Vol 04 Chapter 111-2: The One-Eyed and the Hawk III
In front of me, twenty individuals from cities and villages that had surrendered are shouting loudly. Many of them have tears in their eyes.
Their expressions are those of deep pain, evoking sympathy from anyone who saw them.
「Brothers!! Can you hear me? You don’t have to fight!! Fortunately, King Rosais has promised us independence!」
「Yes, that’s right!! Mark! My beloved son!! Are you listening? Even if the battle starts, just crouch down!! King Rosais has said that those who do not resist will be captured and then released!!」
「There’s no need to spill blood in vain!! Please, Cain!! Don’t leave your father alone!!」
「Thor! Weren’t we supposed to get married after this war? Please, surrender! That way you can live! Please, I’m begging you!」
In essence, Alexios’s strategy is to attack the hearts of the soldiers. Moreover, it employs familial and hometown love.
Even if Mark, Cain, or Thor aren’t here right now, it’s certain that many of the enemy soldiers are thinking of their families and lovers back home. Their families and lovers are safe now. They have no reason to fight now.
I must clarify that the people shouting are real, and they are voicing their true feelings. When I told them I would give them a chance to save their kin, they were overjoyed, moved to tears, and thus they are shouting like this.
…It pains my conscience.
「Come on, King Rosais. It’s your turn.」
「Mhm… you seem to be having fun.」
Alexios was smiling.
This guy doesn’t have any empathy. I think you should feel a little guilty at least. In fact, as a father, using people’s love like this is questionable.
「What are you talking about? It’s precisely because I understand love.」
Ah, yes, yes. My bad for expecting anything from you.
「Gentlemen!!」
I mounted my beloved horse, Sakura, and moved in front of the light infantry. It’s a bit dangerous, but talking from behind a shield of people doesn’t have much persuasive power.
Well, at this distance, unless the enemy has an archer of Gram’s caliber, no arrow can hit me. Even if one does, I have the [Blessing of The Emperor], so I won’t die easily. Of course, a shot to the head would be instant death.
「I have no reason to kill those who are not my enemies. What I desire is peace… We all live in the same Adernia. It is wrong for us to kill each other!! Our true enemies are the Gallians and the Rozel Kingdom!! However, King Belvedire has stabbed us in the back instead of siding with us to stave King Rozel’s ambitions. Where does justice truly lie? I repeat, I do not wish to fight my own people!」
Honestly, whether King Belvedire and the Rozel Kingdom are really cooperating is unknown. I think they’ve certainly been corresponding by letters… but it’s unlikely they are formal allies. King Belvedire is only taking the opportunity to attack us when we are in trouble.
They should feel some guilt about that. Adernians care deeply about duty and honor—it’s a generalization, but it’s often true.
「I think everyone knows. I have granted autonomy to the cities and villages that surrendered and have only imposed a minimal tribute tax. This tribute is not for lining my own pockets. It’s military funding to ensure the safety of our country and to protect those who have become part of our country, our allies. I desire peace. Those who wish for peace as I do, please lay down your weapons.」
Well, it’s true. My lifestyle isn’t exactly austere, but it is quite modest. My only luxury is the hot springs.
Probably, other patricians live better lives than me.
「Please, gentlemen! My only goal is to subdue the cowards who side with the Gallians and betray the Adernians!」
「Don’t be deceived!!」
A different voice echoed across the battlefield. A man rode forward on a horse. That must be… King Belvedire.
It’s surprising to see him come out to the battlefield.
「This man is only fighting the Rozel Kingdom because King Domorgal promised him territory in return!! Have you forgotten? This is the man who killed King Ferme and stole a great deal of territory from King Domorgal’s Country!」
All that was in self-defense… Besides, King Ferme killed my wife’s father and took his land, then declared independence on his own…
However, most soldiers wouldn’t know about these international circumstances. Many of Belvedire’s soldiers seemed to regain their sanity and glared at me.
「What are you saying?! King Ferme killed my predecessor’s vassals and stole their lands. We merely took back our territory and saved our people. What is wrong with that?! There were sad disputes with King Domorgal’s Country, but now we are fighting shoulder to shoulder!! The relationship between King Domorgal’s Country and ours was one of losers and winners, invaders and invaded. But now, we are united in fighting against the Gallians. We can understand each other!!」
I shouted loudly. King Belvedire paused for a moment, pondering. He was thinking of a rebuttal.
But in a battle of words, the first to falter is the loser. Even if it’s disjointed, contradictory, or even if it boomerangs back, the one who overwhelms the other wins!!
I pressed on.
「Do you even understand why they surrendered to me? What King Belvedire did to the villages and towns under his rule… Tell them!!」
I signaled to a man from a city that had surrendered. He spoke according to script, yet everything he said was the truth.
「King Belvedire only left a hundred soldiers to defend my city!! And then he took all the wheat from our granary!! My city has been under the rule of King Belvedire’s Country for three hundred years, serving loyally. And yet!!」
「My village sent ten young men to be soldiers!! But King Belvedire did not protect my village. On the contrary, he took the wheat from our granary and set fire to the wheat that couldn’t be transported!!」
「Poison was thrown into our village well!!」
Well, I suppose it’s a correct strategy. Scorched earth is a basic tactic. Probably, Raymond is doing the same in our country to slow King Evile’s Country invasion.
Still, we allow the people to evacuate, and we try to transport the food instead of burning it. We don’t throw poison into the wells. Well, there are many small rivers near the border with King Evile’s Country, so even if we made the wells unusable, it would be pointless anyway.
King Belvedire’s Country intended to invade ours. They were not supposed to be invaded. So, it was inevitable that the people couldn’t evacuate. He had reasons to do what he did.
But from the perspective of those affected, it’s not a matter that can be dismissed with a‘it couldn’t be helped’.
King Belvedire made a face like he was chewing on a bitter bug. It seems he could not come up with a rebuttal.
Having been verbally defeated by me, a wave of unrest swept through the Belvedire army. I’m not so kind to let such an opportunity slip by.
「See!! This is the truth. That man is a coward who grovels to the powerful and abandons and exploits the weak. If I don’t kill him now, who knows how many innocents will suffer? Begin the attack!!」
At my command, the light infantry began their attack. Stones, arrows, javelins, and blast javelins arced towards the enemy. We are using the blast javelins sparingly because we need them for later.
「Damn it…」
King Belvedire, shielding himself, slowly retreated.
「I won’t let you escape!!」
Stepping up beside me was Gram. Gram drew his longbow and loosed an arrow at King Belvedire. The arrow struck King Belvedire’s horse, causing King Belvedire to fall from his mount.
The impact of the fall sent the shield flying. Gram wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.
He drew his bow again and aimed an arrow straight at King Belvedire’s forehead.
「Watch out!!」
However, before Gram’s arrow could hit King Belvedire in the forehead, one of the soldiers became his shield and blocked the arrow. The arrow, released from the longbow, penetrated the armor and killed the soldier.
By the time I realized, King Belvedire had already fled the scene. Gram clicked his tongue and shifted his target to the centurions and other field officers.
Gram continued to precisely shoot down enemy soldiers who wore striking, crest-like helmets, one after another. His sharpshooting skills are as impressive as ever.
「You’re amazing.」
「Please stop… you’re making me blush…」
Gram’s face turned slightly red as he scratched his cheek.
With the enemy already in disarray, and now with their king having fled, the formation of their heavy infantry began to crumble slightly. The enemy light infantry initiated their attack too, but it was already too late.
「Charge!! Follow me!!」
I kicked Sakura’s sides and surged up the hill in one go. The allied heavy infantry and cavalry also began their assault in sync.
「Haaaaaa!!」
I swung my Dragon Damascus steel sword, slicing through the enemy like butter. The foes visibly began to cower at my strength.
I’m strong too. Sometimes I almost forget that!
「Die, King Rosais!」
「Not going to happen.」
Just then, an enemy soldier who was closing in from behind was cut down by Ron.
「Leader… no, my king. You’re too far forward, as usual.」
「Sorry, it’s been a while since I felt like leading from the front… but I knew you’d have my back.」
Ron’s face turned red at my words.
Come on, don’t blush. It makes me embarrassed.
「I will protect the king’s back!!」
「Alright! I’m counting on you!!」
Ron and I continued to cut down enemies together, focusing especially on those who were conspicuously showy.
Thanks to their advantage from holding the high ground, the enemy held out for a while. Normally, this would have meant the enemy gradually pushing us back to our disadvantage.
However, their coordination was fatally poor.
The strength of heavy infantry fundamentally lies in the will to protect their homeland, their comrades, and their country. It’s the mutual support among comrades that generates formidable assault power.
However, now, that coordination was crumbling. After all, there were those nearby who believed that if they surrendered, they would be set free.
Some thought about holding back intentionally, and others suspected their comrades might be doing so. These slight suspicions and minor discrepancies accumulated, leading to a critical misalignment.
The formation of the Belvedire army began to collapse simultaneously on the left flank, right flank, and center. Once the heavy infantry’s formation breaks, it cannot be reformed.
「Press the attack!!」
I charged across the battlefield. Before I knew it, Rosward was beside me.
「My king. Please excuse me for showing you my back. Vilgar!! We can’t let Lezado’s cavalry outdo us!」
「Yes, I understand! Captain!!」
Saying so, the two of them dashed past me.
Hey, you’re leaving the other cavalry behind! Well, it’s good that they’re energetic…
◇
In this battle, the allied forces suffered a total of three hundred casualties. On the other hand, the Belvedire side suffered a thousand casualties, with four thousand captured, and a thousand fled.
King Belvedire and two thousand of his troops barricaded themselves in the capital, firmly closing the city gates.
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To make the most of his gift, he really should have a stupidly huge sword made for himself. It’s not only that he could send armored foes flying with one hand and have a longer reach. The more useful impact is to spread fear in enemy armies, and boost morale of his own troops. Even that reputation would spread. being said to be “the blessing of the Griffon”, or simply he’s inherently that strong because “he’s the Griffon’s son”. So just being present on the battlefield would inspire feelings that the battle is already decided, which becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy from the difference in morale.
The downside is that he’d need a heavier armor too, just to balance the mass even if he’s strong. Between that and the weight of the sword, that’d be hard on any horse. Can his horse possibly benefit from the blessing his more loyal subordinates receive?