Episode 129 From the moment the soldiers collapsed with the sudden explosion of alcohol, Chiron Wolves’ expression also began to collapse.
“What what? Magic?!”
However, the magic he knew was not one that could hit the enemy sporadically from such a long distance.
It is not for nothing that high-level magicians or superhuman magicians of the 4th circle or higher are given more preferential treatment than knights of the same level.
If it weren’t for such a rare resource, the wizard’s role in war would have been merely auxiliary.
It was as if the few wizards in his territory cast strengthening magic on the leader of the knights and fell back.
“It’s a scroll scroll! I guess…!”
“gibberish!”
Even he, one of the three richest men in the kingdom, could not pour out scrolls like this in battle.
And above all, the magic’s range was shorter than what the wizard would use directly.
Confusion caused by an attack whose identity cannot be determined.
Kyron Wolves’ expression, which began to distort from then on, reached its peak the moment Nick Marcel’s head was blown off and the Knights began to collapse.
“This is crazy! How can you do this?!”
Blood flowed from his crushed lip, but he didn’t even notice it.
The losses suffered during this short period of fighting were comparable to the accumulated losses during more than six months of civil war.
No, if we only consider the damage to the most important force, the Knights, it was much greater.
Above all, because the top knight, Nick Marcel, is dead.
“Retreat! Retreat!”
Surrounded by six guards, a scream like a scream burst out of his mouth, and the adjutant who was waiting followed his orders and waved his flag frantically.
Do you reduce your own strength to keep the enemy at bay?
If loyalty had been recognized and greater things had been gained through such sacrifices, the civil war would have ended long ago.
The war became sluggish because the high-ranking nobles, regardless of faction, were reluctant and fought with only the small and medium-sized nobles under their command.
For the Chiron Wolves, the most important thing was to preserve their power before the faction’s victory.
“Shoot the crossbow! Stop the enemy knights!!”
The weapon of conversion, which there was no doubt that it would crush the enemy and lead to meritorious deeds, could only be used to stop the enemy.
At least.
“Shoot!”
The enemies’ rapid-fire crossbows fired while shouting were superior in both range and power.
In the end, no matter how many times I looked around, all I could see was the sight of my troops collapsing helplessly.
‘Better than the original? Where? ‘Just let those guys…’
His teeth chattered, but he hastily changed his mind.
He had to preserve his remaining troops, and before that, his own life was the most precious thing.
“Stop chasing! Organize your lines!”
My father’s Force Blade rose red from the center of the battlefield.
Logan burst into laughter as he looked at the enemy knights who were already running away.
The decision of Count Wolves, who quickly chose to retreat as soon as he broke the lead, was both funny and surprising.
The majority of the Wolves Knights preserved their lives, but there was a harvest.
‘Still, I caught the top article.’
And it seemed like my father had also dealt with two or three senior knights.
The Wolves Knights will never be able to stand in McLane’s way again.
The enemy’s repeating crossbow, which I was worried about, was also noticeably weaker than the original.
‘Are you looking down on us?’
I couldn’t understand what on earth I was believing.
“It is a great victory, Confucius!”
Heinkel’s big smile on his face was such a landslide victory that it wasn’t excessive.
“What is our damage?”
“The Knights lost five seriously injured and two dead. Among the soldiers, there were about 100 seriously injured.”
“…Good.”
It was not just a good result, it was a fantastic result.
Is this the number that can come from the rotation of equal power forces?
But Logan forced himself to calm down his excitement and looked back.
The fact that the armies of the two formations that had just begun to collide seemed to hesitate was probably not his own illusion.
‘I’ll show you more. Duke Waltermayim of Jordan, please give us an estimate on how we should be treated in the future.’
With Logan’s smile, McLane, who destroyed the Wolves, advanced as is.
“Crazy…”
The second prince, Romain von Grandia, was startled and closed his mouth at the swear word that came out without him knowing, but there was no need for him to do so.
The leaders of the Two Princes faction, including the Duke of Jordan, also had an almost similar expression.
The majority of people’s eyes were focused on ‘the’ battlefield in the distance rather than the rotation in front of them.
The rotation was carried out to check whether those who came to commit suicide might betray themselves.
Daejeon, which seemed fierce at first glance, ended up dividing only the powerless small and medium-sized nobles.
The fact that the main force did not come to the forefront was the same for the 1st Prince faction.
Unless one side showed a special gap and all the nobles under its command split up, this ‘obvious’ confrontation would continue sluggishly.
Forces united for immediate gain rather than for a specific cause.
A war in which the most powerful sacrifice themselves and force the weak to make sacrifices.
And the essence of this civil war was a selfish war in which allies of a certain size could not be forced to make sacrifices.
“How is that possible? Has it been an hour since we crashed?”
“The Margrave’s strength was reduced by 30% in an instant. At least that much…” The
adjutant who was talking eagerly received a glare from someone next to him and silently silenced him.
Even so, it was a bit unfair to compare a duchy or marquisate that included superhumans with a baron’s army.
but.
“Just looking at the clearly revealed results, it would be at the level of Marquis Kyle.”
“dismissal!”
Those around him were rather surprised by Jordan’s assertion.
“What’s the problem? That power becomes our power.”
“The Duke is right. If it was a real betrayal, you would have suffered quite a bit, right?”
Jordan couldn’t help but laugh inwardly at the prince’s words.
‘He must have suffered a fatal injury rather than suffering.’
McLane’s power was great, but they were also looking down on that kind of power.
As such, most of the doubts about McLane were washed away just by the result of this first match.
‘Recognition of the territory of Bipros, half of the Marquis of Calia, and the title of earl… He was confident enough to make such a cheeky request…’
The result was a laugh.
But still.
‘I’ll pay for my insolent behavior later.’
The bitter chill deep within the eyes of Walter Maim, Jordan, has not completely disappeared.
The sin of ignoring your own warning. And ‘the crime of harming the subordinates he sent’.
Because he was a person who never endured losses in his life.
Of course, regardless of that, the commands that came out of his mouth were correct.
“McLane will soon attack the enemy’s rear. Send a signal. This is a ‘real’ all-out war.”
Unlike the somewhat noisy reaction of the Second Princes faction, the leadership of the opposing force had a cold, quiet atmosphere.
“What did I see? Are you playing a prank on me? Or are Wolves more ragtag than I thought?”
“…It seems like the bats had stronger poison than I thought.”
To Prince Rohter’s seemingly absurd monologue, Juan Douglas responded as if complaining.
bang!
“So you’re just going to watch that ridiculous bastard right now?!”
“Prince, now is the time to be on guard.”
Juan Douglas is pointing to the front, not the side or rear.
The movements of the elite forces that had been watching their subordinates fight in the center were changing.
“The moment those who went back to the rear start attacking, they will attack from the front as well. Please do not move from my side.”
“What the hell… what is this…”
Prince Rohter’s profanity-laced monologue perfectly matched the feelings of Duke Juan Douglas.
‘How on earth are those bats who used to walk tightrope…’
The question still remained, but for now, we had to get over this crisis.
“I think I’ll have to be prepared to take some losses today.”
With Juan Douglas’ words, the formation of the 1st Prince faction began to gather around the leadership.
The passive defensive formation quickly broke the balance of the front line and created a temporary backlash.
In fact, most of the attention of the leaders of both factions was still focused on McLane’s movements, not on the changes in the battlefield.
But after a while.
“It keeps moving away…?”
Like someone muttering.
Instead of returning to the rear as most expected, McLane’s army continued to move away from the battlefield.
“What on earth are they doing?”
Voices erupted from both camps simultaneously.
But there was no way there would be an answer to that voice.
* * *
“They really wouldn’t have expected us to play that role in the first place. They would have just told us to disturb them and then die. If we had just aimed for the rear, we would have had to prepare for great damage.”
“Still, shouldn’t I go back and have something to say?”
“So, isn’t that why we should do it this way? Well, I think the reception will be different even if we just go back.”
At his son’s leisurely laughter, Padric laughed and asked back.
“But does this have any meaning in a civil war? I guess the factions don’t care because it’s a method that can only be used in a long-term war.”
“It’s already a long enough war. And it’s going to get longer. Probably longer than anyone thinks. So this is what we have to do to end this war quickly.”
“Well, that’s right. Even if we eliminate the supply base of the 1st Prince’s faction now, wouldn’t it be enough to requisition them from Allon Castle? It would be a bit difficult for the people of the castle.”
“There are still a few months left until the harvest season. This is not a period that can be sustained by requisitioning.”
“Still…”
“At least the rear castle will have the effect of defeating the 1st Prince Army. If we make them retreat as far as Harun Castle, we can prevent them from harvesting the grains of the Grandia Plain in front of them. If we can’t do that, it will be even more difficult for the Second Prince faction after the harvest season.”
Logan’s words were like the standard for war.
However, it is assumed that the war that started in winter will continue beyond the busy farming season and beyond the harvest season. .
The 1st Prince faction, which is gradually gaining ground, will not think about a long-term war any longer than this, and the 2nd Prince faction, which is being cornered, will also not think about the distant future for the same reason.
‘So now is the right time.’
It was a time when both camps were running out of food reserves.
Nevertheless, the nobles thought that if they were in a hurry, they could requisition from nearby villages or castle residents.
To attack them in the back,
McLane’s army left the battlefield and was about a day’s distance from the twin castles. We arrived at Touraine Castle.
It was currently being used as a supply base by the 1st Prince faction.
“Open the door!”
Logan shouted, and the castle walls immediately became commotion.
“What are they doing?!”
“That battle ?” Ready!”
A road that runs straight from the 1st Prince’s Duchy of Douglas through Harun Castle to the twin castles of the 2nd Prince’s faction.
After occupying Touraine Castle, the 1st Prince’s faction’s troops in charge of supply were Viscount Brad Peacock, a vassal of the Duchy of Douglas. .
Close to 1,000 soldiers in a corps of less than 50 knights was certainly a force that could not be ignored, but it was also difficult to occupy a large portion of the faction. Especially in Viscount
Peacock’s army, which did not have a single high-ranking knight.
Such an army was virtually unsupplied. From the fact that he was in charge of Touraine Castle, which could be said to be the nucleus, it was possible to guess the thoughts of the leadership of the 1st Prince faction currently engaged in civil war.
‘That is an opportunity for us.’
Logan ordered an attack the moment the enemy prepared for battle.
And it took only two hours for the Castle of Touraine to fall. The only
sacrifices made at McLane were the deaths of two knights and the serious wounds of over a hundred soldiers. It was an
easy and complete victory. .
What was achieved at the end of the victory was so sweet compared to the effort put in.
“…How much?”
“Wheat alone is about 200 tons, and if you include the miscellaneous grains, it is more than three times that amount. That’s enough food to feed at least 50,000 troops for a month.”
“Huh… that much? “It’s an obvious supply route, right?”
“Isn’t it just as you said, Confucius? If you have enough troops to quickly occupy the supply base, you can just launch an all-out war and defeat the enemy. That’s how tight the battle line is.”
“That’s right. Huh….”
Is it too easy? It’s a problem.
Logan laughed helplessly, but there was no hesitation in the instructions.
“Burn everything except what we can take. And then we move straight to the next target.”
“But Touraine Castle is so obvious, so even if that’s the case, there’s information about other supply bases…” ”
I know. Just follow me.”
When was that again…
Heinkel laughed out loud, but didn’t bother to ask.
‘One of the three major merchants in Grandia and the largest grain merchant. Kairos’ warehouses. If you’re a member of the same 1st Prince faction, you can use it. There’s no reason not to.’
An ascending route ripped from Veron Kairos. There must have been supply supplies in some of them.
Over the next week, McLane’s army occupied three nearby castles one after another.
Two of them contained a huge supply comparable to that of Touraine Castle. They had a record of burning food.
Even the damage suffered in the process was very minimal.
And when the 1st Prince faction was panicking over the news that three months’ worth of food for their troops had completely evaporated.
McLane was on the battlefield . After taking a long detour, he returned to Alun Castle. This
happened only three weeks after he announced his intention to join the Second Prince faction.
