But after a day, Jossk and Yuri noticed that more and more wagons and cavalry were appearing on the main road. At first they could intercept them, but the enemy kept growing in number. By afternoon, nearly ten thousand had gathered, and they began organizing forces to assault the scout battalion's hastily established defensive line.
Convinced that these enemies had all fled from Nubit Harbor, Jossk and Yuri grew ambitious. They resolved to block every last one of them, not letting a single person escape. The scout battalion was ordered to seize the high ground on both sides and seal off the road in the middle.
The blocked enemies charged twice but failed to break through, suffering devastating casualties. Corpses littered the ground. In the end, the enemy gathered all their combat strength, splitting into two forces to attack the high ground on both sides, while the fleeing wagons grouped together and charged down the road in the middle. The scout battalion couldn't be everywhere at once and was quickly plunged into a chaotic melee.
Jossk and Yuri were personally targeted by three Great Swordmasters. Jossk's legendary marksmanship might have posed a threat to a first-rate Great Swordmaster, but against a second-rate one, he had no room to operate. One of the three was a second-rate Great Swordmaster, and he relentlessly pursued Jossk. Had Yuri not fought desperately to rescue him, Jossk might well have met his end. The two were forced to separate from the main body and spent the entire night skirmishing with the three Great Swordmasters in the hilly terrain, until dawn when the Great Swordmasters finally withdrew.
By the time Jossk and Yuri regrouped the scout battalion, they found that nearly a thousand men had been lost. This was despite the enemy caring only about breaking through — they had driven the scouts off the high ground on both sides and moved on, without pressing the fight to the end. Seeing that they and their men were equally exhausted, Jossk and Yuri abandoned the pursuit and brought the battalion back.
Lorist had his complaints but kept them to himself. Jossk and the others had made the same mistake he had — underestimating the enemy, treating them like stray dogs fleeing in panic, thinking one more blow would finish them off. That was why they had decided to block the road. If they had left the main road open and instead harassed the enemy from the flanks and rear, using the scout battalion's light cavalry to rain crossbow bolts from range and leverage their speed and mobility for effective kills, the results would surely have been far greater than the eight thousand corpses they had now...
After waving Jossk and Yuri off to rest, Lorist's expression grew solemn. The campaign against the Haneabada Kingdom was proving far less smooth than he had anticipated. Wars of conquest were never as simple as they seemed. The enemy at Nubit Harbor had crumbled easily enough, but one surprise after another kept cropping up.
The fleeing enemies had left nearly eight thousand corpses when they broke through the scout battalion's blockade, but at least fifteen thousand had still made it back to Hamidas Royal City — among them no shortage of elite combatants like Gold Swordsmen and Great Swordmasters. Hamidas also garrisoned a Royal Guard Corps of twenty-eight thousand. If they conscripted the slave-hunting teams that had escaped and the able-bodied men of the capital, they could assemble another army of thirty to forty thousand, which would outnumber Lorist's forces.
Lorist calculated the forces at his disposal. Two heavy infantry divisions and one wheeled steel crossbow division each had a full complement of five battalions — fifteen thousand men per division. But he had left two heavy infantry battalions and one wheeled steel crossbow battalion on Hilowas Island. The troops who had followed him on the campaign numbered only thirty-six thousand. Add one scout battalion and one thunderbolt catapult battalion, and the total came to fourteen battalions — forty-two thousand men. Plus his two guard companies of one thousand and Sembawood's naval corps of three thousand, and the total force was roughly forty-six thousand.
Sembawood's naval corps wouldn't be used for land operations — unless Lorist never wanted to return to his family's domain. After the landing, he had already lost nearly five thousand men, leaving him with roughly thirty-eight thousand combat-ready troops. He had assigned one heavy infantry battalion and one wheeled steel crossbow battalion to Sembawood to sweep the surrounding archipelago — six thousand gone. He also planned to leave a heavy infantry company of a hundred men on each of the twenty-seven islands as garrison, which would cost yet another battalion. On top of that, two heavy infantry battalions and one wheeled steel crossbow battalion had to remain in Nubit's inner city as a garrison. When he tallied it all up, only a little over twenty thousand men could be dispatched against Hamidas Royal City...
Lorist wanted to cry but had no tears. You only realize how few soldiers you have when you need them. Twenty thousand men marching on Hamidas — forget about besieging the city; just not getting besieged themselves would be a victory. If he were the King of Haneabada and ruthless enough to round up the young male slaves from the surrounding areas, fifty or sixty thousand conscripts could be driven to charge his twenty-thousand-strong camp. Once they exhausted his crossbow bolts and other ranged weapons, the rest could swarm in and overwhelm him. Even if the king didn't win outright, it would be a war of mutual destruction — and he could not only lift the siege on his capital but even counterattack Nubit Harbor.
No — he had to readjust his forces. To campaign against the Haneabada Kingdom, he needed at least one full heavy infantry division and three wheeled steel crossbow battalions as his main force, plus his thousand-strong guard, two thousand scout light cavalry, and one thunderbolt catapult battalion. That would give him twenty-nine thousand — nearly thirty thousand troops. When the time came to march, he would bring along five newly formed slave security battalions, bringing his total to over forty thousand. That should be enough.
As for the newly formed slave security battalions, Lorist had no desire to bring them along. Sending untrained slaves onto the battlefield was a double-edged sword. While they could bolster his side's appearance of strength, once the fighting began, they might be the first to break, causing chaos and potentially crashing into his own family's battle lines.
For the Haneabada Kingdom, forcing slaves into battle was simple enough — those who disobeyed were met with blades and spears. Kill enough, scare the rest, and the survivors would obey without question. But Lorist couldn't do that. The
A single strategic misstep had led to such dire consequences. If the enemies in Nubit's inner city had been caught in one fell swoop with none escaping, his family's forces could have appeared before Hamidas Royal City by surprise. Even without a sneak attack, they could have caught the enemy off guard and pinned them inside the city. The plains surrounding the capital would have become his territory, and he could have rallied the slaves to reinforce his forces, laying siege to Hamidas and taking his time to grind it down.
Now he had to prepare for open-field battle. The King of Haneabada would certainly send his army. The fact that so many had escaped from Nubit's inner city proved that the Norton Family's landing force was small. No one was fool enough to sit and wait for death. The Haneabada Kingdom would conscript soldiers, form armies, send forces to probe, and attempt to drive the Norton Family's forces back into the sea.
Summoning his guards, Lorist ordered that word be sent for the family's Gold Knights and Great Swordmaster Injelik to assemble at the inner city's lord's hall that evening, for a meeting to discuss new strategic and tactical plans.
That night, the grand hall of the inner city's lord's mansion blazed with candlelight.
Lorist pointed to the map of the Haneabada archipelago and briefed them on the current situation.
Bodenfeng asked, "My lord, are you saying we can no longer march directly on Hamidas Royal City?"
"Bod, if you were the King of Haneabada and received the report from those who fled Nubit Harbor, what would you do?" Lorist countered.
Bodenfeng thought for a moment. "I would march immediately. First, I'd seize the hilly terrain in the middle, set up camps and defensive positions, and block the enemy from entering the plains where the royal city stands. Then I'd send scouts to ascertain the enemy's true strength and disposition while simultaneously conscripting soldiers to build up my forces. If the enemy's numbers proved insufficient, I would strike directly to retake Nubit Harbor and drive them back into the sea."
"Well said, Bod. Your response is thorough. We don't know if the enemy will do exactly as you described, but we must assume they are clever and not be careless again. Tomorrow morning, the three reorganized heavy infantry battalions and two wheeled steel crossbow battalions must march to that hilly terrain and establish a defensive line in advance, seizing the key roads leading to the royal city's plains.
This army will be led by Fierce Tiger Ross, with Malek as his deputy. Bod, you're injured — hold down Nubit Harbor. Jossk, Yuri — the scout battalion still has over two thousand light cavalry. Besides standing guard and monitoring enemy movements, you are to protect Ross and Malek's supply lines, preventing enemy scouts from probing and sabotaging our rear. Additionally, you are to sweep through the slave plantations on the royal city's plains, liberate the slaves, and cause as much chaos behind enemy lines as possible. Don't let them amass food and supplies in the royal city to fight a prolonged war against us. Understood?"
Lorist slammed his fist onto the map.
"Understood, my lord." Jossk and Yuri answered in unison.
"Remember — preserve your combat strength and don't engage the enemy head-on. Our advantage is that we are light cavalry who can easily outrun any pursuit. The Haneabada Kingdom doesn't produce horses. Their king supposedly has only a cavalry force of around eighteen hundred. Compared to our family's cavalry, they're still infants. If the opportunity arises, find a way to wipe them out.
Also, if you disrupt the royal city's plains, the enemy will hate you to the bone. They may send a large force with Great Swordmasters to pursue you. You can have Fierce Tiger Ross and Malek set traps in advance, lure the enemy in, and use the steel crossbows to deal with them. Don't let your blood boil like yesterday and try to go head-to-head with the enemy using light cavalry again." Lorist warned.
"Yes, my lord. We'll be careful." Jossk and Yuri both flushed slightly.
"Bod, your task holding Nubit Harbor is a heavy one. The family's forces total eight heavy infantry battalions for the campaign, but we've already lost close to a battalion's worth. Add the thousand light cavalry and two wheeled steel crossbow companies, and that's five thousand men gone. I've already ordered Sembawood to temporarily halt the sweep of surrounding islands and consolidate his forces. When he transports his troops back, you are to reorganize two heavy infantry battalions and one wheeled steel crossbow battalion and send them to the front where Fierce Tiger Ross is. Also, have Awijkis's thunderbolt catapult battalion join them. That will be our main assault force for the march on Hamidas Royal City.
All wounded will be concentrated in the inner city. The inner city will be temporarily defended by one heavy infantry battalion and one wheeled steel crossbow company. I'm leaving one guard company — five hundred men — with you, and the other guard company will be sent to the front. That leaves one more heavy infantry battalion, which I plan to disband. All its soldiers will be assigned as rank-and-file officers to the ten newly formed slave security battalions, giving those slave-formed units basic combat capability.
The crossbow battalion will continue sweeping the archipelago. Three of the security battalions will handle logistical supply runs to the front and rear-area garrison duty.
We've captured Nubit Harbor, and its reserves of supplies, food, and equipment are abundant. For now, we don't need to worry about logistical shortages. The equipment needed to outfit these ten slave security battalions can be drawn from captured stock. They will serve as a reserve force for our campaign — separate from the slave camp entirely.
So when selecting recruits, you must be careful. Their pay and treatment will be the same as our regular family soldiers. Their families can live in the inner city, tending to our wounded and handling odd jobs — all with proper compensation. Do you understand?"
Bodenfeng nodded. "My lord, I understand. I'll make them loyal as quickly as possible, and make them proud to serve as soldiers of the Norton Family. But, my lord — after these ten security battalions are conscripted from the slave camp, who will maintain order there? There are nearly two hundred and thirty thousand slaves as of today."
"I've already ordered Hikted and Kaimen, who manage the slave camp, to fully cooperate with your efforts. After the ten security battalions have been conscripted, they will continue selecting suitable candidates to form garrison units. Each swept island will be assigned a garrison of one to three hundred men. Two more garrison battalions will also be formed within the slave camp. The remaining slaves will be organized into fishing fleets, harvesting teams, transport squads, and so on — everything possible to keep every slave occupied rather than sitting idle in the camp...
Oh, and Jossk, Yuri — before you set out tomorrow, visit the slave camp. Kaimen will arrange a group of slaves for you. They're very familiar with the royal city's plains, know where all the slave plantations are, and are acquainted with many of the slaves there. Having them as guides will make it easier to convince the local slaves that we've come to save them."
"Very well, my lord," Jossk replied.
"Injelik, you'll also depart with Fierce Tiger Ross and take up position at the front. That covers the basic arrangements. Does anyone have any other input?" Lorist asked.
Injelik stood up. "My lord, we've delayed the march on Hamidas Royal City. With this arrangement, the war may drag on for some time. The Haneabada Kingdom surely knows why we came here. Would they not take reprisals against the family knights and soldiers in their custody?"
Well, the old man was still worrying about his precious grandson-in-law Fatty Shrade's safety. But that was only natural — it was only human.
Lorist smiled and replied, "I received good news this afternoon. The guards sent to survey the battlefield and assess the scout battalion's results reported that the old envoy who had seen me was found dead on the road. So tonight, Tagel and I will depart under cover of darkness for Hamidas Royal City to rescue the family knights and soldiers from the arena.
If the Haneabada Kingdom sends its army, the harder you hit them in the hilly terrain and the longer you keep them pinned there, the safer my operation will be. But you need to pace yourselves — don't hit them so hard that they pull back and turtle inside the city, trapping us there as well. If you occasionally signal that you're struggling to hold, give up some unimportant forward positions, and let them think one more push will win the day — that would be ideal."
Everyone laughed. Jossk said, "My lord, how about I go with you to the royal city?"
Lorist laughed. "Not you. Those three Great Swordmasters probably still remember your face — you'd be spotted the moment you showed up. And don't bother asking — no one is coming with me. A strange Gold-tier swordsman appearing out of nowhere would raise suspicion. The enemy aren't complete fools. Tagel and I will handle it. That's settled. You'll all be busy tomorrow — do your jobs and don't let me down."
"Yes, my lord."
...[To be continued...]