Battle of West Lafressange
Whats wrong with that!? Be happier to see your cute sister co back.
... Is there a cute sister here?
! Thats ! Your cute sister is !
How annoying.
Franziska didnt seem to hear this complaint, and started humming.
She looked in the direction Gilbert was staring at.
She shaded her eyes from the dazzling sunset.
Hmm~~ what are you looking at, big bro?
Nothing I just have an ominous feeling about that place.
Huh? The west? Arent Oswald and the Second Prince fighting in the east?
So of our allies are dangerous, but its a different kind of feeling.
The west, where the Second Army is located?
Now Not anymore.
Gilbert hid the unease in his heart and glanced at Franziska.
Hyaa, the gaze that will even make a knight afraid, how lewd~~
Shut up idiot. The Fourth Princess you wound with your arrow is here. The Imperial 4th Army absorbed the Second Army, and numbers 16,000 That Black Knight is there too.
Franziska puffed her cheeks.
Sigh Really? Wasnt she in the north east garrison unit? What is she doing here in the west?
Not just that, they even defeated the Queens Navy.
So what!? It has nothing to do with !
According to intel, that strategist nad Regis dAuric was the acting Fleet Admiral. The man rumoured to have taken Fort Volks, who Oswald is wary about.
Thats why I was tasked to stop him.
Franziskas eyes started to waver.
She took on a mission earlier to attach Fort Volks along with the Varden Grand Duchy in order to stall the unit of the Fourth Princess.
But she didnt even manage to delay her for a single night.
Eh Well
Because of your failure, the operation to pursue the Imperial Seventh Army during the battle of Lafressange was hindered, and the supply ships were sunk. This made the war even harder. Because the High Britania forces were advancing too fast, the resupply of ammunition couldnt keep up We are the only supply unit left. If we cant take the capital Versailles, this war would be our defeat.
Franziska looked scared and broke out in cold sweat.
Gilbert sighed again.
Sigh If I knew he was such a dangerous fellow, I would have attacked Fort Volks personally. So Jessicas intelligence isnt that accurate after all.
Wouldnt big sis feel pitiful if you say that?
In this world, only the winner will survive. It has nothing to do with effort or the position one is in. If you dont want to die, then produce results. If you fail again, I will abandon you even if you are my sister.
Ugh No problem! I will definitely win next ti!
I hope so.
Gilbert turned to the west once more.
Franziska wiped away her cold sweat in relief.
A shout could be heard from under the tree.
Big bro ~~ Sis~~ Ti for dinner!
A shrill female voice.
A ten years old child waved at the tree top. She was the third sister, Martina.
Looking down from the tall tree, she looked really small
Its because she was still young. She only reached Gilberts waist in height.
Franziska patted her face.
Hey~~ Thats our Martina!
... Shes not strong enough yet Thats why I make her help out in making food. But letting her accumulate experience by coming to the battlefield isnt rushing her.
Erm big bro? Im saying that Martina is really cute!
I dont care about boring stuff.
This is really important right!?
Gilbert stretched his back and jumped from the tree branch.
The sound of the wind filled her ears.
The reactionary force almost knocked Franziska down.
Hyaa! Wait for big bro!
Even if her body was as light as a cat, she couldnt jump off from a tree this tall like that. Using her hands and feet, she slid down the tree nimbly.
Martina hugged Gilbert who just leapt off the tree.
Brother! Dinner!
Okay
Martina hung off Gilberts body as if she was climbing a tree.
It didnt bother Gilbert, and he left her be as he walked towards the camp.
The High Britania supply unit numbered about 10,000. Of that, 5,000 of them were escorts from the regular army, and 300 were the elites of Renard Pendu.
The mbers of the rcenary gathered imdiately.
Chief, please sit here! Ah, Chief, this way! Wait, its our turn this ti right!? Hey, dont squeeze in, I will kill you!? Fufu, want to have a go!?
The rcenary Group Renard Pendu always had such an atmosphere, it was a gang of ruffians after all.
Gilbert sighed:
Annoying I should disband the rcenary Group.
The world turned silent for an instant.
But only for an instant.
Hahahaha! Everyone burst out laughing.
Chief! This way! We have delicious grilled at! Its deer! Freshly caught deer!
Listen, this is my story
Normally, it was troubleso to make individual fires, so they would make one big bonfire. However, you couldn't really cook on it, so it was hard to make anything elaborate.
But they occupied an enemy campsite today.
This was a great stove, with lumps of at grilling on it and a huge pot of soup besides it. A truly sumptuous dinner.
Because the incident that happened several days ago gave the soldiers heavy psychological pressure, Gilbert thought it was necessary to relieve them of their stress, so he used this chance to take out the wine from the supplies.
That incident was
The soldiers in the unit saw the naval battle in Chaineboule harbour.
Gilbert thought the victory of High Britannia was a foregone conclusion, but he made preparation to leave with the supplies if things went wrong.
As the soldiers watched A Britannian warship was blown to smithereens by an explosion so powerful that they had never seen it before.
The other warships lost their will to fight and surrendered one after another.
This dealt a major psychological blow to Gilbert and his subordinates.
Unlike spears and arrows, humans couldnt do anything about an explosion akin to a volcano eruption.
Ti and wine were necessary to wipe away the fear.
At this ti the scouts saw the enemy units that were making camp. They were as timid as a mouse, fleeing in a panic before even fighting.
There wasnt any reason to not use this campsite.
After drinking so beer, both the regular soldiers and the transport personnel relaxed themselves.
The rcenaries were much happier than before because of this good luck. Specifically speaking, their yells were about 30% louder.
Or rather, they were getting too excited.
Even though he thought it was too noisy, Gilbert still found an empty seat and sat down.
Martina leaned onto his right shoulder.
Soon, a large bowl full of at was served.
At this mont, Franziska walked over quietly.
Wait! Big bros side belongs to !
Squeezing out the person beside Gilbert, she hogged Gilberts left.
Gilbert sighed.
How annoying Your body temperature is too high, give so space.
Franziska and Martina said at the sa ti:
Dont wanna!
In the end, it didnt matter where he sat. The rcenaries gathered around Gilbert with bowls filled with food, and talked with him without restrain.
Listen to chief! I got news from my hotown, my child has been born!
... Thats a cause for celebration, cheers!
The rcenaries cheered and drank.
Chief! My mother passed away! Can she go to heaven if I request the church to say a prayer for her?
Dont worry about that. If she goes to hell, she would get to et you, and you can be as filial as you like. Well, lets cheers in the hope she goes to heaven anyway.
Everyone clinked glasses in high spirits again.
Chief! My wife just gave birth in my hotown too!
... Oh, cheers!
Speaking of which, I havent been ho for two years.
I see Isnt it great the baby doesnt look like you? Cheers!
The n who seed to be drowning in self loathe kept drinking.
Gilbert looked around him.
By the way, wheres Jessica?
Shes praying again right?
Franziska looked towards the large tent that was far away from the rowdy crowd.
That was the tent of the oldest of his little sisters, Jessica.
She was a mage.
She could bestow powers with chants, heal wounds, divine the future and control the weather at least thats how the rcenary group saw her.
She treated the rcenary group as her family too, but she disliked the crowds, and wouldnt attend the occasional group dinner.
What a helpless bunch
The gradually setting sun dyed the west of the hill in reddish blue, and the sky looked as if it was burning. Looking up at the dark part of the sky, the stars were visible.
==================================================
Imperial Year 851 3rd June, Night
The clattering of horse hooves could be heard in the dark.
Standing tall on the grass plain and kicking up dust, knights in black armour charged towards the enemy.
They were the Black Knight Corps of the Belgarian Fourth Imperial Army.
Leading the Corps were Jero Jean de Beilschmidt, and his lance Le Cheveu Dune Da.
Just as the na the Black Knight implies, everyone wore black Armure de plaque (full plate armor) and rode on black horses.
Even the horses had armour that protected them from arrows and bullets.
In this era, horses were extravagant things.
Especially trained war horses, they were sothing most soldiers couldnt obtain even if they worked their entire life, thats how valuable they were.
Thats why attacking horses was rarely seen during lee combat.
Many soldiers didnt care about the objective of the war, if they could defeat the opposing rider and seize his horse, they would obtain a fortune that could change their entire life.
No matter how powerful the enemy rider was, they were nothing in the mind of the soldiers who were thinking about nothing but the treasures they could seize. The armour on the horses was there to protect them from stray arrows and bullets.
The High Britannian had powerful rifles, it wasnt clear how effective the equipnt would be
A guide who knew the local terrain well and had great night vision led the way with a piece of white cloth draped around him.
He lifted a hand to send a signal.
The enemy camp was nearby.
Under the starlight, the bonfire swerving in the wind was in plain sight.
Hmmp I will show you our strength!
The sound of hooves erupted, and the High Britannian army noticed the enemy charging.
The sound of the new rifles could be heard from the camp.
It was still far. However, so of the shots hit, and the unlucky ones fell off their horses.
Cavalry was overwhelmingly faster than infantry, but it was aningless if the opponent had superior firepower. Thats how good the enemys rifles were.
When they were within range, Jero gave the order.
Fire!
In place of the bugle call to signal a charge, Kruger who was besides him fired off his loaded musket.
The Belgarian muskets were frontloaded, and took a lot of ti to reload. After getting a shot off, it would be placed into a basket hanging from the horse imdiately, and another musket would be taken out to fire.
The Second Imperial Army had plenty of muskets, so it was possible to perform such a tactic with these muskets.
They lost one hundred cavalry in the battle of Lafressange last ti.
But even if they were sitting on the shaky back of a horse, with each rider ard with four muskets, they could still achieve so results.
Not just bullets, flaming arrows were also sent flying at them.
Even so, the horses wouldnt be spooked
Bang! The surroundings lit up suddenly.
Fire spread on the ground.
Jero clicked his tongue.
They spilled oil here!
This was probably the instruction of the rcenary King Gilbert.
The High Britannian army didnt have much battle experience. The sinister plan of spilling oil around the campsite and igniting it with fire arrows could only be done by seasoned veterans.
The quantity wasnt much, just enough to illuminate the surrounding But thats where the problem was.
Kruger shouted.
General! Our position is exposed!
There wasnt any aning in the night raid anymore.
Jero ordered:
Enough! Retreat!
After receiving the order, Abidal Evra and his subordinates sounded the bugles.
The cavalry stopped their charge imdiately, but didnt turn back hastily. The leading units turned to the right, the ones bearing shields on the left faced the enemy, then fell back.
In preparations for this mont, they had already conserved the stamina of the horses earlier.
They pulled away from the enemy as swiftly as the wind.
The sound of the High Britannian gunfire grew distant.
Jero pulled the reins and the horse slowed. Abidal Evra approached him at this mont.
How many wounded.
Right now, Jero was the commander of the Fourth Imperial Army Black Knight Corps. But many of his subordinates addressed him as general out of habit.
Because they address the present general as princess, there was no confusion.
Jero passed down the instructions:
Dont need to push yourself, its fine to go slow. Those who arent wounded hurry back to base and prepare for the next attack.
Understood!
==================================================
Just at the edge of his vision
A white figure appeared in the hills cloaked in darkness.
A wagon!
Shoosh!
Jero signalled, warning those behind him not to run into each other. Amidst the neighs of the horses, Abidal Evra used his bugle to order the knights to slow down.
The Black Knight Corps slowed down and trotted past the wagon.
The wagon was ferrying plenty of buckets filled with water.
It was the pioneers.
Jero could vaguely see them saluting in the dark.
He returned the salute, even though the gesture might not be seen.
... Will this thod really work?
Abidal Evra muttered softly.
Who knows. But if we assault them without any plans, even the cavalries would need to have the resolve to take heavy losses. Even though it is night and the range is far, so n were still hit
During the battle of Lafressange, they launched an assault at the rear of the enemy formation and still lost a hundred n. The danger of charging at the High Britanian new rifle formation head on was obvious.
Jero spurred his horse on.
Seems that the way battles will be fought is going to change.
I see.
Abidal Evra answered in a trembling voice.
Before the debut of the new rifles, the cavalry that road the battlefield was nearly an invincible existence.
With speed unmatched by others and clad in armour impervious to blades and arrows, on horseback, one could easily stab at the enemy with a lance.
No matter how great an infantry unit was, it was common to see the tides turn when the cavalry was committed to the battlefield.
But now, infantries without expensive horses or armour, and with minimal training could defeat a rider with a pull of the trigger.
Even though it was night, the hail of bullets kept them from closing in. Just a little bit of oil and fire arrows could drive the cover of darkness away.
Can they really defeat the supply unit?
Not just Jero, many of the knights probably bore the sa doubt.
That might be so, but the operations had begun.
They were already doing what they could.
After a 30 minutes trek, they reached the base camp.
It was actually not that far away from the enemy base.
Even though the battle plan necessitated it, it was a bold move to set up camp here.
A bonfire lit up the campsite. As heavy armour infantry secured the borders, the horses were placed in the center for rest, and the muskets were reloaded.
There were plenty of barrels here. After the empty wagon returned, barrels were loaded up before they set off again.
After Jeros Black Knights returned, they rushed the soldiers tending to the horses and reloaded the guns, trying to ready their horses and muskets for the next assault.
A man alighted from a white carriage decorated with extravagant glass.
And approached slowly. He was the strategist behind the battle planRegis.
... Thank you for your hard work.
Hmmp, I only made a trip to peek at the enemy. Leaving the horse aside, Im not tired at all.
Thats great Theres still quite a bit of ti before dawn, I am worried about not being able to keep the harassnt attacks up.
Is there any aning in doing this?
Jero glanced at the pile of barrels.
Regis scratched his head.
Part of this was dependent on the weather, so its hard to say But if the weather maintains until morning, it should be able to work.
If it really works, that will really be magical.
Even if you say that this is actually just natural sciences.
Hmmp Speaking of magic I heard the rcenary King has a mage subordinate too.
Ah, I heard such rumours before. It is said that Gilberts younger sister Jessica had the ability to bestow power, heal injuries and predict the future.
What do you think?
Its a big world, so there are all kind of mysteries. Maybe soone like that does exist, just like mythology.
He seed really happy to say that.
Jero reached out and ruffled Regis black and green hair.
We are fighting soldiers bestowed with magical powers!? Do you understand what this ans!?
Wahh
Isnt there any counterasures!?
Ahh, actually, theres no need to put that into consideration.
What do you an?
Jero let go of the hand that was grabbing Regis hair.
Regis tidied his hair troublingly. It wasnt very ssy, but he seed really conscious about being neat.
... Ahh, really If I dont tidy my hair and clothes, Altina will be angry again.
Who cares.
Ahh How an
Why is the princess so strict about your appearance?
Maybe shes worried that the soldiers will feel uneasy if the strategist is too unkempt.
If you know that, you should learn to use a sword.
Hahaha I couldnt even cut an onion with a sword, it would be aningless if the soldiers learned this.
You are saying that so shalessly! You are a soldier too, at least take part in the morning training!
... You are right If I have enough ti to sleep at night, I will consider it.
Regis was so busy because he was a strategist in the midst of war. However, Jero dismissing all the admin officers in the past also played a part.
We lack manpower. From the scale of the Fourth Army, at least two hundred admin officers would be needed.
Speaking of which, the number of female admin officers had increased. Augustes maid nad Lilim had exemplary performance, so she was entrusted with a lot of tasks.
You said earlier that there is no need to worry about the mage, why is that?
... Even if the sister of the rcenary King is a mage, she wont be able to see through my plans. When we fought the High Britannians in Chaineboule city, the rcenary King was already there.
Yes, thats true.
In that case, her spells are limited For example, sothing to the effect of praying in a church. As rcenaries are not recognized by the church, she is actually just an idol to calm the spirits of the troops.
rcenaries were poor and couldnt donate to the church.
If life was hard, they will even moonlight as robbers.
To the rcenaries, the church only existed for kings, nobles, farrs and rchants.
In order to provide his subordinates with spiritual guidance, it wasnt too farfetched for the rcenary King Gilbert to hail his sister as a mage.
I see Indeed, there isnt any need to worry about this.
... In order to soothe the fears of the soldiers if anything unexpected happens, such a strategy is necessary. It was dangerous for a group be paranoid.
Hmmp! If a soldier shows cowardice on the battlefield, I will bring his head back to the Empire.
N-No, dont do that! There are less than a thousand soldiers from Beilschmidt Border Regint. If you say that, you will frighten the new soldiers!
Tch, how boring!
Jero fell into deep thought
Before he was renowned as a hero, Jero was a baron with 500 cavalry and 1000 infantry.
When he was transferred to the north borders to command Sierck Fortress, he built the Beilschmidt Border Regint, and had 3000 n under his command.
In the three years after, be it the number of troops, scale of battle and budget, none of that increased significantly.
It was the sa after Marie Quatre Argentina de Belgaria ca, she didnt bring about any major changes.
Everything started after the weak youth before him Regis arrived.
Subduing the barbarians in the forest, taking Fort Volks as the new base, and used the ransom for the prisoners of war to increase the soldier count to 6000.
And after the battle with High Britania, he negotiated with the Field Marshal Latreille and founded the Fourth Army.
After absorbing the Second Army, the scale of the forces now numbered 16,000.
The forces weren't completely under his control, but the forces still increased by leaps and bounds
In just half a year, their forces increased by more than 5 tis.
Jero said slowly:
Well, we have a wizard here too. Lets tell the troops that to calm them down.
Regis replied cautiously:
.... Erm, really Thats not how it is.
Hmmp To achieve victory, I will use anything available, thats all to it.
... Erm, erm...
As they were still discussing about this, the sound of hooves ca from the darkness.
Another unit had returned.
Ford with the knights of the Second Army as its core and reinforced by rcenaries. The Crescent Knight Corps, nad after its crescent emblem.
Their footsteps sounded heavy.
From the glow of the bonfire, it appeared that many of them were hurt.
A lot of dics rushed over in order to attend to the wounded, and the campsite turned rowdy.
The Crescent Knights conducted a night raid just like the Black Knights, ard with four muskets just like them, and pulled back after firing their shots. But the casualties they suffered were much more serious than the Black Knights.
Jero snorted.
Hmmp, wussies.
I did expect that casualties might be that serious As expected, the battle is hard.
The enemy spilled oil around their base. They then lit it up with fire arrows, illuminating the area and exposing our position.
Regis sighed.
Ah, I see So they used such a trick.
We fell into their trap.
... Thats right. We sent scouts in advance, but the opponent also disguised their action of spilling oil, pretending to be throwing out rubbish as they did so It cant be discerned from a distance.
Did they predict that there would be a night raid?
... After they seized the site, they set up camp there. It is a place surrounded by hills and hard to defend. It can be seen as a trap. I considered that they would be on their guard because of the terrain, thats why I asked you all to retreat imdiately after firing.
There are plenty of fools who refuse to listen to advice. They probably are eager to seize rits. Thats the reason why the Second army were defeated in the first battle.
The Belgaria Empire was strong.
As such, they needed brave generals more than cautious officers.
And from now on, this trend will also change. Even though Jero didnt want to accept this
Regis shrugged.
... It cant be helped, I will have a good talk with Benjamin later. It is about ti for the Black Knights to move out.
What about the spilled oil?
Ahh, just fire at the ground with fla arrows so distance away. You can ignite the oil before hand. Then strike a while later, after the oil has burned out.
Hmm
Regis proposed a tactic matter of factly. Did he co up with it in such a short ti? Jero sighed in his heart.
No, this was probably in the content of a book he happened to have read.
Even if this wasnt so, he wouldnt utter such complints. Jero wasnt soone like that.
Ah, also The enemy should have noticed our long distance harassnt strategy. They might set up ambushes near their base.
So we just need to be alert about this right?
Thats true, scouts are already observing them. If they set up ambushes, we should hear the news.
As he said that, Regis took out a map.
Turning towards the bonfire, the map in his hands was illuminated.
He marked so spots on the preplanned route.
... Point A here and point B here have scouts. The lantern they are hanging is still lit, aning there are no ambushes. If the light goes out, that ans there is an ambush.
So you even prepared this.
For a mont like this, the prepared light signal could only be seen in one direction. It was definitely dangerous to lit a light in a night battle. The Knight Corps needed the resolve to risk their life just to draw near.
Jero returned to his unit.
He rushed back in order to issue his orders as soon as possible.
We are moving out! Abidal Evra, your team will bring fire arrows! Krugers unit bring muskets! Hurry it up! Dont give the enemy the chance to catch their breath!
The mbers of the Black Knights answered in unison:
Understood!
==================================================
Gilbert was shifting crates.
He could move three crates that couldnt be moved by one person alone.
Phew
The rcenaries rushed over in a panic.
Chief?! Just give the word, we will help
If you have the ti to talk about that, then move the other crates. Place food and clothes around the gunpowder crates. If a stray bullet or sothing hit this, it will explode.
Y-Yes!
The rcenaries started carrying the boxes in a hurry.
Franziska walked over with a rifle in hand.
Big bro, the oil had been spilled!
Oh But the enemy aint fools, it probably wont be of much use.
They probably know about shooting fla arrows from a distance to burn off the oil. But thats why we prepared torches.
They used this tactic before, and Franziska was already used to it.
This was sothing Gilbert and his brothers in arms learned on the battlefield.
War was a teacher.
Compared the brightness of burning oil, the torches werent bright enough to satisfy the condition to fire at targets.
But the enemy wont be able to advance if the flas were still burning, so it could buy so ti.
There is still four hours until sunrise, the enemy is probably scheming to wear us out.
How about setting off now?
No. If we travel through the night and dont catch up with sleep in the morning, we will collapse from exhaustion. Theres no need to discuss anything further.
Even if they could set off in the morning, it would be impossible to not rest at all.
He expected a night raid, but not a nonstop harassnt tactic like this.
The enemy didnt want to engage in a shoot out.
The Belgaria Empires cavalry were strong.
Maybe they were waiting for the chance for an all out charge.
As expected, he is a stubborn foe.
Who?
The fourth Princess Or rather, that strategist.
Regis huh? I think I saw him before.
What kind of guy is he?
A weak fellow who looked as if he will fall from just a shove.
... Is such a guy really a soldier?
Who knows? The Princess is good though. Well, I am better! Duke Balzac is a powerful adversary!
I heard the current head is weak?
He is strong, but he doesnt want to kill people! I dont understand.
I see Maybe he is a guy like who hates to kill.
Eh? Big bro?
What, you think I am a happy mass murderer?
N-Not really
Franziska opened her eyes wide.
Gilbert piled the crate he was carrying around the gunpowder crates.
The rcenaries and regulars worked together to shift the provisions and clothes.
After they were done, it would not explode unless a direct hit was scored.
He sweated a lot.
Phew I hate killing people. But killing others is better than dying. I'm not a religious person at all.
Well, thats true.
Gilbert surveyed the campsite.
Gilbert caught sight of a figure moving in the darkness. That was probably a scout of the Belgarians.
The corner of Gilberts lips rose.
... Well then, let the killing begin.
Yes!
Franziska answered happily.
Gilbert returned to the base in light attire. His hard working sister tagged along to help.
And took the trident he had always used in his hand.
The familiar feeling didnt change.
There was still four hours until the break of dawn
In accordance to Gilberts command, about a thousand n left the base with rifles and torches. Instead of an ambush, it was more like an invitation to the enemy.
They made no effort to conceal themselves, and were attracting the attention of the enemy prominently.
They took up formation to the west of the camp.
After the unit set off and eliminated the Belgarian scouts
Gilbert also left the base with twenty of his underlings.
==================================================
The Black Knights headed for the camp in the dark once again.
The vegetation was thick in the hilly region, and their vision was blocked from ti to ti.
Starlight couldnt penetrate through the branches and devilish shadows seed to be lurking everywhere.
Jero frowned and recalled the map in his mind.
There should be a signal here.
He searched for light from a lantern.
Nothing.
There wasnt anything.
He could see the camp fire in the distance.
Pulling on his reins, Jero slowed his horse down.
The knights behind him started watching the surroundings, looking for any ambushes. This was part of their training.
Jero felt sothing was off.
... Tch.
A bad feeling.
Below
He didnt see anything, but using his instincts, Jero pulled on the reins and changed the strides of the horse.
The horse then moved beautifully, leaping high as if its body weight was gone.
Did the horse see it too? Or was it instinct just like Jero?
In any case, he successfully avoided sothing at his feet.
Like Jero, the horses behind also jumped.
But so of the soldiers were slow to react.
One of the horses behind didnt lift its hooves in ti. It then fell forward. Sothing could be seen, and was obvious to any who saw it.
A rope was laid out!
The large warhorses tripped and threw the knight wearing heavy armour to the front.
The sound of tal colliding rang out.
Followed by a muffled groan.
Even if they succeeded in avoiding the rope, there were many soldiers who stepped on their brethren on the ground and fell.
They inspected the area before the battle, so there shouldnt have been any traps.
Or did they set up these traps in the short period of ti after the first night raid?
Had they see through our actions?
Or was it a spy?
The one planning the battle was Regis, and he only told Jero the content before he set off.
The only ones who knew were him and Jero.
No, the scouts responsible for surveillance should also know.
If the lantern was out, it ant there were ambushes.
Could it be
The scouts were taken out?
If so, the opponent who was capable of setting up this trap wont be satisfied with just tripping a few riders over.
Jero stopped the noise behind him and listened for the enemy.
Back left!?
Sound of many sets of footsteps.
Turning back, the enemy hiding in the shadow of the trees and tugging on the black tripping ropes dashed out.
For the elent of surprise, the enemy didnt ride horses. But they were faster than hunting hounds.
Enemy!
Jero pulled the reins with his left hand to change the direction the horse was facing. Holding the lance with his right hand, he faced to the left, reacting speedily.
And the enemy should be so distance away
One of his foes closed in with unbelievable speed and thrust his trident.
Haha ! So you are the Black Knight!?
... Tch! The rcenary King!?
The blade of the trident pressed forth dangerously.
It knocked Jeros Le Cheveu Dune Da loose.
He estimated that there was no ti to grab it with his right hand, so he held the lance with his left hand and barely defended the blow.
The rcenary King smiled in the darkness.
Amazing! You actually blocked that!
Sneak attack like an unscrupulous rat. rcenary King? More like rcenary rat!
I dont care about that! I didnt co up with it!
The enemy was just Gilbert and fifteen of his subordinates.
The ones who fended off the knight who ca to reinforce Jero were probably the n from the Renard Pendu rcenary group.
Jero turned and charged at the rcenary King.
Fu I always wanted to fight you. Let see if you are as powerful as the legend says! Yahhh
Changing his grip, Jero thrust the lance with his right hand.
Jero, the fad Black Knight thrust his lance consecutively.
Be it the young knights of Varden Grand Duchy or the commander of the White Wolves Knights, none of them could withstand his attacks.
But not only did Gilbert dodge them, he even counter attacked.
Jeros eyes widen.
He can spare the effort to counter attack!?
Jero twisted his body to evade the trident strike at his chest.
A screeching sound accompanied the sparks flying off the black armour.
But he wasnt just taking a beating one sidedly.
Jero thrust a second ti.
The blade of the dark lance flew towards his adversarys throat
Gilbert parried the blade with a shake of his left hand.
The lance glazed the shoulder and was deflected skywards.
He actually fended it off.
Gilberts eyes glowed.
As expected of the Black Knight! You avoided my tridents strike! This has never happened before!
Hmmp You are the first one to live under my lance. Instead of a rcenary, you are closer to an acrobat.
How long can you keep your composure? It wont be so slow next ti!
En Garde!
Gilberts trident thrust was riposte by Jeros lance.
Gilbert retracted his trident with haste and fended off the counterattack. He stabbed at the thigh this ti.
I will give you the leg!
Jero didnt defend his leg and went for the opponents head.
When both weapons were about to hit
Gilbert leapt out of the way.
And laughed heartily.
Hahaha! You really are a dark knight! Zero hesitation in exchanging your leg for the opponents head!
Hmmp I admit this level of sacrifice is necessary in order to stab you.
Haha, I understand Black Knight, its been fun clashing with you! But the terms offered by High Britania isnt good enough.
rcenaries fought for money, and will increase the price according to the ability of the opponent.
Jero steadied his breathing.
Compensation worthy of your life huh. I will negotiate with your employer by using your coffin!
Alright Ti for the tide to subside.
Gilbert lifted one hand to signal, and the rcenaries of Renard Pendu fighting the other knights started to pull back.
After that, Gilbert then turned and retreated.
When Gilbert withdrew so distance away, one of the knights charged forth.
Trying to run!?
It was Captain Kruger.
He thrust his lance out.
Hey! Do not pursue!
Jero tried to stop him, but Kruger didnt seem to hear.
If he escapes unscathed after attacking the general, it would tarnish the na of the Black Knights!
His lance was blocked by Gilbert.
But Kruger used the slight advantage in range and attacked again with a turn skillfully.
Gilbert gritted his teeth.
... No choice Black Knight, you actually sent your subordinate to help you.
It wasnt clear what he ant.
After that
Sound of rifle reports rung out from the forest.
Kruger who was pursuing the enemy fell off the horse just like that.
The Black Knights drew their muskets out to retaliate.
Nurous shots could be heard.
But the Renard Pendu rcenaries led by Gilbert were already gone, covered by the woods.
Jero jumped off his horse and rushed to Krugers side.
Hey!
He flipped Kruger over.
Krugers eyes were losing their light.
Blood spew from his mouth.
... Ugh General
Three bullet holes could be seen on the armure de plaques thick breastplate.
It probably hit his organs.
What a well planned trap
Capture the scouts and interrogate them for intelligence. Pull the tripwire to isolate the leading elents, and then attack the commander directly. If they fail to capture him, the snipers in the forest will fire when the enemy stops.
That was the ambush of the rcenary King.
If Kruger didnt charge ahead, Jero might have been the one to be hit.
Jero gritted his teeth and carried Kruger on his shoulder.
Stop kidding ! If you sleep in a place like this, I will leave you behind! Kruger, dont sleep, I order you!
... I cant see anything
Pull yourself together!
... I want to be just like the general
Those were his last words.
Jero stood still.
Damn it!
==================================================
The Black Knights suffered so losses, but they still completed their mission successfully.
After dealing a major blow to the enemys special forces, they retreated before reaching the enemy camp. As expected, the enemy only opened fire in close proximity to their camp.
They then returned to base
Now was the ti to mourn their lost brethren.
Chaplains gave the last rites to the corpses covered in cloth and placed them side by side.
Regis leaned against a crate as he watched this scene.
No one complained about the battle plan. However, he still wondered about the lives that were lost because of his command. Regis felt as if there was lead in his stomach.
He sighed plenty of tis.
The Crescent Knights prepared to move out after resting for a mont.
Benjamin rode alongside his brother Jestin.
Regis already advised them about the mistake of getting too close to the enemy base which resulted in serious losses, they probably wont do that again.
There werent any generals that could replace them, so he could only hope that they would change their ways.
The neighing of the horses, clanking of the armour, sound of muskets being loaded and the sighs of the troops
The scouts moved out ahead of the Crescent Knights on carriages.
According to Jeros report the first wave of scouts had probably been captured, and the route of travel had most likely been leaked.
Scouts hiding in the dark forest were discovered that easily.
As expected of the rcenary group Renard Pendu...
The task had beco more dangerous. But it was impossible for the units to move out without scouts. Assigning replacent scouts was necessary.
Regis felt frustrated.
The casualty count was more serious than expected
He didnt expect such losses from both the scouts and the cavalry.
Even though he was aware that the knowledge and asures in books couldnt be transferred so easily into real life battles.
The one who ca up with a plan that would definitely result in casualties was Regis.
Regis felt chilly.
After seeing off the replacent scouts, Regis felt ten years older.
His frail body was as heavy as lead. He couldnt lift a finger, and breathing was difficult.
Only his heart was beating abnormally fast, he could even feel his pulse clearly.
The weather wasnt hot but he kept sweating, wetting his eyelashes and soaking his back.
We have taken huge losses
Will this plan really work?
Is it worth betting everything on it?
Isnt there a more stable plan that will have fewer losses?
Am I wrong?
You dont look well! What happened Regis? Hungry?
These sudden words surprised him.
It was Altina in light armour. She offered the potato in her right hand.
Its a critical ti, so you cant sleep, but at least eat sothing alright? It will be bad if you faint from hunger.
... Ah I dont feel like eating.
If you fall, who will take over command?
Theres Altina and Jero But wouldnt that an he was giving up his responsibility if he said that? Regis thought.
You are right, I will have so.
Yes!
Altina smiled brilliantly.
Regis took the potato.
Hot! Hot! This is too hot!
Of course. Its freshly baked potato! It tastes better if you eat it hot right?
Regis tossed the hot potato between his left and right hand, trying to cool it down without burning his hands.
W-Why are you fine when you hold such a hot potato?
Why are you so weak? Normally, after food like potato is cooked, you will put it into the soup with your hands right?
There is a stove here, there should be plenty of ways to prepare food, why are you only using it to bake them?
... I always used to read when I ate since I was young. As I had a book in my handsI would place things like potatoes in a bowl and eat them slowly.
He would dirty the books if he used his hands, so he always ate with a fork. He still did this whenever he ate alone.
Wouldnt it turn cold?
... Burning my tongue and lips would be worse.
Eating them hot is the most delicious right!? Regis is so strange!
Altina laughed happily.
Regis could only smile wryly.
Ah, I smiled.
His heart felt heavy and stuffy earlier, but he felt more relaxed now.
Altina ca over and sat on the crate.
They sat side by side.
They were so close that their shoulders would touch if they moved just a little. The bonfire illuminated her profile Regis felt a little nervous.
She was four years younger than him and just fifteen years of age, so why was she so beautiful?
Regis averted his gaze.
She was the fourth princess of the Belgarian Empire, the commander he was serving. He had to make their status and relationship clear.
Altina, are you ready? There is still so ti before day break.
Im probably too excited and cant sleep.
... Its the eve of the decisive battle after all.
Hey Regis, are you worried about sothing? Your face doesnt look good.
... I am worried about the battle of course.
I dont an that Hmm, I wont ask if you dont want to talk about it.
Altina changed a little too Regis thought.
In the beginning, she was a kind person with a strong sense of justice.
And right now, Regis could feel empathy from her.
Her personality was straightforward, but she beca more prudent. She had really grown.
If not, she would pester Regis like a child even if he was busy.
He took a bite out of the potato in his hand.
As expected, It was still hot.
He chewed as he sorted out his thoughts.
... Things Im worried about Because of , a lot of people died That feels really heavy.
That cant be helped, its a war after all. Many lives are lost, be it for the winner or loser, plenty of innocent people died. No matter how kind, how hardworking and how much a person loved another, they still killed in cold blood.
Ah, I understand that.
Thats why, I want to be the Empress to eliminate wars. After I beco the Empress, I will create a nation that will live in harmony with others.
Yes.
For example, the Kingdom of High Britania. If we had better relations with them, there wouldnt be any wars.
Heres what I think the Belgaria Empire has been at war with its neighbours all this while. If there is a sudden call for peace It will earn the wrath of other countries instead.
... What a realistic topic And it had been proven by history. There are differences between each individual, even more so for nations. n wont forget about a grudge Just like the buildings that survived a fire, the fire might seem to be out, but there might still be hot spots, and will they will flare up when the chance arises. Examples of war breaking out again between nations in a ceasefire are a di a dozen.
Then, is it impossible to eliminate war?
... If peace lasts long enough, for example our grandchildren or great grandchildren, then it might be possible People will all die one day. We might not be able to eliminate grudges, but our descendents cant inherit grudges. If peace can last indefinitely the grudges might then be buried in history.
What if the fathers tell their son and grandson that the Belgaria Empire is the enemy, and educate them that way?
... Education is important. But grudges are a type of emotion, and education is information. Even with such prejudice, if they grow up in a peaceful environnt, they wont hate the Belgaria Empire that seriously.
Is that so
There are differences between people, but the stand a country takes tends to lean towards the attitude of the majority. War wont break out even if a minority have a cause for hatred. Even if the countries are trying to get the best for their national interest There is still a lot of room for negotiation.
Altina nodded seriously.
Even if two groups were on opposing factions, they should talk it out instead of resolving it through war.
That was her objective.
If war keeps going on, the grudges from both sides would continue.
Ah, we need to start the change sowhere If we cant do it, the nation will perish No, the nations that dont choose peace will perish. If we keep waging war, there will be a day when we will lose.
I, want to change this country. And create a nation where no one will have to die because of war.
Yes.
To accomplish this, we have to overco the danger before us.
... I understand.
Regis, I know its painful to think about it this way But instead of those who have passed on, we should think about those still living.
As if he just woke up from a dream, Regis looked around him.
He imagined the mourning figures of the soldiers dying and joining their brethrens. He realized that no matter how knowledgeable one was, it had nothing to do with their emotions.
Regis took a deep breath.
The weight of fatigue and guilt that was suppressing his thoughts beca slightly lighter.
... Thank you, Im fine now.
Is that so? I dont know what happened, but its great to see Regis becoming energetic.
... Well I am absorbed in self reproach, the damage might be growing bigger.
Because of the rcenary King?
... The possibility is high. I sent out a lot of scouts, so it couldnt be helped if there are more sacrifices After that, the Black Knights were ambushed and we lost about ten riders, including one captain.
Altina nodded silently.
From the body language of her subordinates, it wasnt hard to imagine that there were many casualties.
Despite all that, is the battle operation going smoothly?
... Its going smoothly I learned from the local soldiers that the wind and temperature are ideal. We are moving according to plan The actions of the enemy are still within expectation.
There were 16,000 n in the Fourth Imperial Army, but the ones harassing the enemy were just the 400 n from the two Knights Corps. The ones preparing food, tending to the wounded, caring for the horses and preparing the muskets were 2,000 n.
The objective of the Knights Corps attack was to stall the enemy army in place, leaving them unable to move.
They still needed to travel 50Li (222km), and couldnt set off without proper preparations as they still needed to transport the supplies.
With the night raids occupying them, they could only focus on the base defences and couldnt spread out their forces to guard the surroundings.
Thats why we are giving up on our defenses, only allocating the minimum security forces and assigning the other troops to perform a certain task.
Altina looked to the east.
The sky was still dark with stars, just what was she looking at?
There were still a couple of hours before dawn
The Black Knights and Crescent Knights gathered together and made preparations for the assault.
The plan to stop the enemy from leaving was completed.
Soon, the sky will lit up.
Regis looked towards the flag in the basecamp.
The wind was weak.
But the drooping flag seed exceptionally beautiful.
A man walked to him over the grass.
And made a sloppy salute.
It seems to be working, Mr Strategist.
... Ah, Mr Ferdinand, thank you for your hard work.
The one who ca was the captain of the pioneers Ferdinand Stuttgart.
Although his fatigue was apparent after working through the night, he had a satisfied expression.
The temperature is higher this morning and the wind is weak. Its great that it keeps evaporating!
... Yes, its very ideal.
A massive project and committing 12,000 n. If it works, this will be sothing we can boast about to even our grandchildren. Thank you very much, Mr Strategist.
No such thing I should be thanking you, the plan cant be executed without Ferdinand It was the sa with the attack on Fort Volks, you have been a big help.
When they were attacking Fort Volks, work n with excellent arm strength were needed to dig the tunnel.
After taking the Fort, the pioneers were tasked with refurbishing the Fort, and the results in fending off the attack by Varden Grand Duchy were fantastic.
Originally, pioneers will just perform nial task like making stoves and setting up tents. At the most, we will just build bridges.
Well, thats normal.
It was a surprise when we dug tunnels and fired off explosives in the attack of the fort But that was nothing compared to the job this ti.
It was written in the books, but such a large scale project has never been done before, I still feel uneasy about it But we finally made it work.
Its turning white.
Yes.
This isnt the place or season for strong winds, the plan is a success!
... In the capital, the outside would sotis be foggy when I open the windows. But this is a significant difference, as its the first ti Ive see sothing like this.
too.
The sunlight illuminated the surroundings.
But with their vision obscured by a white foggy world, they couldnt see the clearing even with the bonfire.
It turned foggy.
After one night, a lot of water was splashed in the vicinity, and the water level of the lake had dropped significantly.
There are many types of naturally occurring fogs
Including radiation fog.
sen.wikipedia/wiki/Fog#Types >
During the night, the heat from the ground escape into the atmosphere, a phenonon known as radiation cooling.
sen.wikipedia/wiki/Radiative_cooling >
This radiation phenonon will cool the surface of the ground drastically.
The air contains a certain amount of moisture (water in gaseous state), and with the drop in temperature, its concentration would increase.
When the temperature drops to a certain level, the saturated water vapor would condense into water droplets.
The tiny amount of water droplets in the air forms the fog.
Fog tends to form on land without wind, and in valleys and basins. This gave rise to the terms, inland fog, valley fog and basin fog.
And the hills of West Lafressange was an inland basin, and the wind was very weak right now.
It hadnt rained these past few days, so it was hard for fog to form. However, by splashing large amounts of water onto the ground, it will fulfil the conditions for fog to arise.
Thats why this place was chosen for the battle.
By the way, such phenonons was known as fog when close to the ground, and clouds when up in the sky.
The small floating droplets will combine with the droplets around them to form even larger droplets, before finally falling from the sky in the form of rain.
All these phenonons were written in academic books after research by scientists.
There were so reports on small scale experints to create man made fog.
If the enemy couldnt see, then the range advantage of the new rifles would be negated. They might still be powerful, but they were nothing to be afraid of if they couldnt hit.
Even if the supply unit set off now, it couldnt leave this hilly region faster than the cavalry.
The darkness could be repelled by bonfires, such as by spilling oil onto the ground and lighting it with fire arrows.
But it wasnt easy to get rid of the fog.
Regis narrowed his eyes as he watched this white foggy world.
... Well then ti to end this.
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