episode_0064

Imperial Southern Legions. 4th, 6th, 13th, and 15th Legions.

Four corps left their camps one by one and began their campaign.

The 18th Corps, which had the feel of a reserve corps, followed suit.

A huge army of nearly 100,000 people.

These are purely combat troops. The number does not even include the platoon.

The enormous army began to march south in a majestic manner.

Until recently, the Empire had been negative about moving the legions.

We have spent too much on military spending. It could easily shake the empire.

How much taxpayer money was wasted across the Eastern Front in just under two months?

The current Empire is different from Dedorant beyond its western borders.

They already have an imperial order established that is too much to fill with the rewards of war.

It takes time. There has to be some leeway to make up for this loss.

But circumstances did not go their way.

Flames were raging everywhere, and they could spread to the empire at any moment.

For that reason, the Empire considered this moment to be a serious crisis.

The royal family was the first to step forward and pledge to put the royal family’s assets into the national treasury.

They were followed by marquises, imperial counts, and numerous nobles.

If that is not enough, we will have no choice but to revise the law.

It’s a shame for the imperial people, but they too have to tighten their belts.

“In the worst case, we will have to open the western and southern fronts simultaneously.”

While chewing over the chilling conclusions reached by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

*

“Your Highness the Princess.”

“… .”

“Your Highness the Princess?”

“… .”

It feels like something is different from usual.

Originally, it was a picture of the princess calling me, and me suddenly raising my head and saying, “Eh!”

But now the princess has completely lost her mind.

Actually, that’s understandable. I’m just barely holding on to my sanity right now.

All the news I’ve heard in the past few weeks has been ridiculous.

‘Didn’t Benito destroy the church by saying things like excommunication and holy war? Didn’t Dedorant hit Degal’s side and take all of the west? And on top of that… the two of them even formed an alliance.’

Even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not have predicted that such a secret agreement was in progress.

Because it happened so suddenly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building was paralyzed for a while or something.

Dedorant, excluding the Empire, is a true military powerhouse.

Benito has become stronger, although only by Southern standards.

It was definitely not pleasant news that these two were joining hands.

If we were to pick the most memorable one, it would be the one that happened very last.

“Prince Kael.”

The 6th Corps Commander, who approached quietly, continued speaking cautiously.

“Why on earth did Benito declare war on the Empire?”

“… King Benito was excommunicated and seems to have gone mad.”

“Ahaha. Hearing a joke makes me feel a little less nervous. Hahaha!”

I’m not joking. I’m serious about this.

What kind of crazy bastard would attack a religious nation and then declare war on the Empire?

It’s much more believable to just say, ‘I want to commit suicide.’

If you were in your right mind, you would never do this.

Even if he tries to do so, the surrounding ministers have to grit their teeth and try to stop him.

This is like Japan, looking for the Emperor and beating the United States first.

Or it’s similar to Italy suddenly hitting Greece while shouting “Duce!”

‘What on earth are you thinking? Do you have some hidden secret?’

I kept thinking of all the possible scenarios Benito could have done, and then erasing them.

So the conclusion is, there were several, but the biggest one is still one.

The author of King. Andrea II of Benito is happily spinning the happiness circuit.

“The most likely scenario would be to pull our empire as far south as possible.”

“Drag in.”

“Yes. They must have heard the news. How much the Empire has spent on military spending in less than a year.”

“Declared war on that empire in order to force more bleeding.”

“If the legion crosses the border and moves south, it will cost an incomparable amount of money compared to simply staying in the camp.”

The 6th Corps commander nodded in agreement with my answer, saying that it certainly made sense.

As the wires grow, the burden on us naturally grows.

The Empire is the most powerful country, so it can withstand it, but there is a limit to that.

This is especially true for troops who have entered enemy territory, as they must be concerned about supplies.

The problem is that this prediction is also unfolding in the most reasonable way possible.

Even taking all that into account, declaring war is truly crazy.

For this to work, there is a prerequisite that Benito’s army must hold its ground against the Imperial Legion.

In addition, the troops sent from the southern kingdoms must be at least half as active as Benito.

This is the minimum requirement. Without this, their grand strategy is doomed from the start.

‘I don’t understand why they are doing this, knowing the gap between the Imperial Legion and the Southern Army. And what if the Southern Kingdoms turn away? They will be left alone in an instant, crushed without any room to resist?’

It’s not like they don’t have ears. They probably know about the situation in the Eastern Front.

Their promise, which started out as a proud alliance, was shattered in just one month.

I heard that it’s an operation, a plan, and originally, it never goes as predicted for more than 3 minutes.

No matter how much they say, “Let’s not betray each other,” it’s useless.

Humans are so cunning and selfish that they change their minds at any time.

But I soon realized that I had been underestimating the South.

*

“… So far, no kingdom has responded?”

A week had passed since we left the border and entered the southern part of the continent.

A sigh escaped me when I heard the news from the commander.

“Yes, Prince Kael. Not only the nearby Benito, but even the distant kingdoms are wary of our legions. If this happens, we cannot go deep because the supply line is unstable.”

“If we continue to force our way into the Southern Kingdoms one by one, our legions will suffer damage in one way or another.”

The Imperial Southern Legion has two main goals: overthrowing Benito and saving the Holy Nation.

There is also a part where they fight against other kingdoms in the south during the process.

But after considering many factors, I decided to use appropriate persuasion and threats instead.

For now, for the supply line, and for the future, for the southern trade.

But now that I’ve come this far, of course there’s the persuasion through various conditions.

They had no intention of yielding even to the threat of showing the four legions of the Empire.

Rather, all we heard was that the atmosphere was only getting more hostile.

“They say that the declaration of war was made by Benito, not by them. However, if they continue to treat us hostilely, they will also be in the same boat as Benito.”

“The Southern Kingdom’s army is waiting in the direction of the Legion’s advance. What should we do?”

“Send a messenger to ask, “Is the Empire really here for the holy war? Or is it here to take this opportunity to swallow up the South?” He asks for an answer.”

It’s not good. There’s something very wrong with it from the start.

I remember that there was quite a bit of resentment towards the Eastern Empire, but not to this extent.

“I think this is how the aversion to the empire is expressed.”

And the answer to that was given by the princess who had returned to her original state a few days ago.

It seems that he has heard something from being close to Marquis Lylas of the South.

“The southern part of the empire has never had a strong focal point. It was tied to the Holy Church as a religious entity, and to the empire as a cultural and economic entity.”

“But. The legion is coming right in front of you, and you’re saying you’re going to side with Benito? It doesn’t make sense, Your Highness.”

“I understand the opinions of the Corps Commanders. However, there are times in the world when things cannot be explained with reason. Isn’t that right, Kael?”

I nodded slowly to the princess’s question.

Yes. Is the world a place where only rational judgments are used?

If that were true, those big victories in the East would have been impossible.

Rather, it is the world that is driven by emotion rather than reason.

“Anyway, this won’t do. We’ll have to deal with the entire Southern Kingdom before we can even drive out Benito. Right, Kael?”

After thinking for a moment in response to the princess’s question, I revealed the results of the current situation.

“Yes, Your Majesty. And if things really go that way, the tactical victory will go to the Legion, but the strategic victory will ultimately go to the South. Benito, to be precise.”

The reason why our empire eventually crossed the border and entered the territory of the Southern Kingdoms.

The Holy See excommunicated Benito and moved to proclaim a holy war.

It is never my intention to conquer the Southern Kingdoms. The harm would be greater than the gain.

However, these southern kingdoms are siding with Benito despite the threat from the empire.

If we try to suppress them by force, it will be all over the people of the South. No, it won’t end there.

If the news gets here, it will shake the West, East, and North.

The Empire is such a dark-skinned bunch. If you carry out propaganda like that, there will be no answer.

If Benito is caught here, he will crush the last resistance of the Holy Nation.

If the Pope is forced to step down and a puppet is installed, excommunications and holy wars are lifted.

Our empire will lose both its legitimacy and its interests. Our pride will fall to the ground.

“… It would be better to use a method that breaks through the southern kingdoms in one go.”

“No, you can’t. If you do that, you’ll end up with the stigma of being invaded by the Southern Kingdom, and things will get out of control.”

I hastily repeated the story of justification while trying to stop the commander’s opinion.

Why do you keep talking about justification? Is it that important?

Of course. This is the very device that can turn the local public sentiment in a favorable direction.

This public sentiment is so important that it cannot be emphasized enough even if it is emphasized a hundred times, no, a thousand times.

“Then there is only one way. We have to take the southern kingdoms away from Benito.”

“However, Your Highness, the Princess. Even though four legions are coming down, they are still holding out. If the Empire takes a step back, they will definitely underestimate us even more.”

“I think we need to build up their self-esteem. Think about it. What kind of ruler would tolerate foreign troops moving into their own territory?”

Justification. Practicality. And pride. Not one, not two, but three headaches.

We need to find a compromise. We need something where both sides can compromise appropriately.

What could there be? How can we entice the Southern Kingdoms?

The reason why I can cooperate with the Empire without looking back no matter what Benito says.

Traitors who bow their heads to the Empire! Silly who can stand tall even when he hears the sound.

But what can I show that won’t hurt my pride too much?

‘hmm.’

No matter how much I think about it, this is the best for now.

“Your Highness the Princess.”

“Yes, Kael.”

“How many countries in the South have a less than favorable relationship with Benito?”

“I know the general idea from what I heard from the Marquis.”

“Then let’s send a lion there. Let’s have a meeting. And, Commander?”

“Yes, Prince Kael.”

“I guess I’ll have to play a game. The Kingdom of Gori is located in the direction of Benito.”

“Yes. They say he and Benito are very close.”

“Good.”

The cards I draw are money in my left hand and a club in my right hand, you motherfuckers.