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Vol 02 Chapter 57: Cavalry I

「Now, how shall we drive away King Domorgal’s army? Let’s start the meeting,」

Julia declared to the assembled patricians.

The ones assembled here already know that I am to succeed to the throne and have given their consent.

King Rosais’ health has suddenly deteriorated, so Julia has taken the lead.

I brought Boros and Tetra with me. I wanted to bring Ron and the others as well, but due to issues of status, I couldn’t.

「The enemy numbers fifteen thousand. Let’s assume we have seven thousand five hundred and proceed with the discussion. Does anyone have any suggestions?」

The patricians looked at the map spread out in front of Julia and the pieces placed upon it.

One of the patricians picked up a piece representing King Rosais’ side and placed it on the Teria Fortress—the fortress on the border between the current Aris territory and King Domorgal’s country, which has just finished construction.

「Isn’t the best strategy to hold out in a siege when outnumbered? When King Belvedire’s country attacked, by barricading ourselves in the fortress, we were able to fight an enemy force more than three times our size on equal footing and forced them to retreat,」

Said a patrician from the Ordobis Family.

The Ordobis Family is a branch of the Aris Family and has marital ties with the main Rosais Family.

The Ordobis territory is located on the border with King Belvedire’s country. There has never been a direct war with them, but there have been numerous skirmishes, giving them plenty of experience in battle.

「Indeed, in a siege, even a smaller force won’t lose. But we won’t be able to win either. If it were just a minor skirmish, the enemy might not wish to prolong it and would retreat… But this time, King Domorgal is making a serious move southward. He won’t retreat easily.」

「So, a field battle then… Can’t we break through with Bartolo-dono’s echelon formation?」

This question came from a patrician of the Perm Family.

The Perm Family is also related to the Aris Family.

The Perm territory borders the Dibel territory, so I would have to rely on them in the event of a war against the Dibel Family. Their territory has a small salt mine, which gives them significant economic power.

However, their warfare experience is limited.

「The echelon formation requires repeated training to be effective. Last time, it was just King Rosais’ army and my private army, so we managed somehow… But this time?」

This time, although we have numbers, it’s hard to say we’re well-coordinated. The echelon formation would be difficult to implement.

「The enemy has a large army exceeding ten thousand. Therefore, their consumption of food will be intense, and the supplies they’ve brought will quickly run out. In the first place, since a siege is expected, the enemy must also bring siege weapons, so they shouldn’t be able to transport many supplies. That means they have to either procure food locally or bring it from the villages behind them. We could draw the enemy deep inside our territory, adopt a scorched earth tactic to wait out the enemy’s exhaustion, and then cut off their supply line with troops lying in wait.」

Tetra laid out a rather specific strategy.

But wouldn’t that strategy turn our own lands into scorched earth? After finally starting to recover, are we going to turn it back into a wasteland?

「Wouldn’t that strategy lower the morale of the soldiers conscripted from the Aris territory?」

Julia pointed out the biggest flaw in Tetra’s plan.

Scorched earth tactics mean burning our own fields and contaminating wells with poison or filth.

It’s possible that some of the soldiers would have to burn the fields of their own villages… Morale would surely drop significantly.

「Almus, do you have any thoughts?」

Now it’s my turn… I’m the supreme commander, after all.

Hmm, thoughts. A field battle would be best, but considering the difference in forces, it’s not feasible. A siege can be fought to our advantage, but it’s a tactic aimed at buying time.

Without reinforcements, buying time doesn’t… Wait, that reminds me…

「The recent non-aggression pact was signed with just two countries, King Evile’s and King Gilbed’s, right? King Faldam’s Country and the Kingdom of Rozel are also enemies of King Domorgal’s Country, so why don’t we try to ally with these two countries?」

If King Domorgal gets attacked from behind, his army might retreat, right? In that case, a siege would be the perfect strategy to buy time.

「King Domorgal has likely left a considerable force behind, so even if they are attacked from the rear, I don’t think they will retreat from our country immediately. Besides, the Kingdom of Rozel and King Faldam’s Country are currently at war.」

That’s a dead end.

What other strategies could there be…

「Honestly, I think cutting off their supply line is a good idea. If only we could overcome the disadvantage regarding the morale of our soldiers,」

Bartolo said.

I also think cutting off their supply line isn’t a bad option. The problem is, for that strategy to work, we need to conduct scorched earth tactics on our own territory. Can’t we do it inside enemy territory?

Right… we should do it in enemy territory.

「How about this?」

I proposed the strategy I’d just thought of, and the patricians’ eyes widened.

「Wouldn’t we be cursed if we do that… I see, if it’s you, we don’t need to worry about that. I think a surprise attack would be very successful,」

Raymond showed his agreement with my opinion.

「I see. Then, after pursuing the retreating enemy, we could sandwich them from the front and back. Not bad. But if we dawdle too much, we’ll be quickly defeated, won’t we?」

Bartolo agreed but also pointed out a flaw.

That’s the issue. For this strategy to work, we need troops with high mobility.

「With the mobility of cavalry, I believe it’s feasible. Light infantry could also work, but… King Domorgal’s Country has cavalry. If we’re attacked by cavalry dispatched from the center, we won’t stand a chance. With cavalry, we could thoroughly disrupt them.」

The problem is, I only have a hundred cavalrymen. King Rosais, I believe, has about fifty.

Far too few.

「How many cavalry do you have?」

The patricians mentioned the number of cavalry they had, one by one. The total was fifty.

Thus, the number of cavalry in King Rosais’s Country amounts to two hundred.

It is too few, as expected.

Riding horses is a specialized skill, and the cost of maintaining a horse for war makes it prohibitive for most people. That’s why it’s difficult to secure numbers, and due to those low numbers, cavalry cannot become the main force in the wars fought on the Adernian Peninsula.

Apart from warfare, horses can also be used for messengers or reconnaissance, but in this world, there exists a superior alternative: hawks. What takes hours by horse, a hawk can fly in a matter of moments.

The strategic value of horses is low for their cost; that’s why most lords don’t invest in cavalry.

「We would at least want another two hundred to feel secure,」

Ordobis said.

「How about hiring the Alvans?」

Julia suggested.

Who are the Alvans?

「Uh… The Alvans? Aren’t they barbarians?」

Perm made a face as if he was chewing on something bitter.

「I wouldn’t want to get involved with them,」

Ordobis also looked displeased.

So, who are the Alvans? Please explain.

「The Alvans are descendants of the Flat-faced Tribe that invaded Germanis, Gaul, and the Adernian Peninsula about five hundred years ago. They live beyond the mountain range to the east of King Rosais’s country, having now completely assimilated with the local Adernians,」

Tetra explained.

According to Tetra, five hundred years ago, this Flat-faced Tribe rode horses into the Adernian Peninsula and nearly conquered the entire Adernian. The Flat-faced Tribe established a great empire spanning Germanis, Gallia, and the Adernian Peninsula.

However, after the death of their great king, the Flat-faced Tribe split into dozens of clans.

They were eventually driven out of the peninsula by the Kirisians and Pofenians who had migrated there, and by the Adernians who rebelled against their rule.

Subsequently, the Flat-faced Tribe could no longer maintain their presence in Gallia and Germanis and moved back east. They introduced equestrian skills to the western part of the continent.

Not all Flat-faced people returned east. Some settled beyond the Alva Mountains, in a region east of King Rosais’ Country, known as the Alva region. They assimilated with the local Adernians and became known as the Alvans.

「The Alva region is a dry land in the Adernian peninsula where it hardly rains, originally thriving in livestock farming. This probably made it easier for the Flat-faced Tribe to assimilate,」

Tetra added.

I see. Because it’s on the east side of the mountains, it receives less rain.

I don’t really know if this world has prevailing westerlies or not, but let’s assume it does. Moist air brought from the west creates rain, but the Alva Mountains block this air, preventing rain from falling east of the mountains.

Is that how it is? Of course, there are various other factors affecting climate, so it’s not so simple.

「But why are they called the Flat-faced Tribe?」

Is it because they have flat noses?

「That’s part of it. But the fundamental reason is they had a tradition of binding and flattening their noses from a young age.」

Real flat noses… No wonder they are considered barbarians.

「But now they’ve assimilated with the Adernians, right? So they should understand the Adernian language. It seems like there shouldn’t be a problem.」

「That’s right. They stopped flattening their noses a long time ago too. And the Flat-faced Tribe wasn’t very numerous to begin with. About a thousand remained in the Alva region. Now, they’re completely Adernian. Sure, their language has an accent, and their way of life is different, but I think it’s fine.」

Julia and I agreed on hiring these Alvans.

「We’ve had minor trade relations with the Alvans in the past, dealing in wool and such. We are separated by the Alva Mountains, so we’ve hardly ever engaged in war with them. If we approach them amicably, I believe there shouldn’t be any issues.」

「Yeah, if we had the Alvans’ cavalry, there’d be nothing to fear. They probably find King Domorgal’s southern expansion policies troublesome as well. I think it’s a good idea.」

Tetra and Bartolo seemed to agree.

「Indeed, the Alvans’ cavalry might be reliable… However, we don’t have formal diplomatic relations with them…」

「They are nomadic people. Our concepts of country differ. It’s unclear who’s in charge…」

「There’s also the issue of whom to negotiate with.」

Raymond, Ordobis, and Perm seemed to be opposed for these reasons.

I see; we need a mediator for negotiations, and I know just the person.

「There’s a Kirisian merchant named Ainz. When I purchased horses from him before, he mentioned sourcing them from the Adernian peninsula. Perhaps he got them from the Alvans.」

「Indeed, he might know. Shall we call him and ask?」

Thus, the meeting concluded for the day.

◇

「Do I know the Alvans? Yes, I do.」

A week later, Ainz-san was called in for another meeting.

King Rosais was also in attendance. My succession to the throne was kept under wraps.

「There are three different forces there: the Equus, Aries, and Lupus Tribes. Among them, the Aries Tribe is weaker and under the dominion of the Lupus Tribe. It’s mainly a power struggle between the Equus and Lupus Tribes.」

So, there are two main forces. That makes things easier. It’s difficult to negotiate when there are many small tribes.

「Which one could we negotiate with for mercenaries?」

「The Equus Tribe. The Lupus Tribe doesn’t interact much with the outside world. On the other hand, the Equus Tribe is proactive. Some of them are even engaged in agriculture.」

Despite the scarcity of rain, the presence of rivers makes agriculture feasible in such locations.

Naturally, agriculture is more productive than nomadic herding. It makes sense to transition to farming, but changing one’s lifestyle abruptly is usually daunting.

The Equus Tribe must have quite advanced ideas.

「Could you mediate the negotiations?」

When I asked, Ainz-san nodded with a smile.

「That’s an easy task for me. …But let me have a piece of the action, will you?」

Thus, an envoy was sent to the Alva region.

AN: Here is a faction map of King Rosais’ Country and the Alvans’ territory.

Brown represents mountains, light blue represents rivers.

The territory marked in red is the territory controlled by the Aris faction and the Rosais faction. The territory marked in purple is the one controlled by the Dibel faction. The territories marked in green are controlled by neutral patricians.

Teria Fortress is located between the forest and the mountains.