Chapter 207: Wildfire
Collegoton, where Shubanel was, was located at the northwest of the second continent. Once known as the Collegoton Dukedom, this region belonged to the nation created by the player Ovenwave. The dukedom, which resisted the Union Kingdom to the end, was completely dispersed after Ovenwave's defeat, and traces of its past were hard to find.
Any of the original species showing even a hint of rebellion were purged, and even the non-rebellious ones were migrated en masse to mix with other groups. The existing culture was annihilated, and the former palace was broken down to its foundation to be rebuilt as another building in the style of the Union Kingdom. As a result, Collegoton, which resisted the longest on the second continent, ironically became the most like the Union Kingdom. Without a past history, it was entirely reassembled into new cities under the Union Kingdom's guidance.
Compared to other regions, Collegoton had a clear class disparity. The most significant industrial city in the region, Shubanel, successfully erased its historical nature with lots of industrial support. Therefore, the citizens of both Collegoton and Shubanel felt almost no connection with each other or with the land they lived on.
‘Is that why?’
Sarcho looked at the revolutionary army moving efficiently under Dain's command. Sarcho hadn't expected things to be this successful, so they sought the reasons for their victory.
‘In other countries…no, even in different regions of the Union Kingdom, I've heard that long-standing grudges between species are quite common. But the Union Kingdom didn't want to leave behind even a handful of people harboring vengeance in the lands they conquered, and that's why our ancestors settled here.’
Sarcho thought.
‘Thanks to that, we held no particular grudge against the Union Kingdom. We even managed to accept their unfairness and injustices. But that unfair pressure intensified…and when we relearn our anger, its power was focused on one simple direction. That focused, united force is what led to our current situation.’
Of course, Sarcho knew that it would be a little premature to conclude the revolution as a success.
Dain called Sarcho.
"Sarcho, it seems the battle at the gates has begun."
"So it begins."
"Do you remember everything I told you?"
"Yes."
From what Sarcho could see, Dain seemed to have been preparing for this battle for a long time. In fact, among Dain's comrades, Rolz was a former military officer who now worked as a laborer. Despite being a Tailless, Rolz graduated from the military academy and even served on the frontlines, but they were dishonorably discharged due to their attempt to report corruption and got falsely accused instead. Usually, as a former officer, one would expect excellent societal treatment, but the continuous attacks from the Full Tailed-driven military society meant that the jobs Rolz could now get were no different from ordinary Tailless people.
Dain said, "The Union Kingdom's army will surely regret letting go of such a competent officer."
"I hope for the same."
According to the strategy, the battle fought near the gates was not very important. Using only a small number of revolutionary soldiers, simply pointing their guns from the walls was enough for resistance.
The Collegoton regional forces were, after all, the army that protected Collegoton, and they couldn't accurately grasp the size of the revolutionary army; if there were other options, they would think that breaking down the fortress would be excessive. Above all, because they underestimated the speed, size, and equipment level of the revolutionary army, they came only with infantry units without any significant military transportation vehicles, so they weren't prepared with cannons powerful enough to break down the fortress.
"They’ll eventually go around."
If the number of revolutionaries at the west gate was fewer than expected, the regional forces would likely attempt to go around the main force and strike from behind, judging that the revolutionaries wouldn’t be able to properly defend the other gates with their limited numbers. The remaining options would then be the south and east gates, but the east gate wouldn’t be ideal due to its distance and its narrow size.
“Above all, if they think the south gate is unguarded, won't they simply come through it?"
The revolutionary army intended to leave the south gate empty. This meant the Collegoton regional forces would definitely pass through, and that was exactly what the revolutionaries wanted.
In past wars, fighting on top of fortress walls had been advantageous. Most of the main forces used close combat weapons like swords and spears, and even ranged weapons like bows and crossbows shot in a trajectory, so taking the higher ground was advantageous. However, after firearms were made, specifically automatic rifles, some of those advantages no longer applied. Automatic rifles fired in direct lines, and considering their range, a few meters of height didn’t provide much advantage. Of course, walls and sandbags could block bullets, but not grenades or mortars. So considering the small number of revolutionaries, fighting along the walls wasn’t necessarily an advantage.
"According to Comrade Rolz, what we really need is a strategy of deception."
The only advantage the revolutionaries currently had over the Collegoton regional forces was information. The regional forces could have known about the number of revolutionary protestors and guns in the city, but the exact number of the revolutionary army would be harder to figure out. Moreover, they probably weren't aware that the revolutionaries had nearly taken over the entire city. The first thing the revolutionary army had done after capturing the nobility was taking over the carrier pigeon nest.
Sarcho stood up with a gun. "I'll be on my way now, comrade."
Dain didn’t say anything else and just nodded.
Sarcho's task was both the most important and the most dangerous in this operation. As the Collegoton regional forces entered the city, they would be met with raining bullets. This was to make Collegoton’s regional forces believe they were ambushed.
'The moment you think you've figured out your enemy, isn't that when you're most vulnerable?'
With that thought in mind, Sarcho ran toward the south gate; gunfires could be heard, suggesting that the fight had already begun.
Then Sarcho saw buildings of three to four stories. These buildings, built by the previous generation, were constructed by the Full Tailed tribes who never forgot their roots, sticking to their longstanding tradition. The buildings had a beautiful aesthetic with whitewashed walls and exposed wooden structures. Though modern stone architecture had now overshadowed them, leading to fewer of these wooden buildings being built, many nobles still preferred the style.
As Sarcho walked between those buildings, a group of people came running toward Sarcho. They were the revolutionary forces armed with guns.
"Ah, you're the priest who was beside comrade Dain, right?"
"My name is Sarcho. I'll be the last to leave."
"Are you taking on that role?"
"Yes."
"I hope you make it out safely. We’re the last ones on this side. We get the work done. Once the bait is taken...you know the drill, right?"
Sarcho nodded.
After the revolutionaries left, Sarcho entered a nearby building, set down the bag they had been carrying on their back, and looked out into the street through a window. As the sound of gunfire was getting closer, Sarcho lit the lantern they were holding.
"Over here! Run!"
"Do you think it'll go as planned?"
"Worry about that after we escape!"
Before Sarcho could talk to them, a large group of about a hundred revolutionaries ran down the street. Some were carrying wounded comrades, while others supported limping people. At a glance, the outcome of the battle didn't seem good.
Then the gunfire stopped.
Sarcho waited longer.
Dain's strategy was to lure the Collegoton regional army to this wooden building complex located in the southern region. This area could be described as the old town of Shubanel, and because of that, the streets were narrow. Moreover, tall buildings were ideal for ambushing and attacking the enemy.
As long as the regional forces didn’t know how much of the city the revolutionaries had taken control of, they would chase the revolutionaries when spotting them, and all these predictions ended up proven true.
'Once the Collegoton regional army fully enters this wooden complex, the operation can reach its end.'
And someone needed to stay until the end. It was a dangerous job. It wasn't necessarily a guaranteed death, but for the success of the operation, someone brave and responsible enough to act when the regional army was right in front of them was required. That was why Sarcho volunteered.
'I was the one who brought down the city's first revolution. Even if I contributed to the second revolution, I can't be forgiven.'
Footsteps echoed in the quiet street. Sarcho peered out of the window. It was the Collegoton regional army, dressed in blue uniforms. Perhaps suspecting hidden revolutionaries, they advanced while maintaining a distance from one another and on high alert.
Sarcho held their breath and quietly waited for the right moment.
“...It doesn’t seem like anyone’s around here.”
"Right? Why is there no one? Even though it's evening, it shouldn't be this quiet..."
Sarcho lit the object that they had carried in their bag and ran out the building’s back door. Sarcho ran so fast that even though it was a short distance from the door, they were out of breath.
'What? Why isn't anything happening?'
Sarcho turned to look at the direction they came from.
'Could it be…a dud?'
Just as that thought crossed Sarcho’s mind, the dynamite in Sarcho's bag exploded. Pushed by the massive shockwave, Sarcho ran again. One wooden building collapsed due to the first explosion. Flaming debris shot out and struck the buildings across the street. While wooden structures easily burned down in high temperature flames, the buildings burned even faster because of the oil that the revolutionaries had spread inside them while driving out the occupants.
When the fire started by Sarcho's detonation was confirmed, other revolutionaries, who had been waiting around the wooden village, also started fires. The southern part of Shubanel began to burn. What the revolutionaries had prepared was a fire attack.
***
Screams of the Collegoton regional army echoed amid the fire.
"There's fire everywhere! We can't control it!"
The initial explosion wasn't a particularly powerful attack. It was an excellent ambush, but considering the number of the entire regional army that had entered the city, it wasn’t enough.
However, their commanding officer was caught in it, resulting in the chain of command being disrupted. The regional army began to run in the opposite direction of the explosion, only to see flames coming at them from all sides. Morale plummeted as soldiers ran away into narrow alleys to escape. Surely, staying in the middle of the street would allow them to avoid getting caught in the flames, but species with fur got more terrified by the scent of their own fur getting scorched.
The old and aged wooden buildings responded quickly to the wavering flames from across the street. As the building burned, black smoke filled the sky. Soldiers were already dropping to the ground from inhaling too much smoke.
Then a first lieutenant, who had automatically taken command, shouted, "Run along the path!"
Only the buildings were on fire, so the first lieutenant had judged that if they stuck to and followed the path, they could avoid the flames. The soldiers of the Collegoton regional army advanced, following the first lieutenant, but waiting at the end of the road were the muzzles of the revolutionaries' guns, set up behind barricades, ready to attack.
Dain shouted, "Fire!"
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