Chapter 179: The Invasion Route
In fact, there is no need to be in such a hurry to reply to letters received from the royal and imperial nobility.
Since we are sending letters to those who are on the front lines against Spierzeig, it is only natural to allow for a little delay. In fact, it would be impolite to urge them to do so.
So I spent the afternoon composing a letter to send to Princess Romilie.
I suddenly realized that, in this day and age, Princess Romilie was the princess of the Kingdom of Vojstra. The princess of a fallen kingdom is an intriguing thing. It must be one of a man's romantic dreams to follow a high-flying former princess who is proud of her bloodline with his cock.
However, the lower the status of the person being fucked, the better the situation is. Unfortunately, it is difficult for me to handle it now.
And if the Princess Romilie was not necessarily such a haughty princess, but a pretty princess with an aura of misfortune, I would like to hold her gently in my arms.
In any case, writing a letter to Princess Romilie was not difficult. It is because when you receive a letter from someone you do not know, you can reply to it almost exactly as you would to a template letter.
This is similar to exchanging business cards in Japanese society. By replying in a simple, informal manner, both parties confirm to each other that they are now in a relationship of exchanging letters.
Above all, a letter is written with the other person in mind. Writing while imagining a princess with a pedigree was the most enjoyable part of the writing process.
Motivated to the brim, I finished the letter to Princess Romilie, and then began to work on the other letters that had accumulated.
After finishing several letters to the nobles, dinner was ready.
As I sat down to dinner, I did some sort of goo-pah-goo-pah exercise with my hands.
I had spent most of the afternoon holding the brush, so I was in the mood to do it. If I had my ancestor's body, I would never be tired from writing, much less get tendonitis, but I felt as if I had no strength in my hands, perhaps because of memories from a previous life.
What happened to your hand?
As I was turning my wrist to make a jerking sound, one of the military officers said a little nervously, “I'm sorry I showed you something you didn't need.
I regretted a little that I had shown him something he didn't need to see.
Nothing,” He said. I've had a lot of writing to do today, and I just feel kind of tired.
The magical residue of the duel in Nambonan City is……
'No, it's not that, it's just a matter of mood. You don't need to worry about it.'
They looked at me for a while, but soon resumed eating. However, it seems that once the dining room quieted down, the heat of the conversation was taken away.
I sensed a strange atmosphere in the air and decided to broach the subject myself.
I asked him, “……Don't you think a duel, or at least a decisive battle, is coming soon? Soon you will advance your army to the Vojstra Plain, won't you?”
It was convenient to throw war stories to the military officers for the time being, as they would get excited on their own.
If they were to advance beyond the castle of Leithleif, a large-scale field battle would be unavoidable.
It is a difficult problem. Outside factors have a strong influence.
Hearing these words, I realized that I had been wrong to broach the subject.
I had once heard Viscount Galiana predict that it would take the Quardenze forces 10 years to capture Raishleif Castle, and another five years for the city of Othellia to fall. He said that a military officer of the Galliana family had told him such a story.
It was only recently, in the midst of the mess that overtook Raishleif Castle, that I realized that this prediction was not really correct.
Outside, or …….”
The 15-year prediction of the fall of the castle had a proviso, like a high school physics test question.
Q1: Predict the number of years it will take the Quardenze army to fall of the city of Ocelória. However, do not consider the movements of other houses, such as …….
This was based solely on the assumption of a simple pitched battle between the warring parties.
Yes.The policy will greatly change the route of the march, as well as the time and place of the decisive battle.At this stage, I can't say anything yet.
If one only considers the war between the Quardenze faction and the old Voigtlanders, the prediction would probably be correct.
The Quardenze family's takeover of Spierzeig's territory would mean the birth of the only giant noble family in the center of the continent. Would the noble families that have been cooperative so far really approve of this?
I don't think so.
Spierzeig Territory has great potential as a territory. Although it is currently exhausted by the protracted war, it will regain its former strength once the reconstruction under the Kuordenze family progresses. In other words, one can imagine a simple addition: “Quordenze + Spierzeig = Super Quordenze. It is certain that they will be considered dangerous by both the kingdom and the empire, and any ordinary leader would move to obstruct them in order to stop this.
The Levios family is the biggest problem.”How will Father act?……”
The obstructionism of a locally oriented, or rather introverted and conservative, aristocratic family is trivial.It would be more of a “Disturbance” Than an obstruction.A war fought in a place far from one's own territory is like a conflict in a distant foreign country that one sees on TV, and one has no sense of being a party to it, except to think that it is unpleasant.
The Levios royal family, however, is different.
The Levios family, which has ruled over the eastern part of the devastated continent and united numerous noble families for 80 years, has accumulated know-how in noble diplomacy and skills in interpreting the continental situation. They will surely use these skills to sabotage the Quardenze family's progress.
Since we were able to take Raishleif Castle early thanks to the young master's success, I suspect that our policy will be completely different from what it has been in the past.”
And my father was stuck, worrying and thinking about how to avoid the Levios family's interference that would eventually come.
If it took too long for Raishleif Castle to fall, it would give the Levios family room for diplomatic maneuvering. To avoid this, an early fall was essential, but Raishleif Castle was impregnable and could not be easily taken down.
My father was actually quite impatient with the fact that he had the upper hand in the war but was being driven into a diplomatic deadlock. As a result, his impatience led to a series of mistakes, which led to a surprise attack by the Spierzeig family As a …… Result, we were able to achieve the great victory of the fall of Raishleif Castle, but this was just a matter of luck.
It was only after the fall of Raishleif Castle that I received such a letter of repentance from my father.
I see why he was forbidden by the military and civilian officials to predict the fall of the castle for 15 years.
My father was thinking about it and said, “Oh no, only 15 more years and we will be victorious! Was no longer a provocation. In a sense, it was a mockery of my father's diplomatic skills his.
What do you think, young master?”
'…… It will be an early march. As long as we hold the city of Othellia before other forces interfere in earnest, the rest will be up to us.
The military and civilian officials responded to my answer in a similar manner, but did not express another opinion. I felt that they were not interested in the movement of other households.
To be honest, I was surprised at the closed-mindedness of the military and civilian officials, or rather, their narrow-mindedness and conservatism that only looked at their own domain.
Even when I heard the 15-year fall forecast, I thought that interference and sabotage by other houses had naturally been factored into the calculation. In fact, I was wondering why they didn't take that into account.
According to them, “It is common for noble families adjacent to a territory to interfere, but there has never been a time when a distant noble family put in a lot of effort to interfere. Two hundred years after the St. Navempos uprising, wars between noble families are like that,” They say. Their old-fashioned way of thinking is also inevitable.
Or perhaps the feudal system of nobles and knights, whose purpose was to rule over the territory entrusted to them by their lord, is the reason for the narrowing of people's thinking in the first place.
Former earthlings can easily imagine that if a military invasion were to take place, other forces would scramble to stop it.
The nobles of the Eluo continent recognize that it is a natural right for the stronger nobles to eat the weaker ones, albeit to different degrees. It was out of the realm of possibility for a distant noble family to interfere in the first place, let alone a neighboring noble family that might suffer direct disadvantages.
Those with such values would say, “Why would someone far away who has nothing to do with it meddle in our affairs?”
It may be more accurate to say that they could not afford to look at the situation in the distance in the continent of Eluo, where warfare was still raging. The time of the Eluo Continent, however, was a time when people had their hands full defending their own territories.
However, time has not stood still on the Eluo Continent.
With the birth of powerful powers such as the Kingdom of Levios and the Jinkaen Empire, and the increase in the number of noble families belonging to them, there is no doubt that the era will shift from one in which individual nobles boast of their bravery to one in which they create factions and establish dominance through diplomacy.
Large-scale intervention through diplomacy to prevent the advance of other powers is sure to become a trend on the Eluo continent in the future.
The Quardenze family is now facing the cutting edge of the times in terms of diplomacy.
My father, who was not bound by old values and anticipated interference and obstruction by the Levios family from an early stage, still has a good sense of diplomacy.
The aristocrats of the future will be expected to have such diplomatic skills.
I decided to ask the silent military officers a question that would be easy for them to answer.
Let's say we don't think about the outside issues. How can we be sure that we can take down the city of Othellia?
The military officers immediately responded to this question with the proviso that they would not consider the movements of other houses.
We should then take out some of the cities in the northern part of the Vojstra Plain, and then move southward from the front.
If we can control the northern part of the plain, we will be able to supply our troops through the mountain roads from the city of Nambonan, which will make it much easier to move our forces.
The outlying areas of Quardenze territory are shaped like a fishhook on its side, and it takes a lot of time and effort to transport food and weapons to the front lines.
“I think it would be useful to control the northern part of the plain to prevent a surprise attack on the city of Nambonan, as we have done before.
…… However, the northern part of the plain has many relatively large cities, so it will take time to capture them.
The area is a rolling plain, so there will likely be a lot of field battles. If we can reduce the number of enemy soldiers in this northern battle, it will make the attack on Othellia easier.
They must have been simulating the invasion of Spierzeig's territory on a regular basis, because there was no slowness in their speech.
I see.
It was a solid and safe route.
The first thing to do is to take a look at the “New” Plan.
If it were not for the fact that it would take time to capture the city, I would have definitely chosen that route.
Then, let me ask you again. Assuming that some sacrifices are unavoidable, how should we proceed in order to take down the city of Othellia in the fastest possible time?
When I changed the conditions, they responded with a resounding “Yes.
The invasion of the western part of the Voestra Plain. Using the city of Sycinaon as a foothold, we will invade the city of Othelloria.
I breathed.
The invasion of the western part of the Voistula Plain was a risky choice, yet the other military officers did not seem to object to it. Perhaps they are aware that such an order will be delivered to them.
'That's quite an adventurous plan.
I wanted to know what they thought, so I encouraged them to speak up.
If we are looking for the fastest, the first thing to consider is the easiest city to drop.
That would be the city of Shikinaon.
Ha. The Shikinaon family is so short of squires that a young girl like Shikinaon Rose has no choice but to be appointed as a knight. As you know, the young lady lost her knight of the day, Shikinaon, in the last battle. Believe that the reign of the Shikinaon is now considerably shaken.”
Female knights are not rare, but they are not that numerous.
The fact that a young maiden as enviable as Rosé has become a knight means that the number of squires in the family has become very small.
For most commoners, the closest ruler is the knight.
The people are in awe of and at the same time relieved by the knight as a symbol of power. There is a refractory trust that it is better to follow the strong.
However, the loss of knights one after another like this calls into questioning the competence of the Shikinaon family.
What about the possibility of a pincer attack?
'I must say it is a compelling danger.
The city of Sikinaon is located north-northwest of Ocelória, close to the border between the mountainous region and the Voístra Plain.
This mountainous area has been the territory of several noble families that have followed the Spiaseik family since the Vojstra Kingdom, and if they were to march into the area, they could be pinched from both the mountain side and the plain side.
The original role of Sikinaon is to defend from the mountain side.
I see.
The city of Sycinaion was one of the cities annexed by the Spiaseik family at the time of the unification of the Voivostra Plain.
After seeing the upheaval that began in St. Navempos, the then head of the Spiaseik family ……, Later the first King of Vojstra, had an ambition to unite the Vojstra Plain. Task, and he also had the advantage of having the major city of Otellia at his disposal.
The first king of Vojstra was wary of the influx of noble families from the mountainous regions into the vast Vojstra Plain. He turned his attention to a city close to the mountains, today's Sikynaeon.
The Spiaseiks decided to build a military base in this city to prepare for the nobles in the mountainous region.
In later years, in recognition of his success in unifying the Voistula Plain and preventing the invasion of the mountainous region, the military commander Sikyinaon was given control of the city he had protected and its surrounding area. , And it was at this time that the knight Cikinaon was born.
The city of Sycinaon had been one of the most important military bases in the territory of Spierzeig during the time of the Kingdom of Voistra, so the number of people coming and going increased, and it also became a trading center for the noble families of the mountainous region to which it was subordinated, as well as a route for merchants heading to Oceloriya from the direction of Castle Laishleif.
The town had grown rapidly, but now it had become exhausted to the point where a young maiden, no more than 20 years old, was forced to serve as a knight.
In any case, the original role of the knight Shikinaon was to warn the noble families in the mountainous regions.
This is the root of the knightly family, the Shikinaon family, and its identity.
If they can successfully take them, the Quardenze army should be able to make things a little easier even if they are pinched.
After all, will the Spierzeiks collude with the nobles under their control to attack?
'Since the capture of Raishleif Castle, the nobles in the mountainous region and the Spierzeig family seem to have somehow fallen out of step. Their point of view, it would be like having fangs at their throats. Even if they want to keep their distance from Spiaseik, they will be willing to put up with a little bit of discontent, considering that it will be us, the Quordentze, who will come in their place.
We would not want to have a disastrous ending, that the Quordenze family came when we changed the Spierzeig family.
If you're……, Why don't you try an inside job?”
I say the thought that comes to my mind as I cut what appears to be thick-haired rabbit meat on my plate into bite-size pieces.
Do you want to try to arrange it?
'Oh. If your father and grandfather want to kill all the noble families under the Spierzeig umbrella, then there is no choice. , On condition that the mountainous region be inviolable.”
Perhaps, but I think the only family my father and grandfather want to bust is the Spiaseik family.
Aside from the bitterness of having their immediate family killed, the Spiaseiks and the Quordentzes have been enemies for years. If I don't beat them to a pulp while I can, I am sure they will eventually turn on me in my sleep. Father would want to weaken the Spierzeik family as much as possible.
Of course, the peace of Quardenze is also what I want.
In the first place, there would be no profit to be gained by destroying the nobles in the mountainous region.
The mountainous area west of the Vojstra Plain is said to produce a few mineral resources, but that is all. Food production is also low, and it is not unusual for the Spiaseiks to ask for wheat in bad harvest years. Many houses in the area, it is expected that the main ancestral army would clash with each other many times if they were to attack.
To put it bluntly, it would be nothing more than a tiring, bone-destroying exercise.
It is easy to understand why the Spierzeiks, who once unified the Voivostra Plain, did not extend their territory into the mountainous region, but rather vassalized them.
If they had expanded their territory, they would have had to take on the responsibility of managing the magical beasts in the area, which would have increased their workload. .
My father has a good sense of profit and loss, so he would not make the mistake of invading the mountainous area.
If he is going to go to all this trouble to betray the Spierzeig family, why not let him do it when the time is right? We don't know when the non-interference agreement will be violated. Backs.
I agree. If we are going to make a plan, we should make them stand by our side during the attack on Cikinion, so that they will be in a position from which there is no turning back.
If one of them falls, the chain of events may turn everything upside down.If this happens, the Othelloan offensive will be very advantageous because it will be easy to create a pincer attack.After all, we should let them commit treachery that is obvious to everyone.
The military officers did not seem to like my suggestion of passive betrayal and strongly insisted on active betrayal.
Indeed, it is understandable that they, who are fighting in the field, would feel uneasy about a betrayal at the level of non-interference that they do not know when it will be settled back into the original position.
If it is to increase the probability of obtaining the city of Othelloia as much as possible, it would be better to do as they say.
You guys have a point.
I sipped the tea in my goblet. I quenched my thirst so that they could hear what I had to say.
I was going to ask them what they thought. “……, But I still think we should stay out of the war.
I think they are making the right decision as military officers.
But I am not a military officer.
Let me ask you this.
The military officers look at me with a stoic posture. Their eyes were serious and their gazes seemed to pierce me.
I began by stating in no uncertain terms how barren it would be to gain territory by defeating the noble families of the mountainous regions, and shared my awareness with them.
They seemed to think exactly the same thing and did not raise any objections, merely confirming what I had said.
The mountain nobles have difficulty surviving without depending on some great power. Right now they are submissive to the Spierzeig family, but if this weakens, what will really happen?
They need a strong leader. For nobles with only small fiefdoms in the mountains, it is essential to be associated with a large noble family with food production and economic power.
The Spiaseik family has played this role so far, but if the city of Oceloria were to fall, would they be able to maintain that relationship? The answer, of course, is no.
If we were to fall, with their help, to Shikinaon or Othellia, the people around us might perceive us as the new bosses.
In return for betrayal, they might demand to be brought under the umbrella of the Quardenze family. Even if you refuse this, if you actually fight with them, people around you will recognize that the Quardenzes have become their bosses.
'Through their territory, we would be adjacent to the direct imperial territory.
From the perspective of the current emperor, Emperor Ferold, the Quardenze family, which had been located far away, would feel that they were now in close proximity.
The indecisive emperor, who until now has been unable to make good decisions for fear of a split in the empire, may use this as an opportunity to start running amok.
In order to prevent Emperor Ferold from being overly cautious after the war, it would be better if the nobles of the mountainous region were not perceived as having joined the Quardenze family.
Besides, the newly acquired territory alone is quite large, and it would take a considerable amount of time for the Quardenzes to completely own it. The Quardenze family is, so to speak, a snake that has swallowed a large prey and become like an aardvark In such a state, the Quardenzes would not be satisfied with the outcome of a war.
I see…….
Certainly, we would like to avoid a new war until the outside world is stabilized.
Does this mean that you will maintain a line of non-interference with the aristocratic families in the mountainous regions?”
The question was a good aid in continuing the conversation.
No, I doubt that. Since the Kingdom of Vojstra allowed their vassalage in order to strengthen its defenses in the west, I think it would be a good idea to follow their lead depending on the situation.
The diplomatic policy and governing structure of the Vojstra Kingdom are excellent in many aspects, and it is highly regarded that if Emperor Zinkaen had not appeared on the scene, the kingdom would have become the champion of the central part of the continent. Be adopted more and more.
When the rule of a new territory becomes stable and there is enough surplus power, it would not be a bad idea to welcome it under the umbrella and incorporate it into the kingdom.
……When you think about it, we can't afford to have them betray us so blatantly.
What do you mean?
“It would be a disaster for the future to incorporate such people with a record of betraying the main family and aggressively attacking …… Them if the situation deteriorates. If the Quardenzes were to fall into a bad situation, they would quickly give up and revolt. Precedent is such a heavy thing.
In a world of hereditary succession, the influence of precedent is very strong.
It is not good to leave such a history in their house …… That they were able to survive thanks to the Quordenze family's invitation to give up on the inferior Spiaseik family and attacked them.
In the future, when the Quordenze family's power weakens and they are attacked somewhere else, the mountain nobles may follow the precedent of the past and betray them early.
I still prefer to force them to not participate in the war.”
A passive betrayal is an easy excuse, such as “We really wanted to go into battle, but our army was too exhausted to do so. Even if there was pressure from the Quardenze side behind the scenes, the truth remains in the dark. It is unlikely that they would go out of their way to publicize their betrayal by omission.
When adding them to the group, it was not so much a question of “We will make them our henchmen because they cooperated with us,” But rather a question of “How dare they betray their master's house to the very end? We should praise their loyalty and recognize their vassalage. In this way, a false precedent would be set in their family history, that they were able to survive because their loyalty to their master's house was appreciated even though they were outnumbered.
As time goes by, the betrayal by omission fades into the darkness of history, and only the beautiful stories of those who survived because they were loyal subjects remain.
The more generations pass, the more sons and daughters of the Quardenze family will truly look up to the Quardenze family as their lord, and will have a heart of loyalty that will never turn their backs even if their master's family is in an inferior position. Yes, there is no such thing as a “Precedent” Of betraying one's master's family.
One of the military officers agreed with me.
If we are not successful in the attack on Spierzeig, it will be troublesome after the war.
You are right. It would be troublesome to have them play an active role.
The most important thing to remember is that the Quardenze family is not the only one that has a strong relationship with the company.
Plus or minus zero …… No, it's still a slight minus. The most important thing to remember is that you can't just take a chance on a new player and expect to be rewarded for it. A big play, they may not be able to refuse to confirm their master-servant relationship.
If the Quardenzes were to take control of the city of Othellia alone, they would inevitably raise the alarm level of their neighbors, and if they were to bring a number of noble families from the mountainous region under their control, diplomatic channels would come to a standstill and the Quardenzes would be forced to make some serious maneuvers.
On the other hand, if it is a passive betrayal, they can easily refuse to confirm their master-servant relationship.
“……I may have jumped the gun a little too far. My tea has gone lukewarm.”
Having spoken my mind, I take another sip of my tea.
In fact, it is highly likely that the aristocratic families in the mountainous areas will take some action once the situation is decided, and I don't think things will go so well. .
Besides, as the military commander said, it would be more advantageous to have them actively betray us in the war against Spierzeig. I would like to go back to New Nellie Castle and talk with my father about how he would judge this situation and what policy he was considering regarding the mountainous area.
'No, I think it was a very good idea. Military officers like us tend to think first and foremost about the battle or operation at hand. As the next head of the family, you should think about the future of Quardenze from a broader perspective than we do.
The young master, as the next head of the Quardenze, should think about the future of Quardenze from a broader perspective than we do. I would like to go back to Newnery and talk with Father about the future of the Spierzeig. .. I don't want to exchange letters with him, as I'm sure you know. I don't want more envelopes on my desk than I have now.”
The story of the attack on Spierzeig ended with a final punchline.
When dinner was almost over, the dining room door opened quietly and a military officer entered the room.
He overheard the civilian officer standing near the door and immediately left the dining room. I wondered what the message was about, but the officer approached me and said, “From the city of Nambonan, I have a message for you.
I received the flowers you requested from the city of Nambonan.
It seems that the preparations for the attack on Shikinaon have been made.
The battlefield is on the bed.
