episode_0031

A great victory was achieved against Lekjit in the North. In the south, they captured a pirate outpost called Rhodes Island. Even in the east, 80,000 enemy soldiers suffered damage that was close to annihilation.

A situation where the empire achieved a near-perfect victory over an external enemy. But there was one problem. The empire was exhausted from continuous battles.

Just as people get tired if they keep fighting, so too does a country get tired if it keeps fighting. The current empire is exactly like that. It was good to win the war, but the manpower had been greatly reduced due to the successive wars.

“It’s good that the defense was successful, but it means you got injured.”

You need a break to recover from your injury. The good news was that the attackers were equally injured, so things were going to be quiet for a while.

It was originally planned to be like that…

[All troops listen! Albert von Arcadia, the first heir to the Empire, says that the Empire is currently under threat from four directions! To the north are barbarians worth dealing with, to the south are vicious pirates, to the west are bandits who mistake themselves for knights, and to the east are vicious rebels who have been arrogant and have not tired of threatening the empire for hundreds of years. I’m aiming! Surrounded by enemies on all sides, we are in an imminent situation where we do not know when or where we will be attacked by the enemy. I, Crown Prince Albert von Arcadia, plan to reduce the external enemies threatening the empire one by one and ultimately unify the continent as one. The soldiers of the empire will unite as one for peace. I hope you will participate in the war!]

The crown prince had issued such a statement.

So to speak, the Arcadia version of the entry list. The difference was that the crown prince was not Zhuge Liang, and the same thing was that the crown prince’s candidacy was sure to fail like Zhuge Liang’s Northern Expedition.

The question is, who will our Mr. Time Bomb take as his companion to the underworld?

“But isn’t it Edelfeld, the commander of the Southern Army?”

The reason I think so is simple. This is because in the original work, the crown prince chose the southern army. After winning with Edelpelt, the crown prince had the illusion that he and Edelpelt were in good hands and feet, so he attacked the Ares Islands with Edelpelt, but the battle broke out and the southern army was destroyed. Although that is the original story, there are other possibilities because it has already deviated significantly from the original story.

“It could be the central army, but I don’t think the emperor would give permission for this.”

The Central Army is the military force that protects the metropolitan area. It is located near the capital, and in times of emergency, it enters the capital and protects the imperial family. The moment the central army is emptied, the local armies can revolt, so no matter how incompetent the emperor is, he will never vacate the central army while leaving the local armies alone. I don’t know if the local forces are empty as well.

“I envy the commander of the Central Army… ”

The head of the central army commander will not be physically blown off.

“Or is it Vinet Franz?”

There is a possibility if it is Winet Franz, commander of the Eastern Army. This is because Binet Franz is a representative war hero. It is highly likely that the reason the Crown Prince was so thirsty for majors was because he admired Vinnet Franz. A young war hero. How envious must you be that you are so popular in social circles?

“The last possibility is… ”

I don’t even want to imagine it.

“I.”

The reason why we cannot ignore the possibility that it is me is very simple. That’s because I’m a character that doesn’t exist in the original work. He became commander of the local army at the age of only 24 and was a nobleman from the central nobility who was friendly to the imperial family. From the crown prince’s point of view, the most easy target is me. Compared to Vinnet Franz, his track record is lacking, and compared to other military commanders, his experience is lacking. From the imperial family’s perspective, he can be seen as the easiest person to control. but…

“I don’t want to imagine it.”

I would like to pray that it is not just that.

Half a year later. The long-awaited D-Day.

The crown prince’s choice and the imperial family’s announcement were beyond everyone’s imagination.

[Our army will gather forces from five different armies, conquer the Dorok Kingdom, and incorporate it into the empire!]

The crown prince chose as many as five armies as his companions on his way to the underworld.

I muttered softly.

“I’m really screwed.”

—–

An official letter came from the empire. The commander of each army was to lead all troops and gather in the east, leaving only the minimum number of defense forces.

In the east was the Kingdom of Dorok. The Kingdom of Dorok was originally part of the empire, but it was a persistent rebel group that has been steadily harassing the empire since it became independent from the empire, and the history of their rebellion spans over 400 years.

Therefore, all the rebel nations currently rebelling against the empire are trying to follow the example of the Dorok Kingdom army. This is because they survived for 400 years even after rebelling against the empire. however…

“If you turn that saying around, it means that if you defeat them, the momentum of the rebels will be broken.”

From the empire’s perspective, there was no need to say how much of a thorn in their eyes these 400 years would be. You could see how greatly the empire was shaken when they killed Reinhard von Effenstein, the general of the Kingdom of Dorok.

And what if we go beyond killing Reinhard von Effenstein and destroy the Kingdom of Dorok itself?

From the empire’s perspective, it was a step closer to world unification and at the same time, it was possible to issue this warning to the rebels. [No one can survive even if they rebel against the empire.]

That’s why the crown prince probably chose the Kingdom of Dorok. Because destroying the Kingdom of Dorok was the greatest feat for the empire. and…

“Your Excellency, we are being told to leave the bare minimum of defense forces in the North and go on an expedition to the East. What will you do? ”

Ensign Mario spoke up. I closed my mouth for a moment, sighed, and answered.

“This is an order from the center. It’s something you can’t help but follow.”

At least until you gain strength. The moment the center shows a gap, I will be free, but it is not the time yet.

“The good news is that we won against Rekjit. We collectively call the northern nomads Rekhjit, but the Rekhjit are not a single force. Hundreds of tribes come together and are called Lekjit. Moreover, there are two major forces within Rekjit. Kerdu and Perta people. Since we won recently and broke the momentum of the Kerdu people, the Perta people will have gained a comparative advantage over the Kerdu people, and the Perta people will keep the Kerdu people in check, so the northern border will be stable for the time being.”

It was Chloe who said that. And I nodded to Chloe’s words. Chloe was right. The Kerdu, or rather the Rekjit, cannot attack the North for the time being. Until their civil war stabilizes. then…

“You don’t have to worry about getting stabbed in the back.”

“Yes.”

There is no problem with the back of the head. But the problem was front, not back. Will we really be able to win against the Kingdom of Dorok? Will the expeditionary force, made up of five armies joining forces, be able to exterminate the rebels who have plagued the empire for 400 years? That’s the problem…

‘To be honest, it’s hard.’

The problem is twofold. One is that the commander is a stormtrooper, and the other is that the empire’s national power is not sufficient due to the continuous war of attrition. There was no way an expedition under these circumstances would go well. And there is no way that genius Binet Franz doesn’t know what I know. Wiene Franz also probably knows that he will lose this war.

‘Perhaps Vinnet Franz is trying to save his troops in this war, which he is sure to lose. Because we have to start a rebellion with the troops we saved. then… ‘

I also conserve my troops and prepare for Biene Franz’s rebellion. In other words, the goal in this war was ‘to prevent soldiers from dying as much as possible.’

I gathered Chloe, Ensign Mario, and Captain Lucas together and spoke.

“Everyone, I will now explain the policy.”

An operational briefing was held for a while.

—–

6 months later. The commanders of five regional armies gathered in one place. 15,000 troops were drawn from each area, and when all the troops were gathered, a large army of 75,000 was gathered. And among them, the eastern sector army had the highest quality army.

The situation in the eastern sector was completely different from that of the northern sector. The eastern part was wealthy due to its moderate temperature and abundant resources, and it had more heavy cavalry than the northern part. It was an organization centered on heavy cavalry and heavy infantry.

Above all, the abundance of weapons may be due to the fact that they melted down looted weapons after the last victory to make weapons. In short, the combination of abundant resources and Binet Franz’s individual abilities led to the prosperity of the Eastern Army.

It seems that I am not the only one who feels such admiration. Edelfeld, commander of the Southern Army, nicknamed the Pirate Hunter, was also looking around the Eastern Army with curiosity.

As the commanders of the other armies looked around the eastern armies’ barracks with curiosity, Vinnet Franz spoke.

“Why are the commanders looking so closely at the barracks in the eastern part of the country? Is there something wrong with our barracks?”

“Hmm, hmm. No, I was just checking to see if there was a problem. Wouldn’t it be okay if there were some inadequacies in the military that protects the imperial family?”

The commander of the Southern Army said so, but Vinnet Franz, who already knew the situation, asked mischievously.

“So, did you find the problem?”

“I’m still looking, so don’t worry about it and just get to work! Huh.”

When the other commanders showed signs of applause, Viné Franz laughed out loud and returned to his camp. The other commanders were indignant when they realized that they had been made fun of, but Vinefranz had already gone back.

And the crown prince appeared in front of the local military commanders, waving a red cloak symbolizing the imperial family. The crown prince spoke to the commanders.