Chapter 154: I Expect Generous Treatment (4)
Thinking about it now, it’s quite clear.
I don’t know where the first move began, but Artshever remained silent for the past year to create a suitable background. That was my move.
Furthermore, he finished his move by manipulating the organization of the Conquest Force after the founding of the Herduke Kingdom, along with Baius Extoria and Silvan Harcian.
It’s literally a give-and-take situation.
But now, am I supposed to flinch at his moves and wander around, lost? That doesn’t make sense! Ah, really! I’m finally grasping the sluggish atmosphere we’ve had until now!
He’s already made his move.
And I was waiting for him to make another move, so of course nothing happened!
I wanted to express my deepest gratitude to the woman who helped me reach this realization.
“Ibi!”
“Please confess your feelings where others can’t see.”
“Yes.”
You’ve improved a lot. Your ability to strike back is quite impressive. Tsk.
Anyway, after engraving the universal truth that a man needs to meet the right woman into my heart, I said cheerfully,
“There’s no time to dilly-dally here. I’ve decided! We’re attacking Narvilt! Whether the Southern Army advances north or the Conquest Force comes up, we’ll deal with that later! The immediate goal is Narvilt! We’re going along with the General Headquarters’ opinion!”
“Yay! He finally decided! Wait a moment! I’ll gather everyone!”
Aila cheered and ran off with a joyful face. Lucy, with a truly satisfied expression, nodded while crossing her arms.
“Good. Now that you’ve decided, I can’t just sit still. From now on……”
“If I hear anything about muscle training, you’re grounded.”
“I’ll just play around then.”
I chuckled at Lucy’s dejected look.
Finally, things seem to be going smoothly.
Among the people Aila called, there was also Chief Sispa Grayman.
She had just finished compiling the list of units volunteering to join the legion I was creating.
“First, the Capital’s…… The five thousand-man units that the General commanded have also been added to the list for consideration.”
“You seem to be unfamiliar with the title. Actually, so am I.”
The only thing I’ve done since being promoted to General is receive a few medals. I haven’t done anything General-like, so it doesn’t feel real. I should try to get used to it.
Just by looking at the unit numbers, you can tell the size of the Imperial Army and the Herduke Kingdom Army.
Thousand-man units are in the 1000s, divisions in the 2000s, legions in the 3000s, and numbers 1 to 100 are units operated by royalty or high-ranking individuals. Numbers 101 to 999 are designated for special forces and logistics and engineering specialists.
The reason I’m talking about these numbers now is because of the numbers on the list.
A prime example is the bottom of the list, which made me tilt my head.
“3064, 3078, 3104 legions? Aren’t the numbers wrong?”
“No. The commanders of the three legions have expressed their desire to be under your command, General.”
“Wow, Risel is really popular.”
“He’s the hero of the Eastern…… Kingdom Army.”
Sispa showed strong pride at Aila’s admiration. Aside from still mixing up the titles, she seemed quite proud. It makes me blush.
I stroked my chin and looked at the data of the three legions.
They already have a unified command structure, making them much easier to handle than gathering division-level or lower units…… But this makes my efforts in leading the five thousand-man units last year meaningless.
“First, let’s send a message to the commanders of these three legions, politely declining their offer.”
“I’ve already sent it.”
“Good job.”
Then why did you include them on the list in the first place?
Looking through the list, I chose the five thousand-man units I had commanded as the top priority. Then I chose the heavy cavalry and heavy infantry divisions and added them to the list.
“That makes 10,000, right?”
“Next, we need to select light infantry, light cavalry, supply divisions, and long-range strike units.”
Sispa took out another document and asked for my judgment. Lucy, who was looking at it, scratched her cheek and spoke properly for the first time in a while.
“Hmm, I understand that including various units allows for organic offense and defense, but doesn’t it also decrease density if it becomes too diverse? If you gather all sorts of things, it creates more gaps.”
“Mr. Creon is correct, but legions are originally formed with the purpose of achieving strategic objectives by unifying the system by gathering various branches of the military. The part you mentioned can be resolved through joint training.”
“Originally, divisions and lower units mostly participate in tactical operations. Because if the numbers are small and the branches are unified, there are limitations to what you can do. In reality, once you enter a battle, it’s all a brawl anyway.”
Aila shrugged. The part about the brawl hits the nail on the head. Isn’t a battle in war just a large-scale brawl?
Lucy nodded, but it wasn’t a nod of understanding, but a nod of acknowledgement.
“Aila is right. And I understand what Chief Grayman said. My point is that we need to determine the main branch. The current 10,000 troops are equipped with mobility and striking power, but they cannot be considered the main force. When asked, ‘What kind of operation is this legion suitable for?’ there’s no basis for an answer.”
Listening to Lucy, I realized. Ah, I’m realizing a lot today.
“Lucy, you…… You can talk like a normal person?”
“Hey, do you expect me to just joke around every day?”
“No, that’s not it, but…… Al, what do you think?”
“Nothing. He’s normal for one day a year.”
“You guys!”
The blushing mage entertained everyone gathered there.
Well, it’s surprising because you don’t usually act like this. Of course, I know you get serious when you need to be, but I haven’t really seen you in that ‘need to be’ situation.
Levidian said with a smile.
“It’s fortunate that today is that one day a year. I agree with Lucy. Specialization is important.”
“Agreed. That’s why I operate the intelligence and execution organizations separately. Specialization is indeed important.”
“What will you do, General?”
“Hmm, how long do we have to decide?”
Sispa checked the schedule. Among the roles of an adjutant is also that of a secretary.
“Three days.”
“Let’s decide by tomorrow.”
She nodded. When forming a legion, there are quite a few conditions to consider. Since I’ve decided to head to Narvilt, my legion needs to be specialized accordingly.
After Sispa left, I looked around at everyone.
“Well, it’s been a while since we’ve all gathered. We trained during the winter and even when spring came, we just played around, but now we’re going to move. I apologize for the wait.”
Everyone gathered in one place after a long time. Unfortunately, Kun is the only one absent, as he’s away on a business trip. It’s about time he came back.
“As you all know, I was previously promoted to General and put in charge of a legion. I’ve gained the authority to command 20,000 to a maximum of 25,000 troops. So I’ve been seriously thinking about what to do next, and I’ve finally decided. We’re going to attack Narvilt!”
“Woohoo―!”
“Whee! That’s great, Risel!”
Aila and Lucy cheered, whistling and clapping.
“Thank you. Strictly speaking, it means we’ll actively participate in the conquest of Narvilt, and I’m prepared to be at the forefront. As expected, I may not be the commander-in-chief, but I think I’ll be assigned to a position with some influence.”
Even if I combine the ages of my past lives, I’m not qualified to be the commander-in-chief of a large-scale conquest force. I think the General Headquarters will probably have a lot of headaches.
First of all, I’m the Duke of Grenoian and second in line to the throne of the Herduke Kingdom. People often say my brother is 0th and I’m 1st, but legally I’m 2nd. At the same time, I’m a General in the Kingdom Army and a heroic field commander often talked about among the soldiers.
The military mindset of using something useful until it’s no longer useful, combined with the sense of duty to protect me because I’m at the top of the Kingdom’s important personnel list, will surely give many of them chronic stomach ulcers.
Although, I’m sure most would welcome it with open arms in a more honest setting.
“There will be plenty of opportunities for battle. Although we won’t be able to carry out reckless operations like the small-scale enemy central breakthrough we did in Atzuma, we’ll generally have to face the enemy throughout the conquest.”
“Question!”
“Yes, Lady Sermaila.”
“You’ll do it if you want to, right? That central breakthrough.”
At the straightforward and sharp question, people, even Namia, smiled. I grinned and raised my hands in surrender.
“You’re right, but I’ve decided to cherish my life a little more from now on.”
“Huh? It wasn’t dangerous enough to die, was it?”
“No. What I mean is, I doubted if my mother was planning to kill me after it became known.”
Right after I returned to Baekslan, my mother showed a reaction so dramatic that I’d never seen it before in my entire life.
She admitted that it was a heroic operation and that there was no denying its success, but since we had finally become a true family, there was no need to risk my life anymore. At the same time, she questioned my mental state, asking if I was so narrow-minded that I couldn’t think of any other strategy even though I was so smart.
I felt like she was about to pick up a whip she had never used in her life. What made me realize that my mother is a strong being is that Levidian, who was with me, also got scolded.
The fact that there’s someone who can scold her means the world is still maintaining its fairness.
She said,
“She really scolded us with an icy demeanor. I almost froze.”
“She did. Anyway, because of this, and since I’m now responsible for 20,000 lives, I can’t act recklessly.”
“I guess so. It would be tough to be a daughter-in-law if you get on your mother-in-law’s bad side. It’s the beginning of a conflict between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Hmm, I understand. Continue.”
Once Aila understood, everyone understood. I feel a bit wronged, but I pushed it down and took out the map from under the table.
“The main purpose of attacking Narvilt is because Baius Extoria is there. Also, it’s the land of Duke Mujaindos, who drove my father to ruin, so that’s another reason. He probably won’t attack until we attack. Because Pilledvan Salain is being held prisoner here.”
“But Hyung-nim, if we start a war here, what will happen to the prisoner?”
“We’ll have to abandon him since provisions are precious. As per a secret agreement, Pilledvan Salain will be rescued by a ‘rescue team’ after the war breaks out.”
“Is it alright to let him go so easily?”
Joey tilted his head as if a question mark appeared above him, but the others seemed to understand.
If a hostage-taker, while holding a hostage, picks a fight, it means they have nothing to demand with the hostage. If the hostage-taker ignores the value of the hostage, the threatened party will also ignore the hostage’s value.
Since the hostage-taker and the opposing side are in conflict over the value of the hostage, if one side ignores the hostage’s value, the other side naturally ignores that value as well.
I put it simply.
“Once the war begins, it won’t be possible to stop it with just Pilledvan’s life.”
“Yes? Ah, ah, I see.”
“Then let’s continue. If we start a war with Narvilt, we need to capture Baius early on. If he calls upon his unpleasant friends, it will be troublesome for us. But if he’s still alive towards the end of the war, we’ll face a rather difficult problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“Al, the person you dislike a lot will appear. There will be enough time for Silvan Harcian in Azot to return.”
After a brief thought, Al clicked his tongue. I could tell by that that he was ‘quite’ unhappy. It must be burdensome to have to fight the continent’s best Shadow Manipulation user.
I drew a line on the map and said,
“If things go well, we’ll be able to conquer half of Narvilt within this year. We’ll have to discuss it later, but I’m also willing to give a quarter to a half of that to Azot. However, considering that this war is essentially a civil war within the Empire, bringing in foreign powers won’t yield good results.”
If I told Lime-hyung, he would immediately advance the troops without needing a written agreement, but I don’t want to expand the scope of the war to Azot. Neither I nor he would want the Empire and Azot to go to war.
The reason I died was because of the war with Azot.
Lime-hyung would probably think the same. If the Empire and Azot hadn’t gone to war, Lime-hyung and I wouldn’t have died and been resurrected.
Lucy nodded and said,
“I don’t think we need to give it to Azot, do we? If we occupy half, wouldn’t the remaining part surrender on its own? Even if Duke Mujaindos’s control is excellent, it’s not as solidly built as Orknesia.”
“I think so too. Even if we occupy only a third, places surrendering will start appearing one after another. But it will depend on how the war unfolds until then.”
“Hmm, it depends on whether we crush them with overwhelming force or engage in repeated stalemates, right? I would also want to side with the winning side if I were them.”
“Right? Therefore, the choice of the first battlefield is important. It means we need to preemptively occupy a relatively important location and boost our morale. I’ve devised a strategy for this.”
I raised my finger and pointed to a part of the map. A place drawn like a sudden protrusion from Narvilt towards Orknesia.
Narvis Plain.
It’s relatively closer to the Herduke Kingdom’s capital, Baekslan, compared to other places. There’s even a saying that in a conflict between Orknesia and Narvilt, whoever takes this place first wins.
Al’s eyes gleamed.
“A strategic point. Are we going to occupy this place?”
“That would be good. If we occupy this plain, we’ll be one step closer to the heart of Narvilt. But my feet will never touch the soil of Narvis.”
“What?”
I dipped my pen in ink and drew a large X on Narvis Plain. Everyone tilted their heads, looking back and forth between the map and me.
I said,
“Although the following war situation will change greatly depending on the situation here, we won’t pay any attention to this place at all.”
“Why? Baius Ectoria will appear here.”
“Of course, I have no doubt that he will appear. If he’s the vanguard of the Western Army, he should come here. That’s why we won’t go. Considering the size of the punitive force being formed, it’s a scale that guarantees victory. What’s the point of lifting a finger in a fight we’ll win anyway?”
At my nonchalant shrug, people made dissatisfied expressions. I could feel the blatant demand to shut up and explain. They’re quite impatient.
“The Herduke 8th Legion will go here.”
Scratching the back of my head, I pointed to a spot on the map. At the same time, Aila’s eyes widened.
“Here……?”
“That’s right. Let me tell you in advance, I haven’t pointed to the wrong place. The 8th Legion will start the war here.”
Under my finger lay the name of the continent’s greatest salt production area.
Dakard Barony.
I grinned and said,
“I’ll be expecting a warm welcome.”
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