"Report — a signal eagle message just came in, Your Highness. The three border cavalry corps from Windbury Royal City have mobilized. Their target is Walker Town, estimated to arrive around three in the afternoon." Tagr strode hastily into the main tent and delivered the latest military intelligence to
"Heh heh..." Lorist wore a satisfied smile as he turned to Count Phelim, who sat nearby. "The Fisaburen Grand Duke has taken the bait. He probably thinks this is nothing more than resistance from Viscount Edis and the others — they just finished harvesting their winter wheat and gathered troops at Walker Town to defy his reassignment order. It would have been perfectly understandable that the border cavalry corps that arrived yesterday failed to take Walker Town.
After all, there are banners from seven or eight territorial nobles flying from Walker Town's walls. Combined, they have roughly twenty thousand defenders. A ten-thousand-strong border cavalry corps attacking three times yesterday and suffering close to a thousand casualties is entirely normal. So the Grand Duke dispatched the remaining three corps from the royal city — a clear case of killing the chicken to scare the monkey. Once he crushes the resistance of territorial nobles like Viscount Edis, the rest of the nobles in Winston Province will meekly obey his orders."
Lorist reached over and grabbed the map, pointing at it with a grin. "We'll proceed according to the plan we've drawn up. Count Phelim, your Flying Horse Legion takes the left flank. Ross the Fierce Tiger, you lead the Flying Tiger Legion in an attack from the right. Terlman, you take the Angry Bear Knight Corps on a wide sweep to cut off their line of retreat. I'll move with my bodyguard battalion alongside you. El, Reddy — each of you take a squad and eliminate the scouts that border cavalry corps has dispatched. Under no circumstances is the enemy to escape."
"Yes, Your Highness." El and Reddy left the tent.
"Your Highness, do we launch the assault the moment the encirclement is in place?" Count Phelim asked.
"Yes. The longer we wait, the more can go wrong. Once those three border cavalry corps reach Walker Town, they'll certainly rest in their camp. If we attack immediately, we catch them off guard on two counts: first, they won't expect it; second, they'll have marched all day with exhausted men and horses, so even if they try to break out, they won't get far — making it all the easier for us to annihilate this entire border cavalry force. After we've won, the cleanup of the battlefield goes to Ross the Fierce Tiger. He deploys tomorrow to attack Pedro City. As for us, we march overnight to Windbury Royal City, and by tomorrow morning we can seize it outright."
"Oh, and Tagr — did the signal eagle message mention whether the Fisaburen Grand Duke is leading the expedition in person?" Lorist asked, remembering the most critical detail.
"No, Your Highness. The message states that the commander of the three border cavalry corps is the former corps commander, Golden Knight Hemerson. He is a veteran general under the Grand Duke, deeply trusted and valued. He has served the Grand Duke for over thirty years, with extensive battlefield experience and a steady, dependable character." Tagr answered.
"So the Fisaburen Grand Duke is still at Windbury Royal City?"
"Yes, Your Highness. The latest news from the royal city says the Grand Duke plans to use garrison troops from the territories of the lordlings he's already crushed, along with the private soldiers left behind by the former southern province nobles in the royal city, to assemble a forty-five-thousand-strong garrison corps. It would be responsible for defending Walker Town, Windbury Royal City, and Lake Evening Town. It's probably because of this that he can't leave for the moment, so he handed the job of dealing with Viscount Edith and the others over to Hemerson."
"Heh heh…" Lorist let out a cold laugh. "It seems the Fisaburen Grand Duke still hasn't realized we've already launched an attack on the Kingdom of Iberia. He's still going through the motions of his plan, step by step. What a pity — I won't be giving him any more time. In that case, we'll first accept this generous gift he's sending us — this border cavalry corps — and then we'll pay a visit to the imperial god of war at Windbury Royal City. I'm very much looking forward to the look of surprise on his face. Move out!"
"As you command, Your Highness."
……
"Strange — why do I keep feeling so uneasy? Could this expedition to Walker Town be headed for trouble?" Hemerson, the
"Someone pass my orders: double the scouts and extend our reconnaissance range to thirty li."
"My lord, what's gotten into you? Walker Town is barely a hundred li from the royal city — half a day's hard ride at most. We set out this morning and haven't spotted a thing the whole way. In two more hours we'll reach Walker Town and link up with Lord Udines. Tonight we rest well, tomorrow we crush that rabble holed up in Walker Town, and the Grand Duke's task will be done before long. This should be an easy assignment — why do you look like we're walking into a battle?" Ma Keshi, the Gold Knight commanding the Second Corps and serving as Hemerson's deputy, trotted over to ask.
"I can't say why. Something just feels off about this whole campaign — there's a heaviness in my gut, the same way I felt back when we raided the Big and Little Jinchuan with the Grand Duke, like we were heading into a major engagement. I've turned it over and over in my mind, but I just can't put my finger on what's wrong. The rebellion of Viscount Edith and those lordlings was entirely within the Grand Duke's expectations."
"What I didn't expect was that they'd manage to rally seven or eight families and gather nearly twenty thousand garrison troops, giving Lord Udines a small taste of defeat. It seems these lordlings are counting on their freshly harvested winter wheat to stockpile supplies and wage a defensive war against us, hoping to drag things out and force the Grand Duke to make concessions. But I think once our corps reaches Walker Town, those rebellious lordlings are going to regret it. We may be light cavalry, but our siege capability is nothing to scoff at." Knight Hemerson broke into a grin.
"Sir, I think I may understand the reason for your concerns," Knight Ma Keshi said with a grave expression.
"Oh? Do tell."
Seven families, but later that dead king — the Empire's second prince — sold off titles wholesale to raise military funds, adding over a dozen landed nobles to Winston Province. Although they later fought a chaotic war against the southern province's nobility and lost about ten families, the survivors still numbered fifty-six landed noble houses.
Last year, His Grace the Grand Duke led us to eliminate twenty-three of them, and another thirty-three were forced to accept his decree relocating them to the southern province. Now Viscount Edith has rallied seven or eight lords to hold Walker Town together, which means the remaining twenty-odd landed nobles must be watching this campaign from the sidelines.
If we successfully capture Walker Town and wipe out those seven or eight rebellious lords who defied His Grace's command, the rest will meekly comply with the decree and relocate to the south. But if the battle drags on and Viscount Edith's forces manage to hold Walker Town, then those remaining nobles could very well grow restless — they might even stab us in the back while we're occupied. That would plunge Winston Province into a full-scale rebellion. I imagine that is precisely what troubles you, sir." Knight Ma Keshi laid out his analysis of the situation in thorough detail.
Knight Hemerson nodded. "Your reasoning has merit. But what I fear is that the noble houses we believe are still on the fence may have already organized in secret. They could be in covert communication with the rebel lords garrisoned in Walker Town, waiting to strike at our backs at the most critical moment of the siege. If that happens, we won't be able to take Walker Town and complete the task His Grace assigned us. Perhaps that is what truly weighs on my mind."
"Sir, we can afford to play it slow and steady, can't we? Didn't His Grace say just yesterday that the Reserve Corps would be brought here next month? Their real purpose is still to serve as the main force against the Northland Four-Family Alliance. If the worst comes to pass — every last noble house in Winston Province joining the rebellion — we can simply lock horns with them and hold until the Reserve Corps arrives to wipe the lot out in one stroke," Knight Ma Keshi said with a fierce grin.
At present, of the five border cavalry corps raised under the Visaburen family, roughly a third to half of each consisted of Grass Barbarian tribal riders. These riders were, however, assimilated barbarians who spoke fluent Common Tongue and some could even read and write; after enough time, they were indistinguishable from Imperial soldiers. The Reserve Corps, by contrast, was composed almost entirely of the fiercest captured Grass Barbarian cavalry — with the exception of the junior officers, who were Imperial soldiers and Family Knights dispatched by the Visaburen family.
Truth be told, while the Reserve Corps was the most formidable fighting force among all the corps under the Visaburen banner, it was equally infamous for its lack of discipline and disregard for command, frequently causing no small amount of trouble. Grand Duke Visaburen had transferred the Reserve Corps to Winston Province specifically to guard against an attack on the Kingdom of Iberia by the Northland Four-Family Alliance.
"No, Ma Keshi. What we need most right now is time." Knight Hemerson shook his head. "The year before last, the Northland Four Families launched a surprise assault and toppled the Duchy of Madras in one stroke, then helped that second prince, Oggsero, reclaim the throne of the Kingdom of Andinac. His Grace was deeply shaken by the news and immediately began preparing defensive strategies against the Northland Four-Family Alliance.
Generally speaking, launching a war from start to finish requires at least two to three years of recuperation and recovery of fighting strength. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing the exact losses sustained by the Northland Four-Family Alliance in this war. His Grace estimates it should take them two years, which is already being as generous as possible in overestimating the Alliance's military strength — after all, it was a war of annihilation against an entire kingdom.
However, once we received word that the Kenmais family and the Shahin family, two of the four great Northland families, had both carried out territory exchanges and relocated out of the Northland, His Grace finally breathed a sigh of relief. He believed that within two to three years, the Northland Four-Family Alliance would not move against the Kingdom of Iberia — territory exchanges are a troublesome affair. At the same time, in order to keep the four great Northland families guessing, His Grace planned to send envoys to the Northland in June or July to place another order with the
This was why His Grace was currently implementing a scorched-earth strategy in Winston Province, preparing to turn it into the main battlefield against the Northland Four-Family Alliance within two years. They needed time to fortify Walker Town, the Royal City of Windbury, and Lakeside Town into heavily defended fortress castles. As long as they could control and hold these three strategic strongpoints, they could use the mobility of their Border Cavalry Corps to wage guerrilla and harassment campaigns against the family armed forces of the Northland Four-Family Alliance when they invaded, dragging them down, exhausting them, and ultimately forcing them to withdraw.
If our assault on Walker Town went poorly, and the remaining twenty-odd noble lords also rose in rebellion, Winston Province would be engulfed in flames of war. The longer the fighting dragged on, the more likely it was to draw in the intervention of the four great Northland families. Perhaps they had not yet fully recovered their fighting strength, but the problem was that neither had our Visaburen family. If we were to engage the family armed forces of the Northland Four-Family Alliance in open battle within Winston Province at this point, it would have a tremendous impact on our family's overall strategy. The greatest fear was that it would arouse the suspicion of the Northland Four-Family Alliance, making it impossible for His Grace's plans to be carried out."
"This is the mission you've given us, isn't it?"
Knight Hemerson praised him: "Exactly right — you've hit the mark. Oh, the scouts are back. Let's see what they have to report."
From the distance, a scout light-cavalryman came charging in like the wind. As he neared, he reined in his mount and called out in a loud voice: "Reporting, sir! No abnormalities detected within a thirty-li radius. We found nothing."
Knight Hemerson flicked his riding crop: "Good work. Maintain your vigilance. Report back immediately if you spot anything."
"Yes, sir!" The scout light-cavalryman spurred his horse and rode off once more.
"Pass the order — increase our marching speed. I want us at Walker Town as soon as possible." Knight Hemerson issued the command to the signal officer at his side.
Around two-thirty in the afternoon, the three border patrol light cavalry corps led by Knight Hemerson and Knight Makais arrived at Walker Town. Udines, commander of the Third Division who had already set up camp before the town, came forward to greet them: "My lord, the camp has been arranged. Would you like to rest first?"
"No rush, Udines. First give me yesterday's battle report, then take us to inspect Walker Town's defenses." Knight Hemerson waved his hand and relayed an order to the escort beside him: "Go invite Lord Kalichuk and Pemprick. Have them join us to assess Walker Town's situation and discuss an assault plan."
"Yes, my lord." The escort quickly spurred his horse and rode off.
The Fissabran Family's First Border Patrol Light Cavalry Corps numbered forty-six thousand in total, organized into four divisions and one logistics and baggage battalion. Hemerson served as corps commander as well as commander of the First Division — a three-star Gold Knight. Knight Makais was the deputy corps commander and commander of the Second Division, a two-star Gold Knight. The Gold Knight Udines commanded the Third Division, also a two-star Gold Knight. As for Kalichuk, whom Knight Hemerson had just sent the escort to invite, he was a three-star Silver Knight serving as commander of the Fourth Division. Pemprick was likewise a Silver Knight — a two-star in battle-qi rank — and served as commander of the logistics and baggage battalion.
Although Knight Hemerson was the corps commander, he treated both Kalichuk and Pemprick, the two Silver Knights, with considerable courtesy. The reason was simple: these two Silver Knights bore the surname Fissabran. They were distant relatives of Grand Duke Fissabran, connected through tangled lines of kinship, and could thus be counted among the Fissabran Family.
"My lord, I arrived here yesterday morning. After setting up camp, I launched three assaults on Walker Town in the afternoon. The second and third attempts went very smoothly — using the flying-horse lasso technique, we managed to scale the ramparts. The problem was that the enemy had overwhelming numbers on the walls. We failed simply because too few of our men made it up there." Knight Udines gave a rueful account of his three failed assaults the previous afternoon.
The flying-horse lasso technique exploited the fact that a defending wall was not particularly tall. A rider would gallop along the base of the wall and hurl a grappling hook over the parapet, then let the momentum of the charging horse fling him up onto the rampart to seize the wall. This was the signature skill of the elite Grass Barbarin nomadic cavalry, and many Imperial soldiers in the border patrol light cavalry corps had learned it as well.
"What is the strength and condition of the defending garrison on the walls?"
"Almost all able-bodied men. I estimate around twenty thousand. Of those, five or six thousand are veterans with combat experience. The rest, I'd say, are freshly conscripted laborers. They carry all manner of weapons — I saw many wall defenders wielding sickles and other farming implements. I even spotted women among them. Their armor and clothing are in tatters, most wearing patched leather coats. However, there are three or four hundred longbowmen among them, and they account for roughly half of our casualties." Knight Udines answered honestly.
"My lord, I noticed that Walker Town's walls are only five or six meters high and quite thin. We could easily use battering tactics tomorrow to smash through the wall — I'm confident we can bring it down in short order. Lord Udines was handicapped by a shortage of manpower, but now our entire corps is here. Once we breach the wall tomorrow, those rebellious territory lords are finished." Knight Makais had keenly identified the weakness in Walker Town's defenses.
"Hmm…" Hemmelsen nodded approvingly and was about to say something when a mournful horn call rolled in from the distant horizon, cutting him off.
"What's going on?" Knight Hemmelsen cried in alarm, so startled that he didn't even notice the riding crop slipping from his hand.
A dozen or so scout cavalry came galloping toward them at breakneck speed from the distance, their voices hoarse as they screamed: "Enemy attack! Enemy attack! It's the Northland Norton Family forces and the
Knight Hemmelsen's face went pale in an instant. He muttered under his breath, "That's impossible…"
……
On the twenty-sixth of April, Year 1778 of the Galentea Common Calendar, the armed forces of four Northland allied families, led by the Norton Family of the Northland, surrounded and annihilated the First Border Defense Ranger Legion of the Visabrunn Family at Walker Town in Winston Province, Kingdom of Iberia.
In this battle, the legion commander — Gold Three-Star Knight Hemmelsen — was killed in action. The deputy legion commander and Second Battalion commander — Gold Two-Star Knight Makais — was killed in action. The Third Battalion commander — Gold Two-Star Knight Udines — was killed in action. Third Battalion commander — Silver Three-Star Knight Kalichuk — surrendered to the Norton Family forces. The First Border Defense Ranger Legion suffered over twenty-eight thousand casualties, and more than sixteen thousand surrendered or were captured — not a single one escaped. In the military history of the Galentea Continent, this engagement came to be known as the Battle of Walker Town.
……(To be continued.)