Chapter 347
(Kyle Calendar Year 515: Age 22)
The Gathering of the Demon Territory Dukedom Army
Translator : PolterGlast
As the height of
summer approached and the scorching sunlight grew stronger day by day, Kusanagi
and the entire Westlights Demon Territory Dukedom were enveloped in a
great sense of tension. A messenger had already arrived from Sieghart,
who was encamped far away, announcing that the outbreak of war was imminent.
Though, due to the time difference, the flames of war had already been
ignited... Receiving that report, Takuhir also immediately summoned the
entire army and entered combat readiness. At the operations headquarters in Kusanagi,
those entrusted with various army corps whom Takuhir trusted were
gathering one after another.
※
As the main unit,
the military force stationed in the new territory was 19,000.
·
Demon
Territory Knights: Weiss (8,000 cavalry)
·
Special Fire Corps: Christoph (3,000
cavalry)
·
Izumo
Garrison Army: Alexis (5,000 cavalry)
·
New Territory Garrison Brigade: Masrur
(900 ▷ 1,200 troops)
·
Espionage and Disruption Unit: Raphael
(500 ▷ 800 troops)
·
Headquarters Escort Army: Newly established (▷
1,000 cavalry)
In recent years,
there was a slight increase in personnel for the Demon Territory Knights,
but because 800 elites were transferred to the Headquarters Escort Army, the
regular number remained the same. The ones that had an increase in personnel
recently were the New Territory Garrison Brigade, which is advancing local
recruitment and augmenting its military force, and the 'surface' unit of the
Espionage and Disruption Unit, which pulled personnel from the former Kingdom
territory.
And the newly
established Headquarters Escort Army had a somewhat unique composition.
·
Elites from the Demon Territory Knights:
800 cavalry
·
Volunteer Mages: 100 cavalry
·
Archers exceptionally skilled in marksmanship:
100 cavalry
These were
established for the purpose of Takuhir himself commanding them to
attempt breakthroughs into enemy lines, change the war situation, and so on.
『I
do not want to be a King who makes everyone stand in the deadly grounds of the
front lines while remaining peaceful in the rear. If necessary, I myself
will stand at the forefront, dive into the enemy, and fight entrusting my back
to my allies. I declare this much. As long as the one who is the King of
the Westlights Dukedom cannot do that, he will not sit on the throne!』
When Takuhir
declared so, the gathered soldiers all rejoiced uniformly and responded with
loud cheers. 『The Archduke is no coward; he constantly exposes himself to
enemy blades and is at the forefront.』 This is said to be the beginning of him
coming to be evaluated as such later on. Due to this declaration, it is
generally said that it was established out of Takuhir's obsession, but
that is actually incorrect.
This unit is
composed of elite knights hand-picked from the Demon Territory Knights, Mages
capable of adopting all sorts of tactics, and archers—each of whom is a match
for a thousand men. Equipped with overwhelming striking power through magic and
mass charges, and mobility to run freely utilizing the advantage of small
numbers, commanded by a commander who thoroughly knows magic tactics directing
the Mages within the unit, it might be correct to evaluate it as a
special unit capable of adopting flexible tactics.
『A
mere one thousand, yet an unrivaled elite group possessing the striking power
to determine the outcome of the war.』
This unit was
finally formed as a result of exhaustive deliberations between Takuhir and Weiss to resolve
this very proposition. Of course,
naturally included among them were Yoltia, the strongest Mage; Elan,
Bart, Kaul, Carleen, Mary, and Sasha, who
have constantly followed Takuhir; companions normally assigned to civil
official duties; Leia and Shannon; and so on.
And the 100
matchless archers; starting with non-Mages like Altena, excellent
archers scouted in the Royal Capital had also volunteered and were assigned
here.
※
From the former
territory that was the Kyle Kingdom, while leaving behind residual
military forces, the mobilized soldiers entered Termira, and only the
respective commanders arrived in Kusanagi ahead of them. That regular
number had also transformed greatly from before. This was the result of the
commanders deployed in the former territories of each house earnestly striving
to increase personnel, and currently totaled 6,100. Of those, the number that
sortied for defense, leaving behind residual units, was 3,300.
(Current Sortie /
Past Military Force ▷ Current Military Force)
·
Former Demon Territory Count Domain: Gail
(2,000 troops / 2,600 ▷ 2,800 troops)
·
Frontier Count Domain: Mars (600 troops /
1,000 ▷ 1,200 troops)
·
Kyrias Domain: Aral (300 troops /
400 ▷
700 troops)
·
Count Cornell Domain: Danke (200
troops / 200 ▷ 400 troops)
·
Armed Vigilante Corps: Isaac (200 troops
/ 500 ▷ 1,000 troops)
The rapid
advancement of the Armed Vigilante Corps is particularly remarkable, but there
was a reason for this as well. The Armed Vigilante Corps recruits general
territory residents and laborers locally, and after establishment, supports the
respective residual units. Because this was their original purpose.
And finally, the Westlights
Demon Territory Dukedom Noble Army. Consisting of the forces of Marquises Gorman
and Solis, Count Falmus (Kreitz),
and Viscount Bold. These total 4,400 troops, and the majority of the Gorman
and Solis armies are stationed at the Izanami barrier gate.
〈Sortieable
Military Force Excluding Demon Territory Knights Dispatch Units〉
·
Marquis Gorman Army: 1,200 troops ▷
1,700 troops
·
Marquis Solis Army: 900 troops ▷
1,300 troops
·
Twin-Headed Eagle Mercenary Group: 300 troops ▷
400 troops
·
Count Falmus Army: 600 troops ▷
1,000 troops (Including Viscount Bold Army)
Excluding the Falmus
army which is undergoing reconstruction, since each has also provided around
500 soldiers to the Demon Territory Knights, the actual number of
military forces held by each house is more than these numbers.
※
The total military
force to be committed to this battle is a staggering 26,700! It is a number
that is truly hard to believe. Looking
ahead to the battle, I found myself reflecting on the history of how we
bolstered our military strength. Well,
it's according to plan, but compared to a few years ago, I can't help but think
so.
「His
Majesty the Archduke, all the commanders of each army have assembled.」
At the Commander's
word, I returned to myself. Because here in the large conference room in Kusanagi,
the commanders are gathered to share and analyze information... I slowly looked
at the faces of everyone who gathered here anew, and muttered feelings of
gratitude in my heart.
「Pardon
me. Prior to the meeting, may I report on the matter of the messengers you
instructed me to dispatch?」
There were two
requests I had entrusted to Mars,
who had asked for permission to speak at the outset. First: send the initial report to the
Old Raccoon in the Royal Capital at this point. Second: share it with Count Cornell
as well, and have him facilitate the passage of supplies and personnel.
「I
don't mind. Share it with everyone.」
「Thank
you very much. First, from Archduke Klein in the Royal Capital, he spoke
of calling upon the noble houses domestically to support the procurement of
logistics supplies, and urgently dispatching reinforcements of at least 10,000
cavalry from the Royal Capital Knights; he conveyed these two points as the
intentions of His Majesty King Kyle.」
Entering this year,
the Old Raccoon was promoted from Duke without a domain, which was an honorary
position for royalty, to Archduke, the pinnacle unifying the Dukes. Well, it's
something corresponding to his achievements up to now, and it seems it's
limited to his generation only...
「I'm
grateful. Everyone, it's as you heard. We can fight looking only forward. I
want to entrust the Minister of Internal Affairs (Raymond) with the
management from identifying and ordering necessary supplies starting with food,
up to deployment.」
「Next
is Count Cornell, but he is running around for highway security from Burg
to Izanami and arranging provisions. Thanks to that, we too can fight
here without worries about our rear.」
「That
is a help. I shall express my gratitude to Uncle once again.」
Upon the founding of
the Westlights Demon Territory Dukedom, I do not have the right of
command over Count Cornell, who remained in the Kyle Kingdom out
of political consideration. The Count's side cannot dispatch soldiers without
King Kyle's order either, but he probably thought he could make any
excuse for highway security and supply procurement.
「According
to reports, near the border with the Istoria Imperial Kingdom, no, now
the Orthodox Theocracy, an army of
over 10,000 is already stationed. The outbreak will be soon.」
「However,
Archduke, for them to invade us, they must first pass through Empire's territory, and
Count Astray's domain...」
「That's
right, thanks to the great mountain range surrounding the border, even though
we border each other, direct invasion is impossible. Precisely because of that,
they have no choice but to come from south of our border, the exit on the Empire territory
side.」
「Precisely
because of that, is it?」
「Yeah,
that's right. Gail's doubt is reasonable. I kept the information hidden
until now, but behind them is Duke Harry, the Imperial Fox aiming for the First Prince's
restoration to power.
To him, we are sworn enemies, and beyond the exit are the territories of his
political enemies.」
「A-Atrocious...」
「But
strategically, it can be said to be correct. While the territories of those
supporting the Third Prince, who are forced into a major battle far to the
south, are empty, they are ravaged. This makes it impossible to fight in peace.」
「The
Commander is right. The moment he turns his army back to deal with the enemy
ravaging his lands... it seems the strategy is to strike him in the back from
the south all at once.」
Yes, we had read
this far. That is precisely why we prepared carefully.
「Even
so... I cannot understand their intentions. We are no longer the 'us' of a few
years ago. Against us holding an army of nearly 30,000, do they think they can
win?」
「Gail-san,
their speculations might lie elsewhere.」
The one who said so
and interjected words was Alexis. He, who had been in charge of
constructing the defense line based in Izumo for over a year, probably
has his own thoughts. This time, he is having former Empire soldiers
and former Imperial Kingdom soldiers who became farmer-soldiers return
to active duty, leading them as the core of the defense unit.
「As a
major premise, we will probably not be able to wield power as we did before.
Here, there are no natural fortresses suited for interception, and the new
territory stretching wide laterally is unsuited for defense.」
「That
is true, but aren't we overwhelmingly superior in numbers?」
「That
is on the premise that the enemy is a single country, correct? In my own way
since coming here, I investigated the relationships between the Empire and neighboring countries.」
「Oh?」
The Commander and I
unintentionally leaked words. Was he thinking the same thing...
「Next
to the Istoria Imperial Kingdom, there are small nations called Lute, Ville, and Cain, but in
the past, they have a history of repelling the Empire's invasion as a single country. Decades ago, in the previous
imperial succession dispute, the then First Prince was in charge of capturing
this country, but retreated as a result.」
Yes, receiving that
defeat the First Prince fell from power, and the Fifth Prince, the current
Emperor, who invaded and destroyed the Roland
Kingdom, originally an allied nation, in a swift war, took the imperial throne.
This story is the history of the Empire,
which I myself also learned after coming here.
「To
them, the Empire is a potential
enemy. But... if the First Prince's camp, for a desperate revival, sold a part
of the Empire territory
to them and urged troop dispatch as compensation, wouldn't it not be an
impossible story?」
「But
even so, you cannot say they would win. What are your thoughts on this point?」
「From
the perspective of the Empire, no,
the First Prince's side, it is fine even if they do not win. First, to ravage
the territory on the Third Prince's side and draw their attention. Second, to
crush the foundation of the nobles supporting the Third Prince. Third, to
prevent us from intervening in the Empire's
internal conflict. I think it is worth utilizing them just for this. However,
for me as well, there is a part that is hard to believe that the three
countries would believe the empty promise of the First Prince's camp and start
a reckless war, though.」
Yes, Alexis… you’re exactly right. I feel
like you’ve already said everything I was just about to explain…
「Everyone,
from here on I want to explain my thoughts. What Alexis just said aligns
with my thoughts. Therefore, the basic strategy is...」
「Pardon
the interruption during the meeting! The
heads of the Durouza Trading Company and
the Kempurna Trading Company have come, saying they urgently have
something they want to bring to your ears.」
「...」
Yes, as an absolutely compliant rule I
established, emergency reports must not be hindered under any circumstances. I
enforce this thoroughly. Therefore, without any appearance of blaming them,
everyone looks at my face.
「Then
it might be just right. I will receive the report here, so could you guide them
over?」
And the information they brought was a story outside my expectations, and the situation accelerated all at once.
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