Chapter 185 - Episode 179: The Advance ②
"Noein-sama, a report from Radley. The vanguard of the enemy's formation has reached the planned point, and the detachment has thrown animal blood toward the center of the formation. They have succeeded in scattering blood over a wide area. They say they will now throw in the 'Wind-Raiser' magic tools as well."
'Wind-Raiser' was, as the name implied, a rudimentary wind spell that did nothing more than stir up a breeze, and it was easy to reproduce using magic tools.
To make the strategy Noein had devised more effective, he had asked the magic tool craftsman Daphne to create tools that would trigger 'Wind-Raiser' the moment the pot shattered. He had provided those to Radley and his men.
"Understood. Then, let's start moving on this end... Rick, fire immediately!"
When Noein shouted toward the Ballista positions in the rear, Rick shouted back with a loud voice.
"Leave it to me! ...All units, fire!"
The twelve Ballistas had been positioned so that, based on pre-calculated impact points, they could fire explosive flame arrows in a high arc toward the targeted location. If the explosive flame arrows were fired when the enemy's vanguard reached the planned point, they would be able to split the enemy's front exactly.
Based on the extension of the enemy's formation, the current wind direction, and the wind speed, Rick slightly adjusted the firing angles by intuition, and the Ballistas fired the explosive flame arrows into the sky all at once.
The impact could not be seen visually, but the sound of air exploding—boom—reached them from beyond the gently curving road.
"Radley, report... Understood. Noein-sama, the explosive flame arrows landed roughly at the expected points. We have succeeded in splitting the enemy into 500 in the front and 2,500 in the rear."
Yuri, having received confirmation of the results from the detachment, passed that information directly to Noein.
"Understood. Have Radley and the others return here. Rick and the selected soldiers should take the sniping Crossbows and move to the next action... Now, let's move. Advance!"
Noein gave the order, and approximately 250 men of the Arqvist territory army—excluding the detachment and Rick's selected soldiers—began their march.
.....
"Ewald! What is this attack! Where is it from! Why are we being attacked! This was supposed to be our surprise attack!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down!"
Cadne, who had remained calm regarding the smell of blood, seemed to be genuinely shaken after seeing the explosive flames erupting behind him. Ewald responded to his lord, who shouted with an expression of panic.
"Gyaaa! Hot! It's hot! Help meee!"
"Idiot, don't come over here!"
"Roll! Roll around and put out the fire!"
"Where is the attack coming from! Why did the enemy find out about the surprise attack!"
Soldiers hit directly by the explosive flames screamed while burning and rolled around, and agitation spread even among the soldiers who were safe. A panic was beginning to brew over the abnormal situation where they, who were supposed to be the ones launching the surprise attack, were the ones being ambushed.
This is bad. At this rate, we'll lose command and control.
Ewald was beginning to panic. Since they had been attacked like this, he had no choice but to assume that information about the royal expedition had leaked from somewhere, but for the enemy's first move in the surprise attack to be the separation from the rear was the worst-case scenario for Ewald and his men.
There were only slightly more than 500 people on this side of the wall of fire. The fact that Cadne was included among them made it even worse. The Guard, the King's direct protectors, were still calm and guarding the surroundings, but if the other soldiers collapsed, they might not be able to fully protect the King.
"Hey, contact Viscount Tajinette in the rear! Tell her to divert troops this way!"
Ewald barked instructions to the dialogue mage in charge of communications standing beside him.
"As you wish... This is the direct guard of His Majesty Cadne. There is an order to divert your troops to the front."
The dialogue mage exchanged words for a while with Viscount Tajinette via 'Far-Talk'.
"Yes, I shall convey that... Her Excellency Viscount Tajinette says she will send reinforcements here immediately. However, since they must bypass the wall of fire and pass through the forest, they will arrive in small numbers."
"That is fine. However, tell her to hurry as much as—"
"E-Enemy forces from the front! Approximately 300!"
At that moment, an officer running from the front of the formation interrupted Ewald's words. Ewald looked ahead as if he didn't mind the interruption—and a ferocious expression crossed his face.
"...Hoh. The main force shows itself from the front, does it? They seem quite confident."
The army that had advanced was a somewhat strange force when considering the common sense of warfare that Ewald knew. At the lead were strange iron plates in a triangle, and to their left and right were units wielding strange bows... likely the new weapon called Crossbows, and in the center was an infantry unit, and further behind them was a group that seemed to be the main camp.
Considering that they had gathered a force of 300 from a lower noble's territory, it was no mistake to assume they had launched an all-out war.
Ewald locked eyes with the mage in black clothing standing in the center of the enemy's rear—the man who appeared to be the commander-in-chief.
.....
"That flashy gold armor is King Cadne. He looks like someone with a strong desire for self-display... And the middle-aged man glaring at us from beside him is likely the actual commander-in-chief?"
"Yes. He is one of the central nobles of the Lancel Kingdom's military clique, Count Ewald Rotfeld. He is said to be a great and capable general."
Jeremy answered Noein's mutter.
"Heh... well, whatever. Dant! Move the Crossbow units to the front."
"Yes! Crossbow units, prepare to fire!"
When Noein gave the instruction, Dant, who was commanding at the front of the formation, raised his voice. The Crossbow units on both flanks spread out to the front to form a line, and the front row readied their Crossbows. For a makeshift unit of volunteers, they were reasonably agile.
In response, Count Rotfeld on the enemy side also shouted something. Then, the soldiers at the front of the enemy formation huddled together and readied their shields. Furthermore, archers were moving behind them.
"It seems the enemy knows about the Crossbow."
"They were shot by them plenty in the previous war... Still, to finish lining up and readying shields at that speed, the enemy's training is impressive."
"True. But I wonder how far that will work..."
Noein exchanged these words with Yuri beside him.
"First row, fire!"
Dant shouted, and the first row of the Crossbow unit released their bolts all at once. The bolts that flew toward the enemy's front row... some missed their mark or stopped by sticking into shields, but those with good positioning and angles pierced through the leather shields and stabbed into the enemy soldiers.
Only a few fell, but the enemy soldiers showed agitation at the fact that the bolts had penetrated the shields.
Taking advantage of that gap in composure, the first row of Crossbowmen stepped back, and the second row readied themselves.
"Next, fire!"
At Dant's instruction, the second row immediately released their bolts.
"Next, fire!"
The soldiers moved again, and the third row fired their Crossbows all at once. The soldiers who finished firing moved to the rear again.
Noein was directly imitating the three-rank firing tactic that Marquis Bechtolsheim had reportedly used in the great war the year before last. Since they were makeshift Crossbowmen gathered from the territory's people, their training was low and reloading took time, so it was a five-rank formation instead of three.
"Enemy attack!"
Just then, arrows flew in a high arc from behind the enemy's shield wall.
"Shields up!"
The enemy's arrows rained down on the Crossbow unit and the Claymores and infantry units behind them. Great-shield soldiers protected the golem users of the Claymores, and the infantry and Crossbow units protected themselves with the shields they each held.
Centering on the Crossbow unit, which only held crude wooden shields made in haste, a small number of casualties occurred. Those whose legs were not hidden by shields were hit, and those who were unlucky had arrows pierce through their shields and fell.
Judging by the momentum of the arrows, the number of archers was likely under 100. They probably hadn't expected the front of the formation to suddenly enter an anti-personnel battle like this.
Then, there was a movement from the enemy.
"Is that... a signal to advance?"
Noein muttered, seeing the gaudily golden-armored Cadne raise his sword and begin to move forward.
"It appears so. He likely intends to engage in close combat. He seems to have judged that they are at a disadvantage in a volley of arrows due to the power and number of archers."
As Yuri predicted, the enemy army began to advance toward them. Protected by the shield soldiers in the front row, a force of 500 approached.
"...Quite the courage."
Noein muttered, looking at Cadne advancing his horse from a distance. Based on the stories he had heard until now, he thought he was a foolish king, but at the very least, he didn't seem to be a coward.
.....
"Tch, the enemy's main force is the Crossbow..."
Ewald muttered with an expression as if he had chewed a bitter bug. The Lancel Kingdom was also aware of the Crossbow, the new weapon of the Lordberg Kingdom, and it was considered a threat because anyone could handle it easily.
The Crossbow also seemed to surpass ordinary bows in power; as evidence, some of the shield soldiers in the front row had fallen to penetrating bolts. In terms of range, the bow, which was capable of high-arc fire, would be superior, but in a close-range exchange, that advantage was meaningless.
"Your Majesty, if we continue to exchange arrows, the enemy has the advantage. I believe we should advance all at once, close in on the enemy, and annihilate them. We have the advantage in numbers."
The enemy had fewer than 300 men, while they had 500. Furthermore, although slowly, the soldiers in the rear were bypassing the wall of fire and joining them. If they clashed head-on, they could win.
"I see. If you judge it so, then that must be the best course... Then, all army, advance! I shall go forward with you! Kill every last one of those cunning Lordbergers!"
Cadne raised his voice and held his sword forward. Gaining courage from those words and the action of the King himself advancing his horse, the soldiers also began to move forward. The order that had been disrupted by the wall of fire and the appearance of the enemy army was beginning to return.
...This is why he is worth serving.
Ewald also thought as he looked at his lord from the corner of his eye while advancing his horse alongside Cadne.
He didn't know why such ambition and courage had sprouted in Cadne, who had been the treated as a leftover third prince, but considering he was the son of the previous king, who had been excessively cowardly, he was a warrior far beyond expectations.
As an individual warrior, Cadne was mediocre, and due to his youth, he lacked tactical judgment, but the mere fact that he could raise his sword and advance in this situation was sufficient quality for a king in a world of war.
They could still win. If the slightly more than 500 of them in the front closed in on the enemy, and the 2,500 in the rear joined them—
"T! A report from Her Excellency Viscount Tajinette! She says a horde of monsters is attacking the rear beyond the wall of fire! She is occupied with dealing with them, and it will be difficult to divert any more troops...!"
The dialogue mage disrupted Ewald's thoughts.
"A horde of monsters!? Why at a time like this... That blood!"