Chapter 278: The First Battle Between the Empire and Commonwealth

Marcus moved with his five hundred men. Whilst it wasn’t ideal and would mean he would be outnumbered, he didn’t trust the Commonwealth soldiers, and they didn’t trust him. He knew that as the new commander, he could whip them into submission. He had thought about it many times, but there were better ways. If he was going to hold the South, he needed the complete trust of the Commonwealth troops. He didn’t care about the nobility. They weren’t commanders, and he had no obligation to them. Only those who had been fighting with him deserved respect.

"Commander." A scout came from ahead and saluted towards Marcus. "Up ahead, I can’t a large camp. 500 plus." Marcus frowned and looked behind him. Many of the men that had come weren’t calverly. They didn’t have the resources to send over horses alongside the men and could only rely on infantry.

Looking around, he saw the distant sea. He had to avoid being encircled by it. "Anything. Hills, rivers. Is there anything nearby?"

"It’s flat, Commander. If we engage, it will be a pitch battle." Marcus huffed deeply and stroked his hilt. He needed more men but couldn’t risk it yet. He had to prove his worth before the common levy followed him. He was an outsider. To many, he was still a commander of the enemy.

"Okay. We have the strength of at least two soldiers individually." Marcus looked into the distance and smiled as he returned to his main advisors. All of them saluted seeing Marcus and he smiled. "I have a plan. If they don’t react how we want abort." Marcus started to rattle on as his advisors nodded in unison before running off to relay the plan to the rest of the 500.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Your Grace." A scout walked into a lavish tent. In deep thought, Earl Kacper Tarlo sat hunched over a map of the southern island. Raising his finger, he stopped the scout from talking and made a quick assumption of the supply line he had.

"What is it?" The Earl was a young man, but his eyes were hardened, not like someone his age. He had been one of the few in the south to remain loyal and, due to that, had been given command to lead the attack on the coastal front.

"We have spotted a force, roughly 200 strong," Kacper called over the scout and handed him two pieces to place on the map. The scout moved quickly and roughly showed how close they were. "There is a problem, however?"

Kacper frowned and looked at him. "Spit it out, we have no time."

"Their colour match none of the houses of the Commonwealth. I had believed it to be mecanaeries, but their equipment is more that of the Imperial Army. Same with the armour colour."

"The Empire has already invaded. Why am I only hearing this now?" Kacper stood up in a panic and nearly knocked over the table, forcing the court back.

"We have seen no large movements. The spies in the enemy camp have yet to send word either." Kacper took a deep breath. What he felt would have been easy now became a headache, and he tried to think. His men were good but nothing comparable to the Empire.

"If it’s only 200, it must just be a reinforcing force for the South. We would have noticed a full invasion by now." Kacper fell into thought again. "Have any big names of the Empire come?"

"Not that we know of yet." Kacper nodded and walked out of the tent.

"Mobilise the troops. We need to get an early victory against the Empire. It will boost morale." The scout nodded and ran off to carry out the order as Kacper ran off to get his armour. ’It’s too early.’ Kacper groaned internally as he thought about it. The Empire was always going to invade. It was obvious to anyone fighting the war. The support the Empire was providing was too much to be anything else.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Empire forces looked out and saw the approaching Commonwealth force. The number was overwhelming, but the Ammary soldiers didn’t falter and looked on with grim conviction. It was an open plain, and they knew they could easily be surrounded. Adam, Marcus’s second-in-command, blew his horn, and the Ammary troop moved quickly.

As the archers took to the back, Spearmen covered the flanks to deal with any cavalry. A shield wall formed, curving around. It was a tight wall but noticeably thin compared to what they had trained for. Yet Adam didn’t hesitate and threw the horn to the floor. Putting his whistle in his mouth, he readied himself.

Looking back in the distance, he hoped Marcus knew what he was doing. He trusted him with his life, but it was a risky plan. The Commonwealth soldiers charged forward, seeing the Ammary soldiers, and Adam blew hard, the whistle echoing across the plain. The soldier moved back. It looked like a retreat, but no one split off running. They had years of training under their belts. Each man was in perfect synergy with the others.

Kacper saw everything and smirked as he forced the charge to be quicker. ’They got their intel wrong?’ He questioned everything he was seeing. It wasn’t like the Empire he had heard tales of. But stories always differed from the real thing.

The rain of arrows blocked out the moonlight, and tens of Commonwealth soldiers fell instantly at its on slaught. Kacper didn’t stop and charged with his men on horseback. Flanking around the side, he quickly pulled the reins back, seeing the spear stab out, stopping just in time.

Those who survived quickly broke into a melee as the dying cries of horses started the battle. "Stand firm." The cold command of the Ammary commander in charge of the flank cried out as they continued to back up. Kacper couldn’t help but be impressed as he swung his sword down, it being deflected by a shield. He had thought the retreat was odd at first, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

They were vastly outnumbered and had the skill to make it work. The defence was tight, and it moved as a single organism. He could only laugh at Snowid’s pathetic attempt to recreate what the Empire made. This was a real army. But Kacper didn’t let up.

"Create a gap. Get inside." Kacper cried out the order but quickly had to react as a spear shot up, cutting along the armour on his horse. The spear grazed his shoulder plate. He couldn’t bark orders. His focus intensified. To back of now would plumit the morale of his troops, but he needed to give orders.

Making a split decision, he pulled back slightly and jumped off his horse. Slapping it back, he made it run off and joined on foot. He was an open target on it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adam stood in the center of the shield wall. A second wave slammed into it, threatening to topple them, but each man held strong. With steady feet, he slowly moved back. His eyes darted back, causing him to smile. They hadn’t been encirled yet. Pushing hard against one of the attacker, he forced them to fall, and another quickly plunged a blade through their heart.

Deflecting another blow, one of his men attacked for him. He wasn’t good with a sword, but Adam knew his strength lay in defence. It was why Marcus chose him as his second. If Marcus was the sword, he was the shield. He could lead the defence. He would be the impenetrable wall. Stabbing at a man charging at him, a counter flew his way and cut across his cheek, knocking his helmet off.

As a soldier quickly covered for him, Adam didn’t let it bother him. He couldn’t risk picking it up and groaned. Slowly, they fell back and looking around, he could see his men struggle with each attack. They had the skill, but the number being thrown at them was awful.

Blowing hard into the whistle, every man understood what it meant. On the right, a small gap was made to look natural, and soon, Commonwealth soldiers flooded in. It was a calculated risk, and Adam gave it two minutes. Counting in his mind, he heard the cries of his men and gritted his teeth.

Marcus’s plan made him realise why he could never be in charge. To use the lives of a few men like this to win was awful, but Adam couldn’t dwell on it. He followed orders like a good soldier. He could only tell himself that the men’s families would be treated well after everything. The cries grew louder, and Adam blew the whistle again with all his might.

The archer ran back first, followed by every line of the shield wall. A full retreat occurred, and Adam remained among the last to fall back. He had to. His job was to see his men get away if he had already sacrificed a few.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kacepr watched the full retreat. He had heard the cheers on the other end and knew a breakthrough had happened. The spear wall slowly collapsed as the Ammary soldiers, still organised, retreated at full speed. The alvery tried to chase, but the few Imperial cavalry available finally moved, cutting down anyone who did.

"GIVE CHASE!" Kacper gave the order, and the Commonwelath soldiers charged at full speed. Their morale skyrocketed, and with a new found energy, they butchered any stragglers who couldn’t get away in time. Kacper saw everything, and with a proud smile, he finally joined the chase. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marcus watched in the distance with a telescope and took a deep breath. He saw his men running and knew it was time. Counting down the second, he watched the rear kilometer retreat they made. Many died in the process, and Marcus watched everything with a cold expression. He thought of it. He couldn’t afford to get emotional about it.

He watched as the Commonwealth became disorganised. Even if the force commander thought differently, the soldiers already thought they had won. The timing had to be perfect, and even if it meant one extra man had to die, he let it happen.

’200. 100. 50.’ He calculated the distance they had run, and finally, when it looked perfect, he blew his horn as hard as he could. The archers who had retreated first had a head start and, in half a minute, turned and readied their bows. Firing a volley of arrows, the moonlight was blocked once again, and the Commonwealth soldiers were slowed down. It gave time for the retreating force to prepare a defence, even if it was weak.

Leading the charge, he needed to do something. As he ran, he slammed his sword on his shield. The other knew what it meant and joined him. The drumming of war echoed, and as the Commonwealth charge slammed into the defending shield war, they heard it too.

"AVENGE YOUR BROTHERS! SPARE NO ONE!" Marcus cried out and jumped forward into the side of the Commonwealth troops. The 300 men who had hidden in the darkness finally appeared like shadows, and Marcus noticed the confusion in the attacking force.

With hard eyes, he swung his shield, knocking a man over. His blade stabbed down, piercing through the man’s chest. Raising his shield, he blocked another attack coming for his head whilst one of his men delivered the killing blow.

Like a spear, they pierced through the attackers’ sides, splitting them in two. Although outnumbered, each man moved in perfect unison. With each step they took forward, someone filled the gap, creating a wall in the middle. They focused on nothing but holding the line as Marcus carved his way through like a butcher. The best of his men followed beside him, acting like emissaries of death. Each inch of their bodies was soaked in blood, but none cared, only having one thought on their minds.

’Avenge their fallen.’ They knew what Marcus had ordered of them, but they didn’t care. They knew he used lives to achieve victory, but they didn’t care. He had thrown himself in first to make up for it. He put his life on the line first for them all.

Kacper watched as the flank slowly was carved. His men were split, and gritting his teeth, he knew he had fallen into a trap. Looking around, he saw his men’s loss of morale. What was an easy win had become a trap. He needed to call the retreat but couldn’t. If they left now, he would be sacrificing the lives of hundreds of men.

"fuck it." Kacper didn’t care. At the end of it, he would die aswell if he stayed. He could still save most of his men. "RETREAT! SEND THE WORD! RETREAT!" Kacper cried the words out. He saw the panic on his men’s faces as they turned and ran. He saw the Ammary men look at them arrogantly and felt hatred. He has been stupid. He played into their hands. He hated himself. It was too easy. Why couldn’t he see it?

Following them, he turned and ran as arrow fire came from above. He had to pray that none hit him. Marcus watched at the retreat and smiled, focusing on those caught in his trap. They paniced and madly swung, trying to break free. Not giving them the chance, he turned his focus. Each time he swung, it drew blood as the numbers dwindled.

The scent of blood grew, but so did silence. The moonlight shone down on them, and Marcus eventually stopped. Looking at the field of bodies around him, he threw his helmet off and sighed, finally able to take a break. He had won but couldn’t help but wonder how many he had sacrificed. His men looked to him, and lifting his sword in the air, he let out a cry with everyone responding.