Chapter 403: Waging War Like Hell (3)
As soon as the sluice gates opened, Claude bellowed a command.
“Alfoi! Start!”
Alfoi, who had been holding back the knights by wildly casting spells here and there, nodded.
“Fog Cloud!”
A thick fog began to spread in front of the fortress. The fog gradually expanded, widening its range.
Though it thinned slightly due to the vast area it covered, it was still enough to obscure the vision of the advancing Roderick army.
“It’s magic! The fog is everywhere!”
Soldiers shouted from all directions.
In war, losing visibility was extremely dangerous. The defending side could simply shoot arrows blindly, but the attacking side would find it hard to evade or retaliate effectively.
“Damn it! What are our mages doing?!”
The soldiers voiced their frustrations, unable to understand why their mages were standing idle.
To their eyes, those supposedly powerful mages were doing nothing but tossing a few flickering fireballs into the sky.
Sploosh…
While the Roderick army fumbled in confusion, water began seeping under their feet from a small sluice gate.
However, no one paid attention to it. Despite the fog, they were close enough to the fortress that they expected to set their siege towers and ladders against the walls soon.
There was another reason their attention was so distracted.
“Hey! Marquis Roderick! You ugly bastard! Uglier than your own ass!”
A voice from atop the fortress walls hurled constant insults. One of the mages seemed to be using sound amplification magic, as the voice echoed thunderously even amidst the chaotic battlefield.
Hearing those insults, Roderick’s command staff frantically urged the soldiers forward.
“Push! Faster!”
“Kill that bastard first!”
“They’re not even attacking! Stop being cowards and advance! The fog will be dispelled by our mages soon!”
As Marquis Roderick raged, his officers felt the pressure. Instead of properly assessing the situation, they continued to drive the soldiers harder.
Screech… Screech…
Time passed. The soldiers gradually noticed it was becoming harder to move. The siege towers and battering rams were barely advancing, and even walking became difficult.
Squelch… Squelch…
“What’s this? The ground’s wet?”
“When did that happen?”
“Ugh… It’s getting hard to walk.”
The ground was turning muddy, but the Roderick troops couldn’t understand why. The water flowing out from the lowest part of the fortress wall was hard to notice, especially with the fog obscuring their vision.
The advance of the 60,000-strong army was slowing down. The commanders grew anxious, shouting orders. They were so close yet something felt increasingly off.
“Dispel that fog immediately! Archers, start suppressive fire!”
The limited visibility made it difficult for the soldiers in the rear to push forward effectively.
Not knowing what might come from the fortress above, Roderick’s archers advanced, mingling with the frontline troops, and loosed arrows blindly toward the fortress walls in hopes of suppressing any counterattacks.
Thud! Thud-thud!
The Fenris troops were already in position with their shields raised. Since they weren’t actively attacking, the arrow volley caused little to no harm.
The archers continued to advance, blending further with the main force. Meanwhile, a few of Roderick’s mages finally stepped forward, dispersing the fog spell. The magic the Fenris side had been using was mostly low-circle spells, easy to dispel and not particularly dangerous.
Swoooosh…
As the fog gradually lifted, visibility returned.
At that exact moment, Claude roared.
“Open the second sluice gate!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
This time, slightly larger gates opened. From countless holes at the base of Fortress Silverlight’s walls, torrents of water began pouring out.
Whoooosh!
As the fog dissipated, the Roderick troops could clearly see the massive surge of water rushing towards them.
“What the hell?”
“Why are they dumping water on us?”
“It’s nothing! Keep moving forward!”
The water volume was substantial, but it wasn’t enough to directly threaten the soldiers. It only drenched them thoroughly as it flowed across the sloping terrain.
However, the ground was now entirely saturated. The battlefield had transformed into a muddy quagmire, making movement extremely difficult.
Squish… Squish…
“Damn it! The siege tower won’t budge!”
“My feet are stuck!”
“Push harder!”
Their pants and boots were sinking into the muck, making even basic movement a struggle. The siege engines, now bogged down in the mud, refused to advance.
“Those bastards! They’re stopping our siege engines!”
At last, Roderick’s forces realized Fenris’s true intention. With the ground in such a state, there was no way to position the siege towers.
Walking was hard enough. How could they possibly push those massive siege engines through this swamp of mud?
“They modified the sluice gates for this! It’s a trap!”
All castles and fortresses have small sluice gates and drainage channels to prepare for disasters such as floods.
It was clear that the Fortress Silverlight had modified those sluice gates to be even wider.
As the soldiers milled around in confusion, the commanders shouted again from all directions.
“Archers, keep up the suppressive volleys! Knights, stay with the siege towers and keep pushing”
“Hey! Marquis Roderick! You’re like a giant piece of shit that won’t come out when you sit on the toilet, you fat ugly bastard!”
“Kill that bastard first!”
The voice spewing insults was so loud that it drowned out the commanders’ orders. Whether by magic or sheer volume, the constant cursing was getting on everyone’s nerves.
Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!
The thick layers of soil and sand quickly absorbed the water that had leaked out, turning the ground into sticky mud that clung to their feet.
The knights had to channel mana just to push the siege towers forward, and even then, progress was painfully slow. Many were already exhausted just from trudging through the mud, even before the fighting began.
And that was exactly what Claude had planned.
“Pull!” he commanded.
At his order, the knights waiting below the fortress grabbed hold of hundreds of chains.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Hundreds of metal chains shot up from beneath the ground.
The chains themselves weren’t particularly dangerous, just hidden beneath the earth, waiting to be pulled upward.
But for the already struggling soldiers of Roderick’s army, it was more than enough to send them toppling over.
“Argh!”
“What is this?!”
“It’s a trap! There’s a trap here!”
The Roderick soldiers couldn’t make sense of the situation.
The soldiers near the chains stumbled, and as they fell, those beside them also tripped and rolled into the muddy pit.
The chains weren’t causing any direct harm. They were simply toppling soldiers, disrupting formations, and making it harder to move.
“They’re just trying to block our advance! Move forward! Quickly! Get up, you fools!”
“Stop whining and keep moving! Knights, cut down those chains!”
As the commanders barked orders, trying to regain control, Claude was faster.
“Alfoi! Hit the front!”
“Understood!”
A rare sight unfolded; two of the most incompatible people in the region working together.
“Fire Burst!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Alfoi unleashed the last of his mana, sending fire spells exploding among the frontline heavy infantry.
“Arghhh!”
“We’re under attack!”
“Hold the line!”
The flames erupted everywhere, scattering the ranks. Most of the knights capable of blocking the magic had been stationed near the siege towers.
Although the number of casualties was minimal, the tight formation of the heavy infantry was broken enough.
And that was all Claude needed.
“Volley! Loose!!!”
With Claude’s bellowing command, the Fenris army finally began their assault.
Whoosh!
A rain of countless arrows soared toward the Roderick army. But instead of the front ranks, they targeted the middle and rear formations.
“Arghhh!”
“Fall back! Move back!”
“Shields! Protect our men!”
Behind the heavy infantry, the light infantry had been advancing closely. Even the rear archers had moved closer to the fortress for better range.
As the arrows rained down, they tried to reorganize their formation. But the mud made it almost impossible to move quickly.
The chains and fallen comrades created massive obstacles in the ankle-deep sludge.
Even the light infantry, who held shields, couldn’t fully block the relentless hail of arrows. Soldiers began collapsing across the field.
“Hold the line! Return volley! Suppress them!”
The Roderick archers fired back as best they could, but it was pointless. The Fenris soldiers were clad in full Galvaniium armor, making them nearly impervious to standard arrows.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
“Arghhhh!”
The Roderick army was now in complete disarray. Each time a soldier fell, the chaos spread, dragging their comrades into the mud.
The knights rushed in, finally severing the chains, but the damage was already done.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Meanwhile, Alfoi’s spells continued exploding across the field, further frustrating the attackers.
The battlefield was now a complete disaster. Only then did the Roderick soldiers realize.
In this ankle-deep mud, they were nothing but sitting ducks for the enemy’s assault.
Observing the chaos from the rear, Roderick’s strategists cautiously approached him.
“We must retreat for now.”
“Our troops can’t move properly. Even the siege towers won’t make it through this mud.”
“We need to pull back the mages and dry out that swamp before advancing again.”
If they continued like this, the soldiers would be massacred. A retreat was necessary to reorganize.
“Ughhh…”
Marquis Roderick trembled, his face flushed red.
His army of 60,000 couldn’t even reach the walls and was instead floundering in the mud. He had heard of luring enemies into muddy terrain for a field victory, but deliberately turning a battlefield into a swamp of mud during a siege? That was a first.
“Count Fenris is in the west! Who the hell planned and prepared all this?!”
Despite Roderick’s furious outburst, his strategists had no answers.
“Retreat! Regroup and plan another attack!”
At last, the retreat horns sounded at his command.
The soldiers, relieved, began withdrawing. However, retreating wasn’t as easy as they had hoped.
Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!
Their legs felt heavier than expected, and corpses littered the ground around them.
Many soldiers stumbled as they backed away, afraid of being shot in the back by arrows. Movement was painfully slow.
And that was exactly when Claude revealed his next trap.
“Begin.”
At his command, the long-silent Fenris trebuchets came to life.
Thwang! Thwang!
Massive stones hurtled toward the mud-trapped Roderick army.
Fenris possessed numerous trebuchets captured from previous wars, and the dwarves had since modified them to be even more powerful.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Arghhh!”
“They’ve begun the trebuchet attack!”
“Take cover! Move!”
No shield could block a boulder that size. Soldiers had to turn and flee just to survive.
While the front lines remained somewhat safe due to their positioning, the middle and rear ranks were devastated, unable to evade properly.
BOOM!
“Run! Move faster!”
No matter how the commanders screamed, the soldiers couldn’t comply. The mud weighed them down too heavily.
The fallen soldiers were the worst off. They were the easiest targets for the trebuchet volleys.
Those who turned their backs to dodge the rocks were struck down by a rain of arrows.
“This… this is madness…”
The soldiers in the front ranks were paralyzed with fear.
They couldn’t summon the courage to run, dodging the incoming stones seemed impossible.
Yet, staying put wasn’t an option either. Fenris knights were now throwing mana-infused spears, piercing through even the heavy infantry formations.
Tennant, the commander of Roderick’s knights, clenched his teeth as he observed the carnage.
“We’ve been completely outmaneuvered.”
It all started with those taunts, deliberately provoking Marquis Roderick. Unfortunately, it had worked all too well. The entire army had moved without properly assessing the enemy’s strength.
Not a single shot had been fired while they advanced. No arrows, no rocks.
If Fenris had attacked earlier, they would have adjusted their tactics. But the enemy had simply waited, confident they could destroy the attackers once they were drawn close enough.
They had baited them in.
“Retreat! Leave the siege weapons behind!”
There was no choice now. With the mages rendered ineffective, the soldiers had to retreat on their own. Dragging the siege weapons through this mud was impossible.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Arghhhh!”
The screams of Roderick’s soldiers echoed across the battlefield. Watching the chaos, Claude smirked arrogantly.
“See? It works every time. I told you pissing off the enemy first is the key.”
“……”
The others around him remained silent, unsure how to respond.
Preparing for this strategy hadn’t been difficult for Fenris. When it came to construction, they were the best in the kingdom.
The soil and sand were abundant from previous works, and the dwarves’ involvement made the modifications swift and effective.
Still, it was almost shocking how perfectly the enemy had fallen for it.
It reminded them of Ghislain the way he manipulated the battlefield. Ghislain crushed his enemies with overwhelming force and precise troop movements.
Claude, on the other hand, was all about calculated, strategic dominance, not raw power.
“Hah… war is easier than gambling. This will be over soon. What, are they just going to keep standing there and letting me hit them?”
Claude’s smug remark drew nods from those around him. Even experts like Gillian had nothing to contribute, there was simply no need.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Roderick soldiers couldn’t even retreat properly. Some collapsed from exhaustion, their mud-soaked bodies too heavy to lift.
Claude had waited for maximum efficiency, letting the entire enemy force advance before springing the trap.
Watching the devastation, Ascon paused his taunts and stared at Claude.
‘This guy… really fights like a complete bastard.’
For Ascon, that was the highest form of praise.
After a grueling ordeal in the mud, the remnants of Roderick’s forces finally managed to pull themselves out. The difference was night and day it felt like they’d escaped to a whole other world beyond the mud.
“Pull the troops back! Now!”
At Tennant’s order, the Roderick forces withdrew further. Finally, even the mages could disengage from their magical duels and retreat.
“WAHHHH! WE WON!”
The Fenris soldiers erupted in victorious cheers as Roderick’s battered army limped away in defeat.
The few surviving Roderick soldiers could only watch with bitter expressions.
Once the battlefield settled, Marquis Roderick turned to Tennant, his face twisted with fury.
“Casualties?”
“…About half, my lord.”
Everyone fell silent at the report.
Half their army was wiped out by such an unorthodox strategy using mud, chains, arrows, and boulders.
It was devastatingly effective.
“Ughhhh…”
Roderick trembled with rage, ready to explode again when a dust-covered knight interrupted him, panting heavily.
“My lord! Linderstein has fallen to Count Fenris!”
Everyone from the Marquisate froze, disbelief plastered across their faces.