episode_0258

End of war (1)

While Juno was having a good time with his women, Tesseito’s army, who had taken the County of Akel, the most important location in the Zenon Plain, was forced to fight a cruel retreat to return to their home country.

“The 5th and 7th Corps must chase the enemies until the end!! Make those bastards feel in their bones what the price is for daring to target this Balkan country!!”

As soon as commander-in-chief Mayer’s instructions were given, the 5th and 7th corps of the Balkan Empire caught up with them at breakneck speed, taking away the County of Akel and making them unable to rest properly as they turned to the west in vain.

“Hahahaha 5th Corps!! It’s time to show off your talents!! It’s time to prove that our 5th Legion is the fastest corps in the Empire!!”

“The 7th Corps assists the pursuit of the 5th Corps and prevents the enemy from escaping elsewhere! We must limit the enemy’s retreat route and force them into one place!”

Arnim and Claudia usually bickered, but they commanded the corps in perfect harmony, and as soon as the Tesseito army escaped from the County of Akel, a fiercely strong siege began to surround the Tesseito army.

Despite being pursued by light infantry, who would have easily chased them off, the Teseito cavalry was unable to suppress or shake them off.

Due to the hay burned by Ajin’s actions, the horses, unable to eat properly and exhausted, became increasingly slower, and in the end, the cavalrymen had to carry on the battle of the hippopotamus with the unfamiliar equipment of infantrymen.

“Damn it! Dirty Vulcan bastards!! They took advantage of our inability to fight properly to make a surprise attack!!”

“What are you saying? That’s the basics of tactics!!”

◦ at

“Heng~ So, where did you get harpooned by our imperial army on the Enakan Plain last time? Ah, that’s right! I heard your commander-in-chief became a eunuch, right? Well, it’s not like I can’t fight properly then.

It was a fight under unfamiliar horses, and the light infantry of the 5th Imperial Corps, whose morale was high due to the victory, engaged in a one-sided battle, almost slaughtering the Tesseito cavalry whose morale was at its lowest.

Although a small group of special forces led by Count Mula fought desperately at the rear, their stamina was completely depleted and they could barely hold off the Knights of the Guard led by Viscount Amin.

Moreover, it was not only legionnaires who were targeting them.

Two years was still not enough time to completely solidify the occupied territory, so as news of Tesseito’s defeat spread, guerrillas began to swarm everywhere and the thin supply routes began to be attacked.

“Of course, with our village’s strength, we can’t compete against the enemy head-on, but if we can get enough supplies, our village will be able to do it!!”

“Prevent supplies from reaching the Teseito army, even if it means setting fire to the village warehouse!! You have to somehow prove that you have achieved merit!!”

As Tesseito’s rule prolonged, the villages that had cooperated with them to survive little by little became afraid of possible retaliation from the Balkan Empire when Zeno’s hegemony was about to be reversed again.

Therefore, to avoid retaliation, their choice was to attack Tesseito.

Large villages actively engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Teseito army, even hiring mercenaries, while villages with low military power even set fire to their food to block the flow of supplies to the Teseito army.

In this way, Tesseito’s army, suffering from the double hardship of chasing troops and starvation, hastened its journey toward the home country, and in the meantime, the number of their troops was gradually decreasing.

However, even in such a hopeless situation, there was one hope for them, and that was that Tiruen’s body had fully recovered.

“Summon all commanders and staff with a rank of 1,000 or higher to the command barracks”

As soon as he got up from his seat, he was briefed on the current situation by his staff, thought about it for a while, and then summoned the commanders.

When the summons was issued by Tiruen, who appeared for the first time since the last time the County of Akel was occupied, the Teseito commanders rushed to the command barracks.

“Listen carefully! Tonight! We will escape from here and return to our home country!!”

Hope bloomed on the faces of everyone gathered in the barracks at the sight of Tiruen confidently talking about escaping even in a desperate situation where the enemies had occupied Yoyoyo and surrounded them.

“But for that to happen, sacrifice is inevitable… And I hope that two of the Thousand Seals gathered here… will volunteer to lead the crew and charge the enemy with me. Are there any applicants? In my name, I will promise enormous compensation to the families of those who volunteer for this attack!!”

At Tiruen’s question, the barracks was filled with silence.

“I will be at the forefront of this attack!! Is there really no one who would sacrifice their life for their country? Is there not a single brave person here who would sacrifice himself for his comrades who are in danger along with Tiruen!!”

Tiruen bit his lip as he saw the commanders’ morale being completely low and remaining silent despite his speech.

‘As expected… Is there no one… In that case, we have no choice but to do it by lottery…’

He could have appointed them directly with the authority of the commander-in-chief, but since Tiruen wanted to recruit volunteers for this attack, which was almost certain to result in death, he looked at his men with sad eyes and lowered his head.

And at that time… a soldier’s voice was heard from the very back.

“Well… if it’s okay with me, I’d like to support this attack!!”

Tiruen’s head lifted up at the sound of that voice, and he passed through the thousand seals gathered in front of him and moved forward.

“You. What is your name and position?”

There was a young soldier with a stocky build and tan skin, so Tiruen grabbed his shoulder and asked him a question.

“My name is Setsawa Panteca! He was currently serving as a centurion in the Shaka Infantry, but as a warrior of the Thousand Seals, he is serving as the Deputy Commander of the Thousand Seals!!”

“Good! Setswa! As of now, I will appoint you as the official Heavenly Seal!! But… he looks quite young… how old is he? It’s okay to be honest!!”

Although he was quite built, he was a bit short and his face looked very young, so Tiruen asked Setsawa’s age.

“… Um… I’m currently 15 years old… I lost my parents when I was 12 and joined the military to make a living… ”

When Setsawa’s age was revealed, the Ten Seals gathered at the command barracks seemed to be greatly shocked.

And Tiruen did not miss the opportunity to stimulate his subordinates.

“You guys, look!! Even this young man volunteered for this attack to save his comrades!! Don’t you feel anything when you see this? Do you want to pass on this heavy responsibility to such a young child and save your life? ”

“No!! We were short-thinking!! Our Thousand People’s University will stand at the forefront!!”

“I will apply too!!! Even if you don’t elect me, I will stand at the forefront even if it’s just as a soldier!!”

A fifteen-year-old child volunteered for an attack that risked his life, but the shame of hesitating because they feared for their lives stimulated the Heavenly Seals.

When all the Heavenly Seals showed up to volunteer, Tiruen selected the two oldest Heavenly Seals and appointed them as a suicide assault force, promising great compensation to their families and generous pensions to the surviving families of his subordinates. .

“Your Excellency Commander-in-Chief! I was the first to apply. Anyway, I don’t have a family to support, so my life isn’t a waste of money!! So me too…”

chin!

Tiruen grabbed Setsawa’s shoulder as he protested against him and led him inside his barracks.

After writing a letter, she put her own seal on it and handed it to him.

“Sets and Panteca. Your support awakened the spirit of our troops. And you are still young. In the future, we must lead Tesseito so that children like you do not die in vain like this!!”

“But Your Excellency too!!”

“No, I will never die!! I also want to burn my life and take revenge on that wicked Balkan emperor… but I can’t die like this!! So you too must survive here and help me!! Do you understand?”

Setswa unconsciously nodded at Tiruen’s passionate voice.

“If you understand, after returning to your country, come to the capital and visit my mansion! If you bring the letter I gave you, the mansion guards will not chase you out. Do you understand?”

“Yes.. Yes! dismissal!! I will follow your orders!!”

Tiruen smiled as he watched Setswa retreat after putting his letter in his arms and bowing before putting his arms back on.

‘The healing ring seems to have exhausted its effectiveness… but the space movement necklace is still intact… So, after sacrificing 2,000 troops to break through the enemy’s siege and escape the main army, I can return through space movement. !! Emperor Yuno… I admit defeat in Zeno this time, but… I will definitely get revenge on you!! Revenge of our sacrificed soldiers!! And… Revenge of my lost masculinity!!!’

Other functions recovered completely, but despite continued focus on healing his internal injuries, he permanently lost feeling in his lower abdomen.

Due to this shameful injury, which he could not even tell others about, Tiruen burned his hatred for Yuno and prepared to carry out his plan step by step.

*Illustration of Sets and Panteca