Episode 167 Krafte War – Crossroads
Krafte Army Garrison in Alsace.
Bad news reached the Krafte army leadership, which was in the midst of preparing for an offensive and receiving a large supply of supplies from the home country.
“They are fortifying Bahua City?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. “It appears that they are planning to introduce the residents and start a street fight.”
There was quite a long silence.
Only after a long time had passed did the Great King open his mouth.
“Okay, good job. “Let’s go away.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Even after the messenger hastily withdrew, the Krafte army generals in the conference room only glanced at each other.
In the end, it was the Great King who spoke again.
“Information leaked.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
I have a mouth, but I have nothing to say.
The Krafte army generals simply bowed their heads, and the Maharaja smiled in reply.
“Raise your head. “It’s not your fault.”
There are many Franians in their occupied territories.
It would not be strange if there were some among them who were engaged in ganja activities, and there was nothing they could do about it.
That being said, I have a feeling that they were overly quick and astute in noticing it, but that probably means that the enemies are that great.
“If this happens, it will be difficult to achieve the goal of catching the enemy off guard.”
“How about bypassing Bahua?”
“That city is a strategic point heading to Lumiere. Even more so, if we take a detour, what will we do with the supplies piled up in Alsace?”
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
Materials moved in advance in preparation for supply disruptions in the home country simultaneously limit their advance route.
It would be too difficult to transport them all at once, and at the same time, if they rashly bypass their defense line and Alsace is occupied, it would cause a catastrophe.
“We have no choice but to break through head on. “Let’s prepare for street fighting.”
“Old Great King-”
“Please wait, Your Majesty.”
The eyes of the generals and the Great King were all focused on Prince Henry.
“I may be presumptuous, Your Majesty. The plan to catch them off guard and crush them all at once has already gone awry. Since they are determined to fortify the city, attacking head-on will require serious sacrifice and a long-term war.”
The Great King glanced at Prince Heinrich and asked:
“So. Do you have any other thoughts, Heinrich?”
“We must save our country even now, Your Majesty.”
The conference room became quiet at the prince’s firm answer.
There was an uncomfortable silence as the generals watched, and the king slowly opened his mouth.
“The Northern United Kingdom and the rebels have already begun an invasion of the home country. Even if we turn the army from now on, all we can do to prevent the fall of the capital is if we hurry. “It will inevitably be a blow to the home country’s ability to support the war effort.”
The Great King twitched the corner of his mouth as he looked at Prince Heinrich’s hard face.
“Now that the enemy is fortifying the city and preparing for a large-scale defensive battle, what strategic value can be created by returning precious troops to their home country?”
“There is no strategic value in this war.”
“Your Highness…”
Prince Heinrich’s face did not waver even though the generals carefully tried to dissuade him.
The prince opened his mouth again to the king with an amused face.
“But the Kingdom of Krafte does not end with this war, Your Majesty. We must not allow our subjects to feel that the royal family has abandoned them.”
The Great King glanced at Heinrich and laughed.
“Heinrich, my nephew. “This is the first time I’ve seen you go against Jim like this.”
nephew.
In the end, he is not a son or anything, so the throne can be passed on to another royal family as many times as the king wants.
Heinrich spoke emphatically in front of the Great King, who bothered to remind him of that.
“The subjects of Krafte participated in this war in response to the great rule and prosperity that His Majesty the King had bestowed on them. In that case, His Majesty the King must repay their loyalty and dedication.”
Who dared speak to the living legend, King of Krafte, in this way?
After his great success, has anyone dared to make a blunt statement like this?
At least not as long as Charles II remembers.
Because of his ambiguous status as a nephew and potential heir to the throne, Henry tended to be even more careful about his words and actions.
That’s why the great king had doubts.
“Heinrich, what did you see that made you change so much?”
“I saw the guardian.”
“hmm?”
Prince Heinrich paused for a moment as if he was remembering that scene, then opened his mouth.
“When the Marquis de Lafayette led a small group of cavalry to meet me, I thought he would aim for my head. This is because I thought it was the most tactically sound way to attack the leadership, even at the cost of sacrificing my subordinates, rather than expecting victory with inferior troops.”
Prince Heinrich’s remarks seemed to refer to the Marquis de Lafayette’s fight, and at the same time, they seemed to refer to the situation Krafte was currently facing.
“But the Marquis de Lafayette did not make that choice. Instead of breaking through despite sacrifices in the face of overwhelming inferiority, he chose to endure and protect his men.”
In front of the great king who was willing to risk everything for victory in the war, even if it meant sacrificing the country.
“It was a reckless choice at first glance, but that was why they trusted and followed the Marquis and did not break down until the end. This is because we have shown before our eyes that even though they are weaker than us, the one who leads them and protects them will never abandon them.”
Heinrich continued speaking in a calm and calm tone.
“Your Majesty. As long as the revolutionary army has no doubt that their Queen and Marquis will not abandon those who follow her in order to achieve victory, they will not be easily defeated no matter how long the war continues. Even if we win this battle, it is highly likely that the decisive collapse that His Majesty wants will not occur.”
Prince Heinrich now rejected Krafte’s victory scenario itself.
“My Highness. “It is-”
Even though all the generals were shocked, the prince did not stop talking.
“However, if Krafte loses this battle while ignoring his homeland, it could lead to the collapse of the Krafte kingdom, which goes beyond defeat in the war. “We already know from what has happened in this land what choices the people who were abandoned despite their devotion to the monarch make.”
Bang –
The Great King’s staff hit the floor of the conference hall.
Even as all the generals flinched, Prince Heinrich was looking straight at the Great King with burning eyes.
The great king, who had been silent with his mouth tightly shut, slowly opened his mouth.
“You have become arrogant, Heinrich. This is a war that Jim has decided on. Do you deny the war?”
“Your Majesty’s subjects are caught up in the war decided by you. If so, you will also have a responsibility to protect them. “Your Majesty’s victory in war cannot compensate for all that your subjects have lost.”
“under.”
The Great King burst out laughing.
“Haha hahaha….”
After a long time had passed, the Great King opened his mouth.
“Did you ask for 20,000 standing troops, Heinrich?”
Things are different then and now.
Enemies have already entered the territory and Krafte’s defenseless territories will be swept away defenselessly.
While the generals were watching, Prince Heinrich nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The great king smiled and answered.
“Okay, take me with you.”
“…Thank you for your Majesty’s decision.”
While not only the generals but even Prince Heinrich breathed a sigh of relief, the Great King let out a sigh.
“From today, you are the crown prince.”
“…yes?”
“I’m going to be busy, so go away. “This is the kingdom that you will inherit, so do your best to watch over it.”
“I accept Your Majesty’s will.”
Prince Heinrich retreated in embarrassment, and while the generals were dumbfounded, the Great King opened his mouth with a sad look on his face.
“Congratulations, my generals. “Even if we don’t have luggage, this country won’t become boring.”
“….”
As the generals were making faces that they didn’t know what to make, the Great King smiled and said as if it was amusing.
“Then we will make plans for street fighting.”
* * *
After leaving the conference hall, Prince Heinrich walked quickly and opened his mouth as soon as he saw his adjutant.
“Your Highness, what happened-”
“Send a messenger to the capital and deliver it. “I am returning to defend my homeland with a standing army of 20,000 men.”
The adjutant immediately took out a piece of parchment and began to write down, while Prince Heinrich glanced towards the west.
He failed to defeat the Marquis de Lafayette on the battlefield.
It probably won’t be possible to break it in the future.
The great king who is thinking of storming that fortified city right now would hate it.
So neither he nor Wittenfeld implemented it, but they did prepare something.
And since he has already become crown prince, he has no hesitation.
The Marquis of Lafayette and the Count of Aquitaine. Franzia, where they are all gathered, is too dangerous.
“And tell it to Chancellor Wittenfeld. He said he would use everything he had secured.”
“Oh, I understand!”
If we cannot win by fair means, we have no choice but to shake up Lafayette and Aquitaine by any means necessary.
* * *
Lumière, the capital of Francia.
The Liberal Party’s conference hall.
“Not only did they evacuate all of Bahua’s citizens after a unilateral notification, but they also planned to start a street fight. How will you compensate for all the damage? “The Marquis de Lafayette’s dogmatism has gone too far!”
“Do you mean that Her Majesty the Queen condoned such a thing?”
“Hmph, isn’t she actually the queen established by the Marquis de Lafayette? “No matter how much I like people, their arms are bent inwards.”
Liberal Party leader Nicola Brissot was looking at the arguing lawmakers with a tired face.
Although it was a relatively moderate party, the Liberal Party, which was divided between the Central Party, centered on nobles including the Marquis de Lafayette, and the Revolutionary Party, the main force of the revolution, was dissatisfied with the relatively weak situation of the party.
Even most of their support base is wealthy urban citizens.
The actions of the Marquis de Lafayette, who treated Aquitaine, which almost monopolized the commerce of Francia, and its core supporters carelessly, aroused even greater resentment.
“Shouldn’t we protest something? To be honest, what did the Marquis de Lafayette do in this war? “We were defeated twice, and wasn’t the victory ultimately dependent on the power of Her Majesty the Queen and the performance of other generals?”
“Hmm, it was the Count of Aquitaine who procured the crystal that amplifies Her Majesty’s divine power.”
“Isn’t it a waste of the National Assembly’s five-year budget? The Count of Aquitaine only bought bonds anyway, so it is ultimately a debt that the people must repay. How long will it take to repay that….”
“Hmm, President Brisso? “Your complexion is not good.”
One of the council members spoke up and Nicola Brissot sighed lightly.
“I’m sorry. My health is not good these days. “Please excuse me first.”
“…That’s right.”
Although the eyes of the lawmakers were not very kind, Brissot was able to quickly leave the meeting room, feeling relieved after getting up from his seat.
But that feeling lasted only for a moment.
There was a letter on the desk in the office he entered.
Brissot saw the envelope, which had no sender’s name and was extremely monotonous, and opened it with trembling hands.
[Now is your last chance.]
Brissot stared at it and then threw it into the fireplace.
Brissot, who was staring at the slowly burning correspondence, let out a deep sigh, opened the drawer, inserted the key, turned it, and took out the documents contained in the secret drawer.
Transaction details documents that even Franzia, a party to the revolution, did not know about.
I don’t know who obtained it and how it was sent to me.
In the first place, who can figure out the details of how the Count of Aquitaine and the Marquis of Lafayette made a deal with the devil by purchasing large quantities of raw materials even before the revolution broke out, or even before King Louis sold out his people?
However, it is not important who gave the information.
The Marquis de Lafayette, who did not stand out much during the civil war, rose to a suspicious level at some point and, acting as if he had predicted the revolution, became the most powerful figure in Francia.
So, conspiracy theories circulated even within the Republic, but they were buried in the refutation of whether such a thing was even possible.
But what if it was the result of a deal with the devils who were involved in the revolution from the beginning?
How on earth did the Marquis of Iberica know how to destroy that ‘drone’?
Everything is explained if we say that the Marquis has been acting as if he was competing with the devils, but was actually a confidant collaborator.
Even so, it would be more understandable to say that Christine D’Aquitaine, known as the Black Witch of Aquitaine, had the help of devils for her incredible wealth, intelligence, and conspiratorial power.
If you can tie up with the devils, you can definitely oust the Marquis and the Count of Aquitaine, who helped him and devoured the political and financial world.
If that were to happen, the Revolutionary Party would also side with this side, and the non-mainstream Liberal Party would be able to collapse the Center Party in an instant and become the center of the National Assembly.
-Now is your last chance.
As written in the letter, if not now, there will never be an opportunity to oust the powerful Marquis de Lafayette and the Count of Aquitaine.
Nicola Brissot, who was looking at the document with a face full of worry and concern, soon sighed in despair.
-President Brisso, do you have any questions or opinions?
Nicolas Brissot recalled the face of the Marquis de Lafayette, who had been a collaborator since the beginning of the revolution and who asked him a friendly question.
-No no. What would a person who used to write be involved in military affairs? I am relieved that the people in command of the army and navy are so trustworthy.
He soon closed his eyes tightly.
-Thank you for saying that, Mr. President. I will do my best to live up to your expectations.
I’ve been thinking about it for quite some time.
But now is the moment to make a choice.
