The Extra Wants To Live

"Nameless General of Tumaria! Surrender! The battle is over!" Carl stood tall in front of everyone, shouting at the charging cavalry. His sword, drawn with an eerie glow, and his fluttering red cloak inspired awe and fear. Cavalry could do nothing against a wall of heavy infantry in formation. Everyone who studied military science knew this. But Topal didn't stop. He bent down, holding his spear firmly against his side, and aimed at Carl. His hood, blown away by the wind, revealed his gray hair fluttering wildly. His black eyes, heavy with the determination to save his people, pierced through Carl's green eyes. Despite their distance, Carl's voice reached Topal and his men, carrying a promise. "If you surrender now, I will not kill your soldiers. I swear this in the name of Carl Feld Hardion, Grand Duke of Hardion!" Topal rode hard, his black eyes locked with Carl's green ones. When Topal finally reached him, the horse beneath him panted heavily. Topal looked down at Carl, distrust and fear etched into his gaze. Crunch. Carl sheathed his sword deliberately so all could see. Topal dismounted, panting heavily. "Hoo, hoo, hoo… … ." Relaxing his grip on his spear, it clattered to the ground. "…I surrender." Topal's voice, now worn out, sounded gentle and wise. "Good. I will keep my promise." Carl removed his gauntlet and extended his hand. Topal hesitated but finally took it. The battle was over. Of Hardion's 8,000 troops, 600 were killed, and 1,600 were wounded. Of the 40,000 troops of the Tumari rebels, 29,000 were killed, 3,000 were wounded, and 2,000 fled. The Battle of the Tishal Mountains ended in a complete tactical victory for Hardion. Hardion's losses mostly came from the cavalry that clashed head-on with the enemy, while the infantry that held their ranks to the end suffered no major losses. As a result of the battle, Hardion captured all the supplies and took 9,000 prisoners. However, the infantry of the Tumari rebels had been overcrowded during the battle, so there was not a single healthy man among them. After the battle, they began dying one after another, leaving only 7,000 prisoners alive. When Carl first adopted this tactic, he had no intention of sparing the enemy infantry. Even if they were not killed outright by weapons, he created conditions where they would die automatically after the war. And everything worked out just as he had planned. The enemy infantry was annihilated, and Carl kept his word, significantly weakening the power of northwestern Tumaria and instilling indelible fear. Even in the midst of a fight, with swords drawn against an enemy, pleading for mercy was something neither Yusuf nor Akhtar Ali would dare to do. It would be safe to say that the invasion of Tumaria virtually ended here. The victory achieved in the battle with Hidan was ridiculously huge—beyond belief. Carl treated Topal as the supreme commander of the Tumarian rebels. Hardion's side, not knowing all the details, could not help but assume that Topal was indeed the supreme commander. Above all, all the other high-ranking commanders had fled, leaving Topal as the only commander with the name Sahal Din. Someone had to be held accountable for this, and so, Topal, who was left alone, had no choice but to shoulder the burden. "Sahal Din Topal, I have heard the soldiers speak about you." When Hardion's commanders learned of the situation during the post-war recovery, they treated Topal very politely. Topal was a general with accurate strategic insight, tactical judgment, courage, and character. If the Tumarian rebels had actually acted as Topal had suggested, Hardion's forces would have been defeated without a fight and forced to retreat. A great general who deserved praise had been unable to accomplish anything and was left to face defeat because of a few fools. Those fools, in turn, bore the responsibility for the lost battle. From a political standpoint, Topal may have been a fool, but as a military commander, one could not help but respect him. "As promised, the prisoners will be treated with respect. You need not worry about this any further." Carl also behaved very politely towards Topal, whom he had captured. However, this was not out of respect but rather because the prisoners admired Topal. If he were treated poorly, a riot could break out. "Thank you, Archduke Carl." "I have promised you, as well as Sultan Yusuf and Akhtar Ali before you. And according to another promise I made to them, I will not harm the innocent people of Tumaria and will rule them in peace." Carl reassured Topal and the captive people of Tumaria by referencing his promise to Yusuf and Ali. This time, the prisoners could neither be killed nor liberated. Killing them was obviously out of the question, but liberation was also not an option. Hidan's troops came from far away, and if they were released, they would return to their homeland, where Hidan's political maneuvers would re-engage them. If the prisoners were freed at this stage, they would once again block Carl's advance northward. Thus, the liberation of prisoners would only come after the occupation and domination of northwestern Tumaria were complete. "..." Topal quietly lowered his head at Carl's words. His hood slipped off, revealing his graying hair covered in dirt, obscuring his wrinkled face. The old military commander lowered his head and wept, remembering the people who had died senselessly. He also shed tears of relief at the fact that the worst massacre he had feared would not occur. The battle was over. Carl sent out a large number of messengers to carry the news south of the Tishal Mountains. North of the Tishal Mountains, the remnants of the defeated soldiers who had fled would spread word of the outcome. Above all, Carl's personal arrival in those lands would confirm everything. In this war, Carl had directly participated in and commanded only two battles. However, with the first battle against Hidan, he had utterly destroyed the influence of the Tumarian rebels in the central region. And with the second battle at the Tishal Mountains, he had solidified his control over all of northwestern Tumaria. Both battles had been criticized by some as reckless. But Carl had avoided all other battles, deciding the war's outcome in less than fifty days with minimal fighting. Now, everyone would know about Carl. He only fought the battles he deemed necessary, and he ensured victory in each. It was a perfect, mythical victory.