Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Anvil and Hammer
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The Heukrin cavalry charged into the flank of the Dan Yeom army's infantry.
Cockatoos were faster than horses.
But the Heukrin's primary mounts were still horses.
Aside from the fact that cockatoos were such vicious beasts that only Lizardmen blessed by Yacheon could tame them with any reliability, horses boasted superior endurance—and above all, raw power.
Unlike cockatoos, which struggled under heavy loads, horses could handle full plate armor.
Being able to carry greater mass also meant delivering far more devastating impact on a charge.
The Dan Yeom spearmen hurriedly tried to form up, but they were on the move and not tightly packed.
Anti-cavalry formations existed to block mounts and riders with dense spear walls spanning the flanks, rear ranks, third lines, and sometimes even the fourth.
But any gap, however small, meant the formation would shatter from the side—and if holes opened on both flanks, the formation was utterly meaningless.
-Thud!
One Satyros was flung off his horse, soaring several meters through the air before crashing to the ground.
As a single Heukrin cavalryman wedged himself between the loosely formed spear lines, the Dan Yeom spearmen frantically swung their spearheads around, only widening the breach.
Officers shouted for soldiers to hold their spears steady and not move, but it was hard to ignore the instinctive terror of a charging rider bearing down on you.
The cavalry hacked through the riders with spears and swords, cutting down the infantry.
Those foolish enough to keep thrusting spears at the horsemen ended up tangling their own weapons, failing to land proper strikes.
A few who had trained to draw swords fared slightly better, but they were still trampled by hooves, pecked by cockatoo beaks, or slain by cavalry blades.
With its front line severed, the Dan Yeom vanguard was thrown into confusion—did they turn to fight the Heukrin cavalry, or press the assault on the Heukrin infantry ahead?
In truth, the field commanders, cut off from high command, issued conflicting orders.
"Now! Charge!"
With the plan unfolding perfectly, the Heukrin infantry enveloped the paralyzed Dan Yeom vanguard.
As attacks rained down on the Dan Yeom infantry from all directions, the Heukrin cavalry punched clean through their lines and withdrew with minimal losses.
Yuba'im bellowed from afar.
The infantry hadn't even cleared half the canyon yet.
"You idiots! Clear a path for the cavalry! Don't we need to rescue the vanguard?"
Another general replied.
"But, Grand General, if only the cavalry advances, it won't make a difference."
Yuba'im hated to admit it, but the man was right.
The Dan Yeom cavalry was advancing, but it might be too late to punch through the thick enemy infantry and save the vanguard.
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Lure the enemy back into the canyon..."
Another general cut in.
"Foolish talk! The rear ranks have already begun advancing. Retreating now would take time—and meanwhile, we'd watch the vanguard get slaughtered?"
Yuba'im clutched his head, then looked up.
Better to act than stand idle.
"Once we've committed to advancing, we can't stop now. Consistent orders will let the troops focus on the fight. Advance while maintaining formation, even if it's slower."
"What about the encircled vanguard?"
Yuba'im scowled and spat it out reluctantly.
"Abandon them."
"Grand General, but..."
"Shut up! We still have the numerical edge."
As the Dan Yeom vanguard was effectively annihilated, Heukrin pulled back weary and wounded units while bringing fresh ones forward.
Adjutant Suheon spoke up.
"General, shouldn't we preserve the uninjured troops for the next phase? Even pulling back the wounded now won't let them recover fully before the next clash."
Suheon's view was the conventional wisdom among generals.
War wasn't a game—unnecessary maneuvering could breed unrest.
Without explanation, troops pulled to the front might resent the perceived unfairness.
"I see it differently."
"Could you explain why?"
Basen answered.
"Exhausted troops aside, the wounded can't recover instantly, true. But simply not throwing battle-tested veterans into every fight until they're spent gives the men a sense of relief."
"Peace of mind is good in peacetime, but does it help in war?"
"Shortsighted thinking, Suheon."
Suheon pondered briefly.
As Suheon struggled for a response, Basen continued.
"That's how they'll come to trust me and follow my orders. As long as they survive this, next time they'll have faith in me."
"Ah."
"That said, the Dan Yeom's Grand General seems lacking in wisdom."
Having massacred the Dan Yeom vanguard, Basen withdrew to the previous distance.
Then, as the reforming Dan Yeom army approached slowly, he fired the cannons again.
-Boom!
Only after hearing the thunderous roar of black powder echo from the rear did Yuba'im realize something was deeply wrong.
"Damn it!"
It felt like stumbling into a massive labyrinth.
"This will just repeat the same scenario!"
The enemy surrounded the canyon in a fan shape, pounding them with cannon fire.
The Dan Yeom infantry took hits from the barrage.
Pull back the infantry to chase the cannons, and the cavalry exploits the broken formation to rip into them.
Push the infantry forward fast, and the cavalry severs the waist, dooming the vanguard to encirclement.
Maintain formation and advance slowly? Cannons punish that too.
One general spoke up.
"N-no, Grand General. Our infantry is steadily advancing on the enemy, however slowly."
"Idiot! By the time they reach the foe, riddled with cannon holes, they'll just be fodder for the cavalry again!"
The general fell silent at Yuba'im's rebuke.
But there were no better options.
"...Is this truly our best?"
In Basen's eyes, it wasn't even the Dan Yeom's optimal play.
From the start, they'd positioned poorly—retreating early would have been wiser.
But now, retreat was too late.
"Too many infantry lost. Cutting losses and falling back now would still be better than nothing... but they've got unnecessary stubbornness."
Despite the mounting casualties, the Dan Yeom stubbornly hugged the right canyon wall to exit.
This allowed a thicker infantry formation over a wedge shape.
No risk of severance, so decent against cavalry.
"That does make it harder for cavalry to split them. However..."
Basen's response was straightforward.
A thicker enemy line meant a wider front.
Basen ordered the Heukrin infantry to charge.
Heukrin's Lizardmen infantry, alongside cockatoo light cavalry, were formidable.
The warrior culture from Rakrak to Yur had honed their martial prowess, especially close-quarters techniques against infantry.
Even Grand General Yuba'im knew this.
"But Lizardmen make up only two-tenths of their forces. Some are cavalry, so barely enough to hold the north. Against our Satyros infantry? We've got this."
Satyros were renowned heavy infantry, clad in thick armor and wielding massive weapons.
Lacking agility against cavalry, they excelled at weathering arrow storms and crushing foot soldiers.
From behind the Dan Yeom spearmen, Satyros heavy infantry formed up and began pushing back the Heukrin infantry bit by bit.
After heavier-than-expected sacrifices, Yuba'im's envisioned scenario was taking shape.
"Hold the east—use the heavies to open the west!"
As Yuba'im hoped, the western flank began to crack open.
Once they shoved the enemy aside and cleared a path, they could flood the plain, enveloping the foe with superior numbers.
"Heukrin forces on the west are falling back!"
"Good!"
Yuba'im shouted.
"Solidify the line! Shift heavy infantry west!"
As the western gap opened, Satyros heavies surged forward to fill it.
Basen assessed the sight crisply.
"Lacking caution."
Awaiting the charging Satyros heavies were the cannons, steadily repositioned from the rear.
The armored troops froze in panic at the sight, and Heukrin gunners unleashed canister shot.
Expensive plate armor, hammered for decades by master smiths, crumpled under stone rounds.
The front ranks fell; the second line ate cannon fire next.
As Yuba'im received damage reports, he heard some relief too.
"...Damn it, west is secure now! East! The east will open next!"
But an opened path didn't mean one-way traffic.
As the eastern Heukrin fell back, rested cavalry emerged from the rear.
Yuba'im murmured softly.
"Gods above."
Seong-un supported Rakrak's battle while observing Basen's.
"Anvil and hammer."
If the guideline was using more friendly forces to attack fewer enemies, anvil and hammer countered that.
Basen's was the classic variant.
Anchor the front with tough infantry—like Lizardmen, the unyielding anvil—to pin the foe.
Then hammer from the flanks: cannons shredding heavy armor like paper, cavalry slicing through infantry at will.
Rakrak's fight was wrapping up too, so victory was all but sealed.
"But no room for complacency yet."
Seong-un spotted Kramphus far off, frantically manipulating system windows over the Dan Yeom army.
"We're losing?"
Wisdom said that from the video chat window.
Kramphus replied anxiously.
"Yeah. I need to help."
"...How'd it come to this? You should've supported them."
"Well... I focused on Rakrak."
Less "capturing" than keeping his minions alive.
Fail to hold Rakrak, and it was game over.
Hold him, and victory followed—or so he'd thought.
Lost World demanded multitasking, but it wasn't easy for everyone.
"I slipped up in that brief window."
"Not wiped yet?"
"...Not quite."
Out of 30,000, 4,000 smashed.
Forced retreat through the narrow canyon meant halving again from attrition, with more deserters from the remnants.
Even accounting for Satyros zealotry.
"A little backup, and we could turn it. What do you say?"
Wisdom fell silent.
"...Wisdom?"
Wisdom spoke.
"Sorry, Kramphus. I can't help you."