Under Unit Commander Duan's command, his army began preparing for the engagement. They created a general's post in the rear, set up basic defenses, and armed themselves. The hundred thousand strong army prepared for battle! It was quite a majestic and heart-stopping scene to behold. It was an unbelievable concentration of destructive potential! Thirty minutes was not much, but the army was well-trained and disciplined. They finished preparations and assumed their formations. Eight divisions, five thousand each, would take the left and right wings for a total of forty thousand. They would be responsible for holding the main line. Six divisions would then form three wedges to break through the center line. Finally, the last six divisions would be the reserve force, intervening as necessary. They guarded the general's post. This was the basic structure that Unit Commander Duan and his officers deployed. Once everything was done, the man signaled the attack! The army advanced!
As a greeting, the kingdom's army released volley after volley of arrows to whittle down the empire's forces as much as possible. Naturally, the empire did the same and the skies were briefly clouded in a storm of death. However, the effects were minimal. The kingdom had barrier Arcanists, while the empire had shield coverage. Neither side lost many in the exchange. Finally, the two sides collided in a monstrous clash of flesh and metal! Their screams could drown out the heavens! To counter the empire's strategy, the kingdom had adopted a three-deep line structure. It required incredible discipline and organization to execute, but it could soften the blow a wedge would inflict. At the same time, the kingdom's army performed a controlled retreat to bait the empire in. It was a very standard counterstrategy.
The only problem was that Unit Commander Duan anticipated it. He immediately sent the three wedges through the center line to shatter the enemy formation. The thirty thousand soldiers then ripped through and penetrated deep into enemy lines. It was a brutal strike! The empire's left and right wings followed closely afterwards to push in a larger wedge formation. The kingdom continued to retreat, while attempting to curve their formation around the empire's wedge. Sadly, the increased pressure from the central line forced them to limit their extension on the wings. The fighting was intense at the center, but minimal elsewhere. This awkward stalemate lasted for some time. Unit Commander Duan was not particularly bothered since he knew it was a delaying tactic. After two hours, the wedges finally broke through the final line and divided the kingdom's army!
The wedges then bloomed into two curtains that blocked the kingdom's retreat, while the left and right wings charged forward to secure their prey. If they succeeded in closing their formation, then they could split and isolate the kingdom's army. The empire could then take their sweet time to thoroughly divide and annihilate their enemies! Things looked dire. At this point, the kingdom's reserve forces acted. Several thousand cavalry took to the fields to swarm the now-fragmented wedges. In addition, the kingdom's second and third lines reprioritized their attacks behind to crush the enemy forces. It was turning into a reverse pin! Unit Commander Duan sent his calvary to intercept the enemy cavalry, causing a large mounted battle to ensue.
Now that both sides were thoroughly entangled, the battle had finally entered the last stage! The general smiled and sent his reserve forces in. It would be the finishing blow! Fifteen thousand went to the left flank, while another fifteen thousand went right. They circled around the battle and reinforced the rear, thereby closing the encirclement. It took three hours, but the kingdom's fate was sealed. The battle was over! The officers began applauding the momentous victory, while Unit Commander Duan laughed. Truthfully, the kingdom put up more of a fight than he expected, but unfortunately, they were outnumbered and outmaneuvered. However, that was war. There was no such thing as honor in battle. War was beautifully brutal, yet fair. You win and you live. You lose and you die. It was that simple! The kingdom only had themselves to blame for their failure. Sadly, the empire's celebration was rudely interrupted by a scout shouting to report in. The officers had half a mind to skin the poor soldier.
"What is it?"
"We've spotted two large enemy forces approaching from the north and the south! They should be reaching our forces in less than thirty minutes!"
"Who do they belong to?"
"Is it the Li Family? But that shouldn't be possible…"
"It's the kingdom, right?" Unit Commander Duan asked knowingly. The simplest and most direct method to prevail over a superior force was to capture their general. It was basic strategy. Moreover, the current situation created the perfect opportunity, since the empire's camp was defenseless, and their forces were entangled in battle. A decisive strike here would have immense consequences! It might even have been the kingdom's plan from the very beginning. That said, he remained calm. He continued, "Tell me their numbers and locations."
"Yes, the northern force is arriving through the Lu Road, and the southern force is arriving through the Zhu Road. Both forces are…" the scout hesitated. "They're estimated to be similar in size to the current force we're fighting!"
"What do you mean similar in size? Are you sure about this?" the officers doubted their ears.
"Yes, we've confirmed it."
"But that's impossible! The current force we're fighting should be their entire army in the northern front. We know that they had a total of one hundred and ninety thousand to field and that they sent a hundred thousand to Guanhuang. Even if they abandoned the southern front, that would, at most, give them ninety thousand to the northern front. So where did all these people come from?" an officer panicked.
"Calm down!" another officer shouted. "We can still handle ninety thousand. Unit Commander Duan, I suggest we switch to a defensive strategy, collapse our formation, and begin a controlled retreat. A three-way pin could be dangerous. We can also inform the southern front that their side is undefended. They could apply pressure on the kingdom that way. What do you think?"
"Any orders from Unit Commander Haea?" Unit Commander Duan wondered.
"Not since yesterday."
"What if this is a ruse to trick us into believing they have more people than they actually do?"
"Do you want to gamble on that chance?" He glared at the officer.
"No, I…" the officer shriveled.
"Good. These are my orders: recall the reserve forces and have them reinforce the Lu and Zhu Roads. The cavalry will support once their fighting has concluded. The main army will adopt a straight line formation. We'll begin retreating towards the Zhang Point. At the same time, contact Guanhuang about the developments. Request an update from all fronts and further orders!"
"We'll take considerable casualties doing this though," another officer frowned. Thirty minutes was not enough time to conclude their current battle meaning the chance of a counterattack was high. It seemed like a shameful first battle for their forces…
"A small sacrifice for the greater good. Do it," Unit Commander Duan ordered.
"Understood!"
Orders were issued quickly, and the army soon shifted. The reserve forces disengaged from combat, while the wedge formations joined the wings. The wings then switched from a concave formation to a defensive straight line formation. In the process though, they opened the encirclement and allowed their enemies the chance to retaliate. This was where the kingdom's Arcanists did something unexpected. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Arcanists conjured Magic Circles, unleashing a rain of fireballs in the empire's path. The ensuing rise in temperature melted the snow and created a slushy mix of mud and ice. It instantly transformed into a quagmire, slowing the army's movements. It was a critical blow! Although the reserve forces stalled the incoming enemies on the roads and the empire's cavalry routed the enemy's, the main army was too slow to retreat. The kingdom kept the pressure and focused their assault on the main army. A fierce battle broke out once more!
Unit Commander Duan cursed because he realized he fell for the kingdom's trap. If he continued retreating with the reserve and cavalry, then he would be abandoning the main army. That was seventy thousand soldiers! They could not be lost. Therefore, he changed plans and stopped the retreat. This allowed the main army to catch up, but also their enemies. The kingdom then pinned the empire aggressively from three sides. It was pure chaos! However, the kingdom could not completely encircle or block their retreat. Casualties mounted rapidly from both sides, but the empire suffered more, especially in terms of morale. It took five hours and nightfall for the kingdom to end their attack. The kingdom had won the northern front!