Civil War – Pierre de Lafayette
near Lumière, the northern capital of the Francia Kingdom.
As I galloped on horseback against the winter wind along a road covered in a winter blizzard, my body naturally cringed.
The chill that penetrates through the armor penetrates beyond the leather padded inside and into the skin.
Even though they cannot fight in the middle of winter, most of the armies, both the 1st and 2nd prince factions, are stationed in the northern part of the country.
They have already fought too long and do not trust each other to withdraw and then regroup to continue the war.
Moreover, most lords believe that this wasteful action of stationing troops proves their loyalty to the prince they support.
Or do you believe that you can make up for your losses only by making a mark like this and increasing the sweet fruits you will receive after winning the civil war?
For that very reason, the people of the kingdom are struggling to feed the armies that are gathered from all over the kingdom and are facing off.
After running for a long time, we finally reached the military base, where flags with the emblem of Lafayette the Roaring Lion were fluttering.
The soldiers standing guard, despite the snowy cold, stood at an angle and recognized the emblem engraved on my armor, showed courtesy, and opened the way.
Strict discipline and disciplined movements shown by those who have been trained through numerous battles.
Just looking at their appearance, they did not appear to be an army exhausted and exhausted from a long civil war.
I must have already been there before, but once inside, I wandered around the camp awkwardly until the driver who served as a guide came to pick me up.
“Welcome, Marquis So. “His Excellency the Marquis is waiting.”
I know the face of the driver who came out to greet me, but I can’t remember his name.
I probably knew it, but I couldn’t quite remember.
It’s not strange.
Because I showed disgrace during the fight with Gaston during the knighthood and was practically confined to the territory.
But suddenly a different thought occurred to me.
After the Marquis died, I also led Lafayette’s army.
Nevertheless, I don’t know the name of this man who is a knight of the Lafayette family.
Because he died before I could lead Lafayette’s army.
“Then please guide me.”
Despite my thoughts, my mouth opened naturally.
And at that point I realized this was a dream.
This is a memory from when I was summoned by the Marquis and visited his garrison around this time before my return.
I followed the driver and was guided to a tent that was huge at first glance.
A luxurious and extravagant tent befitting the title of ‘Blue Knight’, who is said to be the strongest in the kingdom.
The driver who went into the tent after asking for my understanding to wait a moment came out with a somewhat ambiguous expression and bowed his head to me.
“His Excellency the Marquis is asking you to come inside, Marquis.”
I already know why the driver’s expression is like that.
I slowly stepped inside.
The bearskin and high-quality carpets that decorated the floor of the tent gave the illusion that this place was not just a tent set up for camping, but a luxurious villa of a nobleman.
When you go around the partition that prevents you from seeing the inside from the entrance, you will see all kinds of treasures given by the previous king to the ‘Blue Knight’ who defeated the armies of the emperor and the electors in the war against the Germanic Empire and earned countless military honors.
I felt that it was very marquis-like that he, rather than the marquis, carried these things with him wherever he went and placed them so that those who entered his tent could naturally see them.
As I stepped inside, past the marquis’ proud trophies, the interior of the tent came into view.
A wall with shiny dark blue armor, like the symbol of the ‘Blue Knight’, and famous swords and weapons that were given as a gift from a previous king or stolen as trophies.
And underneath, I saw a table so extravagant that it made me forget that this was accommodation in a field barracks.
Prepared wine and sumptuous meals including half-eaten whole roasted pork and chicken. Even in a mansion, you wouldn’t eat something like that for a normal meal.
I turned my head a little more and saw a luxurious bed that rivaled that of the mansion.
Her father, the Marquis Hubert de Lafayette, was sitting on the bed wearing only a robe.
And behind him, a woman covering her naked body with a blanket was looking at him with curious eyes.
I don’t know how many women she was to the Marquis, but she was my first time seeing her.
no. I am aware that this is a dream, so if it is a sphere, is it a sphere?
I stood a little away from the Marquis’ bed and bowed my head to him.
“Pierre de Lafayette, son of Lafayette, meets His Excellency the great ‘Blue Knight’ Hubert de Lafayette, Marquis de Lafayette.”
My voice coming out of my mouth was nervous and trembling slightly.
The Marquis’ mouth opened and a cold, low voice came out.
“Pierre.”
“Yes, Your Excellency the Marquis.”
“I heard you asked to reduce the military budget to be sent. Explain.”
The Marquis’ cold voice seemed to cut my heart with a knife when I was weak and lacking in confidence.
However, apart from the fear I feel in the dream, my consciousness, aware that it is a dream, is looking at this scene calmly.
“I apologize, Your Excellency the Marquis. The harvest of the Marquis, where many troops were mobilized, has decreased, and looting from other territories is frequent. “In a situation where the lives of the people are being devastated by the long civil war, it is difficult to procure all the military funds requested-”
While speaking, the Marquis bowed slightly.
And in the next moment, a flash came before my eyes.
I almost lost consciousness, but only when I managed to maintain my balance did I see the women’s shoes lying in front of me.
“Ah-”
I don’t know if the sound made by the woman who was half-lying on the Marquis’ bed and watching this scene was made because of her shoes or because of me.
Along with the pain, I feel the unpleasant sensation of blood flowing down my forehead.
“Pathetic guy. “Are you saying such a weak thing when your family’s fate is at stake in this civil war?”
Father, aren’t you living in a very luxurious way, even though the fate of your family is at stake?
The words that my consciousness coldly murmurs on behalf of the past me who cannot come to my senses properly do not reach the Marquis in my dreams.
“Collect additional war taxes from the territory and send them to us.”
“Haha, Your Excellency the Marquis. If we continue like that, there could be a rebellion by the citizens-”
“Shouldn’t we just suppress it? Why do you think I entrusted you, such a pathetic bastard, to act as my lord? “I believe that even you can suppress the rebellion of lowly peasants.”
There was not an ounce of passion or honor left in the eyes of the man who had taught my young self the duties of nobility before receiving the title of Marquess and ‘Blue Knight’ as a war hero.
What took its place was only arrogant pride and a desire to satisfy one’s own desire to show off.
When I couldn’t say anything, the Marquis spoke again.
“If you really hate that and are so worried about lowly things, lead an army and plunder other territories. “Shouldn’t you also do the same as they did and send military funds?”
In the end, according to the marquis’ orders, I had to plunder neighboring fiefdoms to raise military funds.
I averted my eyes from the grief and screams of others, telling myself that this was better than squeezing out my people.
The blood that had flowed down my forehead and accumulated on my chin dripped down with a dripping sound, staining the carpet on the floor.
The Marquis, seeing that, clicked his tongue and said.
“Tsk, if you stop, you will understand, so you can leave. “I hope you don’t disappoint me any further.”
“…I apologize, Your Excellency the Marquis. “I’ll just leave now.”
The Marquis belatedly shouted from behind me as I staggered back.
“I made my own way with just a sword and achieved the title of marquis. “If you are my son, come to your senses.”
I didn’t know if it was because of belated regret and concern for his bleeding son, or if he was just trying to excuse himself by saying he wasn’t such a bad person.
The strongest knight in a great kingdom who rose from a single knight to the rank of marquis.
That is the success story paved by the Marquis himself.
However, the story of the count who gave his only daughter, whom he loved dearly, to a subordinate who showed amazing bravery as a mere knight, has been almost forgotten.
The story of my mother who died lonely and cold because her son was a failure, even though she gave everything she had for the family to help him become a war hero and a marquis.
From beyond the tent’s partition, I heard the voice of a whining woman and the Marquis gently soothing her.
As I came out of the extravagant tent, so full of warmth that I couldn’t even tell it was midwinter, the cold midwinter chill seemed to prick the wound on my forehead.
I woke up from my dream feeling that cold sensation.
–
I quietly raised my hand and touched my forehead.
Around this time before regression.
Because he was suffering from plunder, he was unable to send all the military funds that the marquis requested, so he sent a letter requesting that he be reduced, but he was summoned to the marquis, and there were no injuries.
Only the cold wind blowing through the slightly open window of the office was like that winter.
“This is the report you requested, Marquis So.”
I received and read the report given by Baron Dumont.
The small village that was attacked by the soldiers of the County of Mirbeau suffered quite a few casualties, but it seems to have managed to regain stability under the management of the new village chief, John Miller.
The report even said that the residents were praising me, saying they would be able to survive the winter thanks to the food and supplies I sent, which made me laugh out loud.
“Thank you for your hard work, Baron Dumont. “They praise me, but it’s all because the Baron and his officials handled my request appropriately.”
Baron Dumont opened his eyes wide, and soon tears filled his wide-open eyes.
“Thank you. Thank you. “Seeing how Marquis So has grown up so beautifully, I won’t be embarrassed to finally meet Lady Yuria.”
The man with a protruding belly shed tears, and before I knew it, he said my mother’s name and looked at me with red eyes.
It was so funny and absurd that I laughed too.
“The Baron has been taking care of his mother’s family even before the Marquis de Lafayette was created. “I am also grateful.”
The Baron couldn’t even get his night’s pay and started crying again, so I comforted him by handing him a handkerchief before I was able to send him out.
Even after he left, I stayed in the office to check and handle the affairs of the estate.
The territory, which had suffered from plunder before the return, was quiet and the fall harvest was quite good.
At least this year, we will be able to have a decent winter.
The conflict between the Count of Mirbeau and the Marquis of Lafayette is already unknown to those in nearby territories, and no lord dares to mess with the Marquis of Lafayette.
Since he was having a hard time sending military funds to the marquis, he was worried about whether he should collect additional taxes from his fiefdom, but couldn’t do that, so he naturally stopped going to other fiefdoms to plunder.
I wonder how poor Mirbeau’s second son is doing right now.
Separately, Christine, who had become Countess of Aquitaine, entered into a secret alliance with me and paid me very generously for helping her take over the Countess.
Thanks to this, I was able to not only provide the sufficient military supplies the Marquis requested, but was also able to afford to properly prepare for the future.
During the time gained in that way, with the help of Baron Dumont, he was able to reorganize the administration of the Marquis, which was run in a haphazard manner, and get rid of the corrupt officials who were enriching him.
After roughly completing the paperwork, I went to the window and looked at the training center in the distance.
At the training ground, soldiers were seen practicing shooting fire with matchlock rifles.
Until the revolution, gunpowder weapons were undervalued. At most, cannons are used in siege warfare.
The penetrating power of a matchlock gun is strong, but the gun and ammunition are expensive, and a charging knight can protect himself from bullets by surrounding himself with magic.
Since it was a direct-fire weapon, there was almost nothing better than the bow on the battlefield of the Kingdom of Francia, where knights were the main force and close combat took place from time to time.
In addition, due to the problem of accuracy of matchlock guns, it is better to use shooters in close formation, but this makes them very vulnerable to wizards.
Even clumsy wizards can at least neutralize gunpowder by pouring water on the heads of a group of gunners.
Therefore, the matchlock was, at best, a weapon for city citizens or lower-ranking nobles who could not be knights or magicians.
However, during the long civil war, the number of knights that the kingdom boasted gradually decreased and will continue to decrease. On the other hand, the industrial revolution triggered by the Abyss Corporation will produce a large quantity of weapons that have never been released before.
The knights of the Kingdom of Francia who use magical powers are clearly warriors with a hundred pieces per man when dealing with ordinary soldiers. However, in other words, their level is limited without becoming at least a ‘blue knight’.
Even if a knight who jumps into hand-to-hand combat protects himself with magical power, at most he will only be able to do so from the front.
It is impossible to block bullets that may come from blind spots, and knights and soldiers are equal in the face of an overwhelming mass like a cannonball.
As a result, the main role in the battlefield shifted from the knights to the military, and from the point when armies clashed with armies, gunpowder weapons began to demonstrate terrifying power.
And since I already know that, I am preparing to actively utilize them.
The greatest strength of the matchlock is that it can turn newly recruited recruits into soldiers who can shoot and kill even experienced warriors with a little training.
I turned my eyes away from the soldiers who were hard at work training and opened the Marquis’ letter on the desk.
The Marquis, who was stationed on the northern front and enjoying a luxurious life, seemed quite satisfied with the military supplies he had secured and sent some of the compensation he had received from Christine.
Moreover, thanks to the fact that I destroyed the Count Mirbeau family of the 2nd Prince faction, the 1st Prince faction also praises me, saying that I am the bloodline of the ‘Blue Knight’.
Even though they were the ones who laughed at me, saying it was the shame of a noble being defeated by a commoner.
I skimmed through the Marquis’ letter of satisfaction and threw it into the fireplace.
As I looked at the slowly burning and distorted letter, I pulled out my dagger and threw it straight at the door, as I had practiced thousands of times.
The dagger hit exactly between the eyes of the target doll set up next to the door.
An action that deceives the enemy, catches him off guard, and discourages him.
A tactic of digging traps and annihilating the enemy through ambush.
Archery is avoided by knights, saying it is inefficient when used with magical energy and is a weapon only used by cowards.
Even the skill of throwing a dagger that would be useful as an assassin.
These are things that completely go against the chivalry of the Kingdom of Francia, which considers it an honor and a virtue to charge into the enemy’s camp fairly and bravely and exalt one’s name through dance.
Everything built up out of antipathy towards the Marquis, the ‘Blue Knight’, who represents the knights themselves of the Kingdom of Francia.
All of that is me.
What constitutes Pierre de Lafayette.
I failed once.
Although I denied the hypocrisy of the knights and the vices of the kingdom and struggled to be different from them, in the eyes of the commoners, I was just a blue-blooded nobleman, no different from them.
Spring is coming.
With the advent of the plague, a spark awaits that will suddenly escalate the civil war that has been sluggish for several years and burn the kingdom to the ground.
This is the beginning.
?
