War clouds approaching (3)
War is always accompanied by terrible fear and misery.
Therefore, those who stood in their seats had no choice but to move their bodies by riding on the swirling excitement.
But neither the one who kills nor the one who is killed. Backing down never happened.
Some to protect my family and country.
Some for survival and pleasure.
that was the belief.
“Stop!”
Shouts like screams rushed to the walls, and the soldiers who ran from far away carrying the boiling oil quickly poured out the oil barrels.
It was done without checking the situation under the wall, but it could be said that it was a sufficiently effective strategy against the barbarian warriors who had already flocked like dogs.
“Kyaaak!”
“Quaaagh!!”
The savages who were climbing the ladders with their weapons crashed to the ground.
When they heard their dying words from the nine heavens that had descended into the present world, the centurion who was leading the soldiers shouted again.
“Archers, move faster so they don’t come over!”
As if in sympathy with this, the noise of measuring arrows began to be heard here and there.
However, the barbarian warriors were also not mellow.
As soon as the archers pushed themselves out of the walls, the axes they had been waiting for flew in from all directions.
They were axes thrown from a whopping 25 meters down.
“Ouch… … .”
“Ah, Aspis!”
“sh*t!”
Scattered blood covered the walls of the castle.
The bodies of the soldiers staring at them stood tall as if they had made a promise.
And the corpses of comrades falling down the abyss with their jaws wide open brought an indelible primal fear into everyone’s hearts.
“… … I don’t want to die.”
This was by no means a game of war or training.
The corpse rolling on the floor was a close friend who had been drinking together until just a few days ago, and it was sure to be her next turn.
It was clear that if he had run away from now on, there would be even the slightest chance of saving his life.
It was at that time that the soldiers were standing in a daze with a stiff look.
“Don’t stop!”
A voice resounded throughout the battlefield, holding the mind straight as if it were foggy.
Not only that, but that thunderous voice even focused all the eyes that had been glancing at the corpse of a colleague.
Standing there was the Margrave of the North who ran to the castle wall with his decrepit body. And they were members of the Sun Knights.
His tightly pursed lips moved slowly between his white beard.
“We will be with you on this battlefield.”
The sword in the Marquis’ hand landed on the battlefield, and the soldiers grasped their weapons as if possessed, realizing the significance of standing here again.
“For my family… … .”
gulp-
Someone swallowed saliva and led the way to the wall, followed by those with spears.
Who could go against such a determined feeling?
With the momentum stronger than before, the fear that prevailed on the battlefield disappeared and only the will to defend remained.
“Five more days, Esteban’s main force will arrive! We must never let them trespass this land!”
“Just hold on until the sun goes down!”
“Prepare the next arrow… … !”
“That side is about to break through! Hurry!”
Tung! Tung!
Soon, the ballistas were loaded and began to fire rapidly at them.
And its power was truly enormous, enough to easily pierce through two or three barbarians.
Even though they were barbaric warriors who were said to not be pushed back against the knights of the kingdom, they could not block the fierce attack from the ballista.
* * *
The place where the Marquis was staying was a training center located not too far from the fortress wall.
The reason was simply that it was easy to deal with emergencies.
Just looking at the fragmentary appearance of choosing this place rather than the lord’s castle, one could fully guess his stubbornness and character.
“The situation is not good.”
Marquis Romert nodded briefly at his subordinate’s report.
The darkness that fell on that wrinkled face seemed to represent the Marquis’ feelings.
“I wish I could block it just like now… … .”
Five days had passed since the battle had started.
And the remaining time until the troops arrive is another five days.
Looking at the overall flow, it only took ten days to raise and join forces, but even that was a frustrating speed from the standpoint of defending the northern front.
“The morale of the soldiers continues to drop. If we keep going like this, we won’t be able to hold out until the main force comes.”
“The biggest problem is combat supplies. From the day after tomorrow, even arrows may not be used carelessly.”
“Have you used up all those arrows… … .”
The Marquis’s grip, which was placed on the desk, was tightly squeezed.
It happened because they hadn’t anticipated a battle this long from the beginning.
If only the northern territories had done their duty… … .
“Did you get a call from the lords of the north?”
“They say they are urgently organizing troops. I have also been told that we will take action to deliver combat supplies as soon as possible.”
“Whoa… … .”
The Marquis held his throbbing forehead with both hands on the desk.
They tried to embellish it with all sorts of rhetoric, but in the end, they said it wasn’t helpful right now.
Moreover, it was not clear how long they meant by the earliest possible date.
“… … Is there no choice but to rely on the performance of the Knights of the Sun?”
The Sun Knights were protecting the walls of the border area with an activity worthy of their prestige.
It’s pretty obvious what would have happened without them.
ha-
The Margrave, unable to hide his dejected appearance, rose from his seat.
Then he said, picking up the papers on the operation table.
“Today, go and rest. Right now, the answer is to keep your body in its best condition.”
“Is it okay if the Marquis doesn’t sleep?”
“When you get old, even your old sleep runs away.”
“… … All right.”
The subordinate who had been bowing like that left.
Just like that. It was clear that the battle would continue tomorrow and the day after that.
Left alone, Marquis Romerte’s expression turned bitter.
I thought that the moonlight coming through the old window of the training center was unusually clear today.
“It’s such a futile act.”
That was the moment.
rattle!
“Go, Your Excellency! You should come out and see for a while!”
“What’s going on?!”
The Marquis jumped up from his seat at the urgent voice of his subordinate.
Could it be that the attack took place at such a late hour?
He hurriedly strapped the sword that he had placed on his desk to his waist, passed his subordinates, and stepped out of the door of the temporary lodging.
Then I doubted my eyes.
“This, this… … !”
Numerous arrows and cold weapons were being unloaded from the wagons lined up in front of the training center.
That wasn’t the end.
In the next wagon, bandages and potions that felt like the first rain of drought were unloaded, and a huge iron shield to protect allies appeared in the next wagon.
It was none other than the royal soldiers who were moving it.
“How on earth do all these things… … .”
Didn’t they say there were five days left until support arrived?
Then, where the hell did these supplies come from… … !
The Marquis, who had been looking at the supplies in disbelief, hurriedly ran to check the type of supplies.
“Heh, heh heh… … .”
Soon, a laugh mixed with excitement and hope erupted from his lips.
To be sure, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he had gathered all the materials needed for this front.
As if someone knew about this whole situation and prepared for it… … .
So Marquis Romeert could not move even a single step from his seat.
That is until fate, which had been suspended, played a trick.
“I’m glad you arrived on time.”
From noble mtl dot com.
Hearing the man’s words from behind, he trembled.
It was because he couldn’t contain his rising emotions.
“From now on, I will do all the conducting myself.”
The man’s silver hair shone brilliantly even in the moonlight.
* * *
The wall defense battle, which took place over ten days, reached a temporary state of relief as the barbarians withdrew.
This is because the reinforcements stopped their offensive.
It would have been impossible to wait a week without the hard work of countless soldiers and the dedication of the Knights of the Sun.
George scratched his head as he entered the headquarters’ makeshift barracks.
“A rough tidy up is over.”
“hmm.”
I put the document with the damage on the table and got up.
Then they followed George, who led the way, up the rampart.
It was the scene of a battlefield struggling with pain and screams until just yesterday. Now that the dark clouds have cleared and things have been sorted out in their own way, it seemed to inform them of the current situation of a lull.
However, it seems that there was no way to hide the bloodstains that were burned here and there.
“The bodies in the castle were gathered together and cremated. However, the bodies outside the castle have not yet been cleaned up.”
“Have you confirmed the movements of the barbarians who retreated?”
“yes. Rather than continuing a meaningless war of attrition, it seems that they have rather headed for the eastern plains, where food is abundant.”
“Right.”
it’s east
It was the land of the Commonwealth Empire.
I suddenly stopped on my way and moved my gaze to the crematorium where black smoke was rising.
“No matter how hungry I was, I managed to stop that many people.”
“Prevention is only the result. In the process, we lost Esteban’s children, who cannot be replaced by anything.”
“Still, wouldn’t the damage have been greater if the Sun Knights hadn’t been sent? It’s like the fact that His Highness joined us five days early.”
I laughed bitterly.
“If we had dispatched troops here from the beginning, we would have been able to stop them with less damage than this.”
“Isn’t that the conclusion?”
“… … .”
George, who knew my plan from the beginning, had no choice but to think so.
He would have known that if he had tried to dispatch troops rather than knights in a situation where no information was revealed, everything would have collapsed due to opposition from the nobles.
“I guess so.”
That’s why I had to become a tyrant.
It was a trivial story.
After walking around the walls for a while, I saw a knight in golden armor running from afar.
The knight of the Knights of the Sun, who came running in a month, lowered his head and said.
“Your Highness the First Prince. All command staff have gathered as you commanded.”
“I will go now.”
The place he followed the knight to was the training center where the Marquis stayed.
Inside, his men, including the Marquis. And the sun knights were gathered together.
“Your Highness the First Prince. Are you here?”
“hmm.”
I nodded at the Marquis’ polite greeting.
Then, he walked towards the temporary operation table.
However, the moment I passed the Marquis, I suddenly stopped and stopped at what I saw.
“Looks like you have something to say.”
These were the words he gave to the Marquis, who seemed to have a lot to say.
True to his words, the Marquis nodded and expressed his will.
However, the Marquis, who had been silent for a long time, said only a few words.
“The reason we were able to stop them was thanks to Your Highness joining in faster than Esteban’s main force and clearing up the confusion.”
“… … .”
“I would like to thank you on behalf of the Romert estate and the North.”
“It is natural.”
That’s why he led the supply unit and came here.
After saying that, I moved in front of the strategy table.
I couldn’t delay any longer.
My outstretched finger picked up a point on the map lying on the table.
“As you may have already heard, they have now given up on the border and retreated.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I just heard the news.”
The deep relief felt in their slightly emaciated voices.
I raised my eyebrows and said.
“The rich land must have been a good prey for them too. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the danger that encroached on the border area has now subsided.”
“It is truly fortunate.”
“But we can’t be safe like this. In the end, they will repeat the raid like now, and Esteban will go through the same pain again each time.”
“… … .”
My sharp gaze reached the leader of the Knights of the Sun who was present.
“What is the strength of the remaining Sun Knights?”
“That’s about a hundred people, excluding those who were wounded or killed in battle.”
“good.”
I nodded and took out a piece of paper that I had been keeping in my arms.
Everyone’s eyes were focused on the camp.
“This… … .”
“Is it an edict?”
Elegant handwriting on golden paper.
Beneath it was a seal with a pattern of two swords crossed.
It was difficult to see the contents at a glance. What was certain was that this was an absolute order stamped with the king’s seal.
“The Sun Knights will follow me and raid the land of barbarians from now on.”
“… … yes?”
“Now that they have shifted their attention from Esteban. This is the only opportunity to move.”
So, against the warriors of the barbarians now… … How much more did he say to go directly into their land?
Into the wild northern backcountry?
The faces of those who understood the situation hardened in an instant.
However, even in the atmosphere of the training camp where the silence fell, I continued to deliver orders.
“The personnel employed are all members of the Sun Knights who can move. Recruit people as quickly as possible and gather at the parade ground.”
“Wait a moment, Your Highness!”
“what?”
The leader of the Knights of the Sun swallowed saliva at my cold eyes and said,
“Did you say that you are raiding the land of the barbarians?”
“hmm.”
“That is impossible. The reason why the influence of the continental countries does not reach the land of the northern barbarians is that the resistance is so strong that it is difficult to proceed with pioneering, and the terrain and weather are difficult!”
It is said that it is a little better now that the cold season has passed, but even that was literally only a little better.
In the meantime, if they were to face the remnants of the rear, there was a high possibility that it would not end in death and injury.
… … Maybe that’s what you want to say.
I tapped the table with my fingers and opened my mouth.
“so?”
“We’ve been fighting fiercely against them for the past ten days. So, I can say that I am aware of the dangers more than anyone else.”
The leader of the Knights of the Sun tapped the chest of the armor.
“When they have the absolute advantage of the environment, raiding the land is suicidal. We cannot send Esteban’s knights to such a place.”
“Is it you who decides that? Or are you the King’s Highness who gave me the mission?”
“… … .”
At my cold question, he closed his mouth and lowered his gaze.
I watched the scene and slowly pulled the corner of my mouth.
“You seem to be misunderstanding something. You don’t have a choice. The order has already been given, and you just have to do as I say.”
“… … .”
“I am the commander-in-chief of this expeditionary force.”
I walked past the leader of the Knights of the Sun, who was silent, and stepped out of the training center.