Chapter 45
The return journey was far from relaxing. I had a mountain of work to do.
Pulling back units stationed near the front line, informing various commanders of the armistice, arranging for the return of requisitioned assets to their original owners…
As the de facto number two in the military (nominally, of course. General Albrecht got promoted to Field Marshal while I held the real power beneath him) and Commander-in-Chief of the Western Front, I had my hands full.
"The 37th Division is to be relocated to the Marquisate of Nassau, the 12th Grenadier Regiment to the Viscounty of Manstein. What's the status of the 19th Division?"
"Not good, sir. They were heavily depleted in the last major engagement. Over forty percent are combat ineffective."
"The 22nd Division also suffered heavy casualties. Pull both units back to the rear for reorganization. I can't spare any fresh recruits right now, so merge them and fill the gaps as best you can."
"What about supplies, sir? Our gunpowder reserves are running low."
"We're not fighting for the next two years, so they'll manage. We'll resupply them later if necessary. Ah, divert a few regiments from the units withdrawing from the Imperial border to the Holy Nation border."
None of it was particularly difficult. Just an expanded version of my usual peacetime duties.
The sheer volume, however, meant I was chained to my desk for several days, stamping documents.
The sheer mountain of paperwork generated by the overhaul of units battered by the long war was staggering. And this wasn’t even a full-scale restructuring, just laying the groundwork, but it was endless.
Has anyone ever signed off documents based on weight?
I have. It's pretty damn intense.
"Carry on as instructed. Report any further difficulties to the Capital."
"Yes, sir!!"
"I’ll be taking my leave. Carry on the good work."
Finally, after managing the units on the front lines, I could begin my journey home.
Our party, with a mobility rivaling the legendary Speed Demon Runzo himself, marched swiftly towards the Royal Capital.
Along the way, we made a brief detour to the North, deploying reinforcements and, incidentally, pulling out some veteran Revolutionary Army troops.
This was to ensure we had sufficient force to launch our Coup d'état the moment we arrived in Lahator.
"Sir, shouldn't we follow proper procedure? I understand your anger, but resorting to force without warning could provoke backlash…"
"Backlash, my ass. Did those noble and royal bastards follow procedure when they had the Imperial Princess violated in a foreign land? Did the Empire invade us because we didn't fill out the right forms?"
"That's not what I meant, sir!"
"I understand your point, but this isn't the time to be concerned with legalities. If we don't strike swiftly and decisively, what do you think the nobility will do? Do you think they'll just sit back and let us take them into custody?"
It was an illegal act, no doubt.
Neither the existing laws of The Kingdom nor the new laws we'd established in the Assembly justified arrests and punishments without trial or legal warrants.
But in this situation, worrying about legality would hardly facilitate the purging of those responsible for the war, would it? While we're presenting evidence and debating in the Assembly, they’d likely scatter like cockroaches.
They’d probably guessed what news we were bringing back from the Empire the moment we left. So we had to strike first.
Those staying in their own territories would have to wait.
We'd start by rounding up and dealing with those in the Capital.
We could explain and justify our actions after everything was settled.
I don't particularly like this saying, but sometimes the ends justify the means.
"Now, if you understand, go and inspect the soldiers' billets. They'll be deployed as soon as we arrive, and we can't afford any drop in their condition."
"....Yes, sir."
After several weeks of traveling at the fastest pace realistically possible,
We encountered an unexpected messenger on the road to Gado.
"General Roytel! A message from Director Kais of the Lahator Intelligence Department!"
A useful, but infuriating message.
* * * * *
"You’ve had a long journey. Go and rest in the empty tent to the east."
"Yes, sir! Excuse me!"
After seeing to the exhausted messenger, I sat down in my tent and opened Kais's letter. My officers gathered around my desk.
"What could be so urgent that he sent a messenger? He could have just waited until we arrived."
"Let's find out."
I carefully unfolded the paper inside.
And as soon as I skimmed the contents, I exploded.
"Motherfucking…"
"What is it, sir?"
"Read it yourselves. You'll understand why I'm reacting this way."
They hesitated for a moment before reading the letter. Soon, similar reactions erupted from them.
"Bloody hell."
"So that's how they pushed the war through so easily. Those parasitic bastards."
"I should have fled the country instead of joining the army in this damned Kingdom...."
Why were these men, who had seen everything imaginable on the battlefield, so utterly broken?
The reason was simple.
The contents of the letter were that fucking awful.
"The ones who were closest to the Empire were the ones who spearheaded the incident. That's why there was no opposition."
According to Kais's letter,
Most of those who accompanied the Crown Prince on his visit to the Empire were the sons of noble families.
Those who were close to the Prince and of similar age.
Since they were officially representing the Kingdom on a diplomatic mission to the Empire, the selected personnel were primarily pro-Empire.
Meaning, they were chosen from families who openly advocated for cooperation and friendship between the two nations.
But what a twist! They were sent there and caused a massive incident?
Not only did they turn the Imperial Palace into a brothel, but they also tried to bed the Imperial Princess?
Suddenly becoming traitors who turned the Kingdom's most crucial ally into an enemy, the families involved made a decision after much deliberation.
At this point, they would switch sides.
"So, they loved the Empire so much, but now they're suddenly calling for its absolute destruction? Do these bastards even have a conscience?"
"Isn't that what politicians do? Speak out of both sides of their mouths. But even so… these bastards are a bit extreme."
There was no point in continuing to express pro-Empire sentiments.
With the Emperor enraged and ready to devour the Kingdom, who would be swayed by such arguments?
So, they decided to go all in on hatred.
Forgetting their past praise of the Empire's culture and people, they joined the anti-Empire faction and actively collaborated.
They insulted anyone who expressed even slightly moderate views towards the Empire, branding them as treacherous rebels.
Did anyone criticize their lack of conscience? Of course they did, profusely. They just turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to it all.
With their families facing ruin because of their sons' actions, they became utterly shameless to survive.
It was an absurd and disgusting maneuver… but it was undeniably effective.
Thanks to them, the anti-Empire faction within the Kingdom's political circles had grown overwhelmingly powerful.
"I understand that the pro-war sentiment strengthened because of these bastards, but the opposition didn't completely disappear, did it?"
"There must have been at least 10% against the war. Where did they go?"
And this was the part of the letter I hadn't yet shown him.
"They were eliminated. To prevent any instability."
"...You mean they were killed?"
"Yes. They were taken care of, along with some political rivals."
Although the core of the pro-Empire faction had shifted to the anti-Empire side, there were still a few who resisted the trend.
They actively argued that there was nothing to gain by going to war when the Kingdom was clearly at fault.
Honestly, they had the upper hand in terms of justification and logic, making it difficult to refute them.
So they were all killed.
Apparently, Charles VII, who had already decided on war, and the nobles who saw them as thorns in their sides collaborated to eliminate them.
They held a banquet under the pretense of gathering opinions, then collapsed the building during the event, burying them alive. The classic wine, carriage, terrace assassination method.
"The minor nobles in the countryside are clueless, so they blindly follow the Capital’s decisions. The surviving passive opposition remained silent out of fear. That’s how the opinions were forcibly unified."
"Bloody hell, what a mess."
The man with two stars on his epaulets cursed. It was disrespectful, but I didn't bother reprimanding him. We all felt the same way.
Additionally, since the cause of the war was focused on specific families, an agreement was reached where those families would take the lead in gathering troops and fighting, while the other nobles would provide financial and material support.
In other words, conscription was primarily focused on specific regions, leading to discrimination based on place of origin.
"Ha…"
I let out a long sigh. It was almost fascinating at this point.
How could they find new ways to screw me over every single time? Is it a unique talent of the high and mighty?
I thought I’d experienced enough of humanity’s ugliness through politics, but I was still a frog in a well.
'Think positive. Now that I know, I can add this to the list of charges and wipe them all out.'
I suddenly turned my gaze to my adjutant.
"By the way, what's the date today?"
"November 23rd, General."
"It's about ten days to the Royal Capital from here, so…"
We should arrive around midnight on December 3rd.
"Perfect."
A very good date for a coup d'état.