Chapter 208
Chapter 208
Iron Emperor — Chapter 208
Nine thousand troops of the Hawk Corps and five thousand soldiers of the Eastern Army, who knew the terrain well, remained. Along with thirty-three thousand Gauri troops led by Go Jin-cheon, thirty thousand South Roselin troops were slowly setting out on the long march.
Gowin watched the sixty-three thousand troops growing distant.
'His Majesty the Yeolje...'
Throughout the several battles they had fought together, he had felt a faint sense of being an outsider. The soldiers' treatment, of course, had been good—never bad. Yet something had always felt lacking. Only now did he understand what that missing feeling had been. In a decisive battle upon which Gauri's fate might hinge, the emperor had trusted him and left this task to him.
"Fuuuuuuh."
He drew a long breath.
Tearing his gaze from the tail of the column, now no longer visible, Gowin turned to look behind him. There stood his faithful knights, eyes gleaming.
"Who am I?"
Gowin asked, one corner of his mouth curling upward.
"The Hawk of the Battlefield!"
A voice rang out from somewhere. Gowin drew his sword and raised it, asking again.
"What was that!"
"The Hawk of the Battlefield!"
Savoring a thrill he had not felt in a long time, Gowin bellowed the question.
"Who are we!"
"The Hawk Corps!"
Watching his troops roar their battle cry, Gowin stoked his own fighting spirit and turned his gaze toward the direction of the Conrad Plains.
Countless banners and thousands of wagons were moving out toward the Conrad Plains.
"Enemy!"
"Damn!"
Startled by the hundred-plus horsemen galloping toward the hilltop, the North Roselin scouts quickly mounted their horses and fled. The pursuing cavalry only managed to kill seven of the dozen or so fleeing riders before the rest escaped.
A North Roselin scout who had fled for his life galloped straight into the command tent, not even pausing to catch his ragged breath.
"What is it?"
A veteran soldier guarding the tent blocked the charging scout and posed the question. The scout steadied his breathing for a moment, then spoke in a frantic voice.
"Urgent report! A large force of South Roselin and Gauri troops is advancing this way right now."
"What? Get in there at once!"
Alarmed by the young soldier's report, the veteran sent the scout inside the command tent.
Not long after the scout entered, the North Roselin camp began to stir busily.
* * *
Even by the time the Hawk Corps had finished setting up their camp, the North Roselin forces positioned on the Conrad Plains made no particular movement. The only actions were occasional skirmishes between scouting parties in the intermediate zone.
"Their troop numbers are larger than expected."
Beskin broke the silence, his voice tinged with worry.
"If the difference from the anticipated troop count is about fifteen thousand men, that means they've already replenished a fair number of troops from their rear...."
Gowin fell into thought.
After pacing the tent for a moment, Gowin let out a soft laugh and addressed the knights, who were wearing worried expressions.
"That means North Roselin has also judged this to be the main theater and has pulled in reinforcements."
"That's right. The reports clearly stated that the number of newly erected tents was considerable."
In response to Gowin's words, a knight from the Eastern Army added a report in agreement. A satisfied look appeared on Gowin's face.
"That works out well. North Roselin's capacity to mobilize is already stretched to its limit. If they've been replenishing troops faster than expected, doesn't that make our allied army's current advance all the better? If those fifteen thousand troops had remained uncommitted, they would have been a stumbling block to our advance."
"That's correct."
The Eastern Army knight and Beskin chimed in with slightly dazed expressions. But they could not smile the way Gowin did. The force they now had to hold back before their eyes numbered fifty-five thousand.
Fourteen thousand troops was too small a force to tie down that many. And everyone knew that a battle on open plains made it even more disadvantageous. The knights stared out of the tent with anxious eyes.
* * *
The North Roselin camp.
Tension hung on the faces of the soldiers clutching spears and blades that glinted on all sides.
The annihilation of the expeditionary force sent against Gauri, followed by consecutive defeats.
The death in battle of the South Roselin governor, Count Krian—these events were more than enough to make North Roselin feel a grave threat.
Now everything they had achieved during the previous Unification War was in danger of coming to nothing. In that situation, the troops holding Conrad carried an excessive burden on their shoulders.
"Mmmm."
Count Bulkan, the new commander-in-chief dispatched along with the reinforcements, wore a deeply worried expression, his brow tightly furrowed.
"Even Count Krian fell in battle...."
His voice was thick with unease rather than regret.
Although not widely known across the continent, the reason was simply that Count Bulkan had rarely taken the front lines. Within North Roselin itself, he was a master swordsman said to have virtually no equal.
"Gauri's military strength is unexpectedly formidable. As expected, the expeditionary force's defeat...."
Count Yulian trailed off carefully.
"I never wished for a situation like this."
"The worst possible situation."
From their perspective, they had hoped the Gauri forces would withdraw after recapturing the capital. Contrary to that hope, they could not help but worry at the sight of the great army advancing straight toward the Conrad Plains.
"The enemy count is said to exceed sixty thousand, is that right?"
"That is correct. However, the latest intelligence confirms that troops have been continuously streaming in."
At Count Yulian's words, Count Bulkan closed his eyes for a moment. If the enemy had moved forces purely for defense, their current position was not bad. But if the movement was for an offensive, it was not a particularly advantageous position either. Moreover, that possibility now seemed all but certain, since Gauri's army would have had no reason to come this far unless it intended to attack.
"We absolutely cannot lose this place."
Count Bulkan murmured the words as if making a vow to himself.
At that same hour, the South Roselin camp was also passing the time in a state of heightened tension.
"So far, they are focusing solely on defense and making no other moves."
It was a basic stratagem, but the results were proving it to be unexpectedly effective. They had deliberately advanced with great fanfare, positioning real troops at the front while moving wagons in the rear that carried scarecrows disguised as soldiers.
When setting up the tents, they had built enough to sleep over sixty thousand. Of course, that was not all: by continuously staging the appearance of incoming reinforcements, they had managed to deceive North Roselin.
"How fatigued are the soldiers?"
"Still manageable for now. The weather remains warm, after all."
Gowin nodded quietly at Beskin's answer.
To conceal their smaller numbers, they had no choice but to post far more sentries than usual. At every mealtime, numerous campfires were lit. The soldiers moving busily around the tents on the camp's perimeter were not acting on their own—they were deliberately generating heavy activity under orders.
No matter how much they tried to guard against observation, they could not completely evade enemy eyes.
"Can we hold out like this?"
Beskin posed the question carefully.
At his question, Gowin could only quietly shake his head.
"On the contrary, they'll grow suspicious, and if this drags on, it'll be even easier to uncover. What's more, if they realize what's happening and descend upon us with full force, not only the expeditionary force but even the capital we barely retook could be in danger."
"That's true."
Beskin could only nod at Gowin's words as well.
"We need to start prodding them soon. The troop numbers are the problem."
"It seems the entire force will have to move."
At Beskin's remark, Gowin nodded as if there were no other choice.
"If we only send a small number out, they'll think it strange. We'll need to field at least ten thousand or so."
"What do you intend regarding the timing?"
Gowin closed his eyes and murmured briefly, as if calculating something. He was surely working out how far the Gauri and South Roselin main army would have advanced by then.
"The longer we delay, the better, but we'll have no choice but to begin offensive operations roughly three days from now."
"Understood."
"Prepare seven thousand from the Hawk Corps and three thousand from the Eastern Army as the force for the first strike."
At Gowin's command, the Eastern Army knight and Beskin, who were standing to one side, saluted and hurriedly exited.
After they left, Gowin remained alone and began studying the broad map spread out before him, mapping out the best possible scenarios.
* * *
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of drums echoing from the distance stirred the dim light of early dawn.
"Wha—what is that!"
"E-enemy!"
It was the hour when soldiers, reassured by the sky brightening into pale blue dawn, were slipping into shallow drowsiness.
The sound shaking the cold air was unmistakably Gauri drums.
The pounding drums were driving away even the sleep of the troops who had not yet fully awakened.
"Sitrep!"
Having already donned his full armor—the clanking of metal announcing his approach—Count Bulkan fired the question at the nobleman who had been in charge of the watch.
"Scouts report roughly ten thousand enemy troops approaching in formation!"
"Ten thousand, you say...."
"It appears they intend to conduct a reconnaissance in force."
"That would be my guess."
Count Bulkan nodded, his expression grave. The commotion echoing from outside was proof that the soldiers were still considerably agitated.
"Commander-in-Chief."
"Count Yulian. You've come."
"Shall we focus on a defensive battle for now?"
As soon as Count Yulian entered and asked about defense, Count Bulkan slowly shook his head.
"If we adopt a purely defensive posture when the enemy force is only about ten thousand strong, they may conclude our army is weak and escalate to a full-scale engagement. In the current situation, buying time works to our advantage."
"Hmm."
Count Yulian stroked his chin for a moment, sinking into thought at Count Bulkan's words. It did not take long for his thoughts to settle.
"I will lead a force out first."
"Would you do that?"
"Just leave it to me."
At Count Yulian's eagerness to take the field, Count Bulkan's eyes conveyed his trust.
"Then I will send fifteen thousand elite soldiers with you. Showing a numerical advantage would likely be beneficial. Since our total force appears to be somewhat smaller, avoid any unnecessary war of attrition."
Count Bulkan clapped Count Yulian on the shoulder as he gave his parting instructions. Count Yulian nodded slightly in response and spoke as if there were no problem.
"Understood. In any case, it seems they are advancing with a probing engagement in mind as well, so this first clash will likely end after both sides test each other cautiously."
"Very well. I'll trust this to you. Take care of yourself."
"Do not worry."
Count Yulian completed his salute and hurriedly left the command tent.
"It's finally begun."
Count Bulkan's worry still lingered.