He swung his sword and flicked Brand''s dagger away.
Brand was surprised for a moment, but he was not stupid enough to dawdle there. He quickly backed away.
Thanks to Oda Nobunaga, my physical abilities on the battlefield are unparalleled. A little bit of sneaking around is not enough to stop him.
Brand has retreated and the enemy forces are in retreat.
Then comes the roar.
A gun has shot through the backs of the fleeing men.
The tide has turned completely in our favor. Now it''s up to me to hunt.
But it is impossible to wipe them out here. First of all, we must be happy to have recaptured the county of Nayvle. The first order of business is to destroy the enemy''s detachment attacking my castle of Maust.
Are you hurt?
Quickly, Kerala came to my side.
"No problem. "No problem. We''re going to attack further than that, so get your troops ready. I have it all in my head where to start.
"You sound as if it has always been a land that should be destroyed, rather than a territory that you know the weak points of because it is your territory."
Kerala was surprised by my confident words.
"That''s right. There was a time when I had to live my life thinking about taking down Castle Nayvle."
There would come a time when I would have to fight my brother, and I was prepared for that. As it turned out, my brother dug his own grave and invited me in and got me killed.
"I have memories of this place. But it''s no good if it dulls my sword. I will avenge my enemy."
My army pursued the enemy Brand''s army as it retreated.
However, it is not the purpose to destroy Brand. The route was not taken that way.
I had already learned where to attack, how to get behind the enemy, and how to penetrate further into the enemy''s territory. Slowly and steadily, the enemy was driven back.
I sent a secret messenger to the small lords who were undecided about the attitude of the province of Olbia, where Brand was based, and asked them to join my side. Specifically, he wrote to them that they should take military action in Brand''s territory.
I have already clearly stated that the plan of Ailes Kartis and Brand Nahum has failed. Perhaps they will attack Brand''s territory, even if it is only a pose. That is enough. Brand would have no choice but to retreat to the mountainous province of Olbia.
That night I stayed in a village in the county, but it was now clear that the enemy was in retreat. It is said that some of the enemy have begun to show up in the form of small lords who have escaped. Some of them have even reported to us.
Mistletoe, the trumpet leader, entered my room.
"The troops of Ailes Kartis and Brand Nahum have returned to their respective strongholds.
"What''s going on at Castle Nevre, Mistletoe?"
"The plan seems to be to leave the castle in the hands of a trusted general and escape in the meantime."
Abandoned stone. Poor thing.
"Let Little Sivik surround Castle Neville with 3,000 men! We''ll go east towards Maust. Some of my men betrayed me. I''ll make sure they''re executed. Do you have a list?"
Mistletoe listed the positions and names.
In a word, many of them were officials.
They have been tested in King''s Landing and the number of good men has increased. So those who have been deprived of their place in the world have rebelled against me.
"You know very well that you are incompetent. Tell Sivik, the older one guarding the castle of Maust, that we''re going to make a pincer movement."
Yes, sir.
"And ...... ask Tarsha to come to my room. And in an hour or so, get Kerala, and in another hour, Raviara."
On a day of intense fighting, the body is burning hot.
Tarsha said that when you can''t calm your racing heart on the battlefield, you seek someone who can. My perception is rather the opposite.
"I don''t think you should be too hard on yourself, sir."
The moment of truth has passed. That''s what I think.
"I agree. Then I will make the arrangements as you requested.
I glanced into the mistletoe''s eyes.
"If you''ve got time, I''d like you to come and play with me. It''s true what they say about the moment of truth. I don''t think I''m going to be able to sleep at all."
That night was unusual for me.
Raviara scolded me for smelling too much like a woman.
I was so mad that night.
The next day, I sent out my troops for the county of Kinase, where the castle of Maust is located.
However, I have no intention of entering the castle right away, nor do I expect to be able to do so. In the meantime, there are enemy troops left behind.
The reason why they were left behind is that they are a group of officials and former lords who were working around Maust and were protected by their dependents. Therefore, Ailes Cartesian must have decided that they did not matter.
The general is Dakkar, the son of Ailes Kartis, but it is highly doubtful that Ailes thought he could take down the castle of Maust with this force.
He may have thought that the only way was to beat my troops with a large force.
I received word that Dakkar and his entourage had already fled when I set up my position. Everyone on board had been officially abandoned.
"Kill all enemy generals. If they surrender, take them alive. There is no need for mercy."
The enemy army was easily destroyed, as Sivik sent out his men from the castle of Maust. It was the easiest battle I have ever fought. The enemy had already collapsed before we even started fighting.
Perhaps it was because there were many officials, but the number of those who were captured alive and dragged to me was greater than I had imagined. I took them with me back to the castle of Maust.
I did not intend to let the pus come out this far, but what came out had to be done.
I had to execute quite a few of them just by sheer numbers.
--If there were capable men, we could use them again... but there aren''t many of them.
That''s the way it is, Oda Nobunaga.