episode_0128

The soldiers stopped entering the battlefield when they ran out of things to pick up.

The wounded were treated well, and there was no sign of renewed fighting.

“General. Is it there?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please give me your name.”

“I think I’m done with my business here. I’ll just move on as soon as I’m ready.”

So it was finally time to leave.

After the young soldier, who reached out his foolish hands and searched for loot in vain, the army got its tired body back on its feet.

“Where do you want to go?”

“Return to your respective seats, but prepare for the next battle.”

“I understand. Until next time we meet, I pray that God will watch over you.”

“Let’s all see each other in late spring next year.”

The autumn wind has already picked up. The emperor, who was walking among the falling leaves one by one, losing his strength, knew that now was the time to take a moment to catch his breath.

Winter was approaching. It was the second winter since the civil war broke out.

Behind it, the battle that was supposed to be the last was slowly showing its face.

The Pope, who had already clearly proven that he had no idea where things would go, needed to find a solution before making any further moves.

It is said that the Count of Canossa is trying to interfere in his own way, but he cannot do so forever.

Therefore, there was a plan I was considering.

“Heine.”

“Yes, father.”

“Can you do it?”

Giving my daughter the opportunity meant that she should suppress Conrad well.

But it was also about considering options that I had never seriously considered before.

I tried to just ignore it, but Conrad was starting to show signs one by one that he was trying to cross the line.

The content of the reports coming to me recently was somewhat suspicious.

-We have sent a warning to Her Majesty the Princess, who is visiting from university, telling her to refrain from making political moves. We are still investigating whether the warning was followed in case of violation.

-Your Majesty, it appears that Conrad has contacted Duke Brandt. It is difficult to understand what was said because it was a private meeting.

-A few days ago, I ordered training for the generals to control the soldiers. We are also actively recruiting available mercenaries.

Conrad has not yet explicitly revealed his intentions.

However, if he was wrong, he was steadily preparing to fight against me at any time and take the throne by force.

So it had to be suppressed from now on.

If the children’s farming had not completely failed, there was still a way to turn it around.

“I will definitely live up to those expectations and do it.”

“Good. Then, prepare well before next summer.”

Heine gave such a willing answer.

It was still just a verbal promise, but I planned to finally think about it if I could actually accomplish it.

It is my son who is showing his teeth knowingly or unknowingly and is already showing his greed for the throne.

My daughter, who knew when to step forward and had patience, might have been better suited to succeed me.

*****

About a week has passed since the wandering saint left.

Just when it seemed like we were going to spend the end of the year here, an order to withdraw from the battlefield finally came.

I dismantled the tent that I had become attached to for a while and climbed on top of Sancho.

Perhaps because I felt a heaviness on my back for the first time in a long time, I had to console myself with food for a while due to the constant discomfort.

The nobles who had briefly gathered under the emperor returned home one by one.

Not only were they not in a state where they could fight, but it was also a time when control of the house was necessary. This is because thieves were rampant amid worsening public security.

The treatment of soldiers who run away from the battlefield when they return is not very good. Most armies punished them strictly for desertion, let alone branding them cowards.

Therefore, the soldiers who managed to escape and survive during the battle did not return immediately. Half of them chose to go far away or go into hiding, while the other half went into exile and became thieves.

In addition, there were cases where mercenaries personally hired by nobles were swindled out of a small amount of money and left like borrowed sacks of barley.

At this time, they became a gang of thieves. However, in this case, it cannot be seen as a return to one’s main job, rather than a return to one’s main job.

During the break that usually followed a battle, Heine came to visit me.

It was a break because I liked it. Instead of wasting the time, I should have prepared for the next battle.

“You probably remember the plan.”

“Of course. Isn’t this a strategy aimed only at Rudolph while the battlefield is in chaos?”

The death of a leader can also be a reason to unite people under his command.

However, this was not the case in Rudolph’s case. An army that runs away before engaging in full-scale combat must have that kind of cohesiveness.

This was also because they did not gather with a firm belief, but rather pretended to gather under one banner in pursuit of their own interests.

If there is even the slightest hint of loss, he will mercilessly throw away those who were his colleagues and comrades in arms until just moments ago.

I asked Heine to get more precise instructions.

“Should we save Rudolph and bring him back?”

“It would be best if possible, but in reality, it is not necessary. Above all, it would be difficult unless we could achieve an overwhelming victory.”

“If so.”

“Considering our circumstances, the most realistic way is to deal with Rudolph alone.”

Rudolph’s mere existence was a justification for claiming the position of emperor.

Of course, soldiers are not like people, so losing one’s head does not kill one immediately. If I had to be specific, I could say it was a group like Anpanman.

However, even if you can put a new head on Anpanman whose head has disappeared, it will not be the same as the original Anpanman.

The cause for demanding the position of emperor will be weaker, and a new head will be installed who is too scared to surrender.

It was similar to chess. Just break the opponent’s king with a hammer and you’re done.

… But isn’t that the same for our emperor?

“But that situation also applies to us.”

As expected, the princess was also thinking about this.

The fact that he ruled for a long time became legitimacy in itself.

But, to put it conversely, it meant that there was a lot of confusion when the seat was empty.

If Henry lost his life for any reason, the established theory was that Conrad would be the next emperor.

However, there was no way people around would just watch as the emperor’s coffin was placed on his head. This was because the nobles were originally more foaming at the mouth and kept the new power in check than anyone else.

So, I had to deal with it quickly and leave without any time for something unexpected to happen.

“This must be resolved as quickly as possible after the battle begins. Is it okay to believe in the scriptures?”

“Please leave it to me, Your Highness.”

It was a special force for that.

I was determined and confident that I could do it. Because, as the girl said, I was not alone.

*****

The ambitious plan, which was excitingly proposed, ran into difficulties from the start.

I knew that dealing with the military was not easy, but it was a bitter experience.

There was only one cause. This was because the knights my father gave me did not listen properly.

“Charge. I apologize for reporting this, but please reconsider your plan just once… … .”

“It’s definitely something we can do.”

“Umm… Still, I think it would be difficult. Why not prepare for a cavalry charge together?”

Of course, this is a new fact.

Each knight boasts a huge ego.

On the battlefield, each person went around shouting that they were the only ones in the world, and if the knight was not the opponent, it was true to some extent, so it was reasonable to do so.

It was difficult to make people listen to what was said, unless it was the authority of the emperor, who was the ruler of all people in the literal sense, or the lord who poured out a lot of land and money.

In that sense, Heine was able to get off to a good start.

Even though he was not the emperor himself, he was able to gain a certain level of authority just by being his child.

But that’s the extent to which it works.

Even if she was a princess, she could not have the same meaning as emperor, much less was she predicted to be the next emperor.

A lot of practical experience, and proof of competence through that experience.

He didn’t have it, but Conrad had it. It was the sadness that latecomers inevitably felt.

If she had been ordered to fight normally and come back, there would have been no problem just for the sake of being named princess.

But what I am about to do from now on is not such an ordinary task.

He rushes into the battlefield, cuts off the head of the enemy commander Rudolph, and comes out leisurely.

… Of course, looking back, it was a reckless plan. It felt more like a suicide commando than a plan.

However, if they wanted to end the war quickly, this was the only way.

Otherwise, it means that we must crush the opponent overwhelmingly, but if that were possible, this war would not have lasted more than two years in the first place and is now approaching its third year.

If it was a goal that I couldn’t just look at, I would have given up on it.

However, both he and his father knew that he had the ability to carry it out. All that remained was to convince the other knights of this fact.

So, what is the most useful method in this situation –

“You just need to convince them that this is the right strategy to try.”

“Is that possible?”

“I will prepare it.”

“I have faith in you, Lord Raven.”

I was asking someone who could tell me that fact.

*****

You have to carry out a strategy that may seem reckless.

Instilling confidence in the knights who will embark on such an operation means showing force.

If you think about it one-dimensionally, all you had to do was find a sparring partner and show off some flashy wrestling.

However, humans are creatures whose repulsion comes out when they are suppressed by force. There was nothing more dangerous than having such a sense of rebellion emerge on the battlefield.

It is a risk that cannot be taken as it is already a place where life and death come and go.

So all I had to do was do it in a more sophisticated way and mix a little bit of horror into it. Rather than revealing it directly, make it seem metaphorical.

Everyone is afraid of the unknown, something they do not understand or know about.

For example, a dark cave or a house with the lights off in the middle of the night. The more there is room for speculation, the more fearful we tend to be.

For example, a public restroom toilet with a closed lid.

So I decided to make the unknown myself.

The poor little pigs, who built their houses with straw and wood, found peace only when they moved into the third house, which was built with sturdy bricks.

But even if the first pig had made his house out of straw, would it have been the same even if he had displayed a bunch of wolf skulls on poles in front of him?

It was clear that he would have curled up and gone away on his own without anyone having to say anything. That’s the power of the message.

I answered Heine’s question with some anticipation.

“What do you plan to do?”

“I will go to carve sword marks on the cliff.”

“… … ?”