aircannonsinc Chapter 105 The Battle of the Golden Horse
Chapter 105 The Battle of the Golden Horse
"Damn, how many people are here?" Tiberius tossed his binoculars to Vito. "They look like they're going to swallow us all whole!"
"Tsk tsk, and they're all damn elites!" Vito glanced at the banners, muttering to himself, "Putting everything else aside, there's the Fifth Legion's cavalry [Summer Storm], the Third Legion's [Uncrowned Prince], and the [Death Order]'s super-heavy cavalry..."
As Vito looked at the flags and counted them with awe, he suddenly fell silent, his face turning deathly pale. Looking at the distant woods where flocks of birds were taking flight, his legs trembled uncontrollably.
"What's wrong, Vito?" Tippi asked, somewhat curiously.
"elephant!"
Yes, elephants.
Just as they were discussing, six war elephants clad in leather armor and with wooden towers on their backs emerged from the forest! As they walked out of the forest, the entire forest made way for these terrifying war behemoths.
"Damn, the Valantis really think highly of us, six elephants, such a big fuss!" Old Tom, leaning on his spear, slammed his helmet over his head.
"But we have to fight, no matter what!"
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When the best-eyed scout within the White Army reported the overall intelligence to the Jules case, everyone fell silent.
This is a very powerful enemy; if we are not careful, they could all be wiped out!
First came the enemy's heavy hammer: a company of 150 super-heavy cavalrymen from the Death Order were having their squires don their armor. They were sharpening their swords, absolutely confident they could utterly pierce the enemy's formation.
Then there is the enemy's core: a large company led by the "Uncrowned Prince," consisting of 3,500 armed slaves and household servants, and 500 cavalrymen from the "Summer Storm," totaling two companies. They will become the backbone of the battlefield and the eyes and ears of the enemy's flanks.
Then came a total of six war elephants and their cavalry, who were the "tanks" of this era. When they appeared, they had a devastating impact on morale and formation.
Then there were nearly two thousand auxiliary soldiers, conscripts, and temporary mercenaries. Although these people were numerous, they were unlikely to have a significant impact on the battle.
Now, this massive army has deployed in the woods east of the castle, its dark ranks spreading out, the armor and weapons reflecting a chilling light in the sunlight, and the neighing of the war elephants like the horns of death.
The overwhelming superiority in manpower and equipment plunged the White Legion and the Lightning Legion, who had just captured the castle, into an unprecedented crisis.
The cliffside fortress resembled a lone boat in a raging storm, seemingly on the verge of being crushed. On the castle walls, every soldier felt the almost tangible killing intent and pressure.
"We won't fight them inside the cliff fortress!" Jules said, pointing to the map with a serious expression.
"Boss, what are you saying?!" Vito jumped up and down in a panic. "Aren't we supposed to hold out in the fortress? Are we supposed to face them head-on?"
"Look, boss, do the math yourself. Including the scum and stragglers we brought, we only have four thousand men in total! And the auxiliary troops and scum can't even be deployed to the front lines. Their combat effectiveness is completely unreliable. How are we supposed to fight in the field?"
Lisang Luo crossed his arms, equally bewildered as to why they should leave the city at this time to engage the enemy in open battle, instead of holding their ground at the cliff fortress.
"First of all, Vito, what brings us to the upper reaches?" Tiberius moved a piece representing a cavalryman from the flank corridor to the upper reaches of the Controversial River.
"For..." Vito was speechless for a moment.
"Our official explanation was that we were trying to gain an advantage upstream, acting as a detachment to seize the Valantis strongholds, strategically threatening the northern part of Rieslan and forcing the enemy to divert their attention to the flank corridor. But what was the reality?"
Tiberius moved the vast majority of the pieces representing the Three Kingdoms to the flank corridor area.
"It means we have no aid, no logistics! We have the absolute freedom of initiative, but that also means we shouldn't expect to get even the slightest bit of supplies or reinforcements from the rear!"
"That's true, but Commander Tiberius and Commander Jules, it still seems unwise of you to launch a preemptive strike," Dmitri objected.
"Precisely because we have no reinforcements, we should make use of every advantage we can, which is beneficial to us. The current cliff fortress is an excellent defensive position!" He pointed to the cliff fortress on the map.
"This position is easy to defend and difficult to attack, the castle is sturdy, and a hundred men can be used as many as a thousand! I admit the enemy has a large number of men, but if they want to break through, it will still be very difficult! After all, their current strength is less than five times ours!"
According to the military textbooks and training of the Mil officers, a siege could only be carried out with a force of five times or more; otherwise, the siege would become extremely difficult.
"Dmitri, you are absolutely right. Cliff Fortress is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If the Valantis want to launch a strong attack, their super-heavy cavalry, charioteers, arrogant noble lads, and their war elephants can only be treated like the lowest infantry, using ladders, siege towers, and siege engines to carve up this castle after suffering heavy casualties!"
"But! The problem lies in this 'but'! The second dilemma we face has turned 'outpost defense' into a slow death!" Jules said in a low voice.
"Actually, this second point... to be honest, it's kind of darkly humorous..." Tippi chuckled slightly, pointed to the bread on the table, and asked Lezapo.
"Lezapo, how much food did we take with us when we headed north? How much have we eaten so far? How long can this food last for so many of us?"
"Commander, if you and Commander Jules do not need cavalry to participate in the upcoming battles, that's enough to sustain us for five days. If we need cavalry to carry out missions, then it will only last two days," Lezabo reported.
"The horses of assault cavalry need oats, alfalfa, and eggs; even the horses of light cavalry need at least alfalfa to eat. Without these, they will have a hard time carrying their knights at high speeds!"
Tiberius snorted softly after hearing the report.
"There's no food left! As for the so-called supplies from Cliff Fortress? Ha! Vito, you saw it yourself, the food in their warehouses isn't even enough to feed the two hundred or so people here, let alone replenish us!"
"This means that if the enemy completely seizes the initiative on the battlefield, we will be trapped and starve to death in this small fortress! They don't need to do anything but surround us and slowly crush us like grain being ground in a millstone! Because we have no reinforcements and our food supplies are insufficient!"
Yes, this is absolutely darkly humorous! The garrison at Cliff Fortress was forced to leave the city and fight them in the open field due to a lack of food.
Now, due to food shortages, they are forced to leave the city and engage in open battle with the Valantis.
"Well, it seems we'll just have to have a proper showdown with them!" Vito said, finding it rather ironic.
Damn it, isn't this just forcing them to leave the city and fight?
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"These lowly mercenaries from the Kingdom of Three Daughters actually won?" A soldier from the [Uncrowned Prince] legion frowned, tossed his purple robe to his attendant, and strode into the meeting room.
"Company Commander, I've said it before, these guys stationed at Cliff Fortress are completely untrustworthy! Most of them come from profit-driven urban classes or from backwater rural areas. How could they possibly understand the value of honor and the glory of Valantis?"
"The nobles and knights stationed there fought to the very last moment, outnumbered and exhausted! They are the true, glorious warriors!"
Of course, he glossed over the fact that the knights and officers in the castle were selling grain, causing the soldiers to go hungry, and that they had to go out of the city to fight in the field because of the lack of food.
"Ahem, sit down!" The company commander, the "Uncrowned Prince," who was sitting in the middle of the tent, coughed lightly and gestured for his men to sit down.
"Let everyone take up positions first," the company commander said. "The enemy is already trapped! Our victory is simply keeping them from running away!"
"Let's set up camp first, besiege them, and keep our soldiers from getting too tired. That way, we can wait for them to slink out of the castle and fight us!"
"Insightful!"
"A visionary leader!"
"A potential general!"
A series of flattering words came out of the subordinate's mouth as if they were free, as if the company commander in front of him had defeated Jules and Tiberius like autumn leaves in the wind.
But the reality is...
"Gentlemen, we must find a way to lure the enemy out for a field battle!" After the meeting ended, the company commander pulled aside several captains of the "Uncrowned Princes," soldiers of the illustrious Uncrowned Princes, and company commanders and officers from other legions for a rather tense conversation.
"Well, as everyone knows, this upstream area isn't exactly an important battlefield. If our brothers can't win any honor for Valantis, it's just a waste of our martial skills and the soldiers' enthusiasm..."
"This food problem... sigh, I never expected the Three Daughters Kingdom to be so wicked, how did it suddenly appear!" The company commander slammed his fist on the table in front of him.
"The responsibility lies entirely with the Third Daughter Kingdom!"
Yes, besides the fact that they had just arrived and were not well prepared, there was another important reason why they did not attack the city immediately:
As for the grain... a portion of it was "temporarily" diverted by them.
Of course, according to them, this is the proper way.
The land of Valantis was conquered by their ancestors, so what's wrong with selling them some grain as compensation?
Besides, they didn't have the opportunity to go to the Riseland region to loot, plunder, and feast, so this wasn't the only way they could earn some extra money. This is compensation for them!
"So, Company Commander, when will the next batch of food arrive?" A soldier with the title "Uncrowned Prince" coughed lightly and asked the question directly.
"Our soldiers, especially the conscripts and auxiliary troops, are at the bottom of the supply chain. Most of them could only eat berries and nuts to fill their stomachs a day ago. Today I glanced at the data provided by the logistics officer: because of the addition of elephant troops and the huge consumption of our warhorses, it is very likely, very likely..." He hesitated for a few moments, then dared not continue.
"Go on!" The company commander tapped the table with his finger. "I want the truth!"
"Our food supplies may only last for five days, after all, we also need to consider the food we need on the way back to the Broken Spear River crossing."
If food supplies are insufficient, the auxiliary troops, mercenaries, and conscripts are very likely to riot.
This news stunned all the officers present.
The resale of military rations could be explained by reasons such as "deficits," "elephants and warhorses overeating," or "grain depots catching fire/flooding," to explain why there were still deficits and shortages despite the large amount of grain on the books.
If the cliff fortress was not recaptured, it could be excused by saying things like "strategic retreat," "the enemy occupying advantageous terrain," or "the cliff fortress garrison's reckless attack caused our army to lose its greatest advantage."
However, once the news of the camp being stormed comes out, their futures will be affected, and their lives may even be in danger.
After all, the incident of the camp being stormed was far too serious. Valantis could tolerate the corruption of his generals, but he could not tolerate your incompetence.
"Let's wait until tomorrow..." An officer from [Summer Storm] rubbed the hornbow in his hand.
"Let's wait until tomorrow and see what these mercenaries from the Three Daughters Kingdom are planning next, and then we can discuss it further."
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"We'll fight them in that swamp north of Cliff Keep!" Tiberius said in a deep voice, placing the flag piece symbolizing the Lightning Legion on the marked area on the map.
"The enemy will be overjoyed to see us go out into the open to fight. After all, both siege warfare and city sieges are equally brutal and painful, but going out into the open to fight might end the war in just one afternoon! Let the gods decide who gets the victory."
"Besides our Lightning Legion, Uncle, I also need Old Tom's pikemen battalion and Vito's crossbowmen battalion." Tiberius raised his head, his eyes gleaming.
"Uncle, once we repel the enemy's first wave of attack, your shock cavalry will have the opportunity to break into their formation while they are in disarray, and they will naturally collapse!"
"Tiberius is too young... Commander!" Habroy couldn't help but chime in after hearing Tiberius's thoughts. "But the opposing knights far outnumber us!"
"First up are the heavy hammers of Valantis: the super-heavy cavalry of the Death Order. These guys are a bunch of terrifying tin cans! Once they start charging, they're enough to destroy any infantry line!"
"Then there are the 'uncrowned princes.' Although those young masters are dressed like peacocks, they are incredibly arrogant, looking down on everyone else."
"But when it comes to equipping their soldiers, these rich kids are never stingy. After all, in Valantis, armed slaves and land are what a 'decent' noble should pursue; everything else is just fluff. These guys can probably muster three hundred armored shock knights and the same number of mounted squires."
"Furthermore, although those cavalrymen from [Summer Storm] aren't exactly true shock cavalry, if necessary, these guys can still charge at us with their lances!"
"Upon arriving here, there are nearly twelve hundred knights! And as everyone knows, a single knight can easily defeat three to five times his number of infantry!"
"Not to mention they have far more infantry than we do! And their damn elephants, those war behemoths, the morale of our lads drops by more than half the moment they appear on the battlefield!"
"Once the elephants charge, we're truly left with no choice but to risk our lives to stop their trampling. If our infantry phalanx and archers fail to hold off the enemy's mass charge, then all our tactical planning will be for nothing!"
Jules wanted to explain something, but Tibbie coughed lightly, so Jules kept his mouth shut and let his nephew handle the matter himself.
"Habroy, your question is very constructive. You're right, this battle is indeed very disadvantageous to us."
"The enemy has more cavalry than us, and more infantry than us. Moreover, they have elephants and super-heavy cavalry, which are super weapons of mass destruction, while we only have a few assault knights and the bows and crossbows and weapons in the hands of our infantry."
"But we also have an advantage!" Tiberius said sharply.
"Look here!" He pointed to the swampy area north of Cliff Fortress on the map.
"This swampy area is our battlefield! Please look: behind this area lies the River of Controversy, and to the side is our Cliff Fortress. Within the swamp, two streams flow into the River of Controversy, along with numerous ponds. The muddy swamp surrounds it, turning this area into a de facto island!"
"In places like this, Valantis' cavalry isn't as effective as before!"
"Secondly, if I'm not mistaken..." Tiberius squinted, looking through the castle window at the Valantis banners fluttering in the wind outside the city walls.
"They're even more eager to attack than we are now!"
"But before that..." Tiberius took a deep breath and then turned to Lezapo.
"Have you collected everything I asked you to collect?"