Chapter 289
Chapter 289
Iron Emperor — Chapter 289
Bam!
A satisfying impact rang out.
"Guwaaah!"
A long, drawn-out scream traveled sideways. In short, he'd been kicked and sent flying.
"Sir Ung-sam!"
"Captain Ung-sam's done it again."
"Said he held it in for a good while."
After Duke Baikal's near-scream, the swordsmen who had come with Gye Ung-sam each nodded, folded their arms, and squatted down like interested spectators.
Whether people called to him or not, the moment Viscount Shenin hit the ground, Ung-sam rushed over and started stomping on him.
THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
"Gurk! Hnng! Grrrak!"
Even the Roselin soldiers watching the scene winced. Sure, he was the enemy, but hadn't he displayed remarkable brotherhood?
"Captain, he's gonna die at this rate!"
"Let go of me! This son of a bitch won't shut his busted mouth!"
In the end, his subordinates, unable to watch any longer, rushed in and pulled Ung-sam off.
Once his men drew him away from Viscount Shenin, Ung-sam seemed to settle a little, breathing heavily as he walked slowly over and stood before the writhing Viscount Shenin.
"I was trying my damnedest to let it slide, but the way you carry on is a goddamn spectacle."
"Nnngr."
Viscount Shenin, covered in blood, looked up at Ung-sam.
"Loyalty? Yeah, loyalty's a fine thing. But is your loyalty the only loyalty that exists? You think all those bastards sprawled out dead today died because they had no loyalty? If you wanted to honor your loyalty, why the hell did you invade, you piece of shit!"
"Cough— what sophistry..."
"Loyalty matters, but the families of those men standing over there don't? Why are those soldiers even here? They're here because you bastards came charging in with swords, and now they're here to protect their families, their honor, their love, their kids, and their money — isn't that right, you goddamn fool!"
Bam!
After Ung-sam's rapid-fire barrage, the soldiers who had looked unfavorably on his actions once again aimed their gazes at Viscount Shenin, who had just been booted again. Of course, this time, their eyes were hostile.
"Hooo."
As if the outburst had cleared his chest, Ung-sam let out a heavy breath and added one final word to the fallen Viscount Shenin.
"I'll give you a round of applause for your friendship, but we are your enemy. You moron."
In the end, he wanted to conclude that there had been no flaw whatsoever in all the strategies he himself had laid out.
And seeing Duke Baikal nod as if he, too, had received something akin to deep admiration, Ung-sam's fervent eloquence was, to some degree, succeeding.
Chapter 95 — Even as Your Comrade Dies Beside You...
Marquis Public's dawn began with rage.
The annihilation of the supply unit led by Viscount Kwai, reported the day before, had already laid the foundation stones of his fury, but the news that arrived around daybreak erected pillars atop that foundation.
"Have you ever seen fools whom even the Lord God cannot save!"
A roar far removed from benevolence burst forth. His demeanor at this moment was less Saint Public and decidedly closer to Public the Cruel.
The surrounding staff officers and nobles, though they were not the ones who had botched the supply unit themselves, all had their heads bowed toward the ground.
"Kraaaak!"
Public's rampage did not stop until the command tent and the seven surrounding tents had been reduced to tatters.
In the cold, subdued atmosphere of the temporary command tent, Marquis Public sat quietly, positively reeking of menace.
"Do you have measures prepared?"
The question came out stiff and hard, but no one answered.
"If you have no measures, what are you doing sitting here!"
At Marquis Public's words, the staff officers began to stir.
To put it bluntly, if things went on like this, he might suddenly declare them all useless humans whom the world could do without, utter the words "I send you back to the Lord God's embrace!", and proceed to slaughter every person here.
He was a man capable of such cruelty.
"With the supplies currently remaining, a prolonged war is absolutely disadvantageous."
Someone spoke cautiously from one side.
"Count Turbes, continue."
Having fortunately been granted the opportunity to speak by Marquis Public, Count Turbes adjusted his seat and slowly continued.
"The exact scale of the enemy is unknown, but it is almost certain that the force that raided the rear supply unit is Duke Baikal's main body."
"The reason?"
"There had been no direct attacks before that, yet Duke Baikal's forces, which had been endlessly harassing us, vanished at some point. After the previous two supply units were raided, we managed one resupply by strengthening the escort forces. But this time, two more supply runs have been severed. In terms of scale, we have lost an immense amount of supplies."
"Indeed."
Marquis Public's face began to soften little by little.
Encouraged by this, Count Turbes continued, his voice taking on a confident rhythm.
"The issue is the scale. The force annihilated across the two engagements numbers sixty thousand, and it can be assumed that they were shattered almost within a matter of days. Common sense dictates that a force capable of annihilating that number would not be small. Moreover, according to the wizard who succeeded in escaping yesterday, they deployed a magical disruption so thorough that not even communication magic could be used. To employ magic on such a scale, from Roselin's perspective, we must conclude they committed a significant portion of their magical power."
"That's it! Hehehe!"
"Would they have committed a significant portion of their strength to a small-scale unit meant merely to disrupt the rear? Absolutely not. And do you all recall the small force from the Haian Kingdom that committed that atrocity of throwing bundles of plant poison into the river and setting tents on fire not long ago?"
The nobles nodded at Count Turbes's question.
"Judging by their actions and their thorough attempt to sever the rear supply lines, they are unconditionally aiming to draw this into a prolonged war. One only has to look at how they left not a single house or a single blade of grass behind — this incident has made it blatantly clear. When we piece together the various points in time, the period when the supply unit escort forces increased and the period when Duke Baikal's forces vanished are relatively close, and the force that stepped in to harass us then was precisely the Haian Kingdom army."
"And to annihilate thirty thousand troops while constructing an encirclement so thorough that almost no escapees were left, the scale would have to be at least around fifty thousand."
"As expected of Marquis Saint Public."
As Marquis Public neatly summarized the answer Count Turbes had led them to, the meeting regained its vitality.
"We have few supplies left regardless. Fortunately, since there has been no significant battle, the shortage of weapons is not severe."
At Marquis Public's words, the staff officers concurred and listened intently.
"I suspect the correct answer might be to switch to an all-out offensive."
When Count Turbes voiced his opinion once more, Marquis Public nodded with a smile.
"Correct. Now that things have come to this, pushing through with an all-out offensive and seizing the enemy's fortress will be the answer. Once that happens, Marquis Baikal's forces will no longer be able to cling solely to severing our supply lines in the rear. Hehehet!"
"In that case, it would be wise to slaughter some of the draft horses currently pulling the wagons and use them as emergency rations. Most of the supply wagons are empty anyway; if we consolidate them and slaughter the remaining draft horses to make jerky, it will improve the food situation."
"Now this finally feels like a proper war council!"
As opinions came flooding from all sides, Public Marquis's face regained its former geniality.
"Then starting tomorrow, we shall increase our marching speed without delay! Let everyone make thorough preparations for this."
"We shall bear it in mind."
Unlike the initial atmosphere, a resounding reply echoed through the temporary command tent. The war was finally beginning to get on track.
* * *
Duke Baikal's flawless severing of the supply lines was conveyed almost simultaneously to the Gauri, Haian Kingdom, and Marlon Kingdom camps.
Seizing the Holy Empire army's supplies while suffering extremely minimal damage was an immense military achievement. The supplies to sustain fifty thousand troops had been limited to what individuals were personally carrying, but now the supplies were overflowing to the point of excess.
What could not be carried away was secretly buried in the earth and turned into forward supply depots.
And here, Risel's existence shone once more, for he had maximally supported the Haian Kingdom and Marlon Kingdom with the necessary supplies that the Roselin army had plundered.
They had looted supplies meant to sustain one hundred fifty thousand Holy Empire soldiers for the foreseeable future not once, but twice, so materiel was overflowing. And by stockpiling the supplies prepared in advance, their preparations for a prolonged war had become even more thorough.
Of course, Risel could not handle all this movement alone. Therefore, wizards were drafted from each nation to expand the Magic Supply Unit. That alone eased their supply concerns for the time being.
In short, hit-and-run tactics had become feasible at will.
As the Holy Empire army's advance quickened, each army sensed that the Imperial Army was beginning to move according to Go Jin-cheon's intentions, and the Haian Kingdom and Marlon Kingdom's harassment became full-fledged.
But it remained just that — harassment, unable to inflict proper damage.
At that moment, the Gauri army was running without rest.
* * *
Tension began to swirl instantly through Palaka Fortress, the first gateway to the Roselin capital that the Holy Empire army was marching toward.
Palaka Fortress was situated atop a hill, allowing easy observation of the enemy's movements.
However, being able to see the Holy Empire's overwhelming black mass advancing so clearly only made things worse for the soldiers.
The enemy numbered one hundred fifty thousand. Palaka Fortress, even after reinforcements, held eleven thousand five hundred. No matter how advantageous the defense, one hundred fifty thousand against eleven thousand five hundred was a disparity they simply could not overcome.
"Lord Commander, the Holy Empire army has appeared!"
"At last..."
They had repaired some of the damage from the previous war and made modifications, but with an overwhelming host before their eyes, anyone would feel tense and despairing.
"That's a lot of men."
Only the Gauri officers dispatched to Palaka Fortress calmly scrutinized the enemy lines.
"I'd expected them to use a detached force and move only seventy or eighty thousand of the hundred fifty thousand, but they've brought the whole force."
"Well, they ain't the Tang, so... must mean they've got that much confidence."
The sight of the Gauri officers chatting among themselves seemed as casual as watching a fire across a river.
And that sense of calm was serving to ease the tension of the Roselin knights and soldiers, if only slightly.
"Say a word to the soldiers."
When the Gauri officer requested Count Trenis, who was in charge of Palaka Fortress, to say something to raise the soldiers' morale, he stepped forward with a solemn face and began to shout.
"All we have to do is hold this fortress properly. I mean that literally — all we have to do is hold it! There is no need to kill all the enemy soldiers. No need even to kill many. By now, the enemy are practically beggars with their food running out! The more we endure, the more the enemy will starve, and in the end, they will come begging us for food!"
"Wahahaha!"