WeTried Translations

Translator: Nemui

Editor: Nemui

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 184: The Siege of Chatellerault Fortress (3)

──────

The Arelia royal family's army that sortied from the gate numbered a little over one thousand. In terms of numbers, it was not a major threat, but considering that the remaining enemy strength inside the fortress, excluding dead and wounded, was estimated at about two thousand five hundred, committing half of them to the offensive was a rather bold decision.

Without hesitating over the thinning of the wall defense, they had prepared much of their strength for a field battle and sortied at the same time the reinforcements from the Kingdom of Edelstein gained the advantage. It was as if they had believed the reinforcements would certainly overcome their numerical disadvantage and become superior. Yorgos wondered how they could trust foreign reinforcements, who had been enemies only a few years ago, to such an extent.

"That said, I do not think they can overturn a strength difference of more than double..."

Yorgos murmured to himself while focusing on the battle unfolding before Chatellerault Fortress.

The Arelia royal family's army that had sortied clashed head-on with the three-thousand-strong unit Yorgos had placed against the fortress.

The enemy side was disadvantaged in numbers, but many were professional soldiers, and the ones serving as the vanguard were relatively heavily equipped officers and soldiers. The leading group had even equipped shields in a display of careful preparation. Using their advantage in quality, they splendidly matched the three-thousand-strong unit, most of which consisted of fragile militia.

Furthermore, from atop the fortress wall, enemy archers provided support. Their fire, making use of the advantage of height, became extremely effective support and helped the army that had sortied. In contrast, most of Yorgos's three-thousand-strong unit were merely infantry. They had few archers, and they could make almost no effective attacks against the enemy archers firing while hiding behind the battlements. Against the force that had sortied, the two sides were now so close that arced fire was also difficult.

If they could swiftly move the rear guard and surround the force that had sortied, the battle situation might still change, but in the end, these were militia who could hardly manage unit movement. Moving them in a complex way was difficult. Worse, the one leading the three thousand facing the fortress was a Carunan noble commanding the rebel army, with no real combat experience. Because Yorgos lacked generals, he had entrusted that unit to a noble whose family rank and loyalty to Yorgos were certain, but from the beginning, Yorgos did not expect him to respond flexibly in a situation like this.

As a result, the three-thousand-strong unit facing the fortress had the difference in numbers, so it likely would not lose. But it could not push through either. Just as Yorgos thought that, the situation changed again.

"...Send out the cavalry unit. Destroy the enemy cavalry that came out of the fortress."

As Yorgos gave the order, he glared at the knights of the Arelia royal family's army who had newly sortied from Chatellerault Fortress. Their number was only about one hundred, but even so, if the flank of the formation took a proper mounted charge, his three thousand troops, made up mostly of militia, could rout all at once.

To prevent that, Yorgos committed his precious cavalry from the main camp. In his army, which lacked cavalry strength, he had gathered those capable of mounted combat and formed a two-hundred-strong cavalry unit. They sortied from beside the main camp toward Chatellerault Fortress to strike down the Arelian knights.

Immediately after that,

"Your Majesty! The enemy reinforcement cavalry has begun moving toward us!"

At the sudden report, Yorgos turned right. Passing beside the unit led by Zated, which was pinned down by the main force of the Kingdom of Edelstein's reinforcements, a cavalry unit was advancing toward this main camp. Its number was about two hundred. They were accelerating as they descended the hill and showing the posture of a charge.

The Arelian cavalry had moved, Yorgos had sent out his cavalry in response, and almost at the same time that there was no longer a formed cavalry force in the main camp, this unit moved. It was a coordinated offensive so well timed that it seemed as if they had known in advance how their Arelian allies would move.

"...Tch."

He had hunted down the hawk and the messengers. The commanders of the two units should not be able to communicate properly. That should have been the case, so why could both Countess Fargier and Count Hosenfeld fight in coordination as if they knew each other's plans? Had there been a messenger he missed?

"Send out the long spear unit! The Edelstein cavalry is circling widely around the battlefield! We have time to respond! Have them calmly form a spear wall!"

Perhaps because the Edelstein cavalry intended a surprise attack through a gap in his formation, it was advancing by making a wide detour around the unit led by Zated. In response, Yorgos moved troops from his main camp reserves to intercept them.

Their number was about five hundred. They were equipped with long spears more than twice the height of an average adult man.

Many were militia, but during the siege of Chatellerault Fortress, they had been thoroughly trained in just one thing: lining up and forming a spear wall. Therefore, the five-hundred-strong unit formed ranks relatively quickly and met the mounted charge with a wall of spears.

On the battlefield, a mounted charge possessed the greatest destructive power, but a dense spear wall, even if it could not defeat it, could at least stop it. Once the enemy cavalry's feet were stopped, he could commit further reserves from the main camp and surround them together with the long spear unit.

After annihilating the enemy cavalry that way, he would send that force to relieve Zated's unit. They would strike the flank of the main body of the Edelstein reinforcements and drive it into rout.

Finally, they would attack from the flank the Arelia royal family's army that had recklessly sortied from the fortress and defeat it as well. The enemy troops remaining in the fortress would be few, and their morale should collapse. After that, he could take the fortress by relying on numbers.

There was still plenty of chance for victory. Thinking that, Yorgos was about to issue a new order to move more of the main camp reserves.

"...What is that attack!"

Yorgos, who had been glaring at the movements of the Edelstein cavalry, involuntarily raised his voice at a sudden change in the battle situation.

The leading group of the cavalry made a motion as if readying something, and the next instant, something flew from their hands. Immediately afterward, the center of the long spear formation collapsed. Seeing the long spearmen fall, he understood that the enemy cavalry had used some kind of projectile weapon like a crossbow.

The spear wall, broken and deprived of its strength, could not stop the charge of the Edelstein cavalry. A large hole was opened in the formation, and they easily allowed the enemy to break through.

......

The cavalry unit of about two hundred, made up of the Ferdinand Regiment of the Edelstein Royal Army, the Arelian Royal Army, noble territorial forces, and mercenaries, easily broke through the long spear unit that had advanced from the enemy main camp.

These were small crossbows made by the Kingdom of Edelstein after analyzing and copying the Rigald Empire's Black Crossbows. Because they had not completely reproduced the Black Crossbow, their performance was inferior, but they still possessed more than enough killing power against lightly equipped militia.

Several dozen bolts fired from horseback by the knights of the Ferdinand Regiment, who led the charge, broke the center of the spear wall. The militia, whose armor was little better than nothing, fell one after another when struck by crossbow bolts.

A spear wall whose spear points were not facing the enemy and whose density had broken could not threaten a mounted charge. With Oliver, who led the Ferdinand Regiment, at the front, the two hundred cavalry easily broke through the enemy long spearmen.

"Push forward like this! The enemy main camp is close!"

At Oliver's call, the regiment's knights answered powerfully and shifted their formation. From the dense formation used to break through the long spearmen, they changed into a line to trample the enemy main camp.

"Follow the allies who opened the road! Show the pride of the knights of the Kingdom of Arelia!"

Beside them, the Arelian knights led by Baroness Mathilde Alembourg also lined up. The other knights formed a line behind them as well, pressing forward to control the main camp of Yorgos's army across a broad front.

......

"Tch... Ridiculous tricks."

Yorgos cursed without hiding his irritation.

The long spearmen had been useless, and the Edelstein cavalry was still approaching. The Arelia royal family's cavalry had retreated before making contact with the cavalry unit Yorgos had sent to intercept them, shifting to defend the flank of their own army. Because of that, his precious two hundred cavalry had temporarily become idle forces between the main camp and Chatellerault Fortress. Zated's unit and the unit he had placed against the fortress were fully occupied fighting the enemies before them and could not move.

The troops he could move were only the roughly eight hundred remaining reserves at hand. Yorgos called out to those eight hundred.

"Warriors of the Jaws of Caruna!"

For Yorgos, they were the subordinates he had personally raised and fought with for many years. Of the one thousand in the private army, the Jaws of Caruna, eight hundred remained after those assigned to Zated's unit and the cavalry. All of them were reliable elites.

"I am one step from fulfilling my long-cherished wish and truly becoming king of Caruna! After victory, I will grant all of you immense rewards! I will grant every one of you money, land, and status! Even if you die, I promise to grant the same reward to your family! Defeat that enemy unit trying to obstruct our path of conquest!"

At Yorgos's order, the warriors of the Jaws of Caruna answered with roars. They ran toward the approaching enemy cavalry and lined up to meet the charge. No one cowered or fled.

If it was these men, they would stop even cavalry. If even they could not stop them, Yorgos did not mind being swallowed by the enemy charge and dying with his dream broken.

Thinking that, Yorgos glared at the enemy cavalry.

The two hundred enemy riders continued galloping, approached the warriors of the Jaws of Caruna who stood to receive the charge, and before contact, they stopped the charge and wheeled away.

"...Why?"

Stunned, Yorgos murmured.

Then, as he looked around, he saw the knights of the enemy main camp approaching from a different position than the enemy cavalry.

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried