Chapter 99
Sancho had not yet shaken off the defeat from the Battle of Al Berdo Pass.
Although he had lost before, he had never been so thoroughly defeated in all aspects including strategy and tactics as in this recent defeat.
For the first few days, he tried to think of ways to win against the Red Dragon Corps, but none of the plans he came up with seemed like they could defeat the Red Dragon Corps.
In the end, he stuffed the papers with the strategies he had come up with into the trash can and tried consciously not to recall the previous battle, but.
"It's a letter from His Majesty."
"Yes."
The king's letter arrived much faster than he had expected.
He was about to ignore the king's letter, whose contents he could guess without reading, when,
"Duke Casas said he really hoped you would read it."
"...Is that so?"
At the maid's addition, who was still by his side despite being told he couldn't provide compensation, Sancho reluctantly opened the envelope.
"...Carlos has fallen in battle, it says."
The beginning of the letter conveyed the news of Carlos's defeat and death while defending the Ceres Gate under the king's orders.
After reading about the collapse of the Ceres Gate, the successful retreat of the kingdom's army, the decision for his reinstatement, and news of support troops from neighboring kingdoms, he felt responsible and anguished over Carlos's death, but,
"Hah..."
He felt a sense of dissonance from the kingdom's army at the gate retreating with minimal losses despite the walls collapsing, and the unusually quick lifting of his confinement.
Sancho agonized, staring intently at the letter.
Especially, the content about Carlos sending all troops away from the walls but standing there himself until the end,
"...Was this planned, to this extent?"
Made Carlos's death seem intentional.
Although it wasn't a thoroughly verified conclusion, Sancho didn't think at all that Carlos had simply died recklessly.
The Carlos he had known would surely have had meaning in his death, and,
"..."
If this situation was what he had wished for, even at the cost of his own life, Sancho thought he could no longer avoid it.
After pondering, Sancho calmly put the letter back in the envelope and stood up,
-Clatter. Clatter.
"Count?"
Without a word, he opened the trash can lid and rummaged through it, pulling out the crumpled operation plans he had thrown away.
"...Count?"
"Bring me a pen and ink."
"Understood."
Seeing Sancho's reddened eyes, the maid brought pen and ink without comment, and Sancho picked up the pen and began planning again.
---
A few days later.
At the king's summons, Sancho headed to the royal palace.
"I hereby appoint Count Sancho Gonzales as the supreme commander to oversee both the volunteer army and the kingdom's army."
"..."
In front of representatives from the Kingdom of Paris and the Kingdom of San Bastian, his appointment as supreme commander proceeded without incident.
After all the appointment ceremonies, including the presentation of the baton of command, were over,
"I ask Count Gonzales. How do you plan to deal with the imperial army?"
Julio asked Sancho directly.
"...Do you wish to hear my honest thoughts? Or do you want to hear the answer I should give as supreme commander?"
"Hmm?"
Sancho asked again in a serious voice, and Julio, his eyes slightly widened, smiled faintly.
"It's already clear that the imperial army is strong. I want to hear the Count's honest thoughts."
Julio said he would listen to his honest thoughts, and,
"I think it's right to use this to negotiate with the empire now that we've somewhat balanced our forces."
Sancho simply and calmly expressed the thoughts he had been harboring since facing the Red Dragon Corps in battle.
"Negotiation? Is that something to say!"
"Was the defeat so terrible? What's wrong with you!"
"Quiet. Count Gonzales, do you think our chances of victory are small?"
Silencing the stirring nobles, Julio asked Sancho again.
"Yes. The Red Dragon Corps, which has already crossed the Ceres Gate, has joined with the army from Al Cante, and although reinforcements have arrived, the absolute difference in troop numbers isn't that great."
"Hmm..."
"To defeat this imperial army, we need to either prepare at least three times the troops or secure technology that can counter their guns and siege cannons. Both of these are realistically difficult."
Francisco, who had heard Sancho's thoughts in advance, quietly nodded, but the kingdom's nobles who had expected his usual confident attitude frowned.
"Couldn't we reinforce the walls starting now?"
"There are records left by Count Carlos Lopez, who asked craftsmen for their opinions. The content is that to build walls that can withstand the bombardment of siege cannons, a major construction project equivalent to tearing down existing walls and rebuilding them is necessary."
"...Still, don't we have many troops? If we negotiate with the empire now, everyone around us will laugh at us."
"If we lose one more time, we might not be able to choose negotiation then!"
Francisco rebutted other nobles' opinions several times, but the nobles who thought it was too early to negotiate didn't budge, and,
"...I understand the Count's intention, but I think you also know why I can't decide on a treaty."
"..."
As even Julio spoke while being mindful of the representatives from other kingdoms, Sancho realized he had nowhere else to retreat.
"...If we can't avoid battle, we must fight where we have the greatest chance of victory. I think the Vitabeya Plains is the battlefield where we have the best odds."
"A field battle?"
"Shouldn't we avoid the collapse of Ordova Castle at all costs?"
"..."
Sancho once again advocated for a field battle.
"The Vitabeya Plains is an area that must be passed through to reach Ordova, and it has several small forests and hills suitable for defense."
"..."
"I can't be certain of victory. But, I'll do my best."
Thinking that if they had to fight anyway, he should avenge Carlos, Sancho sent an intense gaze towards the nobles.
The representatives from other kingdoms who wanted the Esperian Kingdom to resist to the end were satisfied, and,
"...Approach this battle as if it's the last."
"I have always approached battles as if they were the last."
"...Do as you see fit, Count."
Julio, who hoped that the support troops wouldn't turn into bandits or enemy forces, also accepted his opinion.
In the end, Sancho ended up leading out of Ordova with a force of 32,000 troops, including all support troops and remaining kingdom forces.
---
Although they had captured the Ceres Gate with surprising ease, the kingdom army's suspicious movements continued to stimulate unease.
"Hmm..."
"Are you still worried? Isn't it just that they suffered greatly for underestimating the power of the siege cannons!"
"I wish that were the case, but..."
Although it couldn't withstand concentrated bombardment, it was true that the walls reinforced with earth and wood had held up better than the existing fortresses.
Although they said they had hindered us by sending mercenaries, a much larger force than expected had succeeded in shaking off pursuit and escaping.
"The enemy's movements were suspicious."
"Hmm... It was impressive how they used some mercenaries to allow most of their forces to retreat."
"..."
Although I couldn't tell others, from the beginning, the troop deployment seemed to have ulterior motives as seen on the mini-map.
I marched towards Ordova harboring unease, and the 5th Corps, which had finished up in Al Cante, also joined midway.
Unlike us, who had almost emptied the occupied territories to march, the 5th Corps, which had left troops behind for maintenance, had about 12,000 men remaining.
"To think they brought down the Ceres Gate..."
"We plan to surround and capture Ordova Castle."
"...Understood."
Wanting to limit the 5th Corps' achievements as much as possible, I tried to finish the war with a siege battle, which was completely the Red Dragon Corps' domain, but,
"...Oh no."
"What's the matter?"
"It's nothing."
I could see on the mini-map that the kingdom's army had come out of Ordova Castle and was approaching us.
"The enemy has stationed at the Vitabeya Plains. Their size is estimated at about 30,000, with a high proportion of cavalry. Also, there's a report of detecting movements of small numbers of mercenaries like before."
"..."
A few days later, reports came in that small-scale troop raids had begun.
That sporadic and persistent movement felt familiar, and,
"The enemy commander?"
"It's said to be Count Sancho Gonzales, who commanded at the Battle of Al Berdo Pass!"
"...I thought it might be."
As expected, the enemy commander was Sancho Gonzales.
Like last time, Sancho was clearly preparing for a field battle.
Although I didn't know what strategy Sancho, who had lost in the previous battle, would bring this time,
"...What should the 5th Corps do?"
"We need to prepare for battle. However, as the Red Dragon Corps' tactics are quite different from other armies, I'd like the 5th Corps to move a bit differently as well."
"Different tactics..."
"Here, this is information on the Red Dragon Corps."
Given that the enemy had come out for a field battle with a large force, it was better to give up on excluding the 5th Corps, which had a considerable force of 12,000 men.
I handed over previously prepared materials to the 5th Corps to prepare for cooperation, and,
"...Sergei. I need you and your men to work hard."
"Yes."
I began a full-scale response by releasing scouts around the area.
"We'll also dispatch scout units..."
"That's alright."
"...Yes."
Since they needed to preemptively strike raiding parties, not just perform regular scouting missions, troops that didn't properly follow instructions would be more of a hindrance.
Although Axel said he would likewise dispatch scouts, I refused first, as they were likely to not follow my instructions yet.
Axel withdrew without saying much, but the expressions of other 5th Corps officers nearby were not good.
...Although the full-scale battle hadn't even begun yet, I had a feeling that this battle would be more tiring than the last one.