Side Story 9: King and Strategist (2)

Roa-dono's explanation had nearly convinced me, but the stern words from my father, Zeulacia, and Roa-dono brought me up short.

That's right. Fighting before Lifrea weakens means Rudek will suffer that much greater losses.

"...It may not be accurate to say that I am prepared for the consequences. But I believe now is the opportunity that will result in the fewest casualties."

I now understood that the "fewest casualties" Roa-dono spoke of included Lifrea's people as well.

Roa-dono continued.

"Besides, it isn't as though they haven't been weakened. The loss of morale caused by their lack of food is significant. Moreover, the memory of Lifrea's defeat is still fresh. Their already faltering morale has fallen even further because of the poor harvest."

"...I understand what you are saying. But according to Roa's explanation, Lifrea, lacking provisions, will stake everything on a decisive battle with its entire army. Given the number of troops Rudek can field, Lifrea should outnumber us. Won't they overwhelm us with sheer numbers?"

"The difference in numbers is unlikely to decide the outcome."

"What is your basis for saying that?"

"When we fought the First Knight Order and the Lifrean coalition at Hockeharun, my impression was that Lifrea's soldiers were weaker than Rudek's. That was the consensus among all the commanders there, not just me."

"Isn't that simply a matter of the commanders?"

"I believe the commanders were part of the problem. But above all, Rudek's soldiers were individually stronger. I discussed this with Hock-san and General Tor as well, and we believe it may be the difference between Rudek, which has fought the Empire and Golbel all these years, and Lifrea, which has little actual combat experience."

"...I see."

Father stroked his beard. It was a gesture he made when concentrating on his thoughts. After waiting for Father to gather his thoughts, Roa-dono spoke again.

"In addition, we have weapons that Lifrea does not."

"The Ballista? I hear you fitted it with wheels so it could be taken on campaign."

"Yes. I believe the Ballista can be used not only against people but as a siege weapon as well. We have also increased production of the improved Ten-Knight Bows and the anti-personnel catapults devised by Raise-sama. Taking all these weapons, the difference in the soldiers' abilities, and the difference in morale together, I do not believe we can lose even under current conditions."

"...Hmm. But as I keep saying, casualties will be greater than if we waited until after winter to invade. As Rudek's king, I cannot casually approve sending my people to their deaths."

I let out a small sigh. If we delayed our advance, governing Lifrea would become more difficult, but if we advanced now, more Rudek soldiers would be sacrificed. Was there even a right answer here?

A heavy silence fell.

"Um, then, what if we delayed our advance a little? Couldn't we weaken them a little more first?"

Unable to bear the silence, I made a desperate suggestion. A compromise, as they say.

But Roa-dono shook his head.

"We cannot do that."

"Why not?"

"As I said before. The longer we wait, the weak will die first. That will inevitably increase resentment toward Rudek. Small rebellions are sure to break out here and there. At worst, Lifrea may meet the same fate as the Sixteen Despotic Nations."

At Roa-dono's words, I pressed the point.

"But if they are only small rebellions, couldn't we simply suppress them? If only a small number of people hold a grudge, couldn't we just keep those people under control?"

"No, that would be a bad move."

Father rejected my counterargument.

"Why?"

"One rebellion breeds another. Even people who had not harbored much ill will will grow increasingly hostile toward Rudek if someone close to them joins the rebels and ends up dying. There would be no end to it. And what would the neighboring nations think?"

"The neighboring nations?"

"Yes. Suppose we were to root out every last rebel. What would the neighboring nations think then? It would be bad if Rudek came to be seen as a country that thirsts for blood."

Roa-dono nodded emphatically at Father's explanation.

"The king is right. If Rudek conquers Lifrea, it will become one of the great powers on the continent. If a country like that carried out a heavy-handed purge... regardless of the actual circumstances, other nations would regard Rudek as dangerous. They would say, 'That country thirsts for blood.'"

"That's right. And if that happened, even the Empire's response would be unpredictable. If it decided Rudek was dangerous and called for a review of the alliance, we'd have a serious problem."

"But our relationship with the Empire is a good one..." I attempted another rebuttal, but Father slowly shook his head.

"We have only been allied with the Empire for a short time. The emperor wants friendship with our country, but there may be retainers who are not pleased about it. And we must think about the next generation as well."

The next generation—that meant my own reign.

"When Zelando becomes king and the emperor changes as well, what will the Empire think if Rudek is seen as a country that thirsts for blood? What about Golbel? What about Rubral?"

"I..." I faltered.

"Considering our neighboring nations, peacefully bringing Lifrea's people into the fold is the sensible course. It would show that Rudek is a humane nation, one they should seek friendship with rather than fear."

"But to earn that reputation, Rudek itself will have to bleed."

This time, Roa-dono was concerned about the soldiers' casualties. It was the exact opposite of our earlier discussion. Both Father and Roa-dono understood the advantages and disadvantages. Even so, they were struggling to decide.

Would I one day have to make a decision like this myself...? I watched the two men who held this nation's fate in their hands, feeling the weight of responsibility. Whatever conclusion they reached, I was resolved to see it through without looking away.

The first day ended without a conclusion, and the second and third nights passed with time simply slipping away.

On that third night, Nelfia, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke up.