Episode 98 Revolution Defense War – The people who filled the battle
square were sharply accused of being witches.
The eyes full of hostility seemed to pierce my body.
Eris had to endure all kinds of malice while walking unsteadily in heavy shackles.
All the way to the guillotine, a bloody smell that could not be erased was wafting.
He didn’t feel resentful of the people who hurled all kinds of slander at him.
I just felt sad.
If you had known that rejecting the position of saint offered by the Holy Church would come back this way, would you have accepted it?
Even if that were the case…
While I was thinking blankly, there was a man standing in front of me.
Who is it?
The first person I see, who feels distinctly different from the people filling the square, is a man with a beard smiling wryly.
This is my first time seeing this person, but I know this person.
Is it true that you saw it for the first time?
The moment she thought that, the man stretched out his hand and tapped Eris’ forehead –
“…Brother Louis-”
Eris sank into the depths of her dream.
* * *
Eris woke up and blinked blankly.
I rejected the offer to come to the church and become a saint.
He was reluctant to leave Franzia, which was full of tribulations, and be used for the sake of the church.
And above all.
-…Bishop. Is it really the only way for someone who commits suicide to suffer in hell?
-Of course, saint candidate. Those who directly defy the will of God who gave life will suffer for eons and pay the price.
I did not want to follow the bishop who answered with such fanaticism as if it was so obvious.
Because he did not want to give in to those who arrogantly spoke of God’s will, he insisted until the end that it was his own origin rather than something given by God, and was dragged to the guillotine.
So –
no, she was recognized as a saint.
I have never had a conversation like that before.
In the end, I accepted that the strength that prevented me from saving my mother was also given to me by God.
The Marquis de Lafayette…
Eris held her head, feeling as if her head was enveloped in a hazy fog.
At that moment, the voice of Jenny, the maid, was heard from outside the room.
“Have you been coughing, Her Majesty?”
That voice blew away the murky fog in my head.
Eris blinked a few times and opened her mouth as her sense of reality suddenly returned.
Why did I think that since I had never even met the Marquis de Lafayette?
“Yes, I woke up.”
“How are you today, Your Majesty?”
Eris smiled brightly and answered Jenny’s question as she brought a basin filled with washing water.
“I think it’s very good.”
Eris then stretched out her hand, and a light spread that seemed to cover the entire room.
“Oh, you can’t try too hard!”
“Ahaha. It’s okay to this extent. “I just used it a little bit as a test.”
Eris smiled and answered Jenny, who was embarrassed.
Perhaps due to my mood, my divine power seems to have become stronger than before.
Thanks to the Marquis de Lafayette, I was able to rest and recuperate for over 15 days, so it is natural.
No, it’s not that problem.
I know it continues to increase until I’m 25.
“…what?”
Eris slowly tilted her head.
Why do you know?
* * *
The fortress of Verdun, just before the arrival of summer.
Yesterday, after receiving the report that Archduke Leopold’s army had marched from Nancy, I immediately called a military council.
“It has finally come.”
I opened my mouth with a wry smile, looking at the tension-filled commanders.
“Hwiyu, even though they were robbed and suffered a supply accident, they are finally attacking before the end of spring.”
“He may be an enemy general, but I need to recognize his tenacity.”
Jérôme Morel and Louis Desget each said a word.
“The number of enemy troops deployed has been confirmed to be approximately 90,000.”
I nodded and responded to Chief of Staff Werther’s report.
“It’s decreased quite a bit.”
The number of troops initially mobilized by the empire was 120,000. Among them, even considering the troops lost in the last Battle of Metz-Moselle, there are very few.
“yes. Even considering the number of troops to manage and defend the rear occupied areas and the number to guard the supply lines, the number has decreased considerably.”
Regarding the method of contaminating military supplies, our commanders were also shocked, and honestly, I knew that Christine was up to something. I didn’t know it was something like that, but…
“…it’s the Count of Aquitaine’s fault.”
“I can’t deny it.”
The commanders eventually reluctantly nodded.
“Our troops number 60,000 with reinforcements from Lumiere. As everyone knows, it is no longer possible to delay the war by retreating. “We have to stop the enemies here somehow.”
“I understand, Your Excellency the Marquis!”
There will be a Verdun fortress before the defense, so it’s worth a try.
“Now then, as for the defense of the fortress…”
My eyes naturally turned to Damien, and he opened his mouth with a sharp look.
“Your Excellency the Marquis. This time, we have a lot of troops-”
There are also defenders who normally work at the fortress.
The moment I thought that, an officer entered.
“Excuse me during the meeting! “I have an urgent report!”
“What’s going on?”
“They say the imperial army is moving south!”
“Go south? “You’re not coming here?”
To advance to the capital Lumiere, of course you had to advance west, but you had to advance south.
It may have been empty, with troops and all, but southern Francia was a relatively unimportant territory with a small population and few large cities.
Since the Empire mobilized its troops excessively, I thought they would aim for a short decisive battle, but suddenly?
I stared at the map and belatedly realized the Archduke’s intention.
“…Are you trying to block the trade route with the Alpine kingdom?”
“Huh.”
Werther swallowed his sleep.
Due to its reliance on knights and the devaluation of firearms since before the Revolution, there is a shortage of professional firearms production craftsmen in Francia.
It is cheaper to just import weapons used by some city troops than to produce them on a small scale.
Although training began only after the revolution, the quality and production of domestically produced firearms are still very low.
So, as our trade with the Abyss Corporation was cut off due to our hostile relationship, it was very difficult to supply firearms, and we were desperate for trade with the Alpine Kingdom…
As soon as that trade route was blocked, our ability to secure equipment was at a loss. It will drop drastically and shamelessly.
“This is a hit.”
He must have been under a lot of political pressure while fighting a delayed war with so many troops, so I thought he would act hastily, but here he is instead acting like this?
In the southern region, of course, residents were evacuated, but nothing was done at all. In the first place, we never assumed that we would advance to the south rather than the capital.
Is it true that Archduke Leopold is not going to be dragged around according to my intentions?
“The defense plan is scrapped. “I guess I have no choice but to turn around.”
“But, Your Excellency the Marquis. “I think that’s exactly what they want.”
Louis Desget’s point is valid. What Archduke Leopold is most looking forward to is for us to make a move…
“But if we sit back and allow the South to be overrun and equipment acquisition to be blocked, the entire point of delaying the war will be lost.”
Since everything was done to us, the enemies must have been very angry.
Cutting off equipment imports is a serious problem, but if they are just sent to the south, southern Francia will be devastated whether the Archduke wants it or not.
In the end, the reason we fought a delayed war was to protect Francia and gain time to secure troops, not to preserve our troops.
It’s a rotation of 60,000 and 90,000….
I slowly looked away and looked at Eris, who was sitting quietly in her seat and just listening, as if she wasn’t trying to disturb me.
“Are you okay, Your Majesty?”
If a collision occurs from the front, there will be quite a bit of pressure on Eris.
No, with a power vehicle like this, you obviously have no choice but to rely heavily on Eris.
But Eris smiled brightly and answered.
“Please leave it to me. I could.”
I narrowed my eyes and looked at Eris, who was smiling. I’ve been resting well for a while and it looks like I’ve improved a lot, but…
I sighed lightly and answered.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. “Still, I’d like to ask you to do so in the least unreasonable way possible.”
I looked at the commanders who looked nervous and opened my mouth.
“Then let’s go.”
* * *
Even while the armies of both sides were marching, the light cavalry were busy constantly exploring each other and looking for loopholes.
It is a battle between those who try to gain as much information as possible by observing the opponent’s movements and attack the supply base to inflict even more damage, and those who try to stop it.
“This time too, there is nothing to gain other than the reconnaissance report, Your Excellency the Marquis.”
I opened the report submitted by Jerome Morel, who had approached me on horseback.
Our Chasseurs still hold the upper hand against the Imperial Hussars, but Archduke Leopold, who has suffered as much as he deserves, is responding appropriately.
The situation has become such that it is no longer possible to unilaterally trample by dividing the infantry corps appropriately and deploying them in the right places, or by thoroughly guarding the supply corps with sufficient troops.
“You have no shame whatsoever.”
Jerome Morel scratched his head and I shook my head.
The enemy’s troops were confirmed to be approximately 90,000, and it was also confirmed that they had begun to camp on the plains west of Besançon, on the way to the south. This alone is impressive.
“No, General Morel’s unit has fulfilled its role just by the record of its record so far. In the end, they are constantly wasting their power in preparation for the light cavalry, so their mere presence will put pressure on the enemy.”
“Haha, thank you for saying that! “But can I ask you a favor?”
“What please?”
“It is true that the light cavalry plays a auxiliary role, but our men are also cavalrymen, so they covet the role of directly contributing to the battlefield. “I hope you will consider using light cavalry in battle.”
Well, the cavalry are essentially macho people.
“I’ll consider it, General Morel.”
“Hwiyu, please be kind to me!”
Even if they can’t be used in a frontal clash, they can at least play a role as a side strike…
“They say the enemy is waiting in the western plains of Besançon.”
As soon as Werther heard me, he unfolded the map, took it out, and furrowed his brows.
“It seems that Archduke Leopold has made up his mind and is waiting.”
I also smiled bitterly.
“If we were to fight in rough terrain, we who are familiar with the terrain would try guerrilla warfare or surprise raids, but since we have suffered so much, we will fight in a place where there are no such variables in the first place.”
“If there is a head-on confrontation on the plain, they will be able to maintain their military advantage.”
“But if you don’t fight, they’ll just march south.”
Werther had a serious look on his face and began marking the positions of his troops on the map.
It’s easy to do something like that on a horse that’s shaking because it’s moving.
“General Nikola would be the right leader for the vanguard.”
“Oh, I think he’s the right person.”
That stubborn and fearless general would not be intimidated by being outnumbered.
“Your Excellency the Marquis, will you fight on the front lines again?”
“okay. Because it has a significant impact on the morale of the soldiers. “I will leave the role of acting commander-in-chief to Commander Dezey once again.”
“We will inform you immediately whenever there is a change in the old battle situation.”
Deje immediately responded with a salute, so I added with a chuckle.
“Please take care of me this time too, Commander. I will command the left wing, General Gaston, and the right cavalry.”
“I understand, Your Excellency!”
Gaston answered reassuringly as always.
Werther was quickly marking his positions on the map as instructed by me, and Damien de Mirbeau, who was looking at the scene with disgust, opened his mouth.
“Are you holding an impromptu strategy meeting while riding a horse?”
“Ah, my most reliable general, Count Mirbeau.”
“It is an honor, Your Excellency the Marquis. But why again this time…”
I smiled while looking at Damien.
Eris is there, and the trump card is also coming.
Our strength isn’t that bad, but it’s true that going head-to-head with an enemy soldier that’s 1.5 times stronger is a burden.
Even though fighting is unavoidable, I don’t like fighting exactly as the Archduke intended…
“I have another plan.”
Then even Werther, who had his head buried in the map, turned his attention to me.
It’s a fight where you can’t lose, so shouldn’t you do everything you can?
“What are your plans? “I wonder if there’s something dangerous again-”
Damien had an uneasy expression on his face, but in my mind, I had already come to the conclusion a long time ago.
What kind of nonsense is this? You said you blocked 10,000 people with 30,000 people without causing any damage?
So wouldn’t we be able to do this too?
“Have you ever heard of a bait unit?”
Damien’s face rotted rapidly.
