Firstborn: Return of the heir

Looking forward and ignoring the commotion raised by the insane amount of horsemen that followed him, Saulus could imagine himself taking a relaxing ride through a garden. With the rays of the rising sun coating the entire area in warmth, the blossoming plants that filled the plain between the forest and the city turned the location from a simple area to a poetic landscape.

Thinking about it… There was a chance this place might often be recalled in poetry written in the future…The wind was getting to Saulus’ head. Despite the relatively calm pace at which he was pushing forward, the wild gusts of wind were enough to spread his hair as if he was some kind of gryphon. However, the warmth of the sun caressed the skin of his face, and the pleasant smell of the flowers filled his nostrils.

And the sight of the city he was riding towards managed to turn this tranquil moment back into the bloody reality the general had known his entire life.

“Pace! Raise!”

Despite the relatively slow speed of the massive cavalry force that Saulus was personally commanding, it was impossible to have any discussion even with the soldier nearest to Saulus. Only by shouting the important words with long pauses in between gave his voice any chance at ever reaching the ears of the trumpeter.

But thankfully, it did. The herald riding right beside him raised his instrument before uttering three short and successive whistles, followed by another, longer one.

Soldiers under Saulus’ direct command were not the veterans that knew all the orders perfectly. They could follow the basic commands without any major problem, but anything beyond the scope of simple maneuvers would prove too challenging for them. Especially considering how only about half of Saulus’ horsemen were actually true cavalrymen!

The sound signal could do its own thing, but Saulus made sure to lead by the example as well. Tickling the sides of his loyal mount with his heels, he lowered himself over its neck. Now, the city in front was growing even faster.

In a few moments, Saulus’ mounted group managed to reach the back guard of the footsoldiers that advanced before them.

Ring, ring, ring…

With how close they were to the city now, the outcry of the local bell announced that their enemies were perfectly aware of their approach. It would have been strange if they managed to miss more than two thousand heavily armed legionaries calmly marching towards the city.

If not for Rena holding absolute power in the town, Saulus could even imagine a scenario where the defenders wouldn’t dare to believe that the star commander of the entire patriarch’s household was instilling a revolt, instead letting him inside the city with honors.

But there was no way for that sly fox to risk so much. Not with how much he hated Saulus for taking over the lands that he lost at court all those years ago. Not because he was cowardly when it came to using his resources. Because he was someone who took the meaning of being impulsive to an entirely different realm. And the first impulse anyone would feel when seeing a huge military force approaching would be to shut the gates, take up the swords and defend their home!

Even if it never was their home, to begin with.

“FASTER!”

After passing by a long column of the legionaries, Saulus shouted to his herald only to hear the same signal as before. Once again charging forward by himself, he could feel the distant calling of bloodlust. The instinct that kept him alive through so many of the battlefields he frequented in his past.

“ADVANCE!”

This time, the order was different. Sounding in the air as soon as Saulus passed by the front guard of his footmen, it resulted in the entire, huge cavalry force jumping at the greatest speed at which they could safely ride across the plain. With the road to their side keeping them on the track, it took Saulus and his men just a few moments to reach the direct proximity of the city’s west gate.

Which was obviously closed.

I wonder what they are thinking…With his entire force slowly grinding to a stop, Saulus looked at the line of walls. With many heads popping up from behind the fortifications and other kinds of cover, it was a wonder that no one dared to cast arrows at the dense crowd of Saulus’ cavalry.

I guess no one wants to draw the first blood…Thinking about this possibility, Saulus couldn’t help but smile. Even though the battle was now imminent, it wouldn’t be his job to cast the first injury upon his enemies.

“Engineers, engage!”

Saulus’ force didn’t stop right outside of the gates of the enemy city to test out the waters. He wasn’t as cold-blooded or naive enough to believe that standing motionlessly against a rain of arrows was a sign of courage that could demoralize the enemy.

And that meant, obviously there was another reason why his force stopped directly beside the city’s gate, right outside of the ideal range of the bowmen on its walls!

But from the perspective of the defenders, outside of a huge commotion that turned the attacking cavalry’s force into chaos, nothing else happened.

“Ride forth!”

Without the noise of hundreds of horses galloping on the ground, Saulus could use his normal voice to give orders. In fact, he was quite certain that most of the soldiers managed to hear his shout even before the triple note of the herald’s trumpet shook through the air.

And just like they all learned, Saulus’ men kicked the sides of their own horses before moving forth, along the walls of the city as if to taunt the enemy.

Taunt the enemy with the fact that while they were busy counting the hooves of their horses from the safety of the walls, a sixth of Saulus forces suddenly dismounted and turned the materials carried by the horses at the very back of the unit into a makeshift, crescent line of simple fortifications.

“Pace! Raise!”

The sound of Saulus’ repeated order disappeared within the noise made by the remaining portion of his forces. Thankfully, the sound of the trumpet managed to convey the message, speeding up the pace of the entire unit, all the while the men that remained on the ground continued to extend the barricade just outside of the danger zone.

And before the Mengian garrison could react in any way, the first company of Saulus’ footmen reached the barricade, suddenly turning it into a dangerously effective way of cutting the entire gate from use!

Then, Saulus’ force moved to the next gate, hiding the view of what was happening at the main axis of the attack from his eyes.