Chapter 127: Fourteenth Episode: Chapter 9 (1/2)

Chapter 127: Fourteenth Episode: Chapter 9

Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In the not so vast territory of the Deiss Kingdom, the Alborto district merely occupied an area of 18 kilometers square. This pocket-sized basin filled the only level gap in the Southern hills of Deiss. The history of Alborto Fortress dates way back and can be traced all the way back to the first three centuries on Church's calendar. At that time, the Yarans were still in a tribe alliance. Needless to say, the Fortress of that time merely consisted of a few stone rooms.

The magnificent Alborto Fortress has undergone four large-scale expansions. After 700 years on the Church's Calendar, the model and scale of today were finally determined. It boasted a 40 meters wide moat and surrounding stonewalls close to 20 over meters in height and a width of 2 kilometers on all four sides. Gates were found on three sides of the Fortress walls and on them loomed fortified watchtowers. If only the above descriptions were used in depicting the exterior of Alborto Fortress, it would definitely not suffice. This was because the Fortress held a position of utmost importance in the history of Westland's military construction.

To sum it up, Westland's military constructions were often separate from the cities, standing in a defense for cities and their peripheral areas just by its geographical location. In other words, cities were a place where one bred and lived while castles and forts were created entirely for military defense.

However, the Alborto Fortress that stood remotely at the edge of the basin was not like this. It was one of the few military constructions in Westland that imitated the Eastern city layout, or one could say it was a massive city that was surrounded by looming walls and the army. Another model for this layout was Narcissus County's Andrew Haila. This proved that the Easterner's city defense concepts were exceedingly practical. However, when the architects of Westland were met with the issue of the rapidly increasing city population, they had no choice but to give up the style of the Easterners. This was because the surrounding walls greatly limited the expansion of the city's scope and its development. The fretting over Andrew Haila City's cramped construction highlighted this fact explicitly.

The over hundred years of peace has painted a glorious brilliance onto the walls of Alborto Fortress. That was the sparkle emitted by stones that have weathered the wind and storm. Constant renovations on the Fortress' outer wall cause it to no longer bear the worn out scars of before.

Church's year 797, the 20th day of the 11th month, is also the fourth day that an enormous army group of Titan's Imperial guards appeared at an area not far off from Alborto Fortress. The Fortress' defense and military strength allocation have already gone back on track after a month of hasty preparations. The general headquarters of Deiss' Southern warzone was set up in Maphory Cathedral within the Fortress. Before the statue of the God of Light, every Commissioned officer keen of participating in the attack and defense war made a blood oath to repel the invaders and fight until the last man standing.

To be more exact, now was early in the morning of the 20th day of the 11th month. The skies were still engulfed in darkness and the feeble rays of starlight. Probably a majority of areas in the Deiss Kingdom, particularly the North, have embraced the first snowfall of this winter. However, Alborto, deep in the low-lying basin of inland, still has sparse greenery still visible on the surface of its earth.

The shouts of the knights traveled through the silent plains until it reached the inner Fortress. The guards of the city walls have long since noticed the smoke that rolled up in the twilight. The copper bell on the city wall facing the rank of knights rang and numerous Deiss warriors spilled out from the army's hiding hole. They aligned themselves into a tight formation before the crenels of the city walls. Although the soldiers looking down from the city walls saw that there were not more than ten men in the rank of knights, their forces were strained.

”It's a small team of Teutonic Knights!” One of the lookouts finally made out the symbol on the military armor as the opponent drew closer to the moat.

The duty personnel in charge of the Fortress' garrison unit already rushed over to the Southern city gates. He was astonished, just what was enough to cause the Teutonic Knights to violate the ban on passing through at night?

”Urgent report! Urgent report!” The leader of the knights, wandering along the moat shouted towards the brightly lit watchtower. As per the order of emergency matters, the leader of the knights flashed a valid identification proof and orders of his direct commanding officer. The leader of the cavalry only had to insert the military insignia that had his surname and military unit's number onto the arrowhead and shoot it into the watchtower. When a plank to cross the moat was lowered from the Fortress, the early winter sky was vaguely lit.

The leader of the knights sped across it while cursing. The message from the battlefield must not be delayed even for a moment. He could make head or tails as to why General Rondraisse, a Commander, set up such tedious rules for entering the Fortress.

The Deiss Kingdom's Commander of the battlefield, General Rondraisse sneezed violently. He took out his handkerchief, wiped his slightly sore nose, and proceeded to wipe his eyes without caring about appearances. The old General's eyes were bloodshot. Since he joined the main Southern Army Group, he never had a good night's sleep.

”Someone is criticizing me!” The General of the Kingdom grumbled. He was not complaining, but merely trying to alleviate the tension in the war room.

The sun has risen and the gentle morning light shone through the multicolored glass windows of the cathedral, reflecting a myriad of distorted colors. The main hall of the cathedral was the war room. The military men moved away from the benches, replacing them with more than ten long tables. The towering candle stands were heaped up with candle oil accumulated over the days. The statue of the God of Light was bathed in candlelight and the gleam from the medals all around it.

The huge doors that suddenly banged open and sent cool morning breeze into the main hall. General Rondraisse, who was attentively contemplating the battlefield layout, was not distracted. He only used his hand to shield the candle set aside on the map from the icy wind.

”Sir! Some from the Ninth SS Independent Cavalry Brigade are here!”

Shooting a bewildered look at the operations staff officer who reported to him, the General supported his back and raised a hand, ”The Ninth SS Independent Cavalry Brigade? Aren't they on the right flank, monitoring the Titan guard's Army Group on the left flank?”

”Sir! Commander of the Second Division under the Kingdom's Ninth SS Independent Cavalry Brigade reporting!”

Rondraisse did a one over of the plucky military man and was even more astonished. The Division Commander's armor was covered with bloodstains and his forehead had a bandage soaked in blood around it.

”What is the situation?” The General questioned directly, knowing that now was not the time to put on an air.

”My division conducted a tactical harassment yesterday evening at Cangaree City, but... But we were ambushed by the Titans!”

”That's it?”

”No! No!” The Division Commander shook his head vehemently, ”Cangaree City appears like an unguarded, empty city and so I charged into it boldly. Although we encountered an ambush, I still managed to take control of the city.”

”Your Cavalry Division has recaptured Cangaree?” Rondraisse's eyes widened. He wasn't excited; instead, he was deeply terrified.

”Yes, sir! I vow with faith that my Cavalry Division has recaptured Cangaree! However, the Titans who ambushed us were only a small group, they maintained their offensive for half an hour and under my counterattack...”

”That's enough!” The General broke him off, ”I don't want to know how you recaptured Cangaree, I only wish to know where the Titan Army Group on the left flank originally defending there are!”

”They... They appeared to have broken away from the Western battlefront!” The Commander spluttered.

”Appeared... You still have the nerve to use this term?” Rondraisse gritted his teeth in rage and fixed his gaze upon his disfigured subordinate.

The General finally couldn't suppress his anger and snatched up the map under the light viciously. The various ranks of Generals in the war room abruptly froze in their respective tasks. The enemy's formidable force suddenly vanished a night before the huge battle erupted. Even fools could tell what this implied.

”The second and Ninth Corps under Titan guard's Northern Army Group... Not taking into account the members they lost in the previous battle... They still have a military strength of four to five divisions.” Rondraisse mumbled to himself while using a metal ruler to sketch on the map. ”Cangaree... Alborto... Vanished last night!”

The General again whirled to face the Division Commander, ”Can you verify the when the opponent gave up on Cangaree?”

The Commander of the Second Division stood to attention, ”The residents in the city said that they withdrew one after another on the night of the 19th.”

”You didn't realize?”

”I realized, but they put up a good pretense. My brigade commander believed that was a normal mobilization.”

”Which direction were they headed?” Rondraisse looked closely at the map, pondering over the possible locations where the Army Group of the enemy's left flank would appear.

”The Battlefield!” The Division Commander exclaimed while indicating on the ground.

The General heaved a sigh. The distance from Cangaree City to the Alborto area's predetermined battlefield was only a straight distance of over fifty kilometers. Meaning to say that, tomorrow or the day after, Titan's central Army Group before him would receive reinforcements of at least four divisions. By convention, no one would leave both the left and right flanks unguarded on the eve of a decisive battle breaking out. The reason being that it would result in a situation where the enemy could circle back and outflank them, but the Silver Fox so happened to have done just that! He must have seen that the left flank's defensive strength was inadequate and brazenly ordered the Second and Ninth Corps to shift their divisions to the central battlefield.

”Convey my orders! Re-adjust the combat deployments as follows!” General Rondraisse finally stood upright. He admitted that he was wavering, but he could not allow Alan to continue expanding his advantages on the battlefield.

”First, once the Titans line up their battle array on the predetermined battlefield, the attacking positions of the Teutonic Knights remain unchanged and will subdue the opponent's Wolfriders. Second, the cavalry force defending against the enemy troops' left-wing will immediately set out and draw closer to my central Army Group, joining the battle sequence and merging into the overall reserve. Thirdly, in countering the enemies head-on, re-adjust the Triton Array into the Scorpion Ant Array. Fourthly, if the outcome of the decisive battle is favorable to me, there isn't a need to go after the enemies, just increase the pressure from harassment. Fifth, if the outcome of the battle is unfavorable to me, the plan of retreating to the Fortress remains standing and we shall battle to the end at Alborto!”

The General's voice reverberated throughout the cathedral's vast main hall. The military officers who filled the room sat bolt upright. They gazed at their commander with fervent and perplexed eyes. In their minds, they were outlining the scene at the battlefield, envisioning the desperate killing and a scene soaked in red blood.

”Most loyal soldiers of the Kingdom!” Rondraisse tossed the metal ruler onto the table, ”What must be said, have been said! As a veteran, I prioritize actions over words! Prove your courage by your fearless struggles, prove your resolution in subduing the invaders with your most tenacious fighting spirit.”

”Long live Deiss!” The officers lifted their hands heavenwards and used deafening cries to respond to the veteran who campaigned decades for the kingdom.

Both of Rondraisse's hands were folded on the table, appearing quite optimistic. The old General pursed his lips and a smile slipped out at the corner of his mouth. He wanted to see how Alan would handle the Scorpion Ant array.

***************

”That is it for the Scorpion Ant Array!” Marshal Alan indicated the sketch he just made on the drawing board. He scanned the rank of officers whose spirits were ablaze. ”I apologize for having everyone wake up so early, but the Deiss should have already adjusted their battlefield deployment and we can't sit around doing nothing.”

The various ranks of officers of the Northern Army Group's five great armies and Wolfriders couldn't help but exchange dismayed glances upon hearing the Marshal's speculation. At this hour? The eve right before they launched the decisive battle? The Deiss suddenly readjusted their battlefield deployment? Has their commander gone mad or was he foolish?

The cool morning breeze blew through the army camp and the flag of the guards billowed. The soldiers used a blood red curtain to partition off an empty space at the heart of the army camp. The Marshal made a final shifting of all the officers above the rank of Colonel for the battle.

”Don't look at me that way!” Alan waved his hands at the seated officers, ”The Deiss thinks that the military force we deploy on the battlefield is greater than theirs. Thus, they assumed a battle array that can take on larger numbers with meager numbers. But in reality, it isn't like that!”

Alan swept his gaze over the seated officers, ”Soldiers of the Empire, the hour for the decisive battle is almost upon us! That's today!”

”Today?” As soon as the Marshal said that, a commotion broke out among the officers. Some of them were shouting that their troops were not mentally prepared, some made a racket of the weapons and supplementary soldiers having not arrived yet, and some even questioned the Marshal's leadership.

”Shut up everyone! Don't forget your status!” Alan snapped impatiently in a low voice. Having reached this stage of their offensive, the many flaws of the Northern Army Group were all exposed such as the disorganized ranks, their sluggish actions and the lack of elites. The company and platoon commanders of par excellence generally lived up to their name while as we climb higher up the rung, the commanders were all the more terrible! The old Marshal was fully aware that within the Army Group, certain officers were working together in the looting and smuggling business.

”Obeying commands is a soldier's duty! Just by looking at your faces and I can already start sending off those with objections to the court marshal!” Alan's eyes bulged. He didn't raise his voice, but overwhelming silence fell over the void outdoors and one could even hear a pin falling to the ground.

”Reporting, sir! Permission to speak!” An officer suddenly raised his hand.

”Permission granted.”

”Marshal, we fear that... The Second and Ninth Corps are unable to make it to the battlefield by today. We are suddenly launching a full-blown attack and despite it being able to mess up the enemy's deployment, what if they don't use the Scorpion Ant Array? Or perhaps... They change their battle array last minute on the battlefield? I think... wouldn't it be more advantageous to wait for the left-wing unit to merge with the Army Group before launching the attack?”

Alan suddenly turned around and ”bit” Colonel Payne Lubelly on the ear. With his voice so quiet that only his secretary could distinguish it, he gave his instructions.

”Bear in mind the name of this man, at long last, I have found a fellow who actually uses his brain. In a moment, transfer him and his unit out from the battle sequence.”

Payne gave a slight nod, apparently becoming aware of the true intent of Marshal Alan consistently covering up.

”Regarding the Colonel's question, I will still like to go back to the Scorpion Ant formation.” Alan stood up and rested his hand upon the sketch of the military array resembling a poisonous scorpion.

It is not known just how many have witnessed a war between ants and scorpions. People often say that ants have strength in numbers, but scorpions can secure their meal even under a battlefield surrounded by enemies. The tactics of the scorpion in dealing with the ants are simple, that is, continuously displaying their featured attacks and defensive advantages. The external carapace of the scorpion could effectively hinder the bites of the army of ants. Its huge pincers only need to swipe left and right to clear out a path for its advance. The pointed teeth at its head could swallow these juicy ants into its belly. As for the scorpion's most prized weapon, as we all know, is the tail that could pierce into its enemy's abdomen and spurt out the poisonous juice. When confronting the ant army, it only needs to sweep its tail across the battlefield to fling the crowd of enemies aside, then inject its poison into the strongest of its foe to eliminate the main threat scrupulously.

”And so! When the Deiss realized that my left wing has moved to the central battlefield, the first response was to change the battle array of the decisive battle. Although the left wing only has two incomplete corps, that also makes up four Infantry Divisions! And thus, the Deiss army naturally assumed that our military strength received further reinforcement. As a result, there is at least an 80 to 90 percent probability of them using the Scorpion Ant Array! And so, the probability of them using the Triton Array, or the Salvator and Triangular Array is not up to twenty percent!” Alan elaborated while pointing at the map.

”The sentry post of the Front Line has already issued a notification of verification. At 4.55am at dawn, which is also an hour ago, the three walls of Alborto Fortress was opened simultaneously and a stream of communications officials poured out, heading straight for each army's assembly point! So I have reason to believe that the Deiss Supreme High Command has formulated a corresponding countermeasure for our arrangement. Aside from changing their battle array, I can't guess what other alternatives General Rondraisse has.”

Alan sat down once again. The frigid early winter of Deiss made his back feel sore first thing the morning.

”Fellow companions, the Combat Department have devised four plans for this decisive battle. I believe that everyone is aware that only plan A's arrangement is to counter the Scorpion Ant Array. Therefore, I ask that today at 10 in the morning, all battle units evacuate the camp on schedule and enter the predetermined battlefield! So... Are there any more questions?”

The Silver Fox was indeed worthy of his name! The officers only discussed in hushed tones, denying that there was any problem (Even if there were questions, no one dared bring it up). The Combat Department already considered numerous possibilities for the march, but the very first the Marshal worked out was countermeasures against the Scorpion Ant Array. In other words, the old Silver Fox already has an explicit understanding of the probable direction the Deiss was heading for.

”Reporting, sir!” The one who spoke was the young military officer just now, ”I request that you once again infer plan A!”

Alan inclined his head, gazing at the other with intense interest.

The Marshal's Confidential Secretary, Payne Lubelly unfolded the register of the battle sequence and pointed out a listed name to the Commander.

”Commander of the Fourth Corps' Third Division... Leigh McCaren!” The silvered haired old fox squinted his eyes as he stared at this name. The owner of this name would undoubtedly become an outstanding Commander in future, but at least for now, he was in an extremely precarious situation.

”Tell me, Colonel Leigh, is there a problem with plan A?”

”Sir, I do not have such meaning. Or... May I infer based on the deployment of plan A?”

”Please!” Alan gestured towards the tactical map. The young Colonel stood up straight and saluted, thanking the Marshal for his grace.

It was evident that Colonel Leigh inherited the ancient military lineage of the McCaren Family. He had a broad chest, an aquiline nose, a head of curly light brown hair, and mysterious, violent eyes. His military boots were shining and like all noble officers, his breastplate and gardebras were branded with a totem outlined in gold. Don't be deceived by his appearance of a rich hedonistic child, but the heavy battle-ax he carried accentuated the courage of this warrior.

In order to show his respect towards the high-ranking officers seated there, Leigh McCaren removed his helmet and nestled it at the crook of his arm and then again gave a military salute to the Marshal and his companions.