Chapter 5: Rogue Lords (5)

The combat system was the same as in that game, this means that I won’t die at the hands of soldiers below my martial force value. In this war-torn world the only thing that can guarantee my life is martial force.

Of course, the amount of experience I can gain in a non-lethal battle is minimal. It’s only natural that when I kill an enemy in actual combat the experience gain is more significant. So it’s impossible to level up in such a confrontation. This was just an experiment to see how much the experience increases. Of course, as a result, I got Bente.

Haddin reinstated all of his old men and Bente appointed ten of his men to the captain position, that’s how the army was reorganized.

No matter how high your command numbers are, you need time to take control of your army with a sudden promotion or return. So, you have to keep your existing subordinates. There may be some disgruntled people, but I can suppress such things with the lord’s bad name. I don’t have time for a peaceful solution, the battle is just around the corner.

Standing in front of the assembled soldiers, I explained in detail the strategy for tomorrow’s battle and then gave the commander his orders. The faces of the soldiers changed but no one blatantly complained, this is truly the power of the lord.

Following my orders, the entire army immediately began to move in a hurry. The soldiers would all be thinking the same thing, that the lord had started playing war games. I didn’t want to correct the soldiers thinking.

In the current situation, it might be better to do that instead. If I can make them believe that the enemy is really coming to attack they would rather flee, their morale is only 20.

It’s much better to let them dig a pit and set up an ambush while thinking it’s a game than to let them escape. Anyway, as long as they started moving as ordered, that’s all that matters.

The plan I devised was like this.

The main force of the Narja Kingdom will move north. A decoy unit to conceal its movement would appear in the Aintorian territory, the western border of the Lunan Kingdom. The path of this decoy force was visible.

A vast mountain range looms over the Narja Kingdom and Aintorian territory. In the first place, the reason why the country was divided on the border of Aintorian due to the civil war was also because of this mountain range between Aintorian territory and the Narja Kingdom.

This mountain range is steep and extremely difficult to cross. Only the road between the mountains was guarded by a barrier. So, the fastest way to cross the border would be at this very barrier.

They could choose to cross the steep mountains, like General Hannibal, who crossed the Alps in the Second Punic War.

Or, they could attack us via a detour. But there is no such record in the history of the game. The Narja’s Royal Army attacked across the barrier.

The purpose of the decoy squad is to gather attention. So there’s no need to go out of their way to avoid the public eye. I’m sure that Erhin’s incompetence is already well known among the Narja Kingdom Army.

So naturally, they will come from this path where they can attack the fastest. Since I know the history, I don’t have to think about anything else.

I just have to keep an eye on this path. Usually, a battle would break out at the barrier, but this barrier had collapsed due to an earthquake during the time of the previous lord.

According to what I heard from the chamberlain, it seems that the money for repairs provided by the kingdom was spent elsewhere by Erhin. Even if the barrier is damaged it is wise to take advantage of this mountainous area, looking at the soldiers’ morale and training, it would be much better to ambush the enemy than attack them head-on.

After the barrier, there was a rather long narrow road to the Aintorian plains. The narrow path beneath the cliffs would be the perfect place for an ambush. I know when and where the enemy is coming from; it would be foolish not to take advantage of it.

At the entrance, I should set up a pitfall, This was just the beginning.

***

“What the is this?”

Soldiers blurted out while digging a hole.

“Well, it’s the lord’s game, he wants to play war.”

“Oh no, making war a game.”

A soldier shakes his head with a look of incomprehension at the words of the centurion.

“Hey, you heard me! If it happens to fall into the ears of the lord, we’re all finished. The lord hates those who disobey orders the most, so get to work!”

“Huh. I had good luck with my gambling today, and now I have to do something like this. What’s going on? Damn it!”

The soldiers complained, but followed orders to dig out the pit. Of course, none of them imagined that a real battle would happen. They just thought it was only another one of the tyrant lord whimsical games. Even so, the reason why their bodies naturally moved quickly was that if they did this lazily and the lord found them, they would be dead on the spot.

If you disobey I’ll kill you, that’s the lord. A fact that every Aintorian knows. The soldiers had no choice but to dig the pit while complaining.

Of course, the situation is different in some places. The scene where Bente’s unit was digging was very different from the rest of the troops.

Bente was a straightforward man, and he hadn’t even heard of his lord’s bad name in the first place. On the contrary, he was rather grateful to his lord for recognizing him and giving him the extraordinary role of a centurion, that’s why he was doing his best to admonish the soldiers. No, he was so busy taking the lead.

“Dig a hole and stretch a rope into a large mesh and cover it with straw. Okay? Hey, watch out! Don’t hurt your hand!”

Fear of the lord on one side, loyalty to the lord on the other side. Each person’s mind was different, but the troops were busy anyway.

***

Haddin, who was leading the ambush operation, witnessed an unbelievable sight. It really was the Narja Kingdom Army!

The soldiers couldn’t hide their turmoil either. They all thought it was just a game of the lord, so no one should have expected that the Narja Kingdom Army would really attack.

Of course, the lord had said that he would prepare for an attack by the Narja Kingdom Army. However, no one believed that it would happen in reality, though.

“You knew about the surprise attack of the Royal Army of Narja?”

Everyone thought it was just a game. That said, it’s good that the lord took an interest in the army. That’s why he led this operation as soon as he returned; he preferred to think of it as ambush training.

Anyway, it was Haddin’s opinion that if he could change the lord’s mind by continuing to insist on the importance of the training, he would be willing to be taken back to prison.

But real war?

The soldiers, who were not well trained, had no problem with the ambush in the absence of the enemy. Still, when they actually saw the enemy, they began to panic. Some of them even tried to shoot arrows prematurely.

“Commander! This……There are too many enemies!”

“Everybody shut up!”

When Haddin saw this, he was surprised, but he quickly changed his expression and rallied the soldiers. There is nothing good in making a fuss. Being a war veteran, Haddin knew that he had to maintain his calm in this situation.

He kept an eye on the Royal Army of Narja hanging under the precipice, looking out for his old subordinates who were back as centurions.

The more he looked at them, the more serious he became.

“Commander……is okay?”

Centurion Northstine, an old subordinate commissioned as second-in-command soon after his return, heard a low voice.

“Don’t worry. By the way, you don’t think you can go to……?”

Memories of fighting the Narja Kingdom Army twenty years ago flashed through Haddin’s mind.

“No way, strong spear Randall?”

There was once an enemy he knew in the war. He was relatively young at the time, but he was a man of such prowess that he could justifiably be called a warlord.

“Is that Randall, one of the Ten Warlords of Narja?”

When Northstine asked back, Haddin nodded his head.

“Yes, this guy is trouble. We don’t stand a chance in this battle……”

“Commander……!”

Haddin came to reason at the cry of Northstine.

“Wait for the smoke to rise according to the lord’s order. Until then, do not move!”

Haddin calmly gave the order while breaking out in a cold sweat. He had no idea what’s going on up to this point. Still, now that he thought about it, this ambush strategy, which seemed as a game for the lord, was the only way to target the enemy’s weakness.

Haddin clenched his sword. The enemy’s army and the enemy’s commander, everything is overwhelming. On the other hand, the training level of our army is horrible

Moreover, the people following Burke cannot say anything in front of their lord, but they are rebelling behind the scenes. Even if the ambush operation is successful, it’s unlikely that we would be able to stop Randall under these conditions. Still, he was consumed with the need to do as much damage to the enemy forces as possible for his country’s sake.

As he waited, the smoke finally went up. At the same time, the march of the enemy army suddenly stopped.

“Okay, now. Let go! Kill as many as you can!”

Haddin quickly shouted; simultaneously, arrows were released, and rocks were rolled down as if a cliff collapse had occurred.

The Narja Kingdom troops began to turn right and left while receiving a baptism of arrows and rocks.

However, the thing that Haddin was worried about happened. Some centurions under former commander Burke had been hiding behind the scenes as soon as the Royal Army of Narja appeared. They stood there and trembled, that’s why the troop was unable to make simultaneous attacks. In addition, there was a centurion who lost his reasoning and gave orders recklessly.

“Attack! They’re confused.”

“Don’t! Lord said absolutely refrain from direct attacks!”

The captains next to him tried to stop him, but the centurion Shane, who lost his reasoning, did not listen to them.

“It depends on the situation! Attack!”

The second-in-command leaped down the incline, the soldiers had no choice but to follow.

Convinced that the enemy was utterly oblivious to the movement of our troops that had taken them by surprise across the border, the Royal Army of Narja began to take damage, falling right into our ambush. However, the damage was kept in check, thanks to the discord in the Aintorian army.