Chapter 90 : Field Practice (1)

“Alright, gather the gunpowder over here! Bring all the arrows too!”

“Collect all the twine and paper in the city! They’ll be valuable military supplies!”

Though the demon tribe had joined the nomad army somewhat abruptly, they adapted surprisingly quickly.

Those who followed Kalia soon began finding tasks or positions among the nomads and settled in.

Or they were assigned fitting roles.

They used the skills they were good at, the fields they excelled in.

“From now on, you’re saying we should put the horned ones in charge of prisoner management? Just like that?”

“Demons are well aware of this country’s culture and habits. They’ll be able to control and monitor more efficiently.”

“Is that so? Well, if fewer people are wasted on non-combat duties, that works out well for us.”

For example, the task of guarding the prisoner camp.

Based on their experience suffering under humans, they made sure the captured soldiers were strictly supervised.

Most prisoners were going to be conscripted as slave soldiers and used as meat shields.

But when there was no battle, manpower was needed to manage them and suppress rebellions.

“Ah, and assigning them to guard and patrol duties is a good idea too. They’ll be very enthusiastic about managing those who once looked down on them.”

“In that case, don’t we need to give them weapons for guard duty? We don’t have spare military equipment right now, except maybe rockets.”

“We can use those seized from the enemy. Just repaint them or add armbands to distinguish friend from foe.”

By similar logic, they were also entrusted with monitoring the civilians under our control.

Their role was to intimidate and crack down so no rebellions or resistance would break out.

Since they were rare, actively cooperative allies, the tasks given had to be doable but require loyalty.

It was basically a no-lose situation, and surprisingly, they did well.

Better than Kalia and I expected.

“So, you mean we should beat down those fools who climb up recklessly? To stabilize the occupied territory?”

“Don’t like it? Then assign it to someone else—”

“Of course not! But is it okay if there are casualties during the crackdown? I feel like ‘unfortunate’ incidents will happen often in the line of work.”

“…As long as they don’t kill too blatantly.”

The demons seemed to hold a strong grudge against humans, and many lined up willing to work without pay.

If they were put in charge of guard and crackdown duties, they looked ready to beat and kill whoever came their way.

Thanks to that, we had a hard time picking only the less extreme ones.

Well, even the filtered ones weren’t exactly gentle.

“Crap, this is bad! There’s been a murder in the middle of the city!”

“Who’s the culprit?”

“It was a demon guard. According to him, he was trying to catch a criminal… but then…”

Once, while arresting a petty thief who resisted, he twisted the guy’s neck.

Ugh.

Since they’re strong, their ways of applying force are creative.

Still, they diligently performed their assigned duties, so there weren’t major problems.

Though sometimes their excessive response was an issue, they faithfully carried out the goals of suppressing rebellions and controlling prisoners.

When the nomads were in charge, some residents showed signs of disrespect, but once the demons took over, they became quiet.

They knew well enough that if they crossed them, things would get truly terrible.

They didn’t go against those who couldn’t be compromised or swayed.

“Chief, do we really have to use them? They’re different species from us, after all.”

“The youngest daughter of the Great Khan is also a demon. So what if they have horns on their heads? It doesn’t matter. As long as they do their job well and help us, that’s enough.”

Although this policy faced some internal resistance, it was quickly suppressed by the sharp-witted higher-ups.

Warriors whose brains were fried by religious fanaticism raised objections as it went against doctrine, but those concerns were calmly settled.

With the excuse that it was the Great Khan’s order or a practical use of manpower.

Even though fanaticism I spread was popular, fortunately, the high-ranking officials weren’t addicted to faith.

“If you understand, go do your work. The next battle is right around the corner, so don’t waste time on unnecessary thoughts.”

“…Yes, Chief.”

So while others were dealing with this, what was I doing?

I worked on securing local supplies.

More precisely, establishing a local military production base.

“Are these the people you gathered from southern Artium?”

“Yes, Lord Ishmael. As you requested, I gathered blacksmiths and papermaking technicians.”

“Good work. With this, we should be able to set up one or two factories.”

Although craftsmen and workers from the great plains are still diligently producing and sending military equipment, there’s a limit to the quantity.

Sending military supplies across the vast grasslands is no easy task.

No matter how much you save space or take the shortest route, you can never meet the demand.

So we planned to receive supplies directly within the territory of the Artium Empire.

This would reduce the time required and cut production and transportation costs significantly.

“Should we really teach rocket manufacturing to those who aren’t from the plains? There’s a risk of secrets leaking.”

“That doesn’t matter. The conquest will be over before the Artium guys figure out how to make and use them.”

“…That’s true.”

There were concerns about the risk of giving the Artium people the ability to make military equipment, but I wasn’t too worried.

What good is a leak if they don’t have the capacity and conditions to use it properly?

The nomad army’s main weapon, the rocket, is useful against fixed targets or clustered enemies.

It’s less effective against widely spread, mobile cavalry.

Even if they steal and use it against us, it would be foolish.

“We get iron from the south, but how much gunpowder is left?”

“We have enough for about 200 cannon shots.”

“That’s too little… The climate is too bad for saltpeter fields. Are there any potash mines nearby?”

So we could safely proceed with local production.

It was hard securing raw material supply routes, but somehow, we managed (mostly through looting and slave labor).

With the engineering knowledge and know-how I have, I built a fairly large factory facility, so we’ll worry less about supplies from now on.

I think we can fulfill about 30-40% of the total demand here at the very least.

If we expand later, that proportion will increase even more.

“Then it seems about time to start the next offensive.”

“Where do you plan to set the target?”

“Right here. Irkutsk, in central Artium.”

After about a month of reorganization and establishing internal systems like this, we launched the operation again.

This time, accompanied by a combat force of thousands composed of demons.

*****

“Khan! Enemy troops ahead! Multiple flags!”

“Doesn’t look like scouts. Is it Artium’s regular army?”

“That’s what it seems like, Father. Looks like they’re trying to fight in the field.”

A few days after Mahdi joined and the nomad army’s main force grew, advancing with strong momentum,we met a proper enemy for the first time since the conquest began.

Not a small number of local guards or militia, but the real main force of the Artium Empire.

“They’re finally trying to fight aggressively, huh?”

As the commander and staff officer attached to the demon army, we chatted while watching the scene.

“They must have thought it’s better than being stuck in a fortress and getting hit by long-range projectile weapons.”

“I get that… but it’s kind of pathetic. Fighting in the field won’t really increase their chances of winning.”

“Well, it’s their desperate measure, I guess.”

The enemy numbered around 35,000.

Our main force had 80,000 cavalry and about 30,000 slave soldiers, over three times their size.

Considering the characteristics of military equipment, the actual gap was even greater.

Still, if they insist on a straightforward frontal fight, we had no reason to refuse.

They chose open battle thinking siege warfare would be disadvantageous, but that doesn’t mean we’re weak in this kind of fight.

“Father sent a messenger. He says they’ll attach 5,000 nomad warriors and 20,000 slave soldiers, so we’ll take the left wing.”

“Can you command properly, Aurora?”

“I’ll try. I’ve learned the theory well enough. And…”

Smack.

Kalia, who had been fooling around during the march, suddenly kissed me on the lips.

Briefly, but deeply.

“When we’re alone, don’t call me Aurora. At my core, I’m your woman, Kalia.”

“…Alright.”

How could I not fall for her?

“Then let’s begin. Slave soldiers, move forward! Demon troops, advance behind them with intervals!”

As Kalia ordered, each unit began to move slowly.

The slave soldiers, relatively lightly armed and poorly equipped, took the lead, followed by heavily armored demons.

“Lady Kalia, what about the warriors?”

“Split into two units and stand by for now. Prepare to charge immediately when ordered.”

“Yes!”

As the distance between friend and foe closed, both sides began firing.

Musket bullets flew back and forth, and casualties began to mount.

But the ratio was far higher on their side.

It was a natural result of sending out a poorly armed unit.

“This might cause the vanguard to collapse.”

“Stay strong. Just hold on a little longer.”

Despite the indiscriminate gunfire piling up corpses, they stubbornly kept advancing.

Then, as the distance between the demon troops and the enemy closed within musket range,“Now! Bayonets, charge all at once!”

“Ura—!!”

At Kalia’s command, the demons broke formation and let out a unified battle cry as they charged forward.

Gripping their guns or swords tightly, ready to engage in close combat.

Usually, a charge order is given only when right in front of the enemy.

This distance was still too early.

But she had a plan.

“Use the slave soldiers as shields and approach!”

Demons are a sturdy race, strong enough to carry people while running.