Chapter 230: A Knight’s Honor (2)

‘I completely lost.’

Antras was distressed. He realized that he had been tricked by the enemy’s intent from the beginning. He had fallen into the trap of thinking with a strategist’s common sense and believed that by having a river at their backs, the Lester Kingdom was giving up on retreating and would fight tooth and nail. He never even considered that the enemy might choose to retreat. 

As a result, he had completely lost the enemy. Suddenly in the same position as a dog chasing a chicken,[1] Antras began to analyze the situation and quickly predicted the enemy’s purpose. 

‘If I were the Lester Kingdom, then I’d…’

Antras spoke firmly.

“We can’t let the enemy go like this.”

The others looked like they were in agreement. Currently, the Empire had concentrated its forces with its sights set on the Lester Kingdom. Of course, the Empire had set some of their forces aside in case the Republic counterattacked but if they lost the Lester Kingdom here, then they would have sustained damages for nothing with only failure to show.

The Imperial Army was massive. As large as it was, it consumed an equally large amount of supplies every time they moved. If they lost the Lester Kingdom here, then the Empire would only have wasted supplies, but more importantly, Antras didn’t know where the Lester Kingdom’s army would go and do what next.

‘The problem is, did they go south or north?’

Determining which direction the Imperial Army would go depending on which direction the Lester Kingdom’s army went after they crossed the river.

If the Lester Kingdom went south, then their goal would be Sir Florian who was aiming for the Lester Kingdom’s mainland. Even if Sir Florian led 50,000 soldiers, the odds of him winning against the main army of the Lester Kingdom weren’t high.

But it would also be a problem if the Lester Kingdom had gone north. The north had the Republicans. In other words, the Lester Kingdom’s army might join forces with the Republican army.

This would really be a problem. The Imperial Army had already suffered considerable damage due to General Barron of the Republic’s counterattack. The reason the Empire had been rushing to deal with the Lester Kingdom was to divide and conquer them before the Lester Kingdom could join forces with the Republic.

If you calculated the damages the Empire had sustained at the beginning of the war when the Lester Kingdom had intervened, along with the supplies consumed in this battle, then there was a possibility that the Empire would be pushed back, even in a head-on battle, if the Lester Kingdom and Republic united. 

‘We have to stop them before then. Thankfully, the Republic is still maintaining a broad frontline. If we stop the Lester Kingdom, who’s concentrating their forces, then it won’t be too late.’

Antras waited nervously for the information that the messenger would bring.

The scouting teams had quickly made rafts to cross the river and search for traces of the Lester Kingdom. Had they gone north? Or did they go south? Depending on the outcome, the Imperial Army’s response would be different. 

A scout finally brought in the information.

“We’ve found traces of the Lester Kingdom’s army going south, sir.”

Upon obtaining the information, Antras jumped out of his seat as he shouted.

“Good! Then we’ll immediately…”

But he suddenly stopped talking.

“Antras, what’s the matter?”

“......”

Duke Sebastian realized something was wrong and questioned him, but Antras fell into deep thought and didn’t respond.

‘Would a strategist who’s worked this hard to retreat leave behind traces like this?’

If it was him, he would have done his best to erase his tracks as much as possible. If that wasn’t possible, then he’d deliberately leave tracks to trick the enemy away.

In that case…

“Give the reconnaissance team carrier pigeons and fast horses and have them find the enemy’s rear!”

“Sir? Ah, yes, sir!”

“Report it immediately as soon as you find the location of the enemy’s rear. Quickly!”

“Yes, sir! Understood.”

As the messenger hurried outside, Antras sat down again. Seeing him like that, Duke Florian frowned at him.

“Shouldn’t we be going after them right now?”

“We don’t know where exactly the enemy is yet.”

“Didn’t they say they found traces of the Lester Kingdom’s army going south? If we let them leave, then my son who’s leading the detached force will be isolated and in danger!”

Duke Florian shouted at him angrily. But Antras was calm.

“I know how you feel, but what I need right now is accurate information. If we set the wrong course, then we truly wouldn’t be able to change courses.”

Antras planned to wait and not move until the reconnaissance team brought him accurate information. But Duke Florian realized that his family’s heir was in danger and couldn’t wait.

“Forget it. I’ll lead my men and go down south!”

Duke Florian rose from his seat and tried to leave when Duke Sebastian blocked his path. 

“Sit down, Duke Florian.”

“Move.”

“I can’t do that. Sit back down.”

“......”

Duke Florian glared at him.

He swiftly pulled out his sword and tried to point it at Duke Sebastian, but…

Marquis Baker Gotham grabbed his arm.

“You better stop.”

“Let go of…”

Duke Florian trailed off.

He saw where Marquis Gotham was subtly indicating with his chin. Duke Christian Schweiker was staring at him. Duke Schweiker wasn’t exuding any murderous intent nor was he warning him, and yet…

“Kugh…”

Duke Schweiker was merely looking at him, but it seemed felt he was tied up with a rope and couldn’t move an inch.

Looking at Duke Florian’s angered face, Antras spoke.

“I understand your anxiety. But as the person in charge of this war, I can’t put Sir Florian’s safety before the outcome of this war.”

“......”

“Please understand.”

Duke Florian sat down with a sigh at those words. Whether he looked at it from a military standpoint or tried to find a justification for it, this wasn’t a situation in which he could do anything.

“Wait for now. Waiting is better than being hasty and making a mess of things.”

That was what Antras said, but he also knew that he couldn’t waste too much time. He was just as anxious as Duke Florian.

‘Thankfully, it hasn’t been long since the enemy retreated. The scouts should be able to catch up with the enemy’s rear in at least half a day. It won’t be too late to move then.’

But, that also meant they couldn’t delay for more than half a day. By then, they won’t have any choice but to move south.

And a little bit later.

“Silver Sage, a carrier pigeon has flown in, sir.”

“They found the enemy’s rear?”

“Yes, sir. They said the enemy went south before changing directions and moving west, sir.”

“West?”

Antras immediately opened his map and looked at the direction the Lester Kingdom’s army was moving…

“I see. Are they planning to ride northward on the Western main road and join forces with Republican forces led by Barron?”

If they took the main road in the west and continued northward, then they could join with the Republic.

“We will stop them before that! Give the orders to the entire army! Our goal is the north! We will annihilate the 100,000 Republican troops led by Barron before the Lester Kingdom can join with them!”

“Yes, sir!”

At Antras’s command, the Imperial Army began to move. 

Antras turned towards Duke Christian Schweiker.

“Duke, I believe I can fulfill my promise to you.”

At his words, everyone else looked confused, but Duke Schweiker replied with a face full of expectations.

“Thank you.”

***

The Imperial Army advanced rapidly. They had to move quickly if they wanted to attack the Republic Army led by Barron before the Lester Kingdom’s army joined them. 

Fortunately, the western route that the Lester Kingdom picked was a detour. If the Imperial army followed the Terin River and advanced northward, then they would meet General Barron’s army first.

‘Considering that the Republican Army has 100,000 men and Barron’s presence, it’s worth mobilizing all the troops.’

Because of this, the Imperial Army moved quickly. The Imperial Army finally arrived to face off against the 100,000 elite troops led by the strongest in the Republic.

***

“General, the Imperial Army has appeared on the front lines.”

The deputy’s voice reporting this was serene. It was like he was reporting ‘the sky is clear today.’ And the man receiving the report was just as serene if not languid about it. 

“What’s the size?”

“It’s currently estimated to be 200,000 men with the possibility of it more than doubling based on the troops following them, sir.”

“So their current size is double ours? All right, go get ready.”

“Yes, General.”

Although he promptly carried out the order, there was no sense of urgency.

The man who had received the report slowly got up from his seat. He had a relaxed look on his face, but the sharpness of his eyes contained the savageness of a wild beast and the perfectly trained body was covered in scars. 

He was General Barron, the strongest man in the Republic. While Siegfried had played with the Fuhrers of the Republic in the palm of his hands, General Barron was someone even he couldn’t handle however he wanted.

The strongest man in the Republic. Usually, knights named Duke Christian Schweiker of the Andrews Empire as the continent’s strongest man, but the Republicans challenged that every time by pushing forward Barron’s name. But it wasn’t only the Republicans who recognized the name Barron, the kingdoms did as well. His past record fighting against the Strabus Kingdom was too great to ignore. There were even people who believed General Barron, who had fought through multiple wars might be stronger than Duke Schweiker who hadn’t been as active in wars. 

Not to mention, these 100,000 troops that were led by Barron had absolute faith in their General. They were probably the only men in the entire Republican Army who trusted Barron more than they did their Fuhrer.

200,000 Imperial soldiers? Duke Christian Schweiker? What about them?

As long as General Barron stood in front of them with his back towards them, then whether their opponent was a god or a demon, they were a group of people who were willing to follow after him to attack their opponent.

As soon as Barron stepped out of his barrack, the officers all greeted him with great discipline.

“General.”

“The enemy?”

“They’re in front of us, sir.”

“Good.”

When Barron reached out, a deputy handed him a flask.

When he opened it, the strong scent of cheap whisky wafted out from inside it.

Barron gulped it down like water before handing it back to the deputy.

“I’ll drink the rest once this is handled.”

“Yes, General.”

“Ready the entire army. We welcome guests.”

“Yes, General.”

***

“Silver Sage. The Republican Army is moving, sir.”

Antras nodded as he watched the Republican’s movements from atop the watchtower.

“Quick response.”

It seemed like Barron, who was leading the army, wasn’t the only person he had to be cautious about. The fact that the troops moved that swiftly meant that the soldiers themselves were well trained.

“Infantry, to the front! We’re advancing slowly.”

Keeping in mind that another single combat might happen and screw up his plans, Antras had his troops move forward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Imperial infantry advanced forward with footsteps that sounded like it could literally shake the earth. Behind them were the archers with large-scale weapons such as ballistae scattered throughout. Finally, the knights and cavalry were in the back. They were prepared to slip out at any moment to help their fellow soldiers.

But this wasn’t a particularly revolutionary tactic; it was a typical battle formation. However, because this typical battle formation was perfect, it would be far more effective than a revolutionary yet uncoordinated move. This could only be improved by the Imperial Army’s size.

‘Let’s see how they respond.’

1. An idiom in which a dog chases a chicken and just as the dog’s about to catch it, the chicken flies up to the roof and the dog’s left staring at his escaped prey. A close English phrase would be ‘so much for all our plans,’ but I left it as the Korean idiom because it was a funny image not to