Chapter 166: Let’s Be a Hero a Little More (5)
Soldiers gathered. Wiping the blood off their swords, staunching the bleeding from their wounds, lending a shoulder to their comrades, or being supported by them.
“Let’s go!”
I raised the flag and took a step forward.
I didn’t run ahead hastily. One step, one step…… I stomped loudly so that the soldiers could join.
Left foot. Left foot. Left foot. Left foot.
The footsteps gradually synchronized. Those who followed naturally formed ranks. They were soldiers, and their ingrained movements eloquently proved it.
Right foot. Right foot. Right foot. Right foot.
The marching footsteps drew the attention of those who were fighting, providing a good landmark for those who had nowhere to go.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sounds clustered, and the clustered sounds pounded the sky. Even the drums of a military band couldn’t be more magnificent than this. In an instant, close to 500 soldiers were marching behind me, regardless of their unit, forming ranks.
Holding the flag and walking at the forefront, I shouted.
“Weapons—! Raise!”
With unified movements, the soldiers grabbed their spears, swords, fauchards, and glaives.
As if responding, the soldiers gathered on the opposite side quickly grabbed their weapons and looked towards us. Now the distance between us was about 150 meters.
Now I, too, was walking in step with the soldiers.
Whose footsteps are the soldiers marching to? The answer is one. I, and the soldiers, are walking to the beat of the 8th Legion.
It is ‘our’ footsteps, which cannot be said to belong to anyone.
Boom! Boom!
Someone started beating a drum to the rhythm of the left foot. When one’s actions and external rhythm coincide, one’s heart beats wildly.
Tension and excitement squeezed and released my heart. The pounding heart is beaten by the drumbeat. Beaten by the footsteps.
Up ahead, behind the soldiers, I could see someone armed differently from the soldiers. While the soldiers were clad in leather armor and leather protectors, he was wearing plate armor.
Is that him?
I smiled, curling the corners of my mouth.
“The Herduke Kingdom Army’s 8th Legion! Advises! The Imperial Western Army Narvis Fortress Forces! To Surrender!”
“Surrender!”
The soldiers naturally echoed my lead. Their momentum seemed to drive away even thunder.
I took two more steps forward. I shouted.
“Do not seek to shed useless blood! Surrender!”
“Surrender!”
The shouts grew louder.
The soldiers’ heavy breathing could be heard in my ears.
The booming drumbeat. The synchronized footsteps. I gave an outlet to those who had no way to vent their excitement because they were immersed in it themselves.
“The Western Army’s victory has been broken! Surrender!”
“Surrender—!”
Both male and female soldiers raised their voices.
The remaining distance was now 100 meters. Soon, it would be within charging distance. The fortress soldiers, knowing this well, gripped their spears with tense expressions.
To my eyes, they looked intimidated.
“On the honor of the 8th Legion Commander! I guarantee the lives and safety of all officers and soldiers! Surrender!”
“Surrender—!”
75 meters. I stopped the soldiers. At the gesture to halt the march, the soldiers stopped in just three steps. Voices urging a halt briefly circulated among the soldiers.
I slammed the flagpole into the ground with a loud thud. The flag fluttered briefly before waving majestically in the flowing wind.
The one on the opposite side, who appeared to be the commander-in-chief, slowly pushed through the soldiers and came forward.
“I am General Victor Axian, Commander of the Narvis Fortress Forces, under the Imperial Western Army! What is your name and rank!”
“General Arisein Uk Herduke, Commander of the Herduke Kingdom Army’s 8th Legion!”
He seemed somewhat surprised. He took off his helmet and held it under his right arm. General Victor Axian, having shown courtesy between commanders, spoke.
“I ask you! Is your honor the honor of the Kingdom?!”
First, he showed courtesy and asked about honor. It was the traditional surrender procedure. I smiled faintly. He had realized that he couldn’t defeat the general and his legion who stood at the forefront of the soldiers, boosting morale directly.
I replied.
“My honor represents the Kingdom, His Majesty the King, the Kingdom Army, and my territory, Grenoian!”
He tilted his head for a moment, not knowing where Grenoian was, but his silence and question didn’t last long.
He lowered his helmet and knelt.
“On behalf of the Narvis Fortress Forces within the Imperial Western Army! I, General Victor Axian, and the Narvis Fortress Forces, surrender to the Herduke Kingdom Army’s 8th Legion as of today!”
And the soldiers behind him all dropped their weapons and knelt in unison.
Good judgment. He understood where the victory lay and decided to save the lives of his soldiers as much as possible. It didn’t conflict with my intentions either.
I nodded.
“On behalf of the Herduke Kingdom Army’s 8th Legion! I, Arisein Uk Herduke, promise to treat those who made this difficult choice with honor!”
The surrendered fortress forces bowed their heads silently. Their solemn appearance made me hesitate for a moment whether I should do this. However, the moment of victory and defeat had to be made clear.
I raised the flag high and shouted.
“We won—!”
A passionate victory roar shook the sky above the fortress.
With the fortress fallen, the Western Army had no choice but to abandon their defensive stronghold. At the same time, with their main retreat route blocked, the Western Army decided to detour around the mountain range and quickly withdrew from the Narvis Plain.
In the process, a significant number of units voluntarily surrendered, and the Herduke Kingdom Army decided to treat them with honor.
The Narvis Fortress Headquarters was taken over by the Herduke Kingdom’s Narvilt Conquest Force Headquarters, and the functions of the fortress forces were transferred one by one to the Herduke Kingdom Army.
“General Arisein Uk Herduke, of the Herduke Kingdom’s Narvilt Conquest Force 8th Legion. Reporting return to headquarters.”
“I’ve been waiting, General. Just how much do you intend to surprise us?”
“I just did my best, Grand General.”
My grandfather, the Commander-in-Chief of the Conquest Force and the Kingdom Army, patted my shoulder with a proud expression.
“His Majesty the King will also greatly commend you for your bold and courageous operation. Now, sit over there.”
“Yes, Grand General.”
I went and sat at a table prepared on one side. Grandfather brought a bottle of not-so-strong liquor and two glasses.
“Thanks to you, we’ve taken control of the fortress and secured a fast route to Narvilt. I don’t know where you get such abilities. I’m proud to have you as my grandson.”
“Half of my blood is my mother’s.”
I grinned and gave him an answer that would please him. He wasn’t my biological grandfather, but he undoubtedly loved and cherished me as much as my mother.
Grandfather poured me a drink and filled his own glass. And then we clinked glasses and toasted.
A light drink during wartime wasn’t too dangerous, but grandfather filled the absence of danger in the alcohol with words.
“A toast to the young general who will lead the Kingdom Army in the future.”
“It’s still a long way off.”
“No, I truly believe that. You are already a hero of the Kingdom Army. The old friends at headquarters said that even if they could manage until Narvilt, they have no intention of interfering with the achievements of the young by getting involved in the capture of the Imperial Capital.”
I couldn’t help but close my mouth.
The military’s rank system was as rigid as a boulder, but once it started to operate actively, all sorts of flexibility and efficiency came to the fore.
Was it in the same context? Grandfather had said that after the conquest of Narvilt, he would delegate the position of Grand General to me before heading to the center of the Empire!
I kept my mouth shut for a long time before finally finding something to say.
“As you said, I can already be considered a hero of the Kingdom Army. I don’t need any more fame…… No, more than anything, that fame should go to my brother. He’s the heir to the throne, isn’t he?”
“To be precise, this is good for Theron as well.”
“Yes?”
“If you had any intention of doing so, you wouldn’t have even mentioned it. However, you have no intention of becoming king, nor do you have the ambition to stand at the pinnacle of everyone. I can tell by the fact that you declared yourself the master of that land.”
I nodded.
King or Emperor is a profession far removed from me. Ruling my territory as a Duke suits my personality perfectly. Come to think of it, I’m surprisingly a small-minded person.
Grandfather smiled and said.
“So it’s even more fitting, isn’t it? Even if the king is weak, having a strong younger brother who supports him, who is his sibling, and has no intention of surpassing him, creates an excellent breakwater to protect the king in the newly established system.”
“A role to discourage challengers or ambitious individuals in advance? Before challenging the king, they would have to defeat the Duke, but the Duke will never be defeated, and if they’re not careful, they might even have to risk their lives, so you expect me to be a wall that makes them give up on their own.”
“You understand well. As long as you don’t change your mind, it doesn’t really matter if you become the hero of the continent, does it?”
Hmm. In a way, he hit the nail on the head.
I’m not the type to glance at the next table while eating. Even if my bread looks smaller than others’, I’ll be satisfied as long as I bought it with my own money.
You could call it a very petty bourgeois personality, but considering the scale of the work I do, there might be a petty bourgeois the size of a city residing within me.
Anyway, it made sense, but accumulating any more fame for me would be like giving another gold bar to a gold mine owner.
“I’ll think about that slowly. Before that, I have something I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Do you know the name Baius Extoria?”
Grandfather frowned. If he didn’t know him, he wouldn’t make that expression. The seasoned Grand General added about three tons of displeasure to his voice.
“Yes, I do.”
“I want to hear about him.”
“Hmm, why is that?”
“I have a slight connection with him, as an ‘enemy.’ Perhaps we could have met on the plains as vanguards.”
Grandfather stroked his thick beard, lost in thought. It was a request he had no reason to refuse, and perhaps because of that, his contemplation didn’t last long.
“He…… Yes, every cavalry charge commander considered him their teacher. As you know, in a large-scale battle, if the cavalry charge leads the vanguard, most of them die if the enemy is prepared. But that was a different matter for him.”
The ‘as you know……’ part hit me hundreds of times harder than grandfather probably thought. For a moment, I felt dizzy as I remembered the Azot Kingdom army’s arrows piercing me all over.
No matter what kind of military branch it is, charging towards a prepared enemy only results in painful blows. Cavalry is vulnerable to arrows and stationary spearmen, and most riders who fall during a charge die.
Even if they are knights, they cannot escape death.
“His skill with the axe-spear, not the cavalry lance, was truly like the incarnation of blood descending onto the battlefield. Although he didn’t charge that often, once he broke through, he inflicted terrifying damage. Moreover, his abilities as a field commander were also outstanding. Some say that the Western Army’s retreat with fewer casualties than expected in this battle was due to his competence. The headquarters treat him as a nemesis. In fact, I do too. If it weren’t for Baius Extoria, more than half of the Western Army would have been wiped out.”
Indeed. Baius was a talented individual, not only in personal skill but also in group management.
Grandfather recounted his tales of valor. If someone wanted to create a list of his achievements, I would recommend grandfather as a consultant.
As I listened to grandfather’s story, I substituted myself and the 8th Legion as his opponents.
The result came out surprisingly quickly. The 8th Legion would be shattered to less than half its strength, and Baius Extoria would leisurely return to the west. In the process, I and my friends would likely survive.
If we mobilized all the friends gathered on the Narvis Plain, we might be able to capture Baius Extoria alone.
However, that’s based on the premise of disregarding the operation of the legion, ignoring the issue between the Western Army and the Kingdom Army, and solely focusing on a plan to capture him.
He never acted recklessly and always responded by reading one step ahead on the battlefield.
As a result, he led the vanguard in a way that minimized friendly casualties and maximized enemy casualties.
The more subordinates he has, the stronger he becomes.
He’s like Aila.
Strong alone, but even stronger with more people to command, that’s Baius.
Only after listening to all of grandfather’s stories could I finally make up my mind.
The time is now.
“Grandfather, the analysis of the Western Army’s expected retreat route must be complete, right?”
“It’s already finished, but why?”
“Please show it to me. I’d like to use it as a reference.”
“Reference? You don’t mean……!?”
Grandfather gasped and widened his eyes in shock. What a young general with a retreating enemy nearby would do was obvious.
I grinned.
“Yes. I’ll try being a hero just a little bit more.”
Baius Extoria, you’re the first!
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