Chapter 194: Grand General-nim, Prepare for the Operations Meeting (4)
Sometimes, this friend is a problem because he prepares for even unnecessary things.
A moment later, Sispa reported that the entire army was ready for deployment. I nodded and prepared to speak.
Sispa, Lucy, and I headed towards the center of the army.
Aside from the soldiers’ breathing and the occasional snorting of horses, nothing could be heard.
Silence permeated the air among the hushed soldiers. Just by passing through them, I became a sign of the impending war.
When I declare the start of the war, the war begins.
400,000 troops will march towards the Imperial Capital to execute the Emperor of the Empire.
What should I say? What words should I utter in front of them to boost their morale and drive them forward?
I could throw in a light joke to moderately ease the tension.
I could weigh down their hearts with a heavy speech.
Or I could confuse them with meaningless riddles, or start the battle with a simple, unpretentious declaration.
But one thing is certain.
I will not give the same opening speech I heard on the day I died.
That we are unconditionally right and the enemy is unconditionally wrong. I will not discuss the justification for killing every enemy in sight.
Actually, this is the simplest and most necessary thing to say, but I will not do that.
In front of the 2627th Division, designated as the vanguard, I received the Kingdom’s flag and raised it high. Lucy used magic, and my voice spread far and wide.
Listen.
“My name is Arisein Uk Herduke. I am the Prince of the Herduke Kingdom, the Duke of Grenoian, and the Grand General of the Kingdom Army, your commander. Listen, soldiers of Herduke about to engage in battle.”
The soldiers’ breathing stopped, as did the snorting of the horses. Only silence hovered over the hundreds of thousands of troops. My voice broke the silence and conveyed my words to them all.
“His Majesty, my father, said that the Empire is already rotten. The peace that has lasted for over 370 years has ultimately made its owner lazy and inwardly sick. See the proof. They branded a man who could explain everything with the word ‘loyal subject’ as a traitor. They have already made the mistake of throwing away the only remaining purity instead of cutting out the rotten parts.”
I paused for a moment and took a deep breath. I said,
“In fact, this is a mistake anyone can make. But the country, the country that should embrace countless lives and destinies within it, has abandoned its people. Why did we rise up? Because the Imperial Army ahead of us is an unparalleled evil force? Because the Emperor behind them is a tyrant unlike any other? No! If you think so, stop it right now! We rose up to create our own country! With our own hands!”
I raised the Kingdom’s flag high. The gentle breeze that had been flowing picked up strength, causing the flag to flutter.
“War is a sad thing. Only countless pain and despair flow through it. War creates nothing but destruction and death. Yet we wage war! To create a new foundation where the war ends! To gently caress those who strive for themselves and embrace them! To create a country that can do so! Listen, soldiers of Herduke! My brothers!”
My heart beats. It pounds fiercely. Everything I’ve done and thought so far merges within it and bursts forth with a strong pulse.
“We do not fight to kill! We fight to live! To make our war the last war! So that on the foundation we build, our brothers, parents, friends, and children can smile warmly at each other and live facing each other with laughter! To restart our lives! Draw your swords! Raise your spears! Grab your bows! I will create it! We will create it! Our Kingdom, our foundation! Who else can do it but us!”
Following my voice, loud roars erupted from all directions. Regardless of gender, those who could not contain the heat boiling in their chests shouted.
“We will do it!”
“We will create it!”
“Laughter for our children-!”
I don’t know who started it. But the soldiers began to stamp their feet one by one. Thump. Thump. The rhythm spread like ripples. The entire army raised their weapons, stomped their feet, and engraved a sound like the beating of their hearts into the sky of the plains. Thump. Thump. Thump.
I waved the flagpole. Waving the flag, I shouted,
“For life! For the future! And for ourselves! Soldiers of the Herduke Kingdom! Charge-!”
Waaaaaaaah-!
The uncontrollable pulse became a roar, and the roar became thunder, shaking heaven and earth.
For life, for the future, and for themselves.
The final battle between the Herduke Kingdom and the Anopuri Empire had begun.
The sun that had risen high in the sky fell, and today, unlike yesterday, ended. The Kingdom Army, which had retreated to the fortifications built during the battle, began to rest to recover from the damage and prepare for tomorrow’s battle.
The soldiers’ day ended there, but the officers’ real work was just beginning. The same goes for the Grand General, although the main purpose is to listen to the final results report.
“728 dead, 2,612 wounded. The list of recovered spoils is as follows.”
“That’s enough. Handle the dead and the spoils according to regulations. Go in and rest.”
“Yes, Grand General-nim.”
Casualties are about 3,300. It’s a fairly small number for a battle of this scale.
As expected, today was just a formality.
Today’s battle is no one’s victory.
It was a battle where both sides exchanged blows moderately and then naturally retreated at the right time. Perhaps both sides think they won, and that would be good for their mental health.
Even last year, when I was a Legion Commander, there were days when this many casualties occurred. There’s no particular reason for my heart to feel heavy, but as I listen to the report after the battle, it feels like a lead weight has settled in my chest.
From now on, more than this number will appear every day. Maybe 10 times that, meaning an entire legion could disappear.
When I led the Cheonbyeongdae or the 8th Legion, I was confident in dramatically reducing casualties. The qualities of a good commander are revealed in achieving objectives while minimizing friendly casualties.
However, it became difficult after becoming the Grand General. Large-scale battles become simpler in their aspects as they grow in size. In the end, a certain number of casualties are unavoidable.
I took out a military-issued cigarette for officers. I lit it with the embers from the brazier and inhaled the smoke. The white smoke that roughly swept through my throat and lungs is exhaled.
“Huu……”
Now that I’ve become the Grand General, now that I’ve given them a reason to fight, their deaths are my responsibility. They were loyal soldiers who fought hard for the country. I had to believe that first.
Were there no unjust deaths among the 728 who died today?
What a foolish question.
Of course, there were. There must have been those who were forcibly dragged into the army, who did not empathize with my words at all, and who died after running mechanically.
There must have been those who faced the death I experienced today.
Once war breaks out, death cannot be stopped. Casualties occur as naturally as the sun rising and setting. It is hypocritical and false to say that you don’t want anyone to die while waging war.
I’ve already made up my mind.
That these deaths will increase.
That I must inflict the death that makes even my own mind dizzy whenever I recall it, upon those whose faces and names I do not know.
It’s paradoxical. But there was no way to end it before it came to this.
Ah, damn it.
I’m just making lame excuses.
“Risel, are you in there?”
“Ah, Levidian, welcome.”
“What’s in your hand……? Why?”
“It’s incense, for the fallen.”
Levidian looked at me with indifferent eyes and let out a small sigh. She shrugged and said,
“I can’t say anything if you put it that way. Many people have died, and they will continue to do so. And it can’t be justified by any cause. Especially if you’ve died yourself on the battlefield. Is that why your heart feels heavy?”
“At least it’s not light. It would be the same for anyone, even a renowned general who would go down in the history of the continent. Especially for me…… when I think that there might be someone among those who died today who died with more regret than me, my heart feels heavy.”
“And you’re going to keep burning cigarettes for the dead tomorrow as well.”
“I think I’ll probably continue until the war is over.”
I took another drag of smoke and then put out the cigarette.
What can I do for the dead?
Win.
Win and make their deaths worthwhile.
And as I said today, create a country where people can smile at each other.
Levidian had a pitying expression on her face.
“You are a kind person. That’s why you can empathize with others’ pain and sorrow, and you can’t leave it alone. It’s very pitiful to see from the side. But what can you do? That’s the path you chose to walk.”
“I’m sorry to worry you. And I’m even more sorry for making you unable to smile. Since when did I make you make that expression so much?”
“No. If you just promise me this, I will smile.”
“What promise?”
She slowly raised her finger and gently pressed it against the center of my chest. And she spoke directly to my heart.
“Please don’t neglect the living for the sake of the dead. And don’t blame yourself for driving many to their deaths. Because I think you’ll endlessly worry, questioning whether you have the right to do so.”
“That’s……”
I couldn’t bring myself to say that I was already doing that. No one has that right. Do you think there is anyone in the world who has the power over life and death?
I know too. That this kind of worry itself is an insult to the fallen.
But the path I’ve decided to walk, even if the words ‘it couldn’t be helped’ are attached, will be paved with countless blood.
War is not as beautiful as one might think.
Since I led them to their deaths, I must take responsibility for it.
Only the path to victory is the way to fulfill that responsibility. That’s the most I can do.
I said,
“I promise.”
I promised not to push myself too hard, and to think of the living before the dead.
Because that’s all I can do, and the best I can do.
April 23, 378 of the Imperial Calendar.
Two weeks since the start of the war.
The front lines are at a standstill.
It’s an expected situation, so there’s nothing to complain about. For the first week, there were really big battles, and thanks to that, the number of deaths soared, and there were many nights when I burned cigarettes.
Levidian hates it, but I lit the cigarette that I’ve gotten used to lately. I looked at the map spread out on the table and spoke along with the smoke.
“For the past four days…… there haven’t been any real battles.”
“If one side fought, the other side dug trenches and fought, and after the trenches covered the entire plain, the stalemate continued. The shortest distance between the trenches on both sides is about 250 meters.”
“Even Greyman, how’s the soldiers’ morale?”
“There’s nothing unusual. However, everyone seems to know that this isn’t a war of annihilation.”
At Sispa’s words, I let out a sigh along with the smoke.
First of all, this war, as it was from the beginning, is a civil war within the Empire. It’s a war where only the leaders are divided into black and white, a war where today’s enemy can become tomorrow’s comrade.
In fact, the current Imperial Capital Conquest Force includes legions and divisions that were part of the Empire’s Western Army.
In the case of soldiers, they often don’t care where they belong.
Since we are not some revolutionary army, and there is no punishment for fighting against each other, they don’t care which flag they are under. That’s also true, so we’re not doing any mental education for the soldiers.
For these and other reasons, there is no reason to engage in a war of annihilation.
The simplest method is, anyway, a war of attrition. But as always, the simple method is also the most foolish and leaves behind the most aftermath.
Well, if we were going to go with a war of attrition from the beginning, we would have just closed our eyes and drafted about a million warriors from the Guard and had the Herduke Kingdom Army only handle supplies, a very simple method.
The reason we didn’t do that, as I said now and have said many times, is that the nature of the war is a civil war. It’s a rather violent form of a family feud.
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