Ch.233Rotation (6)

“Hah… How many times do I have to say it? If it’s a report requiring tactical decisions, send it to Sir Simon.”

“B-but Your Majesty, this concerns the Imperial cavalry that was targeting you—”

“Enough. The annihilation of Imperial cavalry attempting to flank our rear is clearly a matter requiring tactical judgment, so you needn’t inform me.”

As I’ve said repeatedly, I have no tactical insight whatsoever.

Reports on battle situations requiring tactical decisions should be sent to Simon rather than me, to improve the consolidation of intelligence. That’s why I instructed that battle reports should go to Simon, not me.

Yet the attendants keep reporting tactical matters to me… I suppose it’s because in this era, not informing the monarch about battlefield conditions is simply unthinkable by common sense.

It reminds me of how during the Joseon Dynasty, even when King Taejong sincerely wanted to abdicate to King Sejong, his officials kept trying to dissuade him.

“Ah, of course, if it’s a report requiring political decisions, naturally send it to me.”

“By political decisions, you mean—”

“Most notably, the Empire’s surrender, for instance?”

My, the Imperial Emperor is… should I call him steadfast or just plain stubborn?

Even I, a complete novice in warfare, can clearly see the Empire has no hope left, yet the Imperial army keeps attacking without any retreat.

Even if they don’t want to surrender, they could at least withdraw and regroup, but they just keep attacking relentlessly. I really don’t understand what they’re expecting.

Retreating temporarily and surrendering are completely different things—can’t the Emperor distinguish between the two?

‘Ugh…’

Although I’m far from the battlefield, I can still see all too clearly the Imperial soldiers being mercilessly slaughtered. I can even hear their occasional screams.

I prided myself on becoming accustomed to death as a ruler, but watching tens of thousands being killed—no, butchered—like this is still somewhat disturbing.

Why don’t they just surrender instead of going through all this?

…Could it be pride?

‘Come on, surely no one would drive their citizens into hell just for the sake of petty pride… Actually, there are many such people, aren’t there?’

It was just a passing thought, but chillingly, the possibility is extremely high. Just thinking about historical figures, there are dozens who drove their people to death for the sake of their own pride.

Weren’t medieval nobles people with massive egos? Someone who rose to become Emperor among such people must certainly have a terrifyingly strong ego.

To neither surrender nor retreat because of his pride, only driving his soldiers to their deaths…

Hah… that madman. I should have recognized it when he immediately acknowledged the assassination attempt and demanded we disband our army.

“Let me ask you something. Which seems better: continuing this battle until all Imperial soldiers are exterminated, or making a generous offer to the Empire to save lives?”

“P-pardon…?”

“No need to overthink it. I’m simply curious about how others might view this.”

“Then I think… continuing the battle might be better.”

A nameless attendant nearby hesitates in confusion before awkwardly answering my question.

“I see, and why? Don’t be afraid—I’m not interrogating you, just curious about your reasoning.”

“Well… they are our enemies, aren’t they? Even if we spare many Imperial soldiers with a generous offer, the Imperial people and their Emperor will focus on the number of dead soldiers, not those who survived.”

“…I see.”

The attendant is right.

Even if I make a generous offer and spare Imperial lives, the Imperial people and their Emperor would likely resent the damage from this battle rather than appreciate my generosity.

By their standards, the cause of this war lies entirely with me, so gratitude for mercy would be the last thing on their minds.

Which means… sigh, being a monarch really isn’t a suitable profession.

“…Still, they are human beings like us, and we cannot simply let them be slaughtered. We should send envoys to the Imperial headquarters to demand surrender.”

“How strict should the surrender terms be, Your Majesty?”

“Disarmament and prisoner status for all Imperial forces currently on the battlefield, in exchange for guaranteeing the safety of all Imperial citizens under my name—that should suffice.”

Without disarmament and prisoner status as conditions, it wouldn’t be surrender but merely a brief armistice, which is not an option for us when we’ve already gained the upper hand. Regardless of generosity, it would be throwing away the achievements of our loyal soldiers.

Surrender inherently means laying down weapons and becoming prisoners of the enemy, doesn’t it? How can one claim to surrender without disarming or becoming prisoners? Such a thing is impossible.

……….

“…Heh heh.”

How truly, truly cruel.

The Imperial people had been waiting for the bastard king’s proposal, knowing that retreating now would mean they could never regroup. Despite countless lives being lost.

And after that terrible wait, the bastard king’s surrender proposal was… something extremely difficult for me and all Imperial citizens to accept.

“Throw down all weapons and enter prison?!”

“Prison? How dare they put us in prison when we’ve committed no crime!!”

Disarming is natural enough. After all, it’s impossible to surrender without laying down weapons.

But… prison? The kind used for criminals?

“They’re just leaving the common soldiers out in the open while putting only nobles in prison? This is outrageous!”

The bastard king’s discriminatory treatment infuriated all the nobles present.

Due to their large numbers, Imperial soldiers would simply have their hands bound and be left outdoors, but the fewer nobles would all be thrown into prison.

Not private rooms called “prison” either. Large communal prisons made of bars, where criminals are collectively housed.

Of course, we protested to the bastard king’s envoy, but the only response was that there weren’t enough prisons to accommodate all the soldiers, so only important figures would be detained.

“What’s more problematic is that they haven’t stated the terms of surrender. Just as the bastard king imprisoned and purged Lotaring’s nobles in Dijon, they might do terrible things to us after restricting our movement. No, it’s not a possibility—it’s a certainty!”

Even more terrifying was that the bastard king hadn’t specified the terms of surrender.

When we requested a ceasefire to negotiate detailed surrender conditions, the only response was that fighting would continue until we surrendered, with only a guarantee of safety.

If we accept the bastard king’s unconditional surrender demand and become detained, it’s impossible to imagine what might befall the Empire afterward.

“We must not accept surrender. Let’s retreat significantly and plan for the future!”

“Exactly! No matter how powerful the Kingdom of Lotaring is, they cannot fight against the full might of the Empire! We must escape from here and return to Imperial territory first!”

‘…Vermin.’

How disgusting.

Both the bastard king and the Imperial nobles—all of them.

The bastard king doesn’t even hide his sinister intentions, flaunting them while refusing to state any demands, eliminating the Empire’s options. Meanwhile, these nobles just want to flee from here to avoid capture.

If they return to the Empire, these scoundrels will surely all hole up in their own territories.

Whether the bastard king invades the Empire or not, they’ll just shut themselves in their domains and cut off communication with the outside— Wait…?

‘…What am I thinking right now?’

What has become of me…?

Where has my sense of justice gone—the desire to avenge His late Majesty, my father?

Instead of cursing the bastard king who created this situation, I’m cursing these loyal subjects who once joined in seeking vengeance for His late Majesty, even though their future betrayal seems certain.

“Haha… hahahaha…”

“Your Majesty?”

…Very well.

However this battle ends, my authority is beyond recovery.

Then at least before the battle ends, while my authority is still intact, I should use this time meaningfully—it would be more beneficial for the Empire, for the Imperial people, and for myself.

“All of you, gather as many soldiers as you can and escape. I will gather as many troops as possible and draw the Lotaring army’s attention until you’ve safely escaped.”

“Your Majesty?!”

“It is enough for me alone to surrender to that vicious bastard king. Despite our defeat, as Emperor, it shouldn’t be difficult for me to hold the bastard king’s attention, should it?”

Even though he demanded disarmament of all Imperial forces and imprisonment of nobles as surrender conditions, no one would continue fighting if the Emperor himself came forward to surrender.

Even the unpredictable bastard king wouldn’t act so irrationally in this situation.

“But if Your Majesty is captured, the Empire will—”

“Enough. I shall abdicate from this moment, so when you return to the Empire, convene an Imperial election to select a new Emperor.”

Moreover, the bastard king won’t be able to properly leverage the advantage of capturing the Emperor.

Since a new Emperor will be elected, I’ll be merely a duke, and he can’t make demands of the Empire by holding a mere duke captive.

“I know what you’re all thinking. You plan to return to your territories and minimize the losses from this war.”

“…That’s not true, Your Majesty. We—”

“No, even though I’ve worn the imperial crown for only a few months, I can read your thoughts quite well. Consider this action of mine… yes, a final reward for those of you who burned with righteous indignation to avenge His late Majesty.”

…Strangely, I feel more relieved than melancholic about abdicating.

Indeed, I was never meant to be Emperor. I was just a youngster fortunate enough to be elected Emperor thanks to having an excellent father.

From the beginning of this war to its end, I’ve only made terrible choices.

But at least this final decision is surely the right one.