Chapter 463 - Episode 446: Guerrilla Warfare
A transport convoy of just under a hundred men in total was hurrying along the road leading from Osterreich, the beachhead of the Republic of Betumia's invasion force, toward the most critical objective: the royal capital, Lichthagen.
Even in a situation where transport was severely delayed due to the transport fleet from the home country being attacked by the Rhodeberg Kingdom army, they had to deliver as many supplies as possible to the main force currently besieging the royal capital. Even if it meant the rear units in Osterreich would go hungry.
If they did not capture the royal capital, they had no future. Because they understood this, the convoy loaded as many supplies as they could onto the magic carriages and raced north.
A cavalry scout who had been riding ahead galloped back to the captain, who stood mounted near the front of the column.
"Captain! It's an emergency!"
"...What is it? An enemy ambush?"
The captain asked, his expression tightening.
During the previous invasion, transport convoys had been targeted intensively by guerrilla warfare. That was why this convoy, which would normally consist of about thirty to fifty people, was accompanied by a force of nearly a hundred soldiers this time.
However, rumors had already spread among the general officers and soldiers that the Rhodeberg Kingdom side seemed to have foreseen this re-invasion... No matter how much they had reinforced the convoy's strength, they could not afford not to be on guard for an ambush on the highway.
"Yes! An enemy unit of approximately thirty men is waiting boldly upon the highway!"
"Boldly? With only thirty men?"
"Yes... but, well... the enemy has formed a position with earthen walls lined up along the road, and it does not look like it can be broken through easily."
Hearing this, the captain had the scout lead the way and rode close to the enemy position.
Several convoys traveled back and forth every week. He had heard nothing from the convoys that returned before they departed about there being a position on the highway. Even if thirty enemies had been diligent in civil engineering work, the scale of a position that could be built in one or two days at most was limited.
Thinking this, he laid eyes on the enemy position mentioned in the report—
"...What is this?"
The captain was aghast.
There were earthen walls higher than a man's height, and even something like a watchtower had been installed. This was by no means a position that could be built in a day or two. It was a small fortress.
The earthen walls and the watchtower were all made of earth. It was likely earth magic. Even so, just how many skilled practitioners had been mobilized?
"Captain, what shall we do?"
"...Detour. We will move off the highway. If we try to capture that with fewer than a hundred men, there is no telling how many will die."
The captain returned to the unit with the cavalry scout and began to move through the plains, leaving the highway.
In this area, hills and forests of various sizes were dotted among spreading tall grass, and visibility was poor. They might be spotted by the enemy stationed on the highway, but the enemy number was only thirty. As long as they maintained their distance while advancing, they did not need to worry much about pursuit.
.....
"...Hey, Serjan. I believe I've worked a year's worth in these two days alone, don't you think?"
Standing atop a sturdy earthen watchtower, Baron Viowulf Rosbroke spoke to the chief retainer beside him.
Viowulf, who possessed an extraordinary talent for earth magic, had established a simple fortress surrounded on four sides by earthen walls yesterday and today. He had even built a watchtower and a dry moat. No matter how much magical power he possessed, creating something of this scale in just two days could not have been easy.
He had repeatedly used magic until his mana was empty and then taken naps to recover it; even then, the recovery could not keep up, and he had fainted once, only waking up just a moment ago.
"With all due respect, Your Excellency. It is true that Your Excellency's work over these two days has been wonderful, but saying it is a year's worth is surely an exaggeration. This war is only halfway through. Depending on the situation, I believe Your Excellency will have to build several more fortresses like this."
"...I don't particularly want to think about it, but well, you are right."
Told this by the elderly chief retainer, who was gentle but not soft, Viowulf gave a bitter smile mixed with a sigh.
At that moment, Paulo, a servant of the House of Baron Rosbroke who had been acting as a scout hiding in the plains to the south of the fortress, came rushing back.
"Lord Rosbroke! I have confirmed that the enemy transport convoy has left the highway and is detouring through the plains to the west! Their number is approximately a hundred!"
"I see. Good work on the report."
Viowulf looked toward the west. The enemy's forms were not directly visible, blocked by forests and hills.
"...Now then, from here, the Princess of the beastmen's country should be able to play her part."
.....
"Princess. A report has come in from the fortress unit. It seems the enemy transport convoy has left the highway in an easterly direction and has begun moving through the plains."
"...I see. It seems that red-haired earth magic user did a good job."
Helga Revelant answered as she was told by Marquis Sulho Hakkarainen, who served as her guardian under the title of staff officer.
This was a campsite hidden in the shadow of forests and hills, located along the highway from the royal capital of the Rhodeberg Kingdom to Osterreich. Helga was here as the leader of the only unit from the northern part of the Adleon continent to participate as an allied force of the Rhodeberg Kingdom.
Helga's ideal was the improvement of the status of the beastmen, her own kin, throughout the entire Adleon continent. To achieve that, the shortest path was for her own country, which possessed a beastman royal family, to strengthen its ties with the southern part of the continent where beastman persecution continued, and to build an equal friendship with the great powers of the south.
Furthermore, simply considering the interests of the Kingdom of Revelant, deepening friendship with a great power like the Rhodeberg Kingdom would be a great benefit. They could enjoy many military and economic advantages, enabling them to stand out even more among the small nations of the northern continent.
To move one step closer to her ideal, and to make the future of the kingdom she would inherit from her father a better one, Helga had joined the fight against the Republic of Betumia, bringing a total of fifty knights and soldiers from the Revelant Kingdom army.
The reason Helga herself, a princess, served as the commander—albeit nominally—was so that the Revelant Kingdom army, which consisted of many beastmen, would not be looked down upon by the Rhodeberg Kingdom.
The role she performed was hunting transport convoys on the highway connecting the enemy's beachhead, Osterreich, and the invasion objective, the royal capital Lichthagen. It was a mission with relatively low risk, and one where the abilities of beastmen could be fully utilized.
"Then, let us prepare to intercept the enemy. Sulho, give the order to march to everyone."
"Yes, immediately."
Having ordered Marquis Sulho Hakkarainen, Helga prepared herself. She put on a helmet made for beastmen with holes for the ears, specially crafted for her, and girded her sword.
"Princess."
"Thank you, Paulina."
Paulina Beverstamm, a dark elf knight who accompanied her as Helga's direct guard and caretaker, led the reins of the great lizard Helga would ride. Helga took the reins from her and, utilizing her physical abilities as a tiger-person, lightly mounted the tall great lizard.
Then, the unit led by Helga departed the campsite, leaving behind the guards and the temporary civilian employees handling chores.
Their number was approximately one hundred and fifty. There were not only soldiers of the Revelant Kingdom army, but also volunteers from the citizens of the Rhodeberg Kingdom. All the volunteers were beastmen. For Helga, they were easier to handle due to being of the same race and possessing high physical abilities, and for the Rhodeberg Kingdom, they could entrust the beastman soldiers, who were somewhat difficult to manage, to the Kingdom of Revelant.
The unit moved swiftly and deployed on a hill from which they could look down upon the enemy transport convoy's predicted path, positioned behind the hill from the perspective of the enemy who would soon arrive.
"...They have come into view."
"Yes. It is almost time."
After exchanging brief words with Marquis Hakkarainen, Helga looked back at the one hundred and fifty soldiers.
"...Everyone. The time for our battle is finally here."
While drawing the attention of the one hundred and fifty men, Helga showed a dignified attitude without flinching.
"Soldiers of the national army who have come from the Kingdom of Revelant with me to assist our allied Rhodeberg Kingdom, and to become equal allies. And volunteers who, despite being beastmen placed in a difficult position, have resolved to fight for their fatherland. This is a battle of great significance for us."
Helga looked around at the soldiers and spoke gently yet powerfully.
"The road will surely be long. It may not be fulfilled within our lifetimes. But please, remember this day. When the day comes that beastmen are truly treated as equals to humans and demi-humans in the Rhodeberg Kingdom, and throughout this entire Adleon continent... the ones who carved the first great step toward that goal were undoubtedly you."
A strong power, a fighting spirit directed toward battle, dwelled in the eyes of the soldiers gazing at Helga.
"Now, let us go. It is time to show our strength."
"All army, advance! The enemy is beyond this hill, exposing their rear without defense! Charge through in one breath and fight!"
"""Ooh!"""
Following Helga, Marquis Hakkarainen gave the order, and the one hundred and fifty soldiers responded. Everyone advanced at once, rushing down the hill while raising war cries toward the enemy moving through the plains. Since Helga was a symbolic commander and not a combatant, she watched the battle alongside Knight Beverstamm and several guards.
Naturally, by this stage, the Betumia transport convoy had noticed Helga's unit, but they could not deal with the enemy who suddenly charged from beyond the hill, which had been a blind spot.
Furthermore, carrying many luggage wagons filled to the brim and moving through an unpaved plain, it was impossible for them to quickly withdraw from the area.
As a result, the soldiers of the transport convoy were attacked by the mixed unit of the Revelant Kingdom army and Rhodeberg Kingdom volunteers before they could even properly organize their ranks. The legs of beastmen running in earnest are fast.
Large lion-people wielding halberds, ox-people with thick spears, and tiger-people with clubs like small pillars smashed the bodies of the Betumia soldiers along with their armor. Or pierced them through.
Taking advantage of the gaps in their attacks, which had destructive power but were wide swings, rat-people hiding in the grass of the plains pierced the Betumia soldiers who tried to launch attacks with crossbows.
Dog-people and cat-people leaped upon and subdued the Betumia soldiers who tried to flee the battlefield, finishing them off with swords. Or rabbit-people approached while leaping, kicking them down as they went.
Elf and dark elf archers skillfully supported their own army with accurate shooting.
Dwarf soldiers, arriving at the battlefield slightly later, sent the heads of Betumia soldiers flying with a single swing of a battleaxe while closing in.
If they had been in formation, it might have been different, but being attacked individually without time to coordinate, the Betumia transport convoy, which consisted mostly of humans, had no chance of winning. The transport convoy, whose numbers dwindled in an instant, surrendered entirely once their numbers fell below half.
From this day forward, no matter which route they took, the transport convoys of the Republic of Betumia army attempting to deliver supplies to the royal capital capture force were all annihilated by guerrilla units, including Helga's unit.