Varanasi camp
The army raised by Varanasi was majority undisciplined, as they were recruited from everywhere: slums, mercenary guilds, and criminal cells, you name it. They are presently painted as drunken warriors, which is a chaotic, depraved sight. On this cold night, the camp is filled with disturbing images of violence, inhumane treatment, and excess towards nonhumans. Winged people, half spiders and half snakes, are tortured ruthlessly, and winged people close to human body structures are often subjected to sexual assault at the hands of drunken soldiers. Laughter and rowdiness fill the air as the inebriated soldiers take whatever they please from the defenseless nonhuman women. It is a scene of unbridled anarchy and a reminder of the horrors of war from Terra if anyone from Cignus civilians and soldiers see this.
Under the cold breeze of night. In the tent of the general, he faced his trusted aide. Furthermore, before them are the shadow corps of the Empire. They're the assassins, and they double as the secret police of Valur. Which looks irritated at the same time due to the disturbing howl of drunken soldiers, chattering and singing bards.
"The monsters are gathering 170 kilometers south of Valur? What hope they can do? Preparing for a last stand or shelter from our army? Ridiculous."
"General... it's quite difficult to stretch our forces further, what should we do? With our small army, we can't clear the Mineas with just a meager ten thousand army."
"Truly, I already requested his grace, the Immortal Emperor to provide reinforcements here." Varanasi said while playing with his mustache as he gaze the moon shine bright on the darkness of the world. "Once we deal with Mineas, we shall move next to takeover Kashim, and the barbarians in the west. With that, we'll effectively controlling half of the continent... Prepare to send a detachment unit, move half of the knights to destroy them."
"Yes!."
The army, led by Varanasi, deemed the gathering troublesome and prioritized its elimination. However, unbeknownst to them, something creepily silent was flying at an ultra-high altitude, observing and sailing in the cloudless, dark sky.
_______
One of the few RQ-1 Predator medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial systems that have been sent together with the entirety of Cignus in another world is currently cruising at an altitude of over 10,000 meters above the cloudless night sky. These drones of Cignus are carefully checked over and over again, with numerous trials to prove their airworthiness and their credibility flying without GPS from satellites that lost contact the moment they were sent to another world.
The remote ground control system operators of Cignus, with the help of engineering battalions and technicians, barely put them in service to certify their worthiness and reduce the chance of operation lost during the mission.
It's one of the few means by which the province can project surveillance and reconnaissance missions beyond its borders. It slowly tilted to the right and returned back to Leipzig after completing its mission, completely unbeknownst to the Varanasi camp; none of them noticed it.
Yurken, Cignus
The next day, morning
"An estimated 11,000 armed men are currently spearheading the expansion in the Mineas Forest by the orders of General Varanasi with the decree of the Valurian Emperor Hashmal VI, burning anything to the ground, initiating mass genocide for non-humans, a possible human trafficking operation on the captured elves, and committing several heinous acts. We deemed after our brief meeting with the air force and intelligence office that they would likely going to attack any factions on their way, and likely our province too, so I am here to announce that we should intervene in this conflict. They are not known to be friendly with the natives in Mineas and the surrounding countries on this continent, the Valurians, without a second thought, will definitely attack us the moment they discover our existence."
My subordinates, all the Legrand military leaders, and other senior members of the state's political and social hierarchy gathered in the early morning for a meeting concerning a potential incoming threat from the Valur Empire up north. My secretary and double-duty military advisor, Nathan, which a former military officer before being discharged from service, had informed them that an unknown force was approaching the province from the north and that we should prepare for the possibility of a full-scale invasion. The meeting was serious with heavy atmosphere, and many of the attendees were tense about the repercussions that could come with an attack on our province. Despite the daunting task at hand, the group committed to working together to defend the land they called home and protect its citizens. Obviously, I'm standing here, passively waiting for my subordinates to give their opinion on how to counter them, and I'll just give my authorization or veto. Nevertheless, I'm presently scratching my head, not because of the threat but because of my embarrassing display yesterday.
"Governor, are you okay?" One of my subordinates worriedly asked, which made the people inside the room immediately look at me. They're probably curious about what happened to me, which made Nathan stop on his track.
"I'm alright, please continue." I smiled to assure them I am alright, they immediately resumed afterwards as I internally sighed.
That's fucking childish of me, I ran away from them? for no fucking reason? I want to bang my head to the wall real bad... Why did I run away from them?
I gritted my teeth in my contemplation. Then I clicked my tongue, annoyed and irritated, wondering why I had done something like that.
Calm down myself, let's forget it. Focus on our work, think about it later.
"Okay, let's continue," Currently, Nathan is presenting the recon photos. During the night, several hundred armored soldiers are presently moving towards Renvo, the village I visited yesterday. "We're presently expecting a possible armed encounter between our forces and those Valurian expedition units if we fail to establish contact with them, but even so, we also consider the factor that they won't consider us a major faction but rather a hindrance to their expansion and will likely attack us almost immediately, aim to destroy our province."
Well, it's already expected in the handbook. If I am in their shoes, I'm going to smash anything along the way and eliminate all the hindrances to my ambition, including the initiation of mass genocide so our people could settle on their lands, devoid of other civilizations. That's currently what they're doing: killing the original settlers, who were mostly non-humans, and stealing their lands to develop as their territories.
Nonetheless, they're an inferior civilization, and one of my divisions might be enough without air cover to take down their country. They're basically a medieval country, how could they possibly defeat a 21st-century civilization? Even if I factor in their magic, there's no way they could win against me.
"We should use the intimidation factor when contacting them."
"Do you want to declare war?."
"I said, for a country that's more savage than most of the neighboring civilizations back in time, I believe it's necessary action."
"We shall establish contact peacefully through diplomatic means."
"If that's the case, then we'll escort you with the best of our units."
Huh? They switched to argument mode, and the military officers and government officials bickered about how to take initiative on the problem. They all agreed that it was a serious problem, but they couldn't agree on how to fix it. The military officers argued that it was necessary to use armed means, while the government officials argued that it was more important to use peaceful means. They both had valid points, but the military officers tended to be more aggressive. The discussion of the problem and trying to find a solution. The military officers didn't like the plan, but they knew that the government officials were the experts on this topic. They immediately reluctantly agreed to establish peaceful means but were likely going to deploy a lot of assets from the moment of first contact with the Valurians. But if they asked me, I'd likely agree with their request, but I should be impartial here because many oppositions will likely converge the moment I show favoritism to the military. Also, if I do once again what happened in the first week with my initiative to deploy a large armed force without consulting everyone here, I'll likely going to have too many oppositions that I'd like to avoid having.
But worthy of note that my major opposition leaders are not opening their mouths. What happened? They're proactively opposing some of my aggressive and imperialist approaches in the first month of our transfer, but right now, none of them is joining the bickering? Let's ask them.
"Sir Kim, can you tell me your opinion about the possible armed conflict, and probable ways to solve it without bloodshed?."
The head of indigenous communities of the province and staunch opposition of the government have his lips curled into smile the moment I mentioned his name. "I believe I have nothing to say, governor, all of us already came to conclusion of having peaceful means as act of civilized country isn't?."
"That's not what I'm asking, I said, I'm asking about your opinions on the possibility of armed conflict and ways to solve it without bloodshed. Because I don't trust them to act as civilized and neither optimistic enough that they won't go murdering our envoys the moment they show their faces to them, you see."
"I see, you're asking for the worst-case scenario," He paused for a second, looking at me, before directing his attention to the ceilings. The people inside the room were also alternately looking at us. Before he finally returns his eyes to me. "I loathe to admit it, but you need to resort to armed intervention, as suggested by the military, to deter them from doing funny."
"Good," I nod and glance at the people inside. "Anyone who opposed establishing contact with a little bit more security than necessary?." I said in a cryptic voice that some look confused, not that I care, but nevertheless, some already have the same thought of me, I could send a few dozen soldiers to escort them for bare minimum defense, but 5 of them are flying supersonic jets, while 15 of them are presently driving three main battle tanks armed with oversized turreted cannons. Kim likely understands that too, so he has an exasperated expression. Well, honestly, a single main battle tank would be overkill.
"General Smith, how many men and material do you think would be enough to establish contact with those splinter forces heading to Renvo and force them to a peaceful concession?." I began to overly blunt here, no one really is opposing me from doing this, as the rumors about Valurian are playing a huge part in it, being too much of a jerk and an annoyance for everyone on the continent. That's why the majority of the people here are a bit hostile, but as government officials, we must consider the interests of the people of Cignus, thus trying to remain civilized by establishing contact through peaceful means first is standard procedure we ought to do because we can't ignore the fact we might be able to pull off a peaceful resolution, so why not? However, at the same time, I am cautious about possible repercussions if they go into savage mode and begin impaling my people here.
"From my opinion and the cultural, technological, and societal level of the Valur, they might lack knowledge of aerial warfare, let alone the very existence of aircraft, so escorting our envoys with helicopters or fighters might persuade them to be friendly rather than hostile, so we need to work the air force for this matter, Governor, and, of course, we will deploy some army special forces units to escort the envoys, and if push comes to shove, if the situation calls for it, we will also deploy battle tanks to protect them. No matter how many they are, no matter what kind of magic they use, no matter how fanatical they are, our army will triumph over them."
My general stood and began to give his opinion, which is reasonable. The Air Force's inception ideals of aircraft weren't invented until the late 19th century, which is at least 300 years ahead of the time on the Valur tech tree. So it should have a fairly large impact on people who are clueless about aircraft. Impressed, I grin for a sec but control myself not to look like an idiot once more.
"Big words, but I like it."
"Thank you very much."
"Coordinate with the Air Force," I paused for a second. "We will welcome them warmly, but if they are hostile, we will roast them in fire."
Be reasonable, folks, you don't want to piss off a modern 21st-century military. They'll steamroll you in a matter of weeks with meager numbers. I said it in my heart, as I don't want to be held responsible for the beginning of a large-scale, one-sided massacre spree with my army.
Somewhere north of Renvo
3 days later
Towering tree oaks, copses of birch, and dark evergreen pines rustled and swayed in the wind as a massive splinter force of Valurian army under Varanasi moved through the woods. The roar of hooves and clinking armor echoed through the forest, carrying with it a sense of menace and power. Amidst the thunderous clatter of the cavalry and the rattling of supply carts, small pockets of cloaked figures wound their way through the woods. These shadowy agents used their cloaking magic to disappear into their surroundings and silently stalk the massive army, seeking to protect it from harm. The warriors' swords and shields glinted in the sun, the air was filled with mounting anticipation, and the forest was alive with the presence of this powerful ancient army on the move.
Leading them was knight captain Guivani Von Valkhaus, a renowned knight from the military nobility of the Valkhaus earldom.
"Sir Guivani! Our great army shall purge the filth of Mineas and offer to the emperor today!."
"Tch, rather, aren't we being used by Varanasi as trash cleaners in this forest? I would rather fight in Kashim than kill some weaklings in this region."
"But we will have glory and wealth after this mission is concluded."
"Do you think Valkhaus was that cheap to only look for glory and wealth? I want fame too, a title—a name that will etch itself on every corner of the empire. It's too small, I want something bigger. Not only exterminating some disgusting nonhuman beings, killing dragons or something like slaying the president of Kashim personally."
"Lord Guivani, a messenger from vanguard unit is here."
The arrogant knights were sitting around discussing their glory and wealth when they received a messenger with urgent information. Both of their eyes squinted in annoyance. However, they caught the soldiers' strange attention, rather, their army was not advancing, they were standing still. Both of them noticed the peculiarity of the sudden event. They immediately turned to see a messenger bearing news of dire importance. He sprinted towards his officers, breathless.
"Hmm," Guivani scrutinized the army and opened his mouth. "Say the news."
"Lord Guivani! We encountered a strange army in front, they have armored chariots! I have never seen anything like it! They are armored chariots of unknown affiliation, but with cannons mounted above them, and they are advancing forth, heading towards our army! With the cover of men in..." The messenger said some lines with redundancy, while reminiscing the memory of gawking at the display in front of them in confusion. They cannot explain what they are seeing, only that it is unlike anything they have ever seen before. However, Guivani is confused about what they truly saw and annoyed at the same time, but as a knight, he can't be angry immediately, he should have patience.
"I heard about these armored chariots with cannons on them. So what's so special about it?." While it's certainly curious to have cannons on chariots, it's not really unusual for them. Why would the messenger be so upset and desperate about telling someone something not so special? Guivani raised his eyebrows on curiosity.
"They almost look like the armored landships of Callusia!."
Callusia, an empire considered the strongest in the known world. They are one of the few civilizations that use both magical and mechanical power to dominate the world, however, until three years ago, that was it. It fell against another unknown player that was already considered the world's strongest, but was eerily quiet after their victory against Callusia and the subsequent subjugation and annexation of all countries surrounding it.
"Landship? Are you sure?." Hearing that, Guivani couldn't help but felt suspicious.
"Undoubtedly Lord Guivani, and they use voice amplifying magic to communicate with us, they use Gallic language and Arthurian at the same time."
Guivani, with a questioning look, fell silent. He didn't know what to believe, so he decided to stay still. He thought about the pros and cons of attacking and communicating with the unknown force. However, the Emperor decreed the extermination of nonhumans, and the Varanasi policy of eliminating anything in the way is hindering him from making peaceful contact. He weighs it one more time and decides that attacking is the only option, he can't choose anything other than attacking, if one word he chose to defy their orders, it will have his head physical fly, it's basically one-sided, and his sole option.
"How large are they?."
"15 armored chariots... Landships, and as many as 40 noticeable men in dirty barbarian clothing."
"Tell the mages to prepare to pull magic attack on chariots and have the calvary gear on to attack those barbarians covering their sides, make sure to capture prisoners alive."
"Yes, my Lord!."
However, at that very moment, the air turned and felt very thick and oppressive to Guivani, a chill running down his spine as he stepped into the unknown, abnormally dangerous place. It's one of the abilities he inherited from his long bloodline of warriors, the ability to feel incoming death. He can't simply explain the growing sense of dread in his stomach. The silence of the room was almost tangible, a feeling of unease that couldn't be shaken. He was certain he was onto something, but what? He couldn't tell. He took a deep breath, steeled himself, and was determined to get to the bottom of this. "What in Astarte?" He anxiously murmured. Is it right to attack them? He thought.
Vanguard force
The medieval army of hundreds of knights and regular foot soldiers halted at their feet, uncertainty etched all over their faces for some time since their encounter with the unknown, however, ahead of them, they saw an unknown force of colossal proportions, 10 T-72 main battle tanks and 6 BTR-80 slowly moved forward, positioning strategically, and together with their side, multiple camouflaged infantry slowly moved forward. With no orders forthcoming, they stand frozen in fear.
Alarmed by this unexpected encounter, the main army halted, unsure of what was happening. As the vanguard force tried to piece together what was taking place, it was yet to be enlightened that the mysterious force was from the 21st century and had managed to blend in with their expertly camouflaged uniform, and it was too late to discover it until the very last minute. Both forces remained still for some time, for fear of a prolonged standoff etching on the medieval soldiers' faces on the armored beast on the front, until it was determined that this strange force posed no immediate threat, they even tried to communicate peacefully with voice amplifying magic. However, it's still nerve-wracking on their side.
The air filled with tension and anxiousness was blown off the moment drumbeat rang out. A four consecutive heavy beats, which only means one thing, prepare for the war. Soldiers stood ready, preparing to launch their attack. Each of them moved urgently into formation, with some taking positions on the left while others set up on the right. Swords drawn, they readied themselves for the coming fight.
With little to no warning, their officers stood in front and shouted. "Charge!." In queue, they moved forward like an avalanche, charging towards the unknown formation ahead. Arrows, magic bolts, and projectiles whizzed on the Legrand Armed Forces, they poured down mercilessly on the unsuspecting foes who came for peace, fortunately, noticing their impending attacks, they immediately hid behind their tanks before the attacks took full effect, evading the worst casualties. Nevertheless, there were casualties as a result of the fierce surprise attack.
However, almost instantaneously. The unknown forces——armored chariot cannons, swivels to the vanguards position. Then, the stream of hell fire was unleashed. The sound of 125mm, 37mm, squad automatic weapons, and rifles of the Legrand army immediately roared to life, firing in unison was like thunder clapping in the sky. The gaping maw of the battlefield was illuminated by the glare of the flash of fire and the flames of barrels spitting thousands of leads, high explosive rounds, multitude of shrilling high caliber ammunition, and the churning clouds of white smoke created by the burning ammunition made the atmosphere seem even more oppressively hot.
Almost in a split second, bullets and cannon shells landed on their targets, shredding their enemies, tearing through their ranks, shattering their fragile bodies, and blowing them into smithereens. The ground trembles beneath an onslaught of bullets and cannon shells as enemies fall and their lives are extinguished by the cruel power of war. Even the bravest of souls fell in terror at the sound of lead tearing through flesh and bone. The air carries with the piercing screams of the wounded and the acrid smell of gunpowder. Bodies pile up like mountains of broken and bloody pieces of flesh scattered across the battlefield. For some, the pain of their wounds is mercifully brief, while others linger in agony and wait for the merciful act of death. The landscape is turned into a vision of hell, ripped and torn beyond recognition, until nothing remains but smoke, blood, and chaos.
Tanks, armored fighting vehicles, and infantry ruthlessly continued to return fire, the vanguard force was quickly overwhelmed. The knights are no match for the strength and firepower of the tanks, and soon they are slaughtered. The large caliber cannons, autocannons, and machine guns cut down their numbers at an astonishing rate. The piecemeal vanguard force can do nothing to halt the overwhelming force of the tanks, and soon, as the Legrand army main battle tanks advance, they crush any corpse under the treads of the 50-ton machines. The battlefield began to littered with the bodies of the medieval soldiers, who were unable to stand up to the might of the remnants of the Legrand Armed Forces, fully demonstrating how fearsome a modern-day military would be if pitted against medieval forces.
Within 2 minutes, over 100 knights and regular footmen were killed in just less than 2 minutes. One of their best forces was almost destroyed, unable to retaliate or maintain any semblance against the unknown forces claimed to be the envoys of Cignus. In the place of their former vanguard force, which was littered with smashed flesh, gore, bones, and intestines, they were torched and torn apart by the immense firepower of their foes. Craters and fires are scattered all the way there, and the ear-splitting roar of cannons and the uninterrupted clap of small-caliber fire continued to resound in the region.
Almost a quarter of the detachment army was destroyed, and fear permeated immediately on the main force of the unit led by Guivani.
The soldiers could see the smoke rising from the vanguard in the distance, it's the aftermath of the one-sided massacre by the Legrand forces, under the order of the Cignus Provincial Office, originally ordered to establish peaceful contact but now is out for blood. The sun was blocked out by the ominous wall of dark plumes of smoke, and fire began to spread. The air was heavy with dread and the noise of war. One by one, the soldiers stepped forward. Hearts pounded and palms sweated against the main battle tanks, crushing the corpses of their dead comrades with treads in the distance. Each unwilling step brought them closer to the unknown force of overwhelming power and be subjected to the inhumane, undignified death of being crushed by tanks tread into a rag of gore and blood. In a nutshell, a horrifying sight.
They wanted to run, but their pride as one of the elites and orders decreed by the Emperor and General Varanasi hindered them from escaping while their tails tucked pathetically, keeping them from turning back. Despite the danger, they braved on, the anticipation of death growing with every passing second. Still, even without the orders from Guivani, they marched on, knowing that whatever fate awaited them, it was better than a coward’s dishonorable existence, but they became hesitant at the horrible sight of the unknown foes marching and trample their fallen comrades, they would rather be branded as cowards than be crushed in the tanks' treads.
The odds were against them. With shaking hands, they drew their swords and surged towards the battlefield with a single chant of defiance. They let out a war cry. "FOR THE EMPEROR!"
Detecting the main force attempting to push a suicidal frontal attack, the T-72 main battle tanks and BTR-80 accelerated towards the uneven terrain and fired unrelenting firepower against the smothered war cry of the knights echoing in the air as they advanced, knowing that their lives could be taken at any moment by the ridiculous amount of firepower poured by the other worldly war machines.
In the minutes that followed, the sound of gunfire, explosions, shouts of defiance and pain, and cries of anguish filled the air. When the smoke cleared, the ridge was littered with the corpses of the fallen knights. They had given their lives to an unequal and unchivalrous death.
Almost all of the knights were killed, a few dozens miraculously survived, and those who opted to surrender themselves survived the first day of infamy for the Valur Empire.
It's just the beginning.
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I don't know, it's kinda rush. But it will conflict with my next chapters if I extend it unnecessarily and drawing too much unnecessary spoilers for the end of vol. 1
There are no aircrafts, as opposed to what Oliver said, but nevertheless I will explain in the next chapter or next next chapter.