The War God’s First Battle

View of Harukurea-El-Moris-Lumoria, 17th King of the Lumoria Kingdom, self-proclaimed War God

As I watched the soldiers busily moving about, a sudden swell of emotion passed through my chest.

So this had been my first battle… The fact that the enemy had been mere bandits felt somewhat lacking… beneath my strength… beneath my station? In other words—unsatisfying.

Still, I had been told the enemy numbered around three thousand… but they looked a bit more numerous than that. It seemed the enemy had enough cunning to falsify their numbers.

Well, they would have to show at least a little cleverness. Merely hunting beasts would not demonstrate the king’s majesty.

That aside… armor had been this heavy. There were things one would not understand without experiencing them firsthand. I reflected on myself—how my knowledge ran ahead of my body—and resolved to keep polishing myself from here on as well.

Even so, the soldiers who trained while wearing this every day might have been working harder than I had thought. Hmm… when this battle ended, it might be good to grant them special rewards.

Now then, it was about time to begin the war council. This had been my first battle, and the start of my glorious record.

Turning my eyes away from the soldiers diligently at work, I returned inside the command tent. The key figures who would perform the main roles in this battle had already gathered within.

“Everyone, it seems you’re all here already.”

“Your Majesty, we have been awaiting you.”

At the center of the tent stood a table, and on it nearby maps and various documents had been spread out, making it clear they had been organizing information.

I stood and, with a hand, stopped Count Harekukku—who rose and bowed—from overdoing it, told the others to continue their work, and then sat in the chair prepared for me at the back of the tent.

“I confirmed it earlier, but the enemy’s numbers seemed greater than I had been told, yes?”

“As you say. It seems they forcibly conscripted people from various parts of Yōntsu Territory. The number is roughly fifteen thousand.”

“The same as ours. No—did you say conscription?”

“Yes. They likely threatened the populace into joining. They may even be using vile methods such as taking families hostage.”

“They would do such despicable things to my people!? Unforgivable!”

They had forced them into obedience by threats!?

I slammed my fist onto the table.

“The troops that advanced into Yōntsu Territory were about three thousand. This information was sent by my son at the cost of his life. I am convinced it is correct.”

As he said that, Count Harekukku’s expression darkened.

“That was right… the count’s son was killed by them…”

I did not know much about the count’s son… but his family had been taken from him. How deep that grief must have been…

Thinking of the count’s heart, I contorted my expression.

“Your Majesty’s gentle heart is the people’s hope. But for now… for just this moment, could you place a lid over those feelings? Your Majesty’s agitation will surely spread to the soldiers. With battle looming, Your Majesty’s kindness could become poison.”

At Count Harekukku’s words—spoken as though he wore a mask of calm—I corrected my thinking.

…I see. Indeed, as king I had to face battle with a resolute attitude. Otherwise, even more of my people would suffer. As king, I had to cast aside personal feelings.

“I’m sorry, Count Harekukku. I’m all right now. Still, if most of the enemy are our own people, would it not be best to make them defect?”

“As I said earlier, if the enemy is forcing the soldiers to obey by taking hostages, then unless the hostages are freed, they will not be able to defect.”

So it meant we would have to cut down our people with our own swords… No matter how much I thought of the nation as a wise king, I could not prevent those who slipped through my hands from being lost… No—this was not the time to be crushed by helplessness.

If we showed mercy, it would not end with only us being harmed.

“That’s true… Still, the enemy seemed quite vile.”

I had wanted at least some measure of cleverness from the enemy, but to think they were the sort to use such despicable methods… No—rather, the baser the enemy’s conduct, the more my fame would rise as the one who subdued them.

Seen that way, being able to fight that army in my first battle was not bad. If I devised the right plan, I should be able to draw even the people who had been coerced into the enemy’s side over to ours.

“Your Majesty, I hesitate to say this, but the enemy and we… in numbers alone, it could be called even. Could you leave the battle here to us and withdraw once?”

For a moment I could not grasp the meaning of Count Harekukku’s sudden request, but I quickly understood his intent and asked, letting anger seep into my voice.

“Are you telling me to flee, Count Harekukku?”

“Not at all. Your Majesty has already set foot on the battlefield, and down to the lowliest soldier, they have received the honor of feeling your majesty. Therefore, is there any need for Your Majesty to be further stained by the filth of the battlefield?”

“…”

Count Harekukku’s point might have had merit. Yet as king… I had no intention of committing the folly of swinging a sword myself… but the achievement of having run across the battlefield would be a kind of prestige I would need, considering what lay ahead.

And besides, at this moment with battle imminent, if I withdrew to the rear… the soldiers’ hard-won morale might drop.

When forces were balanced, what decided a battle was strategy and training—and even more than that, the height of morale.

With low morale, even a carefully crafted plan would not take effect, and even well-trained soldiers would become weak troops.

“Count Harekukku, I have no intention of withdrawing. If the enemy forcibly conscripted the people, then their morale and training will be dreadful. Even if the numbers are equal, they will be far inferior to our army’s strength. In that case, it is better that I command personally, to make the most of our advantage. Am I wrong, Count?”

“Yes. Certainly, whether Your Majesty is here or not will make a difference in our allies’ morale.”

“Then I cannot withdraw. Count Harekukku… no, Sarnare. I’m sorry to burden you.”

“I have engraved Your Majesty’s will upon my heart. Not only the officers here, but down to the lowliest soldier, we swear to keep fighting for your sake.”

Not only Count Harekukku, but everyone in this tent paid their respects to me.

Hmph… hopeless fellows, even on a battlefield.

“Good. Now then… what do you intend to do in this battle?”

Including the intent to change the air, I urged the war council forward.

“…My apologies, Your Majesty. By ‘what,’ you mean…?”

“Hm? You don’t intend to charge in without a plan, do you? What strategy have you prepared?”

At my words, Count Harekukku seemed to understand and stood, pointing to the pieces placed atop the map.

“Forgive me. Allow me to explain. This battlefield’s terrain is somewhat complex. The enemy is arrayed to our south, but first there is a river flowing so as to divide north and south. The current is gentle, and the depth and width are nothing special, but near the middle it still reaches about waist-deep.”

“Hm.”

At waist depth, it should pose no special problem. The river was narrow enough that after about twenty steps one would reach the far bank.

“Further, upstream to the east is a deep forest, and that forest spreads from our flank to the enemy’s flank. We are still investigating, but we believe the enemy has likely concealed some troops within that forest.”

Hiding troops in a forest… I see. By deliberately deploying the same visible number of troops as us, they had tried to divert our attention from the existence of an ambush.

They used a rather petty trick… but against us, such small scheming was little more than child’s play.

“And downstream there are several bridges, but those are somewhat distant from the battlefield.”

As he said that, Count Harekukku indicated a point on the map.

There was likely a bridge there, and indeed it looked a bit far from here. But precisely because of that, if we used that bridge well, would it not be possible to strike the enemy’s rear?

“Is it possible to cross upstream, within the forest?”

“There are no bridges set within the forest, but the enemy arrived and took position here before we did. They likely built a bridge somewhere in the forest, or prepared boats… either way, some trace should remain.”

“Indeed. Even if they conceal troops, they cannot erase every trace. Hmph, shallow cunning. Keeping troops in ambush is an effective method, and if they could conceal them close to our main camp, the effect would be tremendous. But that also makes them easy to discover… I will have to teach them that half-baked techniques lead to injury.”

“Just as you say.”

As I spoke while looking at the map, Count Harekukku followed along with a small smile.

In the count’s mind, he likely already saw the foolish enemy having their ambush exposed and panicking.

“In this battle, the river dividing north and south is important, but the greatest key point is this hilly region.”

Noticing the gentle hills spreading beyond where the forest beside the enemy ended, I indicated it with my gaze and told the generals in the tent.

“Indeed, that hilly region is troublesome. As expected of Your Majesty—despite it being your first battle, you observed the battlefield with calm.”

“With a single decision of mine, many soldiers’ lives will be scattered. Excessive tension blinds the eyes, and arrogance makes the enemy seem small. I must calmly, with an even mind, survey the battlefield.”

With my arms crossed, I looked down at the map.

That mere flat map was replaced in my mind by a scene as though a bird flew through the sky and looked down.

“It is strange that the enemy has not deployed troops on the hills at this stage. If they take the high ground, they gain an advantage by that alone… Are they fools who do not even know that?”

“Military arts are the product of long history and refinement—one might say they are the history of a nation itself. Unlike us, who learned many things from childhood, not limited to war, they likely had no opportunity to learn even the basics of warfare. There is nothing more pitiable than an army led by fools.”

“If this army were composed only of enemy soldiers, I could have left it at pity… but the enemy has forced my people to obey. At this moment, I felt only anger at the enemy’s stupidity.”

What did they think my people’s lives were… Those lives were not to be used for the sake of the likes of you.

…No. I had to calm myself… Losing myself to anger out of concern for the people would be putting the cart before the horse on a battlefield.

“However… thanks to that, I have thought of one good plan.”

At my words, a small stir rose within the tent.

Now then, as the War God, I would reveal my first tactic.