My Villains Episode 365
61. The Art of War (7)
The next day, a military uniform was held.
Ulkar set up a command post in the central castle tower of the inner castle High Castle. Therefore, the place where the army was held was a large hall located on the first floor of the castle tower.
“Your Highness shouldn’t be like this, should we go first?”
“you’re right. If you set fire to the forest under cover of night and attack it, you will be able to achieve great results.”
Some of the various lords and commanders insisted on a surprise attack, but Ulkar shook his head with a very determined attitude.
“Among our forces, there are less than 1,500 elites capable of conducting night battles. Even if you use the advantage of a surprise attack, it would be foolish to attack an enemy ten times in number.”
“Then, are you willing to just sit and watch while those Gellans prepare for the siege?”
“Of course not.”
Originally, this hall was a large and splendid room like those of other lords. However, now, by order of the prince, all kinds of useless decorations, including the upper seat of the dais, had been removed.
The status of the border arrangement and the topographical map of nearby areas are hung on the wall, and a large, crude table is placed in the middle of the hall, where various reports and orders are piled up
.
“We will continue to train our soldiers. Because that comes first.”
Ulkar continued, looking back at the command staff seated around the table.
“Cutting down the enemy’s strength by conducting a night raid is only possible after raising the soldiers’ skills sufficiently and gathering their military spirit.”
“My opinion is a little different, Your Highness.”
It was Sir Dale Rashid, a knight who had come here on behalf of Earl Coburn, who raised the objection.
“Soldiers are just soldiers no matter how much they form. In the end, the victory or defeat of the battle is in the hands of the brave and determined knights.”
“It’s not possible to wage a war just because there are knights, sir.”
“Of course, we need wizards to support the knights and priests to wash their wounds. Elite soldiers filling the gaps in the ranks will also be helpful.”
Lord Daleshid stroked his short mustache and looked around the audience.
His nominal title was just a knight, but thanks to the entrustment of full authority by the great lord, his actual rank was high enough to be counted among the top five here. The commanders also listened to Lord Daileshid’s remarks.
“But don’t allies have all of that? There are enough wizards, priests, and elite soldiers. Ordinary soldiers just need to fill the walls, and if you waste time training them, you will miss the opportunity to attack. And it will soon be a loss of victories.”
It’s not that wrong.
The difference in skill between knights and conscripts in this world is incomparably greater than that in the Middle Ages.
Knights of the Middle Ages on Earth were weapons of war that could deal with a hundred serfs if equipped with weapons and armor. And the knights of the kingdom of Milanol, called ‘superhumans without magic’, are monsters that can tear a hundred serfs to death even while naked.
So, if you just seize the victory in the battle between the knights, there is a possibility of overturning the dramatic power difference of 15,000 vs. 4,500.
“I have a point, but I think the wonder overlooked one thing.” The prince said with a wry smile.
“The number of imperial knights alone led by Duke Abillambus reaches five hundred. Excluding the Dragon Knights and Vice King Berkard’s subordinates, they are far superior to our allies.”
“You mean the Imperial Knight? under! So many fake knights can’t match our real knights!”
The knights of the Mitergerland Empire are similar to those of the Milanol Kingdom, but they are slightly different.
In the case of the Milanol Kingdom, most of the knights are sons of samurai or are being raised after being selected by the lord for their excellent muscles and bones.
After enduring harsh training in an appropriate environment, his skills were recognized by his senior knights and he was appointed by the lord to become a true knight.
At first glance, it seems that a son or a cow can be appointed if he is a son of a noble status, but in reality, it is said that such cases are rare. It is because the lords who give the titles evaluate the knight candidates very strictly, considering it a great disgrace to appoint an unqualified person as a knight.
There were cases like Sir Ariad, who was recognized for his abilities despite being from an uprising army, or me, who was a mere mercenary and then was promoted to a position for great achievements, but this was an extremely rare case.
In other words, the most important condition to become a knight in the kingdom was skill. Thanks to this, there were occasional knights who were not properly armed, let alone given land.
On the other hand, the knights of the Mitergerland Empire have a slightly different personality.
In the empire, you train in a dojo set up by a swordsmanship school, and you are selected in the eyes of the lord, you graduate from the imperial university and obtain a knighthood, or you pay money to enter the military as a son of a famous family and receive a ordination. He builds military service and pretends to be a knight.
As the career path is diverse, the imperial knights are of various backgrounds and skills. If they had to find common ground, all they would have to do was be equipped with decent armaments and at the same time be wealthy enough to pay an expensive knight license tax to the emperor or the empress.
To sum up… Among the knights of the Kingdom of Milano, there are few who can’t fight, and among the knights of the Mittergeland Empire, those who are poor are rare.
“It is absurd to compare such gossips with the knights of the kingdom!”
“I will not point out your prejudice against imperial knights.”
Lord Daileshid flirted, but Ulkar’s tone remained calm.
“But the opponents are the Elector Counts, who are the most powerful people in the empire. Do you think the Imperial Knights they have are really incompetent babblers?”
w…… ”
M3
“Of course, the average skill might be slightly lower than that of the kingdom’s knights. Still, the difference in numbers won’t be meaningless.”
When the knight from Odenlock finally stopped talking, the prince turned to the audience and continued.
“Not only the number of knights, but also the number of wizards, the enemy is slightly more dominant. In fact, our allies are in a general inferiority.”
The atmosphere in the crowd became very heavy, but Ulkar did not care.
“In this situation, the only ones who can bridge the gap are ordinary soldiers.”
“What do you mean?”
“It is difficult to train knights and wizards overnight. On the other hand, the story of ordinary sick soldiers is different.”
A confident voice continued.
“Even conscripts who have never held a spear handle in their lives can overcome even elite soldiers trained for many years if they unite under a single flag based on high morale. That is what we seek.”
“No matter how morale and cohesiveness are, a soldier is a soldier. A few charges from the knights or a few fireballs will disperse them.”
“It would have been if it had been a night battle, but we are currently on a sit-in. If the soldiers standing on the wall do not back down and the knights and wizards firmly protect the elements, the enemy will have no choice but to retreat.”
The lord and commander knights seated around the large table then nodded as if they agreed with the prince’s words.
“Haona, Your Highness.”
Among them, the ‘arrogant’ Sir Liam cautiously opened his mouth.
“The enemy is drawing troops and supplies from eight provinces, including Topal and Altenberg, while our forces, except for the plateau here, receive support from Antrum and Odenlock at most. The more time you drag, the more unfavorable you will be, but is it really the right decision to stay on the defensive
? You can tell how much Ulkar trusts him just by entrusting Sir Lyam with a separate unit whenever there is something to divide the troops under.
“You are right. It’s not an opponent you can overcome just by holding on.”
At the words of the knight he trusted, the prince nodded heavily. Then Viscount Cyril, who was crossing his arms, expressed his dissatisfaction.
“under. The Gellan tribes are attacking with the force of sweeping the frontiers. Would the royal capital and other lords just watch?”
“…I received a reply saying that they would support me, but it will take quite some time, viscount.” “How long are you waiting?”
“There was no exact date.”
“Damn it.”
The diminutive Viscount Cyril grumbled, wriggling his narrow chin.
“Like stupid little people. Everyone has no idea what comes first.”
The ones he aimed at were the lords who did not respond to Ulkar’s summons, and Count Ines, the lord of Abiden and the lord of Jeju.
“When a big enemy appears, we have to put aside small conflicts and join forces… Eh, tsuttuk.” Earl Aenes, the nephew of Viscount Cirillo, is not providing much support to the front lines in High Castle. The excuse was that there was not enough energy to stabilize the southwest coast, including Port Auduenne.
However, in reality, it was clear that he did not want to give his power to the unpopular attendant and had no intention of getting involved with Prince Ulkar, who was at odds with the next king.
“You are right a hundred times. Forsaking the duty of protecting the frontier because of meaningless political strife. What kind of stupid thing is this?”
The one who responded most quickly to Viscount Cirillo’s words was Marshal Landry, the owner of High Castle, the high lord of the highlands, and an ardent supporter of Ulkar.
“Even though we can’t send reinforcements right away, we’re summoning the priests and dismissing the frontier garrison commander. It is clear that he wants us to lose to the enemy.”
The target he was chewing on was none other than Zacharys.
Zacharis, the crown prince and duke of Ofen, sits in the seat of chancellor and actually rules the kingdom as the king is ill from old age.
It was he who sent orders to Ulkar to leave South Harbor and go to the western frontier, and it was he who was blatantly isolating Highcastle when war broke out.
“Why? not very obvious He’s aiming for a vile car murder.”
The Marquis of Landry, with his demure scholarly appearance, vented his rage with a ferocity unbecoming.
“I’m afraid to deal with the 3 princes myself, so I want them to be destroyed by the Gellans. Even though the highlands and the West are in danger of being wiped out!”
“Marquis Calm down.”
“You’re like a pig that knows how to pull off its tail. Perhaps he has already conspired with the Duke of Avillambus and made a secret pact. You don’t deserve to be that rotten king. ” Stop
!”
The margrave, who had been feverish for a long time, stopped talking only after Ulkar and his son sitting next to him dried them off again.
“…hmm. I made a mistake, folks
. Your Highness, please forgive me for my mistake.”
He wiped his face and lowered his head around, probably realizing too late that he was too excited. The face, which had been stained red and distorted like a red orc, quickly regained its calm expression.
However, most of the audience seemed to have already grown tired of Marquis Baek’s rapid speech. It was natural for everyone to be taken aback as the great nobles who were not barons or knights, but each of them were margraves, openly criticized the crown prince.
…well, I did it very quickly. Could that man also have an anger control disorder?
Hopefully not. Being gay and having an anger management disorder makes life very difficult. It’s just that I get angry sometimes.
“…However, staying on the defensive is not just to pass the time.”
As if to call attention, Ulkar quickly drew attention to the left hand.
“once. A single victory would turn the tide of battle.”
“How do you plan on winning that one victory?”
“If you solidify your defense and aim for a counterattack, chances will surely come. No, I will create that opportunity.”
The lord and commanders made eye contact with each other or nodded their heads, even though they had a confused look on their faces at the prince’s boastful words that were unknown on the continent.
The daily life of war passed.
‘war’ and ‘daily life’. It’s a combination that doesn’t fit at all, but I can’t come up with an appropriate expression otherwise. I have been repeating a certain life for about a week in front of the enemy, but what is it if this is not a daily life of war?
Of course, the word everyday did not imply peace.
It was three days ago that the enemy finished gathering in the forest to the west of High Castle. Right now, they must be busy making siege weapons with wood obtained from cutting down the forest.
Like this, there is no way the city will ring in peace when 15,000 troops are lurking right in front of the fortress.
Every time the enemies cast their shadows at the entrance of the forest, the atmosphere in High Castle became increasingly dark, and the commanders toiled the soldiers with various missions and strategies to protect the morale of the troops.
Excluding the minor ones, there were only four tasks that Prince Ulkar was focusing on the most.
Supply Perimeter Reconnaissance Training.
And as a house elf or knight who had been deprived of freedom, I was mobilized for all four tasks except supply.
Without a doubt, I am the one who is being crushed after the vicious boss Ulkar in High Castle.
Multiplier is free!
Multipliers are free!
Please eat to your heart’s content!
X feet.
