Chapter 28 – Bloody Battle of Streb Fortress (2)
Bloody Battle of Fortress Streb (2)
Next day. The battle began with the attack of the Balkan Empire’s 5th Corps.
The fact that the 5th Corps’ heavy infantry was guarding the siege tower was the same, but the defenders of Fort Streb were puzzled by the appearance of the siege tower, which looked slightly different from yesterday.
“Don’t panic and shoot! It’s still the same thing that needs to be destroyed anyway!!”
However, no matter what happened, he had to kill his enemies in order to survive, so he soon came to his senses and began firing flaming arrows at the command of the castle wall guard.
Then the siege tower began to burn, but the Balkan heavy infantry blocked the incoming arrows and continued to push the burning siege tower toward the moat.
Haha, you idiots, try as hard as you can to pack arrows… I guess I’ll have to tell the kids to pick up the arrows carefully. Haha,”
“5th Corps Commander? What is that…”
The 5th Corps commander Derian, who was laughing at the Tesseito army, answered the crown prince’s question.
“Watching the battle yesterday, I thought that it would be difficult to solve that double moat with regular siege weapons. Even if it could be done, the sacrifice of the light infantry would be too great. So, I disguised the cart that would carry the pile of dirt as a siege tower.”
“So there’s dirt and sand in there?”
“Yes, that’s right, Your Highness. Since it was a modified ordinary cart, it didn’t take much time, and since it was only disguised as a siege tower, there was no need for water-soaked cowhide. We just let it burn in front of the moat and then poured the dirt filled inside. All you have to do is push it in.”
“Wow~ Thank you for your hard work. Thanks to the 5th Corps Commander, that moat will be filled soon.”
In the eyes of the crown prince, he saw that the double moat created yesterday was being filled by camouflaged siege towers, and at the same time, four siege towers were closing in on Fortress Streto, which made him somewhat relieved.
“I think that if all of that goes in, the entire moat will be filled. We ask you to prepare for the injection one by one.”
“Good! 1st Corps Commander, 4th Corps Commander.!! Once the moat is filled, follow the 5th Corps and prepare for siege as soon as preparations are completed! I hope the archers of the 5th Corps will also engage in checking fire!”
“I will follow your orders, Your Majesty!”
—–
From the command tower of Fortress Streve, Count Le Delmo watched the battle unfold.
“Hoo~ Even among the Vulcan guys, there are some whose heads are spinning.”
“It is said that the commander of the 5th corps in the Balkans was an engineer who rose to the rank of corps commander even though he was a commoner. So, he must be seen as someone who has proven his ability to some extent.”
When the moat was completely filled and the imperial archers built the wall and started shooting arrows, the Tesseito army that was shooting arrows from the castle wall was falling one by one.
“Hmm… If this happens, we’ll have to prepare it a little early. Take over the archers located on the castle wall! There is no need to sacrifice the archers at this point!”
“Yes! I understand!”
—-
“The enemy’s arrows have stopped! It looks like the arrow has fallen!”
“It’s an opportunity!! Charge the 1.4 corps! Hang the ladder and climb the castle wall!! The engineers must quickly move the siege tower when the arrows stop shooting! The first soldier to climb the castle wall will be awarded a thousand gold and the title of baron! “
Prinz’s command echoed throughout the battlefield through loudspeaker magic, and the imperial army quickly clung to the castle walls with their eyes averted.
“The arrows aren’t really flying?”
“Get out of the way!! I’ll be the first to go up!!”
“What crazy talk! I’ll be the first to go up and get the prize!”
The legionnaires pushed each other and tried to climb up first. Dozens of ladders were hung on the castle wall, and more than 10 legionnaires were attached to the ladders and quickly climbed them.
“Now is the time!!!”
As the command from the commander of the Tesseito garrison rang out, a strong black liquid spurted out from between the cracks in the castle wall. The black liquid stuck to the legionnaires climbing the castle wall, and was sprayed onto the soldiers waiting below.
“What… Is this? It’s sticky and slippery…”
“Oil… It’s oil!! Go down!! Go down!! Go down quickly!!!”
“Retreat!! All troops retreat!!!”
Suddenly, the formation became a mess and the legionnaires tried to come down from the ladder, and the corps commanders and Prinz, who were watching from afar, frowned.
“What are you doing now? Retreating without orders? We should attack when we run out of arrows…”
Grrrr!!
Before Prinz could finish his words reprimanding the corps commanders, his eyes caught the sight of a huge flame bursting out ahead.
“Quaaaaa!!”
“Save me… Save me!! Argh!!”
The fire spread widely, igniting the bodies of over a thousand soldiers at once, and the screams made the imperial army even more devastated.
“Now is the time!! Shoot!!”
A huge rain of arrows began pouring down on the backs of the imperial soldiers, who were terrified by the shrill screams and the acrid smell of their comrades’ burning bodies.
“Wow, it’s an arrow!!”
When the screams of friendly soldiers were suddenly heard due to a shower of arrows, Prinz went to the front of the base to assess the situation.
“What is that again? The top of their castle wall must be full of heat from the fire, so how could they shoot an arrow… No, that thing!!”
What even shocked Prinz was the defense tower that rose up inside Fortress Streb. The Tesseito archers safely fired arrows from the defense tower located much higher than the castle wall, and the arrows that the imperial army counterattacked only reached the top of the castle wall, but did not reach the defense tower.
“Protect your ranks!! You must raise your shield to block arrows and retreat slowly!!”
The commanders shouted at the top of their lungs, but the legionnaires, whose morale was already broken, retreated indiscriminately. As the arrows caused even greater damage, the ranks became tangled and the soldiers pushed each other, fell, and were crushed to death.
But this was not the end of the imperial army’s nightmare.
Count Le Delmo, who was observing the situation, ordered to go to war.
“Cordelia! Sort out! It seems they have forgotten the special skills of our Teseito-kun. Let the Vulkans know what the real Teseito-kun is!”
After hearing Ledelmo’s orders, Adjutant Cordelia grabbed the rope installed on the command tower and jumped down.
The soldiers who were already on standby armed Cordelia as she came down, and she quickly finished arming herself, then mounted her horse and spurred her on.
Then the gates opened and Tesseito’s heavy cavalry rushed out. Since it was a defensive fortress, the number seemed to be only about 100, but it was a nightmare for the imperial army, which retreated indiscriminately and was in a jumbled mess.
“Show the power of Tesseito to the Balkans!! Make it so they can never even dare to invade this place again!! Streve will become the graveyard of the Empire!!!”
“For His Excellency Ledelmo!! For Tesseito!!”
Tesseito’s heavy cavalry rushed out and attacked the rear of the retreating legionnaires. The cavalry’s spears and heavy horses attacked the terrified imperial army, and the imperial legionnaires were destroyed.
“Save our allies!! 58 archers!! Keep shooting!! Don’t spare your arrows!! Each archer fires freely!! “
“The 51st and 52nd heavy infantry units charge and form a square!! The 59th cavalry units sortie!! Cut off the enemy’s back!!”
Still, the imperial army was able to prevent further damage due to the appropriate command of the 5th Corps Commander Derian.
When Cordelia saw the Balkan Empire’s light cavalry sortie, she judged that there was a risk of being captured if she pursued any longer, so she ordered a retreat.
“Tch… Is it the 5th Corps… It’s a bit disappointing. I thought I could wipe out at least one infantry corps.”
“Don’t worry too much, Adjutant. Since you’ve had a really bitter taste today, why don’t you curl your tail and go back to your centipede house? Haha,”
“That would be nice, but… Let’s go back first!”
The second day of the Battle of Fortress Streb ended with numerous corpses of the Imperial Army left behind.
“… What is the damage?”
In response to Prinz’s extremely gloomy voice, Baron Hassau, commander of the 1st Corps, reported in a low voice.
“The 12th Heavy Infantry of the 1st Corps was halved, the 13th, 15th, and 16th Light Infantry were completely destroyed, and the 44th Light Infantry of the 4th Corps was completely destroyed… 45. 46th Light Infantry…”
“Stop!! What is the total loss of troops? Report in summary.”
When Prinz shouted, Baron Hassau flinched and retreated, and 5th Corps Commander Derian continued to report.
“There were approximately 5,000 casualties. 1,500 light infantry were oxidized on the walls, and about 1,000 were trampled to death by our troops while retreating to avoid the enemy cavalry.”
“… What about the wounded soldiers?”
“About 1,000 were deemed unable to carry out combat due to serious injuries and were repatriated to their home country, and around 1,500 are expected to be able to perform their duties again after a few days of rest.”
“Whoa… We lost about 4,000 troops since yesterday… But we didn’t get a single gold from that damn fortress!!”
As Prinz lost his temper, the corps commanders and staff kept their mouths shut.
“First, tell the enemy to collect the bodies and send a request for a ceasefire for one day. If you use the outbreak of an infectious disease as the reason, they will accept it.”
“Your Majesty! If we give them time, there is a risk that reinforcements will arrive in the meantime!”
When an aide remonstrated with Prinz, Prinz unleashed a ferocious force that had never been seen before, grabbed the neck of the aide who had just spoken, and pulled out a sword from his waist.
“Kuhuhuh… Your Highness…”
“So… If you continue the offensive now, do you have a way to break through that fortress? Is there some amazing trick to break through their defenses? No way, they will just go on the offensive, pouring all of their soldiers’ lives into it. I hope you don’t say anything about continuing, because if you do that, I think I’ll cut off your head.”
“Whoa… I made a mistake… Please forgive me…”
Prinz lowered his staff to the floor and resumed his instructions.
“Tomorrow, all staff members must come up with a plan to somehow attack that fortress! Otherwise, you will be at the forefront of the next offensive!!”
Under Prinz’s ferocious gaze, the staff saluted and left the barracks.
“Each corps commander, take care of the soldiers and comfort the wounded. Morale must have been at the lowest, so console the soldiers with special food and alcohol, gather only the elite soldiers, and finish clearing the battlefield by tomorrow.”
“Your judgment is correct, Your Highness. I think this is a necessary measure to prevent the morale of the soldiers from falling after seeing the horribly mutilated bodies of their comrades.”
“Whew… At least the 5th Corps commander understands my intentions. First, let’s send a short-term truce letter. That way, we can clear the battlefield safely…”
That night, when a document containing a short-term armistice with the imperial crown prince’s seal was delivered to Fort Streve, Count Le Delmo chuckled and sent a reply saying that he would allow unarmed troops to access the fortress.
“Your Excellency. Was it really necessary for you to accept it? It would have been even more threatening if you left those corpses there.”
“Well… As they said, there is a risk of an infectious disease breaking out… Shouldn’t we at least allow them to hold a funeral? Besides, there is no harm in taking the time. The surrounding lords will send reinforcements to us. Reinforcements would have departed from Carmarthen by now.”
“But if we defeat them with reinforcements, won’t His Excellency’s achievements go down? In that case, even if it’s a bit excessive…!!”
Kwaang!!!
“Lord Cordelia! Don’t be mistaken! War is not someone’s chance to get ahead! There is only honorable sacrifice for the motherland!! Me too, Sir! Our soldiers who fell from yesterday! Even the soldiers of Balkan!! Just I am sacrificing myself for my country. Therefore, in order to reduce those sacrifices, my mission and will is to defeat the enemy with maximum success with minimal damage.”
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency. I made a mistake.”
When Cordelia bowed and bowed her head, Count Le Delmo patted her head and helped her up.
“You are still young. So you can be greedy like that. But if you want to win the war, you have to cherish the lives of your soldiers. Only then can there be a future and a nation. Even if you win the battle, if a lot of soldiers are sacrificed, you won’t win. That’s not it, keep my words in mind!!”
“Yes, Your Excellency!! I will engrave your advice on my bones like gold and jade.”
Haha, why so much… Then let’s have a quick drink! I hope our soldiers who lost their lives today can rest in peace… Oh, and I hope the enemy soldiers who died countless times also sleep peacefully when they die…”
“Yes sir!”
Cordelia slowly tilted her glass, looking at her superior with eyes filled with respect.
*Illustration of Count Le Delmo
