Chapter 46
After the imperial army soldiers who fought around Lake Apitello returned to Rochelle.
"The enemy in the direction of Triel has retreated."
"Hah... Maintain alert status for a few more days, then retreat to Triel for reorganization."
"I'll convey that."
"Hmm."
As the 20,000 kingdom troops attacking Triel also decided to retreat, the victor of the entire region was determined to be the Dragonian Empire.
However, the imperial army, having achieved a great victory, was not satisfied here.
"...What do you think?"
"Although the soldiers are tired from the long march, their morale is sky-high. It would be a shame to stop here."
"That's right. The kingdom army is not better than us in terms of troop size, morale, or quality. We should occupy Anyac, Saint-Toire, and Montfieu before the enemy solidifies their defense."
"Hmm..."
Viktor and Friedrich argued for taking the kingdom army's strongholds, which were practically empty.
"The enemy hasn't even gathered all their retreating forces, their total troops don't even reach 40,000. Except for the 20,000 in Anyac, they've already experienced defeat once, so it shouldn't be difficult to capture."
"If we occupy these three strongholds, the Brotan Kingdom, driven beyond the Crejon Mountains, will never be able to challenge the empire again. We should attack quickly and occupy before sending reinforcements."
"If that's your intention... Alright. However, you must take responsibility for this opinion."
"Of course."
They complemented each other's opinions while persuading Gerhart, and Gerhart, after brief consideration, accepted their opinion on the condition that they take responsibility and command the troops.
After 4 days of reorganization while confirming that the kingdom army had no additional troops, the imperial army,
"March towards Saint-Toire!"
Under Viktor and Friedrich's command, they began their attack towards the last strongholds protecting the Brotan Kingdom's homeland.
---
About 3 weeks after the Battle of Lake Apitello concluded, in the Brotan Kingdom's court.
"Duke Clavière! Is the conscription not done yet!"
Guillaume II, the young king of the Brotan Kingdom who had been full of confidence just a few weeks ago after seizing vast plains from the Caen Kingdom through his in-laws, tried to move troops as soon as he heard news of the kingdom army's defeat by the Dragonian Empire army, but,
"The previous conscription was already close to the limit. We still need time..."
Antoine Clavière, the kingdom's chancellor, tried to dissuade him, saying preparations weren't ready.
"Time, time, time! That damned time!"
Guillaume, who was still agitated long after the news of defeat was delivered, rose from his throne, lashing out at Antoine who was trying to restrain him.
"You, you incompetent fools! The kingdom is in crisis, what are you doing!"
It was natural that additional conscription would be difficult as the army of 90,000 was the result of squeezing the kingdom's power to the maximum.
Guillaume, not caring about such points, swung his staff at the nobles who were bowing their heads in frustration.
The nobles, who had often seen his violent behavior, shrank back, fearing that staff might be swung at them.
"Gaston, Bevis... They were the problem from the start. As many as 90,000! How could they be crushed with 90,000 men?"
"..."
"I overthrew the Caen Kingdom army with just 40,000 men!"
His harsh and cruel personality, which had even personally whipped a general who lost in the war against the Caen Kingdom, was already famous within the kingdom.
Even though he openly blamed Bevis and Gaston, who had been highly respected within the kingdom, there was no noble who would stand up to the angry king on behalf of those who were dead or captured and not present.
"I should have led them myself! If I had led them, those imperial bastards would have been pushed back across the river long ago!"
"...That's right."
"Correct! Although they made a bit of a name for themselves, they don't even come close to Your Majesty's bravery!"
"Their incompetence itself is worthy of being called a crime! They should be severely punished!"
The fact that it was Guillaume who originally decided on Bevis, Gaston, and Auguste as commanders and ordered them to start the attack even before they were fully prepared wasn't important by the nobles' standards.
Because Guillaume, with his immense power from inherited vast direct territories and recent success through his in-laws, despite his ordinary discernment and ability, the nobles naturally offered up the defeated nobles as sacrifices instead of going against him.
"Yes, that's right!"
Guillaume nodded with satisfaction at the nobles' seemingly cowering reactions.
Having defeated even the Caen Kingdom, the Brotan Kingdom's long-standing nemesis.
He thought that mistakes by incompetent nobles on the frontier couldn't tarnish him.
"How many imperial troops came? Was it about 50,000?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"We still have about 50,000 left, so we should be able to defend at the very least, no matter how poorly we do."
Moreover, as the kingdom army officers who had gathered the remnants, including Gaspar and Gerard, reported reduced damage scales out of fear of Guillaume's punishment, he still hadn't properly grasped the danger of the imperial army.
"You're still gathering troops, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Once troops are secured, I will personally lead them on a campaign. I won't accept any objections!"
"..."
Although Antoine felt somehow uneasy about the young king's passionate appearance, seeing Guillaume's stubborn gaze, he quietly bowed his head.
At that moment.
-Thump thump thump!
There was an urgent knocking sound, and the door to the audience chamber opened.
"Huff, huff, Your Majesty! Urgent news, urgent news!"
A messenger, out of breath, prostrated himself before Guillaume as if collapsing.
"Oh, has a messenger from the empire arrived? It was about time to discuss the treatment of prisoners."
"..."
"You may speak."
Unlike Guillaume, who wasn't agitated at all, having seen many messengers rushing for trivial matters, Antoine, standing beside him, closed his eyes tightly, thinking his ominous premonition had become reality.
"Saint-Toire has..."
"Hmm. What happened to Saint-Toire?"
"Saint-Toire has fallen to the imperial army!"
"Fallen?"
Guillaume was flustered by the unexpected news that Saint-Toire, the stronghold guarding the southern bypass of the massive Crejon Mountains dividing western and eastern Brotan Kingdom and the Bildorne River basin, had fallen, but he quickly regained his composure.
"If it's Saint-Toire, that's still fortunate. Once the organization of reinforcements is complete, we can attack from both sides with the forces from Montfieu to recapture it. Isn't that right?"
As long as Montfieu held out, they could easily target Saint-Toire's flank through the Grit Gorge, the only passage crossing the Crejon Mountains.
He thought its recapture wouldn't be difficult.
"..."
He looked at the nobles while speaking without much tension, but Antoine couldn't open his mouth, intuiting that the bad news wouldn't end here.
"Why are you all..."
"Your Majesty!"
Before Guillaume could question their appearance, another messenger rushed in and prostrated himself next to the messenger who had announced Saint-Toire's fall.
"...Speak! What is it now!"
"Montfieu has fallen into the hands of the imperial army! General Gaspar Ferring fought against the enemy to the last man and died in battle!"
The messenger poured out the terrible news as soon as permission was given.
"Even Montfieu? Didn't you say we still had similar numbers to the enemy!"
"I, I don't know the de-details ei-either..."
Guillaume shouted, unable to understand how two strongholds were lost despite over 50,000 kingdom troops remaining, but at his fierce question, the messenger trembled and pressed his head to the floor.
"Hmm..."
Instead of pressing the messenger who seemed to know nothing further, he asked the nobles for countermeasures.
"...Still, Fort Pirot is guarding the opposite side of the Grita Gorge. It will be difficult for the enemy to use the Grita Gorge as well."
"Hmm... It's regrettable that we can't get help in recapturing Saint-Toire, but it can't be helped. Then..."
And a few days later, before Guillaume and the nobles' countermeasure meeting could end,
-Thump thump!
"Your Majesty!"
Auguste Etoile, who should have been defending Anyac, burst into the meeting room looking even more exhausted than those who had come in the day before.
He prostrated himself in the middle of the meeting room with disheveled hair, wearing tattered armor.
"Count Etoile, what are you..."
"Anyac was taken by a general named Viktor! Your Majesty, please send reinforcements quickly!"
Regardless of the nobles' bewilderment, he raised his head and reported his defeat even before Guillaume's permission was given.
"...What? Viktor? Is that a familiar name?"
"He's the general who led the Rus Kingdom's army in the Northern War. A young general in his 20s, his ability..."
At Guillaume's question, who hadn't heard the name, one of the nobles standing in front came forward to answer.
"20s?"
Guillaume raised his voice at the part mentioning that Viktor, who had defeated the kingdom army, was in his 20s.
Even Guillaume, who received strange looks from older generals whenever he tried to lead troops, was over 30.
"Truly, is that true? The great Brotan Kingdom army was defeated by a youngster not even 30 years old?"
"...Yes."
Viktor, still in his late 20s, appeared to him as a youngster lacking experience.
"Not just defeated, but all strongholds were taken?"
"That's right! The imperial army..."
"How many troops are left!"
"...8,000..."
-Shing.
Anyac, Montfieu, Saint-Toire.
Enraged to the point of his head burning at the news that all three strongholds guarding western Brotan Kingdom were taken by a young general, and most of the troops were lost as well, Guillaume immediately drew his sword.
"You dare return alive after committing such a grave crime?"
"Eek!"
"Your Majesty! You mustn't!"
"It's your fault, pay for your crime with your head!"
"Pl-please spare me!"
The meeting room instantly turned into chaos with Guillaume rampaging with a sword, Antoine and nobles risking their lives to stop him, and Auguste running around looking for a place to hide.
After causing a commotion for a while, he finally calmed down and sat on the throne after several minutes.
"...Hah. I won't take your head right away, but don't think you can escape punishment."
"..."
"Duke Clavière. What are your thoughts?"
Guillaume, sighing while looking at Auguste pressing his head to the floor, looked around at the surrounding nobles, then reluctantly asked Antoine.
"..."
"Duke Clavière?"
"...First, a ceasefire is out of the question. Given that the enemy has occupied all major strongholds, if the war ends in the current state, the Brotan Kingdom will suffer damage tantamount to destruction."
Antoine stood up at Guillaume's call and racked his brains to do his best despite the seemingly desperate situation.
"Hmm."
"Although the enemy has gained the upper hand, their numbers are not overwhelming. We should focus on defense first to erode the morale of the victorious enemy as much as possible, and hold out until conscription is complete. Fortunately, the Ildmar Kingdom has been favorable recently, so if we draw them in, we can put out the urgent fire."
"Specifically?"
"Even if we have to cede the upper Bildorne River region, we must first secure their cooperation. If we gather troops deployed at the borders with the Ildmar Kingdom and Caen Kingdom, and with the addition of reinforcements from the Ildmar Kingdom, even the imperial army won't be able to attack us easily."
"..."
Guillaume was angered by Antoine's suggestion that they should bow to another country while selling the kingdom's land despite having lost territory, but he was a person with at least minimal tact.
Before getting angry, he briefly scanned the faces of the nobles seated in the meeting room.
Most nobles lowered their heads and watched his reaction, but there were quite a few nobles looking at Antoine with expectation.
"..."
Guillaume suppressed his anger as much as possible.
Antoine was the chancellor who had been ruling the Brotan Kingdom since before Guillaume became king.
Guillaume also knew that getting angry at Antoine, who was talking about countermeasures for the kingdom, was different in terms of risk from getting angry at Auguste, who had suffered a major defeat in war.
Even though he was riding high, he knew he couldn't come on too strong with Antoine like he did with other nobles.
"...Deploy troops mainly to defense points including Fort Pirot. Move those departing from the border with the Caen Kingdom to defense points as soon as they arrive, and dispatch diplomats to the Ildmar Kingdom."
"Understood."
Despite harboring dissatisfaction, he gave instructions according to Antoine's words for now.
"Thank you for Your Majesty's wise decision. As time passes, the possibility of the empire showing vulnerabilities will increase, so opportunities will come."
Antoine bowed deeply, thanking Guillaume for his judgment in listening to his advice.
"...Right."
Of course, Guillaume's thoughts were different from Antoine's expectations.
Guillaume, who had been displeased with Antoine seeming to receive stronger support from the nobles than himself from before, moderately accepted his words while inwardly pondering the 'opportunity' Antoine had mentioned.