Chapter 158: Just who is that person……? (4)
The things I had since birth wouldn’t be so easy to shake off, but the anxiety and nervousness seemed to subside a little.
Right. Everyone has anxiety. Whether you suppress it and succeed or not depends on yourself.
Arisein, Arisein, you’ve poured out your anxieties enough, haven’t you? If you haven’t finished, let it all out.
If you’re done, shut up and grab your sword.
From now on, you have to conquer the city in front of you.
Haven’t you always said you would become the master of war?
To become the master of war, as you said, you must first become the master of yourself!
“I……”
A small voice, inaudible even to my own ears, escaped from between my lips like a breath. Or maybe it was just a breath that accidentally made a meaningful sound.
“I will……”
Yes. That’s better. A slightly better sound is coming out. Come on, come on, fill your lungs with air and let it out. When did my body become so weak? Remember!
You once beat Levidian, even if it was only once!
“Win.”
Finally, a proper voice came out.
It was a low voice, but everyone who was tense would have been able to hear it. As proof, Levidian, who was holding my hand, looked at me and smiled.
“That’s amazing confidence.”
The anxiety within me transformed into confidence.
At the same time, the signal went up.
Whoosh-! Bang-!
Fireworks, which had turned the sky of the Imperial Capital into a flower garden, went up. One firework that emitted light and smoke at the same time. And two more. They exploded above our heads.
“Let’s go―!”
Those who were with me jumped up from their seats and rushed forward. At the same time, countless troops sprang from the mound where I was positioned.
The number of people gathered at Point 1, one point ahead of me, was 500. And from Point 2, a little further away, and Point 3, even further away, soldiers rushed out simultaneously.
Good! You all gathered properly!
Anxiety, if you want to dwell in me today, bring tomorrow’s portion in advance!
Whoosh-! Kaboom―!
With another signal, I drew my sword and ran.
At this moment, the 1144th Cheonbyeongdae, gathered at the invisible Point 5, would have raised their unit flag at the command of First Sword Hickson Toledo. He will surely shout like this.
‘Let’s go, you bastards! Show me that you’re smarter than the horses you’re riding!’
His target would be the small fortress located between the fortress and the city. Along with him, First Sword Binaris Aranas, who was at Point 6, would join him with a bunch of ladders made during the move.
‘Under the blessings of Achuni, glory to the Kingdom Army.’
At Point 3 and Point 4, 500 troops each would also begin their operations.
As I ran excitedly towards the walls, I saw a single remaining soldier wandering around in confusion. The walls, filled with noticeably bewildered people, still hadn’t sounded the alarm bell.
You fools! If this was Orknesia, you would all be demoted and have your pay docked!
As for the pay deduction, the First Sword, who seems to be ranked first in the Herduke Kingdom Army, must have seen the same thing as me and shouted.
“The kids seem a bit flustered, but the walls are unmoving! Can we take the castle by today?!”
“Wanna bet? 1024th Long-Range Mobile Strike Patrol Unit, First Sword Dregorn Martin!”
“Hahaha! General, you’re the third person who swore never to bet again!”
“Who was the first?”
“My father!”
“The second?”
First Sword Martin, who was running ahead, turned his head slightly, wiped under his nose, and shouted playfully.
“The wife I’ll get in the future. Uhahaha!”
“The order is strange, but alright! Vanguard! Go ahead and greet them! The right side of the gate!”
“Yes, sir! Guys, let’s go! 3 times faster advance and 3 times faster retreat!”
“Can’t we retreat 6 times faster―!”
“That’s mutiny!”
First Sword Martin’s shout, which I thought should have been corrected to disobedience of orders, faded away, and at the same time, about 200 men with automatic heavy crossbows painted red were launched forward.
They are the so-called ‘Red Comet Unit,’ the oddballs of the Kingdom Army who are 3 times stronger, 3 times faster, and 3 times more disrespectful.
After sending them ahead to engage in long-range combat, I called the commander of the remaining 300 men.
“1104th Cheonbyeongdae, First Sword Hanos Luxilen! Where are you―!”
“Behind you, General.”
“Oh? My. You could have said something. Makes a man feel awkward. Are you ready?”
“Yes. It will take 5 minutes to set up.”
“Good. Follow First Sword Martin and get cover. Then protect the structure.”
“Your orders.”
Those who were carrying a lot of baggage rushed forward, and with this, all troops except for me, Levidian, and Aila were running towards the walls.
The three of us stopped for a moment and watched the situation unfold.
I could see First Sword Martin, who had run off excitedly, creating a red rain of arrows in the sky. The wind was also in our favor, perfect.
The 500 men who appeared from Point 2, about 2 kilometers away, were assembling catapults, and those at Point 3 were probably struggling to hook grappling hooks and ladders onto the walls.
Clang―! Clang―! Clang―!
A loud bell rang from the walls.
The alarm bell is finally ringing now, that’s a dishonorable discharge.
The Hanah’s defensive soldiers are swarming in, it’s chaos. They might even curse our inconsiderate act of attacking during lunchtime.
My apologies, gentlemen. It was actually planned, so instead of lunch, chew on me, the enemy commander.
I said to the two people who remained with me.
“Aila, Levidian, warm up a bit.”
“It’s a bit late to say this now, but you said you wouldn’t do anything reckless like breaking through the center of the enemy lines, right?”
“Didn’t you know? Men are fickle by nature. Hahaha!”
She widened her eyes and then burst into laughter.
“It’s a beacon!”
Smoke began to rise from Hanah. It must be a beacon to call back those who have already left. And it must be a beacon to call the relief troops they firmly believe are in the north.
“Just shoot, you idiot! It’ll take three hours for those who crossed the water to come! And have you forgotten where we passed through?!”
I nodded at First Sword Martin’s gruff voice.
The 2,000 men who were assigned to supply and other tasks cleverly disrupted the Western Army’s communication system, delaying the relief troops that would enter the land we passed through for a minimum of one week and a maximum of two weeks.
And by the time they notice something is wrong, Hanah will already be occupied, and those remaining in the Hind territory will begin to push in earnest.
I turned my attention back to the walls of Hanah. The estimated number of defending troops is 800. If they rely on the castle, it’s easy to deal with 3,000 men.
Levidian voiced the question that might arise at this point.
“Can we open the gates and push our troops inside by today?”
“I wonder. I’m even more curious because you begged me and I couldn’t find out anything.”
“That depends entirely on the three of us. But Levidian, when will you be ready?”
For today’s task, I needed people trained in martial arts, not military training. I had asked her to bring as many of those she always had with her as possible.
She looked at me and tilted her head.
“What are you talking about?”
“You haven’t forgotten, have you? Your subordinates, Levidian.”
“No, that’s not what I mean. Risel. Sometimes I think you lack attention.”
“What are you talking about?”
I asked, crossing my arms in a crooked posture, and she sighed deeply and pointed a finger over my shoulder.
The moment I turned my head, I became a fool.
“When did you arrive?”
“We’ve been here for a while.”
“Then you could have at least made your presence known……”
“It’s a habit from my profession.”
Looking at the 12 assassins standing just 2 meters behind me, I awkwardly scratched the back of my head. Indeed, there’s nothing more awkward than an assassin making their presence known.
“Hmm, hmm! Well, that’s good. Hmm.”
“Kick! Kikik!”
“Don’t laugh, Aila.”
“Don’t you laugh either. Pfft!”
The way she covered her mouth, barely holding back her laughter, was cute, but as cute as it was, it was annoying. Ugh.
“Let’s go, since it seems everyone is ready.”
Not knowing how to look at the assassins and the two villainesses, I left them behind and moved forward.
First Sword Martin was creating a red downpour in the sky, demoralizing the defending troops.
With 200 men concentrating on just one part of the wall, firing 600 rounds per minute at long range, the defending troops in that area wouldn’t even dare to counterattack.
Some of the engineers from First Sword Luxilen’s Cheonbyeongdae were busy setting up two machines near the wall, under their cover.
“Just a little more!”
“Number 64 to Number 2!”
“Number 18 assembly complete!”
Around them, the rest of the men were mobilized as shield bearers, forming a dense formation to block all the arrows occasionally flying from the walls.
Completely ignoring the deadly sound of the blood-red arrows flying, and treating the incoming arrows as if they didn’t exist, the engineers were busy working their hands. The machines they were assembling were almost taking shape.
They resembled ballistae in shape, and since they were actually modified ballistae, they could be called modified ballistae, but their durability was so poor that they could only be fired once. The only drawback is that it’s a shame to name something that’s going to break.
The engineering unit’s pride was at stake, and the commander of the 1104th Cheonbyeongdae, who was from the engineering corps, was adamant that he would never make such a thing again, and I readily nodded.
‘Then you can make it once.’
I smiled at the young First Sword who was making the same face Lucy made when she was ignored. And I called out.
“First Sword Luxilen!”
First Sword Luxilen, who was checking on the soldiers in charge of the installation behind the two shield bearers, turned towards me, briefly bowed, and then shouted to the soldiers.
“Installation Team 1!”
“30 seconds left!”
“Team 2!”
“Give us 1 minute!”
“Too slow―! Observation!”
“Calculating!”
The engineers, who were the busiest among the current 5,000 troops, were frantically touching, assembling, and hammering the machines. Soon, Team 1’s installation was completed, and then Team 2 on the left completed their installation.
The installation speed was lightning fast considering the size of the objects, but First Sword Luxilen roared.
“Slow! What were you doing!”
“We’ll fix it!”
“Observation!”
“Observation complete! Adjusting!”
The soldier who had been frantically calculating with a pile of papers for observation began to adjust the firing angle.
“Shield bearers, change formation! Formation 2! To your positions!”
“To your positions!”
Was it thanks to the training I ordered beforehand? The soldiers moved swiftly at First Sword Luxilen’s command.
Tall men among the shield bearers came out carrying man-sized shields, and strong soldiers with rippling muscles grabbed the chains behind each disposable machine. It was instantaneous for those holding the large shields to cover them.
The moment when ten soldiers grabbed the chains stretched behind the machines and the observer finished calibrating the two machines was almost simultaneous.
“Calibration complete!”
“Support ready!”
“Fire ready! General!”
I gave First Sword Luxilen, who was looking back at me energetically, what he wanted. I ordered.
“Fire!”
“Fire―!”
Boom―!
With an explosive sound, the strings of the two machines, which had been pulled back and almost formed a V shape, were released simultaneously. As expected, the machines broke and collapsed as soon as they fired. Crash!
Shreeeeeeek!
The 4-meter iron bolts flew towards the wall at the same height, with the same force, and at the same angle, as if they were mirrored.
The two streaks of iron bolts played an ensemble, tearing through the air.
The two iron bolts, flying 3 meters apart, weren’t flying alone. Chains were connected to the ends of the bolts, and attached to those chains were chain nets with 1 square meter eyes.
Clatter―!
The 1024th Cheonbyeongdae, forgetting to even shoot, stared blankly at the sight of the chain nets taking off towards the sky, as if rising from the ground while trailing flames.
No, everyone who could see this spectacle forgot what they were doing.
Now, everyone here will be able to see it.
The moment the two iron bolts, dragging the chain nets, embedded themselves right under the tip of the wall with unparalleled force.
As an aside, it is said that the design department of First Sword Luxilen’s engineering unit had nightmares trying to launch this absurd object 70 meters away and have it embedded in the wall.
Kaboom!
Dust rose as the bolts embedded themselves. A sound like thunder and lightning striking the spot resonated. I thought I even saw a volcanic eruption-like flame for a moment.
Those on the wall covered their ears and collapsed from the roar and impact, and stone fragments flew in all directions, almost reaching where I was.
The dust began to settle, and I narrowed my eyes. Then, looking at the two iron bolts firmly embedded about 1 meter deep, I shuddered at the greatness of engineering.
“They’re embedded……!”
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