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IBHJ Chapter 212
🕑 Added 2023-04-16 22:43:24 +0000 UTCUpon closer inspection, Britain wasn't actually a very large landmass. However, it held a special significance as it served as a remnant of the Age of Gods, acting as a sort of umbilical cord that connected the boundary between Age of Gods and human civilization. This boundary was separated by the holy lance Rhongomyniad, which was created by the planet itself and acted as a gateway between these two realms.
The majority of Shirou's army consisted of foot soldiers, as horses and cattle were mainly used for farming purposes. While the soldiers possessed impressive equipment and formidable strength, their marching speed was noticeably slow.
Shirou didn't dare allow his soldiers to stop and instead relied on their strong bodies and individual strength to march quickly. They could only sustain this pace for up to three days. Within this short timeframe, they not only had to capture Londinium but also occupy territories in the northern region. Time was a scarce resource, and the mission was incredibly demanding.
Fortunately, Britain wasn't very large, and Shirou had been preparing for the war long before it began. He had focused on building infrastructure and roads, and had been working tirelessly for two and a half years to connect the roads of his southern territories. Although the roads he built were made of the lowest quality gravel, they still significantly increased the marching speed of his soldiers.
After a punishing journey that took nearly a day, Shirou finally arrived at Hadrian's Wall. He'd already sent word to the nearest lord, asking for food supplies to be sent their way. As he dismounted his horse, he looked over his soldiers, standing as straight as arrows, and asked, "Are you all tired?"
A single voice echoed back from the ranks, a strong, unified chant of, "Not tired!"
Shirou addressed his men, "I need you at your best, so don't just try to push through fatigue. The battle ahead is going to be brutal. You'll get a half-hour to catch some sleep and another half-hour to shake off the sleep and get moving. Follow my orders and take a rest right here, right now!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After the three thousand soldiers finished their meal and received the supplies sent by the lord, they sat down and almost instantly fell asleep.
He had trained these soldiers using modern methods and required them to possess modern military qualities, including the ability to fall asleep and wake up in seconds, revitalizing their bodies.
After rushing for a day, even these strong soldiers were inevitably tired. Giving them half an hour of rest and half an hour to wake up their bodies could help them quickly restore their combat effectiveness.
Shirou stood atop Hadrian's Wall, gazing towards the nearby fortified city of Londinium. The sky was dark and gloomy. Outside the walls, magical beasts roamed freely, and there were numerous wandering Saxons near Londinium in the distance.
He felt a sense of heaviness in his heart. The next battle would be incredibly challenging, and time was not on their side.
While the soldiers rested, Shirou retrieved a magical alchemy stone that was given to him by Morgan. The stone allowed him to contact other kings, including Gaheris in faraway Ireland and Lamorak, Lancelot, and others on the coast of Gaul.
He shared the basic strategic plan with the other kings, requesting that they defend their own kingdoms while also sending troops to reclaim lost territory from Vortigern.
The other kings agreed with the strategic plan after understanding the operational mechanism of the Tower of Light. However, they expressed concerns about Shirou's ability to capture Londinium, which was Vortigern's original fortress. The city was heavily guarded by a massive tide of beasts and a large number of Saxons, making it an incredibly challenging target to breach.
Shirou assured them that he would handle the matter of capturing Londinium and instructed them to quickly reclaim lost territory once he had attracted all the beasts to the city.
As kings and leaders, they need to recognize the importance of having a long-term vision and viewing the world as a chessboard, with people, cities, and territories as the pieces. The gains and losses of a single city or piece of land were not as significant as the ultimate goal of achieving victory.
By accepting Shirou's food-based currency system and agreeing to his trade and tariff policies, the other kings had unknowingly become Shirou's subordinates. They had failed to see through his intentions in his economic warfare, and as a result, he was now in control of their economic lifeline.
Humans and gods were vastly different. In human kingdoms, the economy was their lifeline, with politics serving as its embodiment, and military power acting as the guarantee of politics.
If an opposing force captured a kingdom's economic lifeline, and that kingdom lacked the strength to overturn the situation, being overtaken was only a matter of time.
The more territory the kings were able to reclaim, the more they worked towards Shirou's ultimate goal of unifying Britain, which saved him considerable effort in the future.
Furthermore, Shirou contacted Lamorak and Lancelot, instructing them to launch their attack and use the navy to draw Londinium's attention.
Lamorak and Lancelot followed their orders and even sought the assistance of court magi from Ban and Bors to bomb Londinium from the sea.
Londinium was situated on the coast of Britain, directly facing the coast of Gaul across the sea.
Lamorak stood tall on the ship, his Gae Bolg held high as he shouted, "Attack!"
Meanwhile, the soldiers on the ship placed the magical furnaces that Morgan and other court magi had spent years constructing in the center of the vessel. Within moments, the ether cannons fired one after another, illuminating the sky with beams of light as they sailed towards Londinium.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom!"
The unexpected attack from the sea momentarily stunned Londinium, but they quickly activated their barrier. In response, the sound of horns reverberated throughout the city.
This signal seemed to have prompted the magical beasts lurking near Hadrian's Wall to stir and take action.
In addition, waves began to churn on the sea's surface, and the fins of sea monsters emerged from the depths, creating whirlpools that assaulted the ships.
Upon seeing the sea monsters attack the ships, Lancelot quickly ordered the Benoic court magi who had accompanied them to activate the vessels' barriers.
With several "ding" sounds, the ships were able to repel the whirlpools created by the sea monsters.
Lamorak contacted Lancelot and declared, "I'll handle the sea monsters. You go and harass Londinium, creating an opening for the kings!"
"Understood!" Lancelot acknowledged.
In this battle, Lamorak served as the primary commander, fiercely loyal to the king, while Lancelot acted as his second-in-command.
Lamorak took charge of several warships, directing the magical cannons specifically at the sea monsters in the ocean and firing shots. Simultaneously, he led soldiers in their efforts to repel wyverns flying in from the sky with their spears.
Lancelot, on the other hand, commanded warships in their attacks on Londinium. However, shortly after initiating the assault, the city retaliated with their own magical cannons, bombarding the vessels.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom!!!"
The sound of the magical cannon blasts reverberated throughout the sky.
As Lancelot prepared to lead his troops ashore, he found himself impeded by both the sea monsters' obstruction and Londinium's cannon fire, making it difficult to advance. However, he persisted in his efforts to draw Londinium's firepower towards him.
Fortunately, his efforts did not go unnoticed, as the monsters on the ground began to move towards the coast.
The commander of Londinium likely never anticipated that the kings, who had defended Hadrian's Wall for over a decade, would opt to launch a preemptive attack under the threat of the tower of light.
With the kingdom's protective barrier activated, the northern kings were able to withstand the tower of light's bombardment. Following Shirou's lead, they split their troops into two groups. One contingent resisted the threat of Vortigern's army in the north, while the other began to clear out smaller strongholds around Londinium.
Lancelot and Lamorak continued to draw as much firepower as they could.
Meanwhile, Gaheris had joined forces with the kings of Ireland and crossed the sea to carry out a surprise attack on the northern regions of Scotland, targeting the Picts. Although the Picts and the Irish shared a common Celtic heritage, they had a complicated history. While once allies, the Picts had been harassing Northern Ireland since falling under Vortigern's rule, creating a deep-seated resentment among the people there.
Moreover, during the harsh conditions of the little ice age, a king so revered that even the Queen of the Shadow Land held him in high regard, offered food in exchange for opening up trade routes and attacking the detested Picts. The Irish people saw this as an advantageous deal, and thus, formed an alliance with Shirou, joining forces with Gaheris to attack Scotland. The land was engulfed in war.
While Vortigern remained stationed in Camelot, using the tower of light to bombard the surrounding area, his vast army engaged in battle against everyone.
In the midst of the chaos, Shirou and the kings fought valiantly to defend their kingdoms while launching surprise attacks on Londinium.
The land was consumed by war, with exposed bones visible everywhere. The brutality and struggle for survival of all living creatures were laid bare in this moment.
After two hours had elapsed, corpses were strewn all over the area outside of Hadrian's Wall. On the sea, Shirou's warships had already been sunk twice, and many soldiers had fallen prey to wyverns and sea monsters.
Although these soldiers may have died without recognition, their valiant spirits would ensure that their names and deeds would be forever remembered.
Strangely, the most abundant corpses on the sea were not those of humans or the wreckage of warships, but those of sea monsters and wyverns.
Their thick blood had turned the sea black, staining the water a deep, murky hue.
Within the confines of Hadrian's Wall, Shirou's elite soldiers, totaling 3,000 in number, had completed their physical recovery. Every soldier exuded a potent combination of spirit and ferocity, their spearheads reflecting a cold, steely determination.
These soldiers were resolute in their desire to overcome any obstacle in their path, unwavering in their commitment to achieving victory.
For the glory of Camelot and the throne of the king, they would break through any barrier and conquer all foes!
In truth, these soldiers had been eager to break out earlier, but the king had ordered them to continue their recovery exercises in order to optimize their physical functions. And now, finally, their efforts had paid off!
Drawing his sword, the king raised the Caliburn high and shouted, "Listen up, soldiers! This battle will determine life and death! Our future's on the line, and I trust each and every one of you to see it through. I'm your king, Arthur! Stand with me, and together we shall emerge victorious!"
"Kill!"
With King Arthur at the lead, flanked by the Sun Knight Gawain and legendary knights, the troops burst into action. Some knights wielded swords or spears, while others, like Gawain, carried both holy swords and Gae Bolg spears.
"Kill!"
In unison, the three thousand soldiers released a chilling aura of killing intent, their cold spears glinting brightly under the sun.
Together, they charged forth with the king and his knights, their shining silver armor and thunderous footsteps serving as the final bastion of humanity!
As the sandstorm gradually intensified, the great battle was about to commence!
