WeTried Translations

Translator: Nemui

Editor: Nemui

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◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 180: The Situation in Each Region

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Yorgos Caruna's army had landed in the Faro region and was approaching while increasing its strength. Its size was already greater than Cecilia's force, and by the time they made contact, the difference might grow to double. If they fought normally, it would certainly become a fierce battle under unfavorable conditions.

That rumor spread through the army led by Countess Cecilia Fargier in the blink of an eye. Its effect appeared in the form of many officers and soldiers fleeing while the army advanced north. Each time dawn came, the army had shrunk, and even in daylight, people disappeared one after another during march breaks.

The conscripts had been mobilized half by force from an exhausted Arelian society. The mercenaries had only been hired with money. Many of them abandoned the battle and fled. Furthermore, even some officers and soldiers who had joined the Arelian Royal Army after the war deserted. Many had originally chosen the army because they had no other way to survive, and such people's loyalty and morale were by no means high. It was only natural that some would fear for their lives when they thought they would lose at this rate.

Cecilia also ordered the Caruna region garrison to join them, but few obeyed. Among the small units scattered across the region, only about one hundred people, including that serious-looking garrison commander, joined obediently.

Quite a few nobles who had belonged to the Kingdom of Arelia since olden days also began watching from the sidelines, perhaps judging that the Arelia royal family had a high chance of losing to Yorgos. They offered crude excuses such as "defending the border area with the Caruna region as a detached force," but in truth they withdrew to their own territories.

Cecilia did not send regular army units to chase deserters. Officers and soldiers who had fled once would not fight properly even if forced back, and would only become a hindrance. They had to move quickly before Yorgos's army approached, so there was neither time nor meaning in dealing with deserters.

Cecilia also released some units, about one hundred mounted knights and the Barony of Welek's forces, and sent them to the reinforcements from the Kingdom of Edelstein. Since they could not display their true value in the defensive siege to come, she judged that joining the reinforcements fighting outside would be more effective.

As a result, what remained under Cecilia were the highly loyal regiment from the Loire region, more than half of the Arelian Royal Army unit mobilized from the central region, the garrison officers and soldiers who had joined them, and the noble territorial forces, mercenaries, and conscripts who had not fled. Including the losses from the battle for Cuanca, they totaled about three thousand.

The place Cecilia headed with this force was Chatellerault Fortress, located near the border between the old territory of the Kingdom of Arelia and the Caruna region.

This fortress had once served as a border defense base watching the Kingdom of Caruna. It stood beside the highway that passed through a small plain, one of the few places in the old border area, covered with hills and forests, where both hills and forests broke off and passage was easy.

If Yorgos Caruna's army trampled not only the Caruna and Faro regions, but even the old territory of the Kingdom of Arelia, the Arelia royal family's ability to rally support would fall decisively. Far from allowing each conquered land to regain independence peacefully, even maintaining the old kingdom territory and the Loire region might become difficult.

That was why Cecilia decided to use Chatellerault Fortress as a defensive line, intercept Yorgos Caruna's army, prevent Yorgos from entering the old kingdom territory, compensate for the disadvantage in numbers through a siege, and buy time.

"Our manpower losses remain slight. The new dead are only eight, and the seriously wounded are fourteen... But as expected, the decline in morale cannot be helped."

In the headquarters set up in the fortress's main building, Cecilia received that report from her adjutant Rose.

"I see. If the casualties are few, that is good. As for morale, it is about time we made a move."

Cecilia answered her adjutant's words as if speaking to herself.

Against the three thousand troops under Cecilia's command shut inside Chatellerault Fortress, Yorgos Caruna's army numbered about ten thousand. In addition to mercenaries and the rebel army that had risen, it had swollen during the march by drawing in commoners who judged Yorgos to be favored. Thanks to funds and supplies plundered in the Faro region and cooperation from Carunan merchants, they also seemed to have leeway in supply. In his impatience, he had already begun calling himself "King Yorgos Caruna."

In terms of the battle situation, both sides had advantages and disadvantages. For the enemy, the difference in strength was somewhat insufficient. To storm a sturdy fortress, a force a little over three times the defenders was not enough to call comfortable. On the other hand, Cecilia's own side had seen its strength halved by desertion after desertion, and because they were surrounded by the enemy, the morale of the officers and soldiers was sinking. No matter how sturdy the fortress, if the will to fight of the officers and soldiers broke, there was no guarantee they could defend it.

In this situation, Yorgos was using tactics to lower their morale further.

During the day, enemy units would suddenly approach and shoot fire arrows or throw stones. They even brought out large siege weapons such as ballistae and catapults, regularly launching attacks into the fortress. At night, they also approached the fortress, again shooting fire arrows and stones while making loud noise.

Because of that, Cecilia's officers and soldiers could hardly rest their nerves, and fatigue built up in both body and mind. Fatigue invited a further decline in morale.

"Are there signs of another night attack from the enemy?"

"They appear to be preparing, but it is small-scale as expected. Most likely more harassment."

"Then distribute wine, up to two cups each, to everyone except those on night watch. Give the same amount to those on night watch tomorrow during the day."

"Is that acceptable?"

"Yes. The officers and soldiers must be feeling suffocated. To ease this feeling of being trapped, wine will be most effective... I may as well drink with everyone too. Together with the officers and soldiers, we will make even more noise than the enemy."

When Cecilia said that and smiled fearlessly, Rose was drawn into a wry smile as well.

This war had now become a contest of endurance. Would the reinforcements from the Kingdom of Edelstein led by Count Friedrich Hosenfeld arrive first? Or would Cecilia's morale collapse completely first, leading Yorgos's army to sense it, launch a great offensive, and destroy them? The conclusion would likely come in one of those forms.

As long as morale did not collapse, Chatellerault Fortress would not fall. This fortress had originally been used as a relay supply base during the advance into the Caruna region. In addition, in case the suppression of the rebellion failed and they had to retreat, Cecilia had ordered large quantities of supplies into the fortress, including food, firewood, arrows, stones for throwing, and oil. Even with three thousand officers and soldiers inside, it could easily hold out for several weeks.

And Cecilia believed that Friedrich would surely annihilate the rebel force he was facing and come in response to her request. She was certain it would not take long.

That was why, if it preserved the morale of the officers and soldiers, she would not hesitate over a somewhat dangerous gamble like distributing wine in the middle of a battle.

......

In the Muret region, the rebel army formed by the forces of the mountain nobles had built a strong defensive line and shown readiness for a war of endurance. Their immediate aim seemed to be drawing in as many enemy troops as possible until Yorgos Caruna's army defeated the Arelia royal family's army in the Caruna region.

In mountainous terrain where advancing with a large army was difficult, a formation with multiple forts and fortified cities lined up was extremely hard to take by force. Therefore, the plan adopted by Duke Julius of Novakia, who had moved his army to suppress the rebels, was to provoke the enemy thoroughly.

He had units approach the forts and fortified cities, shout loudly, and mock the mountain nobles. He fired many letters insulting the rebel army into their positions as message arrows. Furthermore, he attacked and burned nearby villages that were likely cooperating with the mountain nobles' rebellion.

These provocations were extremely effective precisely because they were carried out by an army of Novakians, long-standing enemies of the Muret people, and by the Arelian Royal Army, which had forced humiliating submission on the mountain nobles.

"Seven hundred, is it? The rebels holed up in that city were supposed to number about five hundred. Did some of the city residents join the rebellion too?"

Perhaps unable to endure the repeated provocations, rebel forces had sortied from one of the fortified cities forming the defensive line. They pursued the unit that had confronted and provoked the fortified city, projecting forward from the defensive line and showing a posture of attack. Receiving that report, Julius took the main force of about one thousand waiting behind the units facing the enemy defensive line and moved to intercept.

The rebel unit that came to face them was numerically inferior, but showed no sign of fleeing. They seemed hot-blooded and ready to fight.

"I believe so. According to scout reports, all of the increase appears to be militia with poor equipment."

The one who answered Julius's question was Viscount Esaias Wallienfeld. He was the son of Viscount Paulina Wallienfeld, who had died a heroic death in the previous war against the Kingdom of Arelia, and was one of the core figures of the rebuilt army of House Novakia.

"Then there is nothing to fear... I wonder how long that spirit will last."

Anger toward an enemy that trampled one's homeland and pride was something Julius understood. He had once felt that same anger, and even now he had not lost it.

But simply becoming emotional and taking up weapons out of that anger would not protect one's homeland. Julius had learned that through experience.

"Signal Lord Mosetti. Let us begin the battle."

"...All hands, advance!"

Receiving the signal from Julius, Marquis Angelo Mosetti, who commanded the vanguard, ordered the officers and soldiers.

Their strength consisted of seven hundred who had been watching the fortified city where the enemy was holed up, plus the main force of one thousand that had joined them, for a total of seventeen hundred. Half of the main force was moving as a detached force, so there were twelve hundred present here.

First, the vanguard, about five hundred elites directly under Angelo, moved out all at once.

At the front stood Angelo himself. His loyal subordinates followed the fierce general as he advanced bravely.

The hot-blooded rebel army and the strong vanguard of the suppression force collided. At this place, the rebel army had the numerical advantage and high morale, and it matched the suppression force's vanguard despite being far inferior in training and equipment.

However, matching them was all it could do. It could not push through. Facing an enemy attacking with raging momentum, Angelo did not retreat, and because of that, his subordinates did not retreat either.

The rebel army's morale had been high at first, but in the end it was a crowd of militia. In the killing covered in blood and mud, its morale dropped rapidly.

Then the rear guard led by Julius approached.

The rebel side had believed that if it defeated the suppression force's vanguard and rear guard separately, it had a chance of victory. But when it could not even defeat the vanguard and the rear guard approached as well, it decided there was no hope of winning. The militia fled first, and the regular soldiers who could not stop them gradually began to rout as well.

However, the retreating rebels soon found their escape route blocked. A detached force of five hundred from the suppression army had circled behind the enemy and carried out a pincer attack.

The rebel army was a patchwork force mostly made of militia. Its surrounding reconnaissance was sloppy, and it was easily caught in the pincer and annihilated as if ground down. The troops of the Duke of Novakia, who wanted to reduce as much as possible the strength of Muret, which would someday be hostile again, showed no mercy to the rebels. Nor did the Arelian Royal Army, for whom the mountain nobles were an obstacle to installing a Muret king friendly to the Arelia royal family.

Before long, the rebel army was destroyed except for a small number that managed to flee. The suppression army's losses were light. Angelo, who had commanded the vanguard, was also safe.

"...Trivial."

Julius, who had won as nominal commander-in-chief, murmured without showing much joy.

He would restore the Kingdom of Novakia under more solid and more favorable conditions. This was merely one step in that process.

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