Ch.162I must break through.

“Hmm…”

I was frowning at the supply lines brought by the aide at the Amurtat Palace, stretched so long they seemed about to snap.

The non-combat losses were increasing exponentially as supplies were delivered deep into enemy territory. The gunpowder and bullets consumed to deal with wild animals, demons, and monsters… and seeing the statistics of dying soldiers recorded was a painful task.

“The supply lines seem too long.”

“Yes. This is unavoidable. Although we’ve shared the formula for gunpowder, actually producing it is an entirely different matter…”

I could only nod in agreement.

When the first confrontation between factions was established, I had shared the methods for manufacturing gunpowder weapons and producing gunpowder itself with countries that had “at least some” industrial capacity.

Thanks to that, I thought supplies would hold up to some extent even if not perfectly, but I should have realized earlier that this wasn’t just a production issue.

In this world without cars or airplanes, water transport was the most efficient method, and when that wasn’t possible, the only option was to operate an enormous number of wagons capable of carrying the heaviest loads possible.

However, no matter how much we produced, it meant nothing if it couldn’t reach the front lines.

“Sigh… what’s the solution?”

“For now, the best course would be to halt the advance, fortify supply bases, secure connections between bases, and stockpile resources.”

“So… we need to stop advancing.”

“…I apologize, Your Majesty.”

“No. What do you have to apologize for? It’s my fault for not foreseeing this.”

Saying that, we examined in detail the territories and cities we had captured so far.

This wasn’t an ordinary map but a strategic one with contour lines, so I could see exactly which terrains were effective for defense. Much to my annoyance, I discovered that 7/10 of the advantageous defensive positions were still in enemy hands.

“But we can’t stop attacking yet.”

“However, if we continue, the supplies…”

“Make it work somehow. Forced requisitions, three-shift labor, whatever it takes! If we can just capture these chokepoints, we can grind the enemy down one-sidedly!”

“But Your Majesty… attacking all those positions simultaneously will result in tremendous casualties…”

“Think of it as an investment in the future. We can never surpass the enemy in terms of manpower anyway. If we can just succeed in a concentrated firepower offensive before their troops fully gather… before they solidify their defenses…!”

I raised my clenched fist.

If we succeeded, we would be able to fire shells at the enemy from distances they couldn’t reach.

If we failed… we would pay the price for my arrogance, but at this point, there truly was no other option.

If we stopped advancing for any reason, the front would stagnate. Then, once the Fahrenheit faction regained their composure, they would send massive reinforcements. Our forces, already outnumbered, would face the horrific situation of having to launch unlimited offensives against well-prepared fortresses, even with our gunpowder weapons.

“I won’t accept any objections. Push forward with every resource we can mobilize! From now on… we break through or die!”

“…I shall relay your orders.”

And so, following my command, approximately 600,000 troops began to formulate an all-out assault operation.

*

“We’re going to die soon.”

“Well, what can we do? If we desert or disobey orders, we’ll be hanging from the gallows before an arrow can pierce us.”

“Mother… if only you had given birth to me ten years later…”

“This bastard’s an unfilial son, I see.”

As the major offensive was planned, the soldiers realized they were being sent on a suicide mission.

But what was even more tragic was that even the lowest-ranking soldiers knew that without this operation, the war couldn’t be ended quickly.

If they didn’t fight, their children would have to go to war, and the soldiers who were fathers wanted to prevent that at all costs.

“My son just started school… I still vividly remember his face when I bought him his first crayons… I can’t send a child like that to the battlefield.”

“My child is about to become a father. And I won’t let my grandchild be raised as a posthumous child.”

For prosperity, people are needed first.

Those who create prosperity, and those who enjoy it.

If either is missing, even the greatest abundance will turn to desolation. So they would fight and die here, dedicating themselves to Amurtat’s victory.

And it was no different for Fahrenheit’s troops. The commanders of the numerous fortresses built at the chokepoints lined up their infantry and boosted morale through impassioned speeches.

“Those vicious invaders have finally come this far! Fight with your lives! If we hold out for just a few weeks, reinforcements will arrive. If we endure until then, their cannons will explode and their rifles will bend, and that will be the moment we light the beacon of counterattack!”

“Think of your families back home! Think of your families who will be sacrificed for their ‘prosperity’! Your sons will spend their lives laboring in factories and die of disease in tiny rooms, your daughters will live as someone’s sex slaves and die of puerperal fever, and your wives will be shaved, mocked, and buried in mud to be slowly killed!”

The language was provocative and insulting to some, but it was effective.

For men, there was nothing more motivating than propaganda about their loved ones facing a terrible fate.

“Don’t be afraid of gunfire and cannon fire! This is our land! The land we built, we protect, and we will live in!”

As the commander’s speech ended, the sergeants who had been watching began to incite the soldiers.

“Let’s protect our homeland!”

“For freedom and life!”

“””Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!”””

And at dawn the next day, the opening salvos of war began to sound.

*

“For Amurtat!!!!”

A rain of arrows poured down on Amurtat’s knights who were advancing valiantly, but they posed no threat to the knights and warhorses clad in heavy armor.

“Neeeigh!”

…If anything, it only made them angry.

“Now’s our chance while the knights are drawing their attention! Maximum charge! Aim for the seams in the walls!”

Rumble… rumble…

As the knights succeeded in drawing attention with Amurtat’s banners, Amurtat’s artillery fired their cannons with as much gunpowder as they could stuff in, even at the risk of damaging the guns. Armor-piercing shells, accelerated by tremendous recoil and gunpowder, hit the fortress walls.

BOOM!

“Brace for impact! Mages, prepare restoration magic!”

“Gate Captain! The knights are coming!”

“Damn it! Wall archers, target the horses! Take away the knights’ mobility! Order the catapults to prioritize the enemy artillery!”

“Yes, sir!”

If this place fell, they would surrender an impregnable supply base to the Amurtat faction—a position that could easily prevent Fahrenheit’s counterattack attempts.

Naturally, the troops stationed here were among the elite forces of the Fahrenheit faction, and despite the continuous gunfire and shelling, they wavered but did not break.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

CRACK! CRUNCH!

“The gate is about to collapse!!”

“Pour the oil! We must destroy the battering ram!”

Because of this, the extraordinary situation where the fortress might collapse before its defenders was imminent, and both Amurtat and Fahrenheit forces were fighting desperately to seize or protect the chokepoint.

Amurtat’s artillery replaced destroyed guns with new ones and continued bombarding the walls with cannonballs until all their gunpowder was exhausted. Knights in armor used aura-infused swords to carve away at arrow slits and other openings, creating gaps for troops to enter.

“Fuck! Knights have breached!”

“Halberds ready! All archers fall back!”

However, the difference in firepower was ultimately insurmountable, and the knights, having suffered hundreds of casualties, managed to infiltrate the fortress interior with gritted teeth.

“Fahrenheit dogs! Die for our victory!”

“Damn it! Stab those sword-wielding bastards to death! Hold them back even if we all die!!!”

Fierce fighting broke out inside the fortress, and as they became unable to guard the outer walls, the artillery and battering rams intensified their attacks…

CRACK! CRASH!

“No…! The… the gate!”

“The gate has broken! Everyone charge!!”

“””Long live Amurtat!!! Long live Emperor Tiberius!!!”””

Finally, the fortress fell.

On this day, the Amurtat forces suffered 220,000 casualties, and in return, they succeeded in capturing all the chokepoints.