Chapter 98

Today is a two-part update.

1/2

Ten days after the resolution, the combined forces of the Rosais Army and the Equus Clan, led by Baltoro, arrived at King Domorgal's country.

The Braus territory lies on the border between King Rosais' country and King Domorgal's country.

Although, the territory has been significantly reduced... still, it is very vast.

Baltoro immediately asked Rethis upon arrival.

"How is the battle situation?"

"There is little change from what I reported yesterday. Our forces number eight thousand. The enemy's forces are about twenty-two thousand. Our strongest force is led by General Tonino, numbering six thousand. The enemy's strongest force is led by Prince Aldo, numbering fifteen thousand. The rest are scattered in small numbers across various locations."

"I see..."

General Tonino is facing off against Prince Aldo's fifteen thousand with six thousand.

The problem is...

"How long do you think General Tonino can hold out?"

"General Tonino is using the terrain to his advantage, employing guerrilla and scorched earth tactics while gradually retreating. I think a week is the limit."

The tactics Tonino is using are similar to what is known as guerrilla warfare.

He hides small groups of soldiers in forests and behind rocks, launching sporadic attacks. He burns villages along the enemy's advance route and poisons or contaminates wells.

Prince Aldo, who is inexperienced in war, is struggling considerably.

"Then let's head to General Tonino's aid right away."

"Wh-What!? But there's the territory of an Aldo supporter to the east! Is it alright? Shouldn't we first eliminate the threat from behind?"

"No problem."

Baltoro interrupted Rethis and explained with a smile.

"They used to be on the Pax side. Depending on the battle situation, they will switch to our side."

"Is that... so?"

"Yes. For now, direct the forces the Braus family has to the east. While you are holding them off, we will rescue General Tonino. ...We can't say we are well-coordinated, after all."

Baltoro indirectly told Rethis to stay out of the way because he was a hindrance.

Rethis showed a complicated expression.

It was good that his forces were not reduced, but it was also unsatisfactory that he could not achieve any military glory.

However, without the aid of the Rosais Army, the Carlo faction's defeat was inevitable.

"Understood. ...Please take my brother Rene with you. He has memorized the geography."

Rene Braus was under house arrest in a remote area for the sin of allowing the city to be taken without a fight.

But since King Domorgal, who ordered his house arrest, had died, he returned. In fact, it was not a time to quietly remain under house arrest.

"Thank you. I am unfamiliar with the geography of this country, so it will be a great help."

Baltoro expressed his gratitude.

Gaining the advantage of the terrain is very important in war.

It greatly affects the speed of the advance.

"As they say, good things should be done quickly. I will leave immediately."

Baltoro left the scene promptly.

With eight thousand eight hundred soldiers...

"Tonino!! Rejoice. Reinforcements are coming. Eight thousand eight hundred soldiers. They will arrive by tomorrow morning!!"

"…Well, if you call it good news, it is. Sigh… Our country is a vassal state of the Rosais Kingdom…"

Tonino's shoulders drooped.

Carlo patted his shoulder.

"Well, well, it's better than dying, right?"

"You should be more depressed."

The Tonino and Carlo forces were stationed about ten kilometers from the border with the Heavenly Territory.

The two directly commanded about three thousand soldiers.

The remaining three thousand were scattered across various locations, repeatedly launching sporadic attacks.

While dispersing forces is not a highly praised strategy... from the perspective of the enemy's fifteen thousand, six thousand or three thousand doesn't make much of a difference.

There are times when dispersing forces is better.

"Prince Aldo must be quite angry. He has a short temper."

"Haha, it's easy to imagine. He's probably taking it out on his retainers, right?"

The two laughed happily.

The fact that reinforcements were coming lightened their hearts.

"Report from the third unit!! We successfully ambushed and inflicted damage on the enemy's supply unit!! We destroyed three wagons!! Our losses are seventy, minor!!"

"Good work. And report to all units. Reinforcements are coming. Therefore, the long siege is over. Join up with us."

The messenger, having received Tonino's message, mounted his horse again and rode off.

Tonino watched his back until he was out of sight.

"Ah!! This is ridiculous!! What is this!!"

"First, I can't answer unless you tell me what you're angry about. And it hurts."

After calming down by hitting Alice's face for a while, Aldo moved away from Alice's body.

He sat in a chair and shouted with his eyes wide open.

"Those bastards!! They keep attacking!! Targeting only the supply units!!"

"Then shouldn't you advance while protecting the supply units?"

Alice doesn't understand military tactics. In fact, she can't even read.

But if the supply units are being targeted, shouldn't you advance while protecting them?

"If we do that, our already slow advance will become even slower!! Understand? The faster the soldiers, the better."

"Ah... I see. It's a good lesson."

Alice nodded in agreement.

She has no idea if what Aldo is saying is right or wrong.

"Absolutely despicable..."

"..."

You say that?

Alice held back the words that almost slipped out with both hands.

If she said it, it wouldn't just end with a beating.

Well, since Alice is the one who carried out the attacks, she is in no position to criticize others.

"Prince Aldo!! It seems the Rosais Kingdom has raised troops!! They will join the enemy forces by tomorrow morning!!"

"What!! That bastard... What is he thinking, bringing in troops from another country in a civil war!! Ah!! It's because you're advancing so slowly!!"

"S-Sorry!!"

The messenger, who is innocent, is scolded.

Of course, the messenger's job is to deliver information to Aldo, not to command the troops.

The slow advance is due to Aldo's poor command.

Ninety percent of the blame lies with Aldo, and ten percent with the nobles who cannot defy him at all.

"It's not good. They will join the enemy, right? It's troublesome, but if you can break through, it's your victory. This stalemate will change dramatically."

To help the poor messenger, Alice offers a lifeline.

The theory is that a crisis is an opportunity.

"I wanted to decide the battle before they joined!!"

Aldo's kick flies at Alice.

Alice takes it head-on.

She takes a fall to minimize the damage without Aldo noticing.

If she takes a fall too obviously, Aldo will get angry.

She pretends to take it head-on, but the actual damage is not that severe...

One of Alice's special skills.

"Hey!"

"Y-Yes!!"

The messenger trembles.

While stepping on Alice's face, Aldo asks the messenger.

"How many Rosais troops are there?"

"About nine thousand to seven thousand, it seems."

"About the same as our forces..."

Currently, the number of troops led by the enemy general Tonino is about six thousand.

If the Rosais forces join, their strength will be almost the same as ours.

If the numbers are the same, the battle will come down to the strength of the soldiers and the skill of the commanders.

"Alright, we'll win."

"..."

Isn't that the opposite?

Alice quickly covers her mouth with both hands to stop the truth from slipping out.

She would surely be killed.

"Lord Baltoro!! Thank you for coming!!"

"Of course, in the crisis of our friend, King Domorgal. Let's defeat the enemy together!"

Baltoro greets King Domorgal.

Carlo also welcomes Baltoro with respect. If Baltoro were to sulk and leave, Carlo's head would be on the line.

Baltoro faces Tonino, who is standing to Carlo's right.

"It's been a while. General Tonino. It's been a year, hasn't it?"

"Yes... It's been a while. ...I never thought it would come to this when we first met..."

Tonino smiles wryly and shakes Baltoro's hand firmly.

They exchange a warm handshake.

"Let's get straight to the war council. Where is the enemy now?"

"About three hours from here. Their numbers are about fifteen thousand, almost the same as ours."

"Almost the same... then it's a decisive battle in the field."

Baltoro and Tonino grin.

Both are renowned for their military prowess. It was unthinkable that they would lose a battle of equal numbers against a fifteen-year-old.

Therefore, the discussion shifts from how to win to how to minimize casualties while winning.

"Prince Aldo must be quite irritated by my harassment. Given his character, he will definitely challenge us to a field battle."

"That's good. It's a hassle to lure a snail out of its shell."

If it were a coward like Carlo, he would have retreated into his fort and not come out.

In that case, there would be no way to deal with it.

The rule of three times the attack. Being in a shell is advantageous.

"Let's make King Carlo the (nominal) supreme commander... but how about the command structure? Should we unify it on your side?"

"I will follow Lord Baltoro. Your side has more troops."

The conversation progresses smoothly.

It is only natural that the Rosais Army, which is helping, has the advantage.

The war council is led by Baltoro.

Carlo is left out. He seems lonely, playing with pebbles with his feet.

"This is an unusual formation. Can you use it?"

"We haven't tried it with ten thousand. In fact, this is the first time our country is fighting a battle with ten thousand... but we have tested it on a smaller scale. Please cooperate."

Before they know it, the formal language has disappeared between them. They proceed with the war council happily.

Carlo is left out (omitted).

"The problem is the four hundred cavalry Prince Aldo has. He will probably place them on both flanks... you're planning to put six hundred cavalry (※four hundred from the Equus Clan, two hundred from Carlo's army) on the left, right? How will you defend the right flank?"

"Go to the right flank and command it directly. Concentrate the Domorgal soldiers there. Our armies have slightly different command structures, so it's better to keep them separate rather than mix them. All the light infantry with explosive guns will be assigned to your side."

The explosive gun is the best anti-cavalry weapon.

Even if it doesn't hit, the explosion will startle the horses.

The strength of cavalry lies in their charge with a running start.

The explosive gun can stop that charge once. Cavalry that has stopped moving is no match.

...There is also the issue that the explosive gun affects our own cavalry, so it can only be used on the right flank where no cavalry is deployed.

"Just give me the explosive guns, and I'll be fine."

"No, they are difficult to use. We will send specialized troops, so don't worry."

If they were stolen and copied, it would be a big problem.

Most importantly, it is almost impossible to decipher the magical formula of the ignition device, the Tetra, let alone the production of black powder.

"Let's win the battle tomorrow."

"Sure. After it's over, let's celebrate with drinks."

Baltoro and Tonino shook hands warmly and embraced.

Carlo (omitted).