Chapter 27 Young Man's Game

The air was thick with the sound of thunderous footsteps and rallying cries as Lord Robert’s men-at-arms charged toward the wooden fence. Though their stamina was failing and the enemy’s tactics unpredictable, their pride burned fiercely.

In the confined space, no more than a few men’s breadths, they hurled themselves against the sturdy gates with all their might, using their weight in place of a battering ram.

But the defenders were well-prepared. Armed with polearms and crossbows, they pushed back the attackers and made them pay a tremendous price.

Despite the sacrifices of eleven of their bravest, the two-meter-tall wooden fence remained seemingly impregnable. Bloodied by a persistent stream of crossbow bolts, they could only drag the wounded and retreated.

Deep in the trenches, they licked their wounds and prepare for the inevitable.

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The wooden gate groaned as it swung open. Many of its posts were bent or pushed from their spots. The chipped and splintered wooden fence stood as a testament to the relentless assault of their opponents.

Lansius emerged from the gate, flanked by his men, and took in the scars of battle and the metallic tang in the air. “Hugo,” he called out, his voice heavy with fatigue and determination.

Hugo rested his crude halberd and replied, “Yes, boss?”

“Pick your best men.”

Hugo let out a sigh of relief before turning to address his men. “Come on lads, for the finale.”

With Lansius and Thomas behind, Hugo led a contingent of his best men into battle. They quickly located Lord Robert’s exhausted troops and offered battle. An intense melee ensued, but it soon became clear that the knights were on their last leg.

The once fearsome troops were reduced to a sorry lot. Their best fighters lay wounded or dead on the ground, leaving only the inexperienced ones to carry on. Their breathing was ragged, and their movements sluggish as the stifling heat and humidity drained them of their last bit of strength.

Trapped in the trench, with Lansius’ crossbowmen positioned to cut their escape, they knew they had no choice but to surrender.

…

The deputy commander knelt before Lansius, casting aside his helmet adorned with a great plume. He offered his sword as a token of surrender. It should have been the marshal doing this, but word had it that he had lost an eye to shrapnel.

“I accept your surrender and guarantee the safety of your men who lay down their arms,” Lansius reiterated the words whispered by Sir Justin, who had just arrived from his front.

His men clamored as Lansius finished the words. They shouted victory in loud emotional voices and threw their fists in the air. Many of them looked at Lansius intensely and made him uncomfortable.

“VICTORY!” The word was repeated and echoed, spreading through the trenches like wildfire.

Eventually, the fighting ceased in all the trenches. The defeated had accepted their fate and surrendered their weapons.

Sir Justin conversed with the deputy commander, while Hugo, Thomas, and their men ensured security. Guarding numerous hostages wasn’t easy, but they were like assets waiting to be cashed in.

Lansius stood with Carla, his temporary adjutant, away from the limelight. Suddenly, the sound of hooves followed by a large shadow loomed over them. Carla instinctively drew her sword and readied her shield, but soon recognized the figure of a female cavalryman on the ground level.

She must’ve trotted along the trenches until she found me.

Lansius pulled his sallet off.

“So you survive?” Audrey asked as she opened her visor.

“You seem to be displeased?” Lansius retorted.

That made Audrey laugh so hard that her visor fell in a comedic manner, causing Lansius and his men to burst into laughter as well.

Before the laughter subsided, Lansius ordered Carla to fetch back the ladder. They carefully flew their banner first to avoid getting shot by the other trenches by mistake. Audrey was already present, so there was a low risk, but Lansius insisted just to be safe.

Lansius climbed up after Carla and witnessed the battlefield, which was littered with casualties. Across the grassy plains, many were groaning in pain. Some writhed, while a few calmly waited for the slow coming of death. The aftermath was always a sad scene.

In the distance, the enemy’s retreat had turned into a rout. The decisive factor had been the great show of force by Audrey’s cavalry. They had made by forming a wide line, even though in truth, they only numbered twenty-seven riders. However, to the remaining enemy, their presence was evidently too much to bear.

On the other hand, Robert’s cavalry had left the field, unwilling to risk themselves by going near the trenches.

Lansius expected the rout, given the isolation of the enemy commanders and vanguard. The remaining levied men and armed villagers had little motivation, and the few knights and remaining men-at-arms had no choice but to retreat. Now, they no longer flew their banners.

“Get me, Sir Justin,” Lansius asked Carla.

Sir Justin emerged from the trenches. “What do you need, Commander, a party?”

Lansius chuckled. “That can wait. Sir Justin, I see all those beautiful horses and knights. What do you think we should do?”

Sir Justin laughed and shouted down to his men, “Time for a ransom hunt!”

The knight’s words were greeted with fierce jubilation. Quickly, they made their way to the back trench, where they had hidden their horses.

Lansius saw Anci approaching. He looked mauled, but still alive and kicking as per usual. “Anci, go nuts,” he said to encourage him.

“Haha, eazy,” Anci replied. “Come, Hugo, don’t be a slowpoke,” he taunted Hugo, who just climbed up.

“Fook you and your blasted horse,” Hugo cursed, drawing laughter from the troops. They knew Anci and Hugo had grown up together as squires to the same knight.

Then something occurred to Lansius. “Audrey, let them surrender and arrange for talks if you could.”

With her visor returned to its place, Audrey threw a hard glance at Lansius before nodding once and spurring her horse forward.

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Following Viscount Robert’s disastrous defeat, the Lion of Lowlandia carefully ceded Korelia to the victor, an unusual arrangement that led many to assume a secret agreement had been made.

Regardless of the truth, Korelia was no longer under Lord Robert’s control. Although a small fief with limited resources, Korelia held strategic importance as a middle ground between the western and eastern parts of Lowlandia.

The town could serve as a gateway to unify the province under one’s rule, but its lack of arable land posed a problem for supporting a larger population.

Beyond the small castle town, there were only several villages spread to its eastern side. With little arable land but grassland, its population was small and mostly composed of herders.

Despite being a humble fief, the transfer of Korelia disrupted the balance of power in the region. Adding to this tension was the fall of Orniteia Barony to Midlandia after a siege. Now, every neighboring lord was plotting their moves. They knew conflict was inevitable.

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Fall of 4424, Korelia.

Lansius was struck by the sight of the cloudless blue sky. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. All he could see was a seemingly endless expanse of grass stretching out as far as the eye could see. It was as if Korelia was the only human settlement in this part of the world, reminiscent of the vast emptiness of a nomadic steppe.

Have I ever visited Mongolia?

Lansius asked himself, but his memory offered no answer. While he could remember movies, books, or even games, he hardly remembered anything else. He couldn’t even recall his nationality or origin, but that didn’t bother him anymore. Now, this life was all he had.

Sitting under a rectangular field tent, Lansius contentedly watched the building project he had envisioned for Korelia taking shape. The gray-colored canvas flapped in the breeze as the sun rose higher on the eastern horizon.

Several hundred men dug trenches on the west side, while another hundred worked on the southern side of the town. They were making trenches for city defenses.

To compensate for the city’s lack of defense, Lansius ordered another hundred to make picket fences using whatever wood was available. While the palisade walls were better, Korelia had little woodland.

This kind of work was demanding and usually wasn’t popular. However, instead of forced labor, Lansius was paying decent wages.

Many of his closest advisors thought this kind of practice was unheard of, but Lansius believed in treating people fairly. He believed it might avoid sabotage or prevent dissidents. Moreover, he theorized that paid labor worked faster and was generally more reliable.

After two weeks, the reports were in, and Lansius’s view was vindicated. Aided by his goal-oriented payment, the workers managed themselves efficiently. The defense work began to take shape right on schedule.

Another factor that contributed was the quick harvest time in Korelia. The area didn’t have big farmland, and after the festivity ended, Lansius had the full labor at his disposal.

A billowing cloud of black smoke caught Lansius’s attention. It was the blacksmith Calub had invited from out of town to produce nails and bolt heads for their side project. Though the local smiths couldn’t produce swords or armor, they could handle simple repairs and maintenance.

Lansius had wanted Calub to head another project to build workshops. They wanted to employ craftsmen, artisans, and volunteers to produce crossbow parts.

As Lansius watched the project progress, a sudden horse's neigh drew his attention. He glanced up and saw a friendly silhouette approaching.

“I see that you’re well enough to go outside today.” A hint of a smile was on Audrey’s lips as she approached closer and covered him with a fur coat.

“Ah, thanks.” Lansius felt the warmth and found it pleasant.

“Mm, perhaps you shouldn’t be out here for too long,” she said.

“Do I look that pale?” he asked.

“Well, it’s always wise to prevent,” Audrey remarked smugly.

“You sound like Calub,” he chuckled. “Lemme check your forehead for fever.”

His jest was shot down by a cold stare. “Not funny. You’re bedridden on and off for almost three weeks. Everybody is horrified.”

Lansius’ chuckle died down quickly. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry to make you worry.”

Audrey kept staring and Lansius could only look down.

She let out a soft sigh before tenderly patting Lansius’ shoulder. He caught her hand with his own, savoring the warmth of her touch.

After a moment of comfortable silence, she asked, “I heard about the letters.”

Lansius exhaled deeply, feeling a mix of emotions. His recent victory had set off a chain of unexpected events, some of which were completely out of his control. And nothing could have prepared him for the answers from Midlandia.

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PS : We've reached Korelia! The start of- I wish I can spoiler stuff, but better not. Anyway, we're going full steam ahead! 💖