The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth-Chapter 358: The Great War (2)

With the arrival of the second contingent, the reinforced imperial army proceeded to clear the dense forest along the upper Fonein River, gradually establishing a base and expanding their territory.

“Move quickly, now! Let’s go!”

“Bind the felled trees together to dam the river! Also, make sure to sharpen some and send them downstream before blocking the water!”

“Yes, sir!”

Though initially shaken by Karyl’s ambush, the imperial army resumed its advance, cutting down the forest and setting up a base. Tiren’s plan to conquer Tatur was both bold and unprecedented. Starting at the upper Fonein, they cut down every tree in the forest, damming the river while sending sharpened logs downstream toward Tatur.

Tatur’s strength was its proximity to the swift-flowing Fonein, but by blocking the river and directing sharp logs at Tatur’s walls, the imperial army sought to weaken the city’s defenses. The accumulating logs would block access, creating obstacles for those trying to escape while forming a platform for assaulting the walls from outside.

It was a simple plan, though no one else had dared to attempt it. Such an operation was impossible with just ten thousand or twenty thousand troops. Only with hundreds of thousands could they properly clear the forest and dam the river, creating a pathway through the riverbed.

Despite the impressive sight of the massive army at work, Tiren was still visibly uneasy.

“Is something on your mind?” Kuwell asked, noticing his expression.

“Well, the terrain is more challenging than we expected, which is delaying us significantly. Now I understand why Tatur has managed to remain a free city.”

Kuwell nodded, while Elliot and Martte, standing behind, looked puzzled as they surveyed the clearing forest.

“This forest along the Fonein has been neglected for so long that clearing it takes time, but isn’t this also eliminating the disadvantage of difficult terrain?” Elliot asked.

“Sure. Once we dam the upper Fonein, its swift current will no longer be an issue. In my opinion, your plan is sound,” Martte added.

“The issue isn’t just the trees. If you look closely, you’ll see quite a few hills hidden by the forest along the path to Tatur. These hills connect, forming entrances.”

“Hmm...?”

Both Elliot and Martte looked ahead.

“But it’s still much lower than the empire’s gorge, isn’t it?” Martte argued. “Even if they deploy long-range units, we should be able to strike back from this distance. Plus, the entrance is wide enough. We can leave a defensive unit behind while the main force quickly pushes through to hit their rear.”

At that, Tiren gave a faint, bitter smile.

Sensing what he meant from his expression, Kuwell asked, “Are you saying the path narrows at the back?”

Tiren nodded. “Yes, exactly. The real problem here is the scarce information. The entrance looks wide and simple, but we have no way of knowing how many hills are hidden by the trees. If the terrain behind us splits into narrow paths that make it difficult for a large force to advance... The original plan to level the ground and widen the area would become utterly unfeasible.”

Tiren drew a wide circle at the entrance to the hill on the map, then marked several narrow bottlenecks branching out behind it.

“If the entrance funnels into narrow, divided paths like this, we could easily be ambushed from multiple sides.”

“Hmm...”

“If blocking the waters of the Fonein creates a plain that turns into a bottleneck, providing the enemy with an advance route, then all our efforts so far would end up benefiting them just as much as us.”

“A narrow path means our troops wouldn’t be able to advance all at once. It would negate our numerical advantage...” Kuwell studied the map with a serious expression.

“What if we rush through before the enemy arrives? In the end, the key is to break through the entrance before getting bottlenecked, right? If we avoid getting ambushed, it could turn into one-on-one fights at each path.”

“Exactly.”

“The maze-like hills may create multiple chokepoints, but if we want to make the most of our numbers, we have to secure at least one of those paths and break through quickly to hit their rear,” Martte proposed.

Tiren nodded in agreement, though he retorted, “But the enemy probably expects that too. If they can’t hold a chokepoint with troops, it’s very likely they’ve set up magical traps.”

“Then what should we do?”

“We take the hills.”

He pointed to the base of the hill where the entrance resembled the neck of a bottle.

“This is an unfamiliar battlefield, and the first thing we need is to get a grasp of the terrain. To do that, we need a vantage point where we can see the entire area at a glance. The same goes for the Free Army.”

“A hill takeover battle, huh?”

“Exactly. And the first place I’ve got in mind is right here.”

Tiren then pointed to a specific location on the map.

***

“The troops are on the move.”

“Are we ready?”

“Yes, we’re all set,” Kayla Spear confirmed.

At that, the warriors of her tribe gripped their swords, their expressions laden with apprehension.

“Just as we expected, they’re gathering a cavalry unit to breach the choke point, leaving behind foot soldiers and sorcerers. It appears they’re willing to risk casualties to push through at all costs.”

“Of course. It’s the only option Tiren could’ve come up with.”

Tiren... you haven’t changed. Karyl knew he was out there, somewhere in the distance. In our previous lives, you stood as chancellor on a mountain of corpses, mercilessly sacrificing soldiers for your victory. You were cold, ruthless—indifferent even to the deaths of your own men.

As memories of the past Tiren resurfaced, Karyl bit his lip.

It wasn’t just that you hated me as an immigrant. You just never valued soldiers’ lives. Only the nobles mattered to you.

But Tiren’s ability to devise and execute such brutal strategies went beyond his personal coldness.

It was because of Bran Gamunt.

While Tiren crafted strategies, Bran Gamunt commanded the soldiers on the battlefield to carry them out—that was how the empire had waged war in Karyl’s past life.

But now, with Bran Gamunt dead by Karyl’s hand, Tiren was forced to lead on the front lines himself.

“You dismiss human life as easily as you move your pieces on the map. You were never there to see and feel death for yourself... But now, I wonder if you can keep your composure as hundreds, thousands of men die next to you every day...”

Karyl’s gaze sharpened as he muttered under his breath.

“Kayla, position your troops as instructed and await further orders. The Spear family will be crucial in this battle.”

“Understood, but... how did you know about the hills and pillars hidden behind the trees around Tatur?”

“Eh, I just took a look from above.”

“Oh...” Kayla nodded, picturing a wyvern soaring above the battlefield.

[Heh... She doesn’t realize that the vantage point you’re referring to is time itself, not the skies. A wyvern might see the tops of the trees, but spotting concealed hills and plotting out paths takes far more than a single pass overhead. Can this young one really be trusted with tactics?]

Karyl smirked at Allen’s comment.

[Heh... How ironic. In your past life, you dealt with these same tactics, and now you’re about to counter Tiren’s own strategy. He’s fallen into his own trap.]

People don’t change. Their way of thinking stays the same, even down to treating soldiers as mere expendables. Karyl frowned. Back then, our enemy was the Tarak, not humans. But even then, you saw us only as tools to stop those monsters, nothing more.

He then looked up.

This time, it’s your turn to be outplayed.

“Charge!!”

At Kuwell’s command, the cavalry surged down the hill. Though they were still some distance from Tatur, the imperial army decided they could wait no longer. Blocking the upper Fonein, they sent the sharpened logs downstream toward Tatur.

Shhhhkkkk—!!

Hundreds of logs, each honed to a lethal point, hurtled down the raging currents toward Tatur.

Kuwell, matching pace with the charge, shouted to his cavalry, “Divisions One, Two, and Three, take the left! Divisions Four, Five, and Six, target the center! Seventh Division, follow me!”

“Haaaaahhh...!!”

“Reporting in! The imperials are advancing through the choke point! Their numbers are around seven thousand!”

A scout of the Free Army rushed to Karyl, confirming the movement of Kuwell’s cavalry. Of course, Karyl could already tell from the distant roars that the enemy had begun their assault.

“Proceed with the plan. Kayla, take five thousand Spear warriors and hold back up to the Sixth Division of their cavalry.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then, lead Kuwell’s Seventh Division toward the far-right path. Ganeth, bring the Wyvern Squadron. Once the cavalry passes through the choke point, drop rocks to block the entrance and trap them. Then join Kayla and attack their rear.”

“Roger.”

“Remember, the Wyvern Squadron’s purpose isn’t to annihilate the enemy. Your primary mission is to strike the moment they send in their magic troops to clear the blocked entrance.”

Ganeth nodded.

[Hehehe... This will be interesting. They’ll be fixated on breaking through that hill, not realizing you’re already several steps ahead.]

Karyl’s smirk widened.

“Only Kuwell’s elite corps matters. The rest are merely bait. Tiren sacrificed them to let Kuwell’s forces break through the hills—they’re the imperial army’s strongest unit.”

[So instead you’ll isolate Kuwell and destroy the remaining forces, even inflicting damage on him if possible...] Allen hummed with satisfaction, almost like a tune.

“I’m almost positive Kuwell will aim for the highest hill at the center, and to reach it, he has to take the lower-right path. We can give him the hill. In the meantime, we’ll gain a greater advantage elsewhere.”

[Hahaha... Leaving their main force unprotected. Simply brilliant!]

“Tiren, I hope the terror of battle doesn’t overwhelm you,” Karyl murmured to himself.

[Are you worried about him in this?]

“No,” he said resolutely, a corner of his mouth lifting. “He can’t afford to fail here.”

[Can’t afford to fail?]

“I’ll find the other two artifacts before the Oracle descends. Tiren will serve as the guide to those relics.”

[You’re already planning ahead... even with a war of millions looming before you.] Allen laughed in bewilderment.

“The great war hasn’t even begun. This is just the prelude.”

Shing!

As Karyl raised his sword, the Spear warriors surged forward.

“So let’s not waste time here. We’ll end this with a swift, decisive strike.”