Episode 105 Revolutionary War – Changes to
Nancy, a city in eastern Lorraine in Francia.
The morale of the imperial army, which had been devastated by the successive destruction of supply lines and crushing defeats, did not improve even with the arrival of reinforcements.
Rather, the momentum of the reinforcements was ruined even before they could fight due to the influence of the existing army.
Archduke Leopold, who was studying the reports from his residence, opened his mouth when he heard a knock.
“Please come in.”
The officer who came in immediately saluted the Archduke and said:
“This is an order from His Majesty the Archduke’s home country!”
The Archduke immediately accepted the order handed to him by the officer.
The hand he held trembled slightly, and the Archduke took a deep breath, then broke the seal and opened the order.
The contents of the order began as a formality praising the hard work of the archduke and soldiers who were suffering at the front, but the content contained therein was by no means light.
The Archduke, who was reading the order with trembling eyes, took a deep breath when he read the change in war goals.
[The final goal of the war is adjusted from the capture of Lumière and the unconditional surrender of the Franzian puppet government to the defense and cession of the Alsace-Lorraine region.
However, this matter should only be communicated to key commanders and kept confidential.]
After reading the contents, Archduke Leopold silently lifted the order and covered his eyes.
“Your Highness the Grand Duke?”
While the officer was embarrassed, Archduke Leopold opened his mouth with sincere relief.
“The Kaiser hasn’t abandoned us.”
The Archduke also did not sincerely expect that the war could be stopped immediately.
Too much has already been invested in the war to stop it like that, and ending it with defeat would have been a huge political blow to the Kaiser.
However, it was unclear how much blood would be shed to overthrow the Franzian government in order to give Kaiserin the Franzian throne, or whether it would even be possible.
Breaking through the Verdun fortress and capturing Lumière was not realistic, and they tried to cut off trade routes with the Alpine kingdom, but even that failed in a crushing defeat.
That is why the Grand Duke ignored the command system and took on the great burden of speaking directly to the Emperor.
However, if the strategic goal is to bring Franzia from already occupied areas to the negotiating table, it is worth doing.
Yes, if it is a defensive battle. If Kaiserin gives up the Frangian throne.
If at least this territory can be ceded after protecting Alsace Lorraine, which it has already occupied, the empire can somehow win this war.
First of all, telling only the major commanders to know and keep quiet is understandable because fighting with that war goal in mind from the beginning is tantamount to admitting that this war has already failed.
Archduke Leopold turned to the east and bowed deeply.
He is grateful to his Kaiser who gave him realistic orders instead of impoverishing the empire in order to take the throne of Francia for Kaiserin.
However, the Archduke could not even imagine that it was an order from the Kaiserin, not the Kaiser.
It is even said that the Kaiserin made this decision with the intention of taking the pressure on the Archduke instead, keeping it a secret even from the Kaiser in order to somehow manage the situation.
* * *
One month after the Battle of Besançon Plain.
Finally, after reorganizing and treating all wounded soldiers, I redeployed the army to the vicinity of the Alsace-Lorraine region occupied by the Valois and Franche-Comté empires.
However, even though a considerable amount of time had passed, Archduke Leopold and the imperial army were still stationed in Alsace-Lorraine and showed no signs of moving, and we continued to engage in a sluggish confrontation.
If they want to capture Lumiere and present the crown to Empress Cecilia, they must attack immediately, even if it is summer.
They received reinforcements similar to those lost in the last battle, and our army is still being trained at this very moment.
Nevertheless, the fact that they are not advancing means that they have changed their goal.
As the interests of both sides coincided, the summer of war passed without any fighting.
* * *
Valois The mansion I use as a headquarters and temporary residence.
For the first time in a long time, I was lying leisurely in bed, looking at the person sleeping next to me with a peaceful face.
How much time has passed?
“Hmm…”
With a soft moan, he tossed and turned on the bed, causing his long black hair to wave over his pure white skin.
I leisurely watched the scene, then slowly got up from my seat and took the cup of water I had prepared in advance and held it out.
Christine looked at it with slightly hazy black eyes, then took it and put it to her mouth.
While she was drinking water, I walked to the window and pulled back the curtains, letting in bright, warm sunlight.
When I turned my back, Christine seemed to have fully woken up, adjusted her chemise, which had been disheveled just a moment ago, and was looking at me with her usual calm expression.
Still, a slight blush appeared on my face, so I smiled and said.
“Good morning Christine.”
“…Good morning Pierre.”
As we exchange greetings like this, a strange sense of satisfaction fills me.
“Would you like to have breakfast at the restaurant? Or-”
Christine answered while gently averting her gaze.
“Here.”
“All right. “Let’s get you ready.”
When I answered with a smile, Christine nodded with a slightly red face.
When I saw that I felt a deeper sense of satisfaction in my secretly shy appearance, I realized that I was definitely not normal.
But that’s actually a good thing.
Maybe I’m already too hooked on it, as Crocs feared.
* * *
Christine must have had a hard time bringing food into the bedroom and eating, but oddly enough, she ate more than usual, which made her secretly laugh.
Christine had just visited Valois yesterday.
To be precise, all three party leaders followed us when we visited Valois.
On behalf of the government, the governors praised the soldiers for ending an overwhelmingly unfavorable battle with victory and protecting the trade route with the Alpine kingdom, and brought various items to comfort the soldiers.
To maintain the morale of the soldiers and help them forget the serious sacrifices made in the last battle.
Thanks to this, the soldiers, who were either knowingly or unknowingly exhausted from fighting in the summer despite the great battle, were able to enjoy a rich meal and have a good time.
Anyway, we were talking about work.
Originally, this was a story I should have shared yesterday, but I was in a rush last night.
“Then they are starting to build a trade port on the Iberica Peninsula.”
“Yes, when we first met, he seemed a little reluctant for some reason, but after meeting you, he accepted it right away.”
“Haha…”
Christine also read Crocs’ expression correctly.
“The construction of battleships will be completed by winter. In preparation for that, the Navy has also begun proper training.”
“Hmm, is it finally a proper navy?…”
Franzia was a powerful army in its own right, so much so that it was called the kingdom of knights, but its navy was far behind it.
It’s not like there isn’t a navy, but the country’s navy had a fleet that wasn’t even as good as the top class led by Christine, so I said all that.
However, as we found ourselves in a situation where we were unable to open proper diplomatic or trade routes due to hostile countries in the far north, such as the Northern United Kingdom, the need for a navy became more urgent.
Of course, Christine and I are more wary of Abyss Corporation.
“yes. So it happened. Governor Talleyrand wants to contact the Kingdom of Krafte and the Eastern Empire as soon as the fleet is built.”
“He’s diligent too.”
Is this really the person in charge of Francia’s diplomacy?
The Krafte Kingdom is a powerful military power within the Germanian Empire that directly defies the Emperor.
However, if we were to send a diplomat, we could not make contact because it was in the middle of the empire and the sea route had to pass through the waters of the Northern United Kingdom, an enemy country… If we do
well, we can pressure the Northern United Kingdom with a strengthened navy and be able to pass through its territorial waters. Maybe we could have a good relationship.
The Eastern Empire of the Elves, along with the Alpine Kingdom of the Dwarves, was considered a target of exchange, but due to the maritime blockade, we were unable to access it.
In any case, if that comes true, the situation will begin to grow in earnest.
As I was lost in thought for a moment, Christine, who was quietly looking at me, smiled softly.
“By the way, you are very popular, Pierre. “An enemy in your 20s.”
“Haha, that’s right.”
I didn’t know it either, but I was surprised when Eris, who had previously worked with the governors, suddenly bestowed the rank of Marshal on me.
I quietly looked at the rank of marshal attached to my military uniform hanging on the wall.
It’s strangely funny when I think of Damien looking at me with a very envious look on his face even though he didn’t even receive a medal.
In any case, with this, I not only surpassed the Blue Knight in terms of military rank, but also became on the same level as Archduke Leopold.
I said with a grin.
“Thanks to you, Christine.”
“…I couldn’t provide much help on the battlefield.”
“If it weren’t for you, it would have been difficult for me to get a chance to attack in the first place, and if it weren’t for the blow your actions inflicted on the imperial army, we might have collapsed before reinforcements even arrived.”
Christine looked at me and smiled slightly.
“I’m glad you say that. Actually, I was a little worried. I thought Her Majesty the Queen would not like it. … Maybe you too.”
“Oh, that’s it.”
It was certainly an unimaginable idea for the soldiers to attack the army by contaminating supplies.
Although it is a method that has been called mean or cruel…
“Your Majesty the Queen did not blame you. Instead, he just said that he hoped that such means would not be used again.”
“…It’s surprising.”
If it had been Eris when I first met her, she might have protested directly.
However, the current Eris is not a childish saint who believes that she can rule everything with her own justice, but a proper queen.
“He understands his position, his influence, and the situation we find ourselves in.”
Christine looked at me quietly and asked again.
“And you?”
“What am I?”
-The ruler decides on war, and most of the people who bleed on the battlefield are simply those who are ruled. I think they are victims too, Marquis.
Eris said so.
Indeed, she is my queen who deserves respect and is worthy of being called a saint.
“well. “I cannot conclude whether what you did was right or wrong.”
Eris ultimately failed with only her values.
Eris’ goodness, Christine’s necessary evil.
Isidor’s egalitarianism and Balian’s meritocracy.
The Archduke’s loyalty to the Empire and me fighting to protect my people, not my country.
In the end, it is impossible to say for certain what is absolutely right and what is absolutely wrong.
“But I know the result. “Even those who found your actions unpleasant were greatly helped and victorious because of your actions.”
I looked directly at Christine and opened my mouth.
“If I didn’t want you to do that, or if I eventually decided that I couldn’t protect this country and gave up. “If that were the case, I would probably have asked you to flee abroad.”
But did that end well?
If only I, the Marquis of Lafayette and the Count of Toulouse, had given up all those who believed in and followed me, and Christine had given up her family and her superiors and fled.
Money may have been enough, but it is not a problem to seize the assets of a foreigner with no political power or connections, even under some excuse.
Even if it weren’t, what value did we feel in a life where there was nothing left but escape?
“But instead of fleeing, I chose to remain in this country by any means necessary. And as a result, we were able to come this far.”
In the end, I was able to give due compensation to those who followed me, become the commander-in-chief and marshal of the Franzian army, and be called a hero, standing on the battlefield today.
Christine also secured the power to protect Aquitaine and pass it on to Louis.
Instead of being executed as a witch, Eris became a queen who was respected and loved.
This is the result we were able to achieve because we stayed on this earth and did our best.
I held Christine’s hand and lightly kissed the back of it.
“It was possible because you felt guilty and were worried that you would be hated for doing such a thing, but you did what was necessary. “Then what I have to do is respect and appreciate you.”
Christine looked at me quietly and smiled slowly.
“…thank you.”
I also smiled at Christine and answered.
“That’s me.”
At first, I just wanted to survive the chaos of the revolution and avoid a senseless death.
Even if I got another chance, it was a life where I only had a vague wish to become a better person than the Blue Knight.
But now I want to protect my followers and give them the victory and compensation they deserve.
I found something worth protecting in the revolution, which I thought was just a lesser evil.
He is not just a person in power or a tool, but a queen worthy of being followed. Even though I don’t completely agree with his ideals, I would like to see him receive some repayment.
I dream of the moment when I can say that I lived a good life, enjoying happiness with Christine in this land we protected.
The person who helped make it all possible.
I spoke with sincerity about the first and biggest change I experienced after returning.
“Thank you for coming here with me.”
