I stood on top of the walls overlooking the fields of Figaro as dawn broke on the second day of the battle. Everything looks hopeless from where I stand - an endless ocean of enemies stretching as far as the eye can see in every direction possible. Five balloon scouts carefully positioned themselves across the battlefield, giving them a great view of the city.
If the reports were true, then we’re staring down an army of 50,000 Kytherean soldiers at this very moment with a meager garrison of 2000 of my soldiers and another 2000 of the Lorraineans for a total of 4000. Including the reinforcement on the way, we’ll still be outnumbered almost 5 to 1.
Had it been up to me, we would have retreated long ago. However, Lord Alec of the Lorrainean army believes that he could win this siege or, at the very least, hold the city until reinforcements arrive.
This is my city… I should have told him to leave.
But it’s too late now that the enemy has come. There’s far too many of them, and far too few of us to make a breakthrough. I was consumed by my curiosity, but it’s increasingly clear to me that, just as I suspected, this is an impossible feat.
The enemy didn’t make a move. They didn’t need to, we’ll starve soon enough and beg to surrender if we can’t get any food. Instead, they just sat there watching. The battle was over long before it began.
“Is this your plan?” I asked the man who just approached me from behind. “At this rate, we’ll starve long before Janus arrives.”
He stared at the enemy army just as I did earlier. His eyes were that of a hawk eyeing its prey, though I can’t see what he’s looking for.
“No, I can guarantee you this is our victory,” he said with confidence. “Tell your soldiers to guard all gates. We need not garrison the walls.”
“How can you tell?”
“The enemy doesn’t know how large of an army we have outside. The Commander probably has an estimate by this point, but they won’t make any moves until they’re certain or our unit is wiped out.”
His voice and posture inspires confidence, if nothing else. Maybe that’s why I listened to begin with, but still whatever inspiration he provides vanishes the moment I look at the enemy.
Besides, what good does a few days do anyways? We’ll starve all the same.
***
ALEXIA
Yesterday’s prelude was but a simple distraction, the real battle for Figaro begins today. Still, to give credit where credit is due, whoever devised this plan is also a genius.
How exciting… Has Rhapsody been hiding them all this time? Or could it be someone from Lorraine? Doesn’t matter, though, I’ll crush them all the same.
“You look pleased with yourself, General,” one of my Lieutenants said.
I’ve summoned all four of them, but this guy’s the first to arrive as usual.
“It’s rare to find someone new in this day and age.”
“True enough.”
Lieutenant Muse has been my faithful second since I first became an officer. Her service to me has lasted a decade by this point. Just thinking of it inspires nostalgia.
“When was the last time someone placed us in a similar predicament? It must be him, right?” Muse asked.
“Yeah… That guy is a proper genius for what he did. A pity he had to fight in an unwinnable battle. Still, he’s proven capable ever since we assimilated him into the army.”
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We continued our little chatter until the others arrived, at which point we changed topics towards that of our next move.
“It’s impossible to attack Figaro at this moment,” I said firmly. I’m certain every one of them already knew this, but I still felt the need to explain. “Before we make any commitments, we first need to deal with the threat behind us no matter how small.”
Sounds of agreement filled the air.
“Which is why I’m giving Lieutenant Rion the task of finding and destroying whatever unit is in the woods. Use any means necessary short of razing the place down.”
Honestly, I’m sure just torching the entire forest down would be our best shot at finding the enemies hidden within. However, that would also cause irreparable damage between the relations of Kyther and Rhapsody more so than the current war would, and the Prime Minister was clear that he doesn’t want that to happen.
Well, in any case the enemy would be starved before long anyways, and relief is unlikely. Our spies indicate the movement of Janus’ troops from Bohemia, but such a small force should be inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Still, it’s not a threat we could ignore.
“Muse,” I called out. “Take half of Rion’s soldiers and intercept Janus. He shouldn’t pose much of a threat, but it’ll be best to take as much precaution as we can. After he’s dealt with, secure our flank. Make sure that no reinforcement from the west can come.”
I looked at my final lieutenant. “Similarly, Achilles, I want you to take your soldiers and intercept any reinforcements coming from Lorraine and the east. There’s no reports of support from there, thanks to the Navalese distraction, but we should still be careful.”
I dismissed the meeting after that. It would be a massive reduction in my army’s size, leaving me with only 20,000 under my command, but it should still be more than enough. Besides, it would be easy to recall them if need be.
As soon as the armies dispatched, I got to work ordering my soldiers to build up a wall around Figaro. It wasn’t a large wall by any means - more like a fence really - but it’s still an important piece of fortification that can help with the battle.
With that, I’ve fully surrounded the city and cut off any potential reinforcements. Their main strategy would soon be neutralized, leaving me free to storm the city after if they don’t surrender first. All they’ve accomplished was to delay the inevitable when the battle has been decided long before it began.
***
ALEC
I cannot help but to show the smile on my face as I watch the enemy forces split off. If I’m counting right, 15,000 should be moving towards Janus and 10,000 should be guarding the other flank, with another 5,000 heading back to the forest.
How fortunate for me that everything went exactly as I planned so far…
I can only hope that the rest of the battle goes as smoothly, but it’ll be a huge uphill fight from here on out.
All I need is to hold off for two weeks. As long as they don’t attack the city, it should be doable. That means that Paul’s unit would have to survive until then, but that shouldn’t be too hard.
Now, all I need to do is to sit in this city for two weeks.
***
PAUL
The second day of the battle ended uneventfully. The most that happened was the return of about 5000 soldiers to this forest, potentially to search for our unit. This is exactly as Lord Alec has predicted, so I’m not too worried about it.
At the moment, a spy network keeps a close watch on their movements from the canopy. I’ve also instructed them to take a shot or two whenever possible, then quickly retreat. So far, this strategy has proven effective as we’ve killed or wounded around two dozen of their soldiers while only suffering a couple wounds of our own.
This kind of harassment should prove effective, as my soldiers know more about the territory as well as having been trained specifically at this kind of warfare. However, the real attack is just about to begin…
At this moment, I’m traveling with about 20 soldiers in the cover of darkness, heading straight to where the enemy camp was. We’re guided by the canopy-soldiers and, upon arriving, quietly encircled them.
The plot is simple - at this moment, we walked around the forest where they are encamped. We walked in circles, dropping stones carved with the “EXPLODE” rune on them. These were set to activate on a delay.
After we finished our little preparation, I ordered the ones on the canopy to take a shot or two each using a special bullet designed to explode after hitting someone.
The noise alerted the opponent to our presence, after which I ordered the ones with me to fire another set of guns. I made sure I was still visible then, once the enemy took notice and began to chase, I ordered my soldiers to run away.
What followed was a slaughter caused by the explosions. If I had to guess, about two or three dozen died from those on top of another half a dozen from the initial volley, though I’ve no real means or desire to confirm it. Still, the goal isn’t exactly to kill a bunch of them here and now. In any case, this was a massive success.