Episode 108 War to defend the revolution – the miserable
winter of provocation is over.
The small amount of snow that fell at the end of winter has already completely disappeared and cannot be found, and the ground under the shining sun is quite warm.
The large army of the imperial army, numbering as many as 100,000 men, including the returned prisoners, was still engaged in a vague confrontation.
In such a situation, Archduke Leopold was welcoming additional reinforcements arriving from the Empire.
Additional reinforcements: 10,000.
Although the force was by no means small, the worry was not erased from the face of the Archduke who greeted them.
Including additional reinforcements, the total number of imperial troops is 110,000.
However, the revolutionary army also received large-scale reinforcements from Lumiere and secured a force of 90,000.
And despite this, there was no sign of the offensive that everyone in the empire, including the Archduke, eagerly anticipated.
Still, since these are reinforcements, we should welcome them with a smile.
Thinking so, the Grand Duke greeted the young Count.
“Welcome, Count Wittelsbach.”
The young, handsome count responded by saluting the archduke.
“Albert von Wittelsbach meets His Highness Archduke Leopold Johann, hero of the Empire. … It’s been a while.”
The Grand Duke smiled bitterly as he looked at the son of the previous Earl, who had walked the battlefield with him.
“Yes, it’s reassuring to be together.”
* * *
A little while later, Archduke Leopold had left his subordinates and was talking alone with Count Wittelsbach.
The Archduke frowned as he looked at the documents handed to him by Count Wittelsbach, then laughed and said:
“The reinforcements include assassins?”
“Yes, Your Highness. “They are specialized in destroying poison and magical power, so they will be of great help in dealing with knights who rely on magical defenses and fight by surprise.”
“…one.”
How did the Imperial Army, which had more troops, end up relying on these people who had no honor or duty?
Those words could not come out of the Archduke’s mouth.
In the end, because he could not achieve victory, these people were mobilized.
Archduke Leopold bit his lip and then opened his mouth.
“In the end, is it Kaiserin’s intention to mobilize them to go on the offensive? Do we really have to continue the war for Kaiserin’s throne, even by tarnishing the empire’s honor and sending countless sons of the empire to their deaths?”
In response to the Archduke’s lament, Count Wittelsbach stared at him and slowly opened his mouth.
“…Your Highness the Archduke.”
“…?”
Count Wittelsbach’s soft voice pierced the Archduke’s ears clearly.
“Kaiserin worked hard to stop the feudal lords who were forcing an offensive, but as Franzia ended up not going on the offensive, they had no choice but to send them to help the archduke.”
“…what?”
Count Wittelsbach spoke calmly to the shocked Archduke.
“It was the Kaiser who ordered the offensive, hoping to overthrow them and win the war. For that purpose, Kaiserin prevented us from considering dismissing His Highness the Archduke.”
Archduke Leopold hung his head with a devastated face.
After a long silence, the Archduke spoke.
“…The Kaiser wants the continuation of this war and an offensive for complete victory?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Rather, it is Kaiserin who is giving up the throne of Francia and trying to somehow stop the war in an appropriate way.”
Archduke Leopold lifted his trembling hands and cupped his head.
Count Wittelsbach, who looked at the Archduke, a respected hero of the Empire, with pity, made a despairing sentence.
“There is no avoiding it now, Your Highness. “The only hope is to completely defeat them, or even if not, to somehow achieve victory and at least cede Alsace-Lorraine to end the war.”
The Archduke was in despair and could not open his mouth.
He has been loyal to the Kaiser.
It was believed that they were fighting for the empire.
It was not good for the Kaiser to rely on Kaiserin for a lot of things, but he tolerated it because it was true that Kaiserin had contributed a lot to the empire.
however.
That the Kaiser wants to continue the war that is already leading to catastrophe for the empire? Even the Kaiser, who had continued to trust the Archduke in his successive wars with Krafte, tried to kick him out?
Kaiserin, who thought he was driving the empire to catastrophe by starting a war not for the sake of the empire but for himself, was actually protecting him? So what were his direct words to the Kaiser?
The Archduke felt dizzy and staggered as he felt that everything he had believed in was collapsing.
“Your Majesty the Archduke…!”
The Archduke, who had been unable to make any sound for a long time, clenched his teeth while leaning on the Count who hurriedly approached and supported him, let out a desperate sigh.
“What have I been fighting for?”
After those empty words, the weight of silence and betrayed reality weighed down on the Archduke.
The Archduke felt like he would be crushed to death if he stayed silent any longer, so he spoke out half impulsively.
“…Let’s try to provoke an attack one last time. Still, if they don’t respond, then…”
The Archduke managed to spit out, suppressing the feeling as if there was a thorn stuck in his throat.
“We are going on the offensive.”
With my already shocked and confused mind, I couldn’t imagine how many soldiers would be sacrificed under the weight of those words.
The only way left for him was to fight. If he comes all this way and does nothing and gets sacked, then what kind of death are his subordinates who died under his orders?
With a head that won’t turn, he just harbors a dashed hope that if the young and energetic knight responds, he might be able to save some of the lives of his subordinates at the cost of his ugliness.
“A person who loses everything because he misses the time to step back becomes even more ugly.”
The Archduke who said that had an expression on his face as if his soul had slipped out.
* * *
Near the revolutionary army garrison near Valois.
I pulled the dagger from my belt and threw it right away.
Tens of thousands, or even more, including before regression.
The dagger, which he had thrown countless times repeatedly while feeling a familiar sensation, flew away with a booming sound and hit exactly the center of the target.
The skills that were engraved into the body before the head have not yet become dull.
After repeating the practice mechanically, I ran out of daggers on my belt, and as I approached the target and pulled out the daggers, I heard the sound of a horse running.
As I looked away, Louis Desgett rode up in front of me and stopped the horse.
“Whoa whoa. “Excuse me, Your Excellency the Marquis.”
“Commander Dejet.”
When I answered, putting the daggers I had recovered back into my belt and raised my head, Deze smiled bitterly.
“Even though you are the Commander-in-Chief, you train like an assassin almost every day.”
“Movements memorized by the body quickly become dull if you neglect to practice them even a little. “It’s important to maintain your senses when on the battlefield.”
“Uhm, is that so? “There are some who are concerned about whether His Excellency should take the risk of fighting on the front lines.”
“But doesn’t it definitely help boost the morale of the soldiers?”
Deje answered with a grin.
“Well, if he were to recklessly fight with the soldiers on the front line and die, he would be a low-ranking soldier, but he would still survive and be with us reliably, a hero.”
Not only does he flatter like Damien de Mirbeau, but he even gives a friendly warning that if he dies, he will be treated like a lieutenant.
This is why I like Deje.
I asked with a grin.
“So, did something important come up that interrupted my training, Commander Deze?”
It was only half-joking, but Desais shrugged his shoulders and answered.
“An envoy sent by Archduke Leopold of the Germanian Empire has arrived, Your Excellency.”
“Oh that was really important.”
“Isn’t that what you were expecting?”
“under. “You know me too well.”
* * *
I immediately returned to the command barracks with Desais and greeted the imperial envoy with Chief of Staff Werther, who was waiting.
“It is an honor to meet you, Marquis de Lafayette. “This is Count Benedict von Baden, who has come under orders from His Highness Archduke Leopold, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial German Army.”
Ah, ‘that’ Count Baden?
As far as I know, the Count of Baden is definitely in his late 30s, but the man in front of him has aged dramatically and looks like he is in his late 40s.
It looks like you suffered a lot because of Damien, right?
“Pierre de Lafayette, Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army of the Kingdom of Revolutionary Francia, welcomes you, Count Baden. “I have heard a lot about the count’s bravery.”
As I spoke with a grin, Count Baden’s forehead twitched.
Well, wouldn’t it be brave enough to challenge a Knight of Francia to a duel as a knight in his own right?
“…I am honored that a war hero from France recognizes someone like me.”
“Although we have encountered each other on the battlefield many times, as soldiers we are only fighting for our country, so don’t we need to respect and treat our enemies with respect? By the way, I would like to hear why the Grand Duke sent the Count.”
The Count of Baden twitched the corner of his mouth again, but took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
“I have brought you a gift that His Highness, Archduke Leopold, has ordered me to deliver to His Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette.”
“It’s a gift. “Let’s take a look, shall we?”
I was filled with anticipation as I saw the box that the Count of Baden ordered his soldiers to bring.
Although we delivered it to the prisoners through Eris, we haven’t actually attacked for a whole year, so the empire’s lords are probably reaching the limit of their patience.
But anyway, the Germanian Empire, which is occupying Alsace-Lorraine and preparing for defense, must have been expecting us to attack in the spring…. Since
we didn’t even show any signs of launching an offensive, what did the envoy sent by the Archduke prepare?
Eventually, the soldier opened the box and what was inside was a dress.
Colorful clothing for women.
“Hmm, it’s a dress.”
“…It’s a dress.”
Deje and I each said a word.
Chief of Staff Werther furrowed his brows.
The other commanders are busy receiving new recruits from Lumiere, so it’s a good thing that it’s just the three of us.
If you were Nicola, who was not only brave but reached the realm of passion, you would have been so angry that you would have gone on a rampage.
Jerome Morel must have had a hard time holding back his laughter, but he was subtly teasing him, right?
As for Damien de Mirbeau….
let’s not think about it.
When I slowly raised my gaze, Count Baden opened his mouth with a shameless look on his face.
“This is a robe personally gifted by His Highness the Archduke Leopold to His Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette.”
For a dress to be used for this purpose, it is unnecessarily luxurious.
I think Christine would look pretty if she wore it.
…I wouldn’t wear such a fancy dress, though.
“Hmm, Your Highness, Archduke Leopold, is truly kind to even provide a gift for the enemy commander’s fiancée.”
“…Directly to His Excellency the Marquis. “It is a gift to you.”
Count Baden said so and handed me a letter.
“What is this again?”
“This is a letter from the Franzians of Alsace-Lorraine to His Excellency the Marquis.”
When I opened it and looked at it, the contents of the letter were simple.
The content complains of suffering caused by the long-term occupation by the imperial army and requests the revolutionary army to launch an offensive to retake it as soon as possible.
“You claim to be the government of the people, but instead of trying to recapture the occupied territory, you are only on the defensive. How can you say that this is the duty of a soldier and a knight? His Majesty the Archduke was disappointed by the Marquis’s behavior and-”
“Hahahaha…”
Count Baden’s words were cut off by my laughter.
So, the territory has been taken over, so let’s not be manly and scared, but let’s attack and fight, right?
To the driver, this is almost an overt provocation, right?
It’s an insult that I wouldn’t have to say even if I threw my gloves right away, but the Count of Baden, who was given this role, was quite…
“The Count also took on a pretty painful role.”
When I spoke with a grin, the Count responded with a suppressed tone.
“…I just received orders.”
Yes, I guess so. Who told you to just go around getting robbed by Damien like that?
I chuckled and pushed the box containing the dress.
“Originally, returning a gift is somewhat rude, but this time I have no choice but to return it. “There is another owner more suitable for these clothes.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Isn’t this a war of aggression you waged? This is a war started to overthrow our revolutionary government because it is a puppet government that overthrew its rightful throne, but you, who have more troops, are shaking in fear of our military, which has been ruined by the civil war, and are even doing such cute things as to ask us to attack them first… ”
I grinned, looking at Count Baden’s embarrassed face.
“I think this dress would suit your commander-in-chief better than me.”
“What is that-”
Count Baden’s face turned red.
“Do you think we will move just because we write a letter to scare the residents of the occupied territories? We gave them time to evacuate and support. Still, what remains is their choice, so the hardships they experience are also their responsibility.”
“That is irresponsible as a commander who must protect the country and its people-”
“We will not attack, Count. If you want to do it, you have to do it. “You are slowly dying under the pressure of the feudal lords and the burden of the expeditionary force’s war expenses.”
I grinned at the completely stiff-faced Count Baden and continued speaking again.
“Why is that scary? Then, you can go back and sit quietly in that dress and then be chased out by the feudal lords. “My military career and all will be over, and my honor will fall to the ground, but I will be able to live comfortably in the empire watching the rookie generals sent by the feudal lords be defeated instead.”
The Count of Baden trembled, his face completely turning red, and he turned his back and left without saying goodbye or anything.
It was only after the startled officer followed him that Deje burst out laughing.
“Puha puhahaha!”
“Haha hahaha….”
Ah, this is so fun.
Didn’t they personally inform us that the noble Archduke Leopold had become so desperate that he had to resort to such childish provocation?
“What is so enjoyable about this kind of insult….”
“The break was long enough, Chief of Staff.”
When Werther spoke with an arrogant frown next to me, I responded with a smile and stood up.
“Prepare for a defensive battle.”
Last time, they were taken to the battlefield that Archduke Leopold wanted and fell into a trap while trying to somehow overcome the unfavorable situation, but now they must have realized that there is no other way than to attack them directly.
This time, I will be dragged to the battlefield of my choice and fight properly. Archduke Leopold.
