Ch.601Aishan’s Judgment

After the war with the Clan Union and promptly absorbing the warriors who surrendered, Aishan’s total military strength reached seventy-five thousand.

Twenty thousand infantry, forty-four thousand cavalry, and ten thousand heavy cavalry.

An enormous army supplemented by thirty Champions, fifteen hundred warriors, and four Heroes including Orhan—a truly formidable force.

They were comparable to the Empire’s total strength in its prime… no, they were a transcendent legion qualitatively several times superior.

Of course, having a total force of seventy-five thousand didn’t mean they could mobilize everyone immediately. If that had been possible, Ludwig would have been writing his will instead of contemplating strategies against his enemy.

The seventy-five thousand figure was merely the numerical total strength; Aishan’s actual deployable force was at most sixty thousand.

It had been less than a month since the Great Plains Unification War. That was far from enough time to recover from the damages sustained then.

While the lightly wounded could somehow be mobilized as fighting forces, those who had lost limbs or suffered internal injuries could barely move, let alone fight.

There were sixteen thousand such soldiers. This number already excluded those with no hope of recovery.

Those who had lost both arms and couldn’t hold weapons. The blind who had lost their eyes. Those whose internal organs had begun to rot.

For westerners, these injuries could be healed through priests’ healing arts and long-term care, but for easterners, physical defects were irreversible serious injuries.

This was because the Ka’har had rejected priests, considering them a type of sorcerer.

Of course, since they were injured during glorious battles, these severely wounded were respected as warriors who had sacrificed for Aishan despite no longer being able to fight…

But the respect of others couldn’t ease the frustration and depression of those whose lives as warriors had ended, and most of them either fell into alcoholism or took their own lives.

Those who had lost their legs were somewhat better off. Though they couldn’t move as before, they could at least fight as cavalry if strapped to a saddle.

In any case, Aishan’s combat-ready forces currently numbered less than sixty thousand. Even then, it was impossible to deploy all of them for the assault on the wall.

Though mostly empty plains, Aishan’s territory had expanded to rival the Empire’s in size, and to govern and manage it, they needed to leave at least ten thousand troops in reserve.

The still unstable political situation in the Great Plains, the emerging threat of monsters, and the problem of sorcerers who couldn’t be confirmed as completely eradicated—if they poured all their forces into the wall, they would have no means to deal with these issues.

As a result, Aishan could currently commit less than fifty thousand troops to the war against the Empire.

And about six thousand of them disappeared before they could properly fight, along with the lives of eight of the twenty-eight Champions who had been in good health.

This was the achievement of Ludwig’s strategy and Haschal’s might.

—-

Information about the westerners who had crossed the wall for a surprise attack was relayed to Ordos through messengers scattered throughout the plains.

Haschal’s detachment marching toward Ordos and Joshua’s main force rampaging through the south of Ordos—most of the information relayed to Ordos was about the detachment.

This was a natural outcome. While Joshua’s main force employed every possible means to delay the discovery of their movements, Haschal’s detachment not only made no effort to hide their tracks but deliberately left traces everywhere.

Blood-stained flags, provocations carved into the walls of ruined outposts, and the pleas of refugees who had fled to Ordos.

When Haschal had been rampaging alone, there had been no witnesses, so opinions were divided on whether she had truly returned. But now, no one doubted Haschal’s return.

The traitor of the Aishan-Gioro had returned.

And in just one year, she had become a warrior who might surpass the warrior chiefs.

Since information about Haschal’s abilities came only from refugee testimonies, it was impossible to know exactly how strong she had become, but it was certain that she had transcended the level of a Champion.

“We must eliminate Haschal, the shame of Aishan and a traitor!”

“Now is our chance, while that traitor is outside the Empire. According to refugees, the forces following that woman number at most a few hundred. We can capture her now with minimal losses!”

The warriors of Ordos clamored that the traitor should be captured and executed immediately.

Their anger and demands were justified. She was a woman who had betrayed the Khan, betrayed Aishan, and betrayed the Ka’har.

Despite being of mixed western blood, she had been treated as the Khan’s daughter, but forgetting this kindness, she had clung to the Empire, wagging her tail and causing countless deaths among her own people—a traitor among traitors.

“Hmm…”

But instead of giving a firm order to march out immediately and bring back the traitor’s head, Orhan merely stroked his beard with a troubled expression.

‘Is he hesitating? Blood ties…? No, considering the punishment given to Amin, it can’t be because she’s his blood. Perhaps he still has lingering attachment to that woman’s talent.’

The officials gathered in the main palace understood Orhan’s conflict. No, they thought they understood. Everyone here knew the expectations Orhan had once placed on Haschal.

Though now treated as a shameful traitor, Haschal had once been hailed as Aishan’s greatest genius warrior. Despite her inherent weaknesses—western mixed blood, young age, and female body—she had been mentioned as a potential successor to the Khan.

Wasn’t that why Orhan’s sons had been extremely wary of Haschal?

“Great Khan, while we understand the regret in your heart…”

“Regret? Understand?”

Orhan raised an eyebrow and cut off the official’s words.

“You are greatly mistaken. Since when have you been qualified to judge my intentions? I don’t recall granting such arrogance.”

“I-I apologize! Please forgive this lowly servant’s rudeness!”

The official who had unnecessarily spoken up and disturbed Orhan’s mood knelt down, bowed deeply, and trembled.

Orhan looked down at him silently for a moment before turning his gaze to the other officials.

“You say it’s a golden opportunity because they crossed the wall with only a few hundred troops? Do you truly think so? Setting aside Haschal, is Ludwig so foolish that he couldn’t even consider such a risk?”

The officials couldn’t answer affirmatively. Even those who despised westerners as weak couldn’t underestimate Ludwig.

Aishan’s arch-enemy who had blocked them for decades—underestimating such a person would be like spitting while lying down.

“Rather than seeing their small numbers as an opportunity, shouldn’t we be wary of why they crossed the wall with only a few hundred troops when they could have mobilized more?”

“Bait to lure us… Then it’s either a trap or a diversion.”

Ibamay, one of Aishan’s three warrior chiefs, responded quietly.

While most Ka’har warriors had muscles even in their brains, he was one who knew how to use his head.

“That is my thinking as well. Either they’ve set up an ambush with a large force to annihilate our pursuit, or they’re using them as a detachment while their main force targets elsewhere. We don’t yet know which it is.”

Orhan had already grasped Ludwig’s strategy.

Though he hadn’t read it perfectly, he at least knew that Haschal and her few hundred troops were merely bait. It was something anyone could guess with a little thought.

“…What do you intend to do? If they’re merely bait to draw us in, is it best to leave them be?”

Another warrior cautiously asked. Was ignoring them the only way to avoid becoming prey caught in their trap?

Orhan shook his head.

“How could that be? That would only increase the losses among our scattered warriors. Even knowing it’s bait, we have no choice but to pursue them.”

It was a situation where they had to take the bait despite knowing it. If they ignored them because they were merely bait, the enemy would roam freely like wolves among sheep.

Unless a warrior chief-level fighter stepped forward, it was already proven by the refugees who had come to Ordos that the Champions scattered across various outposts couldn’t stop Haschal’s cavalry.

“Then the question is how large a force to mobilize.”

“Exactly.”

Orhan nodded in agreement. That was precisely what he had been pondering while stroking his beard.

If Haschal’s goal was to lure the pursuit force into a trap, they needed to mobilize as many troops as possible. Even if they fell into an ambush, they could counter-annihilate the enemy.

Conversely, if Haschal’s purpose was to buy time as a diversion, they needed to preserve their forces to deal with the enemy’s main force.

‘Ordos’ standing forces include eight thousand Black Banner troops and ten thousand White Banner troops. And about six thousand Blue Banner troops remain. Since we can’t deploy infantry or heavy cavalry for pursuit, sending the Blue Banner troops would be best.’

Having made his decision, Orhan spoke.

“I will personally lead six thousand Blue Banner troops. That should be sufficient even if Ludwig has set a trap.”

Based on past experience, even if Ludwig squeezed his forces to the limit, it would be impossible for him to secure more than four thousand cavalry. With one and a half times the enemy’s numbers, there was no possibility of losing a cavalry battle.

Even if they had set a trap with infantry as well, the Blue Banner troops’ mobility would allow them to shake off the slow Imperial infantry and escape.

The only uncertain factor was Haschal’s strength, but Orhan didn’t think she could have already surpassed him, no matter how much stronger she had become.

‘Even a heaven-sent genius couldn’t achieve that in just one year.’

While Orhan highly valued Haschal’s talent more than anyone, he still believed it would take at least four years for her to surpass him.

Considering that in the original story, Haschal succeeded Orhan’s position around that time, it was quite an accurate prediction.

If Haschal had remained her former self, that is.

“In case it’s a diversion rather than a trap… Targiyan, I entrust this to you. Find Warrior Chief Hatan and together lead ten thousand Red Banner troops to face their main force.”

“I will obey your command, Father!”

Targiyan knelt on one knee and shouted loudly. His shoulders trembled with barely contained excitement and joy.

Targiyan had been dissatisfied that Sahakal, not himself, had been given the important responsibility of stabilizing the western occupied territories. For him, this was a golden opportunity to achieve merit.