[Elena PoV]
I led fifty riders after the Reconnaissance Unit reported difficulties in monitoring the enemy around the area the main army was set to pass through. Headquarters subsequently assigned this task to the Cavalry Squadron I lead.
Upon receiving the orders, I hurried out with fifty men, as the enemy was estimated to number only ten to twenty. This would be my first time making contact with enemy forces. I hoped they were not escorted by their own Cavalry Squadron so that I might complete this mission with ease.
After riding for ten minutes, the group I led encountered eight men wearing the cloaks of the Reconnaissance unit.
"Are you the Squadron sent to assist us?" asked one of the men from the unit.
Hmmm... Does he not recognize me? I suppose it is natural, as I rarely showed myself in public outside the capital, spending most of my time within the academy.
"Precisely. Elena of the First Cavalry Squadron," I answered him.
He looked slightly surprised to hear my name, but his gaze quickly focused back on me.
"Very well, follow me to the place where we will ambush the scouts from the Republic of Venetia," he said, turning and beginning to ride ahead of me.
The men I led and I followed him from behind. Not long after, we began to ride up into the hills; there, we met other members of the Reconnaissance unit.
"Hagar, is this the Cavalry Squadron that will assist our team?" asked the man's colleague, followed by several other riders.
"Yes, Captain," replied the man named Hagar.
The Captain then shifted his gaze to me; his face suddenly changed to one of shock, and he immediately knelt on one knee before me.
"Princess Elena, I did not know you would personally oversee our small operation," he said to me. "My name is Marco; it is an honor to meet you, Princess."
Seeing the Captain's stance, his subordinates—including the man named Hagar—were shocked and dismounted to kneel just like their Captain. I signaled for them to stand.
"Captain, can you explain what you are doing here?" I asked him.
"As you know, Princess, we in the Reconnaissance Unit are tasked with monitoring the surrounding area and gathering information on our enemy's movements," the Captain replied. "However, we are currently unable to carry out our monitoring activities freely because the Venetian Reconnaissance units, escorted by their Cavalry, are constantly patrolling this area."
My suspicions were correct; we would have to defeat the Cavalry unit escorting them in this mission.
"Then, what is our plan to overcome this problem, Captain Marco?" I asked.
"By our estimates, the Venetian Reconnaissance Unit monitoring this area consists of about ten to fifteen men," the Captain said, looking at me seriously. "With about thirty riders accompanying them not far behind, my team plans to lure them all to this location. Princess Elena and the Cavalry you lead will ambush them when they are unprepared."
"I understand, Captain." I nodded to him. "Good luck in luring them here."
"Rest easy, Princess Elena. I did this often when eradicating bandits," he replied with a smile.
He and the Reconnaissance Unit he led then began to head north. I turned to face the riders I led. "This is our first mission in this war. I want you to show the courage and steadfastness of a soldier! None shall flee, and always assist your comrades as the battle unfolds. Do you understand!?"
"Ouuuhhh!"
"Ouuuhhh!"
They responded to my words with a roar. I smiled at the sight; my heart was beating faster than usual. This was the first time I would lead soldiers on a field of battle. Unlike my internship in Uncle Raymond's territory, this time I would be facing real soldiers, not a group of amateur bandits.
— Clatter... Clatter... Clatter...
I heard the sound of hoofbeats. The Reconnaissance unit led by Captain Marco appeared, pursued by forty to fifty enemy riders.
"Aguila Squadron!" I shouted the name of my squadron. "Attack the enemy Cavalry!"
"Ouuuhhh!"
"Ouuuhhh!"
The Cavalry I led and I began to descend the hill at full speed. My right hand tightly gripped a spear, ready to impale the opponent with the momentum of our charge.
"Curse it! It's a trap! Scatter, quickly!"
The enemy Cavalry looked shocked to see us suddenly charging toward them from atop the hill. They tried to maneuver to avoid our onslaught, but it was too late. All the Cavalry I led began to crash into the enemy with their spears.
I impaled one rider right in the abdomen. He was still alive as his body hung from the spear I held. Because of this initial strike, about eight enemy Cavalry were incapacitated, giving us the numerical upper hand and a significant advantage in the fight.
Discarding my spear, I drew my sword to begin close-quarters combat and slaughter the enemies here.
"Attack! Finish them!" I let out a battle cry to further motivate the soldiers I led.
The fighting commenced; the enemy tried to fight back, but because they were surrounded from two directions, they were in a disadvantageous position. I even dismounted so I could move freely to disable the enemy Cavalry units.
After about fifteen minutes of fighting, the battle was finally over. A few managed to escape, but we had successfully destroyed the enemy Cavalry group and the Reconnaissance Unit monitoring this area.
"What are our casualties from this assault?" I asked one of my soldiers.
"Two dead and six others with minor injuries on our side, while one fell from Captain Marco's team," the soldier answered.
Hearing this, I felt a bitterness despite being able to win my first small battle. There were about forty enemy corpses around the area, signifying that about ten enemy soldiers had managed to escape our ambush.
On the other hand, Captain Marco was standing before two enemy soldiers who were sitting in pain, clutching their wounds. I approached him to see what he would do with the two soldiers.
"Congratulations on your victory, Captain," I said to him.
"This is our victory, Princess," he replied. "I hope the sacrifice of the fallen soldiers will be meaningful in the battles to come."
Every type of battle will have casualties on both sides. I must get used to seeing my comrades die on the battlefield this time so it does not disturb my mental state during the war.
Captain Marco then drew his sword and pointed it at the two surrendered enemy soldiers.
"You two, if you answer my questions honestly, I will make you prisoners of war," Captain Marco said in a threatening tone. "If not, you both die here. Understood?"
The two soldiers nodded; it seemed Captain Marco was going to extract information from them.
"You first. How many soldiers are guarding the Village of Bitola?" the Captain asked, pressing his sword against the neck of one of the soldiers.
"A-about eight thousand troops are there," the soldier answered.
However, after receiving the answer, Captain Marco suddenly swung his sword at the soldier's neck, sending his head rolling onto the ground.
Why did he kill the soldier who gave him information?
"You. State the number of soldiers in the Village of Bitola," the Captain commanded the second soldier.
"A-about 4,000 troops," the soldier answered, looking terrified.
"Good. Now tell us the routes taken by the other Venetian Reconnaissance Units," said Captain Marco, asking a different question this time.
The soldier then explained the routes of the three other teams to Captain Marco. His expression was grim after revealing that to the enemy he was supposed to fight.
"Very well. Take this man to the Main Army Tent for further interrogation," the Captain ordered one of his subordinates.
After completing the mission, we all returned to report to the Main Army Tent. Captain Marco and I rode side-by-side at the front.
"Captain, what happened during that interrogation earlier?" I asked him.
"Ah, Princess. I suppose you are still confused about the standard procedure when interrogating the enemy," Captain Marco remarked.
He then began to explain that he asked the first question to test whether the soldier intended to lie to him, by asking for information that Captain Marco already knew beforehand. The Captain immediately killed the first soldier when his answer did not match the confirmed information.
"This method has two purposes," Captain Marco said, raising his index finger. "First, to detect if a prisoner intends to deceive us, and second, to let the other prisoners know that we know whether they are giving us genuine or false information."
"Is that so? I have learned much from you, Captain," I said sincerely.
"Ahahaha, I only followed standard procedure and did nothing special, Princess," he chuckled sheepishly.
My first mission went smoothly. I hope that in the future, our forces will not face difficult obstacles so that not too many lives are lost in this war.
***
[Siena PoV]
The war has been ongoing for nearly a month. Currently, however, only small skirmishes between patrol and reconnaissance forces from both sides have occurred. This is because we have taken a defensive approach in this war. We cannot possibly compete against the 100,000 Imperial troops deployed to attack our territory directly.
Currently, I am in the Fortress City of Regium, specifically at the training ground for the Musketeer unit. They are a newly created unit for marksmen using firearms in the upcoming battles.
"Ready! Aim... " An instructor began giving commands.
Everyone began to point their respective rifles at the targets in front of them, 100 meters away.
"Fire!"
The moment the instructor gave the order to fire, a loud sound echoed as the Musketeers fired their rifles. A man then checked the results of the shots at the targets set up on the field.
"Squad C! Score 82!" shouted the man checking the results.
In addition to the firing squads, we also train Musketeers specifically tasked with hitting targets at very long ranges, from 750 meters to 1,500 meters, with high accuracy. Their job is to eliminate enemy mages who could potentially trouble our troops later.
— Ding! Ding! Ding!
Suddenly, I heard the sound of a very loud bell ringing continuously.
"This is... the city's emergency signal. Is the Imperial army close to here?"
Everyone present began running to their respective posts. Only soldiers and medics remain in the Fortress City of Regium now; the citizens were evacuated earlier to the safer City of Tusculum.
"Imperial forces are approaching! Quickly, to your respective posts!" shouted the instructor.
I left the training ground and ran toward the top of the city walls. There, archers were already lined up, holding their bows.
— Dum! Dum Dudum! Dum!
Hearing the thumping of drums, I looked forward. From a distance, I could faintly see the columns of the Imperial army moving toward this fortress city.
"They have arrived..."
With an army that large, how long can we hold off the onslaught the Imperial forces will launch against this fortress city?
I do not know.
What is certain... we will fight relentlessly until those invaders set foot away from our land.