Chapter 451 - Episode 434: The Fall of Osterreich
Royal Calendar Year 226 (Year 7 of the Public Calendar of the Grand Duchy of Arqvist), July 19th. Morning.
The invasion force of the Republic of Betumia's army reached Osterreich, a coastal area of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg, and began their landing.
The moment the transport ships of the invasion force were spotted far offshore, bells signaling an urgent evacuation rang clamorously throughout Osterreich, and approximately three thousand people, including residents and day laborers, evacuated. Because an emergency evacuation plan had been established previously, and because the upper echelons of the guard had been instructed over the past week to be vigilant against an invasion by the Republic of Betumia's army, no one was left behind.
After the non-combatants had escaped, the guard—approximately one hundred and some men, excluding a few young soldiers who had departed to guide the evacuation—assembled in the plaza of the Osterreich city center.
At the southern edge of the city, by the harbor, the Betumian invasion force had already begun landing. The moment of landing is when the enemy is most vigilant. It was clear that attempting to intercept them at the harbor would result in easy annihilation by arrows and attack magic, so the guard would engage in urban combat.
Commanding this battle was Baron Voltel Bachelikov, who held territory in a corner of the kingdom's southwestern region. Once the post-war reconstruction of his lands had settled, he handed the practical administration of the territory to his eldest son and volunteered for the duty of guarding Osterreich, an appointment he received from King Oscar.
He and his subordinates would not survive this battle. They would fight until every last one of them died, achieving a total annihilation here.
"...Finally, this day has come. I have been waiting for this day."
Mounted at the head of the assembled guard, Voltel muttered.
The Bachelikov barony was located toward the south within the kingdom's southwestern region, adjacent to the territory of Earl Ahatz. During the previous great war, when the Republic of Betumia's army invaded, Voltel and his family were still within their lands. And they were captured by the enemy invasion force.
The soldiers who occupied the Bachelikov barony were particularly vile individuals, even among the invasion force. What happens to a local lord's family captured by such people? They suffered atrocities roughly as the world would imagine.
Voltel's wife and two daughters were subjected to unimaginable violence by dozens of enemy soldiers in the plaza of the capital of the barony where the residents had been gathered, right before Voltel's eyes. Every shred of dignity was trampled upon, and in the end, they were hanged. Their corpses, stripped not only of clothes but of even a single piece of cloth, were left exposed in the plaza until near the end of the war, where they rotted and decayed.
And Voltel had no one eye. He had also lost an ear and several fingers on his hands and feet. There were wounds where flesh had been gouged from his arms, and numerous burn scars remained on his body, hidden beneath his armor. The enemy soldiers did not kill Voltel, but instead tortured him for months, only fleeing in accordance with the retreat of the invasion force's main body.
After the war, Voltel thought of dying. However, upon learning there was a coastal guard duty that presupposed the danger of death, he volunteered. He volunteered thinking that if there were even the slightest possibility of fighting the hateful Republic of Betumia's army again, and thinking that if he could kill even one Betumian soldier, it would be enough.
And today, Voltel's long-cherished wish would be granted.
Voltel maneuvered his horse and looked back. He looked over the hundred-plus guards who would now achieve total annihilation together.
They, too, were those who harbored deep resentment toward the Betumian soldiers from the previous great war. Few had experienced things as harrowing as Voltel, but everyone had lost family before their eyes, and the scenes of that time were scorched into their minds, from which they could no longer escape.
Their expressions varied. Some had dead eyes, while others had burning hatred floating in theirs. However, as expected, many were trembling before the finally arriving death. Since many of them were originally mere commoners and this was their first actual combat, it could not be helped.
"It is all right."
Voltel spoke toward those who were trembling.
"There is nothing to fear. From here, we are simply heading toward our loved ones. We will merely reunite with our loved ones, bringing with us the story that we have taken revenge, that we have struck a blow against the enemy."
Voltel's voice resonated with a gentleness that surprised even himself. Hearing this, the expressions of those who had been trembling changed and became calm.
The hundred-plus men who would now fight the invaders and perish. Yet their appearance was not that of soldiers heading to a place of death, but was quiet and serene, like believers setting out on a pilgrimage.
"Your Excellency, the enemy is in sight."
An elderly man, a former squire from a noble territory in the southeast who had served as Voltel's adjutant until today, spoke. In response, Voltel turned forward, and at the end of the street extending from the plaza, the vanguard of the enemy invasion force was indeed visible.
"All army, prepare to charge. Listen, it is as I explained beforehand. Once the first thirty of us have died, disperse into the city and shift to guerrilla warfare. Buy time, and show the enemy that we are resisting in earnest. Do not become prisoners. Die before you are captured... Now then, gentlemen, let us go."
Feeling a sense of lightness, Voltel drew his sword. Behind him, he heard the sound of armor rubbing together as the soldiers readied their swords, spears, and battle-axes.
There was nothing left undone in this world. His son, who had been safe because he was in the royal capital during the previous war, would inherit the territory.
His son had heard stories of the gruesome end of his mother and sisters, but he had not seen it directly. If it were his son, he could still make it in this world. There was also a bride his son had brought from the royal capital. Together as a couple, they would likely continue to protect the territory.
Their deaths would not be in vain. If they fought with all their might and showed their deaths, the enemy would complete their landing and continue their march without noticing the other side's strategy. And in the end, the main force would annihilate such foolish enemies.
Voltel had also heard the defense plan of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg. He had been summoned to the royal castle in early spring and received an explanation directly from King Oscar. The King had placed a hand on the shoulder of a mere baron like himself and told him that revenge would certainly be taken, and that their deaths would serve as the foundation.
This plan, which had been top secret until today, had just been revealed to the soldiers.
They would make the hateful Betumia pay. They would carve the first step of the grand battle for that purpose. For them, there could be no end more desirable than this.
"Advance."
At the signal of Voltel's quiet command, the hundred-plus guards began running toward the enemy.
"...Wait for me. I am coming to join you now."
That mutter directed toward his wife and daughters, which no one could hear, was the final word of Voltel's life.
.....
The Republic of Betumia's army invasion force of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg. The vanguard of its first wave completely occupied Osterreich by the afternoon of July 19th.
And by evening. Following soldiers, officers, generals, and various supplies landed one after another, and the establishment of the command headquarters was progressing.
Among the group that landed was the commander of this invasion operation.
"Commander Your Excellency, I report. The number of enemy guard casualties is 106. There are no survivors... Every one of them fought without surrendering, and even those we tried to capture committed suicide. My apologies."
In the command headquarters using the building that had been Osterreich's administrative office. In the conference room, an officer reported while saluting General Donald Patterson, the commander who was conducting a military council with his subordinates.
"...I see. It cannot be helped. It is extremely difficult to capture an enemy who has decided to fight until death. The enemy was brave, that is all."
Donald did not reprimand the officer, who had been one of the vanguard commanders.
To achieve total annihilation with only a hundred-plus men; as expected of those placed in key positions, they were elites with high morale and loyalty. He thought so inwardly.
"We shall continue the military council. The landing of the first wave is progressing faster than scheduled, is that correct?"
When Donald spoke after dismissing the officer, one of his subordinates, a Great Legion Commander, nodded.
"Yes. Because the enemy resistance consisted only of a small guard and all Osterreich residents had evacuated, the city suppression was completed about half a day earlier than planned. We intended to spend until tomorrow unloading the first wave's troops and supplies from the ships, but if things continue at this pace, it will be possible to march the first units north using the highways by tomorrow afternoon. We can shorten the time required to march to the enemy's royal capital, Lichthagen. Will that be acceptable?"
"...Very well. However, do not let them be reckless. It is unknown how much enemy combat power obstructs the path to the royal capital, Lichthagen. Ensure they maintain coordination with the following main body without letting the units push too far ahead."
"Understood."
The military council continued after that, and the future operational plan was confirmed once more.
The thirty thousand elites of the regular army in the first wave, using Osterreich as a base, would depart sequentially in units of two thousand to five thousand as soon as preparations were complete. They would proceed north via the highways.
It was unknown how much resistance the enemy would offer, but there were no large cities between Osterreich and Lichthagen. Confirmation had been received from intelligence agents that this situation had not changed since seven years ago. Considering the national power of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg, it was believed that resistance that a few thousand-man unit could not defeat would not occur.
While the first wave marched, the second wave, scheduled to arrive within a week, and further the third wave would land and solidify the defense of Osterreich, which served as the bridgehead. Twenty thousand of the followers would follow the first wave as reinforcements for the capital invasion, ten thousand each would be assigned to the east and west defenses of Osterreich and the invasion route, and ten thousand would be assigned to the maintenance of the occupation around Osterreich and supply missions for the main force.
For now, this operation was expected to be carried out according to plan, or rather, more swiftly than the original plan.
"Then, Commander Your Excellency, we shall continue to proceed with the operation."
"...Understood. Everyone, fulfill your roles. For the noble ideals of the Republic."
"""Yes!"""
After the subordinates left the room for their respective duties, Donald remained in the conference room and let out a small breath.
"Your Excellency, thank you for your hard work."
Spoken to by his young and capable adjutant, Donald answered with a mixed sigh.
Donald did not think this invasion operation would go well.
It was fine for now. It was fine while they were riding the momentum of the first strike. However, the problem lay ahead: the capture of the enemy's royal capital, Lichthagen. Last time, they could not take it even with a force of fifty thousand. Despite that, how could one believe that attacking again with a force of fifty thousand would work this time?
The enemy were not fools. Considering the possibility of being invaded again, they must have at least established a defense plan in preparation for that day. At some stage, they would launch a large-scale counterattack.
When that happened, it would be severe. The Kingdom of Rhodeberg was inferior to the Republic of Betumia in both scale and civilization, but it was not weak. Rather, the enemy nobility possessed a collection of capable talents, and the soldiers would stand against them with vigor to protect their own lands and families. Donald, who had been the commander of the western invasion force during the previous invasion, knew this firsthand.
Irene Foster, who had been Donald's subordinate during the previous invasion and was now placed as the supreme commander of the Republic of Betumia's army.
To think that she, whom he had thought was a young talent, would flatter the current government of the wealth-building faction to create and execute such a crude operation, push the field command onto Donald, and remain in the peaceful home country herself. Donald was here while feeling disappointment toward her.
This was simply a war for politics. A war only for the current government and the powerful to extend their own lives. For that purpose, they, the professional soldiers, and the soldiers who volunteered from the citizenry, would die.
However, there was no way to stop it. Those who chose the current government that decided on this re-invasion, and those who desired the re-invasion in the first place, were the citizens themselves, even if their public opinion had been manipulated. Since the proper procedures had been followed, they, as Republic soldiers in a position to obey the government, had no choice but to carry out the given orders.
General Charles Hamilton, who served as the general commander of the previous invasion, surely felt the same way. Donald already felt a sense of futility.