Chapter 30: The Rout of the Puppet Troops

At this moment, no one yet knew what demonic terms Sakamoto of the Border Defense Corps had agreed to. In any case, public opinion abroad continued to ferment. When the entire world was buzzing with the news, the Yamato homeland was ironically the last to receive word.

"Lord Honda! What on earth is going on? Why is the whole world proclaiming that our army suffered a crushing defeat?" Marshal Tashita, a General of the Yamato Imperial Army, urgently called the Commander-in-Chief of the Guanbei Army, General Honda.

Tashita’s tone was measured; there was no hint of a superior scolding a subordinate. He was in a difficult position. The rank of Marshal was largely honorary; in terms of actual military rank, both he and Honda were full Generals. As the Commander-in-Chief of the theater army, Honda wielded immense power. Unless a major crisis occurred, even with the Emperor’s authorization, it was difficult for Marshal Tashita to exert dominance over him.

"This is nothing but absolute slander! Those despicable Rashians have fabricated the facts! It was merely a supply depot garrison; the headquarters of our 'Moss' Division is perfectly safe!" Honda ranted over the phone, claiming he could prove this and that.

Hearing this, Marshal Tashita felt he had a grasp of the situation. The death of several thousand elite soldiers was clearly true; after all, the regimental colors had been captured, and there were too many photographs of corpses to be fake. It was likely that a core supply depot of the Guanbei Army had been hit, and losing several thousand men along with so much ordnance was indeed a painful blow. But since the division headquarters remained intact, it proved the main force was safe. The Rashians had likely engaged in a bit of conceptual trickery.

Marshal Tashita replied, "Honda-kun, His Majesty and the General Staff Headquarters trust you. But in a matter like this, you cannot prove your own innocence. What you must do is secure a genuine victory. Make the Rashians pay, and humiliate them thoroughly."

"...Understood!"

This response was, in fact, correct. For instance, if rumors spread that a princess had been molested by a passing foreign vagrant, the true king should immediately move to annihilate the vagrant’s home country and kill everyone involved, rather than finding a bishop to certify the princess’s chastity. With thousands of elite 'Moss' Division soldiers dead, the Guanbei Army was in a position where, even if it wasn't actual filth, it certainly smelled like it. This was an issue that could not be explained away. In the current chaotic state of the world, whoever tries to explain themselves looks like a weakling, inviting more brutal beatings from enemy nations.

Consequently, a furious General Honda strictly ordered the subordinate forces of the Guanbei Army to attack. In this region, besides the Weiman state, there was only the Mongol Autonomous Territory.

This left Dewang, the leader of the Mongol Autonomous Territory, dumbfounded. To put it bluntly, this Mongol Autonomous Territory was merely one large tribe among dozens of Mongol tribes, cut from the same cloth as the Buryats and the Yakuts. It was only by leaning on the Yamato people that he had the credentials to engage in what they called an "independent state," hoping that he, too, could become a Khanate.

Forced by General Honda to launch an attack, Dewang was on the verge of tears. While he boasted of having nine cavalry divisions, in reality, except for the First Division, the rest were mostly composed of herdsmen. If each division could scrape together a thousand crude rifles, they were considered well-equipped. And by "crude rifles," we mean a motley collection of homemade firearms, including muzzle-loaders that required manual powder loading.

Their primary weapon remained the scimitar. Dewang knew better than anyone that at least four divisions of Rashian cavalry were scattered across these grasslands. Yet, even Dewang believed the news that the Yamato people had lost an entire Class-A division. He knew that if he didn't shed some blood, Honda would likely turn his guns and shoot him first.

Left with no choice, on the third day after the "total annihilation of the Moss Division," the "great army" of the Mongol Autonomous Territory heroically launched its attack.

This was an act of pure suicide. Because the information regarding Dewang’s assault was delivered to Zhang Shan’s desk immediately, thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Sakamoto, who was responsible for providing their logistics.

Zhang Shan called the leaders of the various Khanates one by one, essentially saying: "Didn't you all complain that I wouldn't provide you with equipment? Now is your chance. I’m not asking you to charge the Yamato bases. There are four Mongol divisions opposite you that barely have rifles. Go wipe them out. Whoever earns the most merit gets half a division’s worth of rifles."

Despite Zhang Shan having over a dozen cavalry divisions under his command, the quality of their equipment was appalling, and yet they constantly nagged him for more guns and pay. Ultimately, the Grand Duchy of Beria was like a lion king leading a pack of underlings to fight. If the lion king is powerful enough, the underlings are naturally ferocious.

Now that Zhang Shan had demonstrated his prowess as a lion king, his underlings were naturally envious. They wouldn't dare attack the Yamato, but when it came to a Mongol infighting, they were experts.

Thus, a great battle began. Barely twenty kilometers away from the Yamato supply lines, Dewang’s cavalry divisions encountered the main force of cavalry from several Khanates. There was no need for pleasantries; the two armies, far too familiar with each other’s combat styles, broke into a chaotic charge.

"Ura!"
"For the Eternal Blue Sky!"

All sorts of strange war cries filled the air. However, before the Mongol knights could swing their scimitars to claim heads, the Rashian-backed Khanate cavalry fired a round of volleys first.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Naturally, the accuracy of rifles fired while galloping at high speed was laughable. However, many of the Mongolians' short-legged horses had never heard gunfire before, and a full tenth of them panicked. Even though the marksmanship and the rifles of the Khanate knights were mediocre at best, having guns versus having none were two entirely different things.

Especially when the herdsmen of the Mongol Autonomous Army had zero experience facing firearms, their hesitation and panic were fatal. The Khanate knights, even if they weren't elite, had fired two rounds of rifle shots before the clash. The better ones managed to stow their Mosin rifles and pull out pistols to fire a few more shots. Even so, they shattered the greenhorn herdsmen of the Mongol Autonomous Territory at the very first contact.

In their terror, as the herdsmen saw the Khanate knights approaching, they actually tried to lean back to dodge slashes, only to be met with point-blank pistol fire. In the blink of an eye, the first row of herdsmen cavalry had almost all fallen.

This led directly to the collapse of the Mongol Autonomous Territory’s cavalry morale. They screamed in panic, pulling on their reins in an attempt to stop or turn their horses around, which only created even greater chaos. The Mongol puppet army was routed in just ten minutes.

Above, a Yamato reconnaissance plane flew by, the pilot almost unable to bear taking photos. "Those idiots are completely unreliable!"

The remainder of the battle was simply a pursuit across the grasslands. As dusk settled over the rapidly cooling plains, a surviving warhorse touched its warm muzzle to its master’s chest, which no longer rose or fell. A second later, a knight from the victorious Khanate cast a lasso and snared the horse.

"My treasure! From today on, you belong to me!" the knight laughed heartily.

On the other side, at the Guanbei Army headquarters, General Honda was so angry his liver ached. He slammed the receiver down and began to curse.

"Trash! All of them are trash! To have four divisions shattered in a single day—how can a piece of work like Dewang even have the nerve to ask the Imperial State to support their nation-building?"

General Honda did not know that if he hadn't pressured them, it might have been better. His insistence not only forfeited any potential auxiliary support but also solidified the inner resolve of Lieutenant Colonel Sakamoto at the prairie supply depot...