Chapter 79
After several days of marching, we arrived at Mannzheim, where the main force of the 5th Corps was stationed.
"It seems they're repairing the palisades and walls."
As Alexandrov beside me said, we could see soldiers who appeared to be from the 5th Corps working with hammers.
Ballistae, quivers, and such were positioned on the walls, and the gates were firmly closed.
"...They don't look like they're planning to attack."
"Maybe they haven't received Her Majesty's orders."
"I doubt it..."
I shook my head at Erika's hopeful observation.
Considering the evaluations of Volker Rommel I had heard from the officers, this was likely not such a simple situation.
Sensitive to merits, but so stubborn, they said.
"This might be their answer."
"Their answer?"
"Hmm."
To me, this appearance of the 5th Corps looked like a display of their unwillingness to change their attitude.
"For now, I'll have to talk with Corps Commander Volker Rommel."
"..."
We marched towards the gates in a subdued atmosphere, and as we approached, the gates soon opened.
A group of officers in dress uniforms came out from inside to greet us.
"Welcome, Corps Commander Viktor. I am Baron Florian Pfalz, adjutant to His Excellency Count Volker Rommel."
Florian extended his right arm along with his greeting.
An unpleasant smile hung on his lips.
"..."
I didn't like the introduction that unnecessarily emphasized his title, nor the attitude that was too rude for addressing another corps commander, so I responded by simply staring at him silently.
"..."
After a moment of looking at me, he lowered his right arm, and,
"I'm Viktor, commander of the Red Dragon Corps."
Only then did I extend my right hand to him.
He bit his lip slightly as he shook hands.
"...His Excellency Rommel is handling work in his office. I'll guide you."
"Alright."
I followed Florian's guidance towards Volker's office.
"...Go."
"They..."
For unknown reasons, the internal atmosphere was already not good.
The soldiers we passed on the way to the office glared at our group and muttered quietly.
Although most of it was unintelligible,
"Vile... who only see other corps as tools..."
"...Huh."
Thanks to one kind officer's muttering, I could guess what was going on.
"That guy should be immediately..."
"No, it's fine. I need to talk with Corps Commander Volker first."
"...I'll make sure that officer is punished separately later."
It seems misunderstandings arose after hearing the news that the entire Red Dragon Corps was armed with guns.
Or maybe they're displeased with the situation of having to start an attack to check the Paris Kingdom and San Bastian Kingdom.
"No need for punishment. Shouldn't our Red Dragon Corps and the 5th Corps join forces to overthrow the Esperia Kingdom? There's no need to create unnecessary unpleasant incidents."
"...Understood."
After confirming that the officers following Florian twitched their eyes when I mentioned cooperation, I maintained silence until we reached the office.
The Red Dragon Corps officers also seemed displeased seeing the series of situations, but as I didn't say much, they all quietly followed behind me.
"...The commander of the Red Dragon Corps has arrived."
"Hmm."
A moment later, we could face Volker, who was checking documents in his office.
All I could confirm was his impression, but just seeing his closed mouth and eyes made me think the officers' evaluation of him probably wasn't wrong.
"I'm Volker Rommel, commander of the 5th Corps in charge of defending the border in the direction of the Esperia Kingdom."
"I'm Viktor, commander of the Red Dragon Corps."
I exchanged greetings with him in a polite manner.
While it's highly likely that the 5th Corps' strange attitude is because of Volker, there's still a small possibility it's not, so.
If he's someone who can cooperate, cooperating would be good for both of us.
He shook hands with me with an indifferent expression.
After finishing the greeting, he,
"Did you bring the supplies well?"
Mentioned supplies before information about our corps or the enemy.
"...Nothing is missing. Adjutant Anna."
"Yes, here it is."
"Hmm, just a moment..."
He left us standing as he slowly scanned through the list of supplies we had transported.
Florian's mouth twitched as he looked at us, as if trying to hold back laughter.
I already have a sense of what kind of person he is, but I can't make hasty judgments when dealing with tens of thousands of lives.
I plan to decide my attitude after at least one meeting.
Although I really don't like it, thinking it's too early to show such signs, I quietly waited for Volker.
"Could you leave the supplies in front of this headquarters? I'll distribute them appropriately after reviewing."
"Alright."
He picked up a pen and made notes on the document.
It seemed like he was noting important points, but judging by his hand movements, it also looked like he might be scribbling anything.
"...Shouldn't we discuss future directions?"
"You must be tired too, so it would be better to hold the meeting tomorrow. You've come a long way. We've prepared tents for the Red Dragon Corps to stay in, so rest comfortably today."
Although he must have received instructions to quickly go on the offensive, he responded leisurely while maintaining formal politeness.
"What are the time and place for the meeting?"
"...10 AM, the meeting room inside the headquarters. If you need any materials, deliver them to Adjutant Pfalz in advance."
His hands fiddled with the documents placed beside him.
He seemed to have no more interest in us.
"Understood."
"Hmm."
After the brief conversation ended, he focused his gaze back on the documents as if telling us to leave on our own.
-Thud.
I came out of the office and closed the door.
Although I already felt that the existing plan had gone a bit awry, instead of expressing dissatisfaction, I looked at Florian who had come out with us.
"Adjutant Florian. I need information on enemy troop deployments, surrounding terrain, and the 5th Corps' preparation status and deployment data."
At my request, Florian blinked his eyes and,
"I can tell you about that information right now."
Opened his mouth with an irritating smile.
"The enemy is stationed in fortresses set up in three areas: Serona, Adense, and La Leon. Their forces are said to number 10,000 each, and the terrain is generally flat. The 5th Corps is currently repairing the walls of Mannzheim and preparing defenses against enemy attacks."
"..."
Florian's information was of no help at all.
The explanation using vague expressions like "is said to" and "generally" was worse than not hearing it, and the explanation about the 5th Corps was too ambiguous.
This should be seen as an intentional attitude.
"Can't I receive a report summarizing the relevant information?"
"Of course I can provide it. I'll prepare it right away after finishing your guidance."
"...Alright."
Thinking it wouldn't help to hear more explanations from him, I requested materials in report form and then went to our lodgings.
"Then, I'll take my leave."
-Thud.
After finishing the guidance, Florian left immediately somewhere, covering his mouth with his hand, and,
"...This is strange."
"Are they crazy?"
With no one left to hear, the officers immediately expressed their dissatisfaction.
"Neither that Florian guy nor Corps Commander Volker seem to have any intention of fighting."
"10,000 each in fortresses? If Esperia had such forces, they would have invaded long ago!"
"We don't know when the enemy's reinforcements will arrive, but Corps Commander Volker is only concerned about things like supplies, ignoring everything else..."
Volker and Florian's attitudes, the appearance of the 5th Corps showing no intention of switching to offense, and so on.
The officers poured out all their dissatisfaction accumulated in a short time.
After listening to all their stories,
"What do you think, General?"
"...Certainly, they're not wrong, but it's not like I don't understand Corps Commander Volker's thinking at all. I think it's not too late to decide our attitude after finishing the meeting scheduled for tomorrow."
"..."
"If that's what the Corps Commander says..."
I calmed them down for now.
Honestly, considering the 5th Corps' attitude overall, there doesn't seem to be much hope, but I still haven't changed my mind that moving together with the 5th Corps is the best option.
"Although our Red Dragon Corps' strength is sufficient, if 20,000 soldiers of the 5th Corps help us, we can achieve even greater results. I'll try my best to persuade them."
"...Yes."
"Well, if it really doesn't work out, can't we just do it ourselves!"
"...That's right! We have cannons and guns, what can't we do!"
"Haha... Yes, we have our own ways."
If it really doesn't work out, it might be better to start the offensive on our own as Heinrich said, but.
***
I waited for the materials Florian would bring while doing paperwork until that night, but there was no news.
The materials weren't delivered even by the next morning, and,
"Ah, Corps Commander Viktor. Here are the materials. There were missing parts in the materials, so it was delayed filling in those parts."
"..."
I could only receive them just before the meeting was about to start.
The meeting that finally began didn't proceed as desired either.
"The enemy's fortresses have thick, sturdy walls."
"If we use the siege cannons made in the Anchester Kingdom, we can neutralize their fortresses in an instant."
"It's not like we haven't tried using catapults or trebuchets to breach those fortresses. Moreover, the number of troops guarding them is not small."
"It's Her Majesty's order to attack them, and we have sufficient capability!"
"Even if the siege cannons are that strong, isn't the enemy's number equal to or greater than ours? It's basic that you need two or three times the forces to face an enemy hiding in fortresses, isn't it a bit dangerous for us to attack?"
"...Hah."
The 5th Corps officers were busy refuting our officers' words, and,
"You said all 10,000 men use guns. Then, what will you do when the enemy approaches?"
"As most are from heavy infantry backgrounds, some will hold shields or long spears to check the enemy's approach..."
"What if the enemy approaches wearing heavy armor and holding shields? Or if cavalry quickly approaches avoiding our eyes, wouldn't it be difficult to deal with?"
"We've prepared tactics for that too. Also, everyone in the empire knows that the 5th Corps' spearmen are elite..."
"Ah, so you're saying we'll die while the Red Dragon Corps just moves their fingers to kill the enemy, is that it?"
"...What do you mean?"
They tried to depreciate our combat power by picking at every detail.
They even made arguments close to nonsense, but Volker didn't try to stop such officers at all.
Rather, he occasionally nodded and agreed with their opinions, and seemed to subtly give glances to the Red Dragon Corps officers, carefully observing their reactions.
"If we defeat the Esperia Kingdom, it might go as Her Majesty says, but conversely, the moment we are annihilated, a great crisis will befall the empire."
"..."
"Aren't guns and cannons weapons suitable for defense?"
What they were arguing for was ultimately defense.
The 5th Corps officers, perhaps already fearful, acted as if the surrounding situation or the commotion in the southeast didn't matter at all.
"For San Bastian and Paris to move, Esperia will eventually have a moment to move too. If we crush the attacking enemy and counterattack, wouldn't we achieve greater results than attacking now?"
Right now, thousands of elf guerrilla troops might be crossing the border, or a united orc army might be continuously growing in strength, but.
Seeing the stubborn attitude of the 5th Corps officers, it would be difficult to persuade them with my weak argument that we need to deal with the 'crisis'.
They probably wanted this by giving the materials late in the first place.
"..."
Although Volker was sitting without expressing a single opinion, in reality, these officers were probably just tools conveying Volker's intentions.
If he goes this far, I can't just sit still either.
I gauged the enemy's strength, success rate, and the pros and cons of not cooperating with the 5th Corps while looking at the belatedly provided materials and the mini-map.
...Most evaluations of Volker pointed out his stubbornness, greed, and desire for fame as weaknesses, but there were no words saying he was completely lacking in ability.
Someone like that wouldn't have been in charge of a corps for a long period.
It means he's at least a person with enough intelligence to try to take advantage if I show results and create weaknesses in the enemy.
"Our 5th Corps..."
-Thud!
I finished my calculations and stood up with the conviction that we could achieve an overwhelming victory.
"If you're going to be like this!"
I drew the officers' attention with a shout, and,
"We'll bring down the Esperia Kingdom on our own, without the help of the 5th Corps."
I said in a calm tone, meeting eyes with Volker, who showed no sign of enthusiasm at all.