Chapter 152
Both armies began to move.
Judging by the banners, Zackhart-sama was playing the commander of the Eastern Army. That seemed about right.
Of the other three knight orders, it was a little surprising to see the Sixth Knight Order in the center, with the Fifth and Seventh on either side.
Of the four knight orders, the Sixth was still in the midst of rebuilding and was somewhat weaker in terms of strength.
I tilted my head for a moment, but then it clicked. There were roughly 2,400 new recruits taking part this time. Most of them would be assigned to the Sixth or Fourth Knight Order, both of which had many vacancies. Some would join the Tenth Knight Order.
I don’t mean to disparage the other knight orders; this is simply a fact. Of the new recruits gathered here, only those with real ability would be assigned to the Tenth Knight Order, which served directly under the king.
To put it even more rudely, the soldiers assigned to the Tenth Knight Order during this exercise were ready to fight from the start. The rest would gain experience in their respective knight orders, and if they wished, the door to the Tenth Knight Order would eventually open to them.
That was the kind of organization the Tenth Knight Order was.
Perhaps one reason Raiz-sama wasn’t participating in this mock battle was that a comparatively large number of new recruits would be joining the Tenth Knight Order this time.
From the outside, it seemed they were picking out the recruits they wanted.
At any rate.
It seemed the Eastern Army was considering what would happen after the assignments and planned to put all its new recruits under the Sixth Knight Order.
There were two rules for this battle. The first was the number of Ten-Knight Bows lent to each knight order. That was a flat two hundred apiece. We had plenty of crossbows, so we lent each knight order as many as it requested.
The other rule was that all new recruits had to be deployed to the front line.
That was only natural, since this was also a trial for the new recruits. Leaving them all at headquarters wasn’t an option. As long as they went to the front, they could be assigned to any unit.
We on the Western Army’s side would also put all our new recruits under Grants-sama and send them straight to the front.
At the same time, Lapiria-sama’s unit, the twins, and the “Roa Unit” also set out.
Of course, we left the minimum number of soldiers behind to guard headquarters. Raiz-sama had once pointed that out to me.
Lapiria-sama’s unit advanced on the north side, heading to face the Fifth Knight Order.
The twins and the Roa Unit were on the south side, on a course to clash with the Seventh Knight Order.
The twins and the Roa Unit were entirely made up of cavalry, so their mobility made them well suited to operate together. The Moon-and-Swallow banner raced toward the Seventh Knight Order alongside the twins’ banner.
The first clash was between Grants-sama’s unit and the Sixth Knight Order. That was exactly as planned. The knight orders on either flank kept their speed down as they waited for the new recruits.
The new recruits on both sides carried long-handled spears. As soon as they came within range, they all began swinging their spears down. The crack of spear against spear rang out, mixed with screams. I saw men writhing after taking direct hits to the head. The spears had no points, and they were wearing helmets, but it still looked painful.
After several exchanges of blows, the number of long-handled spears being swung down gradually dwindled. The motion was simple, but it took stamina. Before long, Grants-sama’s new recruits began to be pushed back.
That was only to be expected. The number of new recruits was different: 1,600 in the Eastern Army, compared to our 800. A two-to-one difference was significant.
I’d expected the center to turn into a melee from here, but something rather interesting happened.
About twenty of the new recruits in Grants-sama’s unit began charging through gaps in the Sixth Knight Order recruits’ downward swings.
The Sixth Knight Order’s new recruits hurried to strike the soldiers who had charged ahead, but their attacks lacked force after they’d grown tired. Long-handled spears showed their true worth when swung down together in a coordinated attack.
A few of the charging recruits were repelled by the Sixth Knight Order’s resistance, but those who dodged the attacks reached the Sixth Knight Order.
The recruits who broke through didn’t raise their long-handled spears. They kept them level and thrust them straight into the Sixth Knight Order.
…I see. A charge that takes advantage of the long-handled spears’ reach. Their small numbers meant it hadn’t had much effect, but it might be interesting if they did it in greater force.
From headquarters, I watched the recruits who had charged and couldn’t help admiring them. Wickhart, who was watching the same scene beside me, said with interest, “That’s an interesting way to use them.”
Unfortunately, there were too few of them. Their initial charge went well, but they were soon swallowed up by the Sixth Knight Order’s ranks and disappeared from view.
Still, it was the sort of fighting that made me want to ask the soldiers’ names afterward.
The recruits’ clash reached a lull, and Grants-sama’s unit and the Sixth Knight Order began clashing in earnest. From here, the center should remain evenly matched for a while.
The battle moved to its next stage.
The outcome would depend on the units deployed to the north and south.
For us, the key to this battle was the combined force of the twins and the Roa Unit, advancing to the south. Lapiria-sama’s unit only needed to keep the Fifth Knight Order occupied.
And so the exercises entered their climax.