Water Magician-Chapter 621: Imperial Decree

Editor: Tseirp

The report that Prince Ryun’s Royal Residence had been attacked reached the expeditionary army led by Prince Ryun, which was currently on campaign.

The report had been rushed toward the expeditionary army as soon as the assault began, so at that time the outcome was unknown.

“I understand.”

That was all Prince Ryun said.

He gave no order to turn the army back, nor to detach forces to send reinforcements to the Royal Residence.

“Your Highness, reinforcements to the Royal Residence…”

Chamberlain Wen Shu asked.

But—

“Unnecessary.”

The answer was simply that.

Naturally, not only Chamberlain Wen Shu but those in the retinue could not accept it.

They all urged that they should return.

Prince Ryun answered without anger and in an emotionless tone.

“This expeditionary army operates under an imperial decree. We cannot simply return before fulfilling that edict.”

Yes—the imperial decree.

An order from the Emperor.

Saying that, no one could argue.

Prince Ryun entered his own tent.

Only Chief Chamberlain Lin Shun entered with him.

Even after entering the tent, Ryun paced silently.

Yet his face was drawn.

“I… cannot be at Shio’s side at the most important moment.”

“Your Highness…”

“Do not call me ‘Your Highness’. There is no one else.”

“Yes… Prince Ryun.”

Ryun spoke with frustrated irritation; in contrast, Chief Chamberlain Lin Shun answered in an intentionally calm, steady voice.

The one Ryun most wished to have returned to the Royal Residence was himself.

Chief Chamberlain Lin Shun understood that painfully well.

Though their marriage had originally been political, Ryun had come to love Princess Shio Fen.

Therefore, he wanted to throw everything away and return to the Royal Residence.

But…

“If I do that, Shio will be angry with me.”

“…”

On the eve of their wedding, Prince Ryun had told Princess Shio Fen, 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

that he would strive for the throne.

He asked her to support him.

Princess Shio Fen answered that she would.

Because of that promise, he could not turn back.

If he returned now, it would give the other princes an opening for unwarranted attacks.

“Even if we march hard from here to the Royal Residence, we won’t make it in time.”

“Lin Shun?”

“Prince Ryun, we must press on.”

Chief Chamberlain Lin Shun said this in a stern tone.

It was the truth.

Even if the army returned to the capital without rest, it would take a full day.

No matter how you calculated it, the fighting at the Royal Residence would already be over.

Whether the Royal Residence had fallen or held, that remained unknown.

“As Lin Shun says, we should at least have left the entire magic artillery corps at the Royal Residence.”

“Prince Ryun…”

“With them there, Lu Yao would have surely held.”

“If it were Lu Yao, she would fight to the end with the forces she had. And Princess Shio Fen’s close attendants are there as well.”

“Yes. They would manage.”

Prince Ryun said this and exhaled deeply once.

In the next moment his expression changed.

It was a face full of resolve.

A face deciding not to look back.

“We will march north and utterly crush the Peiyu army. Leave them no opening whatsoever. With that merit, we shall triumphantly return to the capital!” ṙ𝘼ΝŐ฿Εš

“Yes!”

Five days later, the ten thousand-strong expeditionary army led by Prince Ryun clashed with the southward-moving Peiyu forces.

On the plain, the two armies faced each other at a distance of five hundred meters.

Inside the expeditionary army’s command tent.

“The enemy Peiyu force consists of five thousand cavalry only.”

“A cavalry charge on open ground is troublesome.”

“Nonsense! We have ten thousand Darwei Forbidden Army troops here.”

Those in the retinue talked among themselves.

They also served as staff officers for the expeditionary army.

Only two remained silent.

Prince Ryun and Deputy Commander Yi-Shima of the Forbidden Army.

Deputy Commander Yi-Shima sat in his chair, eyes closed in silence.

The operation for the entire expedition had already been devised and the battle formation largely completed.

There was no need to give further orders at this point.

At that moment, a messenger arrived.

“Report!”

He said, handing a sheet of paper to Prince Ryun.

Prince Ryun read it and nodded.

He then spoke to the man seated.

“Deputy Commander, let us go.”

“Understood!”

Yi-Shima’s eyes widened and he answered in a deep voice.

Prince Ryun left the tent, followed by Yi-Shima and the retinue.

At that instant, the ten thousand Forbidden Army troops formed up and all turned to look at Prince Ryun.

By that movement alone, one could see that the Forbidden Army was truly elite.

“Warriors of Darwei! The time has come! Crush the invaders and show them our strength!”

“Hoo!”

At Prince Ryun’s rallying cry, the ten thousand answered.

“Advance!”

At Yi-Shima’s command, the Forbidden Army began to march in disciplined formation.

A Darwei military expert present might have been surprised.

Peiyu’s cavalry units were devastatingly effective on flat ground.

Yet here, Darwei was advancing with an infantry-centered Forbidden Army straight at them.

Indeed, the Forbidden Army were elite— undefeated and majestic.

In strength and skill, they were incomparable to neighboring states’ forces.

Even compared to other Darwei armies, such as the Black Banner Army, their might was overwhelming.

Still, to meet the northern equestrian tribe cavalry head-on on open plain…

Seeing the Forbidden Army advance, the Peiyu troops seemed to fly into a rage.

Naturally.

To see infantry advance straight at cavalry that excel on flat ground, without any scheme, read as nothing but an insult.

Peiyu and Darwei had fought many times before.

Darwei’s higher win rate usually stemmed from tactics.

Using terrain or traps to their advantage.

But when clashing head-on on the plain, there was no reason Peiyu’s cavalry should lose!

Not only ordinary soldiers but even some Peiyu commanders were enraged.

It ceased to be order and became a frenzy.

They threw themselves at the Darwei army in a cavalry charge.

If Ryo had been there, he might have said,

“Robbing the enemy of composure is the most basic of interpersonal combat”.

Clang.

The two armies collided head-on.

Darwei infantry.

Peiyu cavalry.

In a head-on clash, the cavalry’s momentum is overwhelmingly greater.

But…

“They stopped it?”

“We can’t trample them?”

Peiyu’s cavalry was halted.

What stopped them was the Forbidden Army’s large shields.

Yet such a measure was within Peiyu’s expectations.

They had driven such shields aside many times before.

This time, however, they were stopped.

The Forbidden Army braced each large shield with two men and supported them further with spears like props.

They arrayed those shields seamlessly on the front line and halted the cavalry’s charge.

It was not a complex maneuver.

Still, it was not something anyone could do.

Receiving a cavalry charge is terrifying.

It is dreadful.

But the Forbidden Army did it.

Darwei’s finest.

All ten thousand stood firm without flinching, building a wall of shields with united hearts and strength, and stopped the charge.

The greatest strength of cavalry is its charge. It’s kinetic energy.

If you stop that charge—if you stop the motion—what then?

Cavalry cannot easily back away… they are forced to stand there.

“Archers, fire!”

At Yi-Shima’s order, a thousand arrows were loosed from the Forbidden Army’s rear ranks.

And then another volley.

All the while, the Forbidden Army front did not budge.

They did not hesitate that their comrades’ arrows might strike their own ranks.

They were the elite.

Those loosing the arrows were also Forbidden Army troops.

Trust.

That was the bond of the whole army and the very pride of the Forbidden Army.

The continuous volleys threw the Peiyu forces into disarray.

While firing arrows, the Forbidden Army began advancing with both wings.

The center stayed firm as the wings moved forward.

Gradually encircling the immobilized Peiyu army.

A cavalry unit that cannot take a run-up cannot generate charge force.

They must either thrust from where they stand or dismount to fight…

Either choice gave the professional Darwei infantry the advantage.

Everyone in the Peiyu forces understood this.

“Retreat!”

“Fall back!”

Thus, such cries rose from the Peiyu ranks.

However…

“Magic artillery corps, four-shot salvos—fire!”

A voice came from the Peiyu rear.

One after another, fire-attribute offensive spells struck down.

“What is that?”

“Enemies in the rear?”

“Impossible!”

Darwei forces appeared behind the Peiyu rear—from the north.

That sight could be confirmed through telescopes by Darwei headquarters.

“Chief Chamberlain Lin Shun and Chamberlain Wen Shu, leading the Royal Residence forces, have succeeded in encircling from the north.”

Prince Ryun nodded silently at the report.

Yes—Prince Ryun had entrusted two thousand of his own troops, including the magic artillery corps, to his most trusted men, Chief Chamberlain Lin Shun and the others, and had moved them behind the enemy before the battle began.

With the Forbidden Army’s ten thousand forming an encirclement from the east, south, and west, and Prince Ryun’s two thousand Royal Residence troops closing from the north, the Peiyu cavalry were enveloped.

Stripped of their charge momentum, the Peiyu were surrounded for annihilation… the plan had worked perfectly.

That day, over four thousand Peiyu riders were left as corpses on the plain.

As he had declared—to crush the Peiyu completely…Prince Ryun’s expeditionary army achieved a total victory.

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