Ch.177Chapter 177. Regular Meeting / Serpina (2)

“Ian?”

Jenna looked at Ian with a surprised expression, but he paid no attention and spoke.

“If the Strategist doesn’t mind, I’d like to contribute to Lord Swen’s opinion.”

Ian’s participation was something I hadn’t expected at all, but—

Now that it was happening, I thought I understood why he wanted to help me.

‘Is this his way of repaying a debt?’

Even though Jenis was imprisoned, I was ultimately the one who saved his brother and prevented their family from being wiped out.

Without my intervention, Jenis would have been lumped together with the rebels, and if nothing else, Serpina, who absolutely never forgives rebels, would have thoroughly erased them as a family unit to the point where they wouldn’t even remain in the history books.

At that moment.

Serpina, sitting on the throne, slightly raised her chin and looked down at Jenna as she spoke.

“I don’t mind Ian stepping forward so boldly, but Jenna. You’re quite audacious yourself.”

“…”

“Well, all this farce requires Swen’s consent. I trust you’ll agree with that.”

It seemed Serpina was trying to scold Jenna, who had been unilaterally setting conditions to check me.

Had Ian intervened to shift the conversation toward asking for my opinion?

Given her choice of the word “farce” and Serpina’s current expression—at a glance she appeared to be smiling, but few would notice that it was actually the face of someone extremely angry.

In my position, with strange rumors already circulating, I shouldn’t allow new information that Serpina was angry because of me to be created for everyone.

“It’s fine. I’ll follow Lady Jenna’s opinion.”

Hearing this, Ian turned his head toward me.

“Then you’re saying it’s alright for me to speak directly?”

Well, I had no reason to refuse.

I hadn’t even considered that Ian would support my opinion.

While explaining things myself wouldn’t be bad… having Ian, who had some standing within Serpina’s army, take my side could be quite helpful.

Decisively, I was also somewhat curious about what he would say.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Ian nodded at my words and began to speak.

“While the opinions of the Strategist and General Kransis certainly have merit, the problem is that we would need to expend almost all of our forces to occupy the Aeshus army. Excluding the capital defense forces and those needed for maintaining order within the continent, our total available forces number around 123,000… This is insufficient to occupy not only Valhalart Castle where approximately 98,000 troops appear to be stationed, but also Zelstrom Castle to the north with 80,000 troops, and Raclaine Castle with 83,000 troops bordering Hispil Castle.”

‘That’s a good point.’

I was quite pleased that his thoughts didn’t differ from what I had been thinking.

At that moment.

Kransis, who had first proposed the plan, finally opened his heavy lips.

“I understand Ian General’s concerns, but our army can mobilize up to 310,000 troops. Moreover, considering we haven’t even properly implemented conscription yet, we could increase our forces much more. This is an enormous army that couldn’t be gathered if not for the current situation where we don’t need to worry about the border with the Brans army. That’s why I’m saying now is our opportunity.”

“That’s—”

“That’s precisely the problem, Lord Kransis.”

This time I was the one who interrupted.

I had been waiting for just this moment.

Since Kransis, a policy planner, had jumped in first, naturally I, also a policy planner, had the right to speak.

Jenna seemed to know this as well, as she quietly listened to our conversation.

“Of course, if we mobilize all of our nation’s power, we could bring down the iron fortress that is the Aeshus army. However, it requires a tremendous number of troops, and simultaneously, a great deal of time. It takes sufficient time to turn newly conscripted soldiers into elite troops who can fight on the battlefield. Our alliance period with the Brans army would likely end by then. Of course, given the current chaotic situation, the Brans army is unlikely to pose a threat to us, but the problem is that while we spend time attacking the Aeshus army, there are far too many possibilities for our army to be put at risk.”

“Occupation inherently requires taking risks. Shouldn’t some losses be accepted from a broader perspective?”

“I would have spoken like you, Lord Kransis, if it were just ‘some losses’… but the problem is that it’s not just ‘some.’ Suppose—”

I unfolded a map with my hands.

Pointing to the territory on the map depicting the northern continent… I spoke with a confident tone.

“What if a rebellion were to break out somewhere here?”

“…!!!”

“I don’t think there could be a more ‘opportune moment’ for rebels than when the northern continent’s forces are completely emptied to attack the Aeshus army. Isn’t it just like how our army now sees the Brans army’s chaotic situation as an opportunity?”

This time, the rebuttal came in a woman’s voice.

“Lord Swen. It was just yesterday that rebels were caught and purged one after another. No matter how chaotic the situation in the northern continent is, simultaneous rebellions breaking out in this situation seems like an unfounded worry. I’m concerned we’ll be held back by things that haven’t even happened.”

“…”

Honestly, I had nothing to say here.

Rebellion isn’t child’s play, and with a failed case just moments ago, who would be stupid enough to start another rebellion?

Fundamentally, I was thinking the same thing as the woman who spoke—Jenna.

The reason I was arguing that “the possibility of rebellion is high” was because it was Serpina’s whim.

She was predicting rebellion based solely on my prediction—”Moving troops is not an efficient method.”

Although the time I’ve spent with her hasn’t been very long, I couldn’t dismiss Serpina’s “prediction” lightly, as someone who prided himself on having interacted with her quite deeply.

Serpina was truly an exceptional woman. The fact that she had deduced my abilities to that extent proved she was no ordinary person.

Since she was someone who wouldn’t act without precise logic, it seemed unlikely she would cling to mere intuition, so surely she must have grounds she couldn’t explain to me in words?

Anyway.

It might be unfortunate for Jenna, but since my lord was on my side, it wouldn’t be bad to be a bit more assertive.

“No.”

“…!!”

“A rebellion will definitely occur. Even if not a rebellion, as long as there’s even a slight possibility of a comparable crisis, I cannot agree with the opinion that we should mobilize all our troops and move south.”

“Do you have any concrete evidence?”

Evidence, huh.

I’m a bit sorry, but let me play with words a little here.

“Strategist, and Lord Kransis. I’d like you to keep in mind that this isn’t a matter of evidence.”

After saying that, I glanced at where Ian was standing.

He caught my eye and nodded, then said:

“The reason you’re advocating for the occupation forces to move south is, as you said, because now seems like ‘an extremely good opportunity.’ The same would certainly apply to those wretched individuals plotting rebellion. In other words, we’re talking about the possibility that our decision itself could become a pretext for treason. If our army vacates its position, wouldn’t that appear as ‘an extremely good opportunity’ to them? Lord Swen’s opinion should be understood with that in mind.”

‘Oh?’

That was quite an impressive elaboration from my brief comment.

Unlike me, who wasn’t receiving particularly favorable views from everyone, Ian had some standing, and I could feel the crowd’s gaze changing as he spoke.

“However—”

“Let’s end the discussion here.”

Just as Kransis was about to say something, Serpina cut him off.

“It would be unfair to allocate too much time to Swen alone. Don’t you think?”

Serpina said this with a smirk.

If one considered who would benefit from ending the discussion here, her words were extremely ambiguous—

But her smile carried such an overwhelming pressure that no one dared to contradict Serpina’s words.

“Then, let me ask again. Those who agree with Swen’s opinion, raise your hands.”

At those words, visibly more people raised their hands than before.

Not only Ian and Irene, but quite a few who had originally supported Kransis’s opinion had switched sides.

The number… seemed to have just barely exceeded half.

“Slightly more people agree with Swen’s opinion.”

Serpina looked at Kransis and said.

“What do you think? If you have more to say, I can arrange a one-on-one debate. Of course, it would be between you and Swen.”

Hearing this, Kransis glanced briefly at where I was, then bowed his head and spoke.

It’s presumptuous to think this myself, but he probably judged that it would be difficult for him, not Jenna, to defeat me in a one-on-one debate.

I was a strategist, and he was a general.

Just as wielding a sword was his job, moving the tongue was mine.

“No. It’s fine. I’ll accept the decision of my lord and colleagues.”

“Very well.”

Serpina rose from her seat and extended her hand again as she spoke.

“Here, in accordance with the principle of majority rule, we will adopt Swen’s opinion as our army’s policy.”

“Yes!”

‘Phew…’

With this, I could somehow act according to my prediction.

By the way, in all the questions so far, my prediction remained the same as before: ‘Moving the occupation forces is not efficient.’

I don’t know if a rebellion will really occur, but this decision itself meant benefit for our army.

If there was something that concerned me—it was the question of whether, conversely, it was most efficient for the occupation forces to remain here.

The result of inputting the question that Serpina had casually mentioned when asking for a show of hands was…

‘Almost close, huh.’

It’s ambiguous whether the correct answer is that the occupation forces should be sent somewhere, or simply that they shouldn’t be sent toward the Aeshus army—

In any case, the fact that betting on “almost close” rather than “not so” was beneficial remained unchanged.

“With this, I’ll conclude the regular meeting. I hope everyone will do their best in their assigned duties. I ask that everyone break their bones and crush their bodies for the glory of the Empire this quarter as well. Dismissed!”

With everyone responding to Serpina’s command, the regular meeting was successfully concluded.

All that remained now… was the result of the decision.