Episode 117 War to Protect the Revolution – Collapse (4)
It started with Christine’s spies.
However, the imperial army knew that it had been losing battle after battle in a war with weak justification, and that countless of its comrades had already surrendered.
The revolutionary army is approaching right before our eyes, and our comrades are surrendering one by one.
As soon as the crowd started to open and spread, the chaos became uncontrollable.
I don’t know if it’s an empire or a revolution, but the perception that the battle is already lost and that fighting here will only result in death pushed the imperial army away.
“Stop it! “If you don’t stop right away, I will kill you!”
“This is a betrayal! It is treason against the empire! “Fight back!”
It was an effort to somehow resolve the confusion, but the warnings issued by the noble officers without their knowledge, without properly understanding the atmosphere, had the opposite effect.
The battle is lost right now, so why should we stop and fight? Should I just die?
-The oppressors of the Empire are more afraid of the opening of your eyes and ears than of your pointless shedding of blood in battle!
The Marquis de Lafayette’s cry became a seed of suspicion, which took root in the hearts of the imperial troops and spread poison.
“Shoot! Even if you shoot, stop it!”
The young officer, half in a state of panic, probably had no idea what orders he was giving.
However, it sounded different to the imperial soldiers who were already realizing that this was a fight with no hope of victory.
“Then why don’t you go out and stop it yourself!”
“What!”
The soldiers of the imperial army have already lost many friends and colleagues.
In addition, the losses were so severe that soldiers from various princely countries were crowded into one unit, which lacked a sense of belonging, making it impossible to control the situation.
There was only one person who protested in anger.
However, it was only for a moment that the entire army was swept away as the emotions that were normally suppressed under the fearful rules and order began to explode as a catalyst.
On the front line, the soldiers are throwing down their guns and surrendering to the revolutionary army, and the officers who were scolding them are being protested by other soldiers and are in a situation of chaos itself, not knowing what to do.
Meanwhile, Archduke Leopold, who was watching the revolutionary army approaching right before his eyes, chewed his lips and shouted.
“Imperial Army! “Go away!”
Although he was a knight in his past, the old archduke’s magic power was weak and could not reach the imperial army, which was filled with all kinds of clamor and confusion.
“Don’t you have family in your hometown? “Go away- ugh.”
The Archduke, who had been shouting with all his might and blood in his eyes to somehow control the soldiers, coughed and staggered.
“Your Majesty the Grand Duke!”
The Archduke looked at the blood on his hands with blurred eyes.
The blood he coughed up.
‘Is this the end?’
The moment the Archduke gave up, a shout from his side resounded throughout the imperial army camp, filled with magical energy.
“Step back, imperial army! Don’t you still have family in your hometown? Are you going to play with the wicked tongue of a mere foreigner and turn your family into traitors?”
It was only after hearing the powerful knight’s voice full of magical power that a very small portion of the imperial army regained their senses.
The soldiers, who were so overcome by the atmosphere that they could not bear to speak, were reluctant to turn their backs on their country and family, turned their backs and began to run away as soon as they received permission to retreat.
“Albert…”
Count Albert von Wittelsbach, whose leg was wrapped in a bandage, looked at the archduke with bleary eyes and said.
“Your Highness, please avoid it for now.”
The knight, who was young and praised as the best in the empire, had a miserable face, but he opened his mouth and said what he had to say.
“This battle has been lost.”
Archduke Leopold coughed repeatedly, covering his mouth with his hand, and looked at the devastation of the city he had painstakingly fortified.
The battlefield was divided into two groups: former subordinates running to surrender to the approaching revolutionary army with both hands raised, and those who turned their backs and ran away to save their lives rather than fight.
No, not even a battlefield, but a scene that seemed to embody the collapse of the imperial army itself.
“…Retreat. Make all troops retreat. … Tell Alsace to give up and step down. A defensive battle in the Rhineland and the Empire… ugh.”
“Your Majesty the Archduke!”
“Haha, bring His Highness the Archduke!”
Amidst the screaming cries of Count Wittelsbach and his entourage.
Archduke Leopold vomited blood once again and eventually lost consciousness.
* * *
Metz, a city that fought desperately to protect itself at all costs, but eventually reached its limit and had to surrender to the Empire and retreat.
The revolutionary Franzian flag is waving in the city.
There were few sacrifices.
There was no proper resistance, and at most there were only a few sporadic local battles between the retreating imperial army and the pursuing revolutionary army.
“It is a victory for Franzia!”
“Long live the revolution!
The faces of the soldiers waving their flags in joy were full of joy.
“Long live the great Marquis de Lafayette!”
Among them, there were soldiers shouting and praising me like that, so their faces got a little heated.
Your Excellency the great Marquis de Lafayette.
He may be doing this because he is happy because he was able to achieve a great victory without shedding blood, but he is not some kind of blue knight.
When I heard it in person, it was quite embarrassing, but the Blue Knight who even gave instructions directly to his retainers must have been very shy.
“After all, you are truly the great Marquis de Lafayette! You really want to collapse the imperial army without a fight! You are truly amazing! Unlike the traitors who said it was a reckless challenge, I sincerely-”
“Stop right there.”
Damien de Mirbeau, who was talking passionately, immediately fell silent as soon as I stopped him.
Strangely enough, when I hear this from this person, it’s not that it’s embarrassing, but it’s annoying.
“Was Giselle Darby worth using?”
“Yes yes?”
Damien was visibly shocked.
okay. I heard they promoted him from a mere officer candidate to second lieutenant?
Anyway, he was a bit stingy because he flattered the lieutenant’s words as if they were his own.
“Of course, Your Excellency the Marquis! Competent officers are always needed…”
Damien’s voice got quieter as he went on, so I deliberately smiled and Damien quietly averted my gaze.
“okay. “It’s an unprecedentedly fast promotion, but give me a lieutenant rank.”
Why are you trying to treat other people’s achievements as if they were your own?
Damien also seemed to understand my intention and immediately responded with a salute.
“Oh, I understand, Your Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette!”
…I was thinking of skipping this point, but when I think about it again, something seems off.
This person spoke of Dabi’s thoughts as if they were his own, so I should have felt ashamed that I was so easy for this guy to read, right?
Also a little more –
“The whole of Metz has been secured, His Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette! It looks like the Imperial Army has completely abandoned Lorraine and is retreating to the Rhineland!”
“Congratulations, Your Excellency the Marquis! The number of imperial troops who surrendered reached 20,000! “General Jérôme Morel’s Chasseurs are pursuing them, so the war will further escalate!”
At just the right moment, Louis Desget and Alexandre Werther approached me and reported.
“You’re so lucky.”
“yes? Hahaha….”
I glanced at Damien, who was smiling vaguely, and then turned to greet Desais and Werther.
“Okay, good job. At this point, it would be no exaggeration to say that the imperial army was completely disintegrated.”
Of the only 50,000 troops left, as many as 20,000 suddenly surrendered without even fighting.
It shows without filter that their morale is in shambles, and since we know Jerome Morel’s persistence, the damage will only increase.
Although it was temporary, the empire lost the ability to wage war.
“Thanks to His Excellency the Marquis.”
Deje said with a smile and I shook my head.
“No, strictly speaking, it’s not thanks to me.”
I didn’t start the revolution, and I didn’t come up with the idea to treat the imperial army prisoners well and release them.
In the end, if Maximilien Isidore, the revolutionary government, and Eris had not influenced me, I, a nobleman, would not have been able to come up with this idea in the first place.
Moreover, the imperial army was cornered, and no matter how believable my words were, it would have been difficult to see such an effect if not for the work Christine had done.
“So where is Her Majesty the Queen?”
“After treating the wounded, he talks to the Imperial Army surrenderers and reassures them.”
“Hmm, okay. Then, I would like to ask you to clean up and maintain each unit. “Be prepared to go out at any time.”
“I understand, Your Excellency the Marquis!”
After getting a salute from Desais and Werther Mirbeau, I turned around and started walking.
After walking a bit, I saw a group of imperial soldiers in white uniforms gathered together, and in the middle of them, I saw Eris wearing a white robe talking to them.
There are no guards, including Lord Beaumont, but the fact that Her Majesty the Queen is doing something like that in the middle of the imperial army, which was her enemy until yesterday, is truly fearless.
From my perspective as the commander-in-chief of the revolutionary army, in fact, it doesn’t matter if I just leave the surrendered imperial army to settle down in Francia and tell them I don’t know.
At the point when the imperial army was defeated without even fighting a battle, their tactical value was already exhausted.
But still, this incident is ultimately just the result of my tactical reaping of the seeds sown by Eris.
In that case, we cannot help but ask the opinions of the parties involved.
“Your Majesty the Queen.”
“Ah, Marquis de Lafayette!”
Eris’ voice is bright just to listen to.
Since both armies won with little bloodshed, it would be an extremely good result for her.
When I called Eris, who seemed to be in a good mood, she immediately apologized and approached me.
“Is it nice to see the romance come true?”
“So good!”
Immediate answer.
In fact, there is no need to tell you the truth that the spies planted by Christine played a major role.
I laughed and spoke again.
“I am talking about the treatment of the surrendered imperial troops, but for now, I would like to settle them in Alsace-Lorraine.”
“Is this Alsace Lorraine?”
“yes. Since it is a border area with the empire, there is some exchange, and the residents we introduced are working in the upper reaches of Aquitaine. “I think there are some who would rather continue to work without returning to their hometowns, so I think we can settle the imperial army instead.”
“Okay…”
As expected, Eris had a slightly subtle face, so I asked naturally.
“Having spoken with them, does Her Majesty have any other opinions?”
“Even though they surrendered, I think there are quite a few people who are worried that their families who will remain in their hometown will go through hardships.”
“hmm. It is certainly likely that the Empire will take a hard line against them. “They waged war under the pretext of our revolution spreading to the empire.”
“Okay… “I guess?”
Eris’s expression darkened, so I smiled and answered.
“Of course, I won’t let that happen.”
“Then?”
“I don’t expect a revolution to break out in the empire.”
Although we incited the imperial army to join us, will the fire of revolution suddenly spread to the people of the empire, who are cold-hearted and unaware of anything, and overthrow the empire?
How could something like that be that easy?
In Francia, where the seeds had already been sown to some extent, a revolution barely broke out after years of civil war and natural disasters such as abnormal weather.
Unlike Eris, I don’t have any romantic feelings, so I don’t have any such expectations.
“But right now, it will feel like a real threat to the fearful imperial family and feudal lords…”
Although they ultimately brought it on themselves, the incident that occurred this time must have instilled in them a great sense of fear that such a threat might be real.
“We will include a demand in the peace negotiations to repatriate the families of those who surrendered.”
Since these are people who have already surrendered in response to my persuasion, consider them as being within my scope and be considerate of them.
Well, it’s not a particularly great benefit, but if we ask for territory, there is a high risk that the justification for a war to protect the revolution will be lost and other kingdoms will also see us as a threat.
On the other hand, if we bring them back along with compensation, the people of the empire who surrendered to us will be happy, and more than anything, the cause of revolution will live on.
“But will the empire accept that? From the empire’s perspective, it means handing over traitors to the enemy country. Rather, it might harm the family…”
As Eris said, the moment the empire accepts that, regardless of whether it is actually a big loss, the very foundation of the empire is shaken.
Because it would be like giving up the people of the feudal lords in a war started by the empire. Prestige will literally be driven to the bottom of the ground.
“Oh, of course the empire won’t accept it.”
Then you just have to make it so that you have no choice but to accept it.
“Rhineland. “We will advance to the empire, Your Majesty.”
The 50,000-strong imperial army disintegrated in an instant.
In the current situation, no one but Archduke Leopold can stop us.
“First, we occupy the border area and ask each prince, not the empire, to repatriate the families of those who surrendered. If you don’t respond, they will attack. How will the feudal lords react when they see with their own eyes that the empire cannot protect their territory?”
The reason the feudal lords have been able to take their time and pat their bellies until now is because this was the empress’s war and not their war.
But the moment that happens, it becomes your own business.
There is no way that a single princely state would have the power to stop the revolutionary army on its own, so those who are desperate will agree to repatriation to avoid immunity and then shift responsibility and blame to the emperor and empress.
“…I feel like we have somehow become bad people.”
Eris spoke a little hesitantly, so I smiled and answered.
“If they hadn’t invaded in the first place, we wouldn’t have seen this.”
You went to war under the childish illusion that you couldn’t lose and that you wouldn’t have to suffer, so wouldn’t you come to your senses only if you had to pay the price?
