Chapter 420
(Kyle Calendar Year 515: Age 22)
The Choice of the Resourceful General
Translator : PolterGlast
The day after recapturing the Royal Capital of the Lute
Kingdom, we commenced our march aiming for our next destination, the Royal
Capital of the Vile Kingdom. However, the expeditionary force unit that
I directly lead has not yet engaged in battle with the enemy army even once up
until now. Therefore, with no wounded or dropouts, we continued our advance
while unreservedly maintaining our swift pace. To begin with, the three
countries of Lute, Vile, and Cain were shaped somewhat
like a single country divided vertically into three, so their respective
national territories were in a long and narrow shape; moving east, we
immediately approached the border with the Vile Kingdom.
「We crossed the border unexpectedly
fast, huh? At this rate, can we enter the conquest of the Royal Capital by
tomorrow? We also have the battle in the Cain Kingdom, which is our main
target, waiting ahead of us, you see.」
Before separating into three countries, the Royal Capital of
the three countries (Vile), which had fought the Empire for many
years, was located at a distance from the border with the Empire with
defense in mind. Therefore, unlike the Royal Capitals of the Lute and Cain
Kingdoms, which are relatively close to the Empire's border, it was
necessary to continue far to the east even after crossing the border. It is
somewhat troublesome, but the basic strategy is to defeat the dispersed enemy
forces in detail and annihilate them by severing their retreat paths.
Therefore, we need to corner the enemy one by one from the north side.
「That is right. If we force the
advance, we will likely reach Vile's Royal Capital sometime today, but
we would probably enter a siege battle immediately upon arrival. Considering
the fatigue of the soldiers, that is unreasonable, you see.」
It was my soliloquy, but the Commander riding his
horse next to me responded, accurately pointing out the very thing I was
concerned about...
「However... even with our swift pace,
we cannot catch up to General Golpa's unit, can we? Even if they have
replacement horses and the geographical advantage, this is an astonishing speed
of march, I would say.」
「Right. They have already cleared the
way for us (preparing supply bases along the way), so we have to catch up by
the time we reach the Royal Capital. As expected, this time it's a Royal
Capital with three hundred years of history, so I think its defense capability
is correspondingly high...」
「Indeed, even in terms of troop
numbers, five thousand led by General Golpa would be tough. The General
is probably also avoiding fortifying their defenses by attacking poorly, and is
laying his soldiers in ambush before it.」
「Then so that we aren't detected
either, shall we proceed with caution from the border onwards, sending scouts
ahead?」
Initially, the Commander and I only had that level of
understanding. However, the reality was... the god-speed troop deployment
commanded by General Golpa far exceeded our expectations!
※
When we had closed in to within half a day's distance of the
Royal Capital of the Vile Kingdom, and temporarily halted the entire
army to prepare for encampment early to ensure perfection, an express messenger
seemingly dispatched by General Golpa arrived. Moreover, accompanied by
astonishing contents...
「Huh? I'm sorry, could you say that
once more?」
I unconsciously couldn't help but ask the messenger to
repeat his report. Because no matter how I thought about it, it was too fast.
However, reality went far diagonally above the imaginations of the Commander
and I.
「Yes, we arrived near the Royal
Capital during last night, and when we sent out scouts, the enemy had grown
complacent and had gaps in their vigilance. When the General immediately made
the decision for a night attack, we charged into the Royal Capital late at
night and succeeded in recapturing it!」
「......」
It wasn't a mishearing. Are you saying they really caused
the Royal Capital to fall in just one night... Isn't that crazy?
「With a military force of only five
thousand... it's an unbelievably great battle result, but weren't the damages
large as well? I believe there were a corresponding number of garrison soldiers
too...」
「Actually... at the point we entered
the Lute Kingdom, the General had sent messengers running to various
places within Vile. At the time of the Royal Capital's recapture, an
army of two thousand that responded to the General's call joined us, and we
launched the attack with a total of seven thousand men.」
「Oho... to have rallied as many as
two thousand soldiers in this short period of time?」
It seems even the Commander couldn't hide his
surprise at this. The Commander continued to question the messenger.
「Even so, the attacking force did not
reach three times the enemy army holed up in the Royal Capital, did it? Despite
that, you recaptured it in this short period of time?」
「Yes, the enemy also left about three
thousand soldiers, but General Golpa is intimately familiar with the
structure of the Royal Capital. Sneaking soldiers in secretly through hidden
passages, we opened the city gates from the inside late at night when the enemy
soldiers were asleep and charged into the Royal Palace. Therefore, the battle
became one-sided, and by morning the sweeping of the scattered and fleeing
enemy army was also completed.」
「That is... a splendid command. If
you attacked them in their sleep from the inside with an army double the
enemy's size, allied damages must not have been significant either. Even so,
General Golpa's popularity is extraordinary, I suppose this is the
result of that.」
I think the Commander is right. I too intended to
send out those five thousand cavalry as an advance party, so to be honest, I
didn't expect concrete battle results. Even so, not only the First Prince
but General Golpa as well, in the end, recaptured their own countries'
Royal Capitals with their own hands without borrowing any of our help. The
meaning this holds is extremely significant.
「The General is still continuing to
rally the soldiers remaining in the country, and soldiers are continuing to
gather one after another even now. Therefore, the General reorganized the newly
joined ones, and leaving a portion to maintain public order in the Royal
Capital, he has advanced to the border with the Cain Kingdom leading
seven thousand cavalry.」
Fast! He's already handling things up to that point? Just as
the General said, a 『battle
of time』, I feel
like he is two or three steps ahead of us.
「Therefore, I was dispatched by the
General to guide Archduke-heika's
army to a new rendezvous point.」
Since he's calling the recapture of the three countries a
battle of time, they too are desperate. However, General Golpa also
probably assumes the next enemy will not let their guard down.
「Understood, so the direction of the
rendezvous point and the time distance from this location?」
「Ha! It is due south from here, at a
distance taking less than half a day on horseback. If you cross the mountain
range forming the national border beyond that, the Royal Capital of the Cain
Kingdom is right before your eyes.」
「Splendid. They are troublesome opponents as enemies, but now that
they have become allies of Takuhir-sama, they are reassuring.」
The Commander also narrowed his eyes in admiration.
If General Golpa, who is trustworthy as a person, supports the First
Prince of the Lute Kingdom, who will newly unite the three
countries... ...things will be secure going forward. For that purpose as
well...
「What remains is the enemy main
force, but the Dublin Tactic by the Longbow soldiers is
troublesome. It is highly possible that it is an unknown tactic for those other
than the Lute Kingdom Army, which directly shares a national border with
them. Takuhir-sama, I believe we should cancel the encampment here and
also join the General as quickly as possible.」
Right, up to this point went well. No, it is no exaggeration
to say it went too well. But the problem is from here on. Responding to the Commander's
advice, we turned our course south and hurried forward towards a new
battlefield.
※
Changing direction, we arrived at the base where General Golpa
was deploying his unit before the sun set, and there we joined our armies. The
area he designated as the gathering point was a place where the low mountain
range continuing along the border of the Vile Kingdom and the Cain
Kingdom dropped another level lower; beyond the woods designated as the
encampment, a small path leading to the Cain Kingdom stretched out as if
running up a steep slope.
「I see, rather than daring to cross
the mountain via the shortest route and enter the Cain Kingdom from the
east side to advance, you hid under the umbrella of the mountains, advanced
within the Vile Kingdom, and closed in on the Royal Capital, huh. With
this, it's hard to be detected even by the enemy on the other side of the
mountain.」
「Indeed, the height is not that much,
but the peaks still act as obstacles. If it's a land where we have no line of
sight to each other, the enemy cannot possibly glean our lineup. Above all,
advancing through one's own country gives the geographical advantage to the
General's side.」
While the Commander and I, having joined our units,
were talking, General Golpa came rushing over.
「Archduke-heika, I am
terribly sorry for not even coming out to welcome you. Also, I deeply apologize
for causing you the trouble of marching here.」
「Hahaha, I don't think there is a
single thing you need to apologize for. I was surprised by the General's
splendid command, though. So... did you find out anything about the enemy
army's situation?」
「Ha, we have currently sent out
multiple scouts to various places, but it appears the Royal Capital of the Cain
Kingdom has fallen in vain despite their resistance.」
「I see... so what happened to the
royalty?」
「It seems they fled before the Royal
Capital fell, but... unfortunately, I am told all the royalty were captured and
executed.」
「I see... all of them. What a cruel
story.」
Since similar atrocities were repeated in the Vile
Kingdom and the Lute Kingdom, I had anticipated it. However, women
and children must have been included among the royalty; for them to do that...
「We too hurriedly advanced our army
but fell one step short; I am truly sorry.」
Saying so, the General floated an expression of anguish and
bowed his head deeply, but my feelings are different. It's a ruthless thing to
say, but... to begin with, our objective was to save the people, rather than
saving the royalty who were hostile to us.
「General Golpa, no apologies
are necessary for this matter. We did our best, but the Cain Kingdom
perished as it was meant to perish, that is all.」
Taking a cold-hearted perspective, they sought the safety of
their own bodies and fled, abandoning the people of the Royal Capital and the
soldiers who fought. Abandoning their responsibilities as kings.
「With this... all royalty drawing the
blood of the former Great King Divide have perished, save for one
person. I intend to leave the future path the three countries of Lute, Vile,
and Cain will take from here on to Crajyu-dono, standing as the unifying King.」
「W-What!」
「To create a future governed by the
new King, from here on we will just avenge each country.」
「T-Thank you very much. Gratitude, I
express my utmost gratitude...」
Saying so, the General raised his face, looking extremely
surprised. Ah, right... there was also a story I hadn't told the General yet.
「It is already tentative, but the Lute
Kingdom is being run by the new King, freed from being a prisoner, and the
soldiers, moving to sweep the invaders within the country and solidify our
rear.」
「Oooooh!」
「As a descendant of the royal family
drawing the blood of the former Lute-Vile-Cain Kingdom,
the new King is scheduled to unite the three countries. Of course, the plan is
for you Generals to be released post-war as a reward for recapturing the Royal
Capital of Vile and to join him.」
「W-What!」
「I especially have expectations of
you, General, to support the unified domestic state from the military aspect as
the new King's right hand. With this, the three countries should be able to
walk a new future. By their own power.」
「I-I gratefully accept! Even if it
replaces this life!」
The General prostrated himself vigorously, but a flood of
emotions welled up unstoppably, and he seemed to be crying. The shoulders of
the old general, who even possessed the majesty of a battle-hardened veteran,
kept trembling slightly.
「In order to win that future as well,
there are things we must finish. Unfortunately we have no sense of the land, so from here on out I would like to place my expectations on
the General's resourcefulness?」
Saying this much, the General finally raised his face. His
face had already returned to the face of a warrior who fights.
「First, regarding the premise, the
number of the enemy army that invaded the Cain Kingdom: through
reconnaissance, we estimate it to be around twenty thousand.」
「Twenty thousand, you say!」
Tch... more than I thought. The Commander raised a
voice of surprise, but I felt the exact same way. Because truthfully, I had
thought the enemy had left a considerable number of soldiers to defend the
respective Royal Capitals of the already occupied Lute Kingdom and Vile
Kingdom, resulting in the main force falling significantly below fifteen
thousand, even with some replenishment. Currently, our numbers, even combining
the soldiers the General newly rallied, are only seventeen thousand.
「Ha, initially the soldiers of the Istoria
Orthodox Theocracy that retreated were just under twenty thousand. However,
at the point they took down the Lute Kingdom, it seems there were also
replenishments from their home country. In addition to that...」
「You are saying they newly mobilized
at least five thousand, up to nearly ten thousand men?」
Saying so, the Commander's face turned vigilant. It
seems it was unexpected not only to me but to the Commander as well.
Moreover, 『in
addition to that』, what
happened?
「Shamefully, it seems there were a
considerable number among us as well who betrayed their homeland.」
Saying so, the General floated an expression of bitter
distress. I guess there are defectors from the Vile Kingdom Army as
well. I have no way of knowing about the Cain Kingdom, but knowing the
internal affairs of these two countries—the former King of Vile who
exposed his disgraceful behavior at the prisoner audience venue, and the Lute
Kingdom that moved to eliminate the First Prince who was an
outstanding figure—I end up thinking it's to be expected. Setting aside
judgments of right or wrong, I think it's a reasonable story that there would
be those who grieve the actual circumstances of their homeland and feel doubts
about the country continuing to exist.
「Did they become disgusted with the
old regime, or did they wag their tails at the invaders out of excessive love
for their own bodies. Is that what it means...」
「Unfortunately, it is exactly as Archduke-heika says. However, we too are
continuing to rally the soldiers remaining within the Vile Kingdom.
Currently, including the two thousand we brought here and the three thousand we
left to protect the Royal Palace, five thousand soldiers have gathered.」
I see. The lesion the Vile Kingdom harbored is
serious, but the soldiers were spurred into action by the General's call, huh?
To have gathered that many soldiers in this short period of time must purely be
a gift of the General's popularity.
「Now that the Royal Capital of the Cain
Kingdom has fallen, we wish to change our plan
from a 『battle of
time』 to a 『battle of truth and falsehood』. It might be unnecessary to state
this to Archduke-heika, but
there are points we should use to our advantage.」
The gist of the tactic the General proposed while saying so
had three points.
·
Geographical
advantage. Since they had solely aimed for the Royal Capitals of each country
up until now, they cannot utilize the terrain in battle.
·
Harmony
among people. With an army newly dispatched from their home country and
turncoats, commanding and leading in accordance with the numbers is difficult.
·
Timing of
heaven. They still do not know the information of the annihilation of the
allied First Prince's Army or the dispatch of our expeditionary force,
and furthermore, they are currently harboring 『shackles』 of their own accord. Based on those, the General presented
a tactical plan.
「I see, an interesting tactical plan.」
Exactly as the Commander felt, with this tactic my
anxieties would be resolved, and we could also compensate for our disadvantage
in numbers. Even more so since we will make the national territory (terrain)
our ally...
「We have heard of Archduke-heika's tactics that shattered the
sure-kill formation they possess. Furthermore, upon this expedition, we also
heard stories from Crajyu-heika, who has faced off against them for
many years.」
Hahaha, perfect. So before a battle-hardened general, my
worries were nothing more than groundless fears, huh. In addition to that, I'm
surprised my story had reached them, though...
「Then following General Golpa's
strategy, shall we strike them down here?」
I added several additional items to the proposed contents,
and decided to adopt the General's tactical plan. This time for sure, we will
eradicate the 『Apostles
of Darkness』! With
that strong resolve.
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