The three read the report with blank expressions, but as they reached Kanoru's plan, their faces darkened.
"If I had given them five more middle-ranked samurai, they wouldn't have had to resort to such a plan," Junzo muttered.
A middle-ranked samurai was only one rank higher than a lower-ranked one, but even five lower-ranked samurai who had opened three gates could barely hold off a middle-ranked samurai with four gates. The enemy force consisted of 20 middle-ranked samurai and 130 lower-ranked samurai. To properly hold them off, they would have needed at least 15 middle-ranked and 160 lower-ranked samurai. But Junzo had only been able to send 10 middle-ranked and 100 lower-ranked samurai.
Tsuki shook his head. "Brother, this isn't your fault. We simply didn't have more men to send."
Kaomisa added grimly, "Sixty percent of the samurai stationed on the other side of the river are dead, and forty percent are injured. Our numbers are stretched thin."
Junzo exhaled sharply. "Thankfully, we only have the Niwais at our southern border. But at their border, the Niwais have two forces positioned against them. So they cannot send their full force."
Both Tsuki and Kaomisa nodded, and they continued reading. As Junzo's eyes further scanned the report, his worst fears were confirmed.
The garrison at Nisi Village—four middle-ranked samurai and 40 lower-ranked samurai—had been completely wiped out. However, 80% of the villagers managed to escape through a second gate built behind the village.
According to the report, five enemy middle-ranked samurai had been killed by the garrison. Of the 130 enemy lower-ranked samurai, half had fallen to arrows. Nearly half had been cut down by Fuma and his group at the last moment.
Now, the enemy occupied Nisi Village—but with limited supplies. If they attempted to leave, they would be shot down by arrows.
A middle-ranked samurai could catch up to a horse, but doing so would take time and consume chakra. Meanwhile, they would be vulnerable to arrows, risking injury or death. The newly designed bows could fire arrows farther, capable of killing even middle-ranked samurai.
The garrison had chosen this self-sacrificing strategy because they knew a direct battle would end in defeat. They had anticipated that the enemy would strike Nisi Village first. Had all their forces garrisoned there, they might have been able to hold the village, but then the enemy would have simply marched toward Entori.
That, however, was not a major concern—while the enemy was on foot, their own forces had horses. They could decimate the advancing troops with arrows. The real threat was if the enemy retreated to the eastern hills.
Inside the dense forests of the eastern hills, horses would be slowed, and firing arrows would become difficult, negating their primary advantage. Worse, the enemy would have access to abundant resources, including wild horses. The longer they remained in the eastern hills, the harder it would become to defeat them.
If the enemy managed to regroup with their main army, reinforcements would arrive, forcing their own main force to fight on three fronts—a disastrous situation.
With pirates near the western cliffs, the need to stop the main enemy army from crossing the river, and now the threat in the eastern hills, any enemy foothold on this side of the river would be catastrophic.
Currently, the enemy had 15 middle-ranked samurai and 60 lower-ranked samurai, while their own forces had only six middle-ranked samurai and 60 lower-ranked samurai. They were still no match for the enemy in direct combat. However, if the enemy left the shelter of Nisi Village, they would be exposed to relentless arrow fire, weakening their numbers until they could be engaged and annihilated in direct combat.
Moreover, with the enemy's position now locked in, reinforcements could be sent. The main force could dispatch 10 middle-ranked samurai by ship, reaching the battlefield within three hours. Within a few more hours, they could crush the enemy and return to rejoin the main force.
Kaomisa, after reading the report, said, "Kanoru is a brilliant strategist, but he is only ten years old. If word spreads that his plan resulted in the loss of four middle-ranked samurai and forty lower-ranked samurai, some of their vengeful relatives might come after him."
Junzo responded, "No worries. I will take responsibility and claim the plan was mine. I made Kanoru the deputy captain so he could oversee its execution." He knew Kanoru was still young—there was no need for him to bear such infamy. His plan had been ruthless, but it was effective.
Kaomisa nodded. "That's for the best. But now, we should send some middle-ranked samurai to eliminate the remaining enemy quickly."
Tsuki interjected, "We still need to confirm if any outside forces have joined hands with the Niwais to attack us. The lower-ranked samurai may not know, but the middle-ranked ones will have at least some insight."
Junzo considered this. "To capture one or two middle-ranked samurai from the enemy, we would need to send at least fifteen of our own."
Kaomisa spoke up, "I should go. I won't be able to fight today, and neither will that man because of our injuries. But for capturing prisoners, I am the best choice."
Tsuki frowned. "But you're injured."
Kaomisa dismissed his concern. "These wounds won't stop me from taking down fifteen middle-ranked samurai. Besides, we are already short on men for defence."
Tsuki sighed. "Then get ready to leave."
"I leave now," Kaomisa said. Since they were standing near the river, she jumped into a boat and began rowing. With the current flowing west to east and her own strength, she would reach Nisi Village in an hour, Tsuki estimated.
Turning to Junzo, Tsuki said, "You should start training with the Wind Gems." He glanced at the sun, checking the time. "In a couple of hours, they will attack again."
Junzo nodded and left.
Tsuki remained, watching the dwindling flames of his former frontline camp. Beyond them, banners bearing the image of a bear fluttered in the wind. This war had no easy solution—he could not see a clear way to defeat the Niwais. They were outnumbered in both manpower and strength.
Kanoru's new bow design had given them an advantage in long-range combat and was the reason Tsuki had abandoned the old frontline camp, retreating to this side of the river. Now, his task was clear: stop the Niwais and the pirates from securing a foothold here and wait for an opportunity.
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Kanoru sat alone on his horse, staring at Nisi Village. Behind him, his team waited on horseback, with the Eastern Hills rising in the distance. He wanted to inflict as much damage as possible if the enemy chose to escape into the hills. If they fled north or south, he could spot them from here. He had also stationed two samurai to the northwest and southwest to alert him if they attempted to escape to the west.
He was certain the Niwais would abandon Nisi Village. The longer they stayed, the closer they came to death. Their captain would know this and would have no choice but to retreat into the Eastern Hills or attempt to cross the 50-meter-wide rapid river to the south. To preserve some of his forces, retreating into the hills was the only viable option.
Their best chance to escape with minimal losses had been yesterday, right after occupying the village. But exhaustion from battle and Fume's ambush had made them hesitate. Unaware of Fume's true strength, they had stayed put. Now, in the morning light, they could clearly see Kanoru's numbers—and they would retreat at any moment.
Kanoru's thoughts halted as he spotted movement on the village wall. Minutes passed as the entire enemy force gathered atop it. Raising his bow, he commanded, "Fire."
With the snapping of bowstrings, arrows streaked toward the Niwais. Seeing the attack, the enemy leaped from the wall, crossed the dry canal, and charged toward Kanoru's position.
"Scatter! Fire at will at the lower-ranked samurai!" Kanoru ordered.
His group split into two, one heading north, the other south. He had targeted the lower-ranked samurai, knowing they were more vulnerable to arrows than the middle-ranked warriors.
Turning in the saddle as his horse galloped south, Kanoru loosed an arrow. It flew at incredible speed, striking deep into a lower-ranked samurai's chest. Without stopping, he kept firing, cutting down enemy after enemy.
The Niwais were now a few meters from escaping into the Eastern Hills. Kanoru kicked his horse forward, shouting, "Charge!" He continued shooting until he neared the enemy, then switched from bow to sword. Urging his horse to full speed, he charged straight at a middle-ranked samurai.