Chapter 88

Wood Serpent

Nicopolan Side

While many were awakened from their slumber in a state of panic, Servius awoke with a clear mind. Despite the pain from the broken skin on his back, he was a man on a mission this night. Thus, with conviction, he strode through the darkness, a hammer in one hand and a lantern shrouded in damp, coarse cloth in the other.

The words from Lord Lansius echoed in his mind: "On the third day, remember to give your reply if you agree to my plan."

"How should I do it?" he had asked, to which the Lord had answered, "Set aflame a small section of the camp, and I shall see it clearly."

Tonight, Servius had made his decision. It was a risky move, but he knew that living under Sergio's rule was equally dangerous. Moreover, Lord Lansius' plan hinged on Sergio's defeat. This meant that, aside from setting a fire tonight, Servius wasn't taking on a big risk. His role was simply to lead as many people as possible into the forest once Sergio was overthrown. If this failed to happen, he would refrain from any action.

Steeling his heart once more, Servius walked with firm footsteps toward a specific place amidst the sea of tents. Approaching from the blind side, he saw a guard standing not far from a tent, observing the thousands of riders circling their encampment.

He waited, observed, and found no one else in their vicinity. Setting down his lantern, he crouched toward the lone guard, who was entirely focused on the events outside the camp. The fiery spectacle and the thundering hooves were the last things on the guard's mind as Servius' hammer slammed into the back of his neck, breaking the spine.

The guard had no chance and fell dead. Servius wiped the blood on the dried grass and searched for the keys but found none. So, he entered the tent and faced the captured Lady.

Lady Daniella stared at him from inside the cage and said, "I don't recognize you."

"There's not enough time. I promised Lord Lansius to go along with his plan, and I intend to free you so he may be more compelled to honor his part of the deal," Servius explained.

Daniella rose up. "Do you have the key?"

"Sergio must've kept it himself. I searched the guard, but he didn't have them."

"Then how do you plan to--" Daniella began, but Servius produced a pair of chisels and a smaller artisan hammer.

"It was hard to get these," he said, offering the smaller tools to Daniella, who grabbed them eagerly.

"Let me know if someone appears behind me," Servius instructed as he hammered the chisel against the area around the lock.

"Leave that to me," Daniella replied, working from the opposite side.

They attacked the sturdy wooden frame, chipping away little by little. Wood chips flew in every direction; some even got into their eyes, but they persisted.

After a while, the frame began to crack, and they redoubled their efforts. Even the cage designed to hold a beastman couldn't withstand two desperate humans with iron chisels and hammers.

The lock frame finally gave way, proving weaker than the reinforced frame on the opposite end that secured the heavy wrought iron bolt.

Servius stepped aside as Daniella pushed the cage door open. It crashed to the ground with a satisfying thud. Without hesitation, Daniella rushed outside, pulling Servius along as they made their way to the darker, more concealed side behind the tent.

"Gratitude for getting me out," said Daniella weakly. "What's next?"

"It's best if we split up here," Servius replied, drenched in sweat.

"Understood. May I learn your name?" she asked.

"No, lest you get captured and tortured."

"Then we part here," said Daniella, preparing to leave.

"Be safe." Servius pointing in one direction. "The castle is over there, but the camp's weakest link is on the opposite side. Move quietly without a lantern, and they shouldn't notice you. Jump off the carts they used for barricades and crawl through the grass. With the nomads out there, I doubt they'll chase you, but beware of crossbowmen."

Daniella nodded. "Till we meet again," she said, disappearing into the night after looting the dead guard's hooded mantle and sword.

Satisfied that nobody had seen him, Servius returned to his hidden lantern. Seeing the small tallow candle still burning brightly, he began to set the remainder of his plan into motion.

***

Sergio

The unnerving scene of thousands of cavalry with torches circling and randomly attacking with arrows continued to unfold in the Nicopolan encampment. The attacking nomads brought no torches, surprising the Nicopolans with arrows from the dark.

This sneaky attack forced Sergio to instruct his men to be on guard at all times. Just when things seemed manageable, cries of fire erupted from the inner part of the encampment.

"Fire, fire!" his men screamed to warn the rest. Many panicked, thinking the nomads had made a breakthrough.

"Stay where you are!" Sergio shouted back. From atop a cart, he could see that only some tents were alight, not his precious supplies in the middle section of the camp, which was guarded by a separate command.

Returning to his men and lieutenants, he commanded, "Let them burn a few tents; I can replace them and make them better! Hold your ground. They want us to scatter. Let's not give them that satisfaction!"

His lieutenants ran to every section, relaying Sergio's orders. They were to keep their ground and let the non-combatants handle the firefighting.

The Nicopolans held on despite the fire and the incessant attacks from the nomads. After an hour, the nomads' torches began to fade, and with them, their aggressive maneuvers. The tribal horsemen started to stray further and further away from the encampment. For a while, many Nicopolans feared a more severe attack was imminent. However, after several final volleys of arrows emerged from the darkness, all went quiet.

Only then did Sergio rush a portion of his men to douse the fire. Another half-hour passed, and it became clear they had survived the night. The Nicopolans rejoiced as they were certain that the thousand nomads had disengaged.

Sergio remained cautious, but his men were convinced they had won this battle of wits. They thought not even the Black Lord of Korelia was invincible. Many believed their defenses were so strong that the nomads couldn't find a weakness to exploit.

Praise for Sergio's command echoed among the men. They began to mock the Black Lord as a mere upstart with black hair, considering him inferior to Sergio.

However, as the golden sun broke the darkness after dawn, the Nicopolans, with dreary and reddened eyes, began to realize they had been outplayed.

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***

Battle of Korimor

It was easier to defend than to attack a fortified position—a fact well understood by both Lansius and Sergio. Initially, both sides had chosen to wait.

The difference was that Sergio could afford to wait indefinitely. He had access to water and nearly ripe farmland within his reach. The only factor that nudged him to engage in a minor skirmish was to bait Lansius into a decisive battle that would favor the Nicopolans.

Knowing this, Lansius did the unthinkable. Like Julius Caesar in the Siege of Alesia, he understood that results were everything. Thus, he took an unconventional approach, believing that adhering to conventional strategy would only squander opportunities for victory.

Armed with this mindset, and recognizing that the harvest, not the enemy's encampment, was the most crucial aspect of the campaign, Lansius decided to seize it.

Consistent with the strategy from the Art of War—when opponents are at ease, tire them; when resting, incite them to move—Lansius refrained from attacking Sergio's well-fortified camp. Instead, he brought a wall to their objective, forcing the Nicopolans to take action.

The long wooden wall, stretching from the castle to the river, protected a significant swath of Korimor’s farmland from the Nicopolans. Just like the famed Sunomata Castle from Lansius' world, his wall was also built overnight using pre-constructed sections.

As soon as the construction began to take its shape, it presented a dilemma to the Nicopolans: attacking the wall meant incurring heavy casualties, but failing to do so would allow its completion, permanently denying them access to the farmland and its harvest.

Upon learning about the wall, Sergio was initially in disbelief, convinced it was merely an illusion. The idea that such an extensive wall, stretching from the city to the river, could be completed overnight was hard to fathom. It was simply an impossible feat of construction.

However, he quickly grasped the urgency of the situation. He divided his troops into three groups: the largest, comprising five thousand men, would assault the incomplete wall; a detachment of one thousand would protect the main army's flank; the remaining troops would guard their camp against potential raids.

He also formed a sappers group to start digging near the river, where the ground was softer, in case a siege was needed. Sergio even considered relocating his camp next to the river to minimize the risk of raids from multiple directions.

Understanding the stakes, Sergio allowed his men full rations for breakfast. Within an hour, the Nicopolans marched out, shields, spears, and crossbows at the ready, confident that their five-thousand-strong force could breach the hastily constructed and incomplete wooden wall.

***

Lansius

The Lord had been present at the construction site since dawn. He knew his presence would boost morale and prevent a mass rout should the half-finished wall come under attack.

As the morning sun rose higher, both sides reached a critical juncture. Soon, they would learn if a thousand hastily trained militia, led by three hundred veterans, could withstand an assault by several thousand men.

At the moment, they were stockpiling spare spears and swords. They expected the battle to be hard. Unusually for Lansius, he had no crossbow superiority. Korimor had little stockpile of crossbows or bolts. While Hugo and later Lansius had brought a fair amount, they had expended much of it in previous skirmishes.

Hugo and Michael had tried to push for more production, but it ran slower than expected due to a myriad of problems.

From atop the newly erected wooden tower, Lansius kept an eye out for signals from his scouts. Noting some activity, he acted on his instinct. Turning to Sir Harold, he commanded, "Stop the militia from their work. Let them some respite, and bring in fresher men."

Harold nodded and relayed the order.

A man clearly couldn't fight after working all night, so Lansius had ordered them to work in shifts.

Now, the only ones still laboring were the seasoned carpenters who had pledged an oath to continue working until the site was overrun. Meanwhile, the rest of the carpenters were busy constructing another wall structure at a natural choke point to their rear.

While Lansius continued to observe the enemy camp, Hugo arrived with his men. He climbed the tower and greeted Lansius, "My Lord."

"Hugo, I hope you and your men slept well, because today, I really need you all to put up a good fight."

Hugo nodded and took a moment to gaze around the site. Though the tower was only two stories high, it provided a good vantage point over the surrounding area, which had been farmland until the previous night.

From their vantage point, it was evident that the wooden walls were not made of thick, sturdy logs typical of a proper palisade. Instead, they were assembled from timber, wooden planks, and various materials sourced from the town. These components were affixed to frames mounted on carts, forming a uniform, wall-like structure on one side.

Korimor's ample supply of carts made this strategy feasible. However, the extensive area to be covered meant there weren't enough carts to create a continuous line. Consequently, they were strategically spaced at even intervals.

Each cart was buried until half its wheels were deep in the ground, providing anchor points and foundations for these makeshift walls.

"What do you think—will the center wall withstand an assault?" Lansius asked.

"The training indicates it will," Hugo replied with conviction.

As they were discussing, another man climbed the tower. "Pardon my intrusion, My Lord."

"Sir Michael. Do you bring reports for us?" Lansius asked with anticipation.

"Yes, the preparations are complete," said the knight with an eye patch.

"Including the gravediggers' work?"

"Indeed, My Lord. They managed to do it."

Lansius sighed in relief as Hugo and Michael exchanged a firm hand clasp. The two had grown into close comrades.

"As planned, then," Lord Lansius said with newfound strength. "Hugo will lead the defense at the center. I will hold the reserves. Meanwhile, our left and right flanks will be led by the Baroness and Sir Harold."

Turning specifically to Hugo, he added, "I don't need to instruct you, but rally your men. Let them know that everyone must fight, or Korimor won't stand a chance."

Hugo bowed his head slightly. "I shall relay your message and push them hard, My Lord."

Having finished giving his orders, Lansius and Michael descended from the tower, leaving Hugo and his staff to use it for coordinating their troops.

Below, Lansius met up with his staff, as well as Lady Audrey and Sir Harold. He then instructed them, "Whatever happens in the center, stay true to your role. Do not, I repeat, do not worry about us in the center."

His firm voice struck a chord, their faces turning solemn.

"My Lord, I shall take my leave," replied Sir Harold, preparing to leave.

"Good hunting," said Lansius.

"Victory will be ours," said the tall knight confidently, and then he headed toward the right side near the river.

Lansius didn't need to rally his top retinues. Even before they had set out from Korelia, he had promised them a piece of farmland in Korimor as a prize for this campaign.

Audrey, already in her armor, looked at Lansius dearly.

"I know, I'll be safe. Sir Michael, Sigmund, and the squires will be with me," Lansius reassured her.

"Sometimes I feel like I don't need to speak with you anymore."

Lansius broke into a smile. "Please don't, I love to hear your voice."

Audrey couldn't resist smiling. She took a step closer and whispered, "Don't exhaust yourself. Remember, this is not a fight worth dying for. We still have Korelia."

Lansius nodded. "I shall take that advice to heart."

Audrey took a deep breath. "I'll take command on the left side then. See you after this is over."

As they parted ways, Lansius and his remaining staff headed toward a tent in the middle of a farm. They were careful not to destroy the tall yellowing crops, walking on a pathway.

"My Lord, a question if you will," said Michael.

"What is it, Sir Michael?"

"Why don't you use ditches for this battle?"

Lansius could understand the origin of the knight's curiosity. "Digging deep ditches requires a lot of work and time. I doubt the Nicopolans would let us finish. But more importantly, there's the river," Lansius explained. "I fear they could easily dig a canal, connect it, and flood our trenches."

Trumpets rang out, cutting their conversation short.

"The enemy has made their move," Michael observed.

Lansius let out a bitter sigh. He had hoped that Sergio and his Nicopolans would hesitate for several hours, if not half a day. Unfortunately, his opponent was far more competent than he would have liked.

Too competent for their own good...

Lansius turned to the men who were following him. He scanned the faces of the squires and men-at-arms until he found the one he was looking for. "Sigmund," he called.

The skald stepped forward. "Is it time, My Lord?"

***

Nicopolan Side

The six thousand Nicopolans marched toward the newly erected wall and stopped just short of the farmland. To advance further would mean destroying the crops they had waited so long to harvest.

For people who had endured years of famine, the thought of trampling a field ready for harvest was unthinkable. Many began to question whether this was the right course of action.

Before their leader could urge them on, several riders emerged from the wooden wall direction, bearing a flag of truce.

The lead rider, clad in polished armor, shouted in a clear voice, "Hail, O people of Nicopola! I bring words from the Lord of Korelia and the Lady of Korimor. All the farmland on this side of the wooden walls is yours to harvest. It should be sufficient to sustain you on your journey back to your home province."

The Nicopolans looked among themselves. Deep down, many wanted to believe it, but after the flogging and last night's attack, they doubted the Lord of Korelia's sincerity.

Sergio observed his men with contentment; he was sure that speeches like this wouldn't sway them. He had done his preparation to steel their conviction.

The rider rode closer, his shield held tightly to his body. "Do not waste this offer. Stand down and let us settle this amicably. Otherwise, there will be bloodshed you cannot win. The Lord of Korelia has never been defeated in battle."

"Remove him from my sight," Sergio ordered after noticing the subtle whispers, shaking heads, and confused looks among his ranks.

The rider persisted, "If you choose to attack, you'll be trampling your own share of the harvest. We won't be responsible for your hunger and death. I suggest you think this through. Do you want to cast your families into certain death just for your leader's glorious ambitions?"

However, this time, at Sergio's command, a group of crossbowmen rushed to the front, ready to fire.

"Nicopolans, is this your answer?" The rider bravely stared at them, still waiting for a response, but eventually gave up. He concluded with a cold threat, "So be it. You have made your choice. Your deaths are no longer our concern." He and his escort then retreated toward their wooden walls.

With that, the Battle of Korimor had begun.

***