Chapter 112 Sudden Assault

The camp of the Naharog army was devastated and utterly destroyed. The sheer destruction caused by explosions slowly unravels under the sunshine.

The land was painted red. Peasants that are very close were reduced to dust, if not pieces. Many pieces of human meat and organs are scattered across the camp. Not to mention the vile smell that accompanies it. For those who were barely out of the explosion range found their eardrum ruptured and suffered serious bleeding. Their tent was completely painted blood red.

Such damage became a clot in the count's throat. It had for him to swallow this fact. A second is all it takes for this to happen.

A strong army of ten thousand people was reduced to a little over eight thousand. Not a lot of losses but it definitely gives some mental damage to the soldiers.

"My king, we have finished cleaning up the corpses. The remaining soldiers have lost their spirits. Some of them wish to return home." Rupert reported.

"What about our rations and weapons?"

"Nothing in the storage area remained. We're left with three field cannons and tens of ammunition that our soldiers forgot to store yesterday. I would say this is a blessing in disguise."

He was facing a conundrum. Either to advance or to retreat?

He doesn't know if three field cannons are enough or not to capture Napuna. The wall protecting it may degenerate but it is still a sturdy wall.

As the count dives deeper into his sea of thought, he heard the galloping of horses in the distance. Then, not long after, the scream followed.

"Arrghh!!"

"Attack! We're under attack!" shouts the soldiers. The horror of the explosion has yet to diminish. Now, they had to face an unexpected attack.

"Everyone gets ready! Assemble at the centre!" Ignoring the cries of his soldiers, Count Naharog calmly issued the order.

He doesn't know how the news reaches Napuna so fast. Thus, he deduces that they heard the sound of an explosion and comes to check what happened there.

Wasting no time, he grabbed his armour and swords for himself while simultaneously ordering Rupert to move the cannons and ammunition to the centre. It is to prevent cannons from getting destroyed. He doesn't want to waste a few days waiting for a replacement if he loses them.

His personal soldiers manage to avoid the catastrophe and assembly on time while almost half of the conscript loses their life. However, the remaining still manage to gather at the centre of the camp. They formed a circular defensive formation with the count and the cannons comfortably at the centre.

The count literally can see the assault caused by multiple groups of cavalry. At the forefront of the attack was someone he recognized.

"Nicholas..." He spouts the name with hatred.

Not only him, but Rupert noticed Nicholas's presence too. "Your Majesty, that's Nicholas personally stepped his foot into the battlefield. I can't remember the last time he did it."

"It's an eye-opener for me to see Nicholas I have sanity and bravery left in his mind. I can tell Nicholas is quite angry from his stares at me. General, how many soldiers are they?"

His general could only shake his head, "We can't get an accurate number with all the chaos that is happening, Your Majesty. They attack us from multiple directions in a small group with a varied number of cavalry in it."

The count clicked his tongue, "Tsk, tell soldiers at the front to raise their shields and be ready for the impact. Get the archers ready with their bows and arrows. Also, prepare the cannons as well."

Not knowing the size of the opponent means he can't formulate countermeasures. There's so little he can do.

He doesn't want to waste ammunition now and save it for bombarding Napuna's wall. After all, ammunition is expensive but if it means keeping him alive, he'll go to a great length.

"As you wish..."

After giving the order, the count cast his gaze on Nicholas and his army ahead.

A small squad of cavalry begin to combine with each other one after another. Gradually, a large army was formed and headed towards them.

"Oh shit... They're going to collide with us!" The count shouted.

"Archer! Quickly release the shot! Halt their movement!"

Following their general's order, approximately 1,000 archers released the arrows toward the incoming force. 1,000 archers definitely not a high number for an army of 10,000 people. It all lies in the fact that the count heavily relies on the cannons for his war campaign.

Unfortunately for them, Bagyarosia cavalry was spearheaded by the elite cavalry Nicholas I could muster. Like their rider, the warhorses were equipped with armour protecting all the vital parts.

The damage caused by the arrows was negligible.

Soon after, like a gigantic arrow, Nicholas I and his 4,000 soldiers ran into the layers of defence.

The collision between two forces occurs.

It sends the shockwave all the way to the archers in the back. The first layer of formation which consists of conscript peasants instantly collapsed as they have no strength to receive the impact of a charge attack.

Thankfully, the trained soldiers of the count in the second layer are able to hold Nicholas I and his force in place, giving enough time for surviving peasants to recover. They then begin to attack the Bagyarosia cavalry on the back which warhorses are not fully equipped with armour.

An attack from the peasant in the back created some chaos in the back raising a vigilant for Nicholas I on the front. Without further ado, Nicholas put all his effort into breaking through the thick layer of trained soldiers. His hand never stops slashing the enemies with his sword.

"This bastard! He tries to punch through!" The count realizes that Nicholas's aim was him all along. It's a risky move that requires a high skill of manoeuvring but is worth an effort. Panicking and feeling his life in danger, the count begins to shout repeatedly, "Artillerists! Artillerists! Shoot! Shoot the cannons."

"But Your Majesty, it'll hit our soldiers along the way." Rupert reminded.

"I don't care! Shoot! Shoot! This is an order!"

Reluctantly, Rupert nods as a signal to the ready artillerists.

*Boom!*

Cannonballs were fired toward Nicholas I but they barely missed him. Instead, it hit Nicholas' soldiers behind causing him to scream in pain. Yet, Nicholas I ignored it as his attention is all on the count.

"Your Majesty, our number has begun to dwindle. We'll be at a disadvantage if we continue with this strategy. Sooner or later, the table will turn in their favour and we will have no escape route." Philip urged his king to retreat.

He took a glance at the back and saw the predicament sweeping his soldiers. Leaving with no choice, Nicholas nods. "Let's retreat then. We've caused significant damage to them." His eyes then shift to Naharog, "Next time you won't be so lucky, Nelson."

Nicholas I pulled his horse's bridle and fled the scene with his army.