Town chapter 93: Fujiwara Territory Defense Battle 3
Dried-up throat. The sympathetic nerve works so strongly that saliva is not secreted. He felt that he was thirsty, another factor, or something that rose from his chest. In front of his army exposing a temporary paralysis, Komatsuna was unable to move, as if he was tied up.
Those who do not move during a battle will only die. However, in Komatsuna, the intention to move was lost.
Currently, the bombarding from the Fujiwara army has stopped, but Komatsuna will die when it starts again. Because the corpse of the armor dragon, which had already become a shield, was lying down.
But it is. It was ironically the bombarding from the Fujiwara army that moved Komatsuna"s body again.
A profound sound reverberates and a grenade falls from the sky. It is no exaggeration to say that the pattern is death rain. Explosive sounds reverberated in various places on the earth and one of the shattered grenades brought Komatsuna back to reality.
Pain ran through his arm as he leaked a 「Guu」. With that pain, Komatsuna instantly understood the current situation and decided what to do.
"Re, Retreat! Retreat, Retreat!"
Komatsuna spoke out with the air that he had breathed in greatly and spit it out with all his might. Since you don"t know the true nature of the attack that is different from a cannon, there is no other way but retreat.
"Disperse to the left and right and run away! Don"t focus! Just run!"
While screaming, he himself lifts up the giant body of the armor dragon again and begins to retreat with it as a shield behind him. By further slowing down and continuing to make a loud voice, he became the target and let others escape first.
"Run away! Run away! Run away!"
"It"s a retreat order! Quickly escape!"
"Wa, Wait, wait!"
The cavalry, the ones who were shaken off from the armor dragon and the wounded. Each ran through to hold on to life in order to escape from death while the grenades were falling. In this way, the armored army led by Komatsuna joined the army that had already retreated to the point of 3 kilometers.
At this time, fewer than half of the armored units survived and it can be said that the units were completely annihilated. Also, among the soldiers who could not come back, there were living people, but going to save them was synonymous with going to death. Therefore, they must be thrown away at a location where enemy attacks can reach.
Armored soldiers fell down as if they threw their bodies to the ground. This is no difference between the cavalry and those who lost the armor dragons. Soldiers who do not rejoice in life, do not grieve the death of their companions, and are still unacceptable for the consequences of desperately running away. Their whole body is steamed like a hot iron bar and their thoughts remain. What is the heart of the main soldiers looking at it from the edge?
"No way, the enemy also have cannons......"
"Isn"t the enemy cannon more capable? ......Is it okay, to continue this battle?"
The main army soldiers whisper to each other in tension and agitation. ――Next may be oneself. They wouldn"t say it, but it was what many soldiers thought. The morale of the Initia army was weakening.
Healers were immediately dispatched to the wounded and battered armored unit and the recovery of the soldiers was urgent. A healer also came to Komatsuna who was on the battlefield as a shield until the end, but he said 「It"s not a big deal」 and gave priority to the treatment of the seriously injured people.
"Uu......"
"Guu......d.a.m.n......"
A moan that can withstand pain can be heard everywhere. Komatsuna once again looked at the disaster of his army. Defeat. The death of comrades. The bitterness once tasted is awakened. The blood in his body became so hot that it boiled and the black contraindications that got on the bloodstream seemed to spread from the heart to the whole body.
Komatsuna got into the enemy line alone and was made to feel like killing the opponent who created this situation. However, when he thought that he was the invading side, his body was still enthusiastic, but only the feeling of hating the enemy disappeared. Reanis who came to confirm the damage of the armored unit came towards Komatsuna.
"I"m sorry......the unit has lost more than half of its men......"
Komatsuna explained with a dirty appearance and his arms dyed red. Reanis laughed gently. Even if it is on the battlefield, it is a pure white, beautiful smile that seems to never dye red.
"I"m glad you"re safe, Komatsuna"
Reanis greeted Komatsuna with a hug. The heat that had filled the body was cooled by being absorbed by Reanis and Komatsuna regained his composure by being wrapped in a warm chest.
On the east, west, north and south walls. Prepared groups were set up between the watchtowers and the wolf tribe led by Jiharu and the northern forest tribe chiefs are placed respectively as team leaders. In the southern castle wall, there were several members of the wolf tribe, Chief Jiharu, Rat tribe chief, Ox tribe chief and there was n.o.buhide in the group that guarded the immediate neighbor of the south gate. .
"We managed to do it somehow"
As he looked at the retreating enemy, n.o.buhide exhaled. For the time being, the battle was won. That became a moment of satisfaction and relief, giving n.o.buhide comfort.
"Uooooooo!!!"
"We defeated the human army!"
"With zero damage! This is amazing! We are overwhelming humans!!"
A voice of joy comes from the beastmen of the northern forest. It was a sight n.o.buhide saw somewhere before. Perhaps the feeling of being depressed is released. Was it catharsis in his original world language?
But he can"t help but be glad. n.o.buhide thinks about how the enemy will appear in the future.
(For the time being, the enemy tank units were destroyed by landmines. On the other hand, there are enough cannons here. Even if the number of soldiers is not enough, the strength will be 10 times greater)
While thinking, n.o.buhide"s heart had a desire to 『Retreat』 against the enemy. Recalling the current battle, the beastmen of the northern forest are still not well-developed.
I also used the tiger cub landmines. This is a handy one with [Gutter] [Purchase] and sealed [Gunpowder] sealed there, but the distance is distance. Because it was a few kilometers away from the castle city, it was impossible to install from this place.
(Isn"t there any way to retreat......)
The Initia army is waiting 3 kilometers south of the castle. So far there is no retreat.
The confrontation with the Initia Kingdom continued for a while. During that time, 「Fujiwardono, Fujiwardono」 and the head of the Ox tribe asked for a handshake and it was a little laughter that caused his hand to hurt.
Other beastmen also look happy and try to ask try for a handshake. n.o.buhide himself did not feel bad as if he became a celebrity, but he refrained from it because they are currently at war.
Eventually, a cavalry with a white flag ran to the South Gate with a single knight. A messenger from the enemy. The tension of the beastmen increase, but n.o.buhide stops them and tell them to communicate with other teams through the communicators that they will not take any further action. When the messenger pulled the reins in front of the gate, the messenger shouted over the castle.
"I am the messenger of the Initia Kingdom! Is Lord Fujiwara there?"
"I"m here!"
There is no need to hide now. However, because it was scary, n.o.buhide responded by hiding behind the big body of the Ox tribe chief.
"I ask Fujiwardono! In the beginning of a war, it"s the practice of the battlefield to line up each other! Why was it ignored?"
n.o.buhide thought what a fool the messenger is. He suspects that the words is the cause of each other"s cause in the war, but if the army approaches to do so, they will lose the advantage of their own cannon range――that is, the advantage.
"Saying ridiculous thing! You don"t need to ask questions and answers as you are the people who devastated the land of Dryad Kingdom! When you lead your army into my territory, the curse of the war has already risen! If that"s not acceptable, you"ll leave here right away!"
"I understand your words well! I have written words and letters from my Lord, Reanis and Komatsuna! Let me tell you those words first! I´m told 『We´re from the same town』! Now, check the letter!"
The messenger raises a letter. n.o.buhide knew it, from the words we´re from the same hometown. That"s another person. It is a little surprising that the enemy general, Reanis, was also j.a.panese. n.o.buhide was worried about what card he drew, but he doesn"t think about it now.
"Someone!"
Speaking of it, a youth of the Ox tribe raise his voice 「Yes!」, he went down to the first floor through the pa.s.s on the north gate. When they opened the gate, he received the letter. The messenger seemed somewhat surprised seeing the Ox tribe youth. n.o.buhide received the letter from the Ox youth and read it.
"j.a.panese, Fujiwara. As you may have noticed, I, Reanis and left general Komatsuna are also j.a.panese. What do you think of your life in j.a.pan when you see this world? I have seen many hungry people. They live without even a meal per day. The country is just a war and does not look back on them. Certainly, we are also in the midst of war now. I, Reanis is the party that has caused the war and has driven many to death. However, this is a war to end the conflict. It is a war to unify the continent. We want a world where the continent is united and everyone can live in peace. If you sympathize with this idea, I want you to fall under us. If you have any hope, let it come true as much as you can. Together we hope to create the sight we saw in j.a.pan. "
After reading the letter, n.o.buhide thought, 『Well, its like this』 a letter that does not go beyond expectations. Reanis has a great idea. It seems to be honest, but it depends on whether you believe it or not.
There are many villains in this world. A man who deceives someone and devours his blood. It cannot be judged that Reanis isn"t one.
The only thing n.o.buhide can see right now is 『Reanis has attacked this place with force』――that"s it. If he really wanted n.o.buhide to trust him, he should have come naked.
"Tell me your reply!"
"I know!"
"『I"m not going to concede. There is no other way but to fight against those who invade this land. If you don"t like it, you should leave immediately!』"
Upon receiving n.o.buhide"s response, the messenger drove his horse south.
――Three kilometers from the castle, Initia Kingdom army´s headquarters.
Those who were injured descended from the main unit to the rear base (four kilometers from the castle), were they spent the night last night. There is no way to build a camp overnight and the rear support team continues to set up the camp even now.
However, as long as the enemy has cannons, there is still concern over the distance of 4 kilometers. So Reanis ordered more infantry to split up and build a base behind them.
Under such circ.u.mstances, Komatsuna and Reanis face each other with the cloudy sky as the ceiling and are sitting on the ground. Komatsuna"s arm has already been treated and in terms of time, they just sent a messenger to the Fujiwara army.
"Attack of the enemy that wiped out the head of the armored unit. What was that?"
"I think it"s a landmine"
"Landmine......"
Komatsuna whispered and thought about landmines. It was used as an abominable weapon in the original world.
As long as gunpowder is used, landmine operations have been considered by the Initia Kingdom army. If you actually went to the defensive, you would use a simple mine with gunpowder, but for the time being, it"s the side that is always offensive.
"I think they probably filled a line of landmines and ignited them all at once. It"s a terrible amount of gunpowder. And the quality of the gunpowder seems to be better than what we"re using. Perhaps they had been preparing for war for a long time"
Reanis distorted his mouth with regret. It is always a rare expression for Reanis who is always pure and beautiful.
"......How about retreating?"
It was a hesitant suggestion. Komatsuna thought that it was nothing but a shame for the Initia kingdom army to retreat, but as the enemy had better weapons than them, retreat was inevitable. Komatsuna"s words continue.
"The difference in strength is obvious. Cannons which are better than ours. And landmines we don"t know how many are buried which use abundant and excellent gunpowder"
"No, Komatsuna. We´re the attacking side and they´re the defending side. Don"t make a mistake. I think that the fact that they were here is proof that they can"t afford it. There are still ten cannons in the rear. If combined with the surviving cannons, it will exceed twenty. It is still too early to retreat"
For some reason, Komatsuna was able to predict the answer of Reanis. Defeat here pulls back. The eastern countries will begin to move, whether they win or lose.
But morale is different. If you retreat here, the eastern countries will be stunned and say 「The Initia Kingdom is just a weak graduate that can"t win against a single territory」. Furthermore, a two-front operation between the Fujiwara territory and the Eastern countries could develop.
――No, that"s not all. Rebellion of the southern Youju Empire. The rebellion could take place in conjunction with this aggression war, secretly forming an alliance with the lord of this territory.
(Count Giuliano Va.s.sari. Was the j.a.panese name Nagai......? He would definitely win and get the Youju Empire. Gunpowder technology was originally obtained from them. Its power is immeasurable)
Certainly, he has an alliance with Nagai. However, it is not thought that the person who wants to steal the country is satisfied only by obtaining the country.
If Initia Kingdom destroys the eastern countries, the ruler of the continent will be determined. Nagai has no chance to remove his fangs except when Initia kingdom fights against the eastern countries. In this way, Komatsuna was rethinking whether they should fight and win against the Fujiwara territory here and now
"If so, do you want to attack at night? If it"s in the dark, the enemy won"t be able to target us with their cannons"
"It"s a careful opponent. However I don"t want to give them time to bury landmines again. We can"t waste the sacrifices we"ve made earlier"
"It"s an open land. If you can set up cannons, it"s going to be a restraint. If we point our cannons at them, I don"t think it"s easy for the enemy to bury more landmines. It"s about 3 kilometers to the enemy´s cannons, even if we´re in the enemy"s range, we can lower the cannons a little behind and only put the cannons forward when the enemy comes out to bury more landmines"
"Sure, it"s a good hand, but if the other side takes out their cannons, it will be until then. And it"s probably not everything they set up in the castle"
Komatsuna squeezed his mouth when he tried to call out 「But......」. Reanis was smiling. Komatsuna understands because he was next to Reanis for a long time now. This is a face that doesn"t mean to change his mind no matter what is said.
"Huu, I understand. So there must be some strategy"
If they fight in this way, they will end up with countless damage. It is no different from the Lemming march. A countermeasure was needed.
"It"s no good because we move in groups. Enemy landmines are anti-military mines rather than personal. And if the enemy knows about our cannons, there"s one more time to think about the range. Otherwise, it´ll explode. Maybe there might be some minefields scattered individually, but let"s ignore them at this time"
"Indeed. Well then?"
"That"s why we have a single armor dragon ram into the gate.
The strategy meeting continues and the messenger returns in the meantime. The response from Fujiwara was mostly as expected.
It does not seem that the person who has the fighting power up to this point falls early just because they´re from the same world. Komatsuna thought that Fujiwara might also have an ambition to cast supremacy over the continent.
As soon as the strategy meeting is over, the strategy considered by Reanis is put into practice. A group of armor dragons taking the width of one row as much as possible from the main unit. Brave soldiers who aren"t afraid of death are put on their backs and walks towards the castle. Of course, it is Komatsuna that leads them.
Somewhere, two kilometers from the castle――the place where bombarding is expected to come――the point in front of them. At this point, it seemed that the row and marching procession had stopped.
However, only one armor dragon excels. Increasing the speed significantly. The other armor dragons pull the cannons, but that armor dragon doesn"t pull anything.
Immediately, a roaring sound reverberated towards the dragon that ran through. It"s the sound of the castle cannons. Then, the next thing that comes is the rain of the grenade. However, because of the low level of the Fujiwara army or because he was lucky, they did not hit the armor dragon, who was rushing quickly.
Komatsuna, staring at the sequence screamed from his throat. Its from here.
The armor dragon that runs with full speed entered the minefield. The sound of the cannons continues. It was good to think that there were no more anti-military landmines as the cannons shoot into the minefield.
"Okay, go ahead!"
Two more armor dragons went forward with Komatsuna"s command. But this time, they were checking the cannons. Two more time later. Two more time later.
――Wave attack. Even if there is a minefield once again, if it is a wave attack, they can close up to the enemy.
"Do the landmines not explode? None! No more!"
Komatsuna"s face distorted with ecstasy. ――Go. The death of his companions came to life and vengeance filled himself again.
All of the cavalry soldiers running in front of them are just those who are impressed by Reanis´s spirit and are intoxicated. So to speak, comrades. How many of them can come back alive? Generals must not be caught in the sacrifices of their soldiers.
However, Komatsuna was not so heartless. What can be done for at least offering something to somebody´s spirit? When thinking so, contradictory feelings, which can be called revenge for the future, are born.
There are many things you can do if you win. So when you win, everyone dreams. You usually dream of things you don"t even think about and get drunk on victory. It was therefore a cruel revenge. Of course, when you actually win, it is up to the winner to decide whether to do it or not. Anyway, Komatsuna at this time was reaching for the dazzling light of victory.
But――. Here again, still it is.
Life is not so sweet. Just before trying to grab the victory, there were things like running away.
Komatsuna heard. The gap between the bombarding sounds, suddenly reverberating on the battlefield was a continuous sound called dadadadadada. Komatsuna"s eyes, which have outstanding visual acuity caught it. Each one pulls its tail and makes a flash as if it were a single line.
"Ri, Ridiculous......that is......! That is......!!!"
――Bullets. Astonishingly, that word was refuted in Komatsuna"s brain.
And the armor dragon at the top. The armored dragon´s rider collapsed first and the armored dragon, perhaps with its head punched, collapsed as if it had landed on the ground.
Komatsuna looks at the place where the bullets were released. Protruding from the window is a large and long barrel. He felt that it was a more advanced and mechanical form than the early firearms, such as the rope gun. Immediately after that.
"Retreat, retreatーー!!!"
Komatsuna"s mouth came out with his second retreat order today, which can be considered humiliating.