Chapter 23: Revolt of Hadrianus (II)

First, let us examine the differences between Hercule's forces and Hadrianus's forces.

The most striking difference laid in their numbers. Hercule held the numerical superiority, though it wasn't quite a twofold difference—the gap could easily be bridged with the right commander, troops, weather, and terrain.

Next were the differences in their army compositions.

In terms of ranged troops, Hercule had 9,600 longbowmen under his command, while Hadrianus had 2,000 crossbowmen. Here, Hercule held the numerical advantage by a wide margin. His ranged units were far superior since they could fire much more rapidly.

Next were their infantry corps. Hercule led a mixed force of 19,000 including pikemen and halberdiers; whereas Hadrianus commanded 20,000 infantry. However each of his soldiers held a different kind of weapon, there was no uniformity whatsoever.

Although Hercule had fewer troops, the gap was trivial enough to be written off as a measurement error. When you factor in the quality of their weapons, their homogeneity, their individual skill, and morale, Hercule's infantrymen were way superior.

Lastly, we have the cavalry units. Hercule was accompanied by 9,600 clibanarii heavy cavalry, while Hadrianus had under his command 8,000 Bulgaroni nomadic light cavalry as well as 2,000 cavalry of his own, for a total of 10,000 cavalrymen.

Here the number difference was also in the margin of error. As for the difference in skill… that was difficult to tell.

Hercule's clibanarii were certainly the cream of the crop; it was no exaggeration to say that they were the best heavy cavalry force in the whole continent. But the Bulgaroni nomadic light cavalry in Hadrianus's service were also the best among the best. After all, they were warriors born in the saddle, highly adept at mounted archery.

Hadrianus's personal 2,000 cavalry could safely be taken out of the equation. They were mere "wannabe" cavalry—no more than rich men who could afford to ride horses.

Then, it was clear that this battle would ultimately be decided by cavalry action. Hadrianus's only hope of victory laid with his mounted units; and the defeat of Hercule's cavalry was not out of the question.

And when one side won the cavalry engagement… they would be able to flank the other side's infantry. At that point, the outcome would be settled.

Therefore Hercule decided to make the first move. He "eliminated" the enemy cavalry from the playing field.

More specifically… he bought off the Bulgaroni.

For three days, Hercule's and Hadrianus's armies squared off without making any move. Hercule's troops did not respond to the taunts coming from Hadrianus's side and stood firm in their fortified position.

Hercule had no intention of giving in to Hadrianus's cheap provocations—before the current negotiation was concluded.

"Welcome, young Bulgaroni general."

Hercule said in the Bulgaroni tongue to the young man in front of him—though the man was, in fact, older than Hercule himself. Not expecting the Lemurian Emperor to know the Bulgaroni language, the young man widened his eyes in surprise.

Hercule had invited a Bulgaroni cavalry leader to his camp. He secretly sent an envoy to tell the Bulgaroni that he wanted to negotiate, and they responded.

…If the other party agrees to talk, that means they must be looking to negotiate as well. When the other party has come to the negotiating table, the outcome is all but decided.

"My, how courteous… Where did Your Majesty learn the Bulgaroni tongue?"

"A tutor in the Bulgaroni language is not so difficult to find. As the Emperor, of course I have to learn the language of our dear friend and ally—the Bulgaroni nation."

Hercule intentionally emphasized some specific words. Bulgaroni people were very weak to that. Though the Bulgaroni general remained calm, there was a hint of impatience in his eyes.

The treaty between Lemuria and Bulgaron could be summarised into four points:

Mutual non-aggression, both sides agreed not to pillage each other's domains.

Trade agreement.

When requested, Bulgaron must send troops to support the Lemurian Emperor.

The Lemurian Empire would pay a fixed annual tribute to Bulgaron.

With this treaty, the two countries more or less established a friendly relationship. At first glance, it might seem that the Empire had only bought a temporary peace with Bulgaron… but things weren't so straightforward.

The most important point of this treaty was the trade agreement.

Nomads could not survive without farmers.

Obviously, sheep meat and mare milk alone could not provide sufficient nutrition. Nomadic peoples required grain and other living necessities produced by settled peoples who engaged in agriculture.

And the only way to acquire those things was through trade. Of course, they could simply plunder what they needed… but there was a limit to it and a lot of risks were also involved.

And raiding Lemuria was tantamount to declaring war on the Empire.

Bulgaroni people were of a mighty stock, they could win ninety-nine battles out of a hundred. But if that one battle, the hundredth one was lost, then it would mean defeat for the Bulgaroni Kingdom.

On the other hand, Lemuria was weak. Losing ninety-nine battles out of a hundred was not inconceivable. But just winning that final battle and the Lemurian Empire would emerge triumphant.

Bulgaron with a population of less than two million, and Lemuria with a population of a little over ten million. The difference in national strength was evident.

And most importantly, Hercule himself was a force to be reckoned with. That he defeated Darios was the greatest proof.

The Bulgaroni did not want to make war with Hercule. Why were they in cahoots with Hadrianus, then? That's easy to explain. Hadrianus wasn't the only dunce here, there were idiots among the Bulgaroni as well.

The Bulgaroni knew that Hercule wanted to wage wars to restore lost territories. Their real motive in this war was to oust him from power. What's more, if the Bulgaroni made Hadrianus owe them for placing him on the throne, trade would go smoothly in the future. With such a rationale, they carelessly took the bait.

Also, the Bulgaroni were deceived partly because of how full of himself Hadrianus was.

"General, I'm willing to overlook the current situation."

"…Overlook?"

"Yes. Our nations are friends. Your people had only mistakenly wandered into my land, had you not?"

Hercule grinned at the Bulgaroni general.

"T-Then…"

"The treaty binding our nations together must be maintained. I ask you to depart at once."

"…We are grateful for Your Majesty's kindness."

"Think nothing of it. Making magnanimous and unilateral concessions is expected of the Lemurian Emperor."

The general's expression turned sour. With this event, Hercule had made the Bulgaroni owe him a huge debt.

Thus Hercule managed to get rid of 8,000 cavalrymen from the battlefield without losing a single soldier. The outcome of the battle was all but decided.

This is a digression, but…

Later on, the general would forever regret.

That time, if he had braved the dangers and fought, he might have been able to defeat Hercule—the brutal Emperor who would become known as the "Bulgaroni Slayer" in the not-so-distant future.

"I knew I couldn't trust those barbarians!! Traitors, every last one of them!! Why, why!!!"

Hadrianus was making a racket. But the Bulgaroni had already sensed their unfavorable situation and ran away, and they would not come back.

And Hercule was waiting for him.

No longer had to act evasive, Hercule led his troops out of their encampment and lined them up for battle.

…Even if Hadrianus was at a severe disadvantage, he had no choice but to come out and fight.

"Calm down, I have God's blessing. I am worthy of becoming the Emperor, the angel Jibril had said so. Surely, I will emerge victorious."

Finally realized what a mess he had gotten himself into, Hadrianus shivered as he prayed to God.

…He was better off not knowing that the woman who appeared in his dream was neither God nor an angel, but a demon.

Not knowing that was his only good fortune.

Admittedly, Hadrianus was a very determined individual.

"…That's why I said rebelling against His Majesty the Emperor wasn't a good idea…"

Oskar Almon, the man with swarthy skin, knew that Hercule's victory was inevitable. He also knew Hercule's true aim. He knew that if Hercule succeeded, many people including himself would die.

Oskar knew it all. Therefore, he…

"I have to make a move, I might at least be able to save my own skin and my subordinates."

Oskar chose to fight not a winning battle, but a battle that could not be lost.

He did not know that this decision would end up massively altering his own destiny.