WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

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◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 118: The Siege of Arnsberg Fortress (2)

The citizens of the Kingdom of Edelstein who had been seized by the Arelian host were not used directly as shields in the attack.

Instead, Countess Cecilia Fargiere spoke to them, and then they… brought wagons laden with earth, drawn by horses and donkeys, up to the fortress and began filling in the dry moat around the gates.

They drove the wagons to the edge of the moat, opened the beds to dump the earth, then pulled back to load more. Over and over again.

Though the workers were women, old men, and children, the soldiers of Arelia assisted them in shoveling earth into the wagons. With more than a hundred hands working, the moat, meant to hinder approach to the fortress, was steadily filled.

From atop the walls, the knights and soldiers of the garrison watched in agitation as their comrades’ families, and in some cases their own, were forced by the enemy to strip away the fortress’s defenses.

“…My lord, what are your orders? At your command, we can strike at once and eliminate the enemy’s laborers.”

Diethelm Brightkreuz asked this in a careful tone, mindful of the men watching, as he stood beside Joseph Obsidian on the wall. After a moment’s thought, Joseph shook his head.

“No. If we kill our own citizens here, it will sow deep bitterness between the regulars and the conscripts, even within this Hildegard Regiment itself. It would break the bond of trust between us commanders and our men. Morale would plummet to despair, and before the battle even began, we might collapse from within. Worse still, we could lose the ability to maintain any future defenses.”

The citizens filling the moat before their eyes were the spouses, children, parents, and siblings of those inside the fortress. To order their slaughter would deal a psychological blow to the troops beyond measure.

For the knights and soldiers whose kin had been seized, it would be near impossible to continue treating as comrades those who had slain their own family before their eyes.

Nor could Joseph and the other commanders who gave such an order expect to be free from resentment.

If that happened, conflict might erupt within the fortress itself—at worst, even bloodshed between allies. Even short of that, the atmosphere in the regiment would sour, coordination would break down, and morale would shatter.

Even if explained as a necessity for the defense of the realm, few soldiers, even regulars, could accept it so readily.

They too served the kingdom in order to protect their families. It would leave behind an enduring bitterness, one that could even make it impossible to keep the Hildegard Regiment intact.

As for the conscripts, they would inevitably feel betrayed by the royal army.

Not just the two hundred gathered here, but the sentiment would spread through them, until the entire populace of the western royal domain came to resent the kingdom’s forces.

If that happened, the mobilization system of the Beiral Plain would collapse.

Whether in the short term or the long term, giving an easy order to attack carried risks far too great.

If the enemy had used the people directly as shields in an assault, then at least the garrison could have resigned themselves to it.

Their hatred would not have been directed at Joseph and the other commanders who ordered them to strike their own kin, but at the enemy for their vile cruelty, and they would have fought with that fury.

But to set the citizens to work filling the moat was a masterstroke. One of the fortress’s key defenses was steadily being eroded, yet it was not something that would bring the fortress down at once.

For that reason Joseph could not easily command the elimination of the kingdom’s own people, and so the enemy secured a distinct advantage for their future assault.

“…The enemy has thought this through.”

Staring toward the rear of the enemy lines, where the banner of the Fargiere family fluttered over the command camp, Joseph muttered.

It was infuriating, and bitter to accept, but if one judged solely by the goal of taking this fortress, it was undeniably an excellent stratagem.

・・・・・・

A few days later, there was nothing the Hildegard Regiment or the other defending forces could do. The dry moats before both the western and eastern gates of Arnsberg fortress had been filled.

“Citizens of the Kingdom of Edelstein, well done. Thanks to you, the victory of our Arelia Kingdom draws near!”

Cecilia addressed them cheerfully as they were gathered together after completing their work.

Physically and mentally exhausted, the people responded only faintly, but Cecilia paid it no mind. Considering what they had accomplished, she could afford to shower them with all the charm she liked.

She knew, of course, that by the measure of knightly pride this was no commendable tactic. Yet it was precisely because she sought victory alone that she devised it, and she had secured the permission of her liege, King Childebert.

It was far removed from honorable combat, and in terms of future occupation it was a blunder that could well invite distrust from the local populace.

But tactically, it was undeniably effective. That was why Childebert had consented. He understood that when facing a formidable foe such as the Kingdom of Edelstein, there was no luxury to demand a clean victory.

“As promised, you are free. You will be escorted back to your home villages… The kingdom will not forget your contribution!”

Proclaiming her words proudly and leaving the rest to her subordinates, Cecilia turned back to gaze at Arnsberg fortress. With its moat lost, the enemy’s key border stronghold now relied only on its walls.

Another success was hers. Though her name would gain infamy for this deed, once she took the fortress the resulting glory would more than outweigh the stain, and the Kingdom of Arelia would resound with her renown.

And this success also led toward her own goal. Sooner or later, perhaps very soon.

“My lady.”

It was her adjutant, the knight Celestan, who spoke.

“A report has arrived from the Armor of the King on the eastern flank. Patrols have sighted the Ferdinand Regiment of the Edelstein Kingdom approaching this position. It is believed they will arrive by tomorrow.”

Cecilia’s expression did not change at the news, but a feral light shone in her crimson eyes.

“…So. He has come at last.”

The Ferdinand Regiment. Count Matthias Hosenfeld.

The greatest enemy she had pursued. The one who had taken her father, her mother, and her brother.

He was coming. The time had come to face him. The time for vengeance had come.

・・・・・・

The surprise assault on Arnsberg fortress by Arelia’s elite troops. The fortress encircled completely.

At that news, the Ferdinand Regiment marched out. Knights and soldiers who had been about to go on leave were recalled, preparations made in haste, and despite the weariness left from their recent duties on the northern frontier, they set out from the capital, Sankt Waltrude.

They pressed forward as quickly as possible, yet also strove to keep enough strength in reserve to fight once they arrived. It was a march gnawed by impatience.

Along the way, they learned of the fortress’s condition from messengers carried by hawk. They also heard of Countess Cecilia Fargiere’s vile stratagem of forcing Edelstein’s citizens to fill in the dry moats.

On the day before their arrival, word reached them that the enemy, now swelled to over four thousand strong, had at last begun their assault on the fortress.

The gates and walls had not yet been reached, but catapults, ballistae, and fire arrows were being used without restraint in a fierce attack.

And then, the next morning. In the middle of the marching column hurrying toward the fortress, Friedrich was there.

“The fortress will hold out, won’t it?”

“…It should. At least until we arrive. The Hildegard Regiment will not fall so easily.”

Answering Yurika’s question beside him, Friedrich’s expression remained grim.

That the western frontier’s line of defense could be pressed so far, he had not imagined it.

Arnsberg fortress had stood unyielding not only by its walls, but through the broader defensive system surrounding it.

If the enemy, lacking proper supply lines, showed signs of amassing stores or otherwise preparing for an offensive, conscripts from the western royal domain would be summoned at once to reinforce the defense.

The fortress would be readied for battle before the foe could advance. It was that system which had made Arnsberg an impregnable bulwark of the frontier.

But with the sudden encirclement of a surprise attack, those assumptions had been overturned.

Surrounded before enough troops could be gathered, the garrison was left unable to move, and the enemy took full advantage. The speed at which their reinforcements arrived after establishing the siege was remarkable, worthy of grudging praise.

For now, the situation was unfavorable. With the Ferdinand Regiment reaching the fortress, how far could the tide truly be turned?

Ahead of Friedrich and the others rode their regimental commander, Matthias Hosenfeld, surrounded by adjutant Gregor and the rest of the regimental staff.

“......”

They were a regiment led by Edelstein’s living hero. Surely they could overcome even this crisis.

Telling himself so, Friedrich urged his horse forward.

Several hours later, the Ferdinand Regiment at last drew near the fortress.

A scout who had ridden ahead came racing back along the roadside, cutting across the column to reach Matthias.

“Report! The Arelia forces have split into two, pressing the fortress and striking both the western and eastern gates at once! Their strength is concentrated in the west—the western gate is in grave danger!”

At those words, tension rippled through the regimental staff around Matthias and among part of the cavalry. Friedrich too caught his breath in alarm.

The moat, one of the fortress’s key defenses, had been filled. They were under heavy ranged assault, exhausted, and their morale was flagging. Yet to think that even Arnsberg fortress could truly be driven to such peril…

“Send word to each battalion. From this point, we advance, leaving the transport corps and noncombatants behind. Once we reach the fortress, we move at once to support the defenders. Increase marching speed, and let each man steel himself for battle.”

“YES, SIR!”

The knights who served as both guards and messengers gave their reply, then spurred their horses from the column to carry Matthias’s orders to the battalion commanders.

Among the messengers was Yurika, who rode to the rear to deliver the order to Romilda, commander of the archer battalion.

“Friedrich. This will be harsher than any battle we have faced. Be ready to meet it.”

“…Yes, sir.”

When his foster father turned to speak to him, Friedrich felt the weight of tension, and nodded firmly.

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