Chapter 273
Chapter 273 – That Guy Already Moved? (3)
“Refused.”
At Ghislaine’s firm words, the envoys were taken aback.
“Why? Do you still think Raybold is competing with Desmond for the strongest territory in the North? That’s a serious misunderstanding.”
“Why?”
“First, the usurper Amelia is a woman. She has no experience governing a territory and even less in warfare. She’s just a young lady who knows how to daintily hold a teacup, isn’t she? The rebellion was just a lucky success from ambushing a feast.”
“Hmm…”
“You can tell by watching the fight with Baron Valua. It’s been several months, and they still haven’t breached the castle, right? They have five times the troops, after all.”
At those words, Ghislaine snickered.
Baron Valua is a brilliant commander. Besides, Amelia is passively entrenched. So, it’s only natural for the war to drag on.
If they had thought for even a moment, they wouldn’t have said such things.
The envoy, mistaking Ghislaine’s laughter as an opening, continued to persuade earnestly.
“We are allied with Count Raybold’s territory. The heir, the fourth prince Davin, is still alive, so we have enough justification. If we attack, Baron Valua will respond from the castle.”
“So we can win?”
“Of course, how could a mere girl who can’t even manage to handle Baron Valua stop our alliance? Let’s take this chance to seize her!”
Ghislaine waved her hand dismissively.
“Enough. I’m not interested, so you all can handle it.”
“The rightful heir of Raybold is still alive. We can’t create a precedent of leaving the usurper unchallenged. Moreover, in the North, there’s a long-standing tradition of not recognizing women as lords. This nonsense is unprecedented in the North.”
The nobles had multiple reasons for coming together to attack Raybold.
First off, leaving a usurper alone would set a bad precedent.
They needed to show that other lords would not tolerate usurpers. Otherwise, such dangerous events could happen in their own territories.
Amelia being a woman was also a sticking point for the Northern lords.
In the harsh and rugged North, it’s always strong men who should lead and govern. They live by those customs and traditions, so having a woman as a lord, especially through rebellion, was unacceptable.
It couldn’t be allowed to influence others. Such minor details could pile up and change the way people thought.
The always power-hungry lords didn’t overlook such dangers.
But while these were reasons, there was a more important one.
“Raybold is a vast and rich land. If we help the fourth prince Davin, we could certainly receive a portion of the land as compensation according to custom.”
This was the real deal. They intended to attack the chaotic Raybold and slice off a piece for themselves. Looking down on Amelia also contributed to their resolution.
Ghislaine laughed again at their enthusiastic persuasion.
‘Kill Amelia? With just you lot?’
In her past life, even the king of mercenaries couldn’t kill Amelia. If it had been possible, she would have done it right after returning.
Desmond was eyeing Perdium, and since she couldn’t touch him right away, she let it go.
She was that dangerous of a person. It was unimaginable that these pathetic individuals could defeat her.
From the beginning, the ambition she held wouldn’t stop at just the title of a Count.
However… right now, these fools were indeed needed for Ghislaine’s strategy. To make the most of her ambitions and buy time.
“I won’t join the war. Instead, I’ll assist in another way.”
“What’s that?”
“Aren’t you here for food? I’ll provide you with supplies.”
At her words, the envoys broke into smiles.
In reality, they didn’t even need Penris’ troops. They were confident that with the troops from six territories, defeating Amelia would be easy.
However, securing food to feed them wouldn’t be simple. So they intended to sweet-talk Ghislaine into cooperating, even offering the best land as part of the deal.
But if Ghislaine was offering food upfront, they wouldn’t need to squeeze her in.
‘Hmph, looks like the rookie is scared of Raybold’s reputation.’
‘That’s only possible when Count Raybold and his heirs are intact. What could a mere girl-led army possibly threaten?’
‘Since we’re not participating in the war ourselves, we can divide up the best land among ourselves. Just a suitable compensation would be enough.’
With Ghislaine’s promise, the envoys happily returned. Since their war preparations were nearly complete, they planned to move as soon as they secured the food.
After sending off the envoys, Ghislaine fell back into thought.
‘I just have to pray they stall as long as possible until I’m ready.’
After all, they wouldn’t win. Amelia couldn’t have failed to foresee this level of situation.
In her past life, there were those who tried to attack Amelia while she was at war with Baron Valua, but none succeeded.
With Ghislaine involved, the outcome could change, but right now, she couldn’t move.
‘It’s not long now.’
All things were happening faster than in her previous life because of her. This meant the civil war was also imminent.
The fact that Count Desmond was gathering troops was evidence of that. Therefore, she couldn’t waste resources fighting Amelia now.
She needed to buy as much time as possible and complete her preparations. Amelia could be dealt with afterward.
‘In the meantime, I must ensure she can’t pull any tricks.’
A woman skilled in backstabbing. That’s why she was supporting Baron Valua and other territories to entangle Amelia. This way, it would limit her options.
‘Just wait a little longer, Harold.’
The entire game was being set up how she wanted. Now all that remained was a showdown with Count Desmond.
‘Because of me, everything in the North got tangled, so the Duke faction and Harold won’t sit still.’
If a civil war breaks out, Desmond will surely want to strike here first. After all, the strongest Crown Prince faction in the North was now her.
Still, there was a bit of time left. In her previous life, the Duke didn’t even start a civil war in the North.
Even if a civil war began in the North, the Kingdom Army was monitoring Desmond’s territory, so a sudden attack wouldn’t happen.
This short window had to be used to complete all preparations. If she could manage that, she would be able to push Desmond back right when the civil war started.
‘When the civil war begins, I’ll make sure to kill him first.’
With that thought, Ghislaine’s heart began to race slightly.
Though the Duke had offered the fundamental reason for everything, the one who ultimately destroyed Perdium was Count Desmond.
In her previous life, she couldn’t even count how many times she massacred his corpse. She had poured out tremendous rage to the point that those around her had to hold her back.
Setting aside Perdium’s destruction, it was inevitable for her and Count Desmond to clash. To conquer the North, she had to kill that guy.
‘It’s almost time. Once I finish preparing as planned, I’ll be able to win overwhelmingly.’
Thus, Ghislaine diligently devoted herself to war preparations and training the soldiers.
And not long after, one day.
While Ghislaine was in a meeting with her retainers, a messenger from the major battle rushed in and shouted.
“Count Desmond has raised his army! He’s marching toward us!”
Ghislaine’s face stiffened. Her preparations were not yet complete.
‘That guy… already moved?’
There had been no movement from the Duke faction. The one who moved according to nothing but the Duke faction’s orders had begun to act on his own.
And that was while the Kingdom Army was directly observing.
For the first time since her return.
An incident occurred that shook the board she had set up.
*
“Move quickly! Hurry! Count Desmond is mobilizing his army!”
Having awoken from sleep to the news, Baron Dorren of the 2nd Corps rushed to move his troops.
The destination was different from the position Ghislaine had held when attacking Count Cabaldy. He needed to reach ahead and set up a defense. That was the task he had been given.
‘What the… how did this happen?’
Baron Dorren found it hard to comprehend. There had been no contact. Not even a justification for starting a war.
Count Desmond had simply raised his army and began advancing toward Penris.
Such action had no semblance of noble dignity.
But that’s precisely why Baron Dorren felt a greater fear.
The head of the strongest noble in the North had thrown off all pretense? This meant he was prepared to employ any means necessary.
Baron Dorren asked his deputy beside him.
“You said the speed wasn’t that fast, right? Is he just going slowly to show military might? I hope that’s the case!”
“It doesn’t seem it’s just a show of force.”
“Why?”
“He’s got 30,000 troops. That’s why it’s slow.”
“……Oh.”
Baron Dorren felt momentarily dazed. Was that a reasonable number? No matter how much of a great noble he was, could he gather that many troops?
The unbelievable number sent chills down his spine.
Soon, regaining his composure, Baron Dorren shouted in utter frustration.
“Damn it! How am I supposed to stand against 30,000 troops with just the 2nd Corps?”
He had no confidence in winning even if they engaged closely. The Desmond Army was among the strongest in the North.
At least the soldiers who had participated in road construction had returned, amounting to 5,000. This number could sweep away a good number of Northern lords, but it would be nothing against 30,000.
“I hope we can get through this. There must be something he wants, right?”
Orders had been given to check and prepare the troops for civil war. Yet, there was no news from anywhere else.
This meant Count Desmond had moved alone. Baron Dorren clung to that hope.
“He wouldn’t think to fight the crown prince faction alone. Even if he occupies Penris, when we all move, he has to give it back. There’s got to be some misunderstanding going on. Right?”
“……”
Even as he threw hopeful questions, the deputy had no response.
Truthfully, the deputy was equally perplexed by the situation.
“Damn it! Just run fast! With a large army like that, the speed will be slow so I’ll go ahead and block the road. Then I’ll brew some tea and try to talk things out. What’s the problem? Talk to me! I’ll listen!”
Even while moving, Baron Dorren wouldn’t stop talking. It revealed just how uneasy he was.
Thud thud thud thud!
The booming sound of hooves echoed from afar. Hearing that, Baron Dorren felt an ominous premonition.
“Why does it sound like cavalry is charging at full force?”
Over half of the 2nd Corps was infantry. Although they were moving on urgent orders, they couldn’t match the speed of cavalry charging at full power.
So the cavalry was also moving in line with the infantry’s pace. There was no way the sound could be from a full cavalry charge.
Thud thud thud thud!
Baron Dorren, now a commander in the Kingdom Army, was no fool not to understand what this situation implied.
“Ambush! All prepare for battle!”
At his shout, the soldiers immediately took combat formation. It was truly a swift response, typical of an elite Kingdom Army.
Thud thud thud thud!
The hoof beats grew closer. However, the sounds were coming from more than one direction.
“Wha, what….”
Suddenly, sounds came from behind. This implied they had moved in waves.
‘They set up formation after hearing the first sound, then attacked from the rear…’
Thud thud thud thud!
Now the sounds of hooves were being heard from the side as well. Baron Dorren’s eyebrows twitched.
Moving at night, it had been impossible to survey the surroundings properly. The enemy expertly took advantage of this oversight.
Baron Dorren quickly grasped the situation and quickly devised a countermeasure.
“Extinguish the lights! Darken the surroundings to create confusion!”
All light in the area was snuffed out. The first charge would hit without fail, but due to the cavalry’s characteristics, the opponent would lose direction and be thrown into chaos afterward.
For now, that was the only option.
“Damn it… why is it so bright tonight?”
But Baron Dorren was out of luck. The moonlight was too bright. Furthermore, it seemed the enemy had predicted how he would respond.
Whoosh!
From one side, numerous lights suddenly burst forth. Almost a thousand of those bright flames illuminated the night sky.
Baron Dorren stared in dumbfounded realization.
“There’s an ambush too….”
The enemy meant business. They really intended to sweep through the Kingdom Army and assault Penris.
Boom!
Countless fire arrows began flying toward the Kingdom Army.
Gazing at the brilliant lights filling the sky, Baron Dorren muttered.
“Count Desmond has truly lost it.”
He couldn’t continue his sentence. The fire arrows fell mercilessly.
Pah pah pah pah!
“Uuuaaaaah!”
Caught off guard, the soldiers of the 2nd Corps fell helplessly. They were on the move, after all, and couldn’t defend properly.
They never expected the enemy to come out like this without a proper notice.
To attempt to fight the Crown Prince faction alone? Nobody in the kingdom would do that. Thus, the only conclusion was that Count Desmond had gone mad.
Thud thud thud thud!
Fire spread everywhere as chaos erupted. The sound of hooves grew louder.
Cavalry surged in from all directions toward the disordered 2nd Corps’ formation.
Kaboom!
“Uuurgh!”
“Quick, re-form the line!”
“Lure them into chaos by all means!”
Officers of the 2nd Corps shouted, but it was all in vain. The Desmond Army, renowned for its strength, easily swept away the 2nd Corps without a hint of difficulty.
Baron Dorren could only acknowledge defeat.
“Impressive… so this is the power of Desmond, huh.”
They had predicted exactly when, how, and where to move, completing all preparations.
Even the main force was still moving slowly toward Penris.
In the initial reports, the cavalry was included in the main force. This meant that just the cavalry had quickly split off, successfully executing a circumlocutory ambush right on time.
Only one commander in Desmond was capable of such a maneuver. A man renowned as a master of mobility warfare in the North.
“Emerson.”
The one who had previously failed to block him in support of Cabaldy. If he had moved, it was completely comprehensible.
“Oh dear… he won’t even accept surrender.”
He must have been nursing a grudge from that time.
Sure enough, Emerson approached him with a devilish smile on his face, like an evil spirit.
“Baron Dorren!”
Hearing Emerson’s shout, Baron Dorren sighed as he drew his sword. It seemed that he wouldn’t return alive today.
He had long since given up on his life.
But…
“What am I supposed to do about my daughter’s academy tuition now…?”
That was the only worry left for him.
