WeTried Translations
Translator: Nemui
Editor: Nemui
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Friedrich's Battlefield
Chapter 140: Before the Battle Begins
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In early March of Unified Calendar 1011, the armies faced each other in the western royal demesne of Edelstein.
Edelstein had chosen the battlefield.
The defensive positions that had supported the front through winter were destroyed or abandoned, and the army moved to a narrow stretch of land between hills and woods. The terrain made it difficult for the enemy to strike the flanks or circle behind them. It also made retreat difficult. If Edelstein's formation broke, the army could be annihilated.
Arelia responded by deploying to the west, along a gentle rise.
The Edelstein army visible on the field numbered roughly twenty-seven thousand.
About twenty thousand infantry formed the front. Behind them stood approximately five thousand five hundred archers, many of them imperial. Seven hundred fifty cavalry waited on the left. Another five hundred Rigald cavalry guarded the rear left from a hill.
The true number was slightly higher. One thousand soldiers were hidden in the northern forest.
The Arelian army numbered roughly forty thousand.
Its vanguard infantry alone numbered about twenty-six thousand. Behind them stood seven thousand five hundred more infantry and five hundred cavalry. Another eleven hundred cavalry guarded the vanguard's right flank, while roughly five thousand archers waited to the right rear.
Both armies had exceeded their planned strength. Both included many conscripts, which meant a large part of the infantry had little training. Complex maneuvers would be difficult.
Arelia held the advantage in total numbers. In regular troops, however, the gap was not overwhelming. Cavalry strength was close. In archers, Edelstein held an advantage thanks to the Empire.
Edelstein had a chance.
Before the battle began, Childebert requested a meeting.
Claudia agreed.
The two supreme commanders met midway between the armies with only a few guards each. The air was cold, and the ground beneath their horses was hard.
Childebert spoke first.
"Queen Claudia. Allow me to offer condolences for King Sigismund."
"As his daughter, I accept them."
"He was a great king."
"He was."
Childebert looked past her toward the Edelstein lines.
"Then, for the sake of the people he protected, surrender without fighting."
Claudia's eyes returned to him.
"If Arelia unifies the west, no more subjects need die here. I will preserve the royal house of Edelstein, the noble houses, and their property. Taxes and military obligations will change, but the lives of most people will remain as they are. I make this offer out of respect for the late king."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Childebert raised an eyebrow.
"You need not hurry."
"My answer will not change. You will not stop with the west. You will look east next. Your provocation of the Empire already proved that."
Claudia's voice hardened.
"The comfort of nobles means nothing if the people must bear heavy taxes and be dragged into your wars. If you respect my father, then attack and lose to the army led by his daughter."
Childebert smiled faintly.
"I expected refusal."
"Then this was a waste of time."
"No. It allows me to say I offered mercy."
His expression lost its courtesy.
"Now I must destroy your house and punish your subjects for resisting their new ruler and clinging to an old one."
"You speak as though you have already won."
"The next time we meet, you will be only a head on a spear in the square of Sankt Waltrude. I will leave you there until the flesh rots."
Claudia looked at him with open contempt.
"You may enjoy your fantasies alone."
The meeting ended.
As Claudia returned to her lines, Gustav rode beside her.
"Your Majesty."
"Speaking with him directly made one thing clear. He is a barbaric hegemon. We must defeat him."
"Yes."
Orders were sent.
To the northern forest, where the ambush unit and the Ferdinand Regiment waited, the messenger brought a short message.
The talks had no meaning. Proceed as planned.
Friedrich stood at the forest edge with his crimson hair covered. Through the trees, he could see part of the enemy army.
If Edelstein's main force received the enemy advance as planned, the left flank of Arelia's vanguard would pass before the ambush. The minimum victory condition was to rout the enemy infantry vanguard. The best possible outcome was to break through to the rear infantry and kill Childebert.
If the Edelstein infantry failed to hold, or if the ambush failed, the outnumbered army with little depth would lose.
Friedrich turned to Gregor.
"Prepare everyone for battle."
"Yes, Commander."
The old knight left.
Friedrich then called another name.
"Yurika."
She came to him at once.
"What is it?"
For a moment, Friedrich looked at her without speaking.
Then he said it.
"After this battle, after we defeat the enemy and win, marry me. Become the wife of Friedrich Hosenfeld."
Yurika froze.
"I love you," Friedrich said.
Her eyes widened. Then joy spread across her face so quickly it almost hurt to see.
"Yes."
Her answer trembled.
"I love you too. I will marry you."
Friedrich knew the superstition. A man who said he would marry after the battle invited bad luck.
To hell with that.
He wanted to marry Yurika soon. She had agreed. Love would not decide the fate of the battlefield, but if bad luck came, he would break it with that love and seize victory anyway.
He looked up at the sky and breathed in the cold, clean air.
The proposal had dispelled the weight in his chest. What remained was a pure uplift, a sharpened tension that felt almost pleasant.
He would fight as a commander with everything he had.
His father was surely watching from God's side.
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