Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Pavilion Pass
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One month after the Eastern 3 Kingdoms alliance declared war on the Empire.
The Empire's 12th Legion finally entered the eastern border region.
From then on, they pressed forward without pause and reached their designated objective.
The place where the 12th Legion halted was known in Imperial nomenclature as Pavilion Pass.
To ensure smooth advancement into the Eastern 3 Kingdoms alliance territory, this spot had to be held at all costs.
The Empire was well aware of this, which was why they had deployed their elite 12th Legion.
The Legion Commander in charge of the legion, along with his staff officers and field commanders, were all battle-hardened veterans.
From the moment they reached the borderlands, they had already devised a grand strategy that would not waver.
"We will completely seal off the Pavilion Pass area and crush the enemy's assaults."
The key here was blocking the main thoroughfare—choking off the limited avenues of movement.
An army was not a band of individuals. It could not roam freely anywhere. It had to stick to established routes.
Only then could combat effectiveness be preserved, the chain of command function smoothly, and supply lines remain stable.
It was nearly impossible for thousands to funnel through some discovered backwoods trail.
Thus, a close examination of the local terrain made predicting an army's lines of march a straightforward task.
To the command staff, Pavilion Pass held top-priority importance.
From the Empire's standpoint, it absolutely had to be defended. From the alliance's view, it had to be seized no matter the cost.
Though their objectives clashed, there was ultimately only one viable axis of advance: the central highway anchored at Pavilion Pass.
"Fortunately, it seems our legion beat the Eastern 3 Kingdoms alliance here by a step."
"Legion Commander, we've sealed the enemy's primary route of march. Luckily, the pass is narrow enough that a modest force can hold off a much larger one."
As reports streamed in, the 12th Legion Commander nodded while scrutinizing the operations map.
They were undoubtedly glad tidings, yet his face stubbornly refused to brighten.
"Legion Commander... are you sure this is wise?"
As if echoing his unease, the staff officers ventured the question cautiously.
"What choice do we have? It's the Crown Princess's command."
"Even so, Her Highness the Crown Princess might defer to the Legion Commander's on-site discretion and judgment."
"Enough. Anyone overhearing might think we've already suffered a crushing defeat."
He silenced the staff, but that hardly meant he felt optimistic himself.
His gaze kept returning to the map before him—specifically to the pass where the legion's main body had taken position, and...
'What in the world possessed them to pull this stunt?'
...to a certain mountain some distance from that pass, which he revisited obsessively.
[Listen to the advice of the accompanying Kael Clauvitz] This was the Crown Princess's directive—in truth, an imperial edict bearing the Emperor's sanction.
No Legion Commander marching into battle could defy such an august command.
In fact, the Legion Commander secretly harbored hopes for this young man named Kael.
Not just anyone, but the eldest son of the Bertier Imperial Count.
A rising young strategist who had distinguished himself amid the clashes with Norobogord.
He had lifted the army's morale from the depths and delivered a proper thrashing to the demons.
As the fresh blood of the Hawk Faction, he was said to have landed a gratifying blow on the Doves.
'So I wondered just how impressive he really was...'
With the Legion Commander's own curiosity piqued and the Crown Princess's order to boot, he had anticipated some brilliant stratagem.
Yet upon nearing Pavilion Pass, Kael had dropped this bombshell.
"We'll climb the mountain."
It was baffling. Why venture into the mountains when they had a defensible pass right there?
Did he prioritize seizing higher ground for the battle ahead?
Fair enough—that could make sense. Preemptively claiming the high ground was often a tremendous edge.
But not this time. If the enemy slipped past Pavilion Pass, it was game over.
They could sever the Imperials' lifeline while linking up with allied forces infiltrating from elsewhere.
"Young Lord Kael, may I inquire why we're ascending the mountain and leaving the pass exposed?"
"Because it's payback for our Master Kongming's grudge... I mean, no. There's simply no more effective approach, Legion Commander."
The Legion Commander wanted nothing more than to shut down the nonsense, rush to block the pass, and lie in wait for the foe.
But Kael stood firm, backed by the Crown Princess's decree—he had no choice.
To cap it off, just before reaching the destination, Kael had added:
"Just holding the pass will devolve into a grinding slog. Legion Commander, the Empire needs a decisive victory."
"As the sages say, battles are won or lost by which side commits the greater blunders."
"And I plan to make the 3 Kingdoms alliance blunder repeatedly."
The words were maddeningly opaque. The Legion Commander pressed for specifics.
But Kael insisted this was enough for the plan's integrity.
"You just hold Pavilion Pass firm. Leave the rest to me."
In the end, Kael peeled off a detachment of legion troops and stubbornly scaled the mountain.
Gazing at the Empire's banner fluttering atop that peak, the Legion Commander couldn't conceal his dread.
The 3 Kingdoms alliance wasn't staffed by fools—they'd commit serious numbers here.
Facing them, the 12th Legion was now bifurcated, defending separate fronts.
Could their scattered forces withstand the enemy's massed assault?
'...No use agonizing now. The dice are cast.'
Right. As Kael had said. The 12th Legion was already arrayed across the pass and the mountain.
All that remained was to fight the enemy with everything they had.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "...What kind of deployment has the Imperial Army adopted?"
Betel, the allied forces' commander from Porland Kingdom, broke into a smile at the welcome report.
He had gnashed his teeth upon learning the Empire's 12th Legion had beaten them to Pavilion Pass.
He hadn't spared curses for the Burkhai and Kaden contingents, who kept challenging his authority simply because he hailed from Porland.
With better cooperation from those louts, they might have arrived first.
There had been a clear chance to bleed the Imperials white by exploiting the terrain.
But internal rivalries spawned endless friction, delaying their timetable.
'Even with the East's fate hanging in the balance, they're still dismissing Porland?'
Porland—the smallest in land and least populous of the eastern trio.
Naturally, seizing the initiative was impossible, a friction point in command authority as well.
To settle those scores, he needed battlefield glory.
As Porland's appointed commander, he had to smash the Empire.
Bearing that weight, such glad tidings filled him with elation.
"The Empire's 12th Legion has divided its strength—one group at the pass, the remainder atop a nearby mountain."
"Certain?"
"Yes, Commander. Confirmed Imperial banners beyond the pass, and sufficient troops on the mountain."
At first, it smelled like a trap, so he dispatched fresh scouts.
The intelligence held: Imperials split between the pass and the adjacent low hill.
With details on their leadership in hand, the puzzle clicked into place.
'Some meteoric young strategist, they say. He'll burn out fast.'
The tales painted quite the prodigy.
But only on paper. Predictably, the greenhorn's blunder had surfaced.
High ground's benefits? Did they think formations danced nimbly from such heights?
This wasn't some fable or game where legions pivoted on a whim.
Every soldier was flesh and blood. Exhaust them, and they crumpled—even before the reaper called.
'We feint at the mountain, overrun the pass to pulverize half their legion, then encircle the hill-dwellers. They'll fold on their own.'
The Empire must have gotten ahead of itself, desperate to showcase a hotshot.
Elsewise, how commit so elementary an error?
To Betel, the fatal chink gleamed plain as day.
"Feint toward the mountain, but prioritize shoving them from the pass."
Raw numbers favored the allies overwhelmingly. Finish before the mountaintops descended.
The aftermath would be child's play. Devour the Empire's entire legion whole.
Envisioning that triumph, Betel shivered with rapture and eagerness.
I must rack up merits. No matter what. For my homeland, Porland.
And to humble those Burkhai and Kaden scum who scorn me and mine.
The compulsion to succeed at all costs was calcifying his flexibility.
Betel didn't realize it, but impatience was steadily ensnaring him.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ It had begun. The enemy was coming. Failure was no longer an option.
A choking pressure gripped his throat, but he shoved it aside.
Stay cool. I'm no genius, despite what they claim.
Hardly even a strategist. Just spouting trivia at the right moments.
Credit where due: I simply know a tad more than most.
And luck's been marginally kinder to me than average.
Precisely why, in this instant, he could advance with conviction.
Humans learned from others' errors.
And stepped into victory's domain where those errors had faltered.
'The disdain for hiking enthusiasts is, boiled down, the optimal conclusion from heaped lessons.'
He knew what not to do, and what must be done.
Luck favored the marginally better prepared.
Thus. This time too. Fortune's goddess would favor him with a smile.