It’s autumn and the weather is chilly. The Robros army led by Duke Wastein was only paving roads and building waterways. It seemed they wouldn’t attack Kara anytime soon. In my past life, the Robros army started heading to Kara in autumn yet it was not the same this time.
As the Robros army didn’t make a move for a long time, both Hussein Castle and Alf Castle grew increasingly anxious. They pledged their allegiance to the Robros king out of fear but now Kara built an army of nearly 35,000 troops which was a huge threat for them.
The Hussein Castle was ten days away while the Alf Castle was fifteen days away from Kara. And both castles were on the east of Kara.
Since they took the side of the Kingdom of Robros, Kara had to fight on two fronts but they also found themselves in trouble right now because the Robros army was still not attacking Kara.
If Kara decided to attack them before the Robros army’s arrival, they would be in serious danger as Hussein had only 1,700 troops and Alf had only 1,900 troops. It was impossible for them to defend themselves against Kara’s army which had tens of thousands of troops.
In the Palace of Kara, the war council was held. While all the commanders and several other officers were present, the prime minister Uddin spoke first.
“Now, the Emir of Hussein and the Emir of Alf suggest a peace treaty to us.”
Akam smashed the table with his full effort and then shouted.
“That’s totally absurd. They are traitors who have betrayed and fought against their own people. We should go and murder them as soon as possible. How could you talk about a peace treaty?”
“But sometimes we have to compromise with our enemies to save ourselves. If Hussein and Alif took our side, Kara would be able to focus on the battles against the Robros army.”
As the conflict seemed to get heated, I cut in their conversation.
“We can sign a peace treaty with them but we won’t let them surrender to us.”
“Sir, what do you mean?”
“People who betray twice would certainly betray again. If we join our forces with them, we must separate our troops to defend much bigger areas. And it’s definitely not a good move.”
“Then what should we do, sir?”
“Tell them we will sign a peace treaty if they pay a tribute to us.”
“A tribute, sir?”
“Yeah, it would be great if they give us some Essences.”
Currently, Kara had 3,600 Magic Grenade Launchers and 40 Magic Cannons. It was pretty a lot but we should still make them more if possible.
“Sir, even if peace negotiation begins, it will be very difficult to reach an agreement.”
“Yeah, I know. Actually, that’s exactly what I want. While negotiating, we can buy our time. I bet Hussein and Alf are also thinking in the same way.”
Hussein and Alf suggested a peace treaty because they feared Kara’s army but it seemed they didn’t want to take Kara’s side. The reason was very simple. They also feared the Robros army.
If we dragged on with peace negotiation, they would be glad for sure.
“I understand, sir.”
Once again, I told the commanders and other officers at the council.
“We will never make alliances with Hussein and Alf. They are completely useless and actually, we will conquer them as well. Every one of us is risking his or her life right now to defend Kara so we all should be rewarded after winning this war. The territories of Hussein and Alf will be given to people who fight for Kara.”
“······.”
All the people at the council remained silent and of course, nobody opposed what I said. Among these people, who would refuse to become an emir and have his own territory after this war? They must be fully motivated and do their best.
In fact, Hussein and Alf were strategically important for Kara because they were at close distances. If they remained hostile to Kara, they would become a huge threat in the future. It was absolutely necessary for Kara to conquer them sooner or later.
Then I stared at Uddin.
“By the way, is there any new report on the Kingdom of Robros?”
I asked him to find out whether my plan worked or not. If the seeds of distrust could be planted between the Robros king and Duke Wastein, Kara would have a great advantage but of course, it was not easy.
“According to the report of our ambassadors, the Robros king seems to believe what we say but his vassals raise a serious doubt.”
“Well, that’s something I expected. I know they are not complete idiots. Hmm… here’s another plan.”
“What plan, sir?”
“We should also start building huge waterways and paving many roads from Kara to Braham.”
Uddin made a baffled face.
“Sir, why would we do something beneficial to our enemies? Why do you think the Robros army is busy paving roads and building waterways? Because they try to secure their supply line before they start attacking us. And now we’re also paving roads and building waterways for them? That’s nonsense.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s complete nonsense.”
“Then why are you suggesting such a plan, sir?”
“I suggest this plan because it’s complete nonsense. Why would we do something which benefits our enemies? Unless there’s another reason.”
Uddin’s eyes became sharp.
“Sir, are you trying to…?”
“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s make the Robros king feel more suspicious of Duke Wastein. I know what kind of a man the Robros king is. He will certainly start doubting Duke Wastein’s loyalty.”
Uddin cupped his chin in his hand.
“Sir, the Robros king might become more suspicious of Duke Wastein but I don’t think he will actually be removed from his position. Instead, the Robros king will order him to prove his loyalty by attacking Kara.”
I made a confident face.
“Actually, that’s exactly what I want.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“Duke Wastein is not coming to Kara right now. Then we must make him come here. One of the very basic military strategies is to make your enemy do something he doesn’t want to.”
One of the things which should be strictly forbidden in war was starting a battle because of political reasons. During war, military commanders must make strategic decisions, not politicians who had no knowledge or experience in battles.
If my plan worked, the Robros king would start making decisions instead of Duke Wastein and it could be the best scenario for Kara. A military commander with restrictions in his strategies was a much easier opponent.
“Sir, if this war gets prolonged, the Kingdom of Robros will be in serious trouble. Not to mention the cost of war, they are losing a lot of tax income because the Great Desert trade routes are blocked now. We might be able to end this war by remaining in a stalemate.”
“I know it too.”
“Then why don’t we just wait, sir?”
I put my hands together with a worried face.
“I bet Duke Wastein also knows he must not prolong this war but somehow, the Robros army is so quiet. At least, he should secretly move some of his troops by now but we still don’t see any movements at all in the Robros army.”
“Perhaps he’s hesitating too much right now?
“No, Duke Wastein is not that kind of a man. Once he sets a goal, he does his best to achieve it in a consistent way. Since he’s not making any moves, I bet he’s devising some kind of a scheme.”
It was pretty obvious. Duke Wastein always used unpredictable strategies. When his enemies started loosening up, he made a critical move and destroyed his enemies at once.
Thus, when fighting against him, I must think outside the box and make strategies that he could not predict. With conventional war strategies, there was no chance that I could beat him.
Uddin also made a worried face.
“Sir, do you have any idea why he doesn’t make his moves?”
“No, that’s why I’m confused. Maybe he’s trying to lure us out. Anyways, we must be very careful. And actually, we are no longer at a disadvantage so we don’t have to rush or use unorthodox strategies. Let’s just stay calm and patient.”
“Yes, sir.”
Uddin looked still worried but he agreed to my plan. Even if he opposed, Padilla would agree to my plan anyway. She was like my puppet right now.
At that time, some government officials opened the door and came inside the council room in a hurry. He looked very delightful. It must be good news.
“Sir, there’s great news! The Yosrahim Empire has decided to send troops to support Kara.”
Everyone stood up from their seats right away. I knew they would support us because Kara had a much better chance than before.
Razal quickly asked a question.
“How many troops are they sending?”
“Three cavalry units led by Count Hicks and Viscount Gordon, sir.”
Count Hicks, a high-level Master Swordsman, had brilliant military strategies. He would be a great help for Kara, not to mention Viscount Gordon.
Besides, three cavalry units would be nearly 600 knights so they could fight against the Robros cavalry units for sure.
But there was one concern. Their supporting troops were too powerful. It seemed they tried to play a leading role in this war.
‘Well, that’s not something I expected…’
Yet I had a plan which could be particularly useful in handling Count Hicks who was politically conservative.
Politically conservative people in the Yosrahim Empire had lineages of pure blue blood and still believed in the God of Yin and Yang. Thirty percent of the Imperial Government was run by them. Grand Duke Cloud was also one of them. So how could I handle a man on the side of a huge political group? My answer was Shura.
The greatest wish of these politically conservative people was Dalanhan which was the Founding Emperor Siegfried’s favorite sword and the symbol of the Yosrahim Empire. And surprisingly, Shura was chosen by Dalahan.
With Shura on my side, Count Hicks couldn’t dare to argue with me. If he got on the wrong side of Shura, it would mean that he betrayed his own faith which his whole family believed together.
But actually, I didn’t want to get Shura involved in this matter. It would be better to introduce Shura to these people later in the most critical moment. If she showed herself to people too often, her divinity could seem less divine.
I must keep Shura looking divine in the eyes of these people so I could manipulate them much easier.
The best time to introduce Shura to people would be the time around the Robros army’s arrival in Kara.
The hope would shine the most in a desperately dangerous situation.
‘Whatever. I will secretly introduce her to only people from the Yosrahim Empire for now. It will be fine if I tell them to stay quiet about her identity.’
* * *
Not long after, I heard the news that the Robros king got really mad. His vassals advocated for Duke Wastein but he didn’t even try to listen to them.
In fact, he had been suspicious of Duke Wastein for quite some time. And once he found out Kara also started paving roads and building waterways, he really began to think Kara and Duke Wastein made a secret alliance.
The Robros king wanted to bring Duke Wastein back to the Kingdom of Robros immediately but most of his vassals refused his idea. Eventually, They ordered him to prove his loyalty by attacking Kara just as Uddin had predicted.
At last, the Robros king and his vassals reached an agreement. They decide to order Duke Wastein to attack Kara immediately and Duke Wastein had no option but to follow his order.
‘Hehehe. The Robros king is such a stupid asshole.’
His stupidity always made me laugh. He was the same stupid guy just like the one I saw in my past life. It was so easy to manipulate him.
Yet he was a problem because he was supposed to live a very long life. In fact, he was still alive during the Era of Destruction.
During the battle at Polkin Gateway, the Kingdom of Robros was supposed to send us supplies. It was a very critical battle for all humanity but the Robros king was worried about Duke Wastein rising in rebellion. So, he acted very irresponsibly when sending supplies.
Although he sent us the same amount of supplies as requested, but we hadn’t received all of those supplies because the Robros troops stole our supplies on their way to Polkin Gateway. By the time they arrived, only moldy loaves of bread and unfresh vegetables were left.
Because of his stupidity, I went through great hardship and learned how important food was.
At that time, I still had my noble status but almost starved to death during the battles.
‘It won’t matter. If my plan works, he will be dead soon.’
Then I quickly sent scouts and spies to check the size of the Robros troops heading to Kara.
The size of the Robros spearhead troopers heading to Kara right now was about 55,000 including 25,000 Robros soldiers, 17,000 mercenary soldiers, and 13,000 Shikar soldiers. Their number seemed too many given the fact that their supply lines were not 100% secured at this point. However, the Robros army had been paving roads and building waterways for quite a long time so the supply wouldn’t become a serious problem for them by the time of their arrival in Kara after about a month. Besides, Hussein and Alf promised to send supplies to them as well.
The Emir of Hussein and the Emir of Alf were complete assholes. Not long before, they paid tributes to us but then they betrayed us in a flash. Seriously, nobody could be trusted.
‘So, the number of their troops is around 50,000… It’s not an unexpectedly huge army but the problem is the old and bald guy. Why has Duke Wastein sent him first? Dammit.’
I was very concerned about the commander of the Robros spearhead troopers heading to Kara right now. The commander was Marquis Fabius who didn’t care about his rank or anything in battles. He took the lead of his troops all the time. And as he always took the lead, his soldiers were completely loyal to him. So obviously, he was a great threat to us.