Chapter 116
Having entered Gels as Grau, a wandering military strategist, I asked Alois, the boy lord of the territory, to explain what had happened.
"For starters, could you tell me why the tension has risen this high?"
"You don't know?"
"I was harassing a covert unit sent out by the army. When I flew over here afterward, things were already quite hectic. I came to ask what was going on, only to find the scene that had just taken place."
"I see... To put it simply, someone on our side assassinated the enemy army's general with a sniper's shot."
A two-stage operation, huh? It was too petty for Gordon and too slapdash for Sonia. Someone else must have advised it.
However, the fact that Gordon was now seriously trying to force a war showed that he had begun disregarding how Father viewed him.
This made it fairly clear what Gordon intended to do once the war with the South ended.
"What an interesting situation. Was it your uncle who prepared the sniper?"
"Most likely."
In that case, we were in the wrong.
They would launch a counterattack because their general had been assassinated. It was a fairly forced justification, but if they called it a battlefield decision, that would be the end of it. And if their actions led to this city being breached, it would become an all-out war with the South.
If that happened, there would be no going back. They would have no choice but to attack the South in earnest.
It would be the best possible scenario for Gordon.
But things would be different if this city did not fall. Even if fighting broke out here, it would be nothing more than a skirmish. Word would take a little while to reach Kruger's stronghold. By then, Leo and the others would likely have arrived and settled the matter.
If we could hold out for several days and keep the fighting confined to this place, we could somehow get through this.
Gordon wouldn't report it to the Imperial Capital, since they would immediately order him to call it off. In other words, neither side wanted to leak information.
"The army's movements have been smooth. That must be because this went exactly as they expected. Battle is unavoidable now. What forces do you have here?"
"Five hundred knights and five hundred soldiers, for a total of one thousand. However... the soldiers haven't been trained..."
"Hastily assembled troops. Well, they're better than nothing, but... the enemy has ten thousand elite troops, while we have a thousand hastily assembled ones. The numerical difference is ten to one, but the disparity in actual combat strength is probably even greater."
Even if holding out for several days counted as a victory, the difference in strength was so hopeless that merely surviving those few days would be difficult.
If we fought them head-on, the city would fall in a day.
"Can we win...?"
Alois asked anxiously.
I gave Alois a reassuring pat on the head.
"We have a chance of winning. Of course, there will be plenty of things you must do as well."
"I-I'll be all right! I'll do my best!"
"Good. First, introduce me to your other retainers. Then we'll begin by persuading them."
"Yes!"
With that energetic reply, Alois and I set off.
■■■
"I understand the situation."
The one who answered was an elderly knight.
Even so, his eyes remained sharp, and his movements showed no sign of age.
The seasoned-veteran air he gave off belonged to Vogt, the commander of House Simmel's knights.
"If that sniper's shot was fired by someone from House Simmel, there will be no way to explain it away. No matter how often Alois-sama says he had nothing to do with it, the army will not be convinced. Fighting for your mother and the many people of the South is admirable. But is it wise to keep such a mysterious man at your side?"
Vogt glared at me as he spoke.
The others were no different. Those gathered here were long-serving retainers.
They had no connection with Alois's uncle; they were the ones who had been on guard duty atop the walls.
To them, it was only natural to fight alongside Alois. But they presumably could not accept someone like me being there.
"Grau saved me. I believe we can trust him."
"Even if he saved you, that is a separate matter from whether he can be trusted."
Hm. So it had come to this.
We had no time for infighting when we needed to fight as one.
"Knight Commander Vogt, may I have a word?"
"What is it, wandering military strategist?"
"How do you view our current situation?"
"This is a matter of House Simmel's very survival."
"Hmph... That's a naive—far too naive—assessment."
"What did you say?"
At that, I pointed to the map spread out for the strategy meeting.
Gels was on the southern front line. If this place were breached, the flames of war would spread throughout the front-line region.
"If this place falls, the Imperial Army will invade the South in force. The flames of war will spread across the region, greatly weakening the Empire. And who will be remembered as the one who lit that fuse? None other than House Simmel. Even if you survive this war, the Emperor will certainly execute your entire family."
"Th-that..."
"And yet you cannot surrender at this point. You would be executed for the assassination of the general. House Simmel is already on the verge of extinction. On top of that, the soldiers will wonder, 'Why do we have to fight the Imperial Army?' Even if the lord's mother is being held hostage, that's a personal matter for the lord. Convincing them will be no easy task. Your forces are weak, while your enemy is powerful. Your problems are piling up. Surely you understand how precious someone willing to offer cooperation is under these circumstances."
"...Even so, I cannot trust you right away."
"Then keep watch over me yourself. The Imperial Army will attack soon."
"...Very well. You are taking our side despite knowing how desperate the situation is. You must have a chance of winning, then?"
I nodded at Vogt's words.
Then I shifted my gaze to everyone present.
"The phrase 'utterly hopeless' could hardly fit any situation better. But there is hope as well. The Empire is carrying out a top-secret operation. Duke Kruger will be ambushed within a few days. In other words, we only need to hold out until then."
"I had heard nothing about that."
"It's top secret, after all. Now, to return to the matter at hand: House Simmel is on the brink of extinction, but if we endure here, the situation will change. Holding out against ten thousand with one thousand while preventing the civil war from escalating would be an action worthy of praise in the Emperor's eyes. Moreover, you had no choice because your mother was being held hostage. On top of that, the succession struggle taking place in the Imperial Capital is deeply entangled in what happened here. If we overcome this crisis, the wind will change."
"...To be honest, I think House Simmel's survival is already a secondary concern. More than that, we must not allow this civil war to intensify. That is what I believe. I understand that Grau is difficult to trust and that his words lack credibility. But we have no choice except to trust him and accept his help. We would lose anyway if we fought normally."
At Alois's words, the retainers looked grim for a moment, but eventually lowered their heads as though resigned.
Seeing this, Alois turned his gaze to me.
"Then tell us your strategy."
"Very well. When the Imperial Army attacks a fortified city like this one, its standard tactic is to concentrate its initial attack on the main gate, then launch a surprise attack against a gate that has been left undermanned. Since they believe everything has gone according to plan, they will use this standard tactic."
"Then should we divide our forces among the four gates?"
"No. We already have a ten-to-one disadvantage in troop numbers. To withstand an attack on the main gate, we have to commit a corresponding portion of our forces there."
The attack on the main gate was supposed to be a diversion, but the two armies were simply far too different in size. The diversion could become the main assault, and moving our forces away from the main gate would be unwise.
Vogt narrowed his eyes at my words.
"Then you intend to defeat the surprise force with a stratagem?"
"Exactly. The enemy army is large and made up of regular troops. We, on the other hand, are few in number and not a regular army. They will undoubtedly let their guard down. Even if they try to stay vigilant, they cannot avoid that overconfidence. That is precisely why they will fall into the trap."
No matter how wary the surprise force was, it would still regard Gels as nothing more than a backwater city.
With the disparity in strength so overwhelming, they would not take the time to proceed cautiously.
They had a goal: to break through this city as quickly as possible and seize the southern front.
Once that happened, even the Emperor would be unable to stop them.
The army would unquestionably try to bring the city down in one fell swoop with its standard tactic.
"Lord Alois, can you lend me a hundred soldiers?"
"Can a hundred soldiers... defeat the surprise force?"
"The army will target the undermanned gate. We won't be defending the other three gates, so a hundred men will be enough. And one more thing."
"Just say the word. I'll have it prepared at once."
"It's nothing special. You should have oil stored for the city's defense. Could you give me some of it?"
"A fire attack? But a simple fire attack won't be enough to defeat the surprise force."
"I've accounted for that. Don't worry."
With that, I smiled faintly.
Though my face was hidden, he must have sensed something from my presence.
A chill ran through Vogt, and he recoiled a step.
And so, I joined the battle against the Imperial Army.