After returning Morgan to her castle, I rushed to the frontline to take command. As the army directly under Morgan, both the knights and common soldiers were of the best in the entire island. While inspecting them, I was positively surprised by them, but also noticed differences when compared to the forces I usually commanded.
In The Lands Between, most soldiers were considered Heavy Infantry, with equally heavy knights fighting on foot. Cavalry was in the minority; aside from a few elites, almost none fought on horseback. Additionally, most armies employed magicians to help in offence as well as priests to support their forces. Lastly, the so-called Champions were also always present; each army had someone capable of fighting with a minor dragon on equal footing.
Here, almost all common soldiers were light infantry, very few being able to afford armor. Even in an elite army like that, they at most possessed some chainmail, some even didn't have leather tunics, let alone anything better. While knights were similarly heavily armored to their Land's Between counterparts, they for the most part fought mounted. The biggest difference was the lack of magicians and priests, as almost none were present.
The presence of Champions was one thing that remained the same; all armies here would also be led by much more powerful combatants, though this strength rarely achieved a realm like mine or Scáthach. Most would at best be comparable to Agravain, and that's considering he was more of a strategist than a pure combatant.
However, all that is secondary to the most important aspect that I will need to adapt to: morale. Armies of the Golden Order were full of fanatics, but even the Carians never feared death, as true death was nonexistent in the Lands Between. There was no surrender, no deserters, only executing orders. But here, people are weak; they will doubt, exaggerate, avoid, desert, or even betray. Even now, when I was inspecting the troops, I saw doubt in some of those present; I fear how bad it would be in armies made up by conscripts.
I finished my inspection with many worries, but as I was powerless to change them now, I just focused on the matters at hand. I finally entered my tent, and I looked through all the data to get a grasp on the current state of war. First was the general situation on the island, factions, and territories. Opening a map on my table, I marked them out.
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The whole island was divided into three major factions: Anglo(red)-Saxons(peach), Morgan(purple)-Irish(green) alliance, and Pendragon family Loyalists(blue). The last group that wasn't part of any faction was the fence sitters or so-called 'Neutrals'(yellow).
The current situation was very stable; most of the borders were secured by castles and outposts, especially in the north. Luckily for me, as Irish forces joined Morgan's forces, we could now fully commit knights and soldiers to the front against the Anglo-Saxons, leaving a bare minimum along the border to Irish-controlled regions.
Looking at the documents Agravain left me, the total number of knights under Morgan's command right now is rather formidable: 1,500 people. Adding to that, around 8,000 common soldiers made this force among the best ones, even when compared to the mainland. Our allies have estimated 1,600 knights: 900 loyalists, and 700 Irish, along with 10,000 soldiers: 6,500 loyalists, 3,500 Irish. This added up to 3,100 knights and 18,000 soldiers, for a total force of ~20,000.
On paper, this was impressive, but in truth, this was not much compared to other forces on the continent. Romans were an exception as their forces were counted in 100,000s, but even France and the slowly emerging Germanic kingdoms had forces of around 60,000 and 50,000, respectively. Even the Anglo-Saxons had an estimated force of ~30,000.
After deducting the deployed forces in other regions as well as on peacekeeping forces in major towns, this front had 1,200 knights and 6,000 soldiers, of which half was under my direct tactical command, one fourth under Gawain, who was in charge of defenses and ensuring logistical support, and the rest under Gaheris, whose focus lay in pressuring opponents. Agravain was in charge of strategy and logistics, commanding all of us.
Gaheris slowly pushed his army toward the western part of the border, where one of two fortresses built by the Anglo-Saxons was. He laid siege to this castle, making our opponents commit around 70% of their forces deployed north, 200 knights and 2,000 soldiers, to defend. This all was according to the plan that Agravain and I discussed before Morgan took me to meet Scáthach; now I needed to play my part in that strategy.
While Gaheris was keeping them busy near the first fortress, I will target the second one, striking it before they can react. I took out another document and placed it on my table; on it were all the information gathered by Agravain's spies and contacts that I needed to take that fortress. First, I looked at a map that depicted the surroundings of my target.
This fortress was built near a port town of Edinburgh, a place barely bigger than a village but in a perfect spot for a logistical hub to push further south, thus a priority for us. The fortress was not even a kilometer from the town, built on a hill overlooking the nearby fields. It was quite a good spot for defenses, but my numerical advantage was far beyond what thin stone walls could prevent.
There were under 100 knights in the fortress, supported by 500 soldiers inside and another 500 soldiers dispersed in surrounding villages and towns, not even one-third of my forces. Quickly plotting a route through which my army could safely pass, I calculated that we would need to march for four days and rest one more before we could attempt anything. Luckily, this was so close to our region that I didn't need to worry about logistical lines.
I drafted orders and called messengers present near my tent to send them to all unit commanders. Meanwhile, I took a bigger map and took a look at the greater region we were attempting to take. Northumbria was one of the most underdeveloped lands in the Anglo-Saxon sphere of influence, aside from a few towns at the border; most of it was mountains and forests with sparsely populated villages, mostly by old Roman settlers that remained there even after the current occupation.
This meant that locals were not against us, even a little supportive, but at the same time, the land we could gain was practically worthless. What's worse, spies informed us about much more solid fortresses built in the valley that was the only major land crossing from north to south, meaning we either had to conquer it or pass around it. And even then, the next major settlement was near the river Tyme hundred kilometers south of there.
Even radical estimates suggested that an army of size I controlled would need two years to establish control of such an expansive wilderness while guarding from any counterattacks. Agravain planned for me to arrive at the Valley Pass fortress in four months, leaving me another five to conquer it and establish camp there, after which he would take over and slowly push south, arriving on the banks of the Tyne in three years, forcing our enemy to commit more forces on this front. At that time, I would return to Arotria's side and establish a second front on the Anglo-Saxons' western flank. But all of that is for the future; now it was time to march toward my first battle in these lands.
Five days later, I stood at the edge of a forest, looking at the building that had occupied most of my thoughts lately. From my position, I could barely distinguish silhouettes on the walls, even though my eyesight is rather impressive. I gauged the distance to be around five kilometers, with no barrier or hiding spot between our positions.
I have already sent Stormhawks Ashes to scout the surroundings, and they not only confirmed the accuracy of the information I received from Agravain but also provided an outlook on the entire future battlefield. My main worry was the scouts that should regularly patrol the surroundings, but even though my Stormhawks were looking for them for a good five hours, and found nothing.
-"Lord Eno."-A messenger approached me.
-"Speak."
-"We received a message from the unit sent to secure the village eleven kilometers from our position. They confirmed that scouts were in that village, they..."-The messenger slowed his speech, not knowing how to continue.
-"Let me guess: rape?"
-"Yes..."
-"What happened then?"
-"They were captured with minimal resistance; now they are in our custody."
-"Good. Keep them safe for now and bring them here. After we capture Edinburgh, I will hold court to bring justice for the suffering that locals have experienced."
-"Yes, lord."
Three hours later, I stood before a group of three knights and eight common soldiers, bound and kneeling. Their leader looked at me with hatred covered by fear, silently waiting for my words.
-"Are the top eleven Mageknights present?"-I asked while looking to my side, where a group of people, wearing armor with Carian motives, stood waiting.
-"Yes!"-They responded.
-"This will be your test and opportunity. I give you five hours, replace those captured soldiers, and enter the enemy fortress. We will attack at the brink of dawn; your task is to make their defenses crumble at our approach. Any questions?"
-"Lord, is the castle to be demolished or only captured?"
-"I'm fine either way, you can decide on your own after understanding the situation inside."
I waited for a minute before leaving the task to them. There were around fifteen hours before the time of the attack, but I needed to start making orders now so that everything would be ready by then.
The night attack didn't require the commitment of all forces, so I ordered only 400 knights and 600 soldiers to prepare, while I divided the rest of my forces into four groups with their own tasks. The first group, which consisted of 100 Knights and 1,400 soldiers, moved directly toward the second fortress. Their task was to support Gaheris. The second and third groups that held the remaining of my forces were ordered to take control of the surrounding villages and deal with dispersed enemies.
Time moved quickly, and soon, the moon hung high above my head. The small crescent made the night raid even easier to execute. Raising my hand, the remaining Mageknights under me started to cast spells, covering everyone with illusion. I looked at them from outside, nodding slightly at their work.
Despite training them for only a few days during the march, the hundred Mageknights quickly showed their talent and learned the spell I taught without many issues. They will still require years to truly become qualified mages, but for such a short time, learning even this simple illusion was enough to satisfy me.
We approached the fortress slowly, taking over an hour to walk the five kilometers, but as we stopped a hundred meters from the walls, we were still unseen. I gave my people ten minutes of rest and preparation, after which I tapped air with my finger, sending a magical pulse as a signal to the Mageknights inside.
Seconds later, an explosion echoed around, and both the gate and one part of the wall crumbled as the shockwave passed me. Not waiting for the dust to clear, I rushed forward, spear and sword already in my hands. I crossed the remaining hundred matters in the blink of an eye, thrusting my spear into the throat of a disoriented knight lying near the rubble. I used the chaos to quickly bypass people present, heading directly toward the center of the fortress, where commanders and the champion resided, leaving those here to my army to clear.
I leaped over a second wall, entering the core building through a door opened by one of the Mageknights, as I followed traces left by them to bypass any other defenses. At the same time, I heard screams from the destroyed wall, a full-blown fight already begun there, waking all those who were still disoriented from their stupor.
It took me a minute to enter the living quarters of the Knights, many of them still without armor, having just been woken from sleep. Not giving them a second to respond, I lunged forward, sending heads flying with every swing, leaving no survivors. It took me seventeen seconds to kill thirty knights, leaving this floor covered by bodies and blood.
I continued forward, entering the main room where two people stood, looking at me with shock and wariness. I recognized them as the commander in charge and champion of this fortress, so I continued my charge.
The commander, knowing that he was no match for me, tried to retreat, but was blocked by Glintstione pebbles flying his way. Meanwhile, I engaged the champion in direct combat, our weapons sending sparks flying with each strike. After ten seconds of intense fighting, we separated slightly. He tried to regain his bearing, hands shaking, while I continued casting spells at the commander.
When the champion moved toward me, I used my spear as a fulcrum to launch myself up, bypassing him and attacking the commander first. Before he could even turn around, my sword had already severed the commander's arm, sealing his fate. I continued my attack, pinning what remained of the commander to the wall with the sword, leaving it there, while I blocked the champion with only my spear.
We continued to exchange blows for the next minute or so, but by then it was obvious that I held an absolute advantage. His strength quickly depleted, and after yet another clash, his foot slipped slightly, giving me an opening to end this confrontation. Rushing into his chest, I parried his attack, while forming a crystal dagger in my free hand, plunging it deep into his heart.
When I took a step back, he was already on the ground, no life remaining. I continued to move, cleaning the building fully before returning to the rest of my army. By the time I returned, the battle was over, a total of 46 knights and 278 soldiers lay dead, while the rest surrendered. Adding to the knights I killed personally, one could safely declare enemy forces to be defeated on this side.
Quickly arranging post-battle tasks, I focused on healing the wounded to prevent any more losses, but my army still lost 7 knights and 39 soldiers, with 17 more soldiers unable to continue fighting due to their injuries. When everything calmed down, I made a quick report and sent it to Agravain. The next day will be busy for me, but for now, I sat and looked at the rising sun.
The first battle of my Northern Campaign will be known later as the Fall of Edinburgh, the first battle of the Arthurian War, and the beginning of the fame that will follow me later. Many battles I took part in during this war would not only be grander but also more impactful, but this one showcased the tactics that would become synonymous with me later, an all-out assault assisted with magic and spies, led by me striking the enemy command directly.