WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Asakusa
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◈ Veteran of the Northern Front ◈
Chapter 41: Divine Punishment (2)
──────
Meanwhile, a few minutes earlier,
Patterrrrrr...
“...Chieftain, it’s raining again today.”
“...”
Mayan looked up at the sky, grinding their teeth.
A sudden torrential downpour.
Even after two days, this damned rain showed no sign of stopping.
“What happened to the rations?”
“The rations we procured last were all soaked through... They’re inedible.”
The tent storing their rations had collapsed in the downpour, leaving them short on food. Who would have thought they would suffer from a food shortage in the middle of a war once again?
“There has been much talk among the tribespeople. They say the wrath of Great Nature, which turned our tribal lands into a wasteland, has come for us again...”
“...”
Mayan had thought the same.
The great disaster that had swept through their homeland a few months ago.
Watching the endless rain brought those memories vividly back.
‘Could it be happening again...?’
No, that could not be.
Great Nature would not inflict such suffering upon them again.
‘But if it is like last time...’
The torrential rain that had engulfed them before had continued without a moment’s rest for two weeks. What if the same thing happened here?
The trauma of those days slowly consumed Mayan’s mind and wrapped around their entire body.
“Damn it... What are the other tribes saying?”
“They say we should press the attack, even if it means pushing ourselves too hard.”
“Whew. Is Great Nature truly trying to test us again?”
“Still, isn’t this better than before? The ground is muddy, so climbing slopes is difficult, but this place is flat, so movement isn’t hindered. And the river hasn’t risen much either...”
At the mention of the river, a sudden sense of unease ran down Mayan’s spine.
It had rained heavily for two days, yet the water had not risen?
That was impossible according to common sense.
“E-Evacuate the entire tribe immediately.”
“Pardon?”
“There’s no time, move quick...!”
Just as Mayan was about to shout urgently,
Rumble...
The ground shook.
At the same time, a chilling sound rang out.
Craaaaaash!!!!
A gigantic snake with a body made of water opened its jaws toward them.
“Ah, Great Nature...”
Have you truly abandoned us, the Huran Tribe?
With that final thought, Mayan lost consciousness.
Submerged deep beneath the water, Mayan fell into an eternal sleep.
＊＊＊＊＊
The force of the flood attack, aided by the torrential rain, surpassed all expectations.
Gurgle...
“Gasp! S-Save me!”
“M-My leg is trapped. Please...”
“Grab me... Urk!”
Perhaps plain water had not seemed entertaining enough, Dihelm had sent logs along with it. As a result, roughly two thirds of the barbarians were swept away and vanished in the current.
Even those who had survived were desperately struggling to escape the water. There could not have been a better opportunity to attack the enemy.
“All forces, advance!”
Bwoooooo!
When the soldiers waiting atop the stone wall blew their signal horns, the base gates opened and the waiting soldiers rushed out all at once.
“Slaughter the enemy!”
“Waaaaah!”
Rain poured from the sky, and the ground was muddy.
Yet the soldiers charged forward, their morale soaring as though such conditions were nothing.
“You damned barbarians!”
“Urk!”
Marcus and Max, leading the left and right wings, carried out their roles admirably.
Slice.
Like harvesting wheat, the two cut through enemies’ necks as they tightened the formation from both sides.
Under their assault, the barbarians had no choice but to gather in the center.
Did that mean the center was lightly defended?
Not at all.
“Fire!”
Walter and the archers unleashed a volley of arrows upon the enemy.
“Now! Charge!”
The remaining soldiers fell upon them.
The barbarians were exceptionally formidable in open-field battles, so this strategy normally would not have worked.
But things were different when their positions had collapsed, they had gone hungry all day, and the flood attack had left them utterly exhausted.
“Die, you barbarian bastard!”
Thrust!
“Urk! Gurgle...”
“D-Damn it...!”
The enemies fell helplessly.
The ones who had remained outside the water were fortunate compared to the rest.
“I-I finally made it out...”
“Yeah, good work. Now get back in.”
Crunch!
I smashed the head of one who had crawled up with Black Axe and sent them back into the water.
“Stop those in the water from crawling out!”
“Yes, sir!”
Once the soldiers firmly blocked off the water’s edge, those who barely managed to crawl out were sent back under before they could even enjoy a breath of fresh air.
“Where do you think you bastards are crawling to?!”
Smack!
Peiron swung his halberd like he was playing whack-a-mole, smashing the heads of barbarians at the water’s edge.
They were dying without even being able to offer proper resistance. It was enough to make me feel sympathy that I did not have before.
‘Well, they brought this on themselves.’
Every choice came with responsibility.
Invading the Empire was their choice.
Causing trouble in front of the supply base was their choice too.
‘You chose this, so don’t resent me too much.’
Normally, I would have urged the enemy to surrender by now, but...
‘There are still too many enemies to call for their surrender. To manage the prisoners efficiently, we need to cut their numbers by at least half again.’
With cold eyes, I continued the battle, which had become little more than a massacre.
Once their numbers had fallen sufficiently, I called for surrender in the barbarians’ language.
“Enough! Stop this meaningless resistance and surrender! Throw down your weapons and surrender, and you will be spared!”
At my shout, dull sounds rang out all around us.
Clatter... clatter-clatter-clatter!!
“I-I surrender.”
“Please spare us!”
Perhaps their morale had been completely broken, as the surviving barbarians all threw down their weapons and raised their hands.
When the enemy surrendered, Marcus approached me.
“Lord Ubel. It is over.”
“Good.”
With the soldiers’ eyes upon me, I raised Black Axe and shouted with all my strength.
“Everyone, you did well.”
“...”
“This is our victory!”
“Waaaaah!”
Their cheers were loud enough to drown out the rain.
Perhaps it was because we had won against everyone’s expectations. Though my entire body was soaked and uncomfortable, my heart felt refreshed.
Having won a great victory, it was time to clean up.
I handed the surrendered barbarians over to Melton, who had been waiting inside the base, and ordered Marcus and the other commanders to collect the bodies of the fallen soldiers.
“How severe are our losses?”
“We have roughly four hundred casualties, around two hundred of whom are dead. Most of the dead belonged to the Rear Army. They were likely lacking in training and several other areas...”
“Order that the bodies of the fallen soldiers be laid to rest respectfully.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, the barbarians. How severe are their losses?”
“According to the prisoners, the enemy force numbered around sixteen thousand. Aside from the two thousand prisoners we captured, there are no survivors.”
Sixteen thousand.
In a single battle, we had wiped out more than half the forces that had invaded the rear.
‘What an absurd exchange rate. It would not be an exaggeration to call this a great victory.’
More than ten thousand enemies still remained, but considering that they would be scattered everywhere, they were not much of a threat.
‘The end is finally in sight.’
According to my memories, the Great Invasion was originally supposed to last over three months.
But the future had changed because I intervened.
‘If things go well, we can end the war by the end of next month.’
The thought of finally ending this tiresome entanglement with the barbarians filled me with motivation.
As I clenched my fist inwardly, Dihelm and the soldiers who had gone to build the embankment for the flood attack returned.
“Lord of the fortress. We have completed all the tasks you ordered and returned.”
“Ah, you’re back? Good work.”
In truth, these soldiers were the real heroes of this battle.
In the future I knew, when Dihelm served under Jeg, he had once led soldiers and built an embankment in three days.
‘That is why I sent him to build one this time, but I never expected him to finish in two days...’
It was not elaborate, but building an embankment in such a short time was remarkable in itself.
However,
“No. How can you say I worked hard when I am a sinner who doubted the foresight of the lord of the fortress?”
Huh?
Dihelm’s attitude after receiving praise was a little strange.
He was still polite, but he seemed more reverent than before.
‘Why is the guy who always smiled slyly with his eyes half closed suddenly acting like this?’
When I asked why he was acting so strangely, he answered with a faint smile.
“Thanks to you, Lord of the fortress, I have gained great insight and realized how arrogant I had been.”
“...”
“From now on, I will strive to become even more useful to you.”
“Fine... Do as you please.”
This incident must have shaken him badly, so I decided to leave him alone for a while.
After finishing the cleanup, I gave the soldiers time to rest and gathered the commanders in one place.
“Melton, how are the prisoners?”
“They have all been locked in the prison. Perhaps the effects of the battle have not faded yet, because they are all behaving themselves.”
It would have been troublesome if they had caused a disturbance, so that was good.
“Then all that remains is deciding how we proceed.”
Max asked with a puzzled expression.
“Would it not be difficult to move while it is raining?”
From a conventional perspective, he was right.
Storing rations.
The soldiers’ fatigue.
There were many unfavorable conditions.
However,
“We do not have enough time to wait here until the rain stops.”
The isolated main force could only hold out for so long. We had to stabilize the rear and send support as quickly as possible.
‘The problem is how we should move...’
As I sank into thought, Dihelm spoke with the expression of someone who had remembered something.
“Lord of the fortress.”
“What? Did you come up with a viable plan?”
“I believe so, but there is one thing I need to confirm first.”
“Confirm?”
“Yes. Melton, do you happen to have a map that marks the Rear Army’s garrisons?”
“Ah, yes. Please wait a moment.”
Melton brought out a large map.
“This is the 7th Supply Base, where we are currently located. To ensure smooth support and supply, all Rear Army units are stationed roughly a day’s journey apart.”
Dihelm carefully studied the map and stroked his chin.
“A day’s journey. Then if we can move for just one day, we will reach an Imperial Army base.”
“That is correct.”
“Melton, among the supplies stored in the base, do you have any oiled cloth?”
“We have quite a bit. It is used when building military barracks, but...”
“Good.”
Dihelm nodded with a satisfied expression, then shifted his gaze to me and the others.
“There is a way to quickly stabilize the Rear Army without wasting time.”
“Are you suggesting we march through the torrential rain? The soldiers will not endure that.”
“We move in one-day stages.”
Dihelm continued.
“Instead of leather raincoats, we wrap ourselves in light, convenient oiled cloth. If we move in one-day stages, alternating movement and rest, we can manage the soldiers’ fatigue to some extent.”
It was a fairly plausible plan.
‘There is a chance barbarians are positioned around the bases we find, but...’
Considering that they would be suffering through the torrential rain as well, it should not be a major issue.
“Moving in one-day stages... Then what do you plan to do about rations? Transporting them will not be easy in this downpour.”
“Rather than operating a separate supply unit, each soldier can carry one or two days’ worth of rations. Most of the Rear Army consists of support and supply units, so as long as we push through the rain and reach a unit, securing food should not be difficult.”
“Hmm, if that is the case...”
“I think it may be possible.”
At Dihelm’s explanation, the others nodded in agreement.
All that remained was my decision.
With everyone watching me, I spoke quietly.
“Max. Go gather soldiers who are good with their hands.”
When I told him to gather soldiers to make new raincoats, Dihelm’s smile deepened.
Making raincoats meant I had adopted his plan.
“We must leave tomorrow, so prepare quickly.”
“Understood.”
“Raincoats are the most urgent matter. If there is not enough time, give the soldiers cloth and have them make their own. As long as they can cover their heads and bodies to keep out the rain, that will be enough.”
“I will gather the soldiers with the best handiwork.”
Once the decision was made, everything proceeded swiftly.
I felt sorry for giving the soldiers more work, but it could not be helped.
‘If my memories are correct...’
The torrential rain caused by the abnormal weather would continue for at least another week.
How we used that week would be crucial.
‘It will be a difficult operation, but...’
Considering the reward for success, it was worth enduring.
‘One week.’
The course of this war would be decided within that time.
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