In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 57 The Leu Non-Aggression Pact, A Clash Between Knight and Steel

A few days later, one morning, the Qasimir people awoke as usual and began their new day.

But just as the people of Kasimir were enjoying their breakfast and reading their newspapers, the front pages of all the newspapers immediately caught their attention.

The newspaper headline, printed in bold, read: "Laetnia and Ursus Sign Non-Aggression Pact."

The first reaction of all the Kazimierz people upon hearing this news was confusion.

Why did Letania and Ursus, which do not share a border, sign a non-aggression pact?

But just as this strange thought arose, a terrible possibility followed.

[Since Letania and Ursus have agreed not to invade each other, which country will they ultimately invade?]

[Would this make the two countries border each other?]

The answer to this question is self-evident.

Kazimir is the only obstacle standing between the two powerful nations!

Soon, even more unsettling news arrived.

More than half a month later, two army groups from Ursus that had previously retreated to Ursus after being "defeated by the valiant Silver Spear Pegasus" re-established their positions on the border between the two countries.

Faced with the immense threat posed by the two Ursus army groups, this time, not only the civilians of Kazimir, but even the Kazimir high command were terrified.

Historically, there has been constant friction between Kazimir and Ursus, with Kazimir suffering more defeats than victories.

They even had to relinquish sovereignty over some territory in exchange for the Ursus Legion temporarily ceasing their attack.

[It wasn't until the "Great Rebellion" broke out within Ursus, and the two major army groups returned to Ursus to suppress the rebellion, that they were able to seize back these lands.]

Now, they face the Ursus Army Group, which is once again pressing in with a large force.

The Kazimir leadership finally recalled the fear they felt during the fierce attack by the Ursus Army.

What made them even more desperate was the presence of Letania, which was also eyeing them covetously from their southeast.

When they learned that Letania had amassed an army of over 100,000, they finally realized the gravity of the situation.

An army of over 100,000 is an almost impossible mobilization capability on the continent of Terra.

The Ursus Empire, the most warlike of all nations, whose sole purpose was war, had only eight army groups, boasting an army of 300,000 men.

For other countries, being able to mobilize an army of tens of thousands of people is absolutely a major war that can determine the fate of the nation.

If 100,000 men were to be gathered, it would likely be for a war to defend the motherland.

[Moreover, this group inevitably included a large number of farmers and civilians who had not received professional military training.]

But none of this is difficult for you.

Your conscription system, which surpasses all other nations in Terra, allows almost all Letanians to become your soldiers, greatly enhancing the nation's mobilization capacity.

Even without entering a wartime state, the nation's military factories have enough stockpiles to arm all army groups, with surpluses remaining.

You are already prepared for this great battle.

[But you won't give the Kazimierz leadership time to prepare.]

Having detained the diplomatic ambassador sent by Qasimir for negotiations, you have decided to launch a full-scale offensive against Qasimir.

[With the assistance of Liselotte and several maids, you donned your imperial robes for the first time and donned the crown crafted by artisans.]

You hold a scepter symbolizing authority in one hand and a book symbolizing knowledge in the other.

You have reached the very top of the tower.

From there, you can take in all the sights of Trinityl.

From your vantage point below, tens of thousands of armed guards, dressed in crisp uniforms, stand in perfect formation, their discipline impeccable, their commands absolute!

There they were, waiting expectantly for the edict of their revered emperor.

And you gave a final pep talk to these soldiers who were about to go to the battlefield.

"Gentlemen."

"The opportunity to wash away our past shame has finally arrived."

"It is time to make all our enemies realize their folly and weakness."

"Let these people of Kazimierz, whose minds are stuck in the past, feel your power. Let us use the sound of gunfire to tell them that we are no longer what we used to be!"

"From this day forward, glory belongs to us, and victory belongs to us."

"Our achievements will live on forever!"

"For victory!"

"For victory!!" XN
The fervent salutes from over 100,000 soldiers, both inside and outside the city, shook the entire city of Triintelme, and indeed, the whole of Letania.

These valiant warriors are about to march onto the battlefield they have long awaited, to begin the largest war in Terra's history!

……

"Hey, do you guys think the Leitanian army is really coming?"

Late at night, outside the city of Tsvonek, in a trench that had already been dug, a knight on night watch couldn't help but speak uneasily to his companion.

In response, the knight who had been spoken to scoffed and then dismissively replied:

"What? You're a new recruit? Is this your first time fighting against Letania?"

"I just graduated this year and officially enlisted in May."

The new recruit knight replied somewhat nervously:

"Then, senior, do you think the Leitanian army will come?"

"I heard that Letania has amassed an army of over 100,000. We only have 20,000 stationed here. Can we hold out?"

"--A hundred thousand troops? More like a hundred thousand peasants who took up arms and went to the battlefield."

The person who struck up the conversation was clearly a veteran who had clashed with Letania many times before.

The veteran's tone was full of disdain as he replied indifferently to the Leitanian army:

"Don't worry, new recruit. I've been stationed on this border for ten years. How could I not know what the Leitanian army is like?"

"Aside from their group of sorcerer gentlemen who play instruments and violins, who might give us a headache, the quality of the Letanian soldiers is far inferior to ours."

"Even you, if you just plug your ears, you might be able to capture a few Letanians—by the way, did you bring the earplugs that were issued upstairs with you?"

"Is it this one?"

The recruit opened his palms, revealing a pair of specially made earplugs that he had been holding in his hands.

"That's it," the veteran nodded and said.
"When the time comes, if you find a group of people with musical instruments on the battlefield, put these on."

"The sorcerer groups of Letania like to start by using a group spell to distract us, and then launch a surprise attack on us during that time."

"If a real fight breaks out, put on these earplugs. You won't be able to hear anything except the bugle calls and cannon fire."

"I see. Senior knows more."

The new recruit nodded approvingly upon hearing this, and immediately took off his helmet to experience the effects of these special earplugs.

And sure enough, when the recruits put on their earplugs, all the surrounding noise disappeared almost immediately.

He couldn't even clearly hear the words of the veteran who was standing right next to him, pointing at him and saying something.

For a moment, apart from the occasional muffled rumbling sound, he seemed to be cut off from all other sounds.

...Wait, what's that muffled rumbling sound?

what is that?
For a moment, the recruit, thinking he had misjudged the situation, stood frozen in place.

Soon, it wasn't just the muffled rumbling sound; the recruits began to feel the ground beneath their feet begin to tremble slightly.

It was as if... some enormous beast was slowly closing in on them. And the next second, before the recruit could react, the veteran in front of him suddenly pounced on him like a madman!

The intense impact of the armor sent the recruit flying.

His earplugs also came out of his ears due to the impact.

That's why he was able to hear the deafening explosion!
"boom!!"

The powerful impact and explosion nearly knocked the recruit unconscious.

After several minutes of calming down, the recruit finally managed to come to his senses.

But at that moment, the old soldier who was pressing down on him and knocking him to the ground made it difficult for him to get up on his own.

"Senior? Senior?"

The recruit tried calling out a few times, but he quickly realized that the veteran who had been chatting with him just a minute ago was already dead.

Only then did he notice that the lower half of the veteran who had tackled him had been almost completely destroyed by the explosion, leaving only a pool of blood flowing on his armor.

But the recruit didn't even have time to mourn or grieve.

The ground trembled slightly again.

And he heard it again, that familiar roar.

The roaring sound became countless times clearer, allowing him to pinpoint the direction of the artillery fire based on the sound source.

As the recruit instinctively turned his gaze toward the source of the sound, he was once again stunned by what he saw.

In the dark sky where even the moon and stars were invisible, a row of neat "shooting stars" streaked across the sky.

The "meteors" were all crimson in color, like the light emitted by those dangerous and unstable Originium.

And that "shooting star," right before his eyes, flew lower and lower, closer and closer...

He finally recognized it when the "meteor" flew close to the position!
That was not a shooting star.

That was a projectile made from the most dangerous Originium, powerful enough to destroy everything!

And I am the next one to be destroyed.

Unfortunately, by the time he realized this, it was too late.

"boom--!!"

"Third group! Load!"

Ten kilometers from the Kasimir front, the artillerymen of Armored Army Group A were following their commander's orders and carrying them out methodically.

At the command of the artillery commander, hundreds of newly manufactured "first-generation Originium howitzers" were once again loaded with ammunition.

"Get ready, let go!"

"boom!"

The roar of hundreds of cannons firing simultaneously sent dust flying and made the earth tremble!
This is similar to the mortars favored by the Ursus Army Group, but with a longer range and more terrifying destructive power.

The destructive power of this newly produced artillery is like taking the defensive cannons of a mobile city and using them for offensive purposes!
Under another round of shelling, the unprepared Kazimir Line was once again subjected to a barrage of artillery fire.

Wailing, pain, blood, despair...

Countless knights and warriors, wielding silver spears and riding steeds, died under this sudden barrage of fire before they even had a chance to don their armor or pick up their weapons.

This attack, which came without warning, plunged the front lines in Kazimir into chaos.

No one knows how long this terrifying bombardment lasted.

Half an hour? An hour?

Only when the sound of shelling gradually subsided did the lucky survivors, who had taken refuge in the trenches and escaped the shelling, cautiously emerge from their shelters.

But just when they thought the nightmare was over, the real battle had only just begun.

"What it is?!"

A knight who had miraculously escaped the artillery barrage let out a heart-wrenching cry.

Soon, all the knights who stepped out of the trenches witnessed a scene that they could not understand.

One after another, steel-built armored vehicles slowly drove towards them from the distant earthen slope.

Each steel war machine was closely followed by several Leitanian soldiers.

From a distance, it looked like a huge beast leading its cubs in a surprise attack.

Chariots were not unfamiliar to the knights of Kazimierz.

Some of the Kazimierz knights had also seen Victoria's steam-powered war chariots, which could launch long-range missiles and grind people into mincemeat.

But they couldn't find much trace of Victoria in the steel chariot in front of them.

The vehicle emitted no steam and was not equipped with any missiles.

Instead, there was a rotating cannon barrel.

Meanwhile, the knights of Kazimierz were at a loss as they faced an unknown enemy.

The cannons of that steel chariot had begun to slowly rotate toward them...

"boom!"

With a roar from the steel tank, Kazimierz's position was once again hit by artillery fire!
Fortunately, the shelling was not very powerful.

After the explosions, only a few of the targeted knights were blown to pieces.

But for the knights of Casimir, this only deepened their despair.

Because they saw that more steel tanks were slowly driving down that earthen slope!
Ten vehicles, fifty vehicles, one hundred vehicles...

Gradually, even the knights who were conquering the land lost count of how many of these steel chariots were approaching them!

"No retreating!!"

Finally, a surviving commander of the Silver Spear Pegasus Army stepped forward at this critical moment when morale was wavering.

To boost morale, he deliberately positioned himself above the trench so that everyone would notice him.

Facing the towering steel behemoth billowing in the distance, the Silver Spear Pegasus, clad in silver armor and fully armed, felt a deep sense of fear.

But he still gripped his lance tightly, roaring as he shouted to all the knights:

"The Leitanians' petty tricks cannot frighten our valiant knights!"

"We have faced Victoria's steam engines and fought against Ursus's steel legions!"

"As long as we work together, there is no enemy we cannot defeat! Even the Ursus warships will fall at our hands!"

"Comrades! Let us raise our weapons and launch a surprise attack on the steel toys of Letania!"

Under the leadership of this silver-speared, celestial horse commander.

A revitalized squad of silver-speared winged horses quickly caught up and launched their most proficient surprise attack on the Leitanian army in front of them!
Perhaps the encouragement from the Silver Spear and Heavenly Horse really worked.

More knights emerged from the trenches, roaring as they engaged in close combat with the steel behemoths before them.

For a moment, it was as if a group of medieval knights had launched a suicidal charge against a modern army that they could not comprehend.

Steel and armor.

Artillery fire and crossbows.

Industry and tradition.

This army has experienced the Industrial Revolution and the Military Revolution.

They are about to officially face the challenge from the bravest, strongest, and most traditional knights on this land.

(End of this chapter)