- "Ring, ring, ring"
As the alarm clock ring, I slowly open my eyes. My head is still a bit dizzy from the beer I drank last night. Grab a sandal from the floor, I throw it toward the clock. My sandal hit the clock right on the button that turns off the alarm.
- "I am a fucking genius." I laugh out loud, witnessing one of the useless talents that I have.
Mr. Thomas, my lazy, chubby cat with brown furs and emerald eyes is scared by the loud noise and jump outside of the window. From a branch of the acorn tree outside, he looks at me with a troubled gaze before disappearing behind the leaves, probably trying to find a warm and sunny place to sleep.
Sigh lightly, I try to suppress my disappointments. I really wanted to pat Mr. Thomas before going to class. Change into my university uniform, I fry an egg and some toasts ~ a simple meal kit that went on sale in the grocery store last night.
- "Haizz, when I become rich, I will have steak for breakfast every morning."
For some unknown reason, I felt asleep on the dining table right after I finish my toasts. Maybe I spent too much time looking at the sexy weather forecaster on TV. When I wake up, there is only 10 minutes left before my class start.
Don't even have time to lock my apartment's door, I rush onto the street. The spring breeze runs through my hair as I run through the streets of the city. People on the way look at me with the gaze people uses to look at idiots. But guess what, I don't give a shit. Today Mrs. Aragok is on, and she will absolutely call my parents if I come to the class late.
Luckily, I rush into the classroom the moment the school's bell rings. Mrs. Aragok, a beast woman with orc origin, standing at two meters tall and thick body looks at me angrily. I am always amazed how an orc woman like her can become an academic - a profession for races that prefer to use their head instead of their muscles.
I hurry to my seat before she can say anything. The class is still in a bit of disarray before I sit down. My classmates are known for being troublemakers; However, they all sit down quietly under the fierce gaze of Mrs. Aragok.
When the class is in order, Mrs. Aragok starts speaking. Her voice is loud and clear, and filled with passion. She starts to introduce the main character of our history lesson today - Lucius Vasperius, some general from a few hundred year ago. I am not a big fan of history, but I know that he is someone important, as there is a statue of him in the middle of our city.
- "Historians have argued a lot about when was the event that start the chain reactions of reaction that plunge the Arcadian Empire into the Dark Age. In my opinion, there is no singular event that was more catastrophic than the destruction of the 8th Legion, under the command of Lucius Vasperius in his campaign against the Coalitions of the North"
Under Mrs. Aragok magical voice, the whole class is hooked. Within 5 minutes, we are totally immersed in her story about the greatest general in Arcadian history.
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Starting simply as a republic, the country of Putani became an economic powerhouse through their meritocracy structure, which promotes talented individuals to position of power in the faction. Slowly, they expand past their peninsula, subjugated dozens of kingdoms and become the strongest faction in the Central Region of Arcadia.
Consul Imperatus, who led the faction during the time of first expansions, proclaims himself as the emperor and named their country the Empire of Arcadia with the ambition of uniting the whole continent. There were three strong pillars that hold the Strength of the Empire:
- The Monarchs, who is responsible for managing the feudal lords who arms knights and militias. Thanks to this feudal system, the Empire's remote region can react quickly without waiting for orders from the Senate.
- The Senate, a council of 300 Senators, voted through a democratic process, responsible for administration of the empire and the management of the Legions - Professional soldiers who make up the core of the Empire's strength. According to some sources, the Legions' strength numbers nearly a million soldiers at the Empire's Golden Age.
- The Faith of Yggramol, a faith that promotes imperialism and chivalry, strengthening the fighting will of the Empire's citizens.
Thanks to these three pillars, in the following centuries, the Empire expends rapidly toward all directions. However, at the year of 1000, three legions under the leader of Emperor Ceasar II, numbered 50000 men, is ambushed and destroyed by Sultan Sammer of the Pars Kingdom. His skull is then sent to the Empire's capital in a golden chest. The event causes the outrage and fear in the whole Empire.
The new Emperor, Ceasar III, was just ten years old at the time of his coronation. Feeling the Crown's influence weakens, Consul Kratos, with the support of the Senate, and Archbishop Judius, with the support of the Church, competed for political power in the Capital. The feudal lords and governors in various regions, seeing the weakened control from the Capital, starts to act in their interests instead of for the good of the Empire.
In the same year, with more support from his allies, Sultan Sammer hosted an army of around 150000 men and started to invade the Empire's territories in Southern Arcadia. Many local Barons swear fealty to the Sultan in exchange for keeping their privileges while the Governors - appointed by the Senate were ineffective in slowing down the invasions. Any settlements who did not submit to the Sultan is razed to the ground while their citizens were massacred or sold into slavery.
A major turning point in the war was the battle of Potax River. The remaining loyal nobles and the southern governors joined their forces and march to face the Sultan. Consul Kratus, who was winning in his political scheme, wanted to strengthen the Senate's influence, decided to send 2 legions from the Capital and a generous amount of gold to support the local forces.
Thanks to the Capital's support, Baron Albert IV, elected commander of the southern forces, hosts an army of nearly 200000 troops, combined of around 40000 Mercenaries, 30000 legionaries, 10000 mounted Knights and Calvaries, 20000 Archers, 50000 Militias and nearly 50000 local conscripts.
Baron Albert IV was very confident in the strength of his army, as they were very well-armed and armored compared to their enemies. Even though the Southern Sultanate were rich in gold through trade, they had limited access to iron, the key resources to field heavy infantries and calvaries, the key components to victory.
Sultan Sammer, who was receiving support from his neighboring city states, knew that he cannot flee from the battle. If he fled, the Sultanate would lose support, and his country would not stand a chance facing the Empire alone. The two armies met in the desert plain near the Potax River. Clearly, both armies needed water to maneuver such large forces.
Before the battle, both commanders move forward and started their speech. Baron Albert IV boosted to his men about his superior number and equipment, about the might of the Arcadian Empire and about how after this battle, they will revenge the death of Emperor Ceasar II, whose mother was born in Southern Arcadia.
Sultan Sammer was a man of little words. He handed command of the army to his strategists and generals before riding in front of his men with a dozen bodyguards. In front of the Coalitions' infantry line, he and his bodyguards dismounted, killed their horses and join the infantry formation. In that single moment, his soldiers cheer so loudly that the whole plain trembles.
The battle begins with a skirmish, the imperial force sent their archers to the front, launching thousands of arrows toward the coalition. In return, the southern forces sent out their nomad slingers, famed for their accuracy and range. The imperial archers suffer a heavy loss in the skirmish.
Seeing his skirmishers losing in combat, Baron Albert IV orders them to pull and signals his army to move forward. The first lines of his central formation consisted of militias and conscripts, equipped variously based on their lords and governors' fortune. The Baron understands that these men cannot match the Sultan's infantry in prowess, but their combined numbers of 100000 will surely exhausted the Sultan's troops before his trump card, the elite legionaries. Also, he plans to use the more seasoned troops, the mercenaries and the heavy calvaries and knights to break through the flank and perform an encirclement.
At around 8 o'clock in the morning, the two infantry lines clashes. 100000 imperial militias and conscripts face off against of 80000 southern infantries. Just like the Baron expected, his infantry cannot break through his enemies' formation. The dessert warriors fought fiercely, cutting down the less experienced imperials. Even though they are being cut down, the imperials under strict leadership did not break, they hold the lines while slowly inflicting losses to the coalitions' infantry. On the flank, the mercenaries who were paid handsomely, fought on par with the desert warriors. Slowly, the coalition was pushed to the riverbank.
After a few hours of fighting, the Baron speaks with a wide smile, as if victory is already in his hand:
- "Send in the legions and the calvaries."
The heavy calvaries charge from the flank while the legionaries charge toward the center. The coalition sends out their calvaries, charging toward the imperial knights leading the Empire's calvary forces.
The empire's calvary forces were inferior, but their armors and melee prowess were unrivaled in the whole continent. The lighter southerner' calvaries were sent flying after the clashes, losing decisively and fell one by one under the imperials' lance. Similarly, when the heavy legionaries reach the frontline, the desert warriors were pushed back while suffering heavy losses.
Behind the fighting lines with a few hundred guards, the Baron laughs out loud seeing the battle is shifting to his favor. In his mind, he imagined his glorious triumph the Empire would reward him for his service. He would ask to be granted more lands while his subordinates be granted seats in the Senate. With this battle, he will become the most influential noble in Southern Arcadia.
While the Baron is dreaming, he did not see a slight change in the battle lines. The Southern light calvaries after the initial clashes have start to maneuver away from the melee fight, draw the imperial heavy horsemen away from the infantry battle lines. Using greater mobility and superior number, the southerners use javelins and bows to strike out the heavily armored imperials.
The battle had been going on for a few hours. The sun has reached the top, delivering devastating heat to the fighters below. After the initial classes, the heavily armored legionaries' charges had been worn down. Being sent from the capital, these legionaries were not used to the intense heat of the desert. The fatigue set in the imperial.
Sultan Sammer, who was leading his troops in the front and fought in the thickest of battle, was the main factor who kept the southern coalition's infantry lines intact. At the moment, he just smashed his shield into the face of a legionary, knock the imperial to the ground before his bodyguards finish him by stabbing through the gap between the armors. Observing the legionaries in front of him, the Sultan knew that the imperials were getting tired simply wearing their heavy armors. Also, the wet and unstable ground near the river had also make these heavily armored troops maneuver hard.
- "Raise the blood banner." The Sultan spook coldly.
His bannerman understood the Sultan's will immediately. A banner red as blood was raised in the middle of the battle. The blood banner meant only one thing in the Sultanate: "Send in the Palace Guards." 5000 Palace Guards, the most elite, well-armed and armored warriors in the whole Sultanate, charged forward with their horses through the gap of the imperials' formation, created through the maneuver of the light calvaries earlier.
Having been resting for the whole battle with ample supply of water, the Palace Guards cut down the fatigued imperial mercenaries in the flank like a scythe cutting through grasses. The nature of the mercenaries who fought for gold was revealed; they fled the battle instantly. Another unit who was also resting since the beginning of the battle, the city states' Silver Shields, the picked elite infantry unit also joined the frontline, marching the legionaries in melee prowess.
In a mere half an hour, the flanks of the imperial force were destroyed, and an envelopment was created with imperial infantry inside. Baran Albert IV was so shocked seeing his army collapses as he could not give any order. His heavy calvaries were tricked into entering wet sands and stumbles onto the ground, leading them to be shot down easily by southern light horse archers and skirmishers. The imperial infantry forces were massacred one by one due to being surrounded from three sides. The archers could not join the fight effectively as every time they moved forward, they were harassed by southern slingers.
Regaining his consciousness, the Baron readied his weapons and charged forward with the remaining of his forces, hoping to save the main army from the destruction. However, his effort was in vain. After the imperial calvaries route from the battle, 20000 southern light calvaries came to support the infantry lines, strengthen the envelopment.
When the sun sets, the desert wet plains were littered with corpses of imperial corpse. The battle of Potix River concluded as a victory for the Sultanate. At least 100000 imperials were killed while nearly 50000 were captured as prisoners. However, the southern force also suffers significantly as 40000 troops were killed while another 40000 were injured. Sultan Sammer's campaign into the Empire's Southern Empire had come to a halt.
But his victory traveled far away to every single civilization in Arcadia. The expansion of the Empire came to a halt as their feudal lords lose faith in the Empire's strength and stop supporting the Empire's expansion with gold and troops. Many rebels appear across the Empires, overthrowing the local governors, the Senate had no choice but to stop all the territorial expansions of the Empire and send the legions to put down the rebels. The first time in history, the Empire's neighboring countries and breathe a sigh of relief.
While the southern territories were still in a disaster, the Empire faces another threat from the north, the Nordic tribes have seized the chance of a weakened Empire. Nordic troops burnt down Empire's settlements, churches and put thousands of her citizens to the sword.
However, in the time of darkness, there was a tale of a hero being born. And his name was Lucius Vasperius.