Chapter 460 - Episode 443: Royal Capital Defense/Siege Battle
The main force of the Betumia Republic Army's invasion unit, having completed its assembly, finally marched to the outskirts of the royal capital, Lichthagen.
And there, they were faced with despair.
"...Commander."
"...It's going to be a grim fight."
Donald muttered with a stern expression as he looked at the enemy lines.
By adding the personnel of the baggage train responsible for supplies to the original main force, their total military strength had swelled to fifty-two thousand.
In contrast, the central army of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg numbered approximately forty thousand in total. In terms of numbers, they were inferior. However, the problem was their deployment.
The army's composition consisted of two thousand cavalry who appeared to be regular soldiers, ten thousand infantry who likewise seemed to be regulars, and three thousand archers. The rest were, by their appearance, conscripts. Ten thousand of these conscripts were equipped with crossbows, and the formation was spread wide with the crossbowmen in the front.
Furthermore, the enemy had constructed a field fortification consisting of fences and ditches. The fences were wooden, and the ditches were shallow dry moats, but because the field fortifications were constructed in multiple layers rather than a single line, it made breaking through the formation via a mounted charge impossible. Even a charge by infantry would likely not be an easy breakthrough. While attempting a breakthrough, it was inevitable that they would be turned into honeycombs by crossbows and bows.
No matter how one looked at it, this was not a deployment for a short-term decisive battle. The enemy, knowing that they had almost no leeway, intended to shave away that tiny bit of remaining time.
"Still, we have no choice... Gather the cavalry on the right wing. They will launch a flank attack later. With the infantry in front and the archers and ballistae positioned behind them, the entire army advance."
.....
Oscar Rhodeberg III, the commander-in-chief of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg Army and the general commander of the central army, looked out over the main force of the Betumia Republic Army from the main camp placed before the royal capital, a fearless smile playing on his lips.
"The timing of their arrival and their troop strength are just as predicted. This is the first time I've faced a battle that feels this easy."
"Indeed. We are deployed in perfect condition, and the field fortifications are already complete. In contrast, the enemy is in a situation where even food will become scarce in a few days... To think that knowing the enemy's invasion plan and operations so far in advance would make things this advantageous."
Marquis Rainald Staufenberg, the leader of the Northeastern faction, nodded at Oscar's words.
"Marquis Cadne Lancel taught us the difficulty of attacking field fortifications during the Great Southwestern War fourteen years ago. It will be easy to endure until the enemy is destitute."
"I never thought I would end up imitating Cadne's tactics... but that doesn't change the fact that it is an effective strategy. As long as it leads to victory, that is enough."
When Marquis Siegfried Bechtolsheim, who had once fought Cadne's forces at the southwestern border, spoke, Oscar replied with a wry smile.
"Your Majesty. The enemy's deployment is nearly finished. A word for the soldiers."
Following the suggestion of Count Ragnal Burkhard, the Kingdom's Minister of Military Affairs, Oscar stepped forward and took up a Voice Amplification magic item.
"Listen! Warriors of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg!"
While gathering the gaze of the forty-thousand-strong army, Oscar raised his voice.
"As you can see, the enemy we face is powerful! In numbers, they exceed us... However, we are not the only ones fighting! At this very moment, the forces of the eastern kingdom, the forces of the west, the mobile forces, and the forces that have taken to the sea are all confronting the despicable invaders of the Betumia Republic!"
Clenching his fist, Oscar spoke with a voice imbued with as much dominance as he could muster.
"By combining the strength of all our forces, we shall strangle the invaders! We shall crush their wicked ambitions! Now, the Kingdom of Rhodeberg is one! We are one giant justice! With the power of justice, we shall crush the invaders and bring peace back to the kingdom! For your hometowns, for your houses, for your families, and for your children, seize victory!"
In response to Oscar thrusting his clenched fist upward, the voices of forty thousand pierced the sky.
"We begin the battle now! Count Burkhard! Prepare to intercept!"
"Yes... Cavalry units, be ready to move at any time! Crossbowmen and ballista teams, load!"
Receiving Oscar's order, Count Burkhard issued specific commands.
Almost simultaneously with the movement of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg's forces, the main force of the Betumia Republic Army's invasion unit also began to move.
.....
Forty-five thousand of the Betumia Republic Army's main invasion force, consisting of infantry and archers, advanced toward the Kingdom of Rhodeberg central army's field fortifications. Behind them, the wheeled ballistae followed slowly.
"Ready... Fire!"
The pitched battle began first with an exchange of projectiles. At the command of the legion commanders leading the archer units, arrows were fired in high arcs, leaping over their own infantry to rain down upon the front lines of the enemy camp.
The composite bows boasted by the Betumia Republic Army possessed a vast effective range. The attack by a total of seven thousand archers brought a torrential rain of arrows upon the enemy lines.
In response, the Kingdom of Rhodeberg's central army also released arrows. The Rhodeberg side used composite bows that they had analyzed and imitated from those captured from the Betumia Republic Army seven years ago, or used captured ones as they were, but they could not compete with the Betumia Republic Army in terms of the number of composite bows. The arrows flying from the Kingdom of Rhodeberg's central army remained at about one-fifth the volume of the Betumia Republic Army's.
On the other hand, the Kingdom of Rhodeberg's central army had more ballistae than the Republic's, partly because the advantage of the terrain reduced the burden of transport. Since they were mass-produced by imitating the high-quality ballistae of the Grand Duchy of Arqvist's blacksmiths, they did not fall behind the Betumia Republic Army's ballistae in performance.
Thick arrows fired from approximately two hundred ballistae, or scatter-shot arrows coated in the raw essence of 'Angel's Honey', flew in with greater momentum than the approximately one hundred ballistae of the Betumia Republic Army.
The infantry of the Betumia Republic Army advanced while holding shields over their heads, but holding small shields while marching could not block all the arrows. A significant number of soldiers fell.
Furthermore, since the archers had no means of protecting themselves, they suffered attrition even more than the infantry.
The losses of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg's central army, by contrast, were not so great. Because they were positioned in field fortifications, the front-line crossbowmen and infantry had many means of protection, such as hiding behind walls of piled earth, holding pre-prepared greatshields, or stepping under simple roofs.
"...It cannot be helped. Infantry, charge."
Watching the exchange of arrows from the main camp, Donald decided that no significant results would be obtained this way and issued the charge order early.
The order was immediately transmitted to the commanders in front, and over forty thousand infantry surged forward in one breath toward the enemy's field fortifications.
However, even reaching the front line of the field fortifications was not easy. The crossbowmen of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg's central army fired volleys of arrows, and the infantry receiving them fell one after another. Additionally, although few in number, attack magic flew from the field fortifications, and the number of victims from that certainly increased.
While suffering considerable losses, the infantry finally reached the front line of the field fortifications. However, difficulties awaited them there as well.
First to be overcome was the dry moat. Its width and depth were not great, but the dry moat, likely created using earth magic, was long and covered almost the entire front of the field fortifications. Even for a dry moat, soldiers wearing armor and carrying weapons could not cross it easily.
Even after crossing the dry moat while under attack from the enemy's crossbows, wooden fences awaited them next. While the infantry tried to climb, they received the swords of the enemy infantry through the gaps in the fences and died.
The number of infantry who could overcome such difficulties and enter the enemy camp was not many. They were defeated individually, and the effort ended without achieving significant results.
While paying a heavy price in lives, the infantry closed in on the enemy camp, using their numbers to draw the enemy's attention to the front.
"...Cavalry units. Circle around from the flank."
To not let that opportunity slip, Donald issued the next order. Five thousand cavalry waiting on the right wing of their formation galloped toward the left flank of the enemy's field fortifications, aiming for the place where the dry moats and wooden fences ended.
The cavalry made full use of their mobility to close in on the heart of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg's central army—however, just before the breakthrough, they rapidly lost momentum.
"!? Damn it! What is this ground!"
The Great Legion Commander leading the cavalry cursed.
This area was a gentle plain. It had not rained for a week. However, only the ground immediately in front of the undefended section created on the flank of the enemy's field fortifications was terribly muddy.
When the leading cavalry were caught in the mire and stopped, naturally, the following cavalry could not advance any further. Five thousand cavalry were left stranded right before the enemy's eyes.
.....
"Your Majesty. The enemy has fallen into the trap."
"Yes. It was so easy it's almost disappointing."
At Count Burkhard's words, Oscar nodded with a fearless smile.
A weakness intentionally created on the flank of the field fortifications. From the outside, it looked like an entrance to that weakness, but for a week, Oscar had ordered water mages to sprinkle water on that area every day.
By sprinkling water daily, the earth could not absorb it all, and eventually, it became the same state as if it had rained continuously. At a glance, it was a grassy plain, but the ground beneath was muddy; if heavy cavalry entered, their feet would be caught, and they would become unable to move quickly.
As a result, the enemy cavalry unit ended up stranded right in front of them.
"Your Majesty, the aim of the ballista teams has already been set on that area."
"Good, fire the explosive flame arrows immediately!"
The enemy cavalry were right beside the field fortifications. Even explosive flame arrows, which had a shorter range than normal arrows, could easily reach from the ballista positions within the camp.
A volley of explosive flame arrows from a hundred ballistae from the positions on the left side of the field fortifications burned the Betumia cavalry unit.
.....
"Excellency! At this rate...!"
"Withdraw the cavalry units."
Seeing the failure of the flank attack, Donald made an immediate decision. Since it was no longer possible to break through the enemy's flank, all that remained was to keep the sacrifices to a minimum.
Thanks to Donald's swift judgment, the cavalry unit returned to their own lines, having lost only about five hundred from the very front.
While the flank was in such a state, the frontal offensive could not be called successful either. The defensive line of dry moats and wooden fences at the front of the field fortifications remained firmly held.
Furthermore, a cavalry unit moved from within the enemy camp. A portion of the wooden fences was quickly removed, sturdy-looking wooden footings were placed across the dry moat, and a cavalry unit of about five hundred who leaped across them closed in on the flank of the infantry.
The flag being hoisted was the royal flag. They were likely the elite units held by the royal family, the so-called Royal Army.
The cavalryman who seemed to be the unit leader at the front performed the extraordinary feat of unleashing wind magic while conducting a mounted charge. The enemy cavalry unit precisely charged into the ranks of the infantry, which had been broken by the magic attack.
Trampled within their own ranks, unable to achieve a frontal breakthrough, the battle line became deadlocked, turning into a war of attrition that slowly drained them.
"...Cease attack. All personnel, withdraw for now. Reorganize the formation."
Without changing his expression at all, Donald ordered.
As I thought, it's no use.
While harboring that resignation alone.