Chapter 394
Chapter 394: Let’s Just Smash It. (1)
The Crown Prince Faction was steadily moving the Kingdom Army southward while striking at the hideouts of the Salvation Society that Ghislaine had informed them about.
Despite the chaos spreading across the kingdom, the Duke Faction remained silent, issuing no statements.
Since they had already been labeled as a cult by the four major churches, they would ultimately try to suppress it by force. Hence, they were mobilizing the Kingdom Army in preparation for war.
Amidst this, news of Marquis Roderick’s advance caught everyone by surprise.
“One hundred thousand? Seriously, we have that many?”
Maurice, who had heard the news during a meeting at the royal palace, asked with disbelief on his face.
The messenger who brought the news nodded.
“Yes! They’ve issued a full mobilization order to gather all remaining vassal troops. Currently, 60,000 are advancing toward Penris, and 40,000 are moving near the capital. They’ve said they want to help in our fight against the Duke Faction.”
“Wait, that means the entire western military moved just to catch that one guy?”
Not long ago, he had heard that 20,000 troops had been scattered in a recent battle, yet they managed to gather 100,000 in an instant. Truly, they were the strongest noble in the west.
Maurice stroked his beard and frowned.
“Ahem… It’s nice that they’re helping us against the Duke Faction, but what about that brat?”
In response to Maurice’s question, Marquis Branford waved it off nonchalantly.
“Just leave him for now. It’s a fight between the two of them.”
“What?! How can you say that? How is that brat supposed to block 60,000? Is Penris’ army only 10,000 or 20,000? Either way, that’s all they’ve got! We’re not that close, you know!”
“…”
The other nobles looked at Maurice as if he were insane.
He had always been itching to devour Count Penris, but now he had completely changed his demeanor.
“Why! What is it! That brat is practically my nephew!”
“…”
Not long ago, the second batch of support supplies sent from Penris was also provided to the Kingdom Army. Maurice, the Supreme Commander of the Kingdom Army, had a grin that looked like it was about to split his face.
“We can’t just let him go! Shouldn’t we negotiate again? What should we do if we fight among ourselves right before the battle with the Duke Faction?”
Marquis Roderick firmly rejected the Crown Prince Faction’s mediation. Even if asked to settle things after the civil war, he remained obstinate.
After all, the justification lay with Marquis Roderick, so the Crown Prince Faction couldn’t press him too hard.
Suddenly realizing something, Maurice turned to Marquis Branford.
“That jerk, he’s thinking we can win with the four major churches involved, so he’s trying to weaken our power.”
“I know.”
“But you’re just going to leave it as is?”
Marquis Roderick had always been a threat to the royal family. For now, he had to accept it because of the battle with the Duke Faction, but once the war ended, he would undoubtedly become a headache.
Especially if he took possession of resource-rich Penris, it would be like giving birth to a new Duke Faction.
Marquis Branford still nodded with a nonchalant expression.
“Trust Count Penris. He won’t fall easily. He never has before, has he?”
“Yeah, but… this time the difference is too big.”
“He has always overcome that.”
“Ahem….”
Maurice had no retort. Whether due to luck or skill, Ghislaine had always emerged victorious.
“Ugh, I don’t know. Let’s check the situation and then think about it again.”
Though he said this, Maurice and the other nobles could not hide their worried expressions.
Yet, they couldn’t suppress Marquis Roderick by force at this point.
After all, merely having Marquis Roderick part ways with the Duke Faction was a significant gain. Had that 100,000 troop force marched to the capital alongside the Duke Faction, it would truly have been hell on earth.
In the end, Penris and Roderick would have to settle things themselves.
Given how obvious it was that people were worried, the mood among Roderick’s army advancing toward Penris was utterly relaxed.
Mounted on his enormous steed, as massive as his own physique, Marquis Roderick wore a sneaky grin.
“Finally going to catch and kill that brat.”
Everyone now knew that Ghislaine was the master. Still, Marquis Roderick felt no concern.
After all, their side had way too many troops for just the Master to handle this war.
“Increase our marching speed! I want to see that brat’s despairing face soon!”
At Roderick’s order, the soldiers quickened their pace. The distance to the north was still considerable, so moving quickly would lead to considerable fatigue, but Marquis Roderick didn’t care.
He figured he could just crush them with overwhelming numbers.
For the Roderick army to attack the Penris territory, they needed to pass through several lords’ territories. One of those territories belonged to Count Albans, a lord of the Crown Prince Faction.
Generally, lords don’t readily let others pass through their territories. After all, there was always a chance that the army could change its mind and attack them instead.
Plus, it was also a matter of pride and honor.
So Count Albans responded just as any other lord would.
“What? You suddenly want me to clear the way north? Who said you could open my roads!”
Count Albans wasn’t a grand lord but still held decent power.
With the Crown Prince Faction backing him up, even the mightiest noble in the west wouldn’t easily grant passage.
It wasn’t about helping Ghislaine; it was about his pride being hurt.
“Tell them to turn back to their own territory! Or bring a proper justification and compensation!”
He had gathered and trained enough troops, preparing for a fight with the Duke Faction.
Of course, he would lose if it came to battle; however, Marquis Roderick was currently aligned with the Crown Prince Faction. He didn’t expect them to start a fight recklessly.
While Count Albans was holding firm, a messenger arrived again, shouting.
“Marquis Roderick has simply marched into the territory! He’s said to let him pass without obstruction!”
“Who does he think he is, barging into my territory!”
Count Albans stood up in anger. Even if they weren’t attacking, invading without permission was a clear sign of disrespect.
If he let this slide, he would be mocked and disrespected by the other nobles. He had to make an effort to push back.
“Bring my armor immediately and gather my troops! I will block them by force! How many troops does the Marquis have?”
“T-that’s…”
“Speak up!”
“One hundred thousand!”
“…One thousand?”
“One hundred thousand! One hundred thousand!”
“….”
Count Albans, who had momentarily gone silent at the messenger’s words, slumped back into his seat.
Looking at the ceiling, he sighed multiple times before quietly saying,
“Show them the fastest route. Make sure they are escorted with courtesy to avoid discomfort on their journey…”
“…Understood.”
This was not a matter of pride anymore. The other nobles would understand.
The territories along the march of Marquis Roderick held their breath, not daring to consider obstructing him.
Some nobles, like Count Albans, refused, but Marquis Roderick ignored them and simply marched by.
No one, whether they were lords of the Crown Prince Faction, Duke Faction, or neutral factions, dared step forward to block him.
As he passed through the territories, Marquis Roderick chuckled several times.
“What a pathetic bunch, thinking they could block my way.”
This was a situation he truly enjoyed. He could feel his power once again.
Once he toppled the Duke Faction, there would be no one in this kingdom capable of stopping him.
“At this point, it would be best to split the forces. Tennant, instruct the rear 2nd Corps to move toward the capital.”
“Understood.”
Currently, the Roderick army consisted of the 1st Corps, led by the Marquis with 60,000 troops moving ahead, and the 2nd Corps, consisting of 40,000 troops, slowly following behind.
They hadn’t yet received permission from the royal family to station near the capital, but he figured it was reasonable to start moving since they would eventually have to join forces.
While passing on the new orders to the 2nd Corps, Marquis Roderick gazed up at the northern sky.
“We’ll soon arrive at Penris.”
The sheer number of troops made their marching speed slow, which was frustrating. He wanted to hurry and trample over Penris.
However, the weather was splendid. Just like the weather, Marquis Roderick’s mood brightened.
As he was feeling delighted, a messenger rushed over, looking utterly disheveled.
He looked like he hadn’t had a moment of rest.
Marquis Roderick looked puzzled and asked,
“What’s going on? Where are you coming from?”
“Th-the Count of Penris…”
“What’s with him? Is he surrendering or something? I have no intention of accepting!”
“Th-that’s not it.”
“If it’s not that, then what is it?”
The messenger took a deep breath and shouted,
“Count Penris has led 10,000 cavalry to invade the west!”
“What?”
Marquis Roderick tilted his head. He surely knew they were invading, so why would he launch an attack on the west?
Does that mean he left Penris undefended? It made no sense.
Tennant, who was next to the Marquis, frowned and asked,
“Explain properly! Why has Count Penris appeared in the west?”
“It’s just as it sounds! Count Penris is currently attacking the west! The vassal lords who were blocking him have all been captured or killed! Fortresses are being breached one by one! The direction of advance is toward Marquis Roderick’s territory!”
At those words, everyone’s expressions hardened. There were hardly any troops in the vassal lords’ territories. They had all been conscripted by Marquis Roderick.
The same applied to the various fortresses. While some minimum forces remained due to robbers who had not yet been eradicated, that was about all.
The Penris troops were crews trained to scale walls. A small number of troops would never be able to stop an army of 10,000.
No, at this rate, Master Count Penris could just charge in alone.
Tennant spoke with urgency.
“Marquis! We need to send some troops back to block them!”
It didn’t matter if other areas were occupied and trampled. After all, if they seized Penris, Ghislaine would also have to yield.
Originally, with only 10,000, there was no way they could properly defend the vast west.
But there was another issue.
“If Marquis Roderick’s territory gets occupied, our supply lines will be severed!”
Given the distance between Roderick and Penris, the supply lines were significantly long. If the supply lines collapsed, the grand army of 100,000 would inevitably starve.
Coming to his senses, Marquis Roderick shouted angrily.
“In that case, not just some troops, but immediately redirect the entire army! If we capture Count Penris first, won’t that solve everything?!”
Then Tennant intervened.
“That won’t do. This is Count Penris’s scheme.”
“What?!”
“If Count Penris is evading battle and running around, we won’t be able to capture him. They are all cavalry.”
“Hmm… could it be that jerk’s intention…?”
“Exactly. If we chase him now, we’ll just be dragged along. He’s taking our supply line as leverage to force us to withdraw. He must be aware that the west is vacant.”
“That crazy jerk would abandon even his own territory to come out…”
“He wouldn’t have any other choice. He would have judged that he couldn’t block this grand army with defense. He’ll probably keep trying to cut off supply lines.”
Marquis Roderick gritted his teeth.
“I’ve heard rumors that he knows how to fight, but he’s not bad at strategizing either.”
“But there’s a way to capture Count Penris and seize Penris.”
“How do you propose we do that?”
“Send the 2nd Corps heading to the capital back toward Marquis Roderick’s territory to flank Count Penris and secure the supply lines. Then the 1st Corps can seize Penris.”
“And what if my fortress gets occupied first?”
“No, it won’t be easily captured.”
“Why not? Isn’t he the Master?”
“The Count’s army is entirely cavalry at 10,000. That’s why they could reach the west so quickly.”
“Oh, I see…”
Marquis Roderick seemed to understand something as he slapped his knee.
Tennant also smiled and said,
“They mean they don’t have any siege equipment. In the end, all they can do is cut off the supply lines.”
It was said that the Master could face thousands of soldiers alone.
If it were a small fortress or a stronghold with a small stationed force, he could probably charge in alone and seize it. But no matter how strong the Master was, it would be impossible to single-handedly conquer a large fortress.
And there was such a fortress in the west. The Castle of Roderick, ‘Linderstein’.
That place could never be taken without siege equipment.
