Chapter 73 – Invasion of Kamurakku Territory

It hasn’t even been a year since Vilgard raised an army on the frontier. In short, there is still a lot of information that the Empire does not know about their way of fighting and their character.

On the other hand, the Lords Alliance has been subjected to forceful measures for the past few months, and they have an image of Vilgard as 『belligerent』 and 『winning by catching opponents off guard with small forces』.

When it comes to actual combat, the current Lords Alliance would be more cautious towards Vilgard.

However, Bandred has no grasp of how Vilgard has been fighting so far, or what their preferred methods of attack are. He does not even consider that Vilgard might already have the Lords Alliance in their grasp.

“Impossible…! Are you sure it’s the prince’s army? Not the army of Clostova!?”

“There is no mistake! The flag is not that of Clostova, but of the Empire! And there are eyewitness reports of a person resembling the prince.”

“What…!?”

They still don’t have a grasp of the enemy’s strength. But they must act quickly.

If they are pushed back at this rate, they might have to withdraw the spear they had driven into the Lords Alliance.

“There are fifteen thousand soldiers stationed in the Lords Alliance area! Instruct them to intercept!”

Bandred currently commands forty thousand soldiers. Of these, twenty thousand elite Silver Spear Knights are stationed in the capital, and fifteen thousand are deployed in the Clostova area.

This is merely a force to check the enemy. The remaining five thousand are placed on watch in the west… in the Diltrack territory.

“Have the Silver Spear Knights prepare for departure! Depending on the situation, we might also head east!”

“Yes!”

They still don’t have details on the enemy’s strength. Anyway, since they have conceded the initiative, the opponent holds the reins of the battle.

For now, they must build a defensive posture while thinking about how to regain the initiative. However, the next day…

“It’s serious…! There’s movement in the Diltrack area as well…!”

“……!!”

The reason they only stationed five thousand soldiers in the Diltrack area was that it was considered the least threatening.

Diltrack territory must also be prepared against the forces of Seazak in the west and the Empire in the south. There shouldn’t be any room to deal with another front.

That said, there is no intention to attack the Diltrack territory. If they were to seize this territory, only the Empire would be adjacent to the Seazak forces.

At this moment, with no resolution yet with the Lords Alliance, a buffer zone is necessary.

“What kind of movement is it!?”

“The total number is hard to grasp in the mountains, but the army is lined up and patrolling the border!”

“…!”

This movement, as if to probe for weaknesses on this side, at this timing. At this moment, Bandred understood.

That Vilgard had, at some point, taken control of all the land previously governed by the Lords Alliance.

“Impossible…!? It’s too fast…! No, but that must be the case…!”

Even the Empire, after more than ten years, has not yet been able to suppress the rebellion of the Lords Alliance. There are three possible explanations.

“The lords either surrendered obediently to the prince… or the prince forcibly brought them under his control… or both…!”

The Empire has several reasons, beyond political ones, for not being able to go on the offensive against the Lords Alliance.

To begin with, the Lords Alliance had established a reasonable defence line along the border with the Empire, so the Empire would have to be prepared for significant losses if they were to attack.

“But if the prince advanced from the east and circled northward, he could advance his army while avoiding engagement with the border guard units…!”

Even so, this speed is unusually rapid. However, given the current situation, it is highly likely that the prince has brought the four major lords under his control and is advancing on Kamurakku territory.

“Immediately report to the Imperial Capital! Move five thousand of the Silver Spear Knights westward and with a total of ten thousand, perform a containment manoeuvre on Diltrack! The rest will join the eastern forces to stop the prince’s invasion!”

“Ha!”

Bandred hurriedly made preparations to depart and led his troops eastward. Along the way, reports continued to arrive one after another.

“The prince has divided his army into several units and is bringing various towns and villages under control!”

“His advance is too fast!”

“Then we should defeat them individually!”

“However…our forces attempted to defeat them individually, but… they were ambushed by the prince’s forces appearing out of nowhere…”

“What…?!”

Because the enemy forces were appearing everywhere, their total number was still difficult to grasp. Additionally, there was a general commanding twenty thousand troops at the front lines, but he couldn’t contain Vilgard’s movements at all.

Moreover, when they attempted to defeat the enemy units individually, the enemy would merge their forces, and another unit would manoeuvre to strike their flank.

“How can this be…!? The prince is commanding multiple armies simultaneously…!? Adjusting to our movements…!?”

As the battle commenced, Bandred finally began to understand Vilgard’s tactics.

His army was centred around cavalry, using their mobility to disrupt territories and successively defeat any forces sent to intercept them.

‘The way they operate their cavalry is fundamentally different from our Silver Spear Knights…!’

“Bandred-sama! A five-thousand-strong unit sent to intercept has been surrounded and annihilated by the prince’s four armies…!”

“What…?!”

It was no longer possible to defeat them individually. At this point, it seemed as if they were trying to lure their forces into a position that would make them easier to defeat individually.

“Pull the remaining forces back! Prioritise merging with us!”

“Yes, sir!”

He never imagined that dealing with them directly would be so challenging.

Attempting to defeat them individually with insufficient strength would only result in being dealt with like animals caught in a trap. They would have to confront them with overwhelming force.

‘The plains are disadvantageous…! The prince’s army also centres around cavalry and with unknown strength, we must avoid terrain with high ambush risks…!’

He contemplated the best location to merge with the forces fighting at the front lines. It needed to be a place where they wouldn’t have to worry about attacks from behind, could limit the enemy’s ability to deploy their troops widely, and where defensive positions could be easily established.

“The Kartena River…”

“What?”

“We’ll establish a defensive position in front of the Kartena River! We’ll merge with the frontline troops there!”

The Kartena River runs from north to south within Kamurakku territory. Additionally, it is wide and there are limited points where an army can cross.

‘The river is shallow enough for the army to cross, with a gentle current, and there is only one route that connects to the capital through a nearby road…’

That road, situated in the mountains, would allow them to block the road on the enemy’s side and establish defensive positions.

Additionally, placing watch units on the mountains would make it easier to monitor enemy movements and defend against attacks by raining arrows down upon them. However, there were concerns.

‘Even if we head there with all our might now, it will be a close call to secure the position before the enemy… The prince likely has a good grasp of the terrain of Kamurakku. Otherwise, he couldn’t have split his army and invaded so swiftly…’

Geopolitically, it is undoubtedly a key defensive position. Securing it first will significantly impact the future of the conflict. At the same time, another worry arises.

‘If…if the prince aims to cut off our supply lines to the south… No, even with his speed, he shouldn’t be able to manage that as well.’

Moreover, with the Diltrack forces watching for weaknesses, there is no room to divert troops south for security.

A request for reinforcements has been sent to the capital, so their forces should soon secure the supply lines.

“For now, we must hurry…! If the enemy secures the road first, they will have countless options available to them…!”

In battles, the attacking side inevitably holds the initiative. However, if they can block the enemy’s advance here, reinforcements will eventually arrive. When that happens, it will be their turn to go on the offensive.

◼️

Bandred, though flustered by the sudden invasion, managed to secure the road ahead of Vilgard’s advancing army.

Shortly after establishing a camp on the opposite bank and beginning the construction of defensive positions, Vilgard’s army finally came into view.