Battle of Trapezunta (3)
The deep bwoooo of the horn signaled the start of battle. With that sound, the soldiers began their advance.
"Crush the Lazica peasants!"
"We are the invincible soldiers of Trapezunta!"
Trapezunta's troops advanced with high spirits. They moved forward slowly, in perfect ranks and files. In response, the Lazica army matched them with an identical tight formation. Infantry holding shields in their left hands and swords in their right moved as one body. Face to face, the two forces with powerful cohesion collided on the plain.
Clang!
The armies pressed so close that they could see each other's faces. They began searching for gaps in the enemy's lines to break their formation.
"Haaah!"
Daggers, effective for striking in tight spaces. Trapezunta soldiers wielding daggers thrust their arms between the shields. Attacks that would have been threatening at arm's length. But in this state of complete contact, they were easily blocked by the shields. Instead, it only exposed their arms—a fatal mistake.
The Lazica forces weren't clumsy enough to miss it.
Slash!
"Arrrgh!"
When an attack failed, the weakness was immediately exposed. No matter how armored the arm, it couldn't withstand a powerful overhead strike. The soldier's arm that had thrust the dagger was severed by a Viking's sword and rolled across the ground.
"Damn it...!"
"Don't attack recklessly! Their numbers are fewer than ours anyway!"
Trapezunta had an overwhelming numerical superiority in infantry. Mostly ragged mercenaries, but on the battlefield, numerical advantage was an undeniable factor. Especially in this face-to-face infantry clash, it was indescribably crucial. If they just held out, the Lazica infantry would eventually be surrounded and defeated.
Serdios watched the scene intently. His adjutant urged him from the side.
"Soon our left and right flanks will envelop the enemy's left and right."
The strength of infantry numerical superiority: the ability to press hard on the enemy's ends with spare forces. This pressure meant offensive encirclement—creating situations where one enemy soldier faced multiple allies. A plan exploiting the enemy's fewer infantry.
Serdios nodded at the adjutant's report.
"Once encircled, annihilate them immediately."
Serdios knew the Lazica army's infantry was small-scale. Fewer infantry meant asymmetric forces—cavalry. No matter how brilliant a field commander Rogerius was, supplying beyond his capacity was nearly impossible. Thus, the deployable forces were fixed. Fewer infantry implied heavy reliance on cavalry as the hammer, waiting for an opening.
In a plain battle, cavalry charges naturally inflicted massive damage on infantry. Knowing this well, Serdios aimed to eliminate Lazica's anvil before the cavalry joined.
"Understood, Excellency."
The adjutant who received the order. As soon as Lazica's infantry was surrounded on all sides, he raised a flag signaling concentrated attack.
"Concentrate fire on the encircled enemy and annihilate them!"
With the encirclement order, Trapezunta soldiers pressed harder with their shields.
"P-Pushing...!"
"Our lines are giving!"
Soldiers herded into one spot by sheer force. But the shield wall left no escape. Cornered, the mercenaries thrust long spears between the shields.
Clang! Clang!
Blocked by shields, no fatal wounds, but the mercenaries' fierce spear thrusts couldn't be ignored. The powerfully driven spears began inflicting shock damage on the shields.
"Ngh..."
"The shields are about to break."
Shields blocking attacks from all sides. If they shattered, the infantry had nowhere to hide and would die to the onslaught. A desperate moment.
But Halvar, the commander leading the infantry, rallied the troops with fearless eyes.
"Hold the line! His Majesty's cavalry will sweep them away soon!"
Not just anyone—Halvar's shout, the strongest among the Varangian warriors, stirred their hearts. The panicked soldiers quickly regained composure and counterattacked.
"Just hold a bit longer!"
"The counteroffensive starts soon!"
The Varangian infantry, on the verge of collapse, held firm, bewildering the adjutant. Knowing failure to crush the anvil quickly would bring heavy losses, he urged the soldiers harder.
"Press them even stronger!"
The mercenaries resumed spear attacks on command. Two, three waves of assaults followed, but the Varangians didn't break.
"Tough bastards..."
Serdios ground his teeth. He turned to gaze ahead. Dust clouds in the distance. On a plain, that meant enemy cavalry approaching.
"A pity, but we must withdraw."
Lazica's infantry seemed on the brink, but they hadn't crumbled before the cavalry struck. Lingering here risked damage from the charge—better to retreat.
"Adjutant! Order all forces to withdraw."
At Serdios's command, the adjutant immediately blew the retreat horn. Hearing it, Trapezunta troops halted attacks. Wary of Varangian counterstrikes, they withdrew slowly, maintaining vigilance.
Thus, the Varangians couldn't pursue and returned to their lines.
As Trapezunta soldiers fell back, the Turkic cavalry joined the field. They chased late but inflicted no significant damage. Both sides ended without major losses. For the first clash, Serdios regretfully eyed the next chance.
"Next time, I'll shatter their infantry and take Rogerius's head."
Brushing aside regret after the first battle, Serdios murmured lowly, staring toward Rogerius.
After the first battle, two or three more skirmishes occurred. But Serdios failed to break the Varangian infantry in any.
"Considering our forces' size, I thought we could crush their infantry easily."
At Serdios's mutter, the adjutant cautiously offered his view.
"I think the problem is the Turkic cavalry always interfering when we press with numerical superiority."
Spot-on observation. After the first battle, Lazica actively deployed cavalry. Positioning them on flanks to counter numerical disadvantages, or advancing cavalry with infantry—tactics that sowed chaos among Trapezunta troops. Thus, even when on the verge of victory over Lazica infantry, they couldn't finish them off. A clear stalemate.
"We need a way to break this deadlock."
Serdios's remark. After pondering, he summoned the mercenary captain.
"You called for me."
As the mercenary captain arrived, Serdios cut to the chase.
"The battle's in stalemate. To break it, we'll use a flanking maneuver—circling through the wooded outskirts beyond the plain."
Croatian-born mercenary captain. This region had many forests; locals were accustomed to wooded battlefields.
"You mean strike their rear through the woods?"
"Exactly."
The captain nodded at the dux's words.
"Understood. But since this adds to the original contract..."
"You want more money?"
The captain nodded silently.
"Success means double the promised amount."
"Pay now."
Serdios frowned at the mercenary captain's rudeness. Prolonged stalemate meant mounting Trapezunta losses. Insolent behavior. But the captain held the knife now.
"Fine. Adjutant."
Signaling the adjutant, who fetched a pouch of gold coins and handed it over. The captain checked, smiled, and bowed.
"We'll move at dawn tomorrow."
After the captain left, the adjutant cautiously spoke to Serdios.
"A mere mercenary daring to disrespect Your Excellency. Shall I teach him a lesson?"
Serdios shook his head.
"Let it be for now. Once Rogerius is gone, the Uranus family's mercenary guild falls to us. We can settle this insult then."
The adjutant nodded. Acquiring Rogerius's guild would make disposing of such a captain trivial.
"Tomorrow, when battle starts, tell them not to engage aggressively."
"Understood, Excellency. We'll feign another stalemate like today."
Serdios planned to target the rear while infantry clashed. Trapezunta would take losses as forces thinned, but success would reverse the tide.
"Tomorrow's battle decides it all, Rogerius."
Serdios eyed Rogerius hungrily, ambition gleaming in his gaze, dreaming of claiming Empress Zoi after victory.