Firstborn: Return of the heir

Initially, Saulus’s stay was supposed to consist of just a single night. Cramming the inspection of the front line, meeting with the officers, and some speeches for the legionaries into the tight schedule, he initially wanted to just return north as soon as possible.

But with the state of the second most important frontline across the entire south in shambles, Saulus had no other choice but to modify his initial plans.

“Make sure to spread the news organically. Just like we know a bit about their moves, they ought to look for clues on our side as well.”

Casting a glance towards the incompetent officer who was almost responsible for the collapse of the entire army, Saulus stood up from the sizeable table.

“We can’t afford to let this ruse go unused. Prepare the men. Vesser, I will be counting on you with those two tasks.”

Turning his head to the leader of his bodyguards, Saulus only needed that single look to push the middle-aged veteran into action.

“Yes, sir!”

Standing at attention, the burly soldier then hustled from the shack that was supposed to fill the role of the local headquarters. Once again noticing the poor state of the building, Saulus shook his head, wondering where all the engineering manpower of this detachment was. Even though the ditches at the frontline were impressive, they could be done by the hands of regular legionaries. Even if the commanding officer was clueless about this more prolonged type of warfare, there was no doubt that he had some subordinates clearly mastering the topic of military engineering.

But Saulus couldn’t do anything about it right now. Instead of cursing at the reality before his eyes, he preferred to take that energy and turn it around on his enemies.

“Sir, are you really sure? Revealing the news of your arrival so openly… Won’t that provoke a heavy attack?”

The commanding officer asked, hesitantly raising his head. Once again, Saulus’ opinion of the man spiraled. Not because he was unable to look at the situation from the wider perspective, but because this kind of hesitation would make him powerless during a conflict.

“Yes, I’m sure. As sure as I am about you being unable to fill the role of commanding officer here. I had hoped that this blunder with the fortifications was just some misunderstanding, a problem with the messages going missing through the chain of communication… Nevermind. As of today, you are returning to service as the secondary officer of the company. According to procedure, the new commanding officer of the company will be…”

In the legions, once a commanding officer overseeing the entire detachment was killed, his place would be taken by the head officer of the first company of the said detachment. With this spot freed, everyone below would move up by a rank, always keeping the most experienced soldiers near the vital positions within the unit.

“That would be me, sir.”

Stepping up, the same officer that dared to overstep his boundaries before bowed to Saulus. A single look at his face was enough for Saulus to spot the hints of doubt, but they were quickly overshadowed with determination.

“Good. I take it you understood what I meant with remodelling the fortifications?”

Even though Saulus didn’t intend for this exact man to become the chief commander of the troops located in this part of the frontline, it actually worked out pretty well. Given how the main focus of the early stage of warfare would be on stalling the enemies, his expertise in military engineering would definitely come in handy.

“Sir, yes sir! If I may though…”

A slight nod of Saulus’ head was enough to encourage the young officer into speaking his mind.

“I would like to keep the ditches as they are. We could move the barricades from their entry to the spaces between each ditch, using them as initial cover behind which we could construct proper walls. Otherwise, if we attempt any sort of construction directly on the frontline, we will most likely suffer heavy casualties in the process.”

Hearing the gentle protest of the officer, Saulus smiled. Just as quickly as his predecessor was decreasing his own value with each passing second, the newly appointed chief commander of this section of the frontline was gaining points in the eyes of the general.

“Your intentions are good, but it would cause too much delay. I will give you an opening as soon as the enemy attacks. I already have directed a lot of the manpower bought from the city and supplied you with building materials. Although the window might be quite short, it will still be better than nothing. What’s more…”

Before Saulus could even finish explaining his plan to the new commander, the ringing of the watchtowers’ bells announced that their enemy was attempting yet another attack. This time, however, despite the inevitable casualties that the attack would result in, Saulus was ready to receive it!

“Man your posts! Tonight, we are going to take revenge on those bastards!”

Rallying the men as he ran out of headquarters, Saulus cast his sight at the frontlines. Even though the sun was already hanging low over the horizon, its rays still allowed him to observe the proceeding of the events.

“First unit ready!”

“Second unit ready.”

By the time the third unit reported their readiness, the report from other groups started swarming the area around Saulus as well. All the while the enemy cavalry was racing through the open fields between the ditches, killing anyone who was too late to hide in the earthy hole.

“Not yet…”

Watching keenly how the attackers poured deeper and deeper into the line of the useless fortifications, Saulus didn’t even notice when one of the attendants put the heavy armor right on top of his body.

“Not yet…”

With each passing second, the area around the general continued to organize, with people turning from a mindless crowd into perfectly formed units. Even if most of the legionaries from the second legion were amateurs, their lack of fighting experience had nothing to do with the drills they had to engrave into their souls during their training!

“Not yet…”

Still fully focused at the front, Saulus only allowed his attention to waver when he felt a nudge to his side.

“Sir, your banner…”

This was the main part of the scheme that Saulus had come up with. Raising his eyes back towards the enemies, Saulus tilted the corners of his lips into a devious smile.

“Soldiers, slow pace forward march.”

Rather than shouting the orders to intimidate both his own men and the force that would surely oppose them, Saulus opted for a silent order. Nevertheless, the fact that the small crowd of armed men started to move all at once proved that orders could be said rather than shouted in order to bring effect.

“Not yet…”

Whispering to himself as his sizable group closed into the first line of fortifications, Saulus continued to track the movements of the enemy unit. Ten steps away. Five steps.

“NOW!”

Suddenly dropping all the pretense of a stealthy approach, Saulus shouted. The next second, the sharp sound of a trumpet could be heard across the battlefield, signaling the start of the attack.

And then, just as the southern cavalry approached what looked like just one ditch amongst many, Saulus’s heavily armed bodyguards emerged from the hole. With their spears aimed at the enemy’s side and their horses already heated for battle, the enemy unit was instantly pinned in place, unable to disperse under the constant threat of Saulus’ elite troops.

“ATTACK!”

Swinging his personal banner in the air, Saulus kicked the sides of his horse, charging forward. The next moment, the hastily assembled crowd around him rushed forward, following his lead.