Chapter 401 — Pursuit and Flight
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 4
To the young knight's eyes, these advanced and formidable weapons were already inconceivably powerful equipment—but Philip knew that in the lord's own words, these things were merely "transitional." That legendary hero seemed to harbor designs even more powerful and more fantastical than the mobile bombardment units; yet for the task at hand, those things that existed only in conception did not matter—what lay before him, these mana-crystal rail cannons, were the solid, tangible strength of the Cecil battle corps.
The well-trained soldiers completed the construction of the artillery position with the greatest speed, then began awaiting the commander's order. Philip raised his head and saw the old knight Wald Perrich walking toward him.
"The sentries have spotted dust. The enemy is at the designated position."
The old knight from the Kant domain reported meticulously, then cast a look of considerable awe at the bombardment units standing ready. Philip, for his part, lifted his eyes to the sun and silently reckoned the time.
Several minutes later, the young knight said softly, "They should be starting to eat."
Then he turned his head and barked the order to the signal runners nearby: "Begin bombardment—three volleys!"
Receiving the order, the gunners threw the firing levers one after another. Amid a cascade of overlapping air bursts and shrill whistles, twenty mana-crystal rail shells wreathed in pale cyan magical radiance burst from the muzzles with devastating momentum, tracing faint arcs across the clear sky.
From the distance came a continuous series of tremendous explosions. The blasts all occurred quite far from that dust cloud, but everyone knew the noble fugitives had already been frightened out of their wits by the shells; even if a shell landed a kilometer away, the moment they heard the sound they would flee at once.
After three volleys, the artillery position ceased fire, and the runners sprinted through the position relaying new orders: "Chariots, prepare to move out!" "Light infantry, first and second battalions, advance!" "Grenadiers, move out with the chariots!"
The well-trained Cecil First Corps immediately began executing the orders; the Second Corps from the Kant region, infected by the atmosphere, sprang into action as well. Wald Perrich watched Philip with a look of admiration: "I never imagined someone so young could conduct battle so seasoned—are all you Cecils this skilled at war?"
A trace of unease flickered in Philip's smile; the old knight's praise sounded somewhat awkward to his ears: "This... actually, I'm only following the lord's orders and guidance. I never expected these methods to prove so effective myself."
Even as he spoke, Philip could not help but recall the instructions Gao Yang had given him.
After the battle ends, pursue the fleeing noble coalition—relentless, unbroken pursuit—using long-range light artillery and continuous harassment to wear the enemy down to the limit; trail the noble coalition along the way, attacking every encampment where they stop, driving them out of each before they can obtain supplies, and taking the enemy's food supplies as our own source of provisions; where possible, open every noble's granary along the route, and apart from provisioning the troops, distribute all the grain in the name of Cecil to the nearby residents; let the well-trained, well-equipped Cecil First Corps serve as the main assault force, with the Second Corps of the Kant region accompanying it, capturing the enemy stragglers who constantly fall behind and sending them to the rear—imposing the strictest military control throughout the process...
This would be a contest of endurance and of the limits of psychological fortitude, and the first to crack would inevitably be that noble coalition living in terror day and night amid the sound of cannon fire.