of troops to conduct such an attack offensive—
This tihts were used to launch a cavalry charge
Unconcerned with har friendly forces, Edent as far as to issue a cruel order that attacked them as well
The blackof the echelon formation from four hundred meters above!
At the sau issued a new order