Chapter 67 – Against the Clostova Territory army

The Vilgard army attacked in a way that their light cavalry archers harassed the enemy while supporting the advance of their light infantry.

Because they could not match the width of the horizontal formation, they aimed for a central breakthrough. It was clear that they planned to charge with their reserved heavy cavalry at the right moment. However,

“Advance! Cavalry on both wings, circle around the enemy from the flanks!”

“Oooh!”

As expected, Godrick’s army was overwhelming. They were effectively utilising the advantage of their large numbers and the open field.

“Do not let them break through the centre! If we hold this line, the cavalry will eventually encircle their flanks! Once that happens, the battle will be decided!”

The infantry struggled to charge but the mounted archers did not advance at all. The wall was too thick for a successful charge.

‘We can do it…! If we can hold out this long, even the infantry in the horizontal formation can encircle without waiting for the cavalry…!’

However, the mounted archers were skillfully supporting the infantry’s flanks, so a complete encirclement seemed to take time.

Even so, it was not a problem. The arriving cavalry would eventually support the encirclement by the infantry.

Until now, the lords had been merely glaring at each other, but now their focus was entirely on the battle. It was clear to anyone that they had the upper hand.

Gradually, the lords also raised their morale and became more proactive in the fight.

“Push! Overwhelm them just like this!”

“We can win!”

The lords also had their own motives, wanting to gain military achievements here and hold an advantage in negotiations with Vilgard. Now that their superiority was certain, this desire grew even stronger.

Then, as casualties began to spread among Vilgard’s infantry, some soldiers started to drop their weapons in the middle of the enemy ranks and fled to the rear with frightened expressions.

“Hiiii…..!”

“No, it’s all over!”

One by one, soldiers began to flee, and soon this spread to the entire army all at once.

“Waaaah!”

“I’m going to die!”

“Ah! Wait, you guys! Don’t run away!”

Finally, the infantry threw down their weapons and fled, lightening their load. Godrick and the other lords were convinced of their victory.

“Pursue them! Chase them down!”

“Pursue them!”

With the infantry having lost their will to fight, even the cavalry started to flee. Now it became a race between the lords eager for glory and the fleeing Vilgard army.

The lords chased the fleeing prince’s army relentlessly. But as this chase dragged on, Gordrick began to feel uneasy.

“Stop the pursuit here! There might be a trap! We will retreat to the capital!”

However, the lords did not stop. The forward units had already gone quite far ahead.

“Hey! Call them back! We are retreating!”

“Th…that’s…”

“What is it!”

“The enemy…they are dropping treasures to lighten their horses…”

“What…!?”

In other words, the lords were gathering the treasures dropped by the fleeing enemy while chasing them. Naturally, it was a first-come, first-served situation, so they continued to swarm the fleeing soldiers.

“Damn it…! Just hurry up and…!”

However, Godrick hesitated here. Having already shown a waiting stance for several days, Godrick was seen as a coward by the lords under his protection.

If he now forced a retreat without letting them gather the treasures, what would happen? The lords, who were already resentful of him for taking hostages, would look at him with even stronger hatred. Such animosity could lead to betrayal.

“Grr…!”

Moreover, if Vilgard was genuinely fleeing, it would mean missing a once-in-a-lifetime chance. If this pursuit went well, there was a possibility of capturing Vilgard.

‘…Even if there’s a trap ahead. The only ones who would be sacrificed are the vanguard. The majority of the forces following would remain unharmed…’

Those blinded by greed would proceed knowing the risks and Godrick could follow slowly behind. This way, he wouldn’t incur the lords’ dissatisfaction and wouldn’t suffer heavy losses from a trap.

“Alright…! Then we will continue the pursuit!”

The coalition of lords was inherently difficult to unify. It was inevitable that some would independently advance, lured by the promise of glory and treasure.

However, this situation presented a chance to uncover any traps set by the enemy, and if there were none, they could pursue Vilgard intending to capture them. After all, the enemy army was already in disarray.

■

Initially, the lords’ army, while pursuing, remained cautious of traps.

But even after a day, no ambush appeared. The enemy always seemed just within reach, a perfect distance away.

Whenever they closed the gap, the enemy would shoot a few arrows, maintaining a running skirmish. As the lords gathered the treasures dropped by the cavalry, they finally became convinced: this retreat was genuine.

“We will capture Prince Vilgard here!”

“Let’s go!”

They believed the enemy was genuinely retreating, having been chasing them for five days. If there were any traps, they would have been sprung by now.

By this point, the forces had split into three main groups: the vanguard pressing the pursuit, a second group following behind, and the main body trailing further back.

On the seventh day, the enemy crossed the Tereshim River, continuing their flight eastward.

“…! They’re trying to flee all the way to Katzbarie!”

“We won’t let them!”

“Yes! If we continue the pursuit, we can reclaim our lands as well…!”

Many lords and their conscripted soldiers hailed from the lands east of the Tereshim River. They saw this pursuit as an opportunity to reclaim their territories.

The vanguard began crossing the shallow parts of the Tereshim River.

“Let’s go! Our primary objective is to capture the fleeing Prince Vilgard! The secondary objective is to push back to Katzbarie and reclaim our lands!”

“Oooh!”

Having crossed the river, they resumed the pursuit. After a while, they entered a mountainous path.

“Wh…?”

Ahead on the path, enemy troops had set up their formations, completely blocking the way. Moreover, a barrage of arrows rained down from both sides.

“Gah!”

“Uwaa!”

“Eek!? Arrows!?”

“Th-this is…!”

■

“Vilgard-sama, the enemy’s vanguard has completely crossed the Tereshim River. The rear forces will soon begin crossing as well.”

“I see. Well, this hunting ground is perfect.”

On the plains, a large army had taken position, composed of various lords commanding their respective troops.

Several strategies had been devised to break this army. The one chosen was the method that would best preserve the elite forces.

First, captured nobles and soldiers bearing crests, taken from the previous battle, were sent forward as light infantry. The core of cavalry, the nomadic horsemen, supported them with archery.

Continuing the battle would eventually lead to encirclement and defeat. Thus, the infantry began their retreat before being completely surrounded.

The enemy, confident in their victory, naturally pursued. To lure them here, treasures and loot, managed and stored by the Kyamura tribe, were dropped along the way.

As expected, the enemy lords, eager for treasure, led their troops aggressively forward.

Initially, they might have suspected a feigned retreat, but after seven days of pursuit and crossing the river, they were convinced it was a genuine retreat. They fell right into the trap.

But I had already positioned the forces of Lombard, Laris and Darba in this area.

Deploying troops to block the path and hiding a large number of archers in the mountains on either side of the road, we prepared to trap and eliminate the first wave of the enemy that fell into our trap.

“Vilgard-sama! The enemy has begun to retreat!”

“Alright! Now it’s our turn to chase them! Don’t let them escape, pursue them!”

“Haaa!”

Leaving 5,000 archers in ambush, we pursued with the remaining force of over 20,000. The enemy’s vanguard had started crossing the river but encountered the second wave, causing confusion.

The retreating vanguard clashed with the pursuing second wave. Seeing us chasing from behind, the second wave would quickly grasp the situation.

“Chase them! We are crossing the river too!”

“Oooooooooh!!!!”

The second wave, now in great confusion, fled west with the vanguard. We advanced relentlessly, cutting down any who lagged behind at the river. 

“The third wave of the enemy…!”

The enemy had split into three groups during their pursuit of us.

The first two groups were now fleeing in panic. As they collided with the third wave, chaos ensued.

“The enemy’s rearguard is still in marching formation, with no defences in place! A long, stretched-out army is nothing to fear! Charge!”

“Oooooooooh!!!!”

After seven days of chasing, the enemy was strung out in a long column.

Now, with the panic-stricken first two waves fleeing towards them, the third wave had no time to form proper defensive positions to face us.

“Crush them! Trample them!”

The third wave, caught in the chaos of their own fleeing comrades, could not mount an effective defence. They scattered, with some fleeing and others attempting to fight, completely disorganised.

Thus, the seven-day feigned retreat paid off, allowing us to defeat the large army of Clostova with minimal losses.