Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume4 Chapter7 (section)

=== Part 1 ===

Half a day after crossing the border, Ende's troops, advancing along the side of the river through the valley, sighted Garbera's advance troops. From the top of the cliff to their right, they could see the light shining off of the Garberan forces' armour and helmets. As soon as the latter saw them, they opened sporadic fire, but the distance was such that it didn't hit.

A number of airships flew out from the battleship Venu and chased after them. Eric however had given strict orders that they were to avoid pursuing them too far.

"Aren't they soldiers from the fortress?"

"No, or maybe knowing the Nouzens terrain, they mean to flank our side."

"I don't care", Eric came to a prompt decision, "They intend to slow our advance through guerrilla warfare. But instead, they'll make us leap forward."

Another half a day later and both armies had their first skirmish with victims.

From the hastily constructed fort at the heart of the mountains, Garbera mounted a surprise attack by an elite force. Guerrilla warfare. The Ende side however overwhelmed them by force of numbers.

"Don't worry about small damage. It's no more than breaking through a swarm of insects. Even if they suck some of our blood and sting our skin, we won't withdraw, there will be no defeat." Eric was not going to lessen the speed of his march as he had fully understood that this was the enemy's aim.

The battlefield was not only on land but also in the sky.

The Ende side was intent on flying airships to investigate the terrain and to locate where the enemy was concealed. Of course on the Garberan side, airships also flew from the fortress. If the sky was won, given the complexity of the terrain, one side would unilaterally gain the upper hand.

There was no denying that Garbera's airships and pilots were all of high calibre. While the main unit lured Ende's airships, a detached force commenced bombing the mothership Venu from its flank. However, Eric had reinforced the Venu into an empty airborne fortress. With neither soldiers nor supplies loaded, and furthermore with even mobility having been sacrificed, everything had been poured into defence until its weight was such that it could until just fly in the air.

"Don't falter. If you falter, you'll be playing into the enemy's hands!"

While explosions continued overhead, Montfort, the adjutant for Eric's main forces, exhorted in the same way as his commander. An airship runner arrived with the information that an artillery corps was lying in ambush downriver of the Wendt.

"That damn Noue. He's all hot air!"

As similar small-scale fights repeated themselves, Eric Amon Doria's confidence grew. By sporadically sending out only small units, the enemy could only retreat each time. From the outset, the relative position of the fort within the Nouzen mountains had not been particularly good. From his scouts, Eric learned that this was something even Noue Salzantes lamented. To say nothing of the general, Zenon. It was proof that things were not going well that he and his subordinate even agreed on this point.   

"That fortress will fall easily."

And so the enemy had no other choice but to slow their progress through repeated guerrilla assaults. Taking advantage of that situation, they seemed to be constantly sending their military strength from Zaim to the mountain fortress, however,

"If they could just vacate the fortress and congregate at Zaim. It's because I want that that I seized Garbera by the neck."

Eric advanced his troops on the exhausted mountain fortress.

Under a sky filled with low-hanging black clouds, the army pushed forward with greater and greater force.

On the other side, at Zaim fortress, Noue Salzantes was receiving minute reports from the mountain fortress. A path having been prepared for messengers between Zaim and Noue's fortress, there was no oversight in the information collected.

''Still not?''

As skilful an organiser as he was, his expression was starting to lose its composure. As previously stated, Noue considered that once the fighting began, there could be no victory. Even supposing Eric's assault could be halted at Zaim, there was nothing further to be gained and this was a war that would merely serve to deplete soldiers and resources.

If such were to come to pass, it would be a dishonour for Noue Salzantes.

''You've still not come, Gil Mephius?''

Noue believed that relying on others and praying for help was intrinsically useless. But now...

At that moment, a messenger entered Zaim. The soldier who leapt from the airship bounded into the command room where Noue and Zenon were. What reached Noue's ears, who had half-risen in expectation of some glimmer of hope, was:

"The enemy army has approached within eyesight of the Nouzen fortress. They have struck up camp and it is likely that they will charge within the half hour!"

The report that a head-on fight could no longer be avoided had finally arrived. Zaim was engulfed in fighting spirit and fervour. In its midst, Noue alone sat looking depressed.

At that time, Eric's forces were certainly drawing near the Nouzen fortress.

With their first military gains from the war against Garbera right before their eyes, even Eric’s usually cheerless face shone.

However, this was Noue Salzantes' trap. After repeated small-scale attacks and numerous retreats, the enemy was drawn to their bosom. It was a strategy he had made use of once before at Apta. As part of the information warfare that Noue prided himself on, he had broadcast reports that that fortress would fall easily.

As soon as the enemy ship Venu commenced bombardment of the fort, there appeared cannons that had been camouflaged within the crevices of the steep cliffs that rose on either side. In a moment, the incessant roar of artillery fire drowned out the battle cries from Ende army. Faced with an unexpectedly fierce bombardment, the Venu temporarily retreated. In its place, airships dove one-by-one to intervene, but a larger than usual number of enemy ships launched in counterattack from the fortress.

Under the decorative circlet, Prince Eric's face became grave. But he resolutely gave Montfort the order to have the ground troops rush forward.

"Seize the fort in the time that enemy fire is concentrated on the sky!"

The Venu's defences would be enough to single-handedly occupy the enemy's air force for a while. He intended to gain control on land during that interval.

Eric's decision was the correct one for an invading army that valued speed, however his opponent Noue had thoroughly turned the complicated terrain to his advantage. All along the path towards the fort, holes had been covered with soft sand.

The tactics were rudimentary but it was an effective strategy on this narrow lie of land. As Ende's soldiers and horses came tumbling down one after another, the Garberan troops lying in ambush swooped in to attack. Forming an orderly line along an elevated position of the fort's front façade, the artillery corps opened fire in turn.

Blood spurted from all over. Montfort's troops' formation fell apart and, as though they were crops being harvested, they were beheaded at the neck, struck through the chest with spears or took lead bullets to the temple and died. Montfort decided to have his now disorganised unit halt and, with cover from their artillery, retreat for the time being.

''Damn''.

Looking up at from the main forces, Eric mentally clicked his tongue. It was Ende's side rather that had been trapped into aerial combat to create an opportunity. By bombarding the warship from the ground and allowing the fighting between airships to intensify, Garbera had lured the ground troops away.

''Damn you, Noue. Did you actually place the main force here?''

Although they had been allowed to believe that this fortress was a diversion merely meant to slow them down, could it be that Garbera had judged that this might be the scene of a decisive battle?

"My lord, what should we do?" A Dairan warrior at Eric's side asked. His face was flushed with ardour. His meaning was should the main force connect with Montfort's troop? Understanding that, Eric shook his head.

"We'll only be dragged into the enemy's stratagem and bogged down. Send a messenger! Mobilise Belmor."

"Yes, sir."

This decision of Eric's was also absolutely justified. There was nothing about it that could be criticised. However, Noue had undoubtedly provoked that decision from the enemy general.

As to what at the Garberan commander Zans was doing at that time inside the Nouzen fortress, he was preparing for withdrawal. Following Noue's detailed instructions, Zans had made full use of traps and with only a small force had for a time met the enemy on equal terms. But that time was short. There were truly very few soldiers at the fort. Only the airships were there in large numbers as about seventy percent of Zaim’s force had been deployed at there, but this too was part of the plan to dull Eric’s caution.

"Two enemy airships are leaving the battlefield."

Said a soldier who was monitoring the situation with a pair of binoculars. Zans nodded,

"The detached force will be coming. Hasten the preparations for evacuation. But so that they don't suspect anything, pretend the ships have exhausted their ether supply and are returning here for replenishment, then destroy the interior of this fort."

He saw to it that his orders were carried out thoroughly.

What Noue Salzantes was being vigilant about was Ende's detached force – in other words, the group led by Belmor that was stationed near the border with Mephius. He had looked to Mephius to provide a restraint against them, but Noue's thoughts on that matter had changed. From having talked directly with Mephius' crown prince, he had sensed that there was a secret agreement between the prince's father Guhl Mephius and Ende.

''That unit will probably cross the border and attack Zaim by a route that Garbera can't obstruct''.

Once the enemy entered Mephian territory, their movements would be hard to read even for Noue.

Or perhaps they would contrive to suddenly appear from the south and attempt a pincer attack again Zaim. Furthermore, Noue hadn't spoken of this to anyone. Suggesting the possibility that the enemy might enter Mephian territory would cause unrest among the soldiers at Zaim and they would lose concentration. None were very astute: although Mephius and Ende might be in secret communication, Noue believed that there was no chance of Mephius itself baring its fangs, but the majority of the soldiers would surely think so. As the saying went, suspicions wreak havoc on the battlefield. If they believed that even Mephius had turned to the enemy, morale at Zaim would collapse.

"Therefore there is a twofold reason for having to first of all shift that detached unit."

Noue had lured the main force in this way and was going to drag Belmor's unit into the fray by means of a fierce battle. His aim with this was to have the main force and the detached unit join up. The force led by Zans was to withdraw to Zaim and to attract the united Ende army there.

Zaim fortress was solid. It would easily repel a charge by infantry and cavalry, and although the airship forces were not ideally arranged, if the war was fought in the sky, Garbera still had a slight edge. Even if reinforcements from their country were delayed, they should easily be able to hold the siege for a month.

Hearing the reports that had been pouring in incessantly from the battlefield, Zaim fortress' soldiers were in high spirits.

"Good." Noue looked as composed as ever. He regretted that his expectations of Mephius had been off the mark, and it was a humiliation for one who considered himself to be a resourceful commander to have to undertake a siege war the likes of which anyone could come up with, but since it had already begun, there was no helping it. "The knights of the Order of Bronze will provide support for Zans' withdrawal. Shoot with guns and arrows and only use airships to create a diversion. Do not get deeply embroiled in fighting."

For now, the traps and stratagems that he had prepared were working.

As far as Noue was concerned, there had from the start been no need for showy military gains in this defensive battle. Since this wasn't a war into which Ende itself had poured its full strength, he had to take the wind out of Eric's sails from the start.

However,

"He gave Zans the order to pull out?" His horse standing at the ready by the castle gate, Zenon Owell furrowed his brow. "What is he doing? This is a rare opportunity. If we push our main force out of here, we will easily be able to take Eric's head."

Zenon was not as concerned about Ende's detached unit as Noue was. Furthermore, he didn't place much faith in the strategies Noue dreamt up.

''A man who only draws up strategies in his head''.

If say his retainers or companions were to fight to their utmost, Zenon rewarded them with the highest prizes and praise. He was a commander who cared about his subordinates. But he was prejudiced in believing that a person who had not experienced actual combat was in no position to talk about actual combat.

"War is a living creature. The situation changes from one moment to the next. To be able or not to sense that directly on the battlefield can be said to be the main thing that determines a commander's ability. Even though I acknowledge Noue's knowledge and resourcefulness, his strategies are still merely worked out before the fight. Right now, I myself know the current situation best."

And Zenon judged that this was too good an opportunity to let slip.

Although they were in the extreme positions of enemies, it could be said that Zenon and Eric were alike. More than their personalities, it was in their way of thinking about war that they resembled each other.

Zenon Owell himself along with his Knights of the Order of the Tiger left through the castle gate. As the fighting would take place along narrow valley paths, he only took two hundred able subordinates with him.

Upon receiving the urgent report, Noue was horrified.

''Is this'', as could be expected, his ever coolly-controlled features distorted into a grimace. However, the object of his resentment wasn't only the prince. ''Is this another flaw in my way of doing things?''

He himself had caused the unrest in Zaim by keeping his strategy a secret even from Zenon.

Noue was not a general but he had taken pride in being superior to any general in his experience and achievements up to this point in time. However, a battle was a living creature and Noue couldn't grasp anything about a human who took part in it.

Right now, Noue regretted not having made the effort to build 'human' trust.