The winter sun glinted off steel. Across the plain east of the river, banners of Hojo fluttered in the cold wind: a wall of orange crests, their lines sharp, their spears gleaming like a forest of death.
At their center, mounted upon a black horse, sat Hojo Tadakuni, a seasoned general with eyes hard as stone. His armor was lacquered, his sword polished, his expression carved from disdain.
"They send peasants and children to fight us," Tadakuni sneered, surveying Eugene's Spears assembling on the opposite bank. "Let us show this boy-lord what it means to oppose Hojo."
The Crescent Rises
Eugene stood at the head of his army, cloak snapping in the wind, Crescent banner high above him. His forces were fewer—barely two thousand Spears, bolstered by ashigaru villagers who had joined on the march. Against him, Hojo brought nearly three thousand disciplined samurai and soldiers.
But numbers alone did not win wars.
[System Analysis]:Enemy morale: steady.Enemy formation: traditional spear wall, mounted flankers.Weakness: rigid command structure, poor adaptation.Recommended strategy: disruption and encirclement.
Eugene smiled faintly. In another life, he had faced armies larger still. The principles never changed.
"Hiroshi," he said, eyes never leaving the field. "You take the left. Charge when I give the signal, not before."
The burly warrior grinned, hefting his axe. "Understood. I'll hold until your word."
"Masanori," Eugene continued. "Your archers will harry their horses. Keep them circling, never striking."
The old tactician bowed. "As you will, my lord."
Finally, he turned to Lady Aiko. "You'll command the reserves. When the moment comes, you'll see it. Strike where their line weakens."
Aiko inclined her head, her face unreadable. "As you command."
The Spears stood ready. Their breaths misted in the cold air, but their eyes were aflame.
The Battle Begins
A horn blared from the Hojo side. Drums thundered. The orange banners advanced, the spear wall glinting like fire beneath the pale sky.
Eugene raised his sword. "Crescent Spears! Today, we carve the sunrise into Hojo's shadows. Hold fast!"
The ground shook as the armies closed. Arrows whistled. Shields thudded. The clash began.
Hojo's spear wall pressed forward, disciplined and relentless. Crescent Spears met them head-on, iron ringing against iron. The first line bent but did not break.
"Now," Eugene whispered.
Hiroshi roared like a beast and charged with a wedge of axemen, slamming into Hojo's left flank. The disciplined line faltered under the sheer ferocity of the strike.
Masanori's archers loosed volleys in rhythm, their arrows finding horses' eyes and throats. Mounted samurai stumbled, their charge scattered.
Yet still the Hojo pressed, their numbers grinding against Crescent's line. Tadakuni himself rode forward, blade cutting down two Spears in one stroke.
"Break them!" he bellowed. "Show them the strength of Hojo!"
Eugene's Gambit
The Spears held, but just barely. Eugene's eyes scanned the field, reading patterns, seeking the thread to pull.
[System Alert]:Enemy left flank destabilizing.Opportunity for encirclement.
Eugene raised his blade high. "Aiko! Now!"
From the rear, Lady Aiko led the reserves forward. A thousand fresh Spears slammed into the weakened Hojo flank with precision, their Crescent banners blazing.
The Hojo line buckled. Cracks spread through their formation like glass shattering.
"Archers—shift fire!" Eugene ordered. "Pin their center!"
Arrows rained, forcing Hojo soldiers to cluster and huddle, unable to reform.
Then Eugene gave the final command.
"Spears, forward! Break them!"
The Crescent surged like a tide, roaring as one. Their spears drove into the heart of Hojo's line, cutting it in two.
Duel of Lords
Amidst the chaos, Eugene's eyes locked on Tadakuni. The Hojo general cut down man after man, trying to rally his soldiers.
Eugene spurred forward, blade drawn.
Their swords clashed with a ringing cry, sparks flying. Tadakuni's strength was immense, his strikes heavy as falling trees. Eugene's movements were sharper, faster—parries flowing into counters, footwork precise.
"You're no samurai," Tadakuni snarled, pressing forward. "You fight like some foreign demon!"
"Perhaps," Eugene replied calmly. "But demons build kingdoms too."
With a swift feint, Eugene sidestepped and drove his blade upward, slicing Tadakuni's shoulder. The Hojo general roared in pain, staggering.
Seeing their leader falter, the Hojo soldiers broke. Cries of panic spread. The Spears pressed harder, cutting them down, driving them into retreat.
Victory's Cry
By sundown, the plain was littered with corpses. Hojo banners burned, their survivors fleeing east.
The Crescent Spears stood victorious, bloodied but unbroken. They raised their weapons, their voices booming.
"Crescent! Crescent!"
Eugene stood amidst the cheers, his blade dripping red. The system pulsed softly.
[Battle Outcome]:Victory: decisive.Enemy casualties: heavy.Allied casualties: moderate.Territorial control: expanding east.Reputation: rising rapidly.
The Spears knelt before him, one by one. Farmers, warriors, nobles alike. To them, this was not just survival. This was destiny.
Lady Aiko approached, her eyes reflecting the firelight. "You've done what no boy of your years should ever have done. Hojo reels. Ishida watches. And the people begin to believe…"
She paused, her lips curving faintly. "Believe that perhaps you are not merely a lord. But something greater."
Eugene sheathed his blade slowly. He looked at the battlefield, at the banners rising, at the Spears roaring.
Not a boy. Not just a lord.
A kingdom's dawn.