Twelve days later, the Second Highness arrived at this nameless little hillock with a large force.
The corpse of Count Yaslan, still clad in his ornate armor, lay before him. If one looked closely, one could see that the Count's head had been separated from his body. After ten-odd days, the corpse had begun to give off a smell.
The Second Highness waved his hand in front of his nose, as if that could drive away the faint stench of decay. "Enough. Take it away."
His voice was light, but everyone present who was familiar with his temperament could tell — the Second Highness was seething with fury, on the verge of eruption.
Two guards gingerly carried Count Yaslan's corpse out of the great tent.
"Marquis Rede, report your investigation results to everyone," the Second Highness ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness." Marquis Rede rose to his feet and walked to the center of the great tent, a thick stack of parchment documents in hand.
Marquis Rede had been the first to arrive. He was responsible for collecting the deserters, investigating the cause of the rout, burying the fallen, and other aftermath affairs. He opened the documents and began his report: "This time, Count Yaslan privately mobilized three battalions under his command — over seventy-five hundred men in total — departing camp under the pretext of a long-distance forced march drill, planning to ambush Count
However, the ending was quite terrible. Count Yaslan himself fell in battle, and his cavalry battalion suffered over sixteen hundred casualties, including over eight hundred killed, over six hundred missing, and just over two hundred deserters who later rejoined the ranks. They also lost the vast majority of their mounts.
The two infantry battalions, totaling five thousand men, suffered over fourteen hundred casualties, with two thousand going missing. Over fifteen hundred fled the battlefield, though most have since rejoined their units. It is worth noting that their enemy was merely around five hundred armed men from the Norton Family. This battle orchestrated by Count Yaslan can truly be called a crushing defeat."
"Bang!" The Second Highness slammed his fist onto the table. "Seventy-five hundred men — setting aside whether Count Yaslan mobilized them on his own authority — and his enemy had only five hundred. A numerical advantage of more than ten to one, and they still suffered a crushing defeat. Does that mean the combat power of my Royal Imperial Guard is becoming increasingly pathetic? If that's the case, what are we supposed to unify the Empire with? Are these my soldiers? They're nothing but a flock of sheep!"
The great tent fell deathly silent. Every man present hung his head and listened intently to the Second Highness's tirade.
After venting his fury for a good while, the Second Highness finally calmed down and said to Marquis Rede, "Continue. Let everyone hear exactly how this defeat happened, and let them all learn a lesson from it."
"Yes." Marquis Rede opened another document. "According to my investigation, once Count Yaslan heard that Count Norton had left the Imperial Capital, he led all three battalions along a shortcut to ambush him up ahead. However, he failed to anticipate that Count Norton had suddenly changed his return route, choosing to travel by boat from Samba Town. After waiting two days, Count Yaslan finally realized what had happened and had no choice but to order his cavalry battalion to rush toward Domesgo City.
Based on the testimony of two company commanders and four squad leaders from the cavalry battalion who managed to escape, it has been confirmed that Count Yaslan's orders to them were simply to pin down Count Norton's forces and delay them until his two infantry battalions arrived for a coordinated strike.
From a tactical standpoint, Count Yaslan's deployment was perfectly standard — there was no contempt for the enemy or carelessness to speak of. However, out of fear that he might alert Count Norton, Count Yaslan did not send scouts to shadow and monitor the convoy, and this was the single greatest mistake he made. As a result, when Count Norton changed his route, Count Yaslan had no idea. His three infantry battalions spent two days lying in ambush for nothing.
By the time he discovered that Count Norton had taken the water route, the Count was already a two-day lead ahead of Count Yaslan's infantry. Count Yaslan could only order his cavalry battalion to race ahead, pin down the enemy, and delay their progress. This was also a perfectly conventional tactical response.
But Count Norton was very vigilant. Upon noticing the cavalry battalion in pursuit, he withdrew to this earthen hill by the road — you can still see many of the defensive structures set up by the Norton Family's armed men today. The problem was that he didn't realize the cavalry battalion wasn't planning to launch an attack, but merely to hold him in place. So he also set up camp and took up a defensive position at the base of the hill.
According to the fleeing cavalrymen, they had deployed five camps with a force of five hundred men per squadron, forming a semicircular defensive line that covered everything except the cliff on the earthen hill's side. They organized patrol teams to maintain vigilance, ensuring the Norton Family's armed forces could not break through under cover of night.
The cavalry battalion's approach was not without merit, but they never anticipated that the Norton Family's armed men would use that very cliff to infiltrate right up to the front of their camps. The infiltrators eliminated the patrols before splitting into two groups at dawn to attack the front and rear camps simultaneously. They then drove the fleeing cavalrymen into the remaining three camps. The cavalry battalion, caught completely off guard while sleeping, ultimately collapsed once they lost their warhorses.
Having defeated the cavalry battalion, Count Norton was not content to rest on his laurels. He exploited the two-day window before Count Yaslan could arrive with his two infantry battalions to purchase nearly a thousand head of cattle and mules from Qilin Harbor and the surrounding territories. When Count Yaslan finally arrived to clean up the mess, the two infantry battalions were caught off guard yet again."
Marquis Rede picked up several more documents. "These are the depositions of an infantry battalion commander and several company commanders. They said that when they arrived here, it was already afternoon. Having encountered over a dozen fleeing cavalrymen along the way, they already knew the cavalry battalion had suffered a defeat. Count Yaslan was in very foul spirits and ordered the fleeing cavalrymen to receive fifty lashes each, believing that their flight was precisely what had caused the cavalry battalion's defeat—
only to suffer Count Norton's yet another sneak attack.
This time, Count Norton poured oil over the nearly one thousand captured cavalry horses as well as the cattle and mules he had purchased, bound short swords and daggers to their horns, and even strapped straw dummies to the horses' backs while blindfolding the cattle and horses. After setting them ablaze, these two thousand-plus burning cattle and horses stampeded wildly into the camp. The two infantry battalions, jolted from their sleep, were terrified by the sight of these fire bulls, fire horses, and burning figures charging toward them. The entire camp erupted in panic and the army collapsed on the spot.
Count Yaslan attempted to rally his soldiers into a defensive line, but Count Norton, who had ridden into camp alongside the fire bulls and fire horses, gave him no chance. A fleeing soldier later recounted that he saw Count Norton charge forward, exchange only two blows with Count Yaslan, and then behead him with a single sword strike. The nearly one hundred soldiers who had gathered nearby, seeing that Count Yaslan was dead, either dropped to their knees and begged for mercy or turned and fled.
I have to say with admiration — Count Norton's use of fire bulls and fire horses to breach a camp of five thousand was nothing short of a stroke of genius. He achieved a tremendous victory at the cost of only negligible casualties. He took Count Yaslan's head, bypassed Qilin Harbor entirely, and instead boarded ships at a beach some ten-odd li from the harbor, where he planted Viscount Yaslan's head on a tree branch stuck in the sand.
The Reserve First Corps stationed at Qilin Harbor dispatched a battalion to that beach upon receiving the news, but by the time they arrived, it was already too late — Count Norton's fleet had long since sailed away. The battalion discovered Count Yaslan's head on the beach and brought it back. Based on the tracks left behind, we believe the missing men from the cavalry and infantry battalions were taken captive by the Norton Family and transported to Shilovas Island."
After completing his report, Marquis Rede placed the documents on the desk before the
The Second Prince picked up the documents and examined them carefully. Marquis Rede had handled matters with the utmost thoroughness — not only were there detailed depositions from the soldiers who survived the battle, but he had also drawn a topographical map of the small hill, marking out the Norton Family's defensive positions as well as the five camps of the cavalry battalion, with the night raid routes sketched in as well. There was even a floor plan of the camp that Count Yaslan had set up after arriving with his two infantry battalions, making the entire picture crystal clear.
Having finished reading through all the documents, the Second Prince sat in silence, only his fingers beginning to tap against the desk.
Every heart in the great tent beat in rhythm with those tapping fingers. All present knew that once the Second Prince stopped tapping, it would mean he had made his decision, and no one would be permitted to change it.
The tapping grew more and more urgent — then suddenly, it ceased. The great tent fell into absolute silence as everyone straightened their chests in unison, their expressions growing ever more grave.
"David Copperfield!"
"Present, Your Highness. What are your orders?" The handsome David appeared before the Second Prince. As the vice-commander of the prince's personal guard, he was required to be at the prince's side at all times when His Highness ventured out, ready to answer any summons at a moment's notice.
"Take a company of guards back to the imperial capital. Relay my military order — the Royal Close Guard First Corps is to dispatch one battalion under your command. Go and confiscate the Yaslan County estate. Uproot the entire Yaslan family. The males are to be sent to the suicide battalion to atone for their crimes through service. The females are to be assigned to the army comfort camp to serve as military camp followers." The Second Prince delivered this chilling decision in an ice-cold tone.
The nobles seated in the great tent erupted into commotion. Seeing a fox grieve at the death of the hare — Count Yaslan had been one of the Second Prince's most favored commanders in life, yet in death he had come to such an end, his family dragged down along with him. The Second Prince's judgment seemed excessively cruel and heartless.
"Your Highness..." Several nobles rose to their feet, attempting to plead for mercy.
"Sit down!" The Second Prince flew into a sudden rage. "Viscount Yaslan served as my taxation inspector, yet he deceived his superiors and defrauded the people, breaking every law there was. He was beheaded right before my very eyes, and I was willing to let the matter rest out of pity for his wretched state. But who could have guessed that his elder brother, Count Yaslan, a commander entrusted with troops, would secretly mobilize forces to settle a personal grudge, resulting in catastrophic casualties among his men? His crime is unforgivable! Has he been treating my soldiers as his family's private army?!"
So I shall strip Count Yaslan of his titles, revoke his county, as a warning to others. Do any of you have objections?" His Highness demanded with an air of absolute authority. "If he had won, perhaps I might have overlooked his crimes, but look at what battle he fought! Seven thousand five hundred men—still my main legion—yet they were routed by a mere five hundred from the Norton Family! This is the very peak of incompetence and stupidity! Perhaps I should even thank Count Norton; he saved me from suffering a disastrous defeat in the future unification of the Empire due to Count Yaslan's inadequacy...
David, I had you confiscate the Yaslan family's wealth because the treasury is stretched thin daily, making it difficult to produce large sums to replenish the Second Legion's significant losses caused by Count Yaslan's unauthorized actions. See to this properly. When you are done, go to the Second Legion and assume the position of legion commander held by Count Yaslan. Reorganize this legion. I will allocate additional troops to you from the reserve legions."
"Yes, Your Highness! Please rest assured, I will not fail your expectations..." The handsome David bowed, then departed with a spirited stride.
"You may all withdraw. Chrisya, stay for a moment." The Second Prince waved his hand, propping his forehead up as if suffering a headache.
The people in the great tent filed out one after another. The last to remain was
She massaged his temples. "Og, you are far too exhausted. You should pay more attention to your health..."
As the Second Prince's lover, Chrisya understood well what was troubling her man the most at this moment. Yet she found it difficult to speak up. On one side was her own family and her cousin; on the other was her lover. She was caught in the middle, unable to take a side.
The Second Prince captured the hands that were massaging him and drew the girl into his embrace. "Chrisya, go to the Silowas Isles in my stead. Meet with your cousin Locke. Explain to him that this incident was not my intention, but rather Count Yaslan acting on his own authority. Also, inform him of my decision regarding the Yaslan family's fate. I hope he can let go of this anger.
My father's health is failing rapidly. Once he passes, we must undertake the great work of unifying the Empire. I also hope Locke will come to aid me. He excels at surprise raids and unconventional military strategies; I've found no one who can surpass him in this regard. If he is unwilling, then at least ensure that he keeps the Grand Duke of Fisabron's army pinned down, not allowing that old man to sally out from the grasslands to cause trouble.
Also, just as you heard Marquis Reed mention earlier, Locke has likely taken those missing soldiers as captives to the Silowas Isles. Go and see if you can get those soldiers back. The treasury is empty; we cannot afford the ransom now, but we can compensate them after the Empire is unified..."
Chrisya reached out to caress her lover's gaunt face. "All right. I'll head to Kilin Port as soon as I can and find a ship to the Silowas Isles. I'll do my best to carry out your wishes. Take care of yourself, too…"
…
The fire-ox-and-fire-horse assault on the camp was born from a sudden flash of inspiration — Lorist recalled a story his grandfather had told him in his previous life, back when he was a child: the tale of Tian Dan's fire-ox formation from the Warring States period. Unfortunately, the oxen and mules purchased at great price numbered fewer than a thousand, which was hardly enough. After gritting his teeth and steeling his resolve, he ordered all the captured warhorses and the draft horses from the original convoy to be handed over. He selected five hundred of the better warhorses, and the remaining thousand-odd animals were all sent charging into the camp as expendable fodder.
The luck of the draw was on their side. When Count Yaslan arrived with two infantry battalions, they assumed Lorist and his forces had long since fled, and so they were completely unprepared. What was more, the camp had been pitched in a slipshod, hasty manner. As a result, when over two thousand blazing oxen and horses stampeded into the encampment in a frenzied trample, both infantry battalions — over five thousand men — collapsed on the spot.
Lorist led roughly two hundred men charging into the camp right behind the fire-ox-and-fire-horse wave. Apart from Lorist himself, who cut down Count Yaslan as he burst through, the rest of his troops scarcely had the chance to run up any kind of slaughter. The bulk of the two battalions' casualties had been inflicted by those maddened burning beasts. In fact, five or six Norton Family soldiers who had charged into the camp to tend to enemy wounded were themselves knocked over and injured by the stampeding animals.
After the victory, Lorist dispatched Er and the others to Kilin Port, where they hired several large ocean-going vessels. The ships anchored at a beach more than ten li away, and over two thousand prisoners were marched aboard and shipped out to sea. Only as they were about to depart did Lorist notice that Count Yaslan's severed head was still dangling from the front of his saddle. It was of no use to bring it back. He thought for a moment, found a sturdy branch, stuck it upright in the sand on the beach, and impaled the head on top of it…
Upon returning to the Silowas Isles, Lorist first located a suitable burial ground for the fallen members of the household guard and had a memorial tomb erected in their honor. A solemn funeral and requiem ceremony were arranged. After that, there was nothing to do but wait for the ships from the Northland to bring over large shipments of supplies.
During the month or so Lorist had been away on his trip to the imperial capital, Fatty had already put together a preliminary development plan for the Silowas Isles, with the assistance of Old Man Hugo, Hickde, and others. It was ready and waiting for Lorist to give his final approval.
However, once Fatty learned of Lorist's fire-ox-and-fire-horse exploit, he grabbed Lorist and ran the numbers. Over two thousand horses and oxen had been expended as cannon fodder — that added up to a value of more than twenty thousand gold Fordes. Fatty fumed and nagged in Lorist's ear nonstop. It was the behavior of a profligate spendthrift, he declared. The enemy had only five thousand men, and spending over twenty thousand gold Fordes just to defeat them was an utter waste.
In Fatty's view, it would have been far better to spend that twenty thousand gold Fordes on the enemy directly — four gold Fordes per head, and he guaranteed they would have tied up Count Yaslan and delivered him right to Lorist's feet. The two spent the day bickering back and forth while reviewing the development plan, when
…(To be continued.)