Chapter 61

Thus, the mission to arrest Duke Ritrayu moved into the execution phase.

Emperor Pelden III sent a false secret letter to Duke Ritrayu.

"Although Duke Mildor is a traitor's brother, he has been treating me with contempt. I cannot tolerate his tyranny any longer. I intend to conquer East Mildor with Duke Mediren. After that, I plan to reclaim the Mildor territory from the Duchy of Bruges and place it under direct imperial control. I will overlook your collusion with Bruges, so gather at my side."

It was a complete deception.

However, if the arrest of Duke Ritrayu failed, it would immediately lead to civil war. Duke Ritrayu was not the type to accept punishment willingly.

The imperial army would mobilize all its forces, tear through the Ritrayu territory with the blood of the Schweider soldiers, and destroy the Ritrayu family.

Of course, the Kingdom of Agan and the Duchy of Bruges would be overjoyed. If the imperial army weakened due to civil war, the neighboring territories would be a free-for-all.

It would be troublesome for the citizens and lords, and dangerous for us soldiers, with no good outcomes.

Thinking about this, I already felt gloomy.

Above all, I wanted to avoid civil war, so there was no room for honor or decency. Future historians might say various things, but we would go with the deception.

Around this time, Rikoshe, Duke Ritrayu's double, was working on subversion in the Zihitberg territory. Duke Ritrayu had fallen for the false information spread by Duke Zihitberg and was trying to recruit non-existent defectors.

Duke Ritrayu couldn't say, "I can't go because I'm in the middle of turning other families' vassals in the Zihitberg territory." Officially, she was supposed to be in her own territory, and she actually was.

However, when conflicts arose within the empire, she would not stand idly by.

For Duke Ritrayu Minsiana, conflict was a golden vein. She would joyfully ride into the capital.

Probably.

A meeting was held with the officers and NCOs of the 6th Special Operations Brigade, and I, as a staff officer, explained the future operational plan. Essentially, it was the usual team.

"Duke Ritrayu is in her territory, but she has a double. Her name is Rikoshe. It is estimated that Rikoshe is conducting secret operations in the Zihitberg territory."

Lieutenant Roz and Sergeant Hanna listened intently to my explanation.

For Roz and the others, the existence of Duke Ritrayu's double was new information.

We had kept it a secret until now, but we had to disclose some classified information to them to carry out the operation. However, we would inform the general soldiers only right before the operation began.

"She knows many of Duke Ritrayu's secrets and can command the army as the real Duke. Therefore, capturing Rikoshe is a must-achieve objective of the operation."

We would keep the fact that Rikoshe was our collaborator a secret until the operation began. If there were any enemy spies here, Rikoshe could be put in danger.

I pointed to the map.

"If Duke Ritrayu were to appear in the capital now, from the perspective of the Zihitberg family's vassals who are being subverted, it would seem like 'there are two Dukes Ritrayu.' The existence of the double might be exposed, and it would also negatively impact the subversion."

"Ah... I see."

Hanna nodded. She was particularly bad at deceiving others and had trouble organizing perspectives. Maybe I should let her play some Werewolf games to train.

"From any perspective, Duke Ritrayu must appear to be only one person. Therefore, Duke Ritrayu will interrupt the subversion and recall Rikoshe."

I pointed to two pins on the map, indicating the estimated locations of Duke Ritrayu and Rikoshe.

"However, there will be a time difference until the messenger arrives, so there won't be enough time to recall Rikoshe to the territory. They are expected to meet somewhere along the way. By overlapping the positions of the real and the double, Duke Ritrayu will become one person again."

Lieutenant Roz looked skeptical.

"Couldn't the double just remove the disguise somewhere along the way after departure and return to the territory incognito?"

"Good point."

This guy didn't receive his officer training for nothing.

I explained further.

"Duke Ritrayu doesn't trust her double. If she returns to the territory in her absence, there's a risk that the double might raise the banner of rebellion. Based on her past actions, it's most likely that she will recall the double to her side."

After all, the information came directly from the double, so it was highly reliable, though still a secret.

"Wow, she doesn't even trust her own double..."

Roz was taken aback and chuckled.

I chuckled along with him.

"Duke Ritrayu is highly suspicious and overly determined not to be deceived, to the point where she can't trust anyone. She has enemies both inside and outside."

Colonel Altsar muttered.

"A king is a lonely figure. But even so, one must trust and delegate to govern a territory. Otherwise, the king would have to plow all the fields himself."

The surefire way to avoid being deceived is to trust no one, but that makes it impossible to rule as a king.

I thought about Duke Ritrayu's situation and sighed.

"She expanded her power by creating and defeating enemies, but she has made too many enemies. Her strong suspicion has protected her from enemies but has been a disadvantage in securing the talent needed to maintain her power."

Unable to trust anyone, she couldn't effectively use excellent talent or loyal vassals.

In contrast, Colonel Altsar, who trusted us and delegated everything, steadily expanded his power.

"Rikoshe's movements will be reported by the Zihitberg family's vassals who are being subverted. As long as she is within the territory, her location can be fully tracked."

Roz looked doubtful.

"Those being subverted? Can they be trusted?"

"Duke Ritrayu was deceived by the rumors spread by Duke Zihitberg. The vassals being subverted are all staunch loyalists, apparently."

I smiled and explained, and Roz also chuckled.

"Despite her strong suspicion, she's still being deceived."

"People believe what they want to believe, especially when they are cornered."

No matter how careful one is, humans can be easily deceived. A Werewolf game would show that.

Hanna said with a slightly pitiful expression.

"Her Highness Duke Ritrayu has so many enemies..."

"Yes, but pitying her is dangerous, Sergeant Hayden."

I placed a new pin on the map.

"Duke Ritrayu effectively commands the 5th Division, the largest and most reinforced military force in the empire. It has the strength to stand alone against the Kingdom of Agan, which shares a border."

The Ritrayu family has been provided with a large number of muskets and ammunition by the imperial court, turning the peasants into semi-farmer infantry to prepare for war.

"The infantry battalions are equipped with artillery squadrons for support and cover the entire border line in a coordinated manner. The estimated strength is about 60,000. Even Agan can't touch it."

"That's a lot more than the other divisions..."

Hanna said seriously, and I nodded in agreement.

"Even if we mobilize the entire imperial guard division, we might not be able to crush them, and doing so would deal a devastating blow to the empire's military power. The Agan army would invade. Therefore, the conflict between imperial forces must be minimized."

It's easy to say, but planning the execution is my job, and it's challenging.

"I have several plans to avoid civil war, and the 6th Special Operations Brigade will be responsible for executing them. If we fail, we will surely be hated by the other divisions, so approach this with a sense of tension."

"Yes, sir!"

Hanna saluted sharply. She's reliable.

I put on a competent staff officer's face and turned to Colonel Altsar.

"Is this explanation satisfactory, Colonel?"

"Yes, it's sufficient."

Colonel Altsar stood up. He looked smaller standing, so maybe sitting would be better, but he stood up anyway.

"Gentlemen, this is a historic operation that will determine the fate of the empire. ...Well, we don't really care what happens to the empire, but it's our beloved homeland that guarantees our livelihood. Let's work for our pay."

Everyone saluted as Colonel Altsar chuckled.

After the meeting, Roz and the others left to fulfill their roles, but I remained by the colonel's side, maintaining a staff officer's demeanor. Yes, I am actually a staff officer.

When we were alone, the colonel looked up at me intently.

"If this operation fails, the empire will fall."

"Even if it succeeds, it will fall, so there's no need to be overly anxious."

I said this, and the colonel smiled without surprise.

"The Mildor territory is already in shambles. The Zihitberg territory is threatened by Kionis' retaliation and is trying to survive between the Reincarnation and Rest factions. The Ritrayu territory will face significant challenges in the future. Most of the imperial territories have problems, and I don't think the emperor has the strength to overcome this crisis. It won't last long."

"Your insight is keen."

I responded with a theatrical tone, and the colonel slapped the desk.

"What a dilemma. Can't you do something, Major? At least save my family."

"I'm at a loss if you ask me that."

I feel like I'm being treated as a handyman, but I'm not a genie or a politician.

I sighed.

"If the preparations for the matter I asked you about earlier are in place, we might be able to save this brigade and the Mediren family."

"Don't worry about that; it's already prepared."

If that's the case, maybe we can manage.

"Still, you come up with some interesting ideas, sir."

"I learned from history."

"Can you come up with ideas just by studying history?"

"You can't have ideas without studying."

I know the history of two worlds, so my ability to predict the future is slightly higher than that of ordinary people. Moreover, I know about modernization and world wars, which will eventually come to this world.

If the fall of the empire is inevitable, we need to think about how to survive the chaos that follows. History provides hints for that.

"The fall of the empire cannot be avoided, but let's try to make it as peaceful and bloodless as possible."

"A peaceful fall, huh. You're always interesting, sir."

The colonel laughed and looked up.

"Even the fall would be fine with you, sir."

The colonel, with her long black hair spread on the desk, smiled seductively, sending a shiver down my spine.