Chapter 65
The White Wolf knights are already familiar with the use of strategy that is beyond common sense to overturn a battle in their favor. The knights would dress up as traders to infiltrate the rebel base, breaking in on one side while pouring oil on the grassland on the other, lighting it with fire when the enemy attacks. They rarely fought the conventional way and often used tactics that were beyond common sense such as making use of Ortashia’s wind power to help burn the enemy with fire.
The conventional way of fighting in a war was with cavalry at the front and the infantry clashing with the enemy fair and square in a sword fight with the opposing forces’ infantry. Under this discipline, Ardesil had secured many victories in wars over a hundred years.
Maruto, who rarely practiced it, was insulted as cowardly trickster and only received words of criticism regardless of what he did. He was treated as a heretic among the civil and military officers within the Ardesil military.
Even so, the person himself once said, “The victor is the justice, whoever become the last man standing will have the right to write how the victory was achieved, regardless of the method one used to get there.” Simply put, the end justifies the means.
In a sense, it’s the only way they could fight back this time. The strategy was excellent in a broader sense but Shingen couldn’t understand any of it at all.
[Weird, why are there only a few soldiers here…]
Shingen muttered in confusion and he couldn’t help but feel scared the more he thought about it. He shook his head to clear his mind. He knew that it’s useless to give it some thought. Besides, it won’t change anything now. The battle had already begun.
(―――――I have no choice but to do what I can do.）
He told himself just that.
Mina walked near to Shingen, placed something in his palm and clasped it with his fingers. It was some kind of a trinket that fit inside your palm. Shingen looked down to check what it is, and found a fang.
It had been crafted into a necklace. It’s smooth and sharp unlike that of a beast’s fang. It also seemed to be a canine’s fang judging from the size. Shingen looked back up and asked Mina.
[This is….?]
[A charm. It will surely protect Shingen-kun from harm.]
She kindly laughed while saying so. Shingen put it on around his neck and thanked her. Mina looked at it with narrowed eyes, then smile in satisfaction.
The battle between the Banrondo army led by Ortashia and the White Wolf Knights against Ardesil army first corps led by Octanus and the second corps led by Herkutes had begun.
The first corps went straight to the town of York. Their purpose was to crush the town with a cavalry charge. They cut through the grassland without slowing down.
As per Octanus’ order, the corps had been divided into smaller units with five units divided further into ten for frontline and the sixth unit as rearguard.
As the advance squads marched ahead, the buildings made of timber in front of the town of York began to become visible. The first corps’ captain Cassius narrowed his eyes. It appears that was the building mentioned in the report. There were also wooden fences around the fortress. Is it really possible to build all that in such a short period of time?
The other party wasn’t stupid; it’s only normal to prepare that much. However, the battlefield was wrapped in an unsettling atmosphere. All of the first corps units couldn’t help but to doubt what lies in front of them..
They were waiting as the enemy cavalry appeared to confront them. The enemy also formed a formation with one soldier as the lead. According to the report from the scouts, their number should be 180,000 or less. But no matter how you see it, this was only about several hundreds.
[What’s the meaning of this….?]
He sounded amazed.
Ortashia would’ve put all of her forces at the frontline, but there is too little of them here at the moment. This is incomprehensible.
One of the soldiers frowned.
[Is it a trap?]
Doubting the situation, the captain ordered the troops to slow down. The sounds of stomping hooves died down and as soon as they stopped, the captain decided to look at the situation first from a distance slightly further than the range of archer could reach.
[Isn’t that princess Ortashia?]
One of the cavalry pointed at the one woman at the forefront. It’s obvious that she’s Ortashia. However, another soldier quickly pointed out.
[Weird. Lord Randall isn’t there.]
Randall who, like Ortashia, is said to love frontal war wasn’t there.
[Did he flee already?]
[Impossible. No doubt he’s waiting somewhere for an ambush.]
They started to look at the surrounding mountain and hills. Those are the best places to lay an ambush. No one will be able to notice if you lurk in such place, but since there is a flatland around them too, it’ll be easy to grasp the opponent’s number.
[No, you couldn’t possibly prepare an ambush with a small amount of troops, right? The effect won’t be as noticeable.]
[They’re going to fight at the fort. That’s why they built it in the first place.]
The soldiers voiced their conflicting thoughts. Meanwhile a messenger from the rear rushed in.
[General Octanus ordered for a charge immediately!]
The soldiers felt annoyed by that order. The generals had the luxury that mere soldiers couldn’t afford to complain against since they’ll lose their head if they dare to mention it. Cassius frowned for a while, but eventually nodded.
[…..it might be dangerous to go forward as is, but if the general says so, then it can’t be helped.]
（――――――I don’t care anymore about what will happen. Anyways, we have huge advantage in numbers alone.）
While it’s justified to still feel concerned, nevertheless he corrected his position at the front, and raised his long sword.
[Prepare to charge!]
The soldiers repeated the order as they rearranged themselves into an assault formation. The captains are at the front with other soldiers forming a wedge behind them with certain intervals between each of them. This was the traditional assault formation known as ‘the wedge’.
All the troops were organized on that arrangement. And when the formation is completed, Cassius cried.
[Charge――――――――――――――――! !]
[ [ [ Oooohh!!] ] ]
Angry voices filled the battlefield shaking the earth like an earthquake, enough to startle any enemies.
Chapter 65
The White Wolf knights are already familiar with the use of strategy that is beyond common sense to overturn a battle in their favor. The knights would dress up as traders to infiltrate the rebel base, breaking in on one side while pouring oil on the grassland on the other, lighting it with fire when the enemy attacks. They rarely fought the conventional way and often used tactics that were beyond common sense such as making use of Ortashia’s wind power to help burn the enemy with fire.
The conventional way of fighting in a war was with cavalry at the front and the infantry clashing with the enemy fair and square in a sword fight with the opposing forces’ infantry. Under this discipline, Ardesil had secured many victories in wars over a hundred years.
Maruto, who rarely practiced it, was insulted as cowardly trickster and only received words of criticism regardless of what he did. He was treated as a heretic among the civil and military officers within the Ardesil military.
Even so, the person himself once said, “The victor is the justice, whoever become the last man standing will have the right to write how the victory was achieved, regardless of the method one used to get there.” Simply put, the end justifies the means.
In a sense, it’s the only way they could fight back this time. The strategy was excellent in a broader sense but Shingen couldn’t understand any of it at all.
[Weird, why are there only a few soldiers here…]
Shingen muttered in confusion and he couldn’t help but feel scared the more he thought about it. He shook his head to clear his mind. He knew that it’s useless to give it some thought. Besides, it won’t change anything now. The battle had already begun.
(―――――I have no choice but to do what I can do.）
He told himself just that.
Mina walked near to Shingen, placed something in his palm and clasped it with his fingers. It was some kind of a trinket that fit inside your palm. Shingen looked down to check what it is, and found a fang.
It had been crafted into a necklace. It’s smooth and sharp unlike that of a beast’s fang. It also seemed to be a canine’s fang judging from the size. Shingen looked back up and asked Mina.
[This is….?]
[A charm. It will surely protect Shingen-kun from harm.]
She kindly laughed while saying so. Shingen put it on around his neck and thanked her. Mina looked at it with narrowed eyes, then smile in satisfaction.
The battle between the Banrondo army led by Ortashia and the White Wolf Knights against Ardesil army first corps led by Octanus and the second corps led by Herkutes had begun.
The first corps went straight to the town of York. Their purpose was to crush the town with a cavalry charge. They cut through the grassland without slowing down.
As per Octanus’ order, the corps had been divided into smaller units with five units divided further into ten for frontline and the sixth unit as rearguard.
As the advance squads marched ahead, the buildings made of timber in front of the town of York began to become visible. The first corps’ captain Cassius narrowed his eyes. It appears that was the building mentioned in the report. There were also wooden fences around the fortress. Is it really possible to build all that in such a short period of time?
The other party wasn’t stupid; it’s only normal to prepare that much. However, the battlefield was wrapped in an unsettling atmosphere. All of the first corps units couldn’t help but to doubt what lies in front of them..
They were waiting as the enemy cavalry appeared to confront them. The enemy also formed a formation with one soldier as the lead. According to the report from the scouts, their number should be 180,000 or less. But no matter how you see it, this was only about several hundreds.
[What’s the meaning of this….?]
He sounded amazed.
Ortashia would’ve put all of her forces at the frontline, but there is too little of them here at the moment. This is incomprehensible.
One of the soldiers frowned.
[Is it a trap?]
Doubting the situation, the captain ordered the troops to slow down. The sounds of stomping hooves died down and as soon as they stopped, the captain decided to look at the situation first from a distance slightly further than the range of archer could reach.
[Isn’t that princess Ortashia?]
One of the cavalry pointed at the one woman at the forefront. It’s obvious that she’s Ortashia. However, another soldier quickly pointed out.
[Weird. Lord Randall isn’t there.]
Randall who, like Ortashia, is said to love frontal war wasn’t there.
[Did he flee already?]
[Impossible. No doubt he’s waiting somewhere for an ambush.]
They started to look at the surrounding mountain and hills. Those are the best places to lay an ambush. No one will be able to notice if you lurk in such place, but since there is a flatland around them too, it’ll be easy to grasp the opponent’s number.
[No, you couldn’t possibly prepare an ambush with a small amount of troops, right? The effect won’t be as noticeable.]
[They’re going to fight at the fort. That’s why they built it in the first place.]
The soldiers voiced their conflicting thoughts. Meanwhile a messenger from the rear rushed in.
[General Octanus ordered for a charge immediately!]
The soldiers felt annoyed by that order. The generals had the luxury that mere soldiers couldn’t afford to complain against since they’ll lose their head if they dare to mention it. Cassius frowned for a while, but eventually nodded.
[…..it might be dangerous to go forward as is, but if the general says so, then it can’t be helped.]
（――――――I don’t care anymore about what will happen. Anyways, we have huge advantage in numbers alone.）
While it’s justified to still feel concerned, nevertheless he corrected his position at the front, and raised his long sword.
[Prepare to charge!]
The soldiers repeated the order as they rearranged themselves into an assault formation. The captains are at the front with other soldiers forming a wedge behind them with certain intervals between each of them. This was the traditional assault formation known as ‘the wedge’.
All the troops were organized on that arrangement. And when the formation is completed, Cassius cried.
[Charge――――――――――――――――! !]
[ [ [ Oooohh!!] ] ]
Angry voices filled the battlefield shaking the earth like an earthquake, enough to startle any enemies.
