Chapter 415: The Great Defeat of the Enemy
The nobles were in chaos, and King Nedamir's life was no easier. Even as they attacked each other, they didn't forget him. Every now and then, someone would bring up his past mistakes: if King Nedamir hadn't agreed to King Rhaed's invasion of the Marquisate of Targo, the Duke of Kovir wouldn't be coming after them for retribution now. By the same token, the current situation was all King Nedamir's fault.
Seeing the situation spiral out of control—if he didn't do something, the Kovir army might not even need to attack, as they would first turn their blades on each other—a soldier suddenly rushed in from outside.
"Your Majesty, the Ko—Kovir army has arrived."
King Nedamir's spirit instantly lifted. He never thought there would be a time when he would feel relieved upon hearing of an enemy attack. He ordered the other nobles to be summoned to the city walls and instructed his servants to help him don his armor.
By the time he finally put on his armor, grabbed his weapon, and rushed to the city walls, he finally saw the Kovir army the messenger had spoken of.
They stopped at a great distance from the city.
What puzzled King Nedamir was that the enemy neither launched an assault nor began a siege. They hadn't even started chopping down trees to set up camp. What exactly were they doing?
Although he didn't understand their intentions, continuing to stall would undoubtedly benefit his side. King Nedamir naturally wished they would stay right there, preferably until the seas dried up and the stones rotted away.
Just then, the other nobles finally arrived. After understanding the situation, they were equally puzzled by the Kovir army's actions. And their thoughts were the same as King Nedamir's: dragging this out could only benefit them.
However, King Nedamir's and the nobles' wishes were destined to be thwarted.
Because the Kovir army across the field suddenly moved. But instead of attacking the city, they turned in a different direction and marched away from Króle.
The previously tense and anxious soldiers on the city walls let out a deafening cheer. Though they didn't know what was happening, avoiding a battle was always good. Some nobles also smiled, believing their combined forces had intimidated the Kovir army, forcing them to retreat in the face of difficulty.
But King Nedamir, and a significant portion of the nobility, were not so optimistic. They felt that something was amiss, though they couldn't quite put their finger on it.
Finally... a noble from Holopole discovered the truth:
"Holopole!"
As the noble gasped the name, the other nobles, whether they were contemplating or cheering, suddenly came to their senses.
He was right. The Kovir army had turned around. But the direction they were marching was, damn it, straight toward Holopole!
Holopole was currently lightly defended. If the Kovir army really went there, even just the sight of their banners would terrify the city's populace into raising the white flag.
The nobles from Holopole immediately grew anxious. "Your Majesty Nedamir, we must pursue the Kovir army! We cannot let them attack Holopole."
Before King Nedamir could speak, a noble from Króle stepped forward to advise against it. "Don't be rash. The Kovir army is not necessarily going to attack Holopole."
"It's not your domain being attacked, of course you're not worried!"
"What did you say?!"
"Silence! Shouting like common rabble in the presence of His Majesty! Where is your noble grace and elegance?"
"Your Majesty Nedamir, if you have reservations, at least allow us, the nobles of Holopole, to take our troops and pursue them!"
"Your Majesty, this could be a trick by the Kovir army. Istrad of the House of Thyssen spent twenty years plotting and scheming to reclaim the Kovir throne. A lord will have vassals just as treacherous and cunning. I believe we absolutely must not move rashly, or we risk falling into the enemy's trap."
Seeing the nobles of Króle and Kaedwen unite to oppose the pursuit, the Holopole nobles were furious. They looked to the precedent of Maribor and Kreïden; if Holopole suffered the same fate, the Holopole nobles did not believe King Nedamir or the other nobles would help them reclaim their lost territory.
At this moment, the Count of Króle suddenly stepped forward and said in a grave voice, "Your Majesty, I have a proposal that can extricate us from this predicament."
King Nedamir's face lit up. "Speak quickly."
"We can send out some scouts to follow the enemy from a distance to see whether they are merely using a feint or are truly marching to attack Holopole. Holopole is several days' journey from here. Once the scouts confirm the enemy is heading straight for Holopole, it will not be too late for our army to pursue."
While everyone else was simply venting their emotions, the Count of Króle had offered a solution. The nobles of Kaedwen and the other Króle nobles had no objection, but the Holopole nobles still maintained their dissent.
"What if the enemy reaches Holopole before our army? The city is lightly guarded, and they won't expect reinforcements to arrive."
"If the Kovir army captures Holopole first, it will be much harder for our army to retake it."
His proposal was challenged, but the Count of Króle did not get angry; instead, he smiled and replied, "Gentlemen of Holopole, do not be anxious. Rushing things will not solve any problem."
"Perhaps your anger has clouded your judgment, but you have forgotten that the Blar River behind Króle originates in the Dragon Mountains and also flows past Holopole."
"As long as we take boats and sail upstream, we will surely be able to reach Holopole before the Kovir army."
The Count of Króle's words were logically sound. Now, even the Holopole nobles had no objection.
The gates of Króle opened, and a dozen cavalrymen galloped out in the direction the Kovir army had departed. At the same time, the nobles remaining in Króle began to requisition boats.
Half a day later, several cavalrymen returned to Króle and reported the situation they had observed to the impatient nobles.
"The Kovir army has been marching toward Holopole without looking back. It seems they are indeed going to attack Holopole."
The Holopole nobles immediately stood up. "Let's go!"
"Wait!"
The Holopole nobles looked at the Count of Króle, who had spoken, and said angrily, "What more is there to wait for? Haven't we confirmed the enemy's movements?"
However, the Count of Króle ignored them and walked over to the kneeling cavalrymen. "Did the enemy spot you?"
"No, Your Grace. We followed your warning and were very careful to follow the enemy from a great distance, always maintaining a large gap."
"How many enemies did you see?"
"We… we couldn't get a clear count."
"Then how can you be sure that was the enemy's main force? What if the enemy only left a small contingent to draw your attention?"
"Your Grace, although we couldn't see the number of the enemy clearly, we saw a large cloud of dust caused by their marching column. That couldn't have been a small force."
King Nedamir, who had remained silent all this time, asked, "Count of Króle?"
The Count, who himself had proposed the idea, sounded less confident now. "Your Majesty, I have a bad feeling. I think we should wait a little longer."
The Holopole nobles exploded. They had agreed that the army would immediately sail up the Blar River once the enemy's movements were confirmed. What did he mean by waiting again? The Blar River flowed down from the Dragon Mountains. Sailing upstream to Holopole would be going against the current. Even if the water route was faster than marching overland, going against the current was not like sailing downstream. If they delayed for too long, they might not catch up to the enemy before they reached Holopole.
King Nedamir finally decided that the entire army should embark immediately and pursue the enemy.
Two hours later, dusk began to fall.
Someone suggested landing to rest and continuing the journey tomorrow. This was unanimously opposed by the Holopole nobles. What if the Kovir army continued to march through the night?
But this time, King Nedamir would not tolerate their antics. The Blar River was not like the Pontar or the Yaruga; its channel was much narrower, becoming increasingly so as they sailed toward Holopole. In the daytime, with clear visibility, it was fine. But at night, even with torches, they would be practically blind.
Especially since they were moving along the river channel. Although soldiers could take turns rowing, the lack of visibility at night made the chance of an accident too high. An accident would not only cause casualties but, more importantly, would block the river channel. Clearing the blockage would be difficult and waste even more time.
Therefore, despite the vehement objections of the Holopole nobles, King Nedamir ultimately overruled the opposition and ordered the army to land, make camp, and set off again the next morning.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, the League army set off again.
After sailing for another half day on the river, someone suddenly noticed several boats, packed with kindling and wood, moored side-by-side in the middle of the river ahead. They could also faintly smell the pervasive scent of oil in the air.
On both banks of the river, an army stood ready in formation, as if they had been waiting for them for a long time. The armies positioned on the riverbanks were flying the banner of the Sable and Gold Double-Headed Eagle.
"It's the Kovir army!" a sharp-eyed soldier cried out.
King Nedamir saw them too. He immediately realized it was a trap.
"Stop the boats! Stop the boats quickly!"
Unfortunately, it was too late.
With a command, the Kovir soldiers on both banks threw torches onto the oil-soaked, wood-piled boats. The boats quickly burst into flames. Then, they cut the ropes holding the boats, allowing the fireships to drift downstream.
As mentioned before, the Blar River originated in the Dragon Mountains. This meant that the boats King Nedamir and his men were on were sailing upstream, while the moment the Kovir soldiers cut the ropes, the fireships would travel downstream, straight toward the League's fleet.
The Blar River's channel was narrow, becoming increasingly so toward Holopole. Turning around in this narrow channel was impossible. Back-paddling wasn't entirely out of the question, but with everyone in a panic, it would only lead to one result: a blocked channel.
Aside from the Hengfors soldiers near the banks who could react quickly and jump ashore, the rest could only watch helplessly as the fiercely burning fireships slammed into the League's fleet.
Wails of agony immediately erupted. Hengfors soldiers were engulfed in the flames, creating a hellish scene. The fire began to spread to the rear of the League's fleet. Panic and terror prevented the soldiers from navigating the boats to safety, instead causing a complete blockage of the river channel. They were forced to abandon their boats and flee to the riverbanks.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The Kovir soldiers positioned on both riverbanks had already formed a semi-circular encirclement around the League's soldiers. The first rank of Kovir longbowmen fired in flat trajectories, while the second and third ranks fired in high-arcing volleys. Arrows fell like rain, and the League soldiers dropped into pools of blood.
"Everyone, rally to me!"
Even at this point, King Nedamir was unwilling to give up. He shouted loudly under the cover of a few personal guards. Some panicked soldiers, hearing his voice, rallied around him as if they had found their pillar of strength.
"Shields up!"
A wall of shields was raised. Incoming arrows lodged in the shields. Although the occasional stray arrow found a gap in the shield wall, the breaches were quickly covered.
"By my command…" King Nedamir's words were interrupted by the sound of heavy hooves.
He was momentarily stunned. Then, peering through a gap in the shield wall, he saw nearly a hundred shock cavalry, arrayed in a wedge formation, charging toward them. Each cavalryman had a long lance tucked under their armpit, and both the riders and their warhorses were clad in reflective armor.
This terrifying sense of oppression caused many of the League soldiers' legs to go weak. Fully armored heavy cavalry were the tanks of the cold-weapon era. Ignoring the inaccurate depiction in Braveheart, where Wallace commanded a ragtag group of peasants to break the English heavy cavalry with pikes, in reality, heavy cavalry at speed simply could not be stopped by a few pikes.
Nor could they be stopped by this remnant force hastily gathered by King Nedamir.
When the cavalry team was about thirty meters from the League's position, several witchers at the head of the wedge formation each pulled out two Superior Samum bombs and threw them with all their might into the League's formation.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After a series of explosions, the shield wall formation of the League, which had barely been holding, instantly shattered. Seizing the golden opportunity, the cavalry team charged into the now-chaotic League ranks, tearing through them as if unopposed, leaving behind a trail of blood and gore.
"Kill!"
Lynn drew Aerondight and slashed downwards. The Kovir infantry units also charged in from all sides. The heavily wounded League soldiers could no longer sustain the fight and began to flee in all directions.