Episode 162. Krafte War – Next Turn Once
the Great King’s order was given, the Krafte army retreated quickly.
The sight of the Krafte army, which had been fighting until just now, retreating quickly and maintaining discipline even at the moment of retreat, providing cover for each other.
The revolutionary army, which had endured exhaustion until the very end, did not even dare to chase, but everyone was dumbfounded and soon began to cheer.
“Kk Krafte is leaving!”
“We won, we won!”
Victory achieved after enduring the majesty and overwhelming fear shown in the first battle with Eris’ blessing and shouts.
“I’m alive now!”
“Long live Revolutionary Francia! “We won!”
Even though the soldiers were exhausted, they cheered and rejoiced in their victory.
“We won… Mr. Durand, we won!”
Louis Daquiten, who was completely exhausted and sitting on the floor panting, spoke excitedly and Leon Durand responded with a bitter smile.
“Yes, you won. “To be honest, I didn’t think I would win.”
Durand looked at the cheering revolutionary army with a somewhat ambiguous expression.
I won, but the process was a mess.
The presence of the Saint Queen was certainly enormous, but anyone who saw this battle would have said that Krafte was stronger and had the upper hand.
A victory achieved in the end with something beyond overwhelming strength.
And the man who commanded them and eventually led them to victory was leading the cavalry and approaching the main force.
At the head of them, a man covered in blood and cheered by the revolutionary army.
“…Pierre de Lafayette.”
Leon Duran muttered the name, then chewed and swallowed something that was stuck in his heart.
* * *
“Disband the cavalry! Prioritize the seriously injured and move the injured to the medical barracks to receive treatment! “Thank you for your efforts!”
“All right!”
“It was an honor to fight together, Your Excellency the Marquis!”
As they joined the main force and were dispersing the cavalry, Damien de Mirbeau approached.
“Come on, come on. Marquis de Lafayette. “A truly great… congratulations on your victory.”
Even at a glance, Damien de Mirbeau’s complexion is not good, and even at first glance, he looks like he is on the verge of complete exhaustion.
Anyone who sees this will think that I jumped into the enemy camp and fought instead of me.
I felt that way for a moment, but this time I naturally smiled naturally.
“Thank you for your hard work, Count Mirbeau. “I will remember your dedication and courage.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette.”
Damien looked a little dazed but bowed his head to me.
Normally, I would have showered you with all kinds of flattery, but it looks like you’re having a really hard time.
While I was doing that, Giselle Darby came up to me and spoke softly.
“Your Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette. I think you need to get treatment for your injury first. “This
is Giselle Darby, of course. I thought you wouldn’t know because you’re covered in blood, but you have a good sense of vision.
It is also wise not to make a fuss unnecessarily –
“Wow, His Excellency the Marquis is injured?!”
…Giselle Darby’s careful consideration was useless because of Damien.
“His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief is injured?”
“His Excellency the Marquis de La Lafayette is wounded!”
In an instant, the commotion spreads.
Ah, what a headache.
I received some cuts on my cheek and arm during the fight, but my head hurt more than the wounds.
The medics who were carrying the wounded from afar seemed to be hesitating, wondering if they should get down and run to me, so I shouted loudly.
“Don’t make a fuss! It’s not a serious injury, so you can treat it later! “Take care of the seriously injured first!”
“Oh, I understand!”
After giving the command, I glanced at Damien and said.
“Anyway, you do stupid things when you try to get better evaluations.”
“I am very sorry, Your Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette.”
Tsk, that’s pathetic.
Still, I added, patting Damien’s crushed shoulder.
“Well, this time I’ll correct the minor mistakes. ‘Master of defense’. “It was a great battle.”
It’s strange and nonsense, but whatever.
He was a useful subordinate, and he did more than he could in this battle.
If you are a boss, you should praise a subordinate like this.
“Oh, oh, it’s an honor, Your Excellency the Marquis!”
When I made eye contact with Giselle Davy, subtly avoiding Damien’s gaze that was becoming burdensome, she bowed her head slightly, saluting me politely.
If you’re Giselle Darby, you have enough sense to understand that it would look strange if you praised her in front of her immediate superior, Damien.
“His Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette!”
“Congratulations on your victory!”
“Ah, good job, Commander Dje, your general. “They both played their roles very well.”
At that moment, Louis Desget, commander of the Northern Army, and Nicolas Ney, who led the shock corps, came and I praised them as well.
“Haha, it was a battle that will go down in history. “By the way, are you okay?”
“Oh, it’s no big deal. “He’s a knight by name, but he doesn’t whine like this.”
“His Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette!”
This time, it was Chief of Staff Alexandre Werther who remained at the very rear of the main unit.
I’m very distracted here and there.
Even with that thought in mind, I felt a little relieved because I thought that everyone was safe despite the gruesome battle.
“Werther. “What about Her Majesty and Morel?”
“General Morel, who had already made a fuss about going in pursuit, forced him to lie down on the bed. “Your Majesty the Queen…”
Werther quietly looked around, then came closer to me and whispered softly.
“You were completely exhausted so I let you rest. “They say it’s not immediately life-threatening, but you’re pretty weak, so it looks like you’ll need to rest for at least a few days.”
“…okay.”
Even though he borrowed the power of crystals, he unleashed many miracles. No, even if there was a crystal in the first place, she would have been able to exert such power because she was Eris.
I knew clearly that Eris was overdoing it, but if I hadn’t relied on her this much, victory would have been impossible from the beginning.
But now that there are no crystals left, I can’t put Eris through any more trouble than this.
“I apologize, Your Excellency the Marquis. “The casualty count has not yet been completed, but estimates are already at 50,000.”
After hearing Werther’s report, I turned my attention to the wide plain of the battlefield.
A battlefield where soldiers cheering and rejoicing in victory coexist with soldiers carrying corpses while crying.
The enormous sacrifices that had to be made to fight against humanity’s strongest army and somehow achieve victory.
“This battle was won with great difficulty. But I wonder if it will be possible to win like this next time…”
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
“yes?”
We cannot continue this type of all-out war against the might of the Krafte army with blood.
So even if you win, it’s not like you won.
“We have done enough with bloody diplomacy.”
The Great King may be looking forward to the next stage as spectacular as this battle, but this battlefield was the Great King’s biggest stage.
“Now it is the turn of a bloodless war.”
Christine only asked for it once. A draw is okay, so show that you have a chance of winning against Krafte.
I had to go through all kinds of hardships for that one time, but I succeeded in achieving it in the end.
And since that’s the case, my fiancee isn’t the type of person to miss an opportunity.
Now it’s Christine’s turn.
* * *
Brest, the western French military port.
Christine, wearing an admiral’s uniform rather than a dress, led Captain Duheng and his men and stood in front of the battleship ‘Libre’, waiting for the person who was supposed to arrive.
And after a while, the person they were waiting for arrived.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were there to meet me.”
“I waited quite a bit.”
“It’s rude to make the lady wait.”
“You are now the Admiral, not the Lady, Governor.”
“Keuhum khum.”
Maurice Talleyrand, the leader of the Revolutionary Party, cleared his throat, quickly changed his expression and asked:
“Are you finished with the groundwork?”
“Sure. “You don’t trust me?”
Talleyrand, who was looking at Christine asking with a seemingly casual expression, smiled bitterly and shrugged his shoulders in response.
“Ahaha, the Revolutionary Party’s sword of Aquitaine… Oops, excuse me. The Count of Aquitaine is known as a man who cannot be trusted, but who can and must not be trusted. Of course, I came this far because I have faith in the Count of Aquitaine’s resourcefulness.”
After finishing speaking, Talleyrand immediately smiled and opened his mouth again.
“Finally it’s our turn. It was the capture of the Northern United Kingdom, an enemy nation above Krafte’s head. “Did you really think of that?”
“The Northern United Kingdom’s participation in the first civil war against King Louis was ultimately an obligation to the marriage alliance as the royal family of Francia. “The reason he supported the empire in a war he didn’t want to do even after losing there was probably because of the interest presented by the empress, but with the empire losing the war, even that became distant.”
“Obviously, the imperial family, whose overseas assets were being confiscated by the Abyss Corporation, would not have been able to pay a proper price to the Northern United Kingdom.”
From the Northern United Kingdom’s perspective, they suffered great losses by being involved in a war they did not need to be involved in.
“That’s because the queen is the younger sister of the imperial empress, so it’s a reversal of alliances. “I had no idea that you would go for such a move.”
“In other words, that’s the only reason they got involved in this war and took that side’s side. In addition, they are suffering enormous damage due to a maritime blockade by our navy in return.”
The Northern United Kingdom is a country made up of peninsulas and islands, and the northern peninsula is rich in minerals but is extremely barren.
This is a country where maritime transportation is so important.
The damage inflicted by Christine’s commerce destruction campaign is more critical to the Northern United Kingdom than to Krafte, a continental nation to begin with.
“In short, it is gunboat diplomacy. “Strictly speaking, Krafte is also an enemy country of the Empire, so there will be less psychological resistance.”
“This is an opportunity to reclaim the homeland that we couldn’t even think of reclaiming from the invincible Krafte army?”
The Kingdom of Krafte expanded its territory by about two times during the reign of the Great King, and some of it included lands that were once owned by the Northern United Kingdom.
Right now, the northern port of Krafte was the territory of the Northern United Kingdom.
“That’s it. It was clear that it was practical, and many of their nobles were bribed. The key is to prove that the Krafte army is not invincible. “The Marquis de Lafayette already did this.”
“Huh, honestly, when I first lost twice, I thought it was possible, but I didn’t think I could actually win.”
Christine, who was looking at Talleyrand laughing hard, smiled brightly and asked.
“Everyone expected Krafte to win, but we ended up winning. Now all that’s left is persuasion to get the king to make a decision, but you can do that, right? “Mr. Governor.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha. The dish has already been prepared and all you have to do is put a fork on it, but if you can’t do it here, the diplomat should be kicked out. “Then go, Lady.”
Christine laughed as she looked at Talleyrand’s hand held out for escort.
“Thank you, but I decline. “The governor’s wrist is precious.”
Talleyrand’s face became puzzled, and then he showed an expression of boredom.
“It’s so bloody. “And why haven’t you gotten married yet?”
“How about the governor pay more attention to your wife than to me?”
“Haha, even if you’re a married man, it’s a man’s physiology to be attracted to younger, more beautiful women.”
Christine smiled and answered.
“I’ll be sure to tell that to the Marquis de Lafayette.”
“…Hmm, please bear with me. “I want to live a long and happy life, tasting sweet food.”
Instead of responding to Talleyrand’s joke, Christine responded by pointing to the boarding platform with her hand.
“Then let’s go. “For the most expensive and extravagant diplomacy in the Central Continent.”
“Oh, by the way. Krafte must also be in the mood for war because he is stealing alliances with money.”
As Talleyrand began to answer and climb onto the boarding platform, Christine followed him onto the boarding platform and muttered softly.
“I’m sorry about that. This is only the beginning.”
“Oh…”
Talleyrand looked back at Christine with a low sigh and added as if he was horrified.
“I think the best decision I made as president was to not directly oppose the two of you.”
