Chapter 359
My Villains Episode 359
61. art of war⑴
The power to transform the barren land of the plateau into fertile farmland was a miracle in itself, but the sight of Theodora stepping on the ground engulfed in light was even more mysterious..
Unlike Nawan, who was dazzled by the beautiful scene itself, Prince Ulkar's other knights seemed even more surprised by the fact that the wide fields surrounding Kaybor were blessed in just one day..
“That's incredible speed. Faster than any high priest..”
“It was said that he was anointed by the Red Cloth Bishops. Was there a good reason for that?……
As they admired, the 'congratulatory ceremony' performed by Princess Theodora proceeded much faster than expected and was completed around the morning of the next day..
Before setting out, the Prince decided to leave behind some troops to keep the peace, as he had done at Longdale..
Although Keivor is a small settlement compared to Longdale, the public sentiment was very uneasy. Thanks to this, the remaining group of latecomers numbered over 20, including the driver..
“……But you said you would stay too?”
“Yes, Nari.”
It was none other than the veteran Conqueror who volunteered to remain as a latecomer..
“Why? No one asked you to help, so why do you want to get involved in such a bothersome matter? “What are we going to do by staying?” “I’m thinking of recruiting new soldiers..”
“boot?”
I was so dumbfounded that I burst out laughing..
“Are you out of your mind? It was just yesterday that our prince captured a villager and hanged him. But they said they would recruit new soldiers here.?”
“Residents probably won't gather much. The people I'm targeting are refugees..”
“refugees?”
“Refugees who fled from the east to escape the Bloodmane mercenaries..”
“The people there are preparing to go back soon.
It seems like you're doing?”
“Not everything. There are people everywhere who are not into farming. If you jingle your money bag in front of them, you'll be able to collect quite a few..”
“Even if it were true, they would all be just idiots..”
“A big battle is ahead, Sir. I need to increase the number of pages somehow..”
Conwyer added with a rather stern expression:.
“And, what's gathered in High Castle right now is not just one army..”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden??”
He brought up a story he had heard from Andros and other soldiers..
“3The total number of troops that can be said to be under the prince's direct control is less than two thousand. Even including the soldiers of Margrave Landry, who are the Prince's ardent supporters..”
“……Two thousand? I heard that if Antram's army joins, it will be well over 4,000 strong.?”
“That's true if you count all troops. Small lords and unit flags from Odenlok, Abiden, etc. banner） If you include all the troops of the knights who were allowed to.”
According to Conwyer's explanation, the total number of troops led by Ulkar would be about 4,500 men..
Among them, Ulkar's direct subordinates numbered about 1,000, and the Margrave Landry's troops, who were almost directly subordinate to him, numbered about 800. Of the troops sent by the Marquis of Avon, about 1,200 arrived safely, and about 1,500 were miscellaneous troops brought by lords, landowners, magistrates, etc. from various regions..
“……This is complete shit. The commander
How many people are there then??”
“Of course, the main commander is the Third Prince. However, we cannot ignore the opinions of Count Orth, Viscount Cirillo, Lord Dailecid, etc..”
Count Orth is the deputy of the Marquis of Eavon and the commander of the Army of Antrum (in name), and is the most powerful person besides Ulkar. However, he is only a 16-year-old kid, and he has made some sort of agreement with Ulkar, so there is little chance of it becoming a problem..
Viscount Cirillo is the chief of staff of Count Aeneas, the great lord of the Abyden region, and Sir De Ilesid is a renowned knight in the Abydenloch region. They represent the armies from Abiden and Odenloch, respectively..
“……What's so complicated?.”
“This is not the end. There are more than ten petty lords and knights who belong nowhere. Moreover, even major lords do not have complete control over their subordinates..”
Come to think of it, Marquis Eavon's reinforcements were similarly complex in composition. Of the 1,200 troops, only 500 of Ariaga's personal soldiers are directly under the direct command of Count Ost, and the rest are troops brought by vassals such as Lujan, Toseth, and Bran..
Lujan and Toseth were the only ones who had the title of baron and had such dog-like personalities that they were difficult to control..
“Viscount Cirillo and Lord Dailecid are in a similar situation to Count Orth..”
“Why are you there??”
“Viscount Cirillo is bragging that he went to battle on behalf of a young girl with a sweet tooth. However, it is said that he has never been officially designated as an agent by Count Aenes, and due to a lack of personal connections, he is unable to properly control his subordinates..”
“Hmm.”
“To be precise, Abiden's Warlords only regard him as their representative and not as their superior..”
“……What about Lord Dailecid? Isn’t that guy famous for fighting well??”
“you're right. There is no one who doesn't know his skills, and he also carries Count Coburn's sword, 'Vidain'. However, it is said that due to the low rank, problems sometimes arise. Of course, the situation is better than that of Count Ost or Viscount Cirillo..”
……Ha, my head will break..
“Is this why war is possible? Why not just gather them all into one unit and have Prince Ulkar command them all??”
“Of course not. If you try to take away command, the lords will immediately desert..”
“rotten••••••
It was a bitch, but it wasn't something I couldn't understand..
Right now, I have over fifty subordinates. If Ulkar asks me to give them all up, will I just give them up??
Of course not. How much effort and money did I put into it? No, leaving something like that and losing the subordinates I had been so attached to was, of course, something I would feel repulsed by..
Since I also think this way, treating my subordinates like mercenaries, it will be even more difficult to take away command from lords who regard their soldiers as their subjects..
“……But what does the fact that the army in High Castle is a mess have anything to do with recruiting new soldiers here??”
“The idea is to be prepared, Nari..”
“contrast?”
“If you have few troops, you will be ignored by lords and knights. “You may be at a real disadvantage.” "no way." I scratched my cheek and smiled bitterly..
“It's a bit embarrassing to say it out loud, but I'm pretty famous. Besides, I am under the direct command of King Ulkar. “Who is ignored and who is disadvantaged?” “That’s something you don’t know. What is certain now is that we have a lot of troops, so there will be no loss..”
“••••♦•Hmm.”
“Training may be lacking, but if you work hard before the battlefield, you will quickly become a strong soldier..”
I thought briefly and nodded..
“Okay, well, let's do that. How much are you going to save??”
“I plan to raise as much money as funds allow..”
“Still, I have to get the maximum..”
He took out a handful of gold and silver coins from the money box he kept in Bicorn's saddle and put them in his pocket..
“Don't exceed 50 people, but if possible, bring in troops and supplies here..”
“Then I think we need more people..”
Confire asked me to name Fritz, Sergeant Dervish, and Dylan the night watchman, and I immediately shook my head..
“Dervish and Dylan are okay. No Fritz. If it's not me, that bad-tempered bird, you should stick next to Utequai..”
When I offered to replace Fritz with the poacher Cabas and the spearman MacKaig, Conwyer seemed to agree..
Leaving behind five of my men, including Conwyr, I followed Ulkar and set out..
When they left the garrison between the hills, the cavalry, which had numbered over 140, had already been reduced to less than 100. Considering that there were only about 30 people left in Longdale and Kaybor, it means that about ten people lost their lives..
Since the remnants of the Bloodmane mercenaries were wiped out, the damage was not that great, but each of those who died was an elite of the elite, so it must have been a painful sacrifice for Ulkar..
“let's go!”
However, the prince with his long silver hair still had a loud voice. The sound of horses' hooves running along the dry dirt road was extremely cheerful..
Since the real war hasn't even started yet, they are probably trying to put aside the sorrow of sacrifice for a while and return to the fortress filled with only the joy of victory..
As I was about to follow him and take the reins, I suddenly looked back at Keivor..
Because Ulkar had issued a strict order, the residents could not even see a snout. Everyone is stuck in their homes, waiting for us to leave..
It's bittersweet. Considering the mercy we showed to Keibor, a grand farewell banquet would not be enough, but in reality, we are like marauders leaving a conquered land.…….
With that thought in mind, I looked back at Theodora. She was just driving her white horse, Brightmere, with an expressionless face. I pulled the reins and leveled the horse with her..
Boom.
As I was forcibly calming the Bicorn, which was complaining, by pressing its head, Theodora came out of her thoughts and turned to me..
“Ah, Lord Phoenics..”
“What are you thinking so deeply about??”
She smiled slightly and replied.
“It's no big deal. I was just blankly.”
“You must be tired..”
“……any. It's been a while since I used my divine power in such a hurry..”
Well, it's worth it to be tired..
From yesterday afternoon to this morning, the land blessed by Theodora covered a radius of 3 kilometers. He traveled around farmland that could feed a population of 100,000 and sprinkled divine power on it..
To compare the size, it was roughly the size of Gwanak-gu, so just walking around it would have been tiring. Moreover, she prayed and blessed constantly, so it was amazing that she was riding a horse like this right now..
“It would have been okay if you hadn't been in such a hurry..”
“no. Actually, I wanted to leave K Bor as soon as possible..”
“……Because of the public’s gaze?”
“It's a little different.”
She shook her head, running a hand through her light blonde hair..
“The whole village was shaking with anxiety..”
Ulkar is a warlord whose reputation extends beyond the kingdom and across the continent. It was only natural that the serfs were very frightened as he showed his anger - even if it was only half made up..
“And the problem was ultimately caused by me. How could you not be in a hurry??”
Bicorn's height was about 20 centimeters taller than Bright Me's, and since he was running at a canter for a while, it wasn't a very good environment for conversation..
However, because of this situation, I ended up paying more attention to the other person's voice and movements. It wasn't that difficult because both I and Theodora had much sharper ears than the criminal..
So, if we focused on each other with our heads side by side, we could continue the conversation as if we were alone, using the wind as a soundproof wall..
“I don't understand.”
“What do you mean??”
“I don't know what the difference is between the priests of the El Ganor Church and the Princess, or rather, the Calandari Church. Regardless of affiliation, aren't they both worshiping the same god??”
“……You might think so. The reason Calandari and El Ganor split was ultimately due to a useless doctrinal dispute..”
‘I am well aware of the ‘debate on the correlation between the will of the Lord and the authority of the clergy’ and the doctrinal debate commonly referred to as the ‘power-will debate’. It's not something I learned as Seungsu Kim, but it's something Poynix knew..
There are complicated logics here and there, so let's omit them all and explain in simple terms........
The Elganor Church believes that the power wielded by priests does not contain the will of God, while the Calandari Church believes that the will of God is contained..
For example, let's say a person contracts a sexually transmitted disease as a result of promiscuity. If he was cleansed of venereal disease through the power of a priest after paying an appropriate price, or rather an offering,?
In response, the Qalandari believe that God forgave the venereal disease patient..
Since the mercy of the light they worship is infinite, they believe that God will forgive them if they go to church and repent..
The Church of El Ganor is different. To them, the cure of a venereal disease patient is a phenomenon that has nothing to do with God’s forgiveness..
The Lord of Light they worshiped respected human free will and did not rule the world directly, but only used people with unchanging faithfulness and excellent judgment as his agents. It is considered that the choice of the representative, that is, the priest, is the will of the Lord, but the power they exercise is solely due to the will of the priest himself..
At first glance, it seemed like they were fighting over an insignificant topic, but if you think about it carefully, it was an understandable argument that really divided the church..
however…….
“……It's a useless doctrinal debate.?”
“exactly.”
Theodora nodded and continued speaking. The light green eyes, resembling blades of grass in early spring, were filled with a rare sparkle..
“Of course, it is important to know where the Lord's will lies. But do you really think it's worth it to spend hundreds of years in self-destructive antagonism trying to figure it out??”
“Absolutely not.”
“Whether it is Calandari or El Ganor, they are priests who must share light throughout the land. People like that are taking the lead in causing confusion. I need to know my duty.,”
The princess, who had frowned and expressed low anger, soon sighed..
“…… It's not a problem that can be solved by complaining. Still, I won't be the only one who criticizes Gwangmyeong believers like Eun and call them heretics..”
“Hmm, I see..”
As I quietly nodded, Princess Theodora, who was taking the reins, glanced sideways and asked a question..
“……Well, you just talked about it without even asking what you thought. Uncharacteristically, I guess it's because I'm tired..”
I burst into laughter as I looked at the princess who was making excuses..
“There is nothing to ask. Because my thoughts are similar..”
“exactly?”
“As I said, I'm not sure what the difference is between Calandari and El Ganor. Actually, I'm not interested..”
As I said that and shrugged my shoulders, Theodora also smiled..
Theodora and I ran side by side for a while..
We arrived at a walled city standing tall among barren plateaus, lush forests, and vast wetlands..
A giant castle located on the border between the Kingdom of Milanol, the Mittergerand Empire, and Asag, the Land of the Dead..
It was High Castle..
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