Archangel Xireon Chaos God: But in fact, that's why Hakuno is so dangerous. I've already explained Hakuno's skills through a comparison with fencing. The best fencer in the world does not fear another high-ranking fencer (who he has already faced in the league... and beaten). He fears the world's worst fencer... because he doesn't know what he's going to do. Confronting Hakuno is like confronting an individual who has a moment would be the worst fencer in the world and who the next moment would be the best fencer in the world. When Hakuno does something that sounds stupid, there are two possibilities... either it's so clever that you don't understand her real plan, either her action reflects her misunderstanding of normal human behavior and yes it is stupid and/or naive. Except that an outside observer has no way of telling whether it's one or the other. This makes Hakuno totally unpredictable. It is obviously difficult to face a very good tactician. But it can occasionally be difficult to confront an individual who is totally ignorant of the rules of tactics. His ignorance even protects him from certain stratagems based on the normal behavior of a general. So someone who goes from one to the other is a real nightmare.
The True Skull: Did I say otherwise?
Boyzilla: Yes, Hakuno is a 21st-century schoolgirl, not an experimented 16th-century diplomat.
I'm taking your advice into account for a new Servant. I take into account all the opinions expressed in the comments of the readers and that is why the next Arc will not take place in the south of the Old World and in Araby... but in Albion (the equivalent of the British Isles), an Arc that originally should have taken place later. This is to take into account some remarks (wish for Servants not part of the Round Table, Female Servant, and a more important role for Lancelot).
Magostera: Thank you very much.
Guest: Sure! Hakuno is a Mastermind and a manipulator, a scheming spider who weaves her web to prey on the pitiable and innocents High Elves * cough, cough*. It is just that she hides it well... very well... so well that she herself is not aware!
Viridi Aestus
(Green Tide)
"There are not enough words in your simple tongue to express our hatred for them, Human. Killers, despoilers, slavers, and thieves we name them, but not one of these oft-earned titles begin to describe the depths of their depravity. They have neither mercy nor honor. They roam and kill in darkness called up by their foul sorceries. They are so base as to specifically target children for their depredations. The capricious folk of Ulthuan claims that they are their despised kin, exiled long ago, but truly, can one ever trust the words of an Elf?"
Hargrim Furgilsson, Dwarf Trader
The former Staadtholder's office was occupied by Hakuno and her government, that is, her Servants, the two surviving Directors, and... Selar, which would be linked to the underworld which formed the Marienburg shallows. King Louen Leoncoeur was also present, surrounded by several lords of his court.
Bedivere was talking. For once, this individual of few words was at the center of everyone's attention. It must be said that he was talking about the subject he knew best. He had forgotten more about the strategy of the armies, the taking and defense of strongholds than most soldiers had the opportunity to learn in a lifetime.
But he was a Servant, an existence far beyond ordinary lives.
Bedivere looked at Hakuno:
"There are three ways to take a city: assault; siege; ruse."
His finger followed the contours of the walls drawn on the city plan unwound on the Staadtholder's work table.
"Assault is the most expensive method, so assailants don't risk it unless you have a four-to-one advantage. The besieger must first completely block the city we want to take, dig trenches in the direction of the ramparts, and manufacture siege machines: rolling tower, mobile shields, rams, catapults, and other trebuchets. At a minimum, these preparations take five weeks. Of course, a besieger can neglect them... if they want to lose thousands of men in unnecessary assaults."
Bedivere paused for a few seconds, staring into space. He had to remember one of the many confrontations he had experienced. He sighed and shook his head:
"The second method is the actual siege. Besieging a city requires a complete encirclement by a double network of campaigns' fortifications. The purpose of the internal network is to prevent the besieged from exiting, the external network from preventing reinforcements from entering. The goal is to bring down the place besieged by hunger, but above all to push the besieged to negotiate. Rationing, animal fear of starvation, and the firing of harassment over the walls often demoralize civilians even before the food runs out. The government then sought to negotiate to avoid an uprising."
Hakuno nodded sharply with a determined look. She already knew the demands of Lokir Fellheart. The Krakenlord wants all the High Elves present in town.
Bedivere looked for a knight in black armor and gave him a brief nod:
"To speak of cunning, I turn the floor over to Sir Agravain."
The pale knight was known as Agravain Who Knew No Wounds because he was never involved in battles... at least directly. His personal battlefield was in the court intrigues and among the plotters who seek to turn the populace against their king.
He spoke as he looked at Artoria, neglecting Hakuno sitting to her left:
"While the strategists of the West have always worked in priority from the outside to the inside seeking to break the shell protecting the egg, the strategists of the East have always favored the 'strategy of the water lily'(1) that is to say bringing down a city from the inside. The methods to achieve this are so varied that their enumeration would take hours. Wells can be poisoned, rebellions can be supported by provocative agents, and troops can be infiltrated into the city before the siege begins for opening the doors from within or even attacking the king's palace while a diversion occupies the bulk of the army on the ramparts."
Hakuno glanced at Artoria, who listened without showing any emotion. The Sovereign of the Moon felt uncomfortable... she knew that after the lecture was over, the Servants would begin to debate the methods they would use to counter the Druchii attacks. And, at some point, they would all turn to her to decide between the different methods and choose the most effective one.
Except...
She had never led a besieged city!
Her Servants had often followed a military career prepared by a martial education, most were knights. But she?
It wasn't in the school program! She was just a 16-year-old girl!
Hakuno pressed her hands on her chest and breathed in, striving for calm, while Bedivere spoke again:
"Well, I suggest we start by worrying about threats that might already be in our walls."
Arkat Fooger was the first to speak. The patriarch of the Fooger clan was almost hysterical, the old dwarf was spitting and waving his arms, shouting that the Druchii's spies were everywhere, their assassins were already to occupy the basements of the city with the complicity of the thugs. Of course, Selar felt insulted, saying that the thieves were as patriotic as the other inhabitants and they would never betray their city. Moreover, the Dark Elves were treacherous and unreliable. Even if they promised the moon, the majority of the city's thugs would refuse to know that once the city fell, they would only gain a place among the slaves or a dagger between the shoulder blades!
Of course, Fooger replied in a contemptuous tone that he would never trust what one of the 'sharp ears' said, Wood Elves; High Elves; Dark Elves, what difference? Of course, Selar was outraged to be tarred by the same brush as the Druchii.
It was the signal for everyone to start speaking simultaneously, cutting off others, arguing, Sir Kay being of course the first to mock and demean the other participants.
As Gawain intervened, trying to calm the old dwarf and the wood elf, Hakuno turned to Artoria, blinking with incomprehension. No more was needed to move Saber's protective instincts. The King of Knights rose and struck a blow on the table:
"Enough! Are you children to give in to panic? The reputation of the Dark Elves is one of their most powerful weapons. They rely on the fear they inspire, and because they are notoriously cruel and cunning, the mere fear of what they might attempt is enough to paralyze their enemies. We cannot act as if each event is a subtle plan of the enemy to divide and set us against each other. Besides would have been useless..." by hand, Saber pointed to Arkat and Selar still red and angry: "You do not need the intervention of the Dark Elves for that." She then turned to Agravain, who had remained seated, watching the argument with a mocking smile. "My friend, what do you think of an enemy infiltration?"
The black knight meditated on the question for a few moments:
"Since I was invoked by our Master, I have worked to strengthen our control over the city. My King, I am far from satisfied with our current situation. Marienburg is not secure. Agents and spies from several nations operate almost freely even in this palace. Nevertheless, it would be impossible to bring a large group of Druchii into Marienburg. Elves would be noticed because of their exotic features... except in the elf city, of course. But, in Elfsgemeente, they would not pass any more unnoticed and for a whole other reason. The Asurs are able to identify the Druchii for what they are, pointing to differences in behavior that we would be unable to see. For the Druchii to open the city doors from inside and massacre the inhabitants of Paleisbuurt, a group of saboteurs and murderers would have to be brought in large numbers enough to set the city on fire and blood. Such an army hidden in the cellars can only exist in the imagination of a panic-stricken spirit."
He had said these last words while looking at Arkat Fooger, and the insult gave the old dwarf a little control, even though the angry look of the patriarch showed that he would not forget, he would not forgive. But Agravain's mocking smile became more pronounced... Given the mother he had, it took much more than a vindictive old dwarf to impress him.
Artoria intervenes once again to defuse the tension:
"Sir Agravain, if I may insist, do we have a way of preventing Druchii attacks from operating from within our walls?"
Agravain bowed down politely, one hand over his heart:
"My King, I cannot assure you that we are safe. I even assume that enemy agents are at work right now. Nevertheless, they must be humans, few in number and perhaps not as faithful to the Druchii as they might hope (2). The city gates and the New Palace are guarded by Enemy_Programs. There is no central water distribution system easy to poison. Gunpowder stocks are kept and dispersed. For all these reasons, I doubt that the Dark Elves can strike a decisive blow from within the walls."
There was a moment of silence, and then Sir Bedivere spoke again:
"In this case, I propose that we look at the siege that the enemy has already begun to impose on us. The first thing I want to say to you is that it is impossible for the enemy to completely cut us off from the outside."
"Probably because we are protected by the Reikr" intervened Clotilde de Roelef.
Bowing down to Marienburg's most coveted widow, King Arthur's steward answered in a few chosen words:
"Madame de Roelef is right, Marienburg occupies the left bank of the Reik and several large islands connected by bridges. The river is wide and the right bank is still in our hands. Ships continue to dock to bring us food, reinforcements, weapons, and ammunition. If we add the fact that Marienburg is the largest grain market of the upper Reikr, and that - as a result- we have many filled grain silos, claim to defeat us by starvation is like the field of pious vows."
The Knight of the Sun said:
"The enemy has many ships, what prevents them from blocking the port, Sir Bedivere?"
The one-armed knight thanked his friend with a nod:
"I was about getting to, Sir Gawain." His finger landed on the mighty fortress drawn on the plan, downstream from Marienburg: "To block us, the Druchii must pass Rijker Island and its numerous cannons. They would be slaughtered."
Arkat Fooger intervened:
"Rijker is not impregnable. In 2344 IC, Marienburg was sacked by an Asur Fleet (3). The coastal fortresses were captured during a surprise raid!"
Fooger spoke of it from experience, he had seen the High Elves plundering the city.
"You are right, Patriarch Fooger, but the situation is different. We expect an attack. Our troops are on alert and the guard posts are doubled."
But the irascible old dwarf did not seem convinced:
"Don't underestimate the enemy. They are Druchii, if they cannot use force, they will use cunning; if neither cunning nor force succeeds, they will use Black Magic!"
"Ah, this is finally a chance to talk."
All turned to Taliesin. The poet, druid, and sorcerer smiled:
"I can protect us from the Druchii Witches. Thanks to Gréal, I can create a Bounded Field around the city and forbid the use of the Dhar."
Most people just stared at him without understanding but Hakuno blinked:
"Deprive them of magic powers?"
"Exactly, Master."
"Will it work?"
Taliesin thinks for a moment:
"I could build a very powerful barrier, unfortunately... to make sure it holds, I would have to devote all my energy to it. This will deprive you of my help in other areas. That said until the barrier is broken, the enemy will not be able to resort to the bBack Arts. I think it is worth it."
Hakuno nodded. Already accustomed to the near silence of his Master, Taliesin bowed, on hand on his the heart.
"Well, if it's okay with you, I'll get right to work."
However, Gawain still had one objection:
"Let us say that the port is well defended against an assault by the Druchii fleet and that without access to the Dhar, their Witches are powerless. They have many flying monsters, what would stop Lokir Fellheart from setting the attics on fire by launching an aerial assault?"
Louen Leoncoeur nodded:
"I share your concern, Sir Gawain. Nevertheless, I would like to assure Lady Hakuno of my assistance in this area, as in all the matters mentioned above. The troops that accompanied me to Marienburg include knights mounted on Pegasus or hippogriffs. I suggest that they be allowed to provide perimeter air defense and patrol the river."
Gawain remains pensive, then:
"The enemy could launch commando operations on the port to set fire to warehouses and the ships at the dock. Under the cover of the night, a small group could sail up the river and infiltrate the harbor without being noticed."
Artoria seemed deep in through:
"During a Grail War, I lived in a house protected by a Bounded Field that had a very simple function, it sounded an alarm when someone with hostile intent crossed the perimeter. Taliesin, could you incorporate such a function into the barrier you want to erect?"
The Druid thought for a moment:
"That's a good idea, my King. I don't think there are any major difficulties."
The strategic meeting continued for a long time. While the Servants and the other authorities representing Marienburg and the Bretonnia's Army sought to guess how the Druchii would attack and how to counter these attacks, Hakuno rarely spoke without being asked for her opinion and answered most often with a word or two. From time to time, the other people in attendance did not reach a consensus and they turned to the Sovereign of the Moon Cell for a resolution.
Of course, Hakuno didn't really know who was right or wrong. But the young Master was a good judge of the abilities of others. When the question was a military one, she first proved Sir Bedivere right, then Sir Kay, and finally King Louen, the three best tacticians. If it was a question related to Intelligence gathering or counter-insurrection measures, Hakuno favored the opinion of Sir Agravain and Selar, in that order.
The meeting was nearing its end when rumors of a feverish discussion reached the meeting room. An instant later, the doors opened to let in a man wearing chainmail over a gambeson and a chapel-de-fer helmet with a mail veil. On his chest, he wore the crest of the crowned golden lion holding a sword that was the emblem of Bretonnia. This dress was typical of the outrider, light harassment, and reconnaissance cavalry unit.
The man ran to the middle of the room and kneeled down before his king, and then before Hakuno:
"Mon roy, damoiselle Hakuno, the Dark Elves was under attack."
The Regalia had generated a dozen translucent virtual windows that moved and changed in size, responding to Hakuno's mental orders and movements of her fingers.
The army that had just arrived, attacking their common enemy, was at the very least... surprising.
The banners were hideous, simple, dirty, torn pieces of cloth with the pattern of a red skull smashed by an axe, as drawn by a five-year-old.
As for the fighters... The vanguard was made up of goblins dressed in dirty furs, they rode on wolves wearing coarse leather armor. The cowardly and deceitful creatures harassed the Druchii outposts throwing rains of arrows and retreating in disorder at the slightest sign of counter-attack.
Behind them came a mass of combatants, bullies dressed in shapeless, rough, rusty armor, clad in spikes and painted in shrill color. All were carrying a war axe or a kind of slicer called 'choppa'. They were innumerable, the mass of green-skinned creatures covered the hills and others still came.
Artoria was the first to react, she had easily recognized the banners:
"The Skulls Krusher, the Ork tribe occupying the old Dwarf stronghold of Grung Zint. Their leader is the Bigboss Ugrok Brokentooth."
Strangely, She did not seem surprised by their attack. Hakuno made a head tilt:
"The Orks are helping us?"
Saber smiled:
"They're not helping us. Although, from a certain point of view, we can say that the Orks' attack is a sign of respect for us."
King Louen Leoncoeur folded his forehead:
"The Orks are just brainless bullies who attack everything in front of them in a meaningless blind rage for destruction."
"Of course" King Arthur agreed," but in their own way they are honorable creatures. They attack their enemies head-on, relying on their strength and courage to prevail."
She pointed to a virtual window where one could see the clash between the Ork infantry and a line of Druchii spearmen.
"I was expecting something like this. I faced Orks several times and I defeated them every time. But they came back after each defeat, even more, determined to win. They seem to feed on violence, growing up after each battle and each fight been harder."
Sir Gawain bowed slightly:
"My King, that doesn't explain why they're attacking the Druchii."
Artoria smiles at her favorite nephew:
"On the contrary, that explains it very well. There is no difference in Ork language between 'best friend' and 'best enemy'. The Druchii defeated Tarmonagh din-Ciobahn's army by ambushing it and Lokir Fellheart claimed to have defeated Marienburg. This cowardly tactic is not honorable in the eyes of an Ork. According to Ork logic, or what stands for it, the Krakenlord insulted us by claiming a victory where he did not confront us courageously and honorably. He insulted us, making us look weaker than the Druchii, while the Druchii are cowardly and weak because they do not fight their enemies face to face (still according to Ork logic). And since we defeated the Orks several times... that means Lokir Fellheart made the Orks look weak. This is a serious insult and the Orks are a very simple people, they know only one answer to the insult."
With her hand, Saber pointed to the central screen where the howling horde of the Greenskins rushed in like a wave bristling with axes on the lines of Druchii infantrymen. Above the battlefield, the sky was blackened by the projectiles exchanged by the two sides.
Sir Gawain looked at the screen:
"Maybe we should go out and help our... Orks' allies." The Knight of the Sun had used the term 'allies' with more than a little contempt, but he continued his explanation despite audible reluctance: "By joining forces today, we may even be able to defeat the Dark Elves and avoid the death and destruction of a long siege."
But Artoria Pendragon and Louen Leoncoeur shook their heads. It was the latter who spoke:
"No, Sir Gawain, the Orks, did not become our friends, not even our temporary allies. The Orks are not attacking the Dark Elves to help us and would not accept our help. We would end up in a three-way battle where each side would fight the other two. What we see is a private score-settling, on the sidelines of the war between us and the Druchii. We'd better stay out of this."
"A score-settling?" Gawain frowned. "But it's completely silly."
Louen Leoncoeur laughs softly:
"The Orks are idiots."
Mechanically Hakuno shook his head. Since her arrival on the Old World, she had found herself in the midst of so many absurd situations that this 'settling of scores between their enemies to determine who most is worthy to confront them' was not even the most aberrant thing that had happened to her.
Somewhere, it was almost normal that in a world besieged by Chaos, the absurd becomes normal behavior. But Kishinami was struggling to adapt to local standards.
Shaking her head again, she decided not to clutter her mind with questions that could only give her a migraine or drive her crazy. The Old World was an absurd world and nothing really made sense.
The Inheritor of the Moon decided to focus on the ongoing battle to learn more about the tactics of her enemies.
The confrontation was at its height. The goblins' Wolfriders had retreated after a dozen black dragons used their breath, burning hundreds of wolves and their rider. The Druchii Witches - beautiful and evil creatures in... Bikini-armor (!)- recited incantations, casting dark shots to the goblin archers. The effect was horrible... it must have been a kind of corrosive acid because the affected goblins immediately collapsed, the flesh detaching until leaving only their skeletons in a pool of steaming liquid!
When trolls came towards them, the Witches concentrated on them and the brutes sprayed with acid retreated screaming. But none died! Their ability to regenerate allowed the trolls to heal horrible wounds in just a few minutes! Deprived of the archers and their heavy infantry being routed, the Orks and Goblins broke on the shield line formed by the Druchii lancers and swordsmen. The defenders' losses were small, while the fight turned to slaughter for the Greenskins Especially since the rout of goblin archers allowed the crossbowmen Dark Elves to drop a shower of deadly projectiles within the ranks of the Orks without the fear that they reciprocate, decimating the Ork infantry even before they come into contact.
The only response came from the Ork shamans, gathered around a high statue. They sang and make contortions at the foot of the idol representing Gork (or was it Mork?) and their god answered. The statue vibrated and found itself surrounded by a green aura that gave birth to a green flame projectile that described a curved trajectory before falling back into the ranks of the Dark Elves.
At the center of the battlefield, the conflict had turned into a war of attrition that favored the Dark Elves.
On the left wing, on the contrary, the Orks' Boariders had managed to make their way to the Druchii repeating ballistae and a Khaine's altar resembling a boiling blood cauldron. Only, the black dragons had stopped chasing the routed Wolfriders and were returning to the altar.
On the right-wing, the cavalries of both sides were competing, the Coldbloods knights were largely in inferior numbers to the Boariders. Nevertheless, they resisted, inflicting heavy losses on the Orks. Especially since the Witches were now targeting the Greenskins riders.
However, several Druchii infantry regiments had just arrived as reinforcements on the battlefield. When these reinforcements arrived at contact, the fate of the battle would turn in favor of the Dark Elves.
Artoria must have reached the same conclusions because she nodded with a thoughtful look:
"Well, the Druchii will win."
Hakuno made a head tilt:
"Good? Why?"
"Master, the Druchii will eventually quit the Vasteland. Their attack on Marienburg is just a raid on an ally of Ulthuan, their true enemy. An Orks' victory may help us in the short term, but in the long term, it is better for the Orks to be weakened. The Skulls Krusher tribe is our foes; they live in Grung Zint in the mountains west of the city. They are a constant threat to us. We, therefore, have every interest in wishing for the victory of the Druchii, who will eventually leave at the latest with the arrival of the reinforcements promised by Emperor Karl Franz."
Hakuno silently nodded, understanding the reasoning.
The continuation of the fight showed once again that the tactical sense of Hakuno Kishinami was remarkable. The course of the battle was reversed by the arrival of infantry reinforcements and the return of black dragons. On both wings, the battle turned largely in favor of the Druchii and the center threatened to be surrounded. When the Greenskins became aware of this, panic spread to their ranks. Yet the fight lasted a long time... as the Dark Elves pursued the Orks away from the city, harassing the routed troops.
Only a few scattered bands managed to take refuge in Grung Zint.
Sir Kay had the final word:
"Well, the Druchii have just done us a great service by eliminating so many Orks. Nevertheless, I would have preferred to see the Dark Elves lose more people. They haven't been weakened enough to help us a lot. But the important thing is elsewhere."
He pointed to the Druchii Witches that appeared in one of the translucent windows projected by the Regalia:
"They are rather pleasant to look at... but I have no desire to see them more closely. A dozen of them would be enough to clean the ramparts of Marienburg, the men who would not be horribly burned would flee in panic. These pretty girls kill so horribly that even the Orks are terrorized by their attacks."
The Seneschal of Camelot turned to Taliesin:
"Tali, I think your idea of an anti-Dhar barrier is our only chance to resist the Druchii."
Habuno nodded. Although the nickname 'Tali' from which Kay had just gratifier pleased him as much as an egg on the face, Taliesin smiled:
"Well, I'll make sure the bad girls in bikini suits don't get too close to Sir Kay. I wouldn't want him to have nightmares."
"That's too kind," mocked Arthur's foster brother.
(1) A contemporary example of the 'water lily strategy' is the 'Tet offensive' during the Vietnam War. Thousands of Viet Cong entered Hue disguised as peasants enjoying the Vietnamese New Year celebrations and then attacked the city from within.
(2) Not many people would voluntarily agree to work for the Druchii. This did not prevent the Dark Elves from forming a network of spies, but the people who work for them, ignore the identity of their employer having been recruited by humans or 'Asurs' or 'Woods Elves'... Which were of course Druchii in disguise. Obviously, these agents have no loyalty to their real employers and find out who pays them enough to make them give up their spy job. Of course, they would refuse to poison the wells or open the Marienburg gates to the Druchii.
(3)Forty-three years after the Sea Elf Wavemaster Sullandiel Fartrader signed the alliance with Marienburg on behalf of Ulthuan, the elven city of Sardenath was attacked and looted by a pirate from the city-state. The Sea Lord Aslinn avenged Sardenath by attacking Marieburg by surprise! The Asurs recovered the treasure looted during the sacking of Sardenath, embarked - by force- the Elven merchants living in Marienburg (to protect them from possible revenge) and as punishment, the Sea Lord Aslinn burned the docks and the trade fleet of Marienburg. In Aslinn's own words, he inflicted upon Marienburg a lesson that the race of men would never forget. Nevertheless, Aslinn found himself in disgrace at Lothern's court for being ruthless and cruel. Ironically, for the Phoenix King Finubar the Traveler, Aslinn had shown resolute behavior that had become too rare among his decadent people, which assured him of the Phoenix King's support.