Chapter 277 - Chapter Seventeen: Harold's Tactics
Six days after Servetus and his group were detained by the volunteer army led by Hans, the Engrio army of twenty thousand flooded into the basin.
The first fort was already gone, and there were no inhabitants, perhaps because they had switched to scorched-earth tactics after the spider attack. They were able to invade the basin without any resistance.
However, perhaps due to the time taken to remove the black trees, the wheat fields, which were not many to begin with, had already been harvested. The cattle from the livestock industry, the basin's main industry, had also retreated along with the surviving inhabitants after the spider attack, and not a single head remained. The aerial scouts had already confirmed that the army was being deployed for such tasks.
At the exit of the forest, there was a settlement that could be called a post village, but the houses along the highway were all collapsed.
Here and there, there were mounds of earth about the size of a hut. Some of them had stones placed on top.
They must have buried the inhabitants killed by the spiders together.
Just in case, when they broke down one of the mounds with a stone, a large stone with an inscription like an epitaph praying for the repose of the dead came out. It was indeed a grave.
Since the soldiers found it eerie, they camped a little distance away and set out the next morning.
Not far from the post village, they passed the ruins of a small settlement of about ten houses. Every house was crushed, and there were several mounds. The Regnentes army must have cleaned up after the settlement was almost wiped out by the spider attack. There was not a single soul.
In a place away from the village, there were several rotting corpses of spiders.
There were several such small settlement ruins surrounding the forest exit, and none of them showed any signs of human presence. According to the scouts, the surrounding villages seemed to have suffered corresponding damage; it didn't end with just one or two collapsed houses, and the number of mounds seemed to be high.
Seldic, who had anticipated this situation, decided to advance toward the building that appeared to be the lord's manor and the second fort built on the mountain pass leading from the basin to the plains, while remaining wary of the northern part of the basin.
"Is there still no word from Servetus?"
"Hah, not yet."
From the start, Servetus's failure was within the scope of expectations. There is no war where everything goes perfectly.
According to reports from the scouts, the main force of six thousand led by the King of Regnentes has departed the Royal Capital and is stationed near the fort at the exit of the basin. If one does not consider the conscripts, the soldiers protecting the Royal Capital and other lands number less than a thousand. It can be said to be almost the entire army.
From the scouts in the northern part of the basin, reports are coming in that there are no abnormalities except for one area. The one area with no report is the district on the border with Sertoria where the volunteer army is likely located. Servetus must surely be around there.
During the previous invasion, they were hit by a sudden attack from five thousand enemy reinforcements that crossed the northern mountains. This time, the units from various countries that would have become reinforcements have been annihilated or stalled. There should be no problem.
"As planned, we will leave three thousand soldiers at the entrance of the highway to build a field camp. The main force will head for the center of this basin. Do not neglect your vigilance, and dispatch scouts centered on the northern forest."
Seldic gave those instructions, extracted three thousand light infantry from the reinforcements from the continent, and attached a hundred of his own magic soldiers to serve as the rearguard. Since the enemy has chosen scorched-earth tactics, they must provide their own provisions until they leave the basin. It takes two weeks by carriage between the Engrio-side exit of the highway and the basin. Although measures have already been taken, it doesn't mean the number of guard soldiers can be small.
Advancing through the uninhabited land, as the sun began to set, they began preparations to camp as they were.
"Assuming we continue to advance like this from tomorrow onwards, we will first occupy the lord's manor and use it as a foothold for the capture of the second fort. It will take three days to the manor, and another three days from there to the fort. Currently, according to reports from the scouts, there is no movement from either the main Regnentes army or the Sertorian central army."
"It is a distance of two days from here. There is a small hill to the southeast of the manor, so we will set up the main camp there. We will use five thousand soldiers, mainly light infantry, to capture the manor, and send five thousand soldiers, mainly heavy infantry, toward the fort to suppress the enemy that comes out. The heavy cavalry will remain with the main force, and the light cavalry will be scattered in three directions as messengers for each unit. The main force will be just under seven thousand, but that should be sufficient."
Inside the tent of the main camp, the staff officers, including Seldic, are sitting in chairs around a table. One staff officer is explaining the operation to capture the basin while pointing at a map spread out on the table. Just then, an emergency report came in.
"The rearguard unit is being attacked by a swarm of spiders. They are requesting reinforcements!"
"What!"
The staff officers all stood up at once.
"Those people from the Ruined Town! They have failed again!"
It would be the third failure. The staff officers were all furious.
"Now, now, let's calm down. There are times when things don't go as planned."
The one who was calm was the commander of the reinforcements who came from the continent.
"You can stay that calm because you don't know the horror of the spiders. In the first place, many of the soldiers you led are also in the rearguard."
One of the staff officers snapped back.
"You all say that, but I wonder about His Majesty?"
When everyone looked at Seldic, his expression was the same as always, wearing a smile.
"Thinking that such a thing might happen, I had all the reinforcement soldiers left in the rearguard equipped with silver weapons. Most of the mages left behind are also holy mages. They have also obtained sufficient knowledge about the spiders from Servetus's subordinates. They should have built the field camp based on that. They won't be defeated so easily."
"You mean it was within the scope of your expectations?"
"Well, yes. What has happened once will happen twice."
At Seldic's words, the staff officers sat back down in their chairs looking awkward.
"I'm sorry, but could you go? If it's the cavalry under your command, they should be able to repel them. I will also attach holy mages."
Seldic looked at the commander of the reinforcements.
With a total of four thousand heavy cavalry and light cavalry with crossbows, their movement would be fast.
"Very well. I didn't think the first battle would be against monsters, but this too is a mission. I was called by name—a man who was once a mercenary captain on this island and has hunted monsters many times. I've received the silver weapons, so I'll do what I was called for."
"I leave it to you."
The commander of the reinforcements stood up, gave an exaggerated greeting toward Seldic, and left the tent.
"They will be slightly delayed. We may have to take the manor and the second fort by ourselves. Considering what to do in that case, please draft the operation once more."
At Seldic's words, the staff officers began to deliberate noisily.
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From Seldic's main force, four thousand cavalry went out as reinforcements.
Harold, who received the report from the scouts at the lord's manor where the main camp was located, gave the order to sortie to his subordinates positioned at the dried meat processing plant. They were to attack the enemy reinforcements using archers riding in bowls.
The enemy's main force is powerful. They are not an opponent that can be defeated in a field battle. However, it is possible to isolate them from their home country.
At any rate, he had to stall them. If the allies in various places disrupted Seldic's plans, they would likely retreat on their own. Until then, he had to keep them pinned down in this basin no matter what.
That was the basic tactic Harold had established. Although it was a strategy reliant on others, it couldn't be helped since they were a weak nation.
The operation proposed by Jeanne to put the spiders to sleep with sleeping medicine, capture them, and then use [Teleport] to trap them inside holes dug in the ground near the highway exit was a success. It was a setup where the spiders would come out from inside the mounds once the stones blocking the holes were moved using [Clump Stone]. The hungry spiders would likely attack the humans nearby. Since all the inhabitants had been evacuated, the ones targeted would be the enemy soldiers.
Because the Engrio army cut short their investigation of the mounds early on, they weren't able to set the spiders on King Seldic, but he couldn't be greedy.
Of course, deadly poison traps are set in the forests around the basin. The spiders that have finished their purpose will likely eat the poison bait and die on their own.
I never thought there would be such a thing as medicine to put monsters... octopuses to sleep. It seems it was perfectly effective on the spiders, which are much smaller than octopuses. When I sent a letter to Eleanor saying Jeanne didn't know how to make it, she taught it to me quite easily.
If it goes well, she'll probably take a condescending attitude again, but it's not like she'll demand anything. I'll just have to laugh and forgive her.
Most of the inhabitants of the southern basin are evacuated to the dried meat processing plant. The livestock are moved out of the basin along with the northern inhabitants. Huts are made of scrap wood and then destroyed. Old houses are destroyed with the promise of building new ones. In that way, they fake a spider attack. Here and there, they make mounds where spiders are trapped. When the Engrio army comes, they break the mounds and release the spiders.
Triggered by Jeanne's remarks, it seems that ideas for battle unique to scouts came out one after another from his subordinates.
The Class of 175 is truly an interesting bunch.
They don't have to win against the enemy soldiers at the forest exit. If they continue to inflict damage on the baggage train with the bowls that have vanished, Seldic won't be able to move even if he wants to.
After Harold gave the instructions, the archers riding in ten bowls discovered the campfires of the Engrio army heading to rescue the rearguard fighting the spiders, and launched an attack from the sky on the mages and crossbowmen.
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Just as they thought they saw the campfires of the camp they were aiming for, the Engrio army that had gone to the rescue was suddenly attacked by arrows.
The commander, who had anticipated an ambush, lined up the heavy cavalry in the direction the arrows came from to serve as a shield for his allies.
The number of arrows that flew was limited. The ambushers would be a hundred or two hundred at most. They could be repelled immediately.
Judging the timing, two hundred cavalry advanced, but there was no enemy. On the contrary, the magic soldiers who were supposed to have been let through were being attacked and were at a standstill, deploying arrow-warding magic.
When did they move?
If it were [Flight Magic], it should have been caught by magic detection.
Is it [Teleport]? No, there are too many.
The commander was confused because of his experience in battles on the island. If he had been led by someone who was terrified because they didn't know magic warfare, they would have increased their movement speed and tried to escape without thinking of repelling them. In this case, that would probably have been the correct answer. There were only ten bowls, and only fifty archers. Even if they were targeted from above, not all arrows would hit. The arrows would also run out. The damage would have ended with about a hundred or two hundred casualties.
Because they stood their ground, the damage increased.
It's no wonder. He had heard stories of [Flight Magic], but he hadn't heard that they could hide their forms.
Just then, a swarm of spiders that had caught the scent of blood attacked.
While they were wary of the enemy archers, the spiders had crept up, blending into the darkness without a sound. Even though they had silver weapons, it wasn't something they could respond to immediately.
Anticipating a spider attack, the camp had a trench dug around it, where oil was scattered to create a wall of fire.
The reinforcements from the continent, who were placed as the main defense force, had been given silver weapons by Seldic—weapons that hadn't even reached the Engrio main force.
They fought bravely and had not yet allowed the spiders to invade the camp. They sniped at the spiders illuminated by the wall of fire with silver arrows, and met the spiders invading through gaps intentionally made in the wall of fire with silver spears.
The spiders are surrounding the fort. They thought that if there were reinforcements of crossbowmen and heavy cavalry from the outside, they could kick them away all at once. If the oil burns out, the spiders will invade. They had to settle it before that happened.
On the other hand, from the spiders' perspective, they were in a state of hunger with prey in front of them, unable to cross the wall of fire and feeling helpless.
That was when the reinforcements in a state of confusion arrived. To the spiders, they were new prey emitting the scent of fresh blood.
They must have attacked all at once, taking advantage of the darkness.
While the magic soldiers of the reinforcements were in confusion, they were picked off one after another by arrows from above and the spider attacks.
The heavy cavalry rushed in a panic. They charged while thrusting silver spears, dealing powerful blows to the spiders, but they kept coming one after another. Even though there was moonlight close to a full moon, it was not a movement that could be tracked by soldiers unaccustomed to the movements of monsters.
If they could have deployed a shooting battle from a distance, the humans would have had an overwhelming advantage. The charge of the cavalry would surely have been effective as well. In fact, the garrison of the camp protected by the wall of fire had suffered no damage, except for that caused by the first few spiders that were allowed to invade. However, when it became a melee in a field battle, the situation reversed.
They are pounced upon, entangled, and have fangs thrust into them.
After being blown away by a body slam, the spiders' sharp claws pierce the bodies of horses and soldiers.
The cavalry, having lost the momentum of their charge, had their horses rear up in fear of the spiders, and while they were desperate to control them, the spiders weighed down on them.
If the spiders had been controlled to attack humans, they might have been annihilated.
What was fortunate for the human side was that the hungry spiders simply performed predation.
While they were pinning down the soldiers and horses that had become prey, they were struck down with silver weapons.
"We're heading for the camp. Let those whose horses were taken ride behind you. It's a pity for those who can't move, but we'll leave them here."
While the killed and seriously injured soldiers were becoming spider food, they somehow managed to reach the front of the camp.
The soldiers defending the camp were surprised by the unexpected struggle of the reinforcements, but their allies had increased. They had come all the way across the sea from the continent to earn money; they couldn't bear to be killed by monsters. With the arrival of reinforcements, the number of silver arrows and spears increased. The charge of the cavalry would also be effective. They welcomed them with a cheer.
Just then, cylindrical objects fell from above, scattering sparks here and there.
"Run! It's gunpowder!"
The soldiers from the continent knew more about the handling of gunpowder itself. They quickly saw through the true nature of the falling objects and called out to their allies.
Along with the roaring sounds that occurred in succession, iron fragments scattered, and soldiers who were late to escape were covered in blood, screaming. Soldiers who were unlucky enough to be near an explosion were shredded by a large amount of iron fragments, becoming silent bags of blood.
A horse whose four legs were shredded into pieces neighed shrilly.
"Hey, hey. This isn't what we talked about, King Seldic."
The commander of the reinforcements couldn't help but curse.
Niter cannot be mined on the island. They rely on imports from the continent where there are natural mines, but the mining volume is not that high. Naturally, the price is high, and furthermore, the exporting side places restrictions. Seldic had said it was unlikely to be used in war.
Yet, it is killing and wounding men and horses in a way that isn't even used on the continent.
"Are you saying they've brought out everything they have?"
Spiders attack, arrows rain down, and gunpowder explodes. Furthermore, they don't know where the enemy soldiers are hiding.
Finally, lumps of gunpowder packed in barrels with several fuses lit exploded with a massive sound inside and outside the camp, destroying part of the camp built by the magic soldiers.
A roar that seemed to shake the earth echoed through the midnight basin. White smoke thick enough to dim the campfires rose in clouds, and the smell of gunpowder that sharply stimulated the back of the nose hung in the air.
At this, even the spiders seemed surprised and temporarily fled and scattered.
Fortunately, after the large explosion, the attack by the Regnentes soldiers also subsided.
They must have withdrawn.
The commander of the reinforcements declared that he would temporarily gather the soldiers and command them, including the camp defense soldiers. Naturally, no objections were raised.
He confirmed the damage and hurried the repair of the camp by the magic soldiers and engineers.
The damage was about a thousand out of seven thousand soldiers. Half were the camp defense soldiers caught in the final large explosion. As for the horses, including those that fled and scattered, about a quarter were lost.
Nearly half of the more than a hundred reinforcement magic soldiers were taken out. The fact that many holy mages who use recovery magic were taken out would be a big blow.
The spiders will probably come again after some time.
Moving at night is forbidden.
The commander conveyed the extent of the damage and the fact that they would remain to defend the camp to Seldic via a magic circle for sending letters.
A simple reply came back: "I'm counting on you."
It seems the main force was not attacked.
Most likely, the enemy intends to stall the main force by attacking the rear.
In other words, the camp where he is and the supply route on the highway running through the forest will be the main battlefield.
If he doesn't want to die, he must command and protect the baggage train himself.
It's a real short straw.
It's enemy territory and inside a forest. Spiders might also appear. It's not something that can be easily protected.
First is dealing with the enemy soldiers hiding their forms and flying in the sky. If supplies are cut off, I'll have to consider a total retreat.
Honestly, magic is just...
The commander couldn't help but sigh.