Chapter 3 – Story 72: The Humiliation of Sunomuta 12 – Jaw (End)
<– Previous Chapter | ToC | Glossary | Next Chapter –>
The general leading the 3rd Division also noticed the group that was closing in quickly while raising a cloud of dust in its wake.
“…! Those are…zoan!?”
Just as he shouted, it was a big army of zoan. They numbered more than 2,000, but all of them were sprinting this way while on all fours.
The one running at the very front was, naturally, the strongest warrior of the plains, Fagul Garguss Garam.
“Guys, don’t fall behind!” Garam barked loudly while dashing across the plain. “Think of those as cows! Horned cows that are slightly dangerous! We zoan excel at hunting cows, right!?”
The zoan had been surprised by the cavalry and chariots that used horses which didn’t exist on the plains, but zoan would challenge wild cows with a single machete and hunt them down to begin with. Basically, they were experts in handling angry, large animals.
Following that encouragement, the veteran warrior Fagul Jagata Gulkaka, who was managing the Fang Clan in Garam’s stead after Garam had become the Great Clan Chief, shouted, “We’re going to hunt the cows called Holmea!”
Not only the Fang Clan, but all the warriors cheered their approval at that.
After hearing that, Garam audibly accelerated. Arrows and throwing spears came at him from the chariot unit as he was charging at them all by himself. But, with the Holmean soldiers being unable to target him as he was constantly zig-zagging, all of those projectiles fruitlessly stabbed the soil.
Having dodged the volley, Garam accelerated even further. Now moving almost as fast as a cannonball, he plunged into the enemy formation.
“That pesky brute! Trample him down with your horses!” The general ordered his driver while his chariot was leading the entire unit, and immediately grabbed the frame of the vehicle in preparation for the incoming impact from the collision.
Even if Garam might be hailed as a great hero of the plains, he wouldn’t come out unscathed from a direct collision with a horse. He’d be either blown away or get under the horse’s hooves.
The instant he realized as much, Garam suddenly stopped by kicking the ground against his current running direction. And then he roared loudly.
Afterwards, Garam jumped sideways while making sure to graze the horses’ nose, avoiding a collision. This startled the animals who were pulling the chariot and they instinctively came to a halt.
But, the same didn’t apply for the chariot they’d been pulling all the time. The momentum of having lost its destination due to the abrupt braking caused the chariot’s body to jump up in its search for a way out. And right after flying through the air in an arc with the horse’s yoke as the focal point, the chariot went upside down and crashed hard in front of the horse.
The general and his driver died almost instantly as the chariot shattered as if having been blasted apart by an explosion. Moreover, the succeeding chariot ran into the remains of the leading vehicle, unable to avoid in time. The chariot, which leaped into the air while using the remains as some sort of springboard, somehow managed to land, but it shattered on impact as the frame couldn’t bear the impact. The horses, which had pulled this chariot, ran off while taking a part of the shafts with them.
Without having the time to check the outcome of his maneuver, Garam kept moving. As soon as he landed, he headed for a chariot that tried to somehow pass the accident site without getting rolled into this. No sooner than drawing his prided two machetes, he used them to slash the necks of the driver and soldier looking his way while completely surprised. With fountains of blood gushing out of their necks, those two men fell off the chariot which continued its journey.
Seeing their Great Clan Chief finish off three chariots in the blink of an eye, the other zoan’s fight spirit got fired up all the more.
“Everyone, follow our Great Clan Chief!”
Accompanied by Gulkaka’s war shout, the zoan warriors swooped down on the chariots in droves. Some of them scared the horses like beaters who drive a hoard of cows, making the chariot behind the horses topple over. Others directly jumped the soldiers and drivers on the chariots.
Of course, some of the warriors weren’t as lucky and lost their lives to arrows and throwing spears. But, the zoan were not inferior in speed, were overwhelmingly superior in agility, and had ten times as many people as there were chariots. The chariot unit was brought close to annihilation in almost no time.
And what further played against Holmea was the fact that lords and officers were the ones riding chariots in this era. Or in other words, the unit’s entire command structure died then and there. Logically, the 3rd Division lost all order after having suddenly lost most of their commanders.
To top this off, many of the soldiers led by the lords originally were peasants who had been drafted as labor force. They, who hated the idea of entering a battlefield from the very start, completely lost all will to fight――a will that was meager at best――after witnessing their lords dying in front of their eyes.
“His Lordship is dead! Run! We’ll be killed by the zoan!”
Starting with that yell, the infantrymen fled at full speed. The zoan warriors attempted to chase after them, but Garam reined them in.
“No need to pursue!” Garam pointed one of his machetes to the side, facing the 2nd Division. “We’re going to assault the enemy main force just like this!”
In response to Garam’s order, Shishul began to beat the drum rhythm for charge.
◆◇◆◇◆
“…They beat us to the punch, huh?”
Hearing the drum from Garam’s side, Zurgu clicked his tongue in frustration. Unlike the 3rd Division which had been confronted by Garam, the 4th Division, which Zurgu was facing, was led by an officer of the royal army. That officer somehow managed to stop the infantrymen, who had tried to run away after the chariot unit got devastated in front of their eyes, and made them challenge Zurgu’s unit to a fight.
But, that actually turned out to be their undoing instead.
The one leading their zoan assailants was 《Mad Claw》 Kraga Bigana Zurgu, the man extolled to exceed even Garam when it came to raw strength. A warrior so fierce that he was feared even by his brethren for his extremely violent way of fighting.
As soon as he saw the enemy infantry stand its ground even after the annihilation of the chariots, he revealed a ferocious smile, bared his fangs, and plunged towards his enemy after choosing the best, strongest warriors from amidst the Claw Clan to accompany him.
All that followed was a massacre.
The huge machete of Zugu crushed the helmets and the heads below open with one swing. Zurgu used his strong hands to grab the faces of soldiers, just to slam their heads against the ground. And he also pulverized the back and spine by kicking hard at any enemy who turned their back on him and tried to get away.
Furthermore, the warriors of the Claw Clan were no inferior in brutality when compared to their clan chief.
Watching all of this unfold caused the warriors of the other clans to widen their eyes in shock.
In the past, Zurgu had been called a crazy fighter not only by other clans, but also his own clanmates. However, all of that changed five years ago. On top of making up with Garam whom he had bitterly fought until then, Zurgu strongly pushed for Garam to become the Great Clan Chief and rooted for him as such even afterwards.
Because of this, many secretly whispered that even 《Mad Claw》 had lost his fangs and claws after being exposed to the majesty of 《Ferocious Fang》.
But, all the zoan warriors present in this place were taught the hard way that this couldn’t be any further from the truth. They were simply reminded that 《Mad Claw》 hadn’t his fangs and claws broken or anything like that. He just hid them. And while keeping them sheathed away, he had polished those fangs and claws, turning them into even sharper weapons than before.
The warriors of the Claw Clan looked all smug after seeing the fur of the other clans’ warriors standing on end after realizing just how badly they had underestimated Zurgu. Zurgu himself didn’t give much of a shit about the rumors going around about him. However, in exchange, the members of the Claw Clan were extremely touchy about rumors that belittled their clan chief.
Due to reactions by the other clans’ warriors, the Claw Clan members’ eyes clearly shouted, “Did you see!? This is our clan’s chief!”
“Now then――” Having mostly finished mopping up the enemy, Zurgu whirled around to the zoan warriors, “――that’s been some good fun, aight?”
None of the warriors could react to this sudden remark. This triggered Zurgu to look puzzled.
“Hmm? What’s up? You guys had no fun or something?” Zurgu said and smiled broadly. “I had a blast. Those guys are the formidable enemies our ancestors sold us as mighty foes while being full of regret. From now on, we’re going to beat up these guys. Ain’t no way that this is no fun.”
Fighting spirit similar to a fever welled up among the zoan warriors. Seeing that, the corners of Zurgu’s mouth rose into a satisfied smile and he tapped his shoulder with his beloved machete.
“Come on, guys. We’re going for the next target ―― those heavy spear infantry bastards! We’re not going to leave any prey to dawdlers. Think of it that way!”
With those words, Zurgu started to run, taking the lead. Inspired by his fighting spirit, the zoan warriors followed while roaring.
“Good grief, I feel sorry for the soldiers of the subjugation force.”
The one muttering that was Human Commander Marchronis. He had been leading the mixed group of dwarves and humans which had squared off against the 4th Division. As far as Marchronis could tell, no commander was as suited for the front line as Zurgu. Zurgu’s bare belligerence spread to the soldiers under him like a virus, turning all of them into warriors knowing no fear. Marchronis suspected that even a sheep would transform under Zurgu into a wild beast which would bite a wolf to death.
“Hey, Sir Human Commander, are we going to move as well?”
A dwarven warrior called out to him. He had taken this guy along instead of Setius for the sake of having someone lead the dwarves.
“Of course,” answered Marchronis with a very baffled expression. “After all, we’ve been told so by Lord Souma: if we think of cutting corners here, it’ll worsen the position of the humans. ――Now then, time to follow the zoan!”
In accordance with Marchronis’s order, the humans and dwarves followed the zoan warriors, charging the heavy spear infantry.
◆◇◆◇◆
“WHAT WAS THAT…!?! The ones attacking our flanks aren’t humans and dwarves, but zoan!?!!?”
The messengers nodded at Hiakis and further added, “The 3rd Division’s chariot unit suffered a surprise attack by more than 2,000 zoan while having encountered unexpected difficulties with the mixed unit of dwarves and humans. They are no more. Moreover, seeing that, the infantrymen ran away, resulting in the total destruction of the 3rd Division!”
“It is the same over here as well! After beating the 4th Division into flight, the zoan attacked our flank before we could adopt defensive positions as we had been just battered by catapult attacks, so we were immediately dragged into close combat! For this reason, we are taking heavy losses!”
If you take the battle progress so far into account, the ones attacking the 3rd and 4th Divisions must have been the zoan who faced off against us earlier. In other words, currently it’s a flank attack against the 2nd Division by the zoan who changed their positions after faking a retreat.
“Bloody Divine Son of Destruction! Curse you! Are you going to let me suffer the same fate as His Excellency!?”
Hiakis shuddered from the imagination that Souma was trying to reproduce the battle near Bolnis that had defeated General Darius. But, in reality, the situation was much worse than he was imagining.
“Message! Urgent Message! I have a message for Deputy Corps Commander Hiakis!”
On top of all the bad news, another messenger brought the worst sort of notification from the rear.
“I have an urgent request for relief by the General Rakius of the 1st Division! At present, the 1st Division is engaged in hostilities with zoan! The archers and light infantrymen of the 1st Division will not hold out for long! Please, send us reinforcements by all means!”
“WUUUUUTTT!?”
Hiakis felt how all the blood was drained from his face in one go. The 1st Division had lost to the elven archers and were supposed to have moved back behind the 2nd Division. And now that 1st Division was under attack. This meant it wasn’t a simple pincer attack against the 2nd Division.
“Damn you, you son of a bitch! Divine Son of Destruction, how dare you…how could you…!”
◆◇◆◇◆
During the war council before the battle, Souma had asked everyone the following: “In this battle against Holmea, what do you believe to be the condition for our victory?”
This had caused everyone to look at each other. But, even after waiting for a while, no one could provide an answer.
Eventually, Garam voiced the reply he believed to be valid.
“Wouldn’t it be fine to rout the subjugation force that was sent our way or take the head of Holmea’s prince who’s leading them?”
The victory conditions brought up by Garam were something most people on Seldeas would immediately sign off as reasonable and good in this era.
“That won’t go beyond a victory in this battle.” However, Souma shook his head. “I’m aiming for a victory against Holmea itself.”
While everyone was startled by Souma’s declaration, Marchronis voiced his doubts, “You’re certainly not telling us that you plan to take the capital Holmenia, are you? I think that would be far too reckless.”
When it came to winning against Holmea, one had no choice but to take the capital and behead King Warius.
But, Holmea’s capital was a historic fortress city. Its defenses were firm and it had plenty of provisions stored. If one tried to attack such a city, it couldn’t be done with some half-assed attempt. Moreover, if they did something as time intensive as capturing the capital, they’d get surrounded by soldiers of the feudal lords, sent after the lords learned of the crisis in the capital. This would likely lead to them being caught in a dilemma instead.
However, Souma denied that concern of Marchronis.
“We are not going to attack the capital.”
As everyone subsequently wondered how they were supposed to defeat Holmean in such a case, Souma declared the following after a short pause:
“I will win against Holmea itself solely through the upcoming battle at the bridge head!”
Everyone was shocked. And while feeling all eyes being pinned on him, Souma pointed at the big table surrounded by everyone.
A map showing the area around the bridge head, the projected battlefield, was lying on the table. Souma had held multiple strategic discussions with Marchronis and others over it. And as visual proof of that you could see small figures who had been placed in the battle formations Souma’s group assumed to be the most likely deployment of Holmea’s subjugation force.
While staring at everyone, Souma picked up a figure and started to move it.
“First we’re going to retire the enemy archer unit with our elven archers. Next we’re going to whittle down the enemy’s main force, their heavy spear infantry, which will likely have come out at that point, with the zoan stone throwing.”
As he busily rushed around the table, Souma continued to move the pieces.
“The zoan will pretend to retreat, parting to the left and right and thus luring the enemy in front of our headquarters.”
Dividing the figures indicating the zoan, he pushed them to the left and right of their headquarters. And then he pushed a bunch of “Black Wall” figures in the now free space.
“Following that, we’re going to attack their main force with the large amount of siege weapons we prepared inside the fake fortress!”
Once Souma drove his fist into the cluster of black figures, several of them shot off. Everyone oohed and aahed at that. But, Souma didn’t stop there.
“However, the attack by the siege weapons will ultimately only confuse the enemy. It can’t do much more but stop them for a while.”
Souma ran to the sides of the table, and moved the zoan figures towards the flanks of the Black Wall figures.
“While the enemy remains in disorder, the zoan will move to the flanks of the 『Black Wall』, envelop the enemy like a beast’s upper and lower jaw, and then snap the trap shut. Moreover, we will cut off the rear, swallowing the enemy whole!”
Souma’s hands stopped after having furiously moved the figures around on top of the table. On top of the map was now visible how the enemy figures were completely encircled by their figures.
“In short, this is…!?”
Souma nodded lightly at the mutter by someone, “Yes! My objective is just one! The complete eradication of the 『Black Wall』, the symbol of Holmea’s military might! I will win against Holmea with this!”
He wanted to defeat a country not by beheading its king, but by annihilating the enemy main force. In this era, where people considered the king to be the country, this was a sudden concept that was hard to understand. But, once the momentary surprise dissipated, the people present could come to terms with it after considering it calmly.
If it was King Warius who was known for his uncontrollable temper that didn’t take any consequences into account, it was unthinkable that he’d give up on the subjugation of the revolting slaves, even if his army suffered a crushing defeat during the battle at the bridgehead. But, no matter how much King Warius wanted to fight, it wouldn’t come to pass if he hadn’t any military forces that would allow him to do so.
Because of that, it was essential to not only rebuff the enemy army, but to thoroughly exterminate the enemy main force. Moreover, the Black wall, which they were trying to annihilate, was recognized domestically and internationally as Holmea’s strongest army corps. Just as Souma said, they were regarded as the symbol of Holmea’s military might.
If such an army corps were to be eliminated, the impact would be unfathomable. The royal army losing all fighting spirit would be a foregone conclusion, but it would also be quite imaginable for several lords to approach Souma about swearing their fealty to him.
If something like that occurred, it’d be equal to Holmea’s downfall, even without attacking the impregnable capital.
Everyone present, who had reached that level of understanding, got even further surprised by the words Souma turned at them next.
“The zoan will encircle the enemy and annihilate them. I have named this plan 『Zoan Jaw』!”
Surrounding Holmea’s strongest army corps, the Black Wall, and exterminating them ―― that was Souma’s strategy behind the name 『Zoan Jaw』.
However, Souma had already won with a similar zoan attack during the Decisive Battle over Bolnis, even though it hadn’t been a complete encirclement. Furthermore, because Souma’s favorite strategy in later years was to build forts or use the dinosaurians and dwarves in strategic positions, or alternatively exploit the terrain, to restrain enemy main forces, just to encircle the enemy soldiers with the highly mobile zoan and elven archer cavalry in the meantime, before destroying the enemy altogether, that name of Zoan Jaw didn’t really catch on and wasn’t used much in the future.
Rather, this battle strategy was known for another name: Embrace of Destruction.
Once the Divine Son of Destruction held you in his arms, you had to fear a massacre. And as many enemies were actually annihilated in this manner, this was the name of the deadly encirclement strategy that was passed on a Divine Son of Destruction Kisaki Soma’s strongest move.
<– Previous Chapter | ToC | Glossary | Next Chapter –>
Translation Notes: