Revolutionary Period – National Assembly (1)
As I came down from the podium and exchanged brief greetings with the members of the National Assembly, a person I had never expected approached me.
He’s a little shorter than me and has a handsome Honam-type face.
This may be his first time seeing me, but I know his face very well.
No, you can’t know.
The man who came striding towards us took off his hat and greeted me quite stylishly.
“It’s nice to meet you, General Lafayette! “My name is Raphael Balian!”
“…Nice to meet you, General Balian. “This is Pierre de Lafayette.”
The members of the National Assembly constantly called me Marquis, as if to remind me that I was a nobleman, but this man called me General…
or rather. Why is this person here?
“I knew that the Northern Army had advanced to the vicinity of Reims in advance, but it is surprising to see you here.”
“ha ha ha. “If you don’t mind, may I ask you a question?”
“…Hmm.”
Balian let out a pretty cool laugh and offered to shake my hand. When I responded with a handshake, he asked:
“General, when do you think they will start their offensive?”
“…At the earliest, after the Germanian Empire army joins King Louis, but there is a high possibility of a break due to the long march, and at the latest, after the arrival of the Northern United Kingdom army…
no, after the winter has passed, the offensive will be launched.”
The Northern United Kingdom is a union of peninsular countries located in the northern part of the Germanian Empire.
Two of them require a short boat ride to reach the central continent, so naturally their arrival will be much later than that of the Germanian Empire.
Balian grinned at my answer.
“Oh, that’s what I thought. So here I am. haha. There’s no way the enemies will attack anyway, so there’s no need for me to keep my position boring, right?”
It’s not wrong, but it shows great confidence.
Are you confident that your predictions will never be wrong?
“More than anything, I was looking forward to meeting you, General.”
Why is Balian, who I only met as an enemy on the battlefield before returning, so interested in me?
“Can I borrow your time for a moment, General?”
Balian said and winked.
I’m getting goosebumps…
–
We moved to a new location and in a room where we were alone, Raphael Balian smiled cheerfully and opened his mouth.
“It is a great pleasure to see you again, General Lafayette. No one will know how long I have been waiting for this day. haha!”
Did he just see the faces of the members of the National Assembly?
In order to avoid giving me the position of commander-in-chief, the Republic had to provide us with various privileges such as tax exemption and pension, as well as a one-year grace period for ruling in addition to the position of military commander that we requested.
Since we have tax exemption privileges at the top of Aquitaine, the Republic, which pays all of the military expenses, will lose even more economically even if it takes over the sovereignty of the territory, and will never see any benefit.
The reason they put me and Balian on the same level by going that far was probably because they expected him, a commoner, to become the focal point of the Republic army against me.
“…I also have heard of General Balian’s reputation and am well aware of it.”
But the person in charge actually welcomed me like this, so this…
My feelings were complicated, but Balian still opened his mouth with a smile on his face.
“The general, who had never distinguished himself in the long-running civil war, appeared like a comet at the end of the civil war. And while using tactics that the kingdom’s nobles have not used until now.”
That’s just something I tried by referring to the tactics this person used before his regression. Did he look at me as a tactician?
“It was interesting up to that point, but what I actually paid more attention to was what happened afterward. “I was wondering if he would cut ties with the Duke of Lorraine and establish his own force in the south, but I never thought he would commit himself to the Republic.”
“If we had tried to establish our own power, we would have collapsed after the republic collapsed to King Louis and foreign powers.”
It’s okay that the revolution progressed quickly thanks to our crushing of the king’s army, but King Louis tried to overdo it and the revolution collapsed too quickly.
The original King Louis was not that desperate when the revolution broke out, so he did not openly sell out his people to the devil, and naturally the revolutionary army did not openly oppose the Abyss Corporation.
Moreover, when the revolution broke out, the civil war was still going on, and King Louis’ main enemy was not the revolutionary army, but us.
It was more than a year after the revolution broke out in the capital that King Louis reached out to us after several failed attempts to suppress the revolutionary army, which he took lightly. It was much later that I asked for help from foreign powers.
Therefore, the revolutionary government before the return had time to prepare its posture during the post-revolutionary chaos, establish a national open military system, secure troops, and arm them by purchasing equipment pouring in from the Abyss Corporation.
but now? The revolutionary government had already crossed the river of no return with the Abyss Corporation, and King Louis had collapsed so severely that foreign powers intervened before he could even catch his breath.
Meanwhile, the southern part of the country, which would have already been secured by the revolutionary government by the time foreign powers intervened, was under our control, so it is not at all surprising that the revolutionary government would have collapsed in vain if we had not joined.
It is true that Raphael Balian is a great general, but he cannot reach the level where he can single-handedly resolve all the gaps in a war between countries, let alone a civil war.
Balian smiled as if he was very satisfied after hearing what I said.
“I am truly happy to have someone with the right insight on my side.
To be honest, I was feeling a little lost so far. haha!”
“I’m also glad that the general is being friendly.”
Balian seemed to have understood what I said and snorted.
“I think the council wants me to be a check on the general or the marquis, but that is just the trivial opinion of those who only know politics and not war. The Republic army is only a little over 20,000 strong, but they are bringing an army that is over 40,000 strong. “Now is not the time for family squabbles.”
I smiled and answered Balian’s words.
“It’s nice that the story is fast. There were about 6,000 Confederate troops that I led. “There may be more conscription in the Republic, but it is difficult to distinguish between northern and southern armies in terms of the current military strength.”
I let out a sigh and Balian caught it right away.
“Honestly, the number of troops in the Northern Army is excessive compared to the quality and quantity of officers. First, I would like to transfer 7,000 troops under my command to your southern army.”
I was quite surprised.
To be honest, I didn’t expect Balian to be this cooperative, but this makes the story quite easy.
“Then what do you want?”
“The Confederate Army must have many experienced non-commissioned officers. Please send them over. “The Northern Army has so many troops but so few officers that it can be used, so it can’t be controlled properly.”
Most of our officers are either stuck in outdated doctrines or aristocrats who look down on commoners, so please give us non-commissioned officers with actual combat experience. That’s wise.
“All right. I will select and send people who can help General Balian control the army. And I also have a suggestion.”
“Oh you say it!”
“… Among the knights, I would like to dispatch as instructors those who will not disobey the general I trust. I think it would be quite helpful in the war at hand if we trained the heavy cavalry how to utilize mana even simply.”
Even commoners have magic power, even though they don’t use it because they haven’t learned how to use it.
Among them, if they are selected as heavy cavalry, they are quite strong by commoners’ standards, and if even some of them are talented and can handle mana, they will be of great help, although not as much as knights who have been systematically trained since childhood.
At the very least, even if there were only 10 heavy cavalry that could handle mana, they would be able to deal with at least one mediocre knight.
We must do everything we can to gain even the slightest advantage over foreign armies, as the seeds of knights that we were proud of during the long civil war have dried up.
Balian smiled and took my hand.
“Unbelievable! It’s truly noblesse oblige to have a nobleman like you! “I guess this country is doomed to ruin!”
In fact, I flinched and almost threw his hand away, but Balian was looking at me with bright eyes and a smile on his face.
The Balian I knew was a fearsome enemy, but he is so different from what I thought?
“It was rewarding to ignore the protests of my subordinates and run all the way to Lumiere. I am confident that we will get along very well. “If we work together, we can save this country and become heroes!”
“okay. “I, too, am glad that General Balian is so cooperative.”
“ha ha ha! Please take care of me in the future. “May General Lafayette have victory and glory in his future!”
Balian was very excited and happy, as if he had just had a drink with an old friend.
I also wanted to establish a cooperation system with Balian, but it went too easily and I was a little embarrassed.
Well, first of all, it’s not a bad thing for me.
“Please take care of me too. “May there be victory and glory to General Balian.”
–
About a month after Balian first left for the front.
I spent a busy day selecting the non-commissioned officers to be sent to Balian’s northern army, distributing the troops to be sent in their place, and organizing each unit.
I had to select knights who were loyal to me, including Gaston, and were less repulsive to commoners, and send them to train the cavalry of the Northern Army. Likewise, I had to select those who would train the cavalry of the Southern Army.
While I was having such a hectic time, I met Christine at her mansion in the capital for the first time in a long time.
“how is it? “It is a brand enjoyed by quite high-ranking people in the Holy Church.”
After listening to Christine’s words with a smile, I lightly lifted the cup and tasted it. The rich, deep aroma of coffee spread into my mouth, and a bitter taste enveloped my tongue.
“Well that’s definitely good.”
I feel like my mind is becoming a little clearer.
Christine smiled softly, then lifted her cup in an elegant manner and drank the coffee slowly, savoring it.
It’s definitely good, but I’m very concerned…
“So how much is this?”
“I brought it as a gift, but you’re asking the price.”
Christine looked at me with a hint of disappointment, so I shrugged my shoulders and nodded lightly.
“If you say so, I will accept it gratefully.”
“Yes, please. “I prepared this because Pierre seems to be very busy and tired these days.”
I smiled wryly at Christine’s words.
“Thank you. Um and I’m sorry. Normally, the National Assembly should help you…”
I am a member of the National Assembly in name only, but I am busy organizing the southern army before the battle, so my attendance is limited to occasional appearances.
“That can’t be helped. “It has been my role from the beginning, and I think other nobles are now adapting to it little by little.”
“They must also see and learn something. “Because you are doing so well, Christine, there is nothing better to do than this.”
Christine smiled and savored her coffee.
It is no exaggeration to say that the National Assembly is almost a stage for Christine.
The National Assembly largely ignored Christine at first. Even though she was the only female member of the National Assembly, it was just a qualification and she was even from an aristocracy, so there was no reason for the Assembly to welcome her.
However, for about 15 days after coming to the capital, she continued to engage in charity and donation activities with Eris, making citizens aware of her existence, and during the same period, she completed the capital branch of an intelligence organization linked to the top of Aquitaine.
The first to show support for her were the women of the capital.
Women viewed Christine favorably simply because it was the Aquitaine market that stabilized the price of bread in the capital, and when Christine began to listen to the voices of women who did not have the right to vote and convey them to the National Assembly, they soon responded enthusiastically, and the hearts of their husbands began to be moved as well. did.
From then on, Christine began to use the information she had quietly gathered. The targets were mainly lawmakers who were hostile to her or us or corrupt, and those who were not accustomed to controlling themselves or their subordinates due to their sudden rise to power thanks to the revolution were usually unable to respond properly.
Nevertheless, it may not have been easy to overcome the great weakness of being a female member of the aristocratic family, but there was someone who was of considerable help to her.
“…Surprisingly, you and Representative Isidore seem to get along well.”
When Christine used the evidence she had gathered to condemn the corrupt lawmakers, it was Maximilien Isidore who helped to cut them down more decisively.
There was even a misunderstanding that Isidor and Christine were secretly collaborating.
“It’s closer to a hostile symbiotic relationship.”
Christine smiled and answered, took another sip of her coffee, and then opened her mouth.
“It is risky, but people who are guided by strong convictions can use them to our benefit. “Of course, his teeth could point at me at any time, so I’m being careful.”
On several occasions, Christine had already brought to court those among her people who had committed corruption or had done things that could undermine the prestige of Aquitaine, and through these preemptive measures, she had cracked down on her power and was a fair and zealous member of parliament despite being a woman of noble birth. It further enhanced its reputation.
What’s scary about her is that some of them are people that Christine knew about in advance and deliberately helped to dispose of them in the capital.
“I trust you, Christine. No matter what anyone says, no one will dare to follow you in that field.”
“Please leave it to me. Public opinion work in the capital is going fairly well. If you achieve victory against the invaders, I will be ready to make you a hero right away.”
I answered, looking at Christine smiling confidently.
“haha. “I’m afraid I’m asking too much of you.”
“What are you saying? “You created the foundation for me to be active like this, right Pierre?”
Christine smiled deeply, rolling her characteristic cloudy, deep black eyes.
The National Assembly must have thought that even if they brought us into the capital, we would not be able to adapt to their system.
The revolutionary government made citizens aware that we were at least not the enemy and even gave us seats in the National Assembly where we could exercise political power.
In addition, by preventing punishment for past crimes, it has prevented unfair punishment in advance and holds military power to prevent unexpected situations. Aquitaine’s economic power and information power are resources that can exert influence on both public sentiment and political power.
Those who have all of this in their hands but cannot utilize it properly would not be able to think of joining hands with the Republic in the first place.
Just over a month now.
At first, Christine, wearing a black dress, was criticized for looking like an aristocratic woman, but now her image has changed to the point that it is widely known as a beautiful story, saying that it is a tribute to her father, who was assassinated by demons’ poison.
The members of the National Assembly, who were unable to control the sudden power they had, began to struggle to survive the stern looks of Christine and Isidore, and as the noble members established themselves to a certain extent, they worked with the moderates to gradually soften the atmosphere of the revolutionary government.
Nowadays, even the guillotine is rarely used except for executing those who have conspired with foreign countries.
“I hope it continues like this.”
“Iknow, right.”
Now, as soon as the reorganization of the Confederate army is completed, the immediate problem will be solved if we go out and successfully block the invasion of foreign powers.
While I was thinking that, the butler came in after knocking and handed me a letter.
And when I opened it, I furrowed my eyebrows.
“Is this a bad thing, Pierre?”
“…an emergency convening of the National Assembly. Demonstrations against the Republic’s conscription order took place in the West, and government officials were killed or injured.”
?
