Chapter 382
(Kyle Calendar Year 515: Age 22)
Northern Front ⑲ – The Discarded Ones
Translator : PolterGlast
There was a man who coldly gazed at the process of the
3,000-strong Cain Kingdom Army being unilaterally annihilated, and the
state of the battlefield that had changed once again.
「 Hmm…… this is not good. Does this
mean they too had been keeping their fangs hidden until now…… 」
Spitting out words that sounded almost like admiration, the
man leaned out from atop the watchtower erected on the hill—which served as a
stronghold for defense and offense by his ballistas—began to rapidly issue
instructions to his dispatches in rapid succession.
「 Run the messengers immediately! Instruct the mobile ballistas pushed to the
front lines to retreat sequentially, starting from the ones closest to us, so
as not to be noticed by the enemy! Tell them that if they come under enemy
attack, the entire force must retreat at once, and it is fine to cut the
strings and abandon any platforms that become a hindrance! 」
Saying so, Golpa turned to the next messenger.
「 Tell our allies on the Left Wing
(the Ville Kingdom Army) to immediately cease their pursuit and take a
distance of no less than 300 meters from the enemy army. If we tell them that
enemy reinforcements are coming shortly, those guys probably won't make a wrong
judgment. 」
And then…… letting out a massive sigh, he continued further.
「 Now, from here lies the real problem……
You lot, run to the Lute Kingdom Army on the Right Wing! Tell them the
enemy will likely deploy horse-archery reinforcements, and please convey to the
First Prince that I am officially recommending a withdrawal. Hurry. 」
Having spoken that much, Golpa gazed at the backs of
the messengers as they galloped away to fulfill his orders, and let out another
massive sigh.
「 It would be wonderful if that side
possessed the capacity to listen to reason…… Well, I suppose I can't expect
that. Our direct forces cannot budge from this position, and if we lose the Lute
Kingdom Army here as well, it will truly mean a total retreat…… and if that
happens, I'll have to convince that absolute imbecile (the King of Ville) next…… 」
His anxiety, muttered thusly, however, resulted in an
entirely unexpected outcome.
Naturally, the Ville Kingdom Army ceased its
offensive and retreated in an orderly fashion, like a receding tide. The
unexpected part was that while a force of just over a thousand soldiers pulled
back to the position of the King who was waiting in the rear, nearly nine
thousand men pulled straight back into the stronghold guarded by Golpa.
For the soldiers fighting on the front lines, gathering under the command of
General Golpa—who had brought several victories in this campaign—rather
than their incompetent King who possessed zero combat experience, was a
thoroughly natural choice. Moreover, since the King who had ordered their
deployment had issued no new orders to return to his direct side, trying to
remain at the front lines was not a strange story. In the end, counting the Ville
Kingdom troops originally stationed around him, Golpa now commanded
a massive force numbering close to ten thousand men. Conversely, only a
meager force of just over a thousand had returned to the King of Ville, meaning that even when combined
with the thousand guards originally protecting his person, the King was left
with a military force of barely two thousand men.
But the most unexpected development of all occurred when the
Lute Kingdom Army, upon receiving the messenger's notice, immediately
halted its offensive, pulled back its formations,
and marched its entire forces of nine
thousand soldiers straight to Golpa’s position. Beholding this, even Golpa
himself, who had sent the messengers with only a sliver of hope, was profoundly
astonished. Making the definitive decision to retreat while conducting a siege
under overwhelmingly advantageous conditions is no easy matter for a commander.
Furthermore, if a withdrawal is executed clumsily, it risks receiving a swift counterattack that could completely reverse the
tides……
On this day, Golpa exchanged words directly with the
First Prince of the Lute Kingdom for the first time.
「 I merely believe in those who wield
true power, and I follow only the words of those who have demonstrated actual
results. Much less, when standing upon a battlefield, is that not a baseline
truth? Your tactical generalship was magnificent, General, and as a result,
your recommendation to withdraw was also entirely correct. 」
Hearing those words, Golpa found himself enveloped in
a wave of profound, unexpected surprise.
『 Is
this man (the First Prince) perhaps not just a crude, brainless brute as the
rumors paint him to be? 』
As that thought surged within him, a certain expectation
floated to the surface of his chest.
『 If
the Lute Kingdom Army can function as an ally worthy of absolute trust…… 』
In order to verify this expectation as well, Golpa
decided to wager a dangerous gamble to measure the true character of the First
Prince.
「 Those are very kindl words. And yet, do you mean to say you believe in this old
man, who is thoroughly marginalized and alienated even by his own King? 」
「 That applies identically to my own
person, 」 the First
Prince responded, a faint trace of loneliness rippling across his features
before his expression shifted into a displeased scowl as he looked upward. 「 To a King who has forgotten the
severe threats of neighboring countries to focus exclusively on internal
politics and court maneuvers, even if I am the First Prince, I am nothing more
than a troublesome nuisance—born from a concubine with weak political backing,
a crude idiot son who devotes himself exclusively to military matters. Those
bastards simply feared the military might of that fanatical nation (Istoria Orthodox Theocracy) this time as well, and while reluctantly sending out
troops, leveraged this mandatory deployment as a convenient excuse to simply
rid themselves of my presence. 」
The Prince let out a sharp, bitter huff.
「 The common soldiers who are forced
to tag along for a campaign born of such petty motives simply cannot bear the
absurdity of it all either! 」
Seeing that figure, the rumors branding the man as a crude,
uncontrollable wild beast or a tyrannical brute became increasingly impossible
for Golpa to believe.
『 I see. He appears to be a somewhat
clumsy, unrefined individual…… but rumors are truly unreliable metrics. And
yet…… 』
To lock down absolute corroboration regarding his
calculations, Golpa pushed his words a step further.
「 Hoh-hoh-hoh. Forgive my disrespect,
Your Highness, but does that mean both your noble self and this old man are
birds of a feather—both being thoroughly alienated by our respective courts?
Then as a kindred spirit, there is something I crave your indulgence to query
Your Highness regarding a certain tactical matter. 」
「 To me……? Rather, I am the one who
desires to ask for your teachings, General. Therefore, speak freely, without
reservation. 」
「 Throughout the opening acts of this
war, a profound curiosity has continuously gripped my mind. Why on earth did a
wise Prince such as Your Highness execute such unreasonable, inhumane acts upon
the local populace at the absolute start of the campaign? 」
Daringly feigning a casual, slightly senile demeanor, Golpa
thrust his question straight into the absolute core of his doubts. Though he
was smiling, his veteran eyes were razor-sharp, meticulously watching every
microscopic shift in the First Prince's expressions and physical conduct.
「 Hmph, about that? Every single one
of those bastards we threw into chains was a coward and a traitor. Whenever my
regiments initiated an advance into a local village or town, I routinely sent messengers in advance to broadcast an official proclamation. Because
we are fundamentally different from that swarming swarm of locusts (Istoria Orthodox Theocracy), after all. 」
「 Oh? And how did you issue it? 」
「 Saying, 'Our steel shall execute
zero lawless or unreasonable acts. We will properly purchase food at fair
value, forbid outrages by the soldiery, and guarantee the private lives and
properties of all citizens.' That was the text. We are currently in the middle
of the harvest season; what purpose could it serve if everything is stripped
completely bare? I explicitly made it known that zero harm would befall those
who cooperated, or even those who—even if they chose not to actively
assist—refused to engage in hostile resistance or scatter. 」
「 You intentionally went out of your
way to execute such a thing? 」
「 Naturally! When advancing deep into
enemy territory, what kind of absolute idiot purposefully goes out of his way
to manufacture additional enemies on his path of advance? Furthermore, although
the possibility may be low, what manner of ruler commits atrocities against
towns and villages that will eventually be integrated into his own sovereign
domains in the future? Can a beast continue to march forward if it relentlessly
devours its own legs to sustain its stride? 」
「 In that case…… why were those people
placed in chains? 」
「 Those bound in chains were the
individuals who attempted to organize hostile resistance contrary to the
proclamation, the agitators who attempted to incite a mass desertion among the
territory's people, and the town and village heads who, despite holding the
obligation to safeguard their people, sought to flee before anyone else. Well,
the vast majority were common criminals who had leveraged the chaotic confusion
of the invasion to commit atrocities, and had been captured and detained by the
townspeople themselves. Because the stationed Empire
garrison had already vacated the premises, my division was unavoidably left
with zero alternative but to assume custody of the rabble. 」
「 I see. I have flawlessly understood
the underlying circumstances before and after. If that is the reality, why were
they deployed as human shields across the vanguard of your army? 」
「 Since my logistics lines were
structurally forced to take those criminals along regardless, I simply made
them march across the front to ensure they could not easily execute an escape.
That is all. 」
「 Fufu. So you aligned the criminals
across the tip to serve as a practical shield to protect your regular soldiers,
didn't you? 」
「 I value the lives of my own brave
soldiers exponentially more than the lives of such treacherous cowards. It is
as simple as that. If forcing them to advance ahead permitted my division to
avoid sudden enemy ambushes or unnecessary engagements prior to the decisive
clash, I merely calculated it to be a perfectly acceptable measure as well. 」
「 Even if it meant your esteemed
reputation would receive a lasting blemish? 」
「 Hahaha! A reputation like mine is
already full of thoroughly broken, scarred blemishes. You are perfectly
familiar with my repute across the continent, are you not, General? Is that not
the exact reason why, even now, your intellect is desperately trying to confirm
whether my self is a person worthy of trust as an allied force? 」
「 …… 」
Having his inner thoughts flawlessly pierced and seen
through, Golpa had no choice but to fall into a silent, stunned pause.
『 What a waste…… This First Prince is
definitely not a mediocre fool. Rather, his true caliber is the absolute polar
opposite of his public reputation. 』
While being definitively convinced of that, he locked the
realization into his mind.
「 I myself, if my banners win this
battle and execute a grand triumphal return, am slated to be packed off and
gotten rid of to some remote, newly annexed territory; conversely, if our lines
are defeated, I shall be held responsible and disinherited. Because even upon
our departure, my division was sent to the battlefield without even being given
proper military rations, 」 the Prince stated flatly.
I see…… That he was explosively enraged at the Istoria Orthodox Theocracy
stealing everything across the occupied territories at the beginning, and that
he daringly sent messengers in advance, was because of that. Every single piece
of the puzzle seamlessly clicked into alignment, and Golpa was convinced
of everything.
「 By the way, after the decisive
battlefield was decided, the cowards who finished their roles were already
officially released. Though I sent back only the genuine criminals to the rear
while keeping them bound in chains. To continue taking them along across this
sector like this would have done nothing more than truly involve them in a
useless, unnecessary battle. 」
「 I see…… It appears Your Highness
has likewise had endless, suffocating troubles in various ways, then? 」
「 You are the same, are you not,
General? Existing in a position where you are not evaluated properly, forced to
serve an ignorant, stupid pig who possesses zero capacity to comprehend the
true value of his subordinates, do you not have endless troubles with one thing
or another? Although, it seems your common soldiers flawlessly discern that. 」
To these words of the First Prince, Golpa had no
choice but to offer a wry, helpless smile. Indeed, it was an undeniable
reality; the vast majority of the Ville Kingdom's regular soldiers,
rather than daringly returning under the King, had purposefully chosen to
gather under his operational command.
「 It means everyone does not desire
to throw away their mortal vessel to die in vain in such a useless, idle war.
Even I myself desire nothing more than to line up my horse's bit and fight
alongside a general with the highest statistical probability of survival: you. 」
「 I see…… In that case, to respond to
the silent expectations of our brave soldiers, and to ensure we return even one
more soldier back to their homeland, shall we align our steps and act together
for that singular purpose? Though it will undoubtedly transform into an
exceptionally catastrophic nuisance for our opponents, it is about time we forced
them to witness the unyielding pride of us who have been treated and branded as
useless, discarded junk, is it not? 」
「 Indeed. Combining both armies is a
massive force of 20,000 warriors. For the General, whether to prioritize
the absolute execution of the royal command or the lives of the soldiers, I
intend to gently nudge that decision from me. Of course, I am heavily expecting
the latter, though…… 」
「 ーー?! 」
Reaching this point, a sudden wave of sharp realization
walloped Golpa's mind. He had intended to meticulously measure the First
Prince's true intent…… yet, within the hidden calculations
of the board, the First Prince had also been concurrently testing and measuring
his own true intent.
「 You have caught me completely off
guard and hit a sore spot, Your Highness. I have always operated under the
conviction that a sovereign country is something established by the presence of
its people first. Besides, to an old man whose remaining years are brief,
worldly success and high promotions hold zero allure, and there is no honor
left to be blemished. 」
Receiving the definitive, ironclad response of Golpa, who had finally made up his mind, the two prominent leaders laughed loudly and fiercely locked their gauntlets together in a binding covenant anew. At this exact fraction of a second, a total of 20,000 elite combatants from both armies—a volume of raw military force fully capable of violently swaying the macro-parameters of the war situation—gathered and successfully crystallized under capable commanders. This monumental fact is an absolute secret—one that is not yet known not only by the hostile Alexis, but even by their own ally, the King of Ville.
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