NOVEL NEXT Chapter 249
Chapter 249. Childhood Friend – The Forest
The enemy thinks the same as I do.
It didn’t take long for Algeo de Lognum to realize this upon entering the forest.
Hammer and anvil tactics. He had entered the forest with 3,000 conscripts and 15,000 light infantry to hit the enemy’s left wing, but the enemy had also sent their forces.
Contact was lost with the three thousand-man conscript units sent ahead. The messengers reported that the enemy, not the allies, was occupying the forest.
“Were you able to confirm the size of the enemy forces?” Algeo asked. The messengers confessed that they returned immediately after spotting the enemy, and as Algeo had expected, he sent them back to their positions and fell into deep thought.
Tap, tap.
Raindrops fell onto the leaves of the lush greenery.
The eighteen centurions halted the troops, ordering them not to make any noise or move recklessly. In the forest, any action that could reveal their position to the enemy was strictly forbidden.
Thanks to this, Algeo could ponder in peace. While the centurions anxiously awaited his orders, the prince deduced the size of the invisible enemy forces.
“Between 9,000 and 12,000 at most.”
He was almost certain of it.
Though it took a bit longer to organize the main force, to silence the three thousand-man conscript units so quickly, at least 9,000 troops were needed.
This was the minimum estimate. It might be as many as 12,000.
However, Algeo was confident that the enemy’s forces wouldn’t exceed this range significantly, as drawing more would compromise their main force.
“The enemy made their best choice. But… who is their commander?”
Marquis Guidan was dead.
He had been the most threatening figure in Algeo’s mind. As a border marquis, he was well-versed in military command and strategy.
So, he was killed first. Although Marquis Guidan’s soldiers struggled and did not surrender as expected, Algeo thought that it wouldn’t be difficult to subdue them without their leader. Yet, there was a rather competent general on the other side.
“Is it Count Ogerton? Impressive.”
Algeo de Lognum’s thoughts deepened. His considerations encompassed allies and enemies, the environment, and time.
I have 18,000 soldiers.
There are 15,000 light infantry and 3,000 conscripts from the serfs. The main force, the light infantry, is fast and well-trained but borrowed from the free trade cities along the coast, making their loyalty thin.
The conscripts from the duchy’s serfs were relatively more loyal to the kingdom. However, they were not well-trained.
These were crucial traits to consider. When the army faced a crisis, troops with thin loyalty were likely to flee regardless of their combat capabilities.
The enemy had at most 9,000 to 10,000 troops. With some losses, they might be fewer now. It’s easy to think that pushing forward with nearly double the forces would suffice.
But, it’s not a plain field; the battlefield’s environment was peculiar. In the forest, anything could happen.
Algeo, stroking the mane of his rain-soaked horse, smiled without realizing it.
Although the expedition might end in vain, he was delighted to face an environment that any strategist would find intriguing.
The forest.
There is no battlefield where a general’s prowess stands out more. Surrounded by trees and bushes, vision was blocked, and with the rain, even judging the enemy’s movements by sound became difficult. The ears and eyes of each unit were rendered useless.
In this situation, the abilities of field commanders like centurions are greatly limited. They have no choice but to rely on the general’s orders. Given that the enemy is in the same situation, such an environment will clearly distinguish who is the superior strategist.
How can one not find joy in this?
Algeo thought to himself that his brother, Aeton, would be envious of him as he pondered how to efficiently annihilate the enemy. The characteristics of the forest fueled the imagination of an ambitious strategist.
In the forest, the key is to disperse the units. Due to the hills and trees, they couldn’t move as one mass like in the plains. With no mages around, there was no reason to insist on modern squad-based assault tactics. He had heard that the enemy only had one mage, Count Soarel Demetri Ogerton.
“Count Ogerton must be commanding the main force. Even if not, since I left three mages with our main force, Count Ogerton wouldn’t have come here. So… ha, I can use ancient tactics.”
Algeo was genuinely delighted.
King Maunin and Queen Retii, who had secured independence for the northern Aslan Kingdom from the Empire, were heroes to him. He had read their co-authored books, “The Theory of Maneuver Warfare” and “Origins and Maxims of Blitzkrieg,” until they were worn out and conducted imaginary battles with his twin brother.
Now, he had the opportunity to apply these in real battle. Breaking the long silence, Algeo commanded the centurions.
“You will now move independently. However, because your visibility is limited, do not act on your own. Select five messengers to maintain contact with the main force. Increase the number of scouts from 20 to 100… no, actually deploy an entire hundred-man unit for reconnaissance and report any anomalies to the main force immediately.”
“What should we do if we engage the enemy?”
“If you encounter the enemy, engage them, but do not escalate the fight unless the enemy approaches from the direction I specified. It would be crucial information if the enemy’s position differs from my expectations.”
The centurions led their units in different directions.
Some units spread out widely to block the enemy’s advance, while others moved stealthily into the forest in single file. However, the banner bearing the insignia of Duke Algeo pointed in another direction, to the northwest, slightly behind the front line established by the prince.
The psychological warfare had already begun.
In reality, Algeo was hiding in another unit. He adjusted the spacing of the units based on reports about the terrain and the sighting of enemies.
Though he couldn’t see it directly and had to rely purely on deduction, this task was crucial in the forest. Soldiers, with their visibility blocked by trees, would feel isolated.
This was the perilous nature of forest battles. Soldiers could easily be deceived into thinking they were surrounded by the enemy, and without sight of their allies, their morale could plummet if they believed the overall situation was turning against them.
Thus, proper spacing of the units was essential. However, if they were too close together, they risked being surrounded, so they needed to spread out just enough to prevent the enemy from flanking them.
A quiet contest of deployment ensued for some time.
Algeo didn’t think it was Count Ogerton but couldn’t identify the enemy general. He and the unknown general both marveled at each other’s deployments and exploited weaknesses, planting their units in the forest one by one.
“That guy reads the terrain frighteningly well.”
Algeo speculated that the enemy commander might be a barbarian, possibly one who lived in the mountains. When he found a strategically advantageous spot and sent his troops there, the enemy was already there. While some places seemed advantageous, dense trees forced them to detour, and the enemy had stationed a few soldiers along these detour paths.
Algeo had to acknowledge that the enemy had a better eye for terrain. Nevertheless, he drew a reasonably good front line by fully utilizing the mobility of his light infantry.
With significantly more troops, Algeo’s front line advanced slightly. Using the hilly forest as the central point, the front line stretched from 3 o’clock to 11 o’clock.
Three o’clock was a critical point to defend. To its right, outside the forest, were the main forces of Counts Jermin and Ogerton, locked in a power struggle.
Whoever pushed the other out of this position would determine whether the main force would be surrounded or if they would join in surrounding the enemy. With the front line now fixed, Algeo identified seven barbarian thousand-man units of the enemy.
He didn’t know how many more units the enemy had. Perhaps two to five at most… The enemy had successfully conserved a few units by utilizing the terrain.
In contrast, Algeo deliberately exposed the positions of fourteen thousand-man units, making it seem like these fourteen were all he had. He was baiting the enemy to reveal their remaining units.
Once all enemy positions were identified, the fight would become much easier. However, not underestimating the enemy, Algeo set a trap.
Around the midpoint of the 3 to 11 o’clock axis, he stationed two thousand-man units, making them somewhat conspicuous conscripts.
He even sent a flag bearing his insignia, so if the enemy general were a barbarian who only understood terrain and nothing else, they would think that was the main force. On the other hand, if he were a much more capable commander, he would suspect the slightly elevated hill beside it, occupied by a stationary centurion, to be the main force.
Of course, neither was true.
Algeo hid himself in a frontline unit near the southeast, waiting for the enemy to take the bait. For safety, he had one centurion unit hidden in the rear.
The prince’s thoughts were as follows:
The outnumbered enemy general would want to settle the battle quickly by targeting him.
Here, the flag he planted as a decoy in another unit would induce arrogance in the capable enemy general, making him believe he had seen through Algeo’s strategy. And that would be the end. He had hidden 3,000 ambushers around that area.
It was an efficient plan to capture the capable enemy general.
If the enemy general were incompetent and didn’t realize the bait was a trap, all strategies would be futile, but in that case, he would just crush them with conventional tactics.
However, having observed the enemy so far, Algeo felt the enemy general was quite capable and preferred to avoid a direct confrontation if possible.
To continue the conquest of the Conrad Kingdom, he needed to minimize casualties. After wrapping things up here quickly, he needed to surround the enemy’s main force and force Count Ogerton’s surrender…
“The enemy is approaching!”
“Where is the messenger from? What is the size of the enemy force? Ah! They are retreating here.”
Events unfolded simultaneously. The enemy before him retreated, and the enemy took the bait without a flag.
They believed I was there, mobilizing troops to shorten the front.
Ha ha. In that case, it’s over for them.
No matter how many they send, they can’t break through. They’ll be ambushed by the 3,000 hidden troops, and the flag-bearing unit will join in.
‘It was fun, but a bit regrettable.’
Algeo ordered the remaining units to advance.
His unit would pursue the retreating enemy and encircle the main enemy force caught in the trap, but Algeo suddenly felt a chilling sensation.
Something was wrong.
‘Why do they keep running away?’
This is the critical 3 o’clock position that must be defended. Even if the front is pulled back elsewhere, this spot should only be slightly retracted, but the enemy seemed to be only retreating without reestablishing their position.
Moreover, they just passed through a concave terrain between the hills…
“All units halt! It’s a trap… damn.”
Prince Algeo shouted urgently. However, it was slightly too late.
The retreating enemy suddenly turned around.
From the concave terrain, perfect for an ambush, 3,000 barbarian warriors sprang out. They must have been there from the beginning, as if they knew Algeo would be here.
[ Leo, in your desperate search for Lena throughout your life, you’ve been granted the skill {Tracking}. ]
“There he is! That black-haired one is Algeo de Lognum, the prince of the kingdom that enslaves us!”
A young man with light brown hair charged, wielding an aura blade. Prince Algeo instantly recognized him.
‘A Swordmaster of the Holy Kingdom, why is he here…?’
Damn Marquis Guidan for betraying our kingdom. Algeo shouted, “Fight!” and then turned to run.
There was no time to worry about dignity or pride. The expedition he had eagerly awaited his whole life no longer mattered.
My kingdom and my brother’s kingdom are in danger.
He didn’t know what the Holy Kingdom of Jerome intended to do with this Swordmaster, and relations with the Conrad Kingdom had deteriorated beyond repair. If his fears were correct, the Kingdom of Orun faced the worst possible scenario.
His judgment was incredibly swift.
He fled the moment he saw the aura blade and the young man with brown hair, sacrificing a centurion unit. However, before he could reach the centurion unit he had placed behind for safety, Lev caught up with him.
[ Achievement: Mount – Leo can summon a mount. ]
Would running be better? As Algeo traversed the rough mountain path on horseback, he looked back to see the Swordmaster riding a brown steed. He hadn’t had a horse earlier; where did it come from?
Lev, having caught up to Algeo, debated stopping the horse the prince was riding but instead raised his sword. He swung it at Algeo’s neck, and to his surprise, Algeo dismounted to avoid the blow. Tumbling and rolling in a chaotic mess, it looked terrible, but Algeo was alive and crawling away.
‘Ah, that’s right. This is what he was like.’
Lev had killed this guy before when he was Barbatos’s apostle. Unlike Prince Aeton de Lognum, who had maintained his royal dignity even in the face of inevitable death, Algeo desperately clung to life. He had once hidden in a manure bin, only to be sliced in half along with it.
Why does this guy want to live so badly?
Curious but focused, Lev stepped on Algeo’s calf and raised his sword again. Even now, Algeo did not beg for his life.
“My brother will never forgive you!”
Just as Lev was about to strike, he hesitated, stopping the sword near Algeo’s heart. It wasn’t because of the threat, but because he remembered the debuff for killing royalty as a player.
[ Achievement: Royalty ‘0’ killed – All royalties feel a mild fear towards you. min(1) ]
There was nothing to gain from killing him.
With Barbatos gone, there was no way to reduce the murder achievement count, so Lev didn’t kill Algeo. Remembering the second round where Leah was kidnapped, he wanted to kill him many times over, but he suppressed his vengeful urge. Instead, he bound the struggling prince and placed him on Bante’s back.
“I’ve captured the prince! Quickly annihilate the enemy and assist the main force!”
Lev used four centurion units to systematically take down the enemy centurion units stretched along the front. The light infantry from the free trade city, upon learning that their prince had been captured, lost their morale and fled.
By the time Lev, with a slightly reduced force of ten centurion units, emerged from the forest, the heavily armed infantry of the Lognum royal family, Marquis Guidan, Count Ogerton, and two centurion units that had come down the river were engaged in combat.
Lev shouted:
“Stop! Algeo de Lognum is here! Lay down your weapons and surrender!”
“Ah!”
The heavily armed infantry, who had been pushing back on both fronts despite being attacked from both sides, lowered their swords. Count Geogis Jermin cried out in despair, “This cannot be!” But with Lev brandishing his aura blade and surrounding them from three sides, they soon quieted down.
This was a victory worthy of historical records.
The heavily armed infantry and knights dejectedly discarded their swords, and the nobles, including Count Jermin, were bound just as the rain stopped. Across the dark river, the soldiers of the Conrad Kingdom watched the scene unfold by torchlight.