-Project Aurora, Act 2-
“They attacked!?”
From Latila, after a week strandering on the ocean, the Elestovakian diplomatic corps arrived in Levantia to deliver the declaration of war to their Emperor. The following is what happened just mere seconds after the words were said from the head ambassador:
“Call for physicians!”
A guard said while trying to pull Kaval back from the floor he had just tripped down onto it. A shocking news can knock out the greatest mind, they said, but this is not the case. The emperor takes a second to rally his mind up into one place, he pushes away the guard and with some effort stands on his own, though still startled upon receiving the news:
“I am good.”-spoke the emperor to his men, his voice mixed with a sense of disbelief-”Good enough…just a bit…whatever, is that true?”
This news has been unbelievable, a mere tiny nation like Latila declare war against a superpower like Elestovakia, and not on the defense, but offense, one thing Kaval to the end of his life will ever think of because it seems too impossible, if not for this action of the Latilians:
“Yes, it is true. King Justinius was the person who gave us this before he expelled the diplomatic corps on a ship.”
Hand shoving in bag, the head ambassador Narsieh handed his emperor a scroll with the seal of the House of Latila. Kaval violently tears it out and reads:
“
REXUS POPULUSQUE LATILUS
From king Justinius the First, king of the Latilians, of the Kingdom of Latila, of the Archduchy of Voyage, of the Duchy of O’well, of the County of Flemton, Marcial and Liston.
This letter is a message for Elestovakia, the Elestovakian monarch, all of the citizens of the Empire and the city of Levantia, as well as every city under the rule of Emperor Kaval and the Elestovakian Empire.
Ten years ago, the year was 1453, across this country of Latila, people heard the news that the Nosfeturan Empire was destroyed, the dominant power of this continent was destroyed by your Kingdom of Elestovakia. That event alerted the Latilians. With the balance of power totally favoring your people, the Elestovakians, this continent was about to change into a warzone.
As it turned out, the prediction was correct. Just one week after that event, our diplomats in Vlenna found themselves hastily escaping the city as the Elestovakian Imperial Navy approached from afar. One month later, the flame ignited by the Imperial Army had burned away what left the prosperity of the Carthagian Republic, reaching so high that it even caught the sky of our Aeropostale allies…
And then what we feared most came, the Empire declared war upon the Kingdom of Latila. Despite all of our preparation efforts, the Imperial Army with their tremendous power had entirely defeated our army in Flemton, in Liston, in Marcial, and sank our expeditionary navy in Vlenna. The city of Voyage held their ground, but not for long, just enough time for the remainers of the Latilian Army to leave for Latila. There, in the heart of the Kingdom, we miraculously made our stand and by then, had the privilege of remaining as an independent nation, unlike many of those entirely conquered.
However, although victorious, our land, our families, our pride,...those things were forever lost in that war. The expansion dream of Elestovakia has taken everything from the Latilians, and we, my people, the Latilians, cannot let it go and continue to live. We, my people, the Latilians, want to take back everything the Elestovakians stole from us ten years ago. We, my people, the Latilians, want our Kingdom to be prosperous once again.
As the king of my people, I, Justinius the First, have to do what I have to do. For ten years, this kingdom had poured all of the resources needed to rebuild a revenge army that could contest the Imperial Army in the battlefield, and now, that army is ready to be deployed. The Kingdom of Latila shall use our armed force to retake what we lost from the Empire of Elestovakia.
We, the House of Latila and the House of Voyage, on the behalf of our Kingdom, declare war against the Monarch and the Empire of Elestovakia.”
Signed
King of Latila
Justinius Sabbarius Latila
…Yes, it really said so.”
The emperor throws the scroll down the floor, his disbelief voice turns into anger:
“I did expect them to fight, I did not, however, expect them to attack us. Those punies, the last war was not enough for them to submit. You said you received this declaration a week earlier, is that correct?”
“Yes, my emperor.”
“So they might’ve started now. I must act quickly, otherwise the province of Nova Voiaiologos (New Voyage) and Upper Granisus will fall. I must not let them cut our access to the region...”
Said done, Kaval rushes into his office:
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“The domination of Elestovakia is being threatened.”-he says-”Give me some papers and ink. I must write a letter to the Imperial Army invading Vlenna to tell them to split a portion to go confront the Latilians immediately. We cannot let them secure the north bank of the Granisus river.”
Elestovakia is reacting to the Latilian threat.
**
“Halt! We will rest here tonight.”
After eight straight hours marching from Latila, 40 kilometers from the city, 20 kilometers into the Elestovakian, capturing a few small settlements across their path, the Latilian Center Army lays rest in a vast grassfield in the middle of nowhere. Rapidly, the auxiliary soldiers and settlers set up their fireplaces with help from the Husaria riders, while the marine coachmen circled their vehicles around their encamp area. In the outer, a small independent cavalry unit was sent to patrol around the camp in cooperation with the fliers to ensure there would be no ambush that might strike the men while they were in their slumber. This will be their first night sleeping outside in the many-years long journey.
Obviously, being the VIPs of the army, Belisari, Lily and some of the others have the privilege of sleeping comfortably in tents. Aurora, however, rejected having her own tent and instead, joined with the auxiliary in their fireplace. At first, Belisari was confused by this decision of Aurora, seeing the outside too cold for a little girl like her. But then he saw the auxiliary troops bring out sweets bought from opportunistic merchants onto their tables:
“…Fine. If you want to, then you may, but be careful, and better choose a fireplace where females claim the majority. You will be safer around them”
“Yay”-said Aurora, then the girl departed to the firesite. The prince can see his words were not taken seriously, Aurora just heads where there is the most treat. Should ask one of the marines to look after her.
“What about you, Your Highness?”-Lily suddenly calls for the prince from behind which makes him turn around-”Would you be so kind as to share a place with me in your tent?”
“Huh? Where is yours?”
Lily shrugs her shoulders-“Angela took it.”
That’s true, in the tent that was supposed to be Lily, the former veteran is struggling to insert her wings in. Angela, despite being a field scout and fought in multiple battles throughout the sky of Aeropostale, Nosfetura and Latila, has never slept outside a single day, so she is not used to it. As her old subordinate in the library, Lily offered her tent to Angela to help simulate the indoor, while herself can ask someone to share a tent with her, or she can just sleep outside with her troops around campfires.
As for the reason why Lily cannot sleep with Angela, is because Angela’s wings alone claim half of the size of the tent. Being given the magnificent luxury of flying above the clouds and communicating via telepathy, the fliers had to exchange their lifespan, their swimming skill (for obvious reasons, those wings are huge obstacles under water) as well their ability to crumble into a small place.
“I guess that is fine”-Belisari nods-”Having a bodyguard is better after all.”
“Thanks.”
Finishing polish her sword, Lily rests it along with her horse outside, cleans out her oily hands with soap and water and then, steps into the tent of the prince. Belasari’s tent was huge, enough for at least three people to sleep in comfortably, having Lily in it with him is not a problem.
Gerald, his tent is close to the border of the camp. He and the Knights Cathedraller are cooking soup and distributing them to hungry men who had just done with their campfires. Looking further, some of the civilian followers had placed the first stones for their future domains. This will be vital, as they will soon become the backbone of the logistics network, responsible for providing the frontline with grains grown on occupied arable land. The foundation of a prolonged war is being built by all Latilians, military or not, to ensure that they will emerge out of this war as victors. Combined war effort, as Aurora referred it as, and that term shall be popularized and used even from since.
For the first day, it was not bad at all. They haven’t encountered any Elestovakian yet, but there will be soon.
Belisari looks up. The night sky is quite similar to yesterday’s sky, but where he sees it from is different. No more the lights of Latila, no more the giant banners fluttering in the wind, only left a few campfires of an army standing on a barren land.
“Ahh…”
By this time Kaval must have received the war declaration, Belisari thought. Assuming it would take a flier a week to fly here and another week to spread the news across the region, they would have plenty more time travelling unopposed by any major force.
**
“Shoot!”
A hail of arrows launched from the Latilian Marines' crossbows rains down upon a group of Elestovakian garrison cavalry patrols following Belisari’s order. At noon, when the army approaches the first Elestovakian fortification in their journey and Angela reports that there is a group of scouts ahead, Lily has decided to cut off their far-reaching reconnaissance first before continuing advance.
Within a few seconds, fifty arrows from fifty crossbows had reached the cavalry patrolmen. Some of the projectiles hit the riders on horseback and push them onto ground, some others targeted horses and their armors and disabled the animals, the rest dug their heads into the soil. Nothing to expect much from this distance, the penetration of those missiles gradually went down the longer they traveled, and shooting from so far away Lily only expected them to be staggered. The following is what really matters. With half of the patrolmen on the ground and the rest having their horses immovable, 20 Winged Husaria armed with pikes and muskets move to confront them, led by Lily herself holding her new sword. Seeing the approaching dust cloud created by charging riders, the patrolmen have no choice but to surrender:
“I admire your intellect”-Belisari says after seeing the six captured prisoners. Ridiculous for him saying so, it does not take much intelligence for a man to yield in such a condition when being so heavily outnumbered.
“Now looking closer, you are our people.”
Moreover, they weren’t real Elestovakians, but former Latilian men who joined the Imperial garrison army to earn a living, hence less loyalty to the empire. But so therefore:
“I shall give you back the horses. Go somewhere they speak Reman, continue to go until you see a giant city. That is Latila. You can live there or around, even better if you ask an officer for recruitment. I’d be delighted to see experienced people like you on my side.”
After having the prisoners disarmed and prosecuted, Belisari releases them back to his country. As for the reason why the army takes no prisoners with them, is because taking care of extra people is a burden in logistics, Belisari and Lily had agreed to release any captured soldier back to Latila or any nearby friendly settlement where they could be supervised by common citizens, and can work to support their war effort:
“Besides, they were fellow compatriots, and they will be compatriots again in the future.”
That is how Belisari answered Aurora when she asked about that topic later.
That happened once, and will happen again in the future, the capture-and-release thing. Belisari is benevolent.
The sun is about to set again. It’s time to set up camp for tonight.