Episode 90
“You know, right now, I’m holding back because of my teacher, but even if a little more time passes or there’s even the slightest excuse, Roger Bipros won’t hold back.”
“And until then, we can increase our strength. It’s still less than Bipros. Isn’t that what you said?”
“Yes, but if I were Roger Bipros, I wouldn’t just wait for us to grow up. I would make up a reason somehow.”
“…Yeah. I guess so.”
Even if we do not know the future of civil war, this is a natural expectation if we are aware of the conflict with Bipros.
But even though my father nodded, he looked somewhat shocked.
‘…It’s not a strange thing.’
People tend to have instinctive expectations about their work.
It was a matter of perspective that had nothing to do with intelligence or social status.
What’s unique about Logan is that he always thinks about war.
“…I guess I’m talking because I have a plan in mind.”
“yes.”
Logan began explaining the plan with a confident expression.
And after a while.
“It’s a reasonable plan. But there will be more problems after that, so what are you planning to do?”
“You just have to endure it.”
“what?”
“It is difficult to tell you the details right now. But please believe me, it is entirely possible.”
Padrick’s face, which seemed to have opened up a little due to Logan’s plausible plan, was crumpled like a piece of paper again.
“Didn’t I hear the plan for the most dangerous thing? But let’s go to war first? Should I just trust you?”
“yes.”
“…If someone else had said this, I would have thought you were crazy and wouldn’t have interacted with you. No, I might have cut your head off on the spot.”
Despite the cruel tone, Logan looked at his father with an unmoving expression.
Padric let out a deep sigh at that sight and then nodded with a heavy expression.
“Yes, you have to believe it. If I don’t trust you, who will I trust? Let’s try it. But only a few people will share this plan. Until the end.”
“Of course I should.”
It wasn’t because it was a particularly exquisite plan.
Just to protect the mental strength and morale of their allies, the father and son decided to hide this seemingly ineffective tactic until just before the war.
“Then when? When do you think it will be?”
“It’s not far now. We have to start on the day of the next full moon.”
Padric tilted his head at his son’s words.
My son looked as if he had received the date from someone.
“…There are only about 20 days left. But is there a reason it has to be on that day?”
“yes.”
“Is this related to the plan you mentioned earlier?”
“yes.”
“Okay. Then we have to prepare. Even if it’s a little late, the troops will all be ready.”
“Thank you, father.”
“That’s what I’m going to say. Thank you for breaking my complacent thoughts.”
As soon as the discussion about the dangerous future ended, the conversation between father and son also ended.
“I will convene a vassal meeting tomorrow. Get ready.”
“yes.”
War is at hand again.
next day.
By order of Lord McLane, all the vassals gathered at the manor house.
Although the newly built Lord’s Hall in the town was smaller than the main hall at McLane Castle, it was more than enough to accommodate a gathering of less than 40 people.
Compared to the quaint and old-fashioned Daejeon of the time, it was not as flashy as it was, but the simple but clean space made of ironwood had a more comfortable atmosphere for conversation.
However, the expressions on the faces of the eight administrators and twenty-four knights who had been with us since the days of old McLane Castle were not so bright.
“It’s a general summons….”
“I guess something is really going on here.”
“It shouldn’t be a big deal.”
Recently, the unfounded rumors that have been spreading in the territory have slowly taken on various forms and are being talked about by people.
Something happened to the lord’s family.
In the winter, more construction than before begins.
Taxes will go up as much as before.
Young Ji-min, who was preparing for the first warm winter in his life under McLane, could not help but feel anxious.
However, this was the rumor that most of Yeongji residents were most worried about.
There will be war soon.
I’ve just settled down and it’s become a good place to live.
No one in McLane hoped for the worst: war.
However, although the administrators did not know it, the knights had already guessed that the atmosphere of the training was becoming increasingly harsh.
That’s why I wasn’t that surprised when the lord appeared a while later and got to the point.
“We will start a war with Ferretta this winter.”
Of course, except for Dwayne, the administrators looked almost struck by lightning.
“That war?!”
“It’s ridiculous! There’s a war at this time!”
“No, no one declared war, we are the first to start a war?!”
Rugel Heiss jumps up with a red face, even to the top of his head.
“Oh, for some reason, Mugu keeps coming in.”
Ferran Doyle clutched his head, his plump cheeks trembling.
The knights who had at least expected it calmly brought up a counterargument.
“Even if you hit Ferretta, there’s no way Bipros will stay still.”
“That’s right. We have to consider Bipros behind us. Our territory cannot handle Bipros with our territory’s strength yet.”
“We need to be sure that we have allies or that Bypros isn’t moving.”
But Padric looked at his son who was standing next to him motionless.
Then, reading those eyes, Logan took a step forward.
“The will of the family has been decided. This is a communication. The reason we have gathered you here is not to share opinions.”
The intimidating feeling that spread along with the booming voice silenced the retainers.
“This position is to carry out the upcoming war as effectively as possible. You tell me your plan for the war. I will not listen to any objections.”
To sum it up in one word, it was ‘Shut up and follow’.
It was an outrage that put to shame the term “family meeting,” but no one was willing to come forward and express opposition.
The relationship between McLane’s superiors and subordinates was quite strict compared to other noble families.
‘It’s good at times like this.’
Logan thought about that and smiled slightly.
I planned to press the button in a strong tone and then force them to accept the cause with a prepared message.
however.
“I think this is the Archduke’s idea?”
“Hmm. Then what…”
“You must have some other plan.”
“You’re not the kind of person who just moves.”
Rather than becoming rigid, the atmosphere became warm and looks filled with trust poured in.
‘What is this…’
Logan is slightly embarrassed by the unexpected situation.
My father’s declaration followed in the background, making the situation even more clear.
“As you think, this war is Logan’s idea. Of course, it will be fought under the leadership of the Archduke. Do you have anything to say?”
Logan looked back with a puzzled expression.
“doesn’t exist!”
“I will follow!”
“Command!”
Voices pouring in.
Most of the anxious expressions on my face when I entered Daejeon had all but disappeared.
‘This easy?’
Logan, who was just making a bewildered expression, heard Padric’s low voice in his ears.
“How are you feeling, Logan?”
“yes?”
“This is the result of what you’ve done. Aren’t you proud?”
At those words, Logan looked back at the faces of each of his retainers again.
Heinkel, who still looked a bit worried, nodded vigorously when his eyes met.
Dwayne, who had been actively supporting everything I said for some time, gave me a thumbs up with an unbecoming wink.
The bald Rugel, the fat Ferran, and the svelte Rupen who didn’t know it.
Even the janitors, including Henderson.
Everyone was looking at them with eyes full of trust.
“It’s not that I’m not worried, but that’s what Confucius thinks.”
“I believe it, Confucius.”
“Please show me a miracle again.”
Logan was speechless for a moment and closed his mouth.
I couldn’t say anything else because my heart was pounding.
Then, I finally pulled out my sincerity from deep within my heart and declared what I wanted to achieve with determination.
“Of course! I will show you with clear results this time too!”
“oh…!”
“Trust me! With this war, McLane will soar once again!”
Logan’s declaration made the vassals’ faces excited.
“Everyone prepare for war!”
The moment when the Lord’s assurance explodes.
“I will follow your orders!”
A loud cry erupted with one voice, so loud that it seemed as if it would collapse the narrow Daejeon.
* * * A night when the moon rose high.
Logan, who was meditating in his room as usual, was unable to concentrate at all, so he quietly relaxed his posture and stood up.
Outside the window, I could see the soft moonlight and starlight illuminating McLane Town in a peaceful and tranquil manner.
And small sounds of laughter occasionally heard from afar.
That infinitely peaceful scene made me uneasy for no reason.
‘If I just grow like this without taking risks, wouldn’t there be a problem maintaining the family?’
Even though I had already reviewed and resolved countless times, anxiety reared its head again.
That is why this war was so risky.
The moment something goes wrong, the family could fall into abyss.
So it was natural to have all kinds of worries.
Logan took out and looked again at the records written immediately after the regression, which he had reviewed countless times.
Things not to forget and the most important day at the moment.
A record of the day the king died.
I reviewed it several times and it was an easy day to remember, so it didn’t seem like it would be wrong even though decades had passed.
‘The last day of the year.’
The king’s death will be announced that day.
Still, the anxiety did not go away easily.
‘What if the timing goes wrong for reasons I don’t know, like the territory war with Tethron? Or what if I really remembered the date wrong? ‘Isn’t it possible that we are underprepared?’
Wouldn’t he end up betraying the absolute trust his vassals showed him during the day?
At that thought, my anxiety grew one after another.
But in any case, the conclusion was obvious.
‘must do it.’
Crackling.
If you don’t take advantage of this opportunity to soar, no matter how fast you grow, it will be difficult for you to exert even the influence of a margrave eight years later when the Imperial War begins.
So, there was no choice but to fail like this country.
Unless you plan to give up the land your family inherited from your ancestors, give up your country, and move as a group to that hateful empire.
“You absolutely have to do it!”
Logan deliberately promised out loud to chase away the creeping anxiety.
‘No matter what happens.’
Logan stood looking at the sky for a long time, hoping that the cold moonlight that filled his vision would take away his weak heart.
Two weeks after that.
The end of the year, three days before the end of the year.
“We’re heading out!”
As soon as Logan’s words fell, McLane’s army moved.
152 knights.
Total number of soldiers: 2,532. (1,000 crossbow cavalry, including knight trainees, 1,532 infantry) All knights and soldiers who had converted from Sylvan were mobilized.
McLane’s entire force, except for the minimal security forces, rode west.
Even infantrymen who did not know how to properly handle horses were riding on the backs of their comrades one by one.
Nevertheless, the army rushed forward carrying only the maximum amount of weapons and equipment and almost no provisions.
It looked the same as the previous battle at Sylvan Territory, only the scale was bigger.
It was a race that showed the determination to end the war in the shortest possible time.
And a declaration of war was delivered to Peretta territory.
– I will hold you accountable for insulting me 6 months ago.
It was the moment when storms began again in the southwestern part of the kingdom, which had been peaceful for a while.
* * * Ferretta territory was overturned by McLane’s sudden declaration of war.
“Tell Bipros! Those McLane guys are crazy!”
Max Ferretta continued to scream with a white face.
“Just give up Fleun Castle and concentrate all your troops on the main castle! We’ll hold out somehow until Bipro comes!”
Since Sylvan’s fall in vain, Max Perretta has analyzed the battle countless times.
As a result, he realized that it was pure luck that McLane’s first attack was Sylvan, not him.
And the envoy who had stopped him at the time, Richalt, became much more important than before.
But now that McLane has ignored Bipros’ warning and is advancing, Ferretta realizes that all that good luck was just a matter of time.
Even the moment he heard that McLane was advancing on the main castle, ignoring the nearby Castle of Flen, Ferretta’s second castle, he lost the last of his sanity.
“Conscripts! Gather conscripts too! Make them use up the damn devil’s arrows!”
Following the words of the cruel lord, all villagers near Pereta Castle were forcibly summoned.
Truly indiscriminate conscription without distinction of age or age.
Any men who could lift a weapon were conscripted and brought into the castle.
The entire castle of Ferretta trembled in fear due to the emergency brought about by McLane’s advance.
