CH 245
Warning: Continuing the “War is Hell” theme of this arc.
A fast horse ran into the camp of the land army besieging Koenigsvelg, led by the noble Mikalojus. The messenger rushed into the tent where the generals were and yelled,
“Re-Report! The 1st Fleet… the 1st Fleet is on fire!”
“What…?!”
Normally, it would be impossible for a messenger to enter the tent where the military council was being held without permission and immediately give their report. However, because of what happened, it had to be given as soon as possible, ignoring all procedures. And the Royal Army of Polsky, which suffered from low skill and low morale, had no system in place to reprimand or stop such a thing.
What if it was an assassin disguised as an urgent messenger who rushed in? If generals in the middle of a military council were caught by surprise and lost their lives, it would be a massive blow.
Originally, they should pay attention to the deficiencies of the military system by looking at this recent event. However, the messenger’s report was so shocking that neither the general nor the staff officers had the luxury of worrying about the breach of protocol.
“What do you mean? Why are they burning?”
“I don’t know the details!” the messenger said. “There was just an urgent report that the 1st Fleet is on fire!”
The Polski army had dispatched reconnaissance and scouts in the vicinity during the siege of Koenigsvelg. Even if there is a 6-month grace period before the enemy’s reinforcements arrive, that would still be the entire force of the Kingdom of Ploiss’s army. They were promised that they would be restrained and unable to move for half a year, but a garrison in another location is another matter.
Therefore, if the Koenigsvelg siege was detected by an enemy, it was normal that reinforcement would come from nearby. However, they don’t think they can lose with a large army of 3,000 people if it’s just a defense force that protects a city.
They can’t lose, but it’s also foolish not to be vigilant. The generals and staff of Polsky were conducting reconnaissance and patrols mainly to the west. They had ordered a part of the reconnaissance force to advance to the Danzij area in line to watch their navy, and to check the navy’s battle results from land as well. And now the land force had reported that the fleet was on fire.
""
“Even if you say it’s burning, it’s just that one ship started a small fire anyway, right?”
No matter how careful you are, you will occasionally get a small fire. On a swaying ship, using light that sources that consume flammable fuels than light while everything is made of wood, sometimes something will catch fire. If you fail to extinguish the fire in the initial stages, there is a possibility that it will burn itself out, but if you are on a wooden ship, you should be aware of the danger of it spreading and be careful.
“Tha-That’s-… all 4 ships of the 1st Fleet are in flames and they want you to dispatch support as soon as possible,” the messenger said.
“All 4 ships are ablaze!?”
“Isn’t that an enemy attack?”
Hearing the report, the command tent suddenly became noisy. If 1 ship started a small fire due to carelessness or an accident, it would be unusual for all 4 ships to then be on fire. It is reasonable to judge that it was not an accident but an enemy attack.
“We need to dispatch an emergency unit from here to help the 1st Fleet…”
“Wait! If the enemy attacked us, doesn’t that mean that they will strike us, as well? I won’t allow you to put the main unit in danger! We won’t allow you to send relief!” Mikalojus yelled.
If the ship burned in an accident, they wouldn’t have needed to move, if it was attacked and set fire to by the enemy, there was no guarantee the enemy wouldn’t come to them, no, even directly to Mikalojus. At such a time, it was absolutely unforgivable for him to send even one of his soldiers to another place.
“However, at this rate, we will lose the soldiers of the 1st Fleet for no reason…”
“Nn….?” Mikalojus gasped.
A loss of navy men would mean that Mikalojus, the commander of the entire force, would have to make compensation. Having it pointed out to him, Mikalojus can’t help but consider it.
“Then how much help do you need?” Mikalojus said.
“Sire… if it comes to rescuing the 4 ships of the 1st Fleet, about 600 people…” the messenger said.
“Don’t be ridiculous! Do you think we can’t spare 600 people?!” Mikalojus said. “Well then, for this main force… wait, isn’t that a considerable number!?”
Mikalojus, who did not immediately realize that it was 1/5th of his numbers, yelled at his staff. He yells like a spoiled child, what he will do if he is attacked while 1/5th of his men are gone?
“However, there is no point in sending too few people to help… and there is also the possibility that there may be enemies nearby. To some extent, we must dispatch as much as we can to deal with the enemy there..”
“Gghnnn! Then 200 hundred! 200 men! No more than that!” Mikalojus yelled.
“That’s too few. At least 400…”
“Aaagh! 300! I’m only allowing up to three hundred! No matter what you say, I won’t allow you to go no higher!”
The number of emergency relief troops is decided as if they were bargaining for a price at a market stall. If you think about it normally, it should be calculated and rationalized from a military point of view, but even if you say such a thing to Mikalojus, there is no way it will work. Seeing Mikalojus showing no sign of giving up any more ground, the staff members gave up and began to think about how to make ends meet with 300 heads in the dispatch.
“Putting all that aside, the enemy attacked our navy. I hope we’ll be alright here!”
“Yes…… that the 1st Fleet was taken down while it was headed to patrol Danzij means that the enemy is probably Danzij’s navy. It’s not unlikely they’ll land and march, considering the strength they have.”
“Even so, this is the most elite main force of the Polsky Kingdom, we have our veteran general Janzicka, on par with the Kingdom of Ploiss’s Bloody Maria. We will not fall behind the weak soldiers of Danzij.”
Hearing those words, Mikalojus calmed down a little. That’s it. There is an army of 3,000. Moreover, if General Janzicka, the strongest in the Kingdom of Polsky, is here then there is no way that the enemy will approach them.
“Alright… I understand! Then dispatch 300 soldiers to rescue the 1st Fleet! We will continue to blockade Koenigsvelg!”
““Sire!!””
Mikalojus’s orders were given, and the generals and staff members hurriedly discussed plans and formations.
After 300 soldiers had been dispatched to rescue the 1st Fleet, the main camp was relocated. Originally, it was pitched at the rear of Koenigsvelg while they besieged the city, now it has moved closer to the middle of the camp.
The reason is simple. If the enemy attacks from behind, if the commander’s tents are placed at the far end, Mikalojus and the generals may be the first to be attacked. Therefore, Mikalojus instructed them to move to the center of the camp so that they would be safe from surprise attacks from behind. It will be closer to Koenigsvelg and their forces, but it’s better than being ambushed from behind.
And that decision saved the lives of the leaders of the Polski army, including Mikalojus. However, they were only spared from the enemy’s first blow, and he might have been happier if he had died immediately after that initial strike…
“Hmm? What’s going on?”
“A Fire Arrow?”
The first to notice it were the soldiers stationed closest to Koenigsvelg. Some kind of glowing thing was fired from the direction of Koenigsvelg. They thought it was a fire arrow because it was emitting light, but it was all too late when they finally began to notice the size of the light that was getting closer still and becoming abnormally large.
“Wha?! What is that!”
“A gigantic fireball…”
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack—-!”
It roars over the soldiers on the front line! The fiery orbs made a horrific sound as they flew past and were each so ridiculously large, each could consume a gigantic building completely. No, they don’t know if that’s accurate, either. They didn’t know how big they were because they had passed so high above in the sky, but if they were that high and appeared that large still, they couldn’t imagine how big they were in actuality.
Gooooooooooooo! While making that eerie noise, several gigantic fireballs flew over the Polsky soldiers…and landed behind their position.
Dooooon! Along with the deafening roar, the ground shook so violently that they thought it was a giant earthquake. And as they looked to the sky, it was dyed red.
“Uu-uooohh!”
“Hii…!”
“Ru-Run for it!
When they looked behind them, they saw a huge pillar of fire, no, a huge wall of fire that fanned out around them. The wall of flame swells at once and the fire spreads over to them. Tents burned in an instant, a hot wind blew, and even the soldiers who were on the front line, furthest from the initial blast, were scorched and suffered minor burns from the heat.
“Hiiii! So-Someone do something!”
The fire spreads to the command tent where Mikalojus and the leaders of the Polski army were. However, thanks to being inside the tent, they weren’t directly exposed to the hot air, so they didn’t get that badly burnt.
Mikalojus and his allies quickly emerged from their tents, and their eyes widened in astonishment at what they saw outside. Behind them, the space where their base camp had been pitched just a while ago was completely burnt to ash by a giant flame that they had never seen before. How strong was the fire, that it would completely burn out buildings in just a few seconds, several tens of seconds, from the time the orbs landed until they exited the command tent and saw what happened outside?
“Your Excellency! Over here!”
“Tha-That way is where the enemy is!” Mikalojus yelled.
The relative safety of the leaders was due to so much luck. The heat of the huge flames almost entirely escaped to the top. So, unless they were very close to the point of impact, not many people were burned to death by the hot air alone. In addition, they were in a tent made of thick fabric, and thanks to the surrounding tents blocking the hot wind.
However, when they went outside, the flames were spreading everywhere, and if they stayed in a place like this forever, they would have no choice but to be engulfed in flames and burn to death. The fact that the rear is burning means that the only way to escape from the flames is to move forward.
“Your Excellency, I will protect you.”
“Oh! Janzicka! Then, I will order you to be my escort! Be sure to protect me!” Mikalojus said.
“Sire!” Janzicka cried.
With Janzicka the strongest man in the Kingdom of Polsky as his escort, Mikalojus regained his composure and began to advance before they were engulfed in flames. If they don’t at least get ahead of the front line of their current formation, where there were no burning tents and materials, they would be swallowed up like them.
Due to the suddenness of the event and the incredible speed and amount of fire, the Polsky army began to advance, searching search for any spot that wasn’t burning amid the chaos, and the officers were unable to take command. And as they approached Koenigsvelg, it appeared.
“Hey! What is that?”
“A ship?”
“That’s crazy! It’s too big!”
From the point of view of the Polsky army, the ship was supposed to be floating on the river beyond the town of Koenigsvelg, but it was so big it made their sense of perspective warp. No, it wasn’t a trick of the light. It’s actually that big.
One to the east and one to the west of the Polsky army as it moved from north to south, two huge ships that had never been seen before emerged from the shadows of the town. The huge ship has a strange structure with many windows on the side. The windows were open and something like a black cylinder was peeking out. And then…….
Don! Don! Do-do-do-don!
Something flew from that huge ship that spewed fire and smoke with a tremendous roar.
“Ah?”
“Pugya!”
“Gueh!”
By the time they thought something was flying, it was already too late. Those who were directly caught in the flying object’s paths were crushed and turned into minced meat. And even if they aren’t hit directly, the bullet hins the ground and causes a shockwave as dirt explodes around it, striking even those who were only nearby. A number of soldiers went flying in the air with each shot.
“Hiiih! What is this!? What in the hell is this-sssss! Do something about it, Janzicka!” Mikalojus yelled.
“-! Please step aside! Haaa!” Janzicka yelled.
The sound of exploding ground resounds throughout the area. The bullets pour down like rain, equally turning soldiers, officers, generals, and staff members into minced meat. Of course, the bullets were also approaching Mikalojus. In front of him stands General Janzicka, protecting him.
“UOOOOOHHH!”
Janzicka swings his prized spear to knock down the flying bullets. Even with the physical strength that lets him easily lift a large rock, it is not easy to deflect them, both his arm and spear made sickening sounds.
“OAAAAHHH!”
And after deflecting the bullets with his spear for a while, Janzicka finally strikes down all of them. His arms are numb, his spear is bent out of shape, and the bones of his whole body are creaking. If he is told to strike down another shot, he is not confident that he will be able to do so.
“Come on! Your Excellency! Let’s move!” Janzicka yelled.
“Ye-Yes! As expected of you, Janzicka! At this rate, you’ll only need to keep shooting them down!”
It’s easy to say, Janzicka thought so, but he doesn’t protest out loud. If he says he can’t deflect one more shot, it’s going to affect the morale of the whole army. Polsky is still barely able to move in an organized manner because the command structure happened to survive and because of Janzicka’s success rallying them. If that Janzicka said such a thing, it could all collapse at once.
“The only way to prevent attacks from the enemy ships is to cling to the walls of Koenigsvelg!” Janzicka yelled. “All troops, continue to charge!”
“”””Oooohhh~~~!””””
Janzicka’s shooting down the bullets restored the morale of Polski’s forces and they began to advance further toward Koenigsvelg.
A fast horse ran into the camp of the land army besieging Koenigsvelg, led by the noble Mikalojus. The messenger rushed into the tent where the generals were and yelled,
“Re-Report! The 1st Fleet… the 1st Fleet is on fire!”
“What…?!”
Normally, it would be impossible for a messenger to enter the tent where the military council was being held without permission and immediately give their report. However, because of what happened, it had to be given as soon as possible, ignoring all procedures. And the Royal Army of Polsky, which suffered from low skill and low morale, had no system in place to reprimand or stop such a thing.
What if it was an assassin disguised as an urgent messenger who rushed in? If generals in the middle of a military council were caught by surprise and lost their lives, it would be a massive blow.
Originally, they should pay attention to the deficiencies of the military system by looking at this recent event. However, the messenger’s report was so shocking that neither the general nor the staff officers had the luxury of worrying about the breach of protocol.
“What do you mean? Why are they burning?”
“I don’t know the details!” the messenger said. “There was just an urgent report that the 1st Fleet is on fire!”
The Polski army had dispatched reconnaissance and scouts in the vicinity during the siege of Koenigsvelg. Even if there is a 6-month grace period before the enemy’s reinforcements arrive, that would still be the entire force of the Kingdom of Ploiss’s army. They were promised that they would be restrained and unable to move for half a year, but a garrison in another location is another matter.
Therefore, if the Koenigsvelg siege was detected by an enemy, it was normal that reinforcement would come from nearby. However, they don’t think they can lose with a large army of 3,000 people if it’s just a defense force that protects a city.
They can’t lose, but it’s also foolish not to be vigilant. The generals and staff of Polsky were conducting reconnaissance and patrols mainly to the west. They had ordered a part of the reconnaissance force to advance to the Danzij area in line to watch their navy, and to check the navy’s battle results from land as well. And now the land force had reported that the fleet was on fire.
""
“Even if you say it’s burning, it’s just that one ship started a small fire anyway, right?”
No matter how careful you are, you will occasionally get a small fire. On a swaying ship, using light that sources that consume flammable fuels than light while everything is made of wood, sometimes something will catch fire. If you fail to extinguish the fire in the initial stages, there is a possibility that it will burn itself out, but if you are on a wooden ship, you should be aware of the danger of it spreading and be careful.
“Tha-That’s-… all 4 ships of the 1st Fleet are in flames and they want you to dispatch support as soon as possible,” the messenger said.
“All 4 ships are ablaze!?”
“Isn’t that an enemy attack?”
Hearing the report, the command tent suddenly became noisy. If 1 ship started a small fire due to carelessness or an accident, it would be unusual for all 4 ships to then be on fire. It is reasonable to judge that it was not an accident but an enemy attack.
“We need to dispatch an emergency unit from here to help the 1st Fleet…”
“Wait! If the enemy attacked us, doesn’t that mean that they will strike us, as well? I won’t allow you to put the main unit in danger! We won’t allow you to send relief!” Mikalojus yelled.
If the ship burned in an accident, they wouldn’t have needed to move, if it was attacked and set fire to by the enemy, there was no guarantee the enemy wouldn’t come to them, no, even directly to Mikalojus. At such a time, it was absolutely unforgivable for him to send even one of his soldiers to another place.
“However, at this rate, we will lose the soldiers of the 1st Fleet for no reason…”
“Nn….?” Mikalojus gasped.
A loss of navy men would mean that Mikalojus, the commander of the entire force, would have to make compensation. Having it pointed out to him, Mikalojus can’t help but consider it.
“Then how much help do you need?” Mikalojus said.
“Sire… if it comes to rescuing the 4 ships of the 1st Fleet, about 600 people…” the messenger said.
“Don’t be ridiculous! Do you think we can’t spare 600 people?!” Mikalojus said. “Well then, for this main force… wait, isn’t that a considerable number!?”
Mikalojus, who did not immediately realize that it was 1/5th of his numbers, yelled at his staff. He yells like a spoiled child, what he will do if he is attacked while 1/5th of his men are gone?
“However, there is no point in sending too few people to help… and there is also the possibility that there may be enemies nearby. To some extent, we must dispatch as much as we can to deal with the enemy there..”
“Gghnnn! Then 200 hundred! 200 men! No more than that!” Mikalojus yelled.
“That’s too few. At least 400…”
“Aaagh! 300! I’m only allowing up to three hundred! No matter what you say, I won’t allow you to go no higher!”
The number of emergency relief troops is decided as if they were bargaining for a price at a market stall. If you think about it normally, it should be calculated and rationalized from a military point of view, but even if you say such a thing to Mikalojus, there is no way it will work. Seeing Mikalojus showing no sign of giving up any more ground, the staff members gave up and began to think about how to make ends meet with 300 heads in the dispatch.
“Putting all that aside, the enemy attacked our navy. I hope we’ll be alright here!”
“Yes…… that the 1st Fleet was taken down while it was headed to patrol Danzij means that the enemy is probably Danzij’s navy. It’s not unlikely they’ll land and march, considering the strength they have.”
“Even so, this is the most elite main force of the Polsky Kingdom, we have our veteran general Janzicka, on par with the Kingdom of Ploiss’s Bloody Maria. We will not fall behind the weak soldiers of Danzij.”
Hearing those words, Mikalojus calmed down a little. That’s it. There is an army of 3,000. Moreover, if General Janzicka, the strongest in the Kingdom of Polsky, is here then there is no way that the enemy will approach them.
“Alright… I understand! Then dispatch 300 soldiers to rescue the 1st Fleet! We will continue to blockade Koenigsvelg!”
““Sire!!””
Mikalojus’s orders were given, and the generals and staff members hurriedly discussed plans and formations.
After 300 soldiers had been dispatched to rescue the 1st Fleet, the main camp was relocated. Originally, it was pitched at the rear of Koenigsvelg while they besieged the city, now it has moved closer to the middle of the camp.
The reason is simple. If the enemy attacks from behind, if the commander’s tents are placed at the far end, Mikalojus and the generals may be the first to be attacked. Therefore, Mikalojus instructed them to move to the center of the camp so that they would be safe from surprise attacks from behind. It will be closer to Koenigsvelg and their forces, but it’s better than being ambushed from behind.
And that decision saved the lives of the leaders of the Polski army, including Mikalojus. However, they were only spared from the enemy’s first blow, and he might have been happier if he had died immediately after that initial strike…
“Hmm? What’s going on?”
“A Fire Arrow?”
The first to notice it were the soldiers stationed closest to Koenigsvelg. Some kind of glowing thing was fired from the direction of Koenigsvelg. They thought it was a fire arrow because it was emitting light, but it was all too late when they finally began to notice the size of the light that was getting closer still and becoming abnormally large.
“Wha?! What is that!”
“A gigantic fireball…”
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack—-!”
It roars over the soldiers on the front line! The fiery orbs made a horrific sound as they flew past and were each so ridiculously large, each could consume a gigantic building completely. No, they don’t know if that’s accurate, either. They didn’t know how big they were because they had passed so high above in the sky, but if they were that high and appeared that large still, they couldn’t imagine how big they were in actuality.
Gooooooooooooo! While making that eerie noise, several gigantic fireballs flew over the Polsky soldiers…and landed behind their position.
Dooooon! Along with the deafening roar, the ground shook so violently that they thought it was a giant earthquake. And as they looked to the sky, it was dyed red.
“Uu-uooohh!”
“Hii…!”
“Ru-Run for it!
When they looked behind them, they saw a huge pillar of fire, no, a huge wall of fire that fanned out around them. The wall of flame swells at once and the fire spreads over to them. Tents burned in an instant, a hot wind blew, and even the soldiers who were on the front line, furthest from the initial blast, were scorched and suffered minor burns from the heat.
“Hiiii! So-Someone do something!”
The fire spreads to the command tent where Mikalojus and the leaders of the Polski army were. However, thanks to being inside the tent, they weren’t directly exposed to the hot air, so they didn’t get that badly burnt.
Mikalojus and his allies quickly emerged from their tents, and their eyes widened in astonishment at what they saw outside. Behind them, the space where their base camp had been pitched just a while ago was completely burnt to ash by a giant flame that they had never seen before. How strong was the fire, that it would completely burn out buildings in just a few seconds, several tens of seconds, from the time the orbs landed until they exited the command tent and saw what happened outside?
“Your Excellency! Over here!”
“Tha-That way is where the enemy is!” Mikalojus yelled.
The relative safety of the leaders was due to so much luck. The heat of the huge flames almost entirely escaped to the top. So, unless they were very close to the point of impact, not many people were burned to death by the hot air alone. In addition, they were in a tent made of thick fabric, and thanks to the surrounding tents blocking the hot wind.
However, when they went outside, the flames were spreading everywhere, and if they stayed in a place like this forever, they would have no choice but to be engulfed in flames and burn to death. The fact that the rear is burning means that the only way to escape from the flames is to move forward.
“Your Excellency, I will protect you.”
“Oh! Janzicka! Then, I will order you to be my escort! Be sure to protect me!” Mikalojus said.
“Sire!” Janzicka cried.
With Janzicka the strongest man in the Kingdom of Polsky as his escort, Mikalojus regained his composure and began to advance before they were engulfed in flames. If they don’t at least get ahead of the front line of their current formation, where there were no burning tents and materials, they would be swallowed up like them.
Due to the suddenness of the event and the incredible speed and amount of fire, the Polsky army began to advance, searching search for any spot that wasn’t burning amid the chaos, and the officers were unable to take command. And as they approached Koenigsvelg, it appeared.
“Hey! What is that?”
“A ship?”
“That’s crazy! It’s too big!”
From the point of view of the Polsky army, the ship was supposed to be floating on the river beyond the town of Koenigsvelg, but it was so big it made their sense of perspective warp. No, it wasn’t a trick of the light. It’s actually that big.
One to the east and one to the west of the Polsky army as it moved from north to south, two huge ships that had never been seen before emerged from the shadows of the town. The huge ship has a strange structure with many windows on the side. The windows were open and something like a black cylinder was peeking out. And then…….
Don! Don! Do-do-do-don!
Something flew from that huge ship that spewed fire and smoke with a tremendous roar.
“Ah?”
“Pugya!”
“Gueh!”
By the time they thought something was flying, it was already too late. Those who were directly caught in the flying object’s paths were crushed and turned into minced meat. And even if they aren’t hit directly, the bullet hins the ground and causes a shockwave as dirt explodes around it, striking even those who were only nearby. A number of soldiers went flying in the air with each shot.
“Hiiih! What is this!? What in the hell is this-sssss! Do something about it, Janzicka!” Mikalojus yelled.
“-! Please step aside! Haaa!” Janzicka yelled.
The sound of exploding ground resounds throughout the area. The bullets pour down like rain, equally turning soldiers, officers, generals, and staff members into minced meat. Of course, the bullets were also approaching Mikalojus. In front of him stands General Janzicka, protecting him.
“UOOOOOHHH!”
Janzicka swings his prized spear to knock down the flying bullets. Even with the physical strength that lets him easily lift a large rock, it is not easy to deflect them, both his arm and spear made sickening sounds.
“OAAAAHHH!”
And after deflecting the bullets with his spear for a while, Janzicka finally strikes down all of them. His arms are numb, his spear is bent out of shape, and the bones of his whole body are creaking. If he is told to strike down another shot, he is not confident that he will be able to do so.
“Come on! Your Excellency! Let’s move!” Janzicka yelled.
“Ye-Yes! As expected of you, Janzicka! At this rate, you’ll only need to keep shooting them down!”
It’s easy to say, Janzicka thought so, but he doesn’t protest out loud. If he says he can’t deflect one more shot, it’s going to affect the morale of the whole army. Polsky is still barely able to move in an organized manner because the command structure happened to survive and because of Janzicka’s success rallying them. If that Janzicka said such a thing, it could all collapse at once.
“The only way to prevent attacks from the enemy ships is to cling to the walls of Koenigsvelg!” Janzicka yelled. “All troops, continue to charge!”
“”””Oooohhh~~~!””””
Janzicka’s shooting down the bullets restored the morale of Polski’s forces and they began to advance further toward Koenigsvelg.
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