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🕑 Added 2025-08-10 00:04:40 +0000 UTCEP.27 The Blood-Soaked Battle of Streve Fortress (1)
As soon as the Balkan Empire’s Teseito Expeditionary Army crossed the border, they were immediately spotted by Teseito scouts. The news was relayed by magical communication to the Teseito capital, Kamadan, and to key defensive strongholds including Streve.
“Sir! The 1st, 4th, and 5th Corps led by the Balkan Crown Prince are heading for Streve. Also, two corps led by the Third Prince are moving to encircle this place.”
“Heh, heh, heh. Even after the declaration of war and all that time for their corps to gather, they didn’t budge. I was wondering when they’d finally come so now they’re here.”
“We’re fully prepared. Just give the order, and we’ll show those Balkan dogs what Streve is all about.”
“Good… Let them come. I, Count Redelmo, will prove to them that I’m not dead yet!”
Count Redelmo and his aide Cordelia smiled as they awaited the approaching Balkan imperial army at Streve.
Meanwhile, in the Teseito capital Kamadan, Duke Tiruen and King Anton II were discussing the imperial offensive.
“Hm~ I was wondering when they’d move… They’re finally advancing.”
“That crazy emperor… does he want war so badly he’d stage a false flag with his own third son?”
“Well… it might not be a false flag.”
“Hm? What do you mean, not a false flag? Don’t tell me, Tiruen, you actually did something?”
“Haha, do I look like I’m that war-crazed?”
“…Tiruen, you’re my closest friend and most trusted vassal, but sometimes you really don’t seem normal… Not that you’re a war maniac, but… heh heh.”
King Anton III of Teseito put down his wine and asked seriously.
“So, Duke Tiruen. Do you think the Empire can take Streve?”
“No, Your Majesty. The enemy will never cross Streve. I will never allow it. Even if they do, they won’t take a single piece of Teseito territory. Please rest assured.”
Satisfied with Tiruen’s answer, Anton II raised his glass again, and Tiruen clinked glasses and drained his own.
“Then I’ll trust you… End this war well. I don’t know a thing about military matters, so you have to handle it. And after the war, I expect good news from my little sister, too. I want to be called uncle soon.”
Tiruen gave a wry smile, packed up his maps, and headed to his residence.
“I’ve been so busy… It’s already been over a year since I slept with our princess… If you want to be called uncle, stop working me so hard, you rotten king!”
With Tiruen’s grumbling, dawn broke.
After a forced march, the imperial 1st Army reached Streve in a single day and set up camp to recover from the march.
The next morning, as the sun rose, Prinz gazed up at the towering walls of Streve Fortress in awe.
“Wow~ I’d heard it was tall, but seeing it for myself is amazing. All the stories and descriptions don’t do it justice. Streve’s reputation is actually understated.”
“That’s right, Your Highness. I was scared the first time I saw it, too. But… Streve will fall to our legionaries.”
At Baron Hasau’s words, Crown Prince Prinz nodded.
“What happened with the ultimatum?”
“They cut off the messenger’s head and threw it back. Cowardly barbarians…”
At Baron Siegvalt’s report, Prinz frowned. He’d made a last-ditch offer for surrender, but only lost a valuable messenger.
“5th Corps commander? Are the siege engines ready?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Everything is prepared. If Your Highness would personally boost the soldiers’ morale, it would help greatly.”
Thinking this was a good idea, Prinz went to the front lines and activated a magical loudspeaker.
“Legionaries of the Balkan Empire, listen! Sixty years ago, our ancestors shed their blood on these Zenon Plains to found the Empire. Now our Empire is in grave danger because of a nation that threatens the continent’s peace. You all know which nation that is. Who is it?”
“Teseito!!”
“That’s right! Teseito habitually invades our rightful Zenon Plains, threatening our safety, stealing our food, and endangering our families! We must defeat these wicked enemies! For this, I, Prinz, as supreme commander of the Teseito Expedition and Crown Prince of the Empire, will spare no support!”
“Waaaaaah!!”
As the soldiers cheered, Prinz waved to them and continued once the noise died down.
“Today!! The enemy will kneel before us!! Today!! We will capture Streve!! Today!! We will finally end the Zenon Plains War of sixty years ago!! Today!! Who will lead us to victory in this battle?!”
“It’s the Crown Prince!!”
“It’s the Supreme Commander!!”
The soldiers shouted and cheered for the Crown Prince, but Prinz shook his head.
“No!! The ones who will capture Streve and lead us to victory are you! You, the elite legionaries of Balkan, are the true heroes of today’s battle!!”
“Waaaaaah!!!”
“Long live the Empire!! Long live Balkan!!”
“Glory to the Legion!!”
“Legionaries, advance!! Bring down Streve! Show them that there is no fortress the imperial legion cannot take! Today, the legend of Streve’s iron walls ends with us!”
Bwooooooo
As Prinz’s speech ended, the horns signaled the advance.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
The legionaries formed up and advanced, siege towers and battering rams appearing between the formations.
“11th and 12th heavy infantry, raise shields!! Escort the siege engines to the walls!!”
“Archers, nock arrows!! Get under the shield wall!!”
“13th, 14th, 15th, 16th light infantry, grab sandbags!! We have to fill the moat so the siege engines can reach the walls!!”
“51st engineers!! Douse the siege towers with water!! Cover the rams with leather and soak them to absorb more water!”
The 1st Corps advanced first for the siege. As they drew closer, a black rain of arrows poured down from the sky, striking the legionaries.
But the imperial heavy infantry were solid. Pressing their rectangular shields tightly together, they advanced with the siege engines, while four light infantry units ran in to throw sandbags into the moat.
With 4,000 sandbags thrown at once, the moat was visibly filling, so Baron Hasau ordered the light infantry, who had withdrawn with minimal losses, to go again with more sandbags.
“Do this about three times, and we’ll have enough space for two siege towers.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to fill the moat completely before advancing the siege engines? Isn’t the advance of the 11th, 12th infantry, and 51st engineers pointless?”
Even the imperial army couldn’t avoid some casualties approaching the walls, so Prinz questioned the plan.
“Not at all, Your Highness. The advancing siege towers are a decoy. With such a dangerous target, most enemy arrows and rocks will focus there, reducing losses among the sandbag carriers.”
“Hm… Understood. I’ll leave the details to the corps commanders just bring me victory.”
“At your command, Your Highness.”
Barons Hasau and Siegvalt, as low and newly made nobles, hoped that earning merit in this battle would win them the Crown Prince’s favor and promotion to higher nobility.
Thus, they threw themselves into the siege with more passion than anyone.
But they weren’t incompetent officers who would waste their men for glory. When the 13th–16th light infantry showed signs of fatigue, they rotated with the 43rd–46th light infantry from the 4th Corps, who rushed out with sandbags.
“Run!! Run as fast as you can to dodge the arrows!!”
“Cover your heads with your shields!! Wrap your shoulders in sandbags to block as many arrows as possible as you run!!!”
As the four light infantry units closed to within 100 meters of the moat, the ground suddenly collapsed.
“Aaah!! What is this?!”
“W-wait, the ground aaagh!!”
It wasn’t so deep that they couldn’t climb out, but they were in the middle of the battlefield, and a fresh rain of arrows fell on them.
“Aaagh!! Arrows!!”
“Raise shields!! Idiots!! Climb out later block first!!”
The commanders shouted to get the soldiers under control, but by then nearly 500 light infantry were dead or badly wounded, and as they tried to climb out, another volley of arrows rained down.
“Volley fire!! Get down and block!! At least in the pit, the angle is bad, so just cover your heads!!”
“C-commander!! Over there!!!”
“What is it?”
As they tried to regroup and retreat, the commanders saw water pouring in along the collapsed ground.
“It’s a flood attack!!”
“Stay calm!! At this depth, no one will drown!! Just get out calmly and there’s no problem urk!!”
But arrows kept raining down with the water, and the 4,000 light infantry had to retreat to the main camp after suffering 1,500 casualties.
With the light infantry gone, the moat couldn’t be filled, and the siege engines stopped.
Once the siege engines stopped, they became perfect targets, and as fire arrows rained down, the siege towers and battering rams began to burn, forcing the heavy infantry to abandon them and retreat.
Thus, the imperial army fought all morning but didn’t even touch Streve, and with the 1st and 4th Corps exhausted, the commanders decided to call off the attack and rest until the next day.
Even as they received special rations and rested, the legionaries looked grim, realizing from experience just how formidable Streve’s defenses were.
On the other hand, Streve Fortress was in a festive mood.
“Hahahaha!! Did they really think we’d let them fill the moat?”
“It was like they were begging us to kill them, charging in so blindly. Hohoho.”
“Now that they’ve tasted Balkan’s hot blood, they’ll be more cautious tomorrow.”
“Even so, they’re just inexperienced kids. If they try a siege against Count Redelmo, they’ll learn the hard way.”
“Cordelia, prepare the next move. They won’t be so reckless tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir. We have a few surprises ready for them. Let’s show these invaders a truly bitter taste. Hohoho.”
Thus, the first day of the Battle of Streve Fortress ended in a crushing defeat for the imperial army.
