Chapter 22: War of the Duchies V

3rd Pov

It has been 2 weeks since George Vasgi and Marcus Di Maria handed over ownership of their Fiefs to Joseph-Maximus von Farquaad, with them also signing the declarations that expose the plans the 2 Baronies had with Counselor Adam.

The news had already been given to the other Nobles in the region, which brought infamy to the Duchies and to Duchess Maria Di Aiello, who had to receive hundreds of letters of complaints from nobles and Monarchs, mainly from the Kingdom of Heart, which was diplomatically supporting Duloc, to Joseph's surprise.

The Dulocian troops were also advancing against the Duchy's forces, with them attacking the other nobles, initially attacking other weak Barons to obtain more supplies, along with steel for the Dulocian War Machine, with the Dulocian Tactics having to adapt, as they knew that soon they would not face mere Barons who only had Militias, but also Professional soldiers serving the Duchess and other Private Armies of Nobles, who would outnumber them. 

This can be seen in one of the forests of the Duchy of Hyarlia, where the forces of one of the Counts, Count Doriano Fraticelli, were marching to join other Barons to repel the Dulocian attack on their lands, counting on a Private Army of 10 thousand men. 

Meanwhile, several Dulocian soldiers were hidden in bushes and on top of trees. There were 2,000 Dulocians, all of whom were experienced hunters who had prepared several traps and equipment for this purpose. They knew they were outnumbered, but they wouldn't let that get to them.

Especially the leader of the hunters, Henry, also known as The Woodsman, recently appointed Hauptmann I Klasse, someone extremely familiar with forests and other such things. He looked at Count Fraticelli's troops with predatory eyes, as he already had a complete plan to deal with them.

"Hauptmann, everything is ready, along with the explosives," a soldier said quietly in Henry's ear, who nodded seriously.

"Then let's give this nobleman a welcome gift for entering our forest, don't you think?" Henry said with a smile on his face before becoming serious again, with him making a bird noise with his hands, looking like an owl, which was soon heard by the others hiding, but also by some of Count Fraticelli's soldiers.

It would be then that Count Fraticelli, along with his Army, would hear noises similar to those of owls throughout the forest, making everyone ready for an ambush, but it would be then that they would hear the sounds of explosions and screams of pain and despair.

Joseph decided it was time to spice things up on the battlefield, with him then creating some explosives with gunpowder for testing before ordering mass production to deliver to the troops at the Front, first being given to the groups that were assigned to carry out guerrilla warfare and ambushes against larger forces.

Taking advantage of the chaos that was occurring among the Count's forces, the Dulocian soldiers began to open fire, their muskets firing non-stop at the enemy, with bayonets already fixed on their muskets so that when they heard the whistles to advance.

Other soldiers who were not shooting or throwing explosives at the enemy began to activate the traps that had been set, with several wooden logs with sharp ends rolling against Count Fraticelli's troops, crushing several and sticking their tips into the bodies of others.

"Attack! Attack!" shouted the Count, who miraculously managed to survive the shots and explosions, but had to lose his faithful steed in the process, with him and the others advancing and letting out their war cries.

The officers on the Dulocian side soon began blowing their whistles, and they pointed their flintlocks at the Count's soldiers, killing some before they sheathed and drew their swords and advanced toward the troops, beginning brutal hand-to-hand combat.

Several bayonets found their victims, piercing their throats, eyes, bellies, or hearts, with the officers' swords encountering resistance but also managing to inflict casualties and covering themselves with blood.

However, several Dulocian soldiers were also lost in the first minutes of combat, being cut down by the swords of the Count's soldiers or by some arrow they did not see, but they never stopped advancing.

Some other explosions were heard and seen, with those in charge of the explosives not stopping to make the enemy suffer, Henry could be seen cutting several enemy soldiers with his hatchet, which he insisted on keeping, as he was more familiar with it than with an officer's sword, it would be then that he would come face to face with Count Doriano Fraticelli.

"Die, Dulocian Dog!" Doriano shouted angrily as he charged at Henry with murderous intent. Henry dodged Doriano's blow, he then attacked the Count's back, but Doriano quickly turned and blocked the hatchet blow with his sword, he then kicked Henry in the chest, which made him take a few steps back, with Doriano wasting no time in striking Henry directly in the throat, but Doriano ended up missing because one of his soldiers pushed him aside, with the soldier receiving a shot in the head from a Dulocian officer. Henry then attacked again, attacking Doriano's legs directly, he screamed in pain before slapping Henry with his gloved hand, who spat some blood before being punched in the stomach and thrown to the ground.

"Urgh, damn you Dulocians and Lord von Farquaad!" Doriano shouted in anger as he pulled the hatchet out of his leg, then prepared to plunge his sword into Henry's heart.

But Henry would not stand still, with him then picking up dirt from the ground and threw it at the Count's eyes, who held his eyes that hurt and burned, Henry would then quickly took back his hatchet before thrusting the hatchet straight into Doriano's throat, who held the part where the hatchet was stuck, with him trying to pull it out.

"I hope you burn in hell, you noble piece of shit!" Henry shouted before pulling the hatchet out of Doriano's throat and attacking once more, with Doriano's body falling to the ground, this made The Woodsman take a deep breath before continuing to plunge it into the Count's neck until he separated his head from the rest of his body, with him then holding his head high for everyone to see.

"Your Count is dead! Surrender or die!" Henry shouted as several Dulocian soldiers who saw what had been done began to surround their Hauptmann to protect him.

Many on the battlefield who saw this had mixed reactions, some enemy soldiers began to flee, while others surrendered or were killed for wanting to continue fighting, with the battle considered won for the Dulocian troops.

This battle, which would become known as the Battle of Vendes Forest, ended in a Dulocian victory that would pave the way for their expansion in the War of the Duchies.

The forces of the late Count Doriano Fraticelli, which numbered 10,000, suffered 4,789 deaths, with 2,450 managing to escape and another 2,761 becoming prisoners of war.

On Duloc's side, of the 2,000 Dulocian soldiers commanded by Hauptmann I Klasse, Henry, better known as The Woodsman, 243 were killed, with another 500 wounded, both with light and heavy injuries, with 1,257 soldiers, along with their Hauptmann, still fully fit to fight.