Chapter 137
Chapter 137
Iron Emperor — Chapter 137
He flinched.
"What's the matter?"
When Baron Silen Bels suddenly shuddered, Marquis Baikal tilted his head and spoke.
"Ah, a sudden chill came over me."
As the baron gave an awkward laugh, as if he himself found it strange, Marquis Baikal chuckled.
"Perhaps your body's grown weak?"
"I suppose it has."
Bwoo-woo-woo-woo!
While the two were exchanging words, the sound of horn-shell trumpets blared across the battlefield. The notes then rippled out, spreading through the entire North Roselin main camp.
"The enemy is retreating!"
"Ee-yaaaah!"
The sound signaled a retreat.
Watching them slowly pull back their forces, Marquis Baikal's face brightened.
"Now, the battle is not yet over! The knight orders and cavalry are to commence pursuit immediately! We must maximize our gains!"
In truth, casualties during the actual fighting were not all that high. The greatest number of casualties always occurred during a retreat.
"Understood! 1st Knight Order, follow me!"
"The 3rd and 4th Cavalry will follow behind the 1st Knight Order, and the 6th Cavalry will follow the 2nd Knight Order!"
"Whoaaa!"
The common soldiers cheered as they watched the knight orders and cavalry charge out. From this point on, those men would carry the fight. For them, their own battle was over.
THUD-THUD-THUD! THUD-THUD-THUD!
The momentum of the charging South Roselin cavalry was higher than it had ever been. Even if it was only to carry out a slaughter.
Chapter 137 — Deception Tactics
The long, drawn-out siege ended when the North Roselin army, leaving behind over sixteen thousand casualties and about fifty-five hundred prisoners, retreated in haste.
In this battle, South Roselin suffered only minor damage—a mere three thousand casualties—which made the victory all the more significant.
However, the greatest beneficiary of this battle was Gauri. Though they had taken around a thousand casualties, considering the scale of the battle, it was almost embarrassing to even call such a figure "damage."
But....
"Wrap it faster!"
"Yes!"
"You there! Your forearm is visible—tuck it in, quickly!"
Several thousand Gauri soldiers were wrapping bandages all over their bodies and dabbing themselves with blood.
"Must we go this far?"
Wearing a slightly bewildered expression, Revion Gowin asked Go Jin-cheon awkwardly.
"To avoid troublesome matters."
The reply that came back was curt.
The sight of perfectly healthy soldiers disguising themselves as wounded was a peculiar one from a commander's perspective. Moreover, the soldiers who were actually injured were being handled with utmost care, carefully placed on carts and looked after attentively.
"You used your power earlier, I see."
"What power do you mean?"
At Jin-cheon's words, Gowin cast a questioning look at the unexpected query. The answer, however, emerged from behind him.
"It's been a while since I used it, so I'm feeling a bit dizzy."
"Ah, you've come."
It was Yeon Hwi-garam, his expression slightly pale. As Hwi-garam approached and Gowin bowed his head in greeting, he felt a chill run down his spine.
'Not even the faintest presence.'
Though his own skill was lacking compared to these men, he was still a fighter of considerable ability. Yet he had not sensed a single sign of the man's approach, and that fact once again astonished him.
"Mm."
Standing beside Jin-cheon, Hwi-garam let out a short murmur as he watched the hale soldiers transform into the wounded.
"It's all well and good, but we mustn't appear too weak either."
"Indeed."
Gowin, who was listening to their exchange, could grasp their intent to some degree.
Swelling the numbers with nonexistent wounded was a way of showing that they no longer intended to set foot in this war. It also meant they could later boast that they had helped South Roselin while enduring that much loss.
On top of that, the remark about not appearing too weak carried a cautious implication: South Roselin might attempt to forcibly absorb their military strength.
Rustle.
"Hm?"
When Gowin sensed restless movements coming from behind him, he turned his head curiously.
"......."
Murmur murmur.
What entered Gowin's eyes were the free wizards attached to the Hawk Corps, plus the single wizard Baron Bels had left behind.
They were stealthily approaching, gazing at Hwi-garam while heatedly discussing something and scribbling notes. Some were even measuring Hwi-garam's footprints and carefully scooping the soil into pouches.
'What on earth are they doing.'
Gowin was well familiar with wizards' spirit of inquiry, but the gleam in their eyes and their feverish behavior now were such that he could not bring himself to voice the question, "What are you doing?"
"I'm still finding it hard to adjust."
Gowin quietly lamented.
As he was shaking his head and extracting himself from the scene, Gye Ung-sam was approaching to make his report.
"Sir Ung-sam—no, Daesaja Gye, you have worked hard."
"It is you, Daesaja Gowin, who have worked hard."
Seeing Ung-sam, whom he had met many times and who had guided him here, Gowin inwardly felt glad. But even his delight gave way to puzzlement at the odd odor wafting from Ung-sam.
"The smell of burning meat...."
"Ugh. It's a bit complicated to explain."
At Ung-sam's evasive tone, Gowin tilted his head and resumed walking from where he had paused.
"I will take my leave, then, to see to my troops."
"You've worked hard."
Ung-sam gave Gowin a slight nod and then approached Jin-cheon, dropping to one knee.
"Loyalty! Daesaja Gye Ung-sam pays his respects to Your Majesty."
"Mm, you have worked hard."
Jin-cheon gave a brief nod, then furrowed one brow.
"I heard there were some losses."
"We were fortunate, all things considered."
The swordsmen deployed this time were among the most capable within Jin-cheon's forces. So the ten fatalities that occurred were inevitably a painful loss.
Ung-sam continued.
"If we had not prioritized eliminating the wizards at the start—whom we anticipated might cause trouble—the casualties would likely have been even greater."
"Once we return to the home country, we'll have to prepare countermeasures. Contrary to expectations, it seems this place systematically employs wizard-like forces."
"That is correct."
In a sense, this was virtually the first time the Gauri army had taken damage from a magic-using force. In previous battles, wizards had merely been treated as annoyances to be targeted and eliminated, so they had never truly felt their effectiveness. But this battle brought a shift in perception: the wizard forces they had previously regarded as merely "bothersome" could in fact become a genuine obstacle for the Gauri army for the first time.
"Rest."
Just then, exclamations of wonder erupted from behind.
"Whoa! It's gold!"
"This much!"
It was not the weary voice of men who had just fought a battle. As voices capable of dispelling battle fatigue burst out, Jin-cheon's eyes naturally turned in that direction.
"Ho-oh!"
Those were the chests they had plundered last, following Hairon's report. Inside the opened chests, gold was stacked up neatly. Some chests held silver, some held gold coins. Packed in tight, they filled over ten carts.
Jin-cheon's eyes glinted.
"Close them."
"Ah! Your Majesty!"
Startled by Jin-cheon's voice, the soldiers whose eyes had been dazzled by the gold quickly shut the lids. Among that crowd were Buyeo Gi-yul and Hairon as well. Being only human, a trace of regret flickered in their eyes.
Then Jin-cheon opened his mouth.
"Was it Hairon who first discovered these?"
"Aye! That's right!"
Hairon stiffened his body ramrod-straight and answered.
"One of those chests is yours. You shall receive it when we return to the home country."
"Huk!"
Jin-cheon's voice was deliberately loud, as though he meant for the other soldiers to hear as well. The mouths of the soldiers present dropped open, but their shock was nothing compared to Hairon's own. Hairon, who had briefly seemed to lose his wits, bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"By Your Majesty's grace, I, Seonin Hairon, will serve with absolute loyalty until the day I die!"
"In addition, your rank is hereby raised at once from Seonin to Bujeol."
With those words, Jin-cheon turned his back and walked on. Behind him, Hairon was shouting pledges of loyalty loud enough to shake the whole neighborhood, while the other soldiers looked on with envy.
"Isn't that a bit excessive?"
Following behind Go Jin-cheon, Yeon Hwi-garam asked in a voice tinged with amusement.
"Considering what we gained, it's nothing."
At Jin-cheon's words, the smile on Hwi-garam's face grew deeper.
When he considered the gold and silver loaded onto more than ten carts, giving a single chest to Hairon, who had discovered it, was by no means a great sum. But Hwi-garam knew very well that was far from the only point.
That sight of a man still bowing and calling out the Yeolje's name would surely become the envy of the soldiers. Furthermore, the idea of reward according to ability and achievement could provide the soldiers a new focal point beyond the looming threat of death in war.
Besides this, more rewards great and small would follow once they returned home.
A low voice reached Hwi-garam as he followed behind Jin-cheon with a smile.
"Make sure South Roselin keeps quiet about this."
"Do not worry."
It was a charge from Jin-cheon.
The Gauri army had to appear as though it had lost more in this battle than it had gained. And they had to present the appearance of having fought with all their might. As Jin-cheon walked on after receiving Hwi-garam's reliable answer, he abruptly gazed in the direction where Gauri lay.
'How much has she grown, I wonder... ahem.'
Out of the blue, Jin-cheon found himself growing curious about Eulji, his wife(?) back in the home country.
* * *
As the battlefield was being tidied up, Marquis Helios Baikal's face beamed with joy as he received reports. Though he was called the War God of the East, as the war situation had grown ever more dismal, he had not once enjoyed a proper night's sleep.
He knew better than anyone that, since the siege had turned into a protracted campaign, this war hinged on time. But out of consideration for the soldiers who followed him and for the last royal descendants of South Roselin, he could not show it outwardly.
"Tonight, for the first time in a long while, I'll be able to sleep comfortably."
"Indeed."
Baron Bels, who knew Marquis Baikal's regrets better than anyone, spoke while watching the battlefield being cleared.
Marquis Baikal turned his head and looked at Baron Bels.
"Tonight I should forget everything and share a drink."
"Yes, let us do that. Hahaha."
At Marquis Baikal's smile, Baron Bels answered with a cheerful laugh. Marquis Baikal's gaze then turned toward the Gauri army, who were reorganizing their units in the distance.
"We should provide drink to our allies as well."
"Naturally, you must."
Without them, this outcome would not have been possible.
Even if they had independently fought a pitched battle and won, the South Roselin army would have had no strength left to spare. Afterward, the results would have shifted to suit the intentions of the Holy Empire, which had been lending covert support.
But through this battle, they had broken the siege and created an opportunity to rise again.
With barely any sacrifice from their own side.
"It seems they too have suffered significant damage."
The sight of the Gauri army in the distance was pitiable. Countless soldiers loaded on carts, and others smeared with blood here and there and wrapped in bandages....
"See to it yourself that food and drink are provided for them today. When else shall we drink, if not today."
"Understood."
"Then I shall go and relay this joyful news to His Highness the Prince. You will finish tidying up the battlefield and lead them here."
"Rest assured."
But on the face of Baron Bels, who answered Marquis Baikal with a dependable voice as the Marquis strode off with happy steps, doubt was gathering.
"......."
It was only natural that doubt arose from the scene before his eyes. The Gauri army, tasked only with rear-area disruption—that same army that boasted such terrifying combat power—had suffered this many wounded and killed? He could not understand it.
At the very least, the Gauri army he had seen was stronger than any other army. Even setting aside everything else, had he not witnessed an unforgettable sight at Vihanen Fortress?
The sight of them charging through and breaking several thousand troops like a ship cutting through water. On top of that, though Baron Gowin's Hawk Corps belonged to the Haian Kingdom, they were hundred-battle veterans hardened by war.
"I'll understand when I go see for myself."
He had not even witnessed the battle himself, after all.
Consoling himself with that thought, Baron Bels moved his feet.
"Let us go together."
"Ah, Sir Dupyo."
Samdopyo and his companions came alongside him, looking utterly ragged, like beggars. It was easy to see how fierce the fight to protect Baron Bels had been. Minor sword cuts were the least of it; one of them had nearly half his entire body wrapped in bandages.
'If not for these men....'
He could still vividly see the North Roselin knights charging at him, radiating killing intent.
"Earlier, I survived thanks to you."
Baron Bels suddenly felt sorry toward them.