Chapter 25: Into the Valley
The Month of Ninsum Day 29 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar
The Antlatur took two hours to prepare their forces, with their attack commencing at 1 PM. Despite having the option to go around, they felt compelled to confront the situation. The provocation of hanging a general was too significant for both their soldiers and their national honor to withstand. If they retreated without avenging Falcus, the morale of their soldiers would suffer due to the lack of retribution for the popular general, and their prestige among foreign nations and affiliated kingdoms would decline sharply.
An assault on the Black forces was organized. The Black troops had positioned themselves between two hills and quickly took cover in the cliffs. Only about 5,000 soldiers could stand shoulder to shoulder in the valley between them. The first division of the Antlatur army readied for the assault. Having sustained very few casualties in the earlier war, they were nearly at full strength, with 15,000 soldiers. These were also the best and most motivated troops in the army.
After preparing anti-magic barriers for protection, the troops marched forward to confront the black soldiers. Their front line consisted entirely of heavy infantry, organized in the traditional formation of the Empire Shield, standing shoulder to shoulder. Equipped with helmets and greaves, their shields covered their midsections and upper legs, creating a formidable wall of copper and iron to withstand any frontal assault. Usually, the army would place light infantry at the front to engage enemy light forces, but they opted for a different strategy this time. The Black troops occupied a slightly elevated position, and their primary objective was to dislodge the enemy from that advantageous spot.
As they approached, the Black light infantry began to rain hell and fire down upon them. Starting with the archers who continuously shot their arrows like rain, which fell amongst them and did just as much damage. A fully armored soldier wouldn't be severely injured or killed by an arrow unless it was an arrow shot from a mighty mage or found in a vulnerable place. So long as it didn't hit them in the eye hole of their helmet or somehow managed to find their hands or thigh, which didn't have armor, they wouldn't be hurt by the arrow. However, it would break their mana shield, exposing them during any sword fight or the later hail of javelins.
The javelin throwers were next. When the Antlatur entered their range, they readied their javelins and threw them. The javelins caused significantly more damage than the earlier rain of arrows. They were capable of piercing even heavy armor. If a soldier's helmet or greaves were struck after their mana shield had been broken, that soldier would be doomed to a swift journey to the underworld. Even if they survived the initial hit, their fate was bleak; they would be trampled by their comrades behind them without mercy. This wasn’t due to cruelty among allies but a matter of necessity: if they stopped, they would risk being run over by their side and meet a similar fate.
Soldiers from the Norris Mountains were renowned among all the nations of the Western continent as some of the finest fighters. Life in the mountains was difficult, and survival depended on cooperation among villagers to fend off bandits, enemy nations, and monsters. As a result, most residents, including women and children, had a basic understanding of weapon operations. Every soldier from the Norris Mountains was akin to a knight, having received combat training from an early age.
However, they were not entirely equal to knights, as many only awaken their abilities once they later joined the army. In terms of Mana, they remained unable to compete with true knights, placing them on par with soldiers from other countries. Yet, in terms of skill and courage, Norris Mountain soldiers were deemed fearless—or foolish, depending on who you asked.
The javelin throwers waited until the last moment, when the enemy was nearly upon them, to launch their javelins one final time before retreating. Throwing at point-blank range, their javelins achieved high accuracy and caused significantly more damage than their earlier volleys. After completing their attack, the javelin throwers retreated quickly and in relatively good order, making better progress than the heavily armored infantry of Antlatur, who were weighed down by their equipment.
Meanwhile, the archers completed a few more volleys before retreating. The gaps between the lines of the Black heavy infantry were considerably more significant than those between the tower formations, allowing both the archers and javelin throwers to withdraw with relative ease. The Antlatur and the Black Infantry finally clashed after the Antlatur had taken significant casualties to get there, and most of their mana shields were already broken, giving the Black forces a considerable advantage.
Hours passed as the battle raged on unabated. Initially, the Black forces held an advantage due to the casualties inflicted by their light infantry and the benefit of having mana shields. Additionally, the Antlatur forces were exhausted from days of marching, while the Black troops, having rested, were only slightly fatigued from standing by.
This allowed the Black forces to gain the upper hand, but the tide shifted toward the Antlatur side over time. The first division of the Antlatur army was not easily trifled with; they were experienced warriors and well-trained. The second division of the Black army, which had taken this defensive position, could have matched them but did not surpass them. In terms of numbers, the Antlatur soon dropped the weight of their reinforcements onto the black forces.
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For every soldier the Black forces killed, another would take their place, creating a relentless cycle. As this continued, the second division of the black army began to exhaust its resources. The battle shifted from the Black forces' advantage to a stalemate, and ultimately, the Black troops were left with no choice but to yield ground to the enemy.
When two lines of heavy infantry clashed, the side that would be pushed back was typically the one that was losing steadily. This was because the second line would gradually move forward as the front line fell while the front line attempted to regroup. This dynamic could affect the entire line, even those far from the initial breach, as companies would be compelled to retreat to remain next to their comrades. A line that couldn't fall back would struggle to relieve the pressure on its front line and would ultimately be forced to break rather than bend.
Livia Tallwood was not foolish; retreating suited her strategy, so she allowed the withdrawal to happen without trying to hold their ground. After three hours of intense fighting, the Antlaturs finally began to push the Black forces out of the valley. Once they achieved this, they could use their numerical advantage to surround the Black army and wipe them out.
This realization made Linea aware that the enemy had to fall back. They could either stand their ground or retreat before it became too late, yet they did neither. Her mind buzzed with questions as she rode her horse slightly behind the front line. The enemy wasn't attempting to hold their position nor launching a counter-attack; instead, they were gradually losing ground without resisting. Her suspicion intensified, but it seemed unlikely that this was a trap. They had fought fiercely before beginning to yield. Why wouldn't they have retreated from the start if it were a trap? As she wondered about this she recalled the time she'd been trapped in a similar situation during the war with the kingdom of Triton although she fought their way out of that due to the weakness of their soldiers it was still an unpleasant memory.
“Everyone stop! Stop right now! Cease the advance and pull back immediately!” Linea shouted; Christopher, looking confused, quickly sprang into action and sounded the trumpets to halt the advance. The bewildered soldiers obeyed, driven by their military training and trust in their General. They created some distance from the Black forces, causing a sudden stillness on the battlefield where the fighting had been brutal, bloody, and intense just moments before. Yet, in that silence, all of her suspicions were confirmed. If the Black forces had been genuinely invested in this battle, they would have attacked instead of stopping the fight entirely. This showed that they were trying to lure the Antlaturs into a trap.
There was a long pause in the battle, with neither side moving or taking any action. The Antlatur and their black-clad enemies, sworn rivals who had just been killing each other moments before, stared at one another from a gap only a few feet wide. Weapons were gripped tightly in their hands, blood still coating their swords. Linea briefly contemplated what to do but didn’t have much time to think. Suddenly, trumpets sounded from the cliffs on either side, and soldiers were dressed in black uniforms began emerging. In their hands, they carried javelins and bows.
“Full retreat!” she shouted, and the entire army began to move just moments after the trumpets blared. However, the enemy was not about to let them escape; arrows and javelins started to rain down, mainly targeting the soldiers in the back line who had yet to engage in any actual combat, primarily to avoid damaging their forces. Meanwhile, the second division charged forward, attacking the enemy as they attempted to retreat. The javelin throwers’ effectiveness increased exponentially from the preliminary battle. Previously, most of their javelins had struck the shields, doing little damage aside from the minor annoyance of having a javelin stuck to one's shield. However, they were launching their javelins from above, and the shields offered little protection against the damage inflicted.
The first division desperately tried to retreat while being pursued by the second division and facing Javelin fire from all directions. With many lives lost and bloodshed surrounding them, their retreat continued. Once they were out of range of the cliffs, Linea launched a fierce counterattack against the pursuing second division. Livia, unwilling to engage now that their plan had been uncovered, retreated quickly, holding on to the hope that the first division would break their discipline and pursue her forces. However, that did not happen.
*****
Valerius bitterly watched as the Antlatur successfully retreated from his trap. Linea had guessed successfully what his plan was waiting for at the end of the valley: the first division on either side, the second would take the center, and the first division would attack them from either wing, surrounding the Vanguard and killing them. Retreat would be rugged; even if they received reinforcements, they would only throw themselves into the meat grinder. Formations were built to face forward and not from the sides, although they could fight from that direction depending on the formation. The formation of the tower's Empire was not one such formation. They were built solely for forward combat and were almost unbeatable. But if they were flanked from the sides or behind, they would quickly crumble, and any soldier with the tactical ability, even right now, would fight from that direction much less. “Well, I guess it was a long shot, to begin with; it would have been nice if they'd fallen for it.”
Shrugging his shoulders, he began thinking about more important matters, such as what wine would go best with the deer his men had caught in the woods for dinner. He was enjoying the hospitality of a local village, and the mayor had a pretty fine selection of wine. He no longer put the Golden Dtallion or his army in his eyes; it was only a matter of time before they were all dead. He would have plenty of more chances to destroy them.
In this battle, later known as the Battle of the Green Blood Valley, the valley's name was changed to follow the battle. Would result in the death of 1200 black soldiers. While the resulting in the death of 2,200 Antlatur soldiers and the imprisonment of another 1000.