Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume9 Chapter7 (section)

=== Part 1 ===

There was half a month left of the deadline set by the emperor.

Folker Baran intended to make full use of the time until then. He saw no benefit in hurrying things and being the attacking side.

So for that reason, when a soldier came rushing in, shouting “e-enemies” as he gasped for breath, Folker eagerly stood up, thinking – ''have they finally made a move?'' However –

“T-To the west, Bafsk Fortress has lit a beacon. Western troops have appeared near the border. Their numbers: about a thousand!”

“The West, you say?”

For all that he was known for his nerves of steel, even Folker looked grim.

A short while later, an airship flew in from the west.

To the west of Birac, at the end of the River Zwimm, Bafsk was the fort that defended the westernmost tip of Mephius. As it was situated in a gorge, there was no town attached to it and those stationed there were soldiers detached from Birac’s garrison, so that it was, in effect, a detached bastion belonging to Birac.

According to the report, a large number of western troops had been sighted at dawn. Counting the infantrymen, dragoons, and cavalry, they numbered about a thousand.

The many banners of the western countries fluttered in the wind, but their assembled troops had made no further move. The large, black mass seemed to crouch silently and the Bafsk soldiers held their breath at the uncanny feeling they gave off. Coming as it was right after the battle with the Taúlian army in the area around Apta, and during further war preparations, they were requesting reinforcements from Birac.

''Damnit!''

Folker did not show any emotion in front of the soldiers, but inwardly, he was seething.

Normally, reinforcements to Bafsk would be sent from Apta and Birac. But naturally, they could not currently expect any assistance from Apta.

It looked as though in waiting for the enemy to feel under pressure, they were the ones who had ended up being pressured.

“So that impostor has revealed his true colours,” Yuriah sneered when he heard the news.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just as His Majesty said. The enemy is being backed by the West. This is the best possible proof that they’re cooperating together.”

It was not that Folker did not share that thought, but that still did not explain why Rogue, Odyne, and the Garberan princess were supporting the impostor.

“It’s possible that this is retaliation from Taúlia. But there’s no doubt that this move is to the Impostor Prince’s advantage.”

It was unclear whether the west and the impostor had formed an alliance, but naturally, they could not afford to ignore either of them. If both of them advanced their war horses at the same time, Folker’s troops in Birac risked being attacked from multiple directions.

“How about first driving the West out of Bafsk then attacking the troops in Jozu Fortress?” Zaas, the youngest of the twelve generals, suggested. Folker however did not nod his assent.

They should not cross the border. It was too dangerous to push into western territory at this point. That one thousand... there was no way of knowing where an ambush might have been laid.

It was best to first sort out the Impostor Crown Prince’s troops, since they knew what their numbers were.

While he was busy thinking, the lord of Birac, Fedom Aulin, also came rushing in.

“They didn’t heed the advice to surrender. But it wasn’t entirely without results.”

“What do you mean?”

“According to the messenger’s report, he was able to meet directly with the two generals, and it looked as though both of them had some doubts. They’re still not certain whether or not it’s the real prince, so, General, we should start with that side. If we attack them, they might prove unexpectedly fragile.”

Folker did not have any objections.

First, they took soldiers from each troop and sent about five hundred west to Bafsk as well as leaving three hundred overall to defend Birac. The main force of over two thousand began preparations to march.
Folker had heard from his scouts that the enemy had built a new fort in Tolinea Forest.

''So it’s to be battle, is it?''

Although he regretted having been ‘made to make a move’, Folker did not think that was enough to overturn the situation in the enemy’s favour. He had considered that if they were cooperating with the West, they might have secretly borrowed soldiers from Tauran, but it did not appear that any large number of people had been moving in and out of Apta or its vicinity.

“The enemy’s troops are mostly composed of riflemen and air forces. In order to use their ranged weapons effectively, they have the option of remaining entrenched in their positions. But if they do that, they won’t be able to hold out,” Folker said to Yuriah and Zaas. “First, we peck at them with our spears. Whatever you do, do not chase them too far. For now, we just want Jozu Fortress to fall. The enemy is not in a position to be able to replenish their soldiers, so the plan is to tighten the net around them then fight them one by one.”

Folker was by no means looking down on the enemy. There was something uncanny about an unknown enemy army.

In the early morning of the day after the Western troops had appeared along the border, the army left Birac.

This was the earliest action in what would be known in Mephian history books as “the Battle of Tolinea”.
 


''So they’ve come?''

When he heard that the army had left Birac and was starting to head south, Orba rose to his feet.

It was, of course, at his request that the Western troops had appeared at the border. He had estimated that Folker would not be able to disregard them and would definitely move his troops towards Apta.

Their strategy was already entirely set up. They had been able to complete their preparations before the enemy arranged their battle formations. The enemy were two thousand. Their own total number was half of that, one thousand.

It was said that in battles revolving around castles and fortresses, the defending side had the advantage. As the only troops they had enough of were Rogue’s air force and Odyne’s riflemen, if all they were to do was to defend, they should be able to withstand one or two assaults.

However, exactly as Folker had guessed, their supply line was weak and they truly could not be said to have enough in the way of ground forces.

Moreover, Orba had divided the soldiers into two groups, one each in Jozu and Tolinea. Orba’s field of expertise lay in making use of the mobility of small units but, if there was even a single mistake, each and every one of them would, in the twinkle of an eye, find themselves in danger of being crushed.

But at the same time, this division meant that the enemy would also be forced to divide their troops so as to avoid being caught in a pincer attack.

Orba intended to lure the enemy towards the two forts for as long as he was able to do so. Their infantry and cavalry was insufficient. Therefore, they would lure the enemy to the point of penetrating into the forts, where the riflemen would be able to snipe at them.

Of course, that would be no more than a delaying tactic. But that was fine. And if, in the worst case scenario, both Jozu and Tolinea were partially destroyed in the fighting and were no longer useable, that didn’t matter either. To say nothing of Tolinea, which was no more than hastily constructed fences and turrets, even Jozu was, as far as Orba was concerned, the equivalent of a paper decoration existing only to attract the enemy.

''Meanwhile, we will be moving our detached force.''

The cavalry of two hundred led by Pashir. They had been selected from among the best from Orba’s Imperial Guards and from Rogue and Odyne’s troops.

At the same time as the battle would start, they would circumvent it by taking a route going from south to east, and would arrive in a position giving onto the enemy headquarters. Since Orba liked investigating terrain, several possible routes had of course been established beforehand.

Once the detached force found the best place for them, a beacon would be lit.

At that moment, Orba would launch the dragoons, which would have been kept in reserve, into the fighting at Jozu.

The timing had to be simultaneous with the enemy becoming convinced that they could push through with brute force. For Folker, this would offer a longed-for opportunity to seize victory. So as not to lose the momentum, he would separate part of the troops defending the headquarters and would send them out to the front as a second wave.

As soon as the enemy headquarters were under-manned, Pashir’s force would attack.

It would be at that moment that the soldiers from the two fortresses, Jozu and Tolinea, would finally also push out.

By aiming for the gap during which the enemy formation weakened and attacking in one go, they would even be able to score a direct hit on their headquarters.

There were a lot of sequences involved.

Jozu and Tolinea had to defend their positions to the death until Pashir’s unit had finished moving into position, and Pashir’s unit itself naturally had to move with caution. If any of these three forces made even a single mistake, the flow of battle would immediately turn to the enemy’s advantage and it would be difficult to recapture it with any half-hearted measures.

And yet – the strange unsteadiness in his steps, which Orba had felt since before the war began, seemed to come from something different than the uneasy suspense before battle.

''But to say that I’m afraid'' –

Princess Vileena’s words were still echoing in his ears.

Certainly, even if they won, this strategy would not be able to avoid there being a great many victims. As the commander-in-chief who would be luring the enemy in close when the time came, while also covering Pashir’s attack, Orba himself would need to lead a suicide attack, sword in hand.

The final effort.

In the instant that momentum was in their hands, they would push and push and keep pushing to the end.

Which would come first: Pashir’s unit successfully striking the enemy headquarters or their side falling to the enemy’s superior resources? Unusually for Orba’s strategies, a desperate gamble was incorporated at the very end.

Needless to say, this was because of the difference in military strength. Still, there should have been a way of lessening that pressure. They could have borrowed soldiers from the west and incorporated them among the frontline fighters.

Yet Orba had not chosen to do so.

Ax would have moved as many soldiers as Prince Gil requested, but the West had a long history with Mephius and, above all, there had been a battle not so many days past. Not only was it uncertain whether they would be able to cooperate effectively, there was also no telling how long the Tauran soldiers would be willing to risk their lives for Prince Gil.

And then there was one other thing. One other aim in this fight in which Orba was announcing himself to be Prince Gil.

''First, we have to seize victory with by our own strength.''

Since Gil had chosen friendship with Taúlia, borrowing soldiers from the West could, in a sense, be said to be Prince Gil’s strength. However, what Orba needed to earn in this battle was not simply victory. What Orba was looking at was not Folker, the one who was right in front of him, but what lay beyond him: the Imperial Capital Solon and all the lords and generals of Mephius.

He needed to influence them by winning this fight. The resurrected Prince Gil was opposing the emperor’s irrational orders and, with a strength born from righteousness, was fighting him headfirst and crushing his evil designs. This was what Orba currently hoped for above all else. Therefore, without ambushes or surprise attacks, without borrowing the power of other countries, he would wage war with nothing but his own troops – such was his decision.

“Notification from all units. The preparations for the strategy are complete.” A messenger knelt before him.

Orba stood up, placing his sword to his waist.

Odyne was stationed here in Jozu, Rogue was at Tolinea.

The detached force led by Pashir had already started moving and Gilliam had been incorporated into the cavalry that would lead the assault, so neither of them were present.

Shique was in the command room as the representative of Orba’s Imperial Guards.

“Good.”

Without needing to be prompted by a glance from him, Orba hid the unsteadiness of his steps and, treading firmly with both feet, he stared sharply before him.

“Let’s begin.”