Chronicle Legion:Volume 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 4 - The Hakone Siege
Part 1
"How peculiar."
This was meant to be a serious comment, but Wei Qing spoke in a rather carefree manner.
On the east side of Hakone was the first tutelary fort, Seiryuu Gate. Wei Qing had just witnessed the appearance of the ifrit guarding this place.
It was November 16th on Sunday morning, just as dawn was breaking.
"I never thought I'd ever encounter such a 'monster' on the battlefield," muttered Wei Qing.
Hakone's sky and mountains had acquired a rosy glow from the morning sun's rays.
The ancient Chinese general was flying in the sky over Hakone Yumoto.
He was riding a silver wyvern—The Eastern Roman military's flying retainer beast. This was virtually the same as what he had done in an age before the Common Era, riding across battlefields as a general on his trusty steed.
However, his attire was still a robe instead of a modern military uniform.
"The fortification walls are merely decoration. So that kind of monster is the real fortress here... Just as I've heard," Wei Qing remarked with poignancy.
He was currently near the Hakone Yumoto station, in the mountains a couple kilometers to the south.
This was the location of a star fort and nation-protecting keep, known as Seiryuu Gate, Hakone's first tutelary fort. In the sky over the nation-protecting keep, a strange monster had manifested.
It was a shining golden dragon, seventy meters in body length—
Imperial Japan's ifrits usually had a giant magic circle behind their back, but this golden dragon's gigantic body had an equally huge set of three eyes behind it.
The giant eyeballs were the manifestation of the powerful spirit from Britain, Morgan le Fay.
Examining the golden dragon's face closely, one would also notice a third eye had been added to the forehead area...
Next.
The three-eyed golden dragon roared thrice.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
A noesis barrier in the form of a shining golden dome covered the first tutelary fort Seiryuu Gate and the golden dragon.
"A golden dragon capable of creating a wall of light... And it has three eyes too, huh?"
For a Chinese general like Wei Qing, the dragon was supposed to be a mythical beast familiar to him.
However, Wei Qing smiled wryly at the encounter with this overly adorned "dragon."
Someone spoke up to this Resurrectee, "A merged divinity composed of Seiryuu, Suzaku, Byakko, and Genbu—According to information provided by the Kantō Fiefdom, that thing is apparently called the Four Gods."
Flying next to Wei Qing, a giant eagle had opened its beak.
This was an aquila, a Roman military retainer beast in the form of a bird with a wingspan of almost four meters. It was speaking with the voice of Staff Officer Alexis Yang of the Roman army.
"This rare treasure was wasted the whole time because Japan lacked a spirit and a Chevalier capable of controlling it. Looks like it's been collared by the leader of the British forces!"
"Ah, you mean the Black Prince of rumor?"
Staff Officer Yang was physically lying down in the barracks of the Suruga tutelary fort this instant.
After being told that Wei Qing was attacking Seiryuu Gate, he had possessed the eagle retainer beast with his consciousness and flown to Hakone to observe the battle, so as to inform the Suruga side and Rome's generalissimo of the battle's process.
The ancient Chinese general also consented to Staff Officer Yang's presence.
"Resurrected in the modern world and my first major battle turns out to be against that kind of monster—Looks like my luck has never been good," Wei Qing continued to converse with a wry smile.
Taken literally, his words sounded like complaining. However, his carefree attitude was brilliantly balanced while his tone was calm and confident, causing none of what he had said to produce any negative impression.
Only a man who had abundant experience in both honor and hardship would be able to attain such a level of enlightenment.
"First, let us attack using the method seen on recorded video previously."
"What do you mean by that, General?"
"I am going to use exactly the same tactics as the Black Prince had employed."
"I see. So in other words, a frontal assault using a Resurrectee's Chevalier Strength of over a thousand to summon a great army to capture the four tutelary forts in sequence along the four cardinal directions, right?"
Such brute force tactics were impossible without an unusually large army.
As the one who suggested a bold and dignified approach to battle as befitted a king, Wei Qing's Chevalier Strength reached 1051, a powerful force living up to his historical rank of "generalissimo."
Odawarajou was the Kantō tutelary fort nearest to Hakone. From there, Wei Qing mobilized with an army of a thousand.
"...Centuriae, please prepare to attack as I have just described."
Wei Qing's tone sounded more like a request than an order.
The army under his command was composed of the Eastern Roman Empire's mainstay Legion type, the Centuria.
The Centuriae raised their bayonet rifles and aimed at the enemy position.
Less than eight meters tall, the Roman Legions were not particularly large in build. They were outfitted with crested helmets and silver chain mail with a large rectangular shields in one hand. A single glance at their warlike appearance was enough to tell that they were "soldiers."
They were adorned all over by red fabric. The decorative wings on their backs were especially distinctive.
The Centuriae formed an encircling force. The dome-shaped noesis barrier of the Four Gods was surrounded by the silver-white Roman army over all 360 degrees.
This was a donut-style encircling formation with a hole in the center.
"What an amusing sight. The generalissimo with allegiance to the Han Dynasty yet commanding purely occidental Legions."
Staff Officer Yang commented from the eagle retainer beast he was possessing and Wei Qing agreed with a smile.
The type of Legion summoned by a Resurrectee was determined by which sacred beast had brought them back to the living world.
Wei Qing had been summoned from the underworld by the twin silver wolves of Remus and Romulus—in other words, the sacred beast entity that the Empire's founder, Caesar, had brought to East Asia from the Mediterranean.
Wei Qing issued orders without haste.
"Begin the attack to thoroughly penetrate the wall created by the Four Gods. Puncture and demolish it."
The Roman army kept firing scorching beams from their rifles.
Heat and shock struck the Four Gods' noesis barrier violently in volleys without interruption.
The focused barrage continued for around ten minutes.
However, the noesis barrier remained unscathed. Let alone a hole, it did not even suffer the slightest visible damage.
The first tutelary fort Seiryuu Gate's three-eyed golden dragon was in equally good condition—
After firing continuously for an extended duration, the Centuriae were exhausted, having consumed a fair amount of ectoplasmic fluid. Wei Qing ordered them to stop firing and take a breather.
"Using the same tactic, the Black Prince had effortlessly crushed the four strongholds' defenses. Unfortunately, it doesn't work against the Four Gods, so this will be troublesome."
The handsome Resurrectee was speaking in his unique carefree attitude.
His voice did not sound too troubled. Through the aquila's beak, Staff Officer Yang gave his opinion as a noetic master.
"This noesis barrier's hardness must be extraordinary for it to survive focused fire from a large army. Perhaps by gathering the four ifrits' noetic energy in one place, an especially sturdy barrier is formed!"
"Living up to its name as an impregnable fortress. Impressive."
No sooner had Wei Qing spoken, something happened at the noesis barrier covering the first tutelary fort.
The giant dome, two or three kilometers in diameter, erupted with intense sparks from all over its surface—
'Meteorological decree... Activate. Shining spear, bring forth death.'
An adorable girl's voice resounded in the sky.
Naturally, this was a mantra recited by the genie Morrigan.
The noesis barrier covering the first tutelary fort began to release electricity, sending giant bolts of lightning outwards to swallow the thousand Centuriae gathered in the surroundings.
"Isn't this firepower way too crazy!?"
"Centuriae, please deploy your barriers."
The merged divinity of the Four Gods had released incredibly powerful lightning on a massive scale. Even a "noetic expert" like Alexis Yang was extremely shocked.
However, Wei Qing remained unfazed and issued orders calmly.
The Centuriae deployed protective barrier particles, glowing white while their mystical properties took effect to neutralize external attacks.
The denser the formation of Legions, the greater the effects of the protective barrier—
Over a thousand strong, Wei Qing's Centuriae did not fear the suddenly incoming meteorological decree at all. The mystical effects of the barrier particles enabled them to survive the onslaught without casualties.
After the electrical discharge, the noesis barrier vanished unexpectedly.
Taking its place, a large force of black British Legions—roughly four hundred of them—appeared in the sky over the nation-protecting keep at the center of the first tutelary fort. These Legions were not ordinary Crusades.
They were the Knights of the Garter, the personal guard of Edward the Black Prince.
The Garter Knights divided up into four squads of a hundred. Each squad entered a square wall formation to occupy the positions east, south, west, and north of the tutelary fort...
Wei Qing murmured, "I see now. So this is the enemy's intent."
Every black knight was equipped with a longbow, nocked with an arrow of light, aimed outward.
"Outward" from the arrows of light were the thousand Centuriae surrounding the tutelary fort. With enemies in every direction, any random shot would hit a target. Positioned at each of the four cardinal directions, the Garter Knights had all 360 degrees covered.
As expected, the four squads of Garter Knights began to attack with arrows.
Furthermore, their weapons were magic projectiles of guaranteed death—
"That's Prince Edward's Feat of Arms!"
"The English longbow, isn't it? I have heard that its firepower is extraordinary..."
The Centuriae deployed their protective barriers.
However, these barriers were completely useless. The barrier particles, supposed to neutralize attacks, could not stop the arrows from penetrating the Centuriae's silver armor deeply.
Many Centuriae hastily raised their shields.
The heavy shields just managed to block the arrows, saving many of the silver Legions.
Those who failed to raise their shields in time were pierced directly in their vitals, crashing to the ground, dead...
The four hundred Garter Knights kept drawing their bows to fire.
From drawing the bow to loosing the arrow, the whole process only took five to ten seconds. They were amazingly skilled and experienced and kept firing in succession. The Roman encircling force, originally holding the upper hand, were now "sitting ducks."
Staff Officer Yang could not help but say, "General! Hurry and order the Centuriae to hide behind their shields—"
"No, it is futile. The Centuriae's shields probably won't last for long." Wei Qing rejected Staff Officer Yang's advice decisively and said, "Centuriae, please attack instead of defending. The soldiers in front should try to shield your comrades behind you as much as possible."
A minute or so went by...
The nightmarish English longbow continued to slaughter them.
In merely a minute—only sixty seconds—102 Centuriae had been shot dead. This number had reached 10% of the thousand Roman Legions.
However, under Wei Qing's command, the Centuriae kept their enemy encircled the whole time.
Enduring the rain of arrows, they raised their rifles again and pulled the trigger, trying to shoot back in retaliation.
They targeted the first tutelary fort and the longbow-wielding Garter Knights entrenched inside.
The enemy had disengaged the noesis barrier to allow the firing of arrows.
Logically speaking, the Centuriae's counterattack ought to inflict heavy damage. But unexpectedly, the dome of noetic energy was redeployed with perfect timing just before the attack. In control of the Four Gods, the powerful British spirit Morrigan had read the Centuriae's movements accurately.
Just before the barrier went up, the black knights also lowered their longbows.
The Black Prince in command of the longbowmen truly lived up to his name as a master general. He was fully aware of his supporting spirit's intentions and achieved perfect tacit coordination of offense and defense.
Facing the tutelary fort whose barrier was deployed again, Wei Qing said, "Oh dear, this is truly..."
Reduced to roughly nine hundred, the Centuriae continued to surround the enemy.
The Roman army resumed their volley fire, but the noesis barrier was rock solid. As soon as the focused barrage stopped, the British side retaliated mercilessly again—
The noesis barrier released a massive lightning attack in all directions.
All Centuriae were paralyzed by the electrical shock. The enemy instantly disengaged the noesis barrier to allow the four hundred Garter Knights to ready their longbows and fire in succession...
After sixty seconds, Wei Qing lost another hundred Centuriae.
The Roman army's efforts to strike back were futile as the enemy had redeployed the noesis barrier again.
"At this rate, the siege battle is just going to repeat itself. My army will be wiped out in less than a day."
Only twenty minutes after the battle began, the army of Centuriae had already lost two hundred troops.
Witnessing the casualties, General Wei Qing simply gave a light sigh and did not sound like he was lamenting at all.
Quietly, he said, "With the enemy shutting themselves within the noesis barrier, there is no way for my army to break through from outside."
"You probably won't find another noesis barrier this durable elsewhere in the entire world. Why not withdraw for now and think of another strategy?"
"Then we might as well retreat back to Odawarajou."
"Huh?"
The aquila retainer beast was an eagle in form. In other words, a bird of prey.
However, Staff Officer Yang's stupefied voice coming from its beak did not suit its majestic image as a fierce bird of prey at all. In contrast, the handsome man from the Han Empire retained a cool and gentle demeanor and said with a smile, "We already know that the fortress is truly 'impregnable.' There is no need to attack now."
"...Ah, I see."
The reason why Staff Officer Yang was fortunate enough to serve Generalissimo Caesar directly was not because of outstanding abilities in strategy.
Bluntly stated, he was mediocre in this regard. Caesar merely found him convenient as "an intelligence officer with noetic skills." Still, he was a staff officer after all.
With Wei Qing's hint, he finally understood the intent.
Staff Officer Yang concluded in his mind, What an unfathomable man...
Family name Wei. Given name Qing. Style name Zhongqing.
Since his birth mother was renowned as a beauty and attracted many lovers, Wei Qing's father was unknown. The government official claiming to be his father took him in as a servant, treating him no better than a slave since childhood.
The man who might have been his father made the young Wei Qing herd sheep.
Spending his days with a flock of sheep in the mountains, Wei Qing lived a life on horseback, herding livestock. One day, a chance to travel to the capital of Chang'an came unexpectedly. His long-absent elder sister had summoned him.
Employed in a rich and powerful household, the elder sister had the good fortune of encountering the emperor and becoming his beloved concubine.
Indeed, the emperor. Not just any emperor but Emperor Wu whose reign established the height of the Western Han Dynasty's supremacy. Thus, the "younger brother of the emperor's beloved concubine" began his rise in position and authority.
However, perhaps due to his humble beginnings...
General Wei Qing kept a low profile for his entire life, unwilling to attract attention.
"He is clearly a Resurrectee whose, Chevalier Strength exceeds 1000," said the simulacrum of the spirit Morrigan in puzzlement.
The doll was figure-size and stood thirty centimeters tall. Dressed in a sailor outfit, she was sitting on Edward's shoulder.
"In the end, he retreated so easily. Is he unused to siege battles?"
"Possibly, but even so, he is still an experienced warrior."
The confidence brought by victory made Edward smile.
He was riding a British white wyvern, flying leisurely in the sky over Hakone Yumoto. Previously cooped up in the noesis barrier, he was especially delighted for the chance to fly freely now.
"What do you mean, Prince?"
"Basically, effective siege tactics boil down to only two types. And neither of them are instantly effective. Given this dearth of choice, no matter which tactics are considered, all of them require foolishly sending troops to their deaths..."
Edward thought back to the distant Middle Ages and the wars he had taken part in.
"How about examining the battles of Crécy and Poitiers where our English longbows slaughtered the French armies...? Contemplate the extent of their folly."
The Feat of Arms—Archers of Crécy—had the ability to turn the Black Prince's knights into longbowmen.
Everyone knew that this ability originated from a textbook example of skillful longbow deployment.
The defeated French army had centered their tactics around "knights."
Knights, or heavy cavalry in other words. French knights rode their steeds gallantly across the battlefield to charge the English army that had set up their formation on a hill.
English longbowmen countered by firing a rain of arrows.
The French knights who braved the chaotic hail of arrows to reach the English position were greeted with ditches and pits ahead of them. On the other hand, the English knights dismounted voluntarily to ambush the enemy as infantry.
As a result, the English won an overwhelming victory at the Battle of Crécy.
At the Battle of Poitiers ten years later, the ditches and pits were replaced by a protective hedge.
In both of these great battles, the reason for the French defeats was the same. Essentially, "French knights charging recklessly into the English army's secured position."
"By the way, there was a similar fight in Japan. I believe it was called the Battle of Nagashino."
"Whether firearms or English longbows, one must exercise caution in attacking when the enemy possesses powerful projectile weapons."
Saying that, Edward grinned.
The enemy's intention to fight a protracted battle could be surmised from the the fact that the Roman general of unknown name and face had retreated here.
However, the British side was fully prepared.
For the past two months, the Restoration Alliance—no, the British Imperial Forces—had made various preparations to establish a reliable foundation to invade Kantō. This included securing supply lines to an impeccable extent.
That was why the British had not aggressively launched a "surprise assault on Tokyo."
"Now then, what will be your next move, Tachibana-dono...?"
The Black Prince knew the alias and appearance of the enemy general at Suruga.
Fully prepared to face any attack, Edward wondered what measures Tachibana Masatsugu would take. With these thoughts in his mind, he could hardly suppress the excitement naturally rising in his heart.
Part 2
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Part 3
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Part 4
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Part 5
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Part 6
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