The forces of Victor Luxenberg and Field Marshal Gai Mou converged on the village of Naka two and a half weeks after Victor received a letter from the Simbarnese Field Marshal.
Victor was excited for this battle; he had been eager not only to meet but to fight alongside the prominent figurehead of the Gu Army. Their meeting was long overdue, and once the Kislevian raiders were thoroughly defeated, Victor would be able to fully unite the Simbar continent.
In Victor's original message to Field Marshal Gai Mou, he had detailed the plan so that there would be no confusion on the day of the assault.
The plan for the battle was to attack the village from the eastern and western ends of the village. They would split the raiders' garrison between two fronts and aim to pepper them with artillery fire before sending in the infantry.
Although Victor was reluctant to use his artillery against the village, his forces would have a much harder time if they did not have the support of their cannons. It was a shame that he had left his rocket artillery with Field Marshal Schwarzenberg and the rest of the army. They were needed to be used as a deterrent for any rebellious elements in the northern half of the continent.
General Lasalle's 14th Corps would be the bulk of Victor's force, while the Royal Guard would be the rear guard. Field Marshal Gai Mou would be bringing 40,000 infantrymen and 50 guns from his army. This was the entire number of the Southern Army soldiers garrisoned in Jiuzhen. This was a critical moment in the campaign against the Kislevian Raiders. If victory was achieved at Naka, the raiders would be fully removed from the continent.
Victor's army had arrived a few days early and began scouting the village for any vulnerable areas.
The defences of the village were superior to any of their other attempts. Spikes and trenches covered the majority of the perimeter. There were regular patrols around the village, so the element of surprise was not an option.
Many of the outer buildings had been converted into pillboxes that could house dozens of raiders. A run-down, multi-storied pagoda that was in the centre of the village had been converted into the raiders' headquarters. Skirmishers were stationed on the roof, acting as sentries.
Artillery positions were scattered amongst the three village fronts. There were almost 50 guns that were positioned for the garrison. Their quality may have been poorer than the Luxenberg artillery, but the presence of them made the defences more formidable.
By the morning of the assault, Victor and Field Marshal Gai Mou were rallying their troops to begin the assault.
The morning dew had not dried yet, but the sound of cannon fire was a rude awakening for the raiders. Dozens of cannonballs flung into the sides of wooden buildings. Splintered and abused, the pillboxes were facing an onslaught of cannon fire from both sides. They would not take this beating lying down, though. They returned fire with our own cannons.
Earth was dented with cannonballs, and dirt flew into the air. Some of the allied cannons suffered damage, and a few crew members received fatal wounds. The exchange of cannon fire lasted for over an hour. When both sides had exhausted their ammunition, the infantry was sent in.
Field Marshal Gai Mou's troops lacked the organisational experience compared to the Luxenberg Army. They marched in a basic line formation and only were fre firing one volley at a time. Their crude and elementary tactics meant that their rate of fire was significantly slower. This allowed the raiders to react and return fire.
In comparison, the Luxenberg infantry continued their standard multi-volley advance. Their constant pressure kept the raiders suppressed long enough for the first rank of Luxenberg infantry to reload.
The constant musket fire made the defenders on the western side of the village falter. They could not find an opening to return fire; if they raised their heads and tried to counterattack, they would end up riddled with musketballs.
Step by step, the Luxenberg infantry reached the village and began flooding into it. Soldiers hastily advanced and began to enter a melee with the Kislevian raiders. With fixed bayonets, the Luxenberg infantrymen slashed and stabbed their enemy with no mercy. Their once-glistening steel bayonets are now drenched in crimson liquid.
With the Luxenberg infantry causing havoc on the western side of the village, the eastern side defenders had to send more raiders to reinforce the area; consequently, this allowed Field Marshal Gai Mou's troops to take advantage of the situation and breach the village perimeter.
From both sides of the village, men fought hard to stay alive. Bodies littered the streets, and the cries of soldiers sang in harmony. Steel clashed and fists were thrown; the initially composed Luxenberg soldiers were now in a scrappy dog fight with the raiders. Close-quarters combat had drawn out the monsters that lay dormant in men.
Primal urges were kicking in, and the reformed warfare that was common in this world was absent for a moment. Faces were smashed, bones were broken, and chunks of flesh were gnawed off. The raiders fought tooth and nail, trying to resist the enemy. In turn, the Luxenberg and Gu soldiers matched the level of ferocity.
The fighting lasted until slightly after midday; by then, all the raiders had fallen in combat. However, it did not mean that the victory was easily won. Almost an entire infantry division from the Luxenberg force had been wiped out, while 15,000 soldiers from Field Marshal Gai Mou's army had perished. For these sacrifices, 70,000 raiders lost their lives, and their presence on Simbar was no more.
When the battle was finally over, wounded soldiers were tended to by the medics. Men from both the Southern Army and Victor's Army sat side by side as their respective medics tended to them. Victor had not brought any summoned Simbarnese soldiers with him, so there was a clear and massive language barrier.
After Victor had finished checking on his men, he sought out Field Marshal Gai Mou. It was about time they finally met.