Warfare's Ultimate Frontier 1

by Quasar Magellan

  After leading his men to Baron, Officer Phillips handed the reins of a horse to Baron.

  “Boss, we have to get you out of here.”

  “No, we have to stay and fight for a little while longer.” Said Baron.

  “Are you serious?” Phillips couldn’t believe his ears. “If we stay here any longer, the only thing that will happen is our, and your, deaths!

  “You're right.” Baron said, but he still didn’t want to leave. He needed to stay longer to ensure that his plan would succeed.

  “If I’m right, then get on the horse and follow me. We have a path of retreat, but my men won’t be able to hold it for much longer.”

  Baron nodded. In the end, his officer was correct. This wasn’t the type of situation he could stall out forever. “I was wrong, Officer Phillips. Let’s head out.”

  As Baron retreated with his men, Lieutenant En immediately ordered what was left of his cavalry to give chase and bring him Baron’s head.

  Baron headed towards the U shaped steep incline they had found before the first day of battle. This confused En, as he was sure Baron would’ve tried to lead them to one of the points of interest he and Yue Fei had scouted beforehand, each of which they’d created a plan for. But there was nothing in the direction Baron was riding off towards.

  How could En know that there was a knowledge gap between the two forces? This difference in knowledge meant that Lieutenant En believed that Baron didn’t have a plan, but was just running away, trying to escape.

  He felt increasingly confident as he chased, and he shouted for his men to ride faster in their pursuit. Within moments, his fastest riders were at the heels of Baron’s laggards. Recognizing the situation, these men immediately turned around in order to try and stall the enemy for as long as possible.

  Baron ran around in circles in an attempt to give his lieutenant Ben more time to mobilize their troops into the optimal placement. This went on for a while before Baron's army consisted of less than 100 soldiers. Phillips was starting to get worried as the enemy seemed to be relentless in their pursuit.

  “Boss, how long do we still have to go in order to reach our destination?” Phillips said with worry showing on his face.

  “Still aways to go, unfortunately.”

  “If we keep going on like this then we are unlikely to reach our destination before our enemies reach you, boss.”

  “So, do you have a suggestion?”

  “I will split the men we have now into two groups, then branch off and create a wedge formation and strike the enemy on their sides. This should slow their troops enough for you to reach our destination.

  “That is an admirable plan, but I want you to promise me one thing before you leave.”

  “Whatever you command, my lord.”

  “Promise me that you will meet me back at camp in the morning.”

  Officer Phillips stared at Baron for a moment before placing his fist over his heart and replying.

  “You got it, boss.” Phillips raised his hand and chopped it in the air a few times, signalling his troops to break off.

  ***

  The pursuing forces saw the two sides split, and one of the officers rode up to Lieutenant En’s side. “Sir, shall we split forces to chase both parties?”

  “No need. Our main objective is to kill Baron. If the others are smart, they’ll leave this area as quickly as they can. All forces are to concentrate on killing Baron.”

  “Understood.”

  The two rode at the front of their forces as they continued to pursue Baron, but after a few moments, they heard the sound of fighting behind them.

  Lieutenant En didn’t dare stop his mount, but he couldn’t help but feel that something was off. “What the hell is going on in our back lines!?”

  A soldier yelled back. “Sir, we’re being attacked from behind! Our troops in the back are tired out and defenseless!”

  “What?” En felt incredulous. Had Baron somehow convinced his men to undertake such a suicidal mission?

  En suddenly remembered a warning that Yue Fei had given to him before he’d set off from the city. Yue Fei had said to immediately run and return to the city if he faced any enemies that seemed to lack care for their own lives. These awakened soldiers, as Yue Fei called them, were capable of feats that staggered belief, and to kill these men would cost a heavy price.

  “What should we do, sir?”

  En grimaced. “Have the latter half of the men turn back and kill off the attacking men. You and the officer shall take command. I’ll kill Baron myself.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The army split into two, and half surrounded Officer Phillips and his men.

  “What? You think a thousand men will be enough to stop us?” Officer Phillips laughed towards the heavens as he watched the enemy forces split up. “Everyone, heed my words! You are not allowed to die until you have personally slain ten enemy soldiers, I'll personally kill fifty myself, so none of you have excuse to be lazy!”

  His soldiers shouted “Hoo-ah!!” at the top of their lungs in unison.

  In the end, Officer Phillips tore his way through twenty enemy soldiers before being stabbed in the back and falling off his horse, a lifeless corpse. This demonic last stand of unparalleled strength had terrified all those present. In all, over four hundred of Lieutenant En’s forces had died to wipe out the hundred enemies. It was indeed as Yue Fei had said — it definitely would've been better to just run.

  Officer Gordon grimaced as he looked at the bodies strewn on the ground. “The lieutenant will not be happy about this.” He signaled to his men, and they formed into an organized formation and rode off in the direction they’d been chasing in earlier, with the fear of Officer Phillips’ men still in their hearts.

  Chapter 9

  Either Way, Victory is Mine

  Lieutenant En, naturally, was unaware of what had happened behind him, but it didn’t matter — his men had finally cornered Baron against a U-shaped mound. En motioned for his men to set a perimeter around the mound, cutting off any possible escape routes, then rode forward, until he was about a hundred meters from Baron.

  Baron turned his mount around, to meet his enemies. After a brief pause, he shouted towards Lieutenant En.

  “You must be the lieutenant of Yue Fei's army. Might I ask for your name?”

  “I am Lieutenant En.”

  “En is it? I'll give you two choices, maybe a third one later if everything goes according to plan. The first choice is that you leave immediately, in which case you’ll take no further losses.”

  Lieutenant laughed in response. At the same time, Officer Gordon and the remainder of his men arrived at the scene. Gordon himself sidled his mount up to Lieutenant En’s side.

  “Sir, we successfully eradicated the force attacking our backlines, but we took heavy losses.”

  “How many did we lose?”

  “About four hundred, sir.”

  Lieutenant En scowled, and felt a bit of regret. At least they’d cornered the enemy General — and he even seemed a bit delusional.

  Who did he think he was, telling them that they should retreat once he was cornered?

  Lieutenant En decided to humor Baron a bit. At the least, he’d be sooth the pain of losing so many of his men. He looked toward Baron again. “Oh? And what's the second option?”

  “The second option is my favorite, and I’m certain that this is the one you’ll pick.”

  “And what would that be?” En felt annoyed by Baron’s deliberate phrasing.

  “You can rush at me with all you've got, and I'll make sure to you all a proper burial.” Baron smiled with mocking intent.

  “Y-You dare to joke in such dire circumstances?” Officer Gordon shouted. As soon as this sentence left his mouth, En stopped him with a simple gesture and gave Gordon a dissatisfied glare.

  En turned back to Baron. “That's quite amusing, General Baron. Pray tell, how are you going to achieve this task? You are alone, against my entire c
avalry force. You’re as good as dead.”

  “So I take it you've made your choice, Lieutenant En?” Baron asked in an anticipatory manner.

  “Yes, I have.” Lieutenant En raised his hand. “All troops, heed my order. Bring me his head!” En slashed his hand towards Baron.

  Baron relished the view of over a thousand cavalry charging at him. He felt like a hero, standing alone against a seemingly unstoppable wave.

  It was at this moment that Lieutenant Ben rode out from the darkness to his side. “Sir, the preparations are complete. Give the order and we’ll massacre them.”

  “Don’t...say massacre. This is a battlefield, not a...nevermind. Command all troops, attack.”

  Suddenly, thousands of soldiers appeared out of the darkness, surrounding Lieutenant En’s troops.

  Originally, En’s army had been riding aggressively towards Baron, but suddenly they were now surrounded by thousands of cavalrymen, mounted archers, and between them and Baron, suddenly thousands of infantry had appeared.

  Lieutenant En shouted at the top of his lungs to command his troops. “All forces, stay on course and kill Baron! As long as we kill him, it’ll be worth it!” ”

  Baron shook his head. “Yue Fei is really unfortunate to have such a fool for a lieutenant. He’s actually trying to fight head-on instead of trying to break out?”

  Baron motioned with his right hand. “Shield troops, form a defensive blockade and wait for them to come to you. Infantry, you are to kill any cavalry that manage to make it through the blockade. Cavalry, form into three wedge formations, and flank the enemy from behind. Archers and mounted archers, fire into the mass at a forty-five degree angle from the fight. Err on the side of caution — we don’t want to shoot our own troops.”

  Under Baron’s guidance, the enemy offensive almost immediately crumpled. But, it would be hours until the battle slowly drew to a close. And it was only at the first light of day, that the results could be seen. Under Baron’s detail-focused leadership, his army had suffered minimal losses, whereas almost all of En’s troops had perished.

  Only four hundred of his cavalry remained, and even his second-in-command, Officer Gordon, had fallen. But, this wasn’t to say that his soldiers had given up. In fact, En’s troops only turned more and more savage as their comrades fell. Seeing this, Baron held a fist up in the air.

  It was time for the third option he’d prepared for Lieutenant En all those hours ago.

  “Cease fighting.” His troops instantly backed away, widening their encirclement of En’s cavalry, while En and his men warily glared at Baron, who slowly rode his horse towards Lieutenant En.

  All those present were confused. Just what did Baron want to do?

  En’s shoulders heaved as he panted from exhaustion. “What is the meaning of this?”

  “I'd like to cease your pointless struggle,” Baron said in an indifferent manner. “How about a trade?”

  “What kind of trade?” En felt incredibly suspicious of this “trade".

  “I don't care too much for killing, but I like winning. With this in mind, let’s make a deal. As long as you’re willing to be my captive, I’ll let your men go.”

  “Become a captive to save my men?” En was still skeptical. “A fair trade, but how can I trust you?”

  “I don’t believe you have a choice, Lieutenant.” Baron said after a small pause. “Either you give yourself up, or I kill you and your men, here and now.”

  “I...” En started before he stopped to weigh the pros and cons of each decision. He realized that no matter which option he chose, Baron would come out the winner. If he chose to become Baron’s prisoner, Baron could easily kill him and parade his head on a stick to the rest of Yue Fei's army. But if he refused, would his men fight for someone who’d just sent them to their deaths?

  Well played, Baron. Well played.

  “I think...” En inhaled deeply. “I think it's best if I hand myself over.”

  “Excellent choice, Lieutenant. Off your horse, hands behind your back. Baron ordered. “You there, tie him up with rope.”

  “Remember your promise.”

  “Don't worry, I won't go back on my word.”

  At Baron’s signal, all his troops backed off, allowing the four hundred soldiers to leave. At this point, after hours of fighting, they were simply glad that it was finally over.

  Baron sighed. At this point, he’d almost certainly won — but there were still some steps to go.

  He addressed his troops. “Everyone, let’s get back to camp. We’ll need to regroup with the others. After a few hours of rest, we’ll lay siege to the city again.”

  As the soldiers slowly began to trudge their way towards camp, Ben couldn’t help but approach Baron. “Can I ask, why did you let those men go?”

  “There’s a few reasons. For one, many of them had resigned themselves to fighting to the death. Such opponents are extremely dangerous, as they’ll fight without caring for their own safety. Furthermore, they’ll tell the other soldiers of my kindness. If we were to give them the option to surrender in the future, surely they’ll give the option a second thought. And that’s just the tip of the effects we’ll see — it’s a form of psychological warfare.

  “Either way, the city should fall within two days.”

  Chapter 10

  The Start of a Brotherhood

  That morning, Baron gave his men some time to rest before having them relocate their camp — it was better to be safe than sorry.

  As Baron overlooked the camp’s hustle and bustle, a blue button appeared in his vision. “Prompt enemy to surrender?” There was a “yes” and “no” button underneath. Baron hesitated for a moment before moving to hit the “yes” button.

  “I wouldn't if I were you.” A tied-up Lieutenant En spoke up.

  “Oh? How do you know what I'm about to do?”

  “I exist as part of the system, as an advisor to the General. As such, I know more than the average soldier.”

  “That's useful to know, but why shouldn’t I offer Yue Fei the chance to surrender?”

  “Prompting your opponent to surrender is akin to disrespecting your opponent. Losing a simulation isn’t a huge deal, but to willingly surrender when prompted to mean that you’ve lost the will to fight. To prompt them is to inform them that there’s nothing they can do, and you know it.”

  “I guess if an elder lost to a newcomer, and was taunted in this manner, that’d be very embarrassing for the elder, even if they were holding back.” Baron slowly retracted his hand from the button, and it disappeared from his sight. “Yue Fei’s just testing me, no point in making him an enemy. Say, En, is everyone here other than Yue Fei and me really just a character made by the simulation?”

  “Yes, why do you ask?”

  “I was just wondering how a simulation of this scale is even possible. I heard that battles can scale up to millions of people? I’ve seen my soldiers. Each is unique and free-willed. There aren’t even any duplicates amongst them. Just this single aspect of the simulation is decades, if not centuries, ahead of what we had on Earth. I'd really like to know how it was made.”

  Lieutenant En shook his head. “That, I’m not authorized to know.”

  Baron sighed. Perhaps he’d be able to find out in the future.

  ***

  In the city.

  Officer Mike stood before Yue Fei. “Sir. A status report has come in and the results are… unfortunate.”

  “It’s alright, just tell me. Since I haven’t been transported out of the simulation, Lieutenant En must have failed.”

  “Lieutenant En was taken as prisoner, so as to allow the survivor’s of our cavalry to return. And these men. Well, they’ve lost their fighting spirit. We even lost two officers. All in all, the excursion was a complete failure.”

  “Where are the men who returned?”

  “They’ve returned to their old barracks.”

  “Call all of them to one of the fields. I’ll be talking to them.
” Yue Fei had a clear frown on his face.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Yue Fei was no fool. As soon as he’d heard the briefing, he’d realized that Baron was employing psychological warfare tactics to rob his men of their will to fight.

  But he was too late — by the time the cavalry soldiers had been rounded up, too many rumors and stories of what had happened the night prior had already been spread.

  Yue Fei had lost the trust of many of his men, and why wouldn’t they doubt him? They’d struggled against Baron’s army even when they’d outnumbered him 2:1, and even had the advantage of being the defenders.

  But that had been somewhat fine, as they’d believed that their General was just waiting for a moment to strike. But now that Yue Fei had shown, and lost his hand, that was no longer a beacon of hope for them to look towards.

  Yue Fei himself was in a terrible mood. Even though he was just testing the newbie, and had purposely held back at the beginning of the simulation, he was still an elder, expected to completely wipe the floor with a newcomer.

  He could even lose his position on the council for this blunder. He’d spent over a thousand years climbing to his current position. His position on the council right now was very precarious.. Out of the hundred elder spots, he occupied the ninety-eighth seat.

  Was this his limit?

  ***

  There would be no fighting on the sixth day, but on the seventh…

  As the first rays of light touched the ground, thunderous footsteps could be heard from the city. Numbering over seven thousand strong, the attacking troops understood that their fighting force was twice that of the enemy’s.

  Their morale was sky-high as they split up into four groups, each to attack a different city wall. As Yue Fei had been commanding the Eastern wall, Baron stationed most of his soldiers and siege towers outside the Western wall. He sent then sent most of the rest to the Eastern wall, while only sending a small percentage of his forces to the other two walls.