Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: The Might of the Five Guardian Trees
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The might of the five guardian trees said to protect Danyeom was astonishing.
Every time they took a step, the ground caved in as deep as a man's shin, and when they swung their front paws, mighty trees toppled root and all.
Dust clouds rose up to the height of the guardian trees' heads, and with each movement, a faint breeze brushed against the skin of the Heukrin Army soldiers.
And facing all five of them was Rakrak, a living legend.
Every time he swung his spear blade, the guardian trees twisted their massive bodies in a frantic effort to dodge, and like lightning flashing across the sky, his position changed so quickly it was hard to track with the eye.
As the faint scent of the guardian trees' blood spread through the air, a tension like that of an ongoing war hung over the Heukrin Army.
Against the backdrop of that mythic battle, the Heukrin Army began to move.
Suheon, Basen's adjutant, covered her mouth and smiled at Basen Rak Orzan's confident words: "I've never lost to a human army."
Though he came from one of the four great families of the Automaton City, Suheon was a rare human in the previous Heukrin forces.
Her physical abilities might not surpass those of the lizardmen, but she had proven her worth through other talents.
'An interesting fellow.'
When he first heard that Basen had been arbitrarily assigned to command the armored troops, he had been greatly worried. But setting aside Basen's status as a prince, his track record in the southern seas alone qualified him amply.
'If he has the ability and the confidence, there's nothing more to hide.'
Suheon said,
"But General, judging by the situation, we have to go right into that maw. The enemy has blocked the gorge, and they've stationed archers on the cliffs above. Our soldiers may be braver than any on the continent, but they're still human—they bleed when cut by blades. Is this really okay?"
More allies against fewer enemies.
This was the basics of the basics in military tactics.
It held true even when numbers were equal.
Even if allied and enemy forces matched in number, fighting enemies funneling through a narrow pass instantly gave the advantage in numbers to the allies.
But at this moment, the terrain favored the enemy Danyeom Army.
Basen said,
"Is the formation set up exactly as I described, without issue?"
"Ah, yes."
The formation Basen demanded was one that encircled the enemy.
It seemed advantageous at first glance, but it was the allies who had to pass through the gorge, not the enemy.
Since battle had to happen inside the gorge anyway, encircling it seemed threatening in Suheon's eyes but ultimately useless.
"Unlike what you told the other generals, you don't plan to advance today?"
"No. Can't you see Rakrak and Danyeom's guardians fighting over there? I think Rakrak will win, of course, but behind him is still the god Mujin of the satyrs. We don't know what miracle the god might pull, so it's better to hurry."
"Then wouldn't it be better to change to a wedge formation?"
A wedge was the classic assault formation, universally used for breaking through gorges like this.
But Basen clicked his tongue.
"Earlier, three generals came and said much the same thing."
"...My apologies."
"No, it's my fault for not explaining enough."
Suheon said,
"Then may I ask exactly what's going to happen?"
Basen didn't answer right away and gazed at the distant gorge.
The gorge itself wasn't that narrow. If all 10,000 were lizardmen, Basen might have formed a wedge and charged, deeming it a winnable fight.
Lizardmen blessed by the Wild Heaven possessed tremendous strength and could scale several-meter cliffs with ease.
Their personal armament was excellent too, making them resistant to arrows, and in close combat, they were masters compared to other races.
It might even be better not to overthink tactics.
But out of 10,000 soldiers, lizardmen numbered only 2,000.
The rest were sturdy humans with strong wills, trained enough to serve as soldiers, but hardly an elite force.
Pitting strength against strength was too risky.
What was needed was a tactic to preserve the weak allies while slowly carving out the enemy's vulnerabilities with the strong.
"Suheon, didn't you say that gorge looks like a maw?"
"Pardon? Yes, I did."
"Then just make it vomit us out."
"Pardon?"
"What happens if you tickle a dog's nose with foxtail grass?"
"...Pardon?"
Basen sighed.
"Just watch."
Basen decided to understand Suheon and the other generals.
They were still "old soldiers."
The battlefield had already introduced new ways, yet they clung to the past.
'Choosing old methods isn't a bad decision. The problem is stubbornly sticking to them even after learning the new.'
The good news was that the Danyeom Army was the same.
'That's why they formed up like that.'
In Basen's view, the Danyeom Army's formation was a complete failure.
Leading 30,000 men, they couldn't be amateurs, so they must be old-style soldiers as Basen imagined.
'If that's the case, they should've camped at the gorge's end instead of the entrance, or at least back against it preparing for a wheel maneuver. Wouldn't that be better? They have more numbers too.'
Of course, the opponent's ignorance was a boon for Basen.
Basen confirmed the Heukrin Army encircling the gorge entrance.
The units were positioned exactly as he specified.
Even if some doubted his authority, the chain of command seemed functional.
"I give the order now."
Basen spoke through the chain of command.
"Aim the cannons at the gorge entrance."
Soon, explosions rang out as boulders scattered into the gorge depths.
—┼
"What are you doing? Counter with our cannons now!"
At Danyeom's Grand General Yubaem Dolan's shout, one general replied.
"We're already doing our best, but the infantry is packed too tightly, so it takes time to bring the cannons forward!"
"Haul the cannons up to the cliffs!"
"Dragging cannons up the cliffs like this will damage them or the crews. We'd have to go around, which would take too long."
Yubaem slammed the table.
"Then pull back one of the units on the west flank!"
Another general said,
"Please reconsider, Grand General!"
"Why?"
"The enemy's cannons are far off, so damage isn't severe yet. But with our troops rattled and unable to counter, pulling back one unit would tank morale for the rest who can't retreat."
"...Damn it!"
As the Danyeom Army slowly moved cannons forward, Heukrin didn't stop.
After gauging the distance and confirming no enemy cannons up front, they began advancing bit by bit.
Seeing this, Suheon understood what Basen meant by "tickling the nose."
"If we have cannons, this formation is even better outside the gorge, right?"
Basen nodded silently.
For soldiers with swords and spears, encircling a gorge was useless against enemies inside it.
But cannons that inflicted mass casualties from afar changed everything.
Concentrating firepower on one point upheld the basic tactic: more allies against fewer enemies.
"The enemy general probably considered cannons. But inside the gorge, it's hard to fire forward."
Or you'd hit your own.
"And from the cliffs, you can't shoot inward."
Modern cannon tech used front-loading muzzles.
Firing downward just made shots roll back, and lobbing forward in an arc would still hit allies since the gorge wasn't wide enough.
"So the Danyeom Army..."
"Should never have taken position in the gorge to begin with."
"But their cannon tech matches ours. If they bring cannons forward..."
"Isn't that perfect?"
"Pardon?"
Basen kept positioning and firing Heukrin's cannons forward.
Single shots couldn't kill many infantry, but the relentless barrage had them in panic.
"Cannons right behind us! Make way!"
At that cry, Danyeom infantry cheered and cleared a path.
Then Basen ordered the cavalry to charge.
The moment Heukrin's final barrage ended, their pride—the Cockatoo cavalry—charged.
Danyeom spearmen hastily reformed, but half the infantry had already yielded ground to cannons.
Archers on the gorge flanks targeted the Cockatoo riders, but now Heukrin gunners aimed at the cliffs.
Few Cockatoo riders fell.
The cavalry crashed through the disrupted enemy lines.
"Don't fear! Form a spear wall, and we can handle any cavalry!"
Danyeom officers shouted desperately, to no avail.
The already demoralized front spearmen botched their resistance, getting throats slit or backs stabbed as they fled.
As officers calmed the next rank to form a spear wall, the Cockatoo cavalry wheeled back on retreat orders.
The barrage resumed.
After one more repeat, Yubaem ordered,
"We advance."
Immediate backlash.
"No, Grand General! We're barely damaged—abandoning terrain advantage?"
"Fool! Look with your eyes. What advantage? We tried fighting safely with the gorge, but we're not leveraging our numbers."
True enough.
But another general stood.
"The enemy has formed up. Advancing now is walking into their jaws!"
Yubaem felt like he'd been struck.
'We formed up waiting for the enemy to enter our jaws—how did it come to this?'
Grand General Yubaem said,
"Then what do you suggest? Retreat?"
Silence.
Even retreating to the end of Dilpha Canyon left no defensible spot before the capital Deimerit.
Yubaem said,
"No choice. Even ignoring terrain disadvantage, we target numerical superiority."
Some losses from prior skirmishes, but only a few hundred from gorge fighting, by estimate.
A lot, but still numerically superior.
"Advance!"
At Yubaem's order, Danyeom infantry formed up and pushed forward.
Heukrin cannons roared, but facing the enemy dulled the panic.
Worried, Yubaem demanded faster reports.
"Any issues with the advance?"
"No, sir. Infantry squads are reforming beside the cannons. They seem set to stand and fight our unit without retreating."
As Yubaem prepared to order continued advance, another general said,
"No enemy cavalry in sight."
Yubaem pondered briefly, then another added,
"Enemy cavalry likely fatigued from prior fighting and withdrawn to the rear."
Plausible.
The Danyeom advance continued.
They advanced in wedge formation straight at the Heukrin fan-shaped lines.
Yubaem planned to split the numerically inferior Heukrin and crush one half first.
And the moment the wedge clashed with one Heukrin infantry flank,
Basen, who had waited, drew his sword.
"Charge!"
The sudden shout came from Danyeom's right flank.
There appeared a cavalry unit Danyeom hadn't spotted.
Basen had placed the weary Cockatoo riders in reserve, leading a mixed-race horse cavalry vanguard himself at the front.
Basen, mounted on a Cockatoo, shouted,
"Cut the enemy's waist in two!"