V6C24 The Battle of Teripol Suddenly - Santairiku Eiyuuki

Upon confirming that the General of the Cherda Kingdom had shifted a large portion of the central forces to both flanks, Hercule curled his lips into a sly grin. In truth... Hercule's objective wasn't to decimate the enemy flanks and then surround them for annihilation. The Cherda Kingdom and the Lemurian Empire had long been adversaries... Naturally, it was conceivable that the Cherda Kingdom had thoroughly studied Hercule's tactics. By now, Hercule's name resounded throughout the Western world as a master strategist. It was overly optimistic to think his opponents would grow complacent and let their guard down. On this battlefield, though the Lemurian army was outnumbered, they held an overwhelming advantage in cavalry strength. This made it obvious to assume that Hercule would employ a strategy leveraging mobility, perhaps attempting an encirclement of both wings. Moreover... this was a battle between Lemuria and Cherda. Though the Cherda Kingdom's history and ethnic composition bore no resemblance... there once was a maritime commercial state called the Cherda Republic on the southern continent. A legendary general of that Cherda Republic had encircled and annihilated Lemuria’s troops multiple times... Only to ultimately have this very tactic mimicked by Lemuria, suffering a decisive defeat on the southern continent. Inevitably... this anecdote continued to echo in his mind. It was clearly expected that the General of the Cherda Kingdom anticipated an encirclement tactic. When an opponent's strategy is evident, one can prepare accordingly. Moreover, the Cherda army surpassed Lemuria in sheer numbers. By compensating for the qualitative and quantitative difference in cavalry with infantry, preventing an encirclement by Lemuria's flanks was feasible. Although the enemy, Carmine, was not highly renowned as a great general... Hercule had heard from Masinissa that he was a veteran general, having faced the Barbar tribe numerous times. Hercule thought that they would not naively allow themselves to be encircled so easily. Therefore, Hercule abandoned the classical tactic of a double-flank encirclement. Instead, he planned to use the enemy’s anticipation to his advantage. Carmine would assume Hercule was committed to a double-flank encirclement. Hence, Hercule deliberately reinforced both flanks with successive deployments of troops, drawing Carmine's focus to the flanks. Additionally, he purposefully delayed the advance in the center, creating a recessed formation that would seemingly suggest an attempt to concentrate forces for an encirclement. In complete panic, Carmine poured all the central reserves into the flanks, subsequently depleting the center’s strength. The outcome was… the Cherda Kingdom’s forces were significantly funneled into the flanks, reducing the central depth substantially. This was precisely the situation Hercule intended. “Scheherazade, we’re about to smash the enemy. Count on your protection, alright?” “Yes, Heika!!” Finally able to contribute. Scheherazade smiled with joy. After patting Scheherazade’s head, Hercule issued a command to the three battalions of medium-armored cavalry, the Cataphracts, who had been concealed behind two central infantry battalions and further obscured by Asmodeus’ magic. “Now, gentlemen. Our time has come... Infantry, fall back! Medium-armored Cataphracts, advance!” Hercule interchanged the positions of the infantry and medium-armored Cataphracts, ordering the infantry. “After the cavalry charge, I expect you to widen the enemy's wound. I’m counting on you.” Hercule stood at the forefront of the medium-armored Cataphracts alongside Scheherazade. He raised his sword high and shouted. “Now, let’s go!! God is with us!” “God is with us!!” The Lemurian army’s charge commenced. Carmine realized his blunder when he noticed the medium-armored Cataphracts emerging in the Lemurian army’s center. Slowly... the positions of the medium-armored Cataphracts and infantry units were switched. As this unfolded, Carmine’s face turned pale. “N-no way, the enemy's aim is…” In a hurried attempt, Carmine sought to pull back the light infantry units from both flanks. But it was already too late. The Lemurian army’s center was fully prepared to charge. With a mighty roar, they began their assault. “Tch, we’ll have to hold out here!” Carmine mounted his horse and led from the front line himself. “Central infantry! Ready your spears! Repel the enemy’s cavalry!!” The Cherda Kingdom infantry braced with shields and spears, preparing for the Lemurian charge. But the medium-armored Cataphracts came to a sharp halt before impact. Instead, they launched a volley of arrows. “Damn it, it was a mistake not to retain any light infantry on the flanks!” With light infantry, they could retaliate with stones, spears, or arrows to dampen the enemy’s attack. However, the center now was held by heavy infantry devoid of long-ranged weaponry. Raising their shields, they stoically endured the enemy’s onslaught. As arrows pierced the shields of the heavy infantry, rendering them useless... the medium-armored Cataphracts exhausted their arrows. Then... at last, they leveled their spears and launched the charge. “Intercept them!!” Three battalions of medium-armored Cataphracts clashed with three battalions of heavy infantry on the battlefield. The result was… The victory of the medium-armored Cataphracts. Originally, the Cherda Kingdom's heavy infantry wielded shields to withstand ranged attacks but had to shorten their spears due to weight, which made them vulnerable to cavalry charges. Without their shields, thanks to the Cataphracts’ archery... the heavy infantry of the Cherda Kingdom were now no more than spearmen with insufficiently short spears to withstand cavalry. Speed plus weight. The overwhelming destructive power of the medium-armored Cataphracts obliterated the infantry. Subsequently, two battalions of Lemurian infantry arrived to widen the breach slowly. “Damn it, it can’t be helped! All units, retreat!!” Carmine ordered a full withdrawal. Rallying the hundred elite cavalry surrounding him, he issued a command. “We’ll delay the enemy’s advance as much as possible. Those who can transform into beasts, do so now!” With that command, Carmine raised his sword and charged himself. “The battle is decided. However... hmm, their retreat is swifter than anticipated.” It isn’t cowardice. This demonstrates a clear grasp of the battle situation. A testament to the reasonable competence of enemy General Carmine. (If possible, I wanted to penetrate through and enclose the enemy’s right or left wing, defeating them individually... But aiming for an expansion of the pursuit’s result is more prudent.) Hercule made a slight adjustment in strategy. “Scheherazade. It’s about time for us to move to the rear…” It happened just as Hercule was speaking. With a roar, a portion of the enemy launched an assault. “This is bad, it’s an elite unit of high-ranking beastfolk warbeasts!” Some of the hundred had morphed into beasts, launching a unified attack akin to centaurs. Fixing the situation now seemed impossible… But cutting off Hercule’s head was within their reach. "Heika, please fall back here," Scheherazade urged. "...Are you sure it's okay?" Hercule questioned. "I have Carolina's orders to protect you," Scheherazade replied with a smile. Trusting Scheherazade, Hercule decided to temporarily retreat to the rear. "Gugagagagaga!!!!!!" As the beast barreled forward with sheer brute force, Scheherazade allowed herself a small smile. "The transformation ability of the warbeast beastfolk is indeed formidable..." Swinging her sword, Scheherazade demonstrated its unique prowess. The great sword she wielded could temporarily transmute the enemy's armor and weapons into pure gold, rendering them fragile. She effortlessly sliced through both metal and their flesh and bone as if cutting through butter. "However, they lack intelligence as their weakness," she noted, cutting down one of them before shouting to the troops. "Do not falter! After all, the enemy are mere beasts!! Remain composed and handle them calmly. Show them the strength of the long-eared elves!" Emboldened by Scheherazade's rallying cry, the medium-armored Cataphracts were spurred to action. "Follow Her Highness the Empress!" "Don't be defeated by those warbeast beastfolk!" "Let them feel the power of the long-eared elves!" One by one, the warbeast beastfolk were individually defeated. "I see you have not transformed. Could you be the enemy commander?" Scheherazade inquired. "Ah, the princess of Farus as rumored. Worthy opponent indeed!" Carmine, who had refrained from transforming to lead his troops, readied his sword and clashed with Scheherazade. "Nggh!" Scheherazade's sword cut through Carmine's body, causing blood to gush from his side. "This ends now!" Scheherazade swung her sword toward Carmine's neck. However, her blade was intercepted midway. "General! Please retreat!!" "But..." "Will you let that treacherous Hoamel have his way!" At his aide's words, Carmine showed a flash of realization and turned on his heel. "My apologies." "Excellency! Please take care of the Cherda Kingdom for us... Your turn is up, you long-eared bastard!" Transforming into a beast, Carmine's aide lunged at Scheherazade. --- **Battle of Teripol** **Engaged Forces** Lemurian Empire vs. Cherda Kingdom **Principal Commanders** *Lemurian Empire* Hercule I Scheherazade Julianus Alicia Chrome *Cherda Kingdom* Carmine Lupus Gheisaira **Troop Strength** Lemurian Empire - 33,000 Cherda Kingdom - 50,000 **Outcome** *Lemurian Empire* Casualties: 3,000 Surviving: 30,000 *Cherda Kingdom* Casualties: 15,000 Fled: 13,000 Captured: 12,000 Surviving: 10,000 Victory for the Lemurian Empire **Impact** The defense forces of Teripol City suffered heavy losses, placing the city at risk of falling. The flow of goods and information between Cherda City and Teripol City has been disrupted.