The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 26: The Ambush(Part 1)

On the night following their overnight retreat from the camp, Henwell arrives at Six Bay Mountain. This is the junction of three mountain ranges, with a complex terrain that's easy to defend and hard to attack, nestled by the river.
Following Henwell's suggestion, Fabio announces to the twenty thousand serf soldiers that they will build fortifications here.
During the construction, they will be provided with food and paid wages. Once the fortifications are complete, they will receive a severance payment and be free to go wherever they please, taking as much food as they can carry.
Of course, if they choose to stay, Fabio welcomes them, offering food and lodging without the need to fight on the front lines.
With tasks assigned, these serf soldiers, now resembling sturdy laborers, are immediately filled with enthusiasm.
Following Henwell's plans, they swiftly erect line after line of defenses.
Observing the industrious serf soldiers, the allied scouts in the distance realize the gravity of the situation. The strategic position of this mountain pass, once occupied on both sides with heavy armored troops at the center, could thwart even an army of ten thousand.
By midday the next day, the allied cavalry tasked with pursuing the coalition forces arrives at the scene and is utterly perplexed. They're meant to drive the pursuit, not charge as heavily armored cavalry.
Attempting ranged attacks?
The terrain is so treacherous that their horses can't maneuver, and the newly constructed arrow towers on the slopes offer a commanding position, making it impossible for them to gain any advantage.
Faced with the steadily forming defenses, the few thousand light cavalry have no desire to attack. Henwell anticipated this and instructs Fabio to begin drilling the new troops in defense maneuvers.
By afternoon, the cavalry receives orders, promptly reversing direction, with the vanguard becoming the rear guard as they return the way they came.
Henwell speculates that this cavalry unit plans to detour around Six Bay Mountain to pursue the main coalition forces. Cavalry has the advantage of speed, allowing them to take alternate routes.
However, infantry doesn't have this luxury; even catching up in a straight pursuit is uncertain, let alone taking a detour.
Therefore, the fortifications here must be completed, as it won't be long before the infantry arrives. That's when the real challenge begins.
To Henwell's surprise, the allied infantry doesn't show up the next day. It isn't until the third day that they finally arrive, but they don't seem eager to attack.
Instead, they merely set up camp, facing off against the serf army from a distance.
Henwell understands this reluctance; the serf army has had two days of rest, while the enemy infantry has marched over two hundred miles and is naturally exhausted, lacking the desire to launch an assault.
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On the fourth day, tentative probing begins. A few hundred soldiers form a phalanx and advance towards the valley entrance, only to be driven back by a barrage of arrows before they can even reach the barricades.
Henwell is frustrated by this and rushes to Fabio, urging him to order a counterattack strictly according to their plan. Wasting so many arrows on just a few hundred men is a reckless extravagance!
Before leaving the camp, Henwell had insisted on bringing every arrow they could carry. In defensive warfare, arrows are crucial, especially since the newly trained serf army isn't yet skilled in close combat.
Crafting arrows is a technical task that takes time, and each arrow fired is one less in their stockpile. No matter how many they have, they can't afford to squander them.
This is why Henwell had the arrow towers constructed. He personally scouted the area, using geometric calculations to determine the optimal positions for maximum coverage with minimal expenditure, aiming to hold off as many enemies as possible.
On each side of the valley, two arrow towers are paired, marked with the same color flags. Even with shields, the enemy can only block arrows from one direction, leaving them vulnerable to the towers on the opposite side of the valley.
This setup is akin to crossfire from machine guns, offering maximum lethality and covering each other's blind spots.
So far, this is the most valuable knowledge Henwell has brought to this world.
Yet, from Fabio to the lower-ranking officers, no one truly grasps its significance. They simply think Henwell is clever for devising such a method, but they have no interest in understanding the underlying principles.
And so, the densely packed arrow towers sprout up along the sides of the valley, adding a unique splash of color to the landscape.
Only the allied forces below understand the deadly significance behind these colors.
After Henwell leaves, the area is taken over by the allied forces. Initially, the generals consider destroying these structures that have claimed so many of their men, but the allied commander stops them.
Over the next decade, they build a large fortress on the foundation of Henwell's defenses, naming it Mountain Bay Fortress. It successfully shields the Ika Kingdom from numerous attacks until Henwell returns with his army to personally breach the fortress he originally helped create.
For now, Henwell uses these fortifications to mercilessly deplete the ranks of the allied soldiers. Watching silently from a high vantage point in the valley, Henwell reflects on his past life.
That world was truly insane; knowledge meant to advance technology was swiftly turned towards warfare and destruction.
But there's no time for Henwell to dwell on these thoughts now. In three whole days, the allied forces haven't even managed to clear the obstacles at the valley's entrance.
Watching the devastation inflicted on the enemy, Fabio feels uneasy.
"Henwell, with so many of them dead, do you really think we can get out of this unscathed? We've delayed them for several days now and have exceeded our mission objectives. Shouldn't we just make a run for it?"
Henwell shakes his head. "We can't leave. First, not enough of them have died to instill fear. Second, our own haven't shed enough blood. Only when they've faced death can they transform from serfs into warriors."
Fabio is struck by the starkness of Henwell's words, sensing a strong scent of blood. He finds Henwell increasingly inscrutable and no longer sees him as just a child.
Is Henwell ruthless? He spends every spare moment treating the wounded, caring for them as best as he can.
Is he kind? Every decision he makes is soaked in blood.
Henwell is conflicted too. Once the fortifications are mostly complete, Fabio follows through on their agreement, dispersing over twenty thousand ordinary serf soldiers, leaving only about three thousand behind.
Despite this, with the addition of over ten thousand new troops, they still have more than twenty thousand men. It's too many—a large target that complicates long-distance maneuvers and risks attracting enemy pursuit.
The best strategy is to sacrifice some of the new troops while also inflicting more casualties on the enemy, instilling fear that deters full-scale pursuit.
But they mustn't appear too valuable a target. Henwell estimates that having just over ten thousand troops remaining would be ideal. This means the new army must suffer at least a fifty percent reduction.