The Master of the Brave - Chapter 134
The Master of the Brave
Chapter 134. The Siege of Erz (II)
“Peshlika has fallen.”
“It doesn’t seem to have lasted more than two hours.” Jade clicked his tongue and scoffed at Klaus’ clear words. “Schlihaden. He talked so much about how he was going to make a tribute out of all the trespassers from Cornelia and Lyon, and now he ends up like this. After all, he is only a provincial nobleman from the West. And what was the outcome of the battle at Peshlika?”
“It is under enemy occupation, so we don’t know the details. I think the number of dead is less than three hundred?”
“That’s not much…” Jade bit lightly on the index finger of his right hand.
“The time until the fall was too short. The fact that the spearhead of our army surrendered has greatly lowered the morale of the defenders of Peshlika and the soldiers of the Western Area Knights…”
“The surrender of the spearhead troops was part of the plan, but…”
“It was a little ahead of schedule. However, there seems to be some resistance to targeting the Brave, and they seem to have broken through almost undamaged.”
“Raul… He got the Brave to the front sooner than I thought…” Jade looked at the map showing the battle situation.
After the fall of Peshlika, the Kingdom of Lyon’s army easily broke through two of the many camps they had built on the mountain roads leading to Clennad. With Leticia at their head, the soldiers surrendered without a fight. At this rate of advance, tomorrow night they would approach the main camp of Prince Neumann’s army where Jade was.
Jade had assumed that Leticia would be with Cornelia when the Princess escaped from the Imperial Palace and appeared at the Royal Palace in Lyon. Cornelia’s entourage included Leticia’s Master, Wynn Bird. Judging by her past actions, it was impossible for Leticia not to accompany Wynn.
However, he assumed that even if Leticia did come to the front, it would be much later.
The Brave exercising her great power over others. If they knew that a power beyond human comprehension could come against them, those who now admired and respected the Brave would easily come to be terrified and fear her.
Since the destruction of the Demon King, all nations were pondering what to do if Leticia’s power was directed against them. The overwhelming military power that defeated the Demon King, against which even the supranational organization called the Continental Anti-Demon Alliance could do nothing. That great force would join one side in a war and be waged against others. If that seemed like a real possibility, the Lemmrousell Empire could become the Demon King’s second army and go to war against the world.
Fearing that this would happen, Alfred kept it a secret that Leticia accompanied Cornelia to the Kingdom of Lyon. When this was discovered, the Kingdom of Lyon did not ask her to attend the military alliance signing ceremony. This was a consideration so as not to irritate not only the people but also other countries.
The crown prince of Lyon, Raoul, would never send Leticia to the front. Jade thought that even if he did, it would only be after the war situation became complicated. It was a miscalculation for him to think that Leticia would not actively participate in the front from the first battle.
“The soldiers brought by the nobles who opportunely sided with her would not be able to point their swords against the Brave. We had anticipated that we would be outnumbered, but when that happened, we would have outnumbered them. Hmm, in that sense, should I say that Schlihaden’s number of three hundred was a good effort on their part?”
“Jade-sama, why don’t you create some barrier troops to fight those soldiers?”
The barrier troops, as Klaus called them, would shoot arrows at soldiers who were thinking of surrendering or running away. This was often used in situations where defeat was imminent.
“Barrier troops would consist of those of noble birth and knightly houses. Thus, they could play the role of barrier troops to the fullest even if they faced the Brave.”
“I see. Even if that provokes the Brave’s wrath, or if the allied soldiers counterattack and kill them, it’s still useful. But it still doesn’t look like we can win, does it?”
“As Jade-sama said, in any case, with the soldiers who didn’t go over to the Brave’s side on the front line and whose morale is still low even if we use the barrier troops, it seems the best we can do is to buy time. So let them take responsibility for that defeat themselves.”
“Let them take responsibility?”
“Even if we organize some barrier troops, they will be defeated in the end, as you said. But their lives will buy us valuable time. They are nothing more than a group of people of dubious loyalty who came together opportunistically to ride the winning horse. No problem if we just use them. If you leave the rest to me, I’ll make sure that Conrad Heisenberg’s legacy, left by Reynard, is put to good use.”
“Interesting. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes, sir. Then I’ll get ready to go.”
Jade nodded, and Klaus bowed deeply.
“Hmm… They may spill more blood. The resentment of my mother and her people who died to protect them who destroyed Reimdow. Let their blood atone for them.”
Jade’s muttering was filled with uncontrollable rage and icy cruelty. When Klaus heard his voice, he put his hand on the door of the room and turned his back to his master, his lips twisted into a small smile.
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The Kingdom of Lyon’s troops stopped when they had passed through three enemy camps that had blocked the road connecting Peshlika and Clennad intact. At the fourth camp of Prince Neumann’s army, Leticia noticed that there was an unusual tension in the air, different from the camps they had passed so far.
Leticia, who was young but probably the most experienced fighter in the empire, was the first to notice the atmosphere.
“Are there dead soldiers?”
It was an atmosphere she had felt many times in the Continental Anti-Demon Alliance.
With a large army of demons at the front, in the rear, the people were running for their lives without being able to defend themselves. In an almost unwinnable battle, the cornered soldiers literally became dead soldiers, throwing their lives away to let the people escape.
Leticia had seen such scenes many times before.
From the actual Neumann soldiers, she sensed an atmosphere similar to theirs.
However, this was a civil war within the Empire. Unlike the demons, who had no concept of surrender, this was a war between people. There were still many friendly troops in the rear, and there were many ways to retreat now that the war had not yet begun. Regardless, why were the soldiers of Prince Neumann’s army wrapped in such a sense of strange tension?
“Brave-sama. Please retreat to the rear. It seems that the enemy is a little different from before.”
“Yeah… it seems so.” Leticia bit her lip a little and was puzzled, but nodded sincerely at the words of the commander who was in charge of the Lyon Royal Army. She did not seem to be in the mood to be persuaded.
When Leticia returned to the rear, the two armies finally clashed.
As Raoul and the generals of the Lyon Royal Army had anticipated, the Lyon Royal Army ran uphill, while Prince Neumann’s army awaited them in a position with wooden fences and moats.
Despite the disadvantageous position of having to run up the hill, the Lyon Royal Army had high morale and repeatedly charged, gradually reducing the position of Prince Neumann’s army.
The morale of Prince Neumann’s army was visibly decreasing, even from the side of the Lyon Royal Army.
However, the soldiers of Prince Neumann’s army, whose morale did not seem to be high at all, fought hard without retreating.
What was driving them to fight so hard?
The question was finally answered when Raoul and the staff at his side began to be haunted by disturbing thoughts.
A part of the Lyon Royal Army, which had been winning the fight after repeated assaults, was temporarily pushed back.
“The presence of barrier troops?”
“Yes, sir. It seems that archers have deployed behind the enemy army and are firing arrows mercilessly at the fleeing soldiers.”
It was then that a corner of Prince Neumann’s army, unable to withstand the pressure of the energetic army of the Kingdom of Lyon, collapsed and retreated. Arrows rained down from the rear allied positions on the heads of the soldiers of Prince Neumann’s army, who had been pushed back in an inferior position.
“Defend your present position to the death! Fleeing before the enemy is a serious crime! For those who turn their backs to the enemy, if you’re planning to escape, it has been ordered to shoot to kill! If you’re soldiers who have escaped, you will be severely punished!
Seeing the arrows raining down from behind and the soldiers planning to escape being shot down, the soldiers of Prince Neumann’s army pushed back the Kingdom of Lyon’s army in a desperate attempt to escape.
“How dare they…!” At the news, Cornelia became visibly agitated. She was so agitated that she rose vigorously from the chair that had been prepared for her. Her face paled and she bit her lip hard. Then she slumped back into the chair. She leaned forward and Lino, who was at her side, hurried to support her body.
“How dare they shoot a man who has lost the will to fight and is not allowed to surrender either?”
Although they were enemies now, they were also the people of the empire. Raul looked at the princess, who was grief-stricken and weak, and began to think.
But, this doesn’t make sense… Although there are many enemy troops who abandoned Peshlika and surrendered with Letty’s persuasion, the battle is still in its early stages. Even if they are outnumbered, the soldiers fighting now are probably not the soldiers under Marquis Cliffdorf’s command. They must have plenty of troops and supplies to spare. It is still too early to organize a barrier force, but what are they going to do by unnecessarily increasing the number of casualties?
It was impossible for Raul to know that Jade, who commanded Prince Neumann’s army, was actively planning to increase the death toll. However, the actions of Prince Neumann’s troops, who were taking unorthodox measures, gave Raul a strange feeling.
“There is no need to accompany the desperate enemy soldiers and cause them unnecessary harm. Let them fall back at once. But show no mercy to the enemy in pursuit.”
“Yes, sir!”
Tch… I have a bad feeling about this.
Prince Neumann’s army was pushing the Lyon Royal Army, which had begun to retreat. However, the momentum of Prince Neumann’s army was caused by the work of the barrier troops and was not well controlled. Raoul’s excellent subordinate commanders defeated the outstanding troops on the enemy front in various ways and succeeded in forcing Prince Neumann’s army to retreat at sunset.
“We will head for Erz to provide support before reaching their hinterlands. All troops, march to the territorial capital of Elstead County, Erz. Hurry to meet Crown Prince Alfred!”
Prince Neumann’s army was slowly retreating towards Clennad. Raul watched the army move away without giving chase.
The allied commanders were doing an excellent job, just as Raul had predicted, and he was pleased with their performance. But even though things were going as he had hoped, Raul could not shake off the uneasiness that surfaced in his heart.
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Even wrapped in the blankets provided, the night wind coming down from the Majil Mountains was damp and cold. It was even more so on top of the unobstructed city wall and the famous Erz belltowers.
Erz soldiers on night watch rubbed their hands and feet to combat the cold as they gazed at the city walls.
From time to time, the wind raised a pungent stench in the air. The corpses of the war dead scattered outside the city walls decomposed and stank.
However, the city of Erz was located to windward, so there wasn’t as much of a problem with it. They wondered how bad the stench would be for Prince Neumann’s army, which was camped to leeward. Without wanting to think about it, one of the soldiers shook his head, trying to skip the intense drowsiness brought on by exhaustion.
There was a reason the bodies of the dead were left to decompose and stink. Usually, when a battle ended and the army retreated, broken swords, spears, arrows and bodies were left on the battlefield. In most cases, nearby peasants would come to the battlefield soon after. Their goal was to salvage all the swords, armor, spears and even the clothes worn by the corpses. Swords and spears were usually badly damaged, but if they were cast in iron, they could be reused, and clothing could still be used if the blood was washed away. After being stripped of all their belongings by the peasants, the corpses were buried. If the bodies were left as they were, they would decompose, causing an unpleasant odor and possibly some plague. The act of salvaging on the battlefield was an act that would raise the eyebrows of people of rank, but most of the time, the battlefield was chosen as farmland, and in most cases, this was done to compensate for the damage done to the fields.
However, the battle between Prince Alfred’s army and Prince Neumann’s army that took place on the outskirts of the city of Erz did not bring the peasants out to search through the remains of their dead even after both armies retreated. This was because all of them, including the inhabitants of the neighboring farming villages, had fled to Erz. As a result, the bodies of the war dead were left untouched and the stench began to circulate.
It had been almost a month since Erz was surrounded by the 30,000-man army led by Prince Neumann.
We still have weapons, supplies and food. But the exhaustion of the soldiers is beginning to be impossible to hide. In a room in Count Elstead’s mansion, Alfred was looking at a map of the city of Erz.
The map contained detailed information about the city’s defenses, including the location of the soldiers guarding it and the location of the walls that had been breached and reinforced with wood. The map also showed the location of Prince Neumann’s army encamped outside the city walls, as far as he could ascertain. The information that could be read on the map showed that the city of Erz was at a disadvantage no matter how you looked at it. It was only a matter of time before the city fell.
However, despite the overwhelming disparity in troop strength, Prince Alfred’s army, holed up in Erz, had continued to repel the onslaught of Prince Neumann’s army with amazing tenacity, supported by the solid city walls. This was due in large part to the work of the adventurers squad led by Kelvin, who remained hidden on the outskirts of Erz in the early stages of the war. The fact that they had captured one after another of the front-line commanders of Prince Neumann’s army, which was a collection of lords, had caused them to not be able to coordinate their units well.
Prince Neumann’s army repeatedly attacked the city walls with destructive magic and stone projectiles, but they could not break through. The stone walls that were destroyed were rebuilt with wood by the city craftsmen.
The knights, soldiers and mercenaries working with Alfred’s army had taken refuge in Erz and the adventurers who fought for a living still had enough strength to fight.
The problem was the fatigue level of the citizens and the soldiers made up of volunteer citizens.
The morale of the citizens was high because they were grateful and loyal to their lord Royce, and because they wanted to protect their families within the city walls, but the fatigue from the continuous fighting that they were not used to was becoming too much to cover with morale alone. Some of the citizen soldiers on night watch began to doze off as they stood.
“Excuse me, Your Highness, I have received a missive from Kelvin.”
There was a knock at the door and Royce entered the room with papers in both hands. When Royce approached Alfred, he looked at the desk where the maps were cluttered and let out a big sigh.
“…Your Highness. Was the food not to your liking?”
“What?”
When he looked, he saw the dinner brought by one of Royce’s wives. When it was brought, it was steaming, but it had long since gone cold.
“Your wife brought it to me just a few minutes ago…”
“For Your Highness, how long is a few minutes? The fat in the soup has already hardened.”
“I’m sorry, but the food you brought me…”
“Your Highness. On the battlefield, you must eat well when you have the opportunity, and the same at bedtime. If you can’t do this, you won’t even be able to fight successfully.”
“I think I understand that, but…”
“If you are a commander, you should always show a relaxed attitude in front of your soldiers. If the commander is not relaxed, especially in a situation like this where you are outnumbered, the soldiers will immediately become nervous, do you understand?”
As Alfred was about to make an excuse, Royce spoke again to block his words.
“I had a hot soup prepared in case this happened.”
“No, that’s all right. It’s valuable food. And I don’t have much of an appetite.”
“Please, Your Highness. If you don’t eat well, you will ruin your body.”
When Royce gestured to the door, another of Royce’s wives, other than the one who had brought Alfred the food earlier, brought him a tray with fresh soup still boiling, ham, vegetables and bread.
“If you are hungry, no matter how much you think, the blood will not reach your head and you will have no strength on the battlefield. And if the commander-in-chief is malnourished and pale from lack of sleep, the morale of the soldiers will not rise. Please eat well, even if you have to force yourself to do so.”
“Very well.”
The soup was made with plenty of chicken and vegetables. The oil oozing from the chicken formed a golden film on the surface of the soup, which was well mixed with the tender leafy greens. It was salty and tangy, and as soon as Alfred took a spoonful of the soup, his forgotten hunger was quickly satiated.
While the prince was eating the soup, Royce’s wife put some cheese, vegetables and ham on a piece of bread. Alfred took the bread, popped it in his mouth and moistened the roof of his mouth with the wine. Royce and his wife watched silently as the young master ate. The latter was slightly frustrated by Royce’s quiet demeanor, but asked in amazement:
“The total number of enemies is about 30,000, while our side has about 3,000. Even though we have reinforcements, how would I be able to remain calm in this situation?”
“Well, we are outnumbered, but… when we were part of the Continental Anti-Demon Alliance, this kind of difference in forces was normal.” As he answered Alfred’s question, Royce smiled with a nostalgic expression. “The soldiers and the people of the city are fine. It’s all right, Your Highness. My Erz will hold out until Her Highness Cornelia returns with reinforcements.”
“I see… you are right.”
“So, after you finish your meal, Your Highness should get some rest. The enemy will not have time to launch another night attack today.”
“Haha, I never thought the plan you put in place would have an effect on something like this. I’m sure Marquis Cliffdorf is quite irritated.
In the early stages of the war, Kelvin captured most of the enemy’s experienced commanders, which made it impossible for Prince Neumann’s army to launch a night attack, which would be the most effective strategy for a surprise attack. Due to the nature of night attacks, they were conducted under cover of darkness and could not be carried out with the lights on. It also required a high level of skill, such as the ability to act smoothly to reach the target and avoid fighting in the dark.
However, Prince Neumann’s army was unable to launch night raids because it had lost all of its commanders capable of meeting these requirements.
In fact, Prince Neumann’s army suffered not a few losses, as the raiding party led by Kelvin, which had a small but well-prepared army, often attacked at night. Alfred had been informed that the observed speed of action of troops composed of adventurers who knew the forest so well was fast, and that Prince Neumann’s army seemed to be in the sights of some god of death.
Meanwhile, Royce was also conducting a diversionary operation, albeit a modest one according to him, using people who could use magic. While it was still magic, it was not the kind of magic that mages used. Destructive magic that used strong magical power would be blocked by the barriers put up by the enemy mages. Moreover, Prince Neumann’s army had a greater number and quality of mages than Erz’s, so there was no way to win in a display of attack magic. So, using magics that could not be stopped by a barrier, Royce made a plan to play with Prince Neumann’s army.
For example, a simple spell to create wind that could be used by anyone who could use magic, to rustle the bushes near the enemy soldiers’ camp, or a spell that simply made a loud noise. There was no way to avoid such magic with magical barriers. However, these harassment spells had a tremendous effect on the mental state of the soldiers. Although they were surrounded by a large army, unlike Erz’s soldiers who fought on the solid city walls and in familiar territory, Prince Neumann’s army was encamped among vast and deep forests.
In the depths of the forest, there were ferocious carnivorous beasts and demons. Until a few years ago, mankind was threatened by an army of demons led by the Demon King, that is until the Brave defeated him. But that horror was engraved in the minds of all the inhabitants of the continent.
The sound of leaves moving in the wind and the inexplicable noises reminded the soldiers of demons, causing anxiety and unnecessary tension in their minds. Listening to the noises from time to time, they could not rest their bodies. After a few days, many of the soldiers who were camped on the outskirts of Prince Neumann’s army became exhausted and could no longer fight.
“We can only rely on our small skills. The enemy army is large. Even if we manage to kill a few here and there, they still have a chance to win the war. On the other hand, the more casualties we suffer, the harder it will be to defend ourselves.” Royce said while stroking his fat chin.
“How would you attack Erz?”
“If it were me, I would divide the army of 30,000 into three or more and have them attack morning, noon and night without rest. That alone would exhaust the people of the city and they would die of exhaustion.”
“There is an overwhelming difference in the number of people. So why doesn’t the enemy do the same?”
“It seems to me that they are afraid of being overtaken. They’re not going to let someone else take Erz and monopolize the credit when it’s not their turn to attack. Besides, they attacked with an overwhelmingly larger army than ours, and we couldn’t win without pulling a trick or two. If such rumors were to spread, it would probably hurt their pride as nobles. It’s a pride I don’t understand, but it seems to be very important to them. Well, that’s why we’ve been able to avoid losing.”
“The pride of nobility…”
“And although they are taking a long time to capture Erz, they are not losing. Based on the above, they must have thought that, if they continue to take their time and keep attacking, they will be able to defeat us someday.”
“You think so?”
“See this.” Royce held out a small sheet of paper to Alfred.
“What is this?”
“It’s a letter that came on the end of one of Kelvin’s arrows.”
Kelvin’s letter said that Prince Neumann’s army had changed its position significantly. From what he could hear, he wrote that there was a possibility that they would launch a full-scale offensive against Erz within three days.
“Hmm… does this mean that they’ve finally run out of patience?”
“Yes. And perhaps, as I said before, they will come at us from the front with a large army.”
“To win fair and square, from the front…? I can’t believe you’re a nobleman like them.”
“As I said before, if I had a large army at hand and was allowed to command it at will, I would use it to defeat the enemy cleanly. Unfortunately, at the head of this army, the situation does not allow me to do so.” As he said this, Royce spread his hands in an exaggerated manner and shook his head.
“I see. Then, when this disturbance is resolved, I will entrust you with all the military aspects of my empire.”
“I’ll be at the top of the Order? Hahaha, what a good joke. If I were to reach the top of the Order, I might as well line my pockets like the court opportunists do in their salons, right?”
“What, that’s nothing to worry about. What you’ve done in this uprising is more than enough to merit a small reward. I owe a great debt to everyone here at Elstead. Besides, if I gave you the right position and power, you’d likely bring more benefit to the empire than the damage you’ll do to it by lining your pockets. It’s a small price to pay, if you think about it.
“I see. I don’t know if I can live up to His Highness’s expectations, but if so, let’s try our best in the present so we can squeeze and drink the delicious juice in that future.” Laughing, Royce left the room, shaking his ample belly.
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