Chapter 370
My Villains Episode 370
61. art of war(12)
The sight of Ulkar so confidently declaring that he would default on his debt left me stunned for a moment..
However, as a knight commissioned by this shameless prince and not a creditor, I could not argue with him. Well, even if I had been the creditor, I wouldn't have been able to cut open the stomach of Ulkar, one of the strongest warlords in the kingdom.…….
“Ha, but prince.”
After barely regaining my composure, I tried to remain calm and continued speaking..
“I heard from Atalanta that he promised to give land to the Nudeans in exchange for their participation in the war.……
““I promised to give them land that the three Nudein clans could use as a home, or to open a way for them to cross the Gulf of Blades and return to their homeland.” “Then what do you mean by saying you won’t give me the land?” … Are you saying you want to open the way? That won't be easy either..”
Although the Mitergeland Empire is three times larger than the Kingdom of Milan, its border control is much stronger..
Moreover, the three clans led by Atalanta, Al-Qadari, Jaladub, and Rejun, numbered in the thousands, so they would not even be able to set foot on the territory of the empire..
No matter how you cross the border, the problem will not be solved..
Mitergeland is a contradictory country where there is less oppression of religions other than Gwangmyeongism, but the custom of enslaving pagans is prevalent..
If a Nudein procession enters such a place, more than half of the group is unarmed.…….
“It's not that easy. It would be close to impossible to safely pass through the empire..”
Yes, as he said, it would be impossible. They will probably all be reduced to slaves after being attacked countless times..
What if we give up the land routes that are blocked by the Mittergerand Empire and turn to the sea? Still, it's still difficult. No, the sea route would be much less likely and dangerous..
The Nude people frequently beg or steal, and dance or make noise all the time. It probably wouldn't be difficult to find a ship to transport thousands of these people..
No matter how you manage to get on a boat and go out to sea, it is certain that fearsome maritime thugs - for example, the white and black snakes of Eyland - will make a fuss, and the port where the ship will dock will be more stringent than most border areas. was.
In short, offering a ship to someone and offering to open the way to their hometown is essentially the same as telling them to go and die..
I'm sure someone as big as Prince Ulkar wouldn't make such a foolish suggestion..
“I won't give you the land, I won't help you open the road, so how are you going to pay for it??”
“I never said I wouldn't give up the land..”
“……yes? Obviously just before.”
“They said they couldn't give away the kingdom's land..”
“what is that.”
Leaving behind me in confusion, Ulkar returned to the table and said:.
“Remember what I said a while ago?”
“what do you mean?”
“They say that it only takes one victory to turn the tide..”
“Ah, yes. That's what you said.”
I scratched my eyebrows and continued..
“He said he would hold his defense and win with a counterattack. Aren't we going through a lot of trouble for that purpose??”
“Yes, I remember it well. So what should we do after turning the tide? To end the war.”
“……To end the war. well.”
The current size of the enemy army is approximately 15,000, or three times that of our army. It would be reckless to fight against this, so we strengthen our defenses by surrounding the castle walls. Then, taking advantage of the opportunity, they counterattack and turn the tide..
……Then?
“Switch to an offensive and beat the crap out of them until they're all behind.?
“Hehe, that’s good too. But then the damage would be too great. The more you leave the castle and engage in a field battle, the more difficult it will be to win..”
Ulkar lifted a baton wrapped in wyvern leather and tapped the map on the table..
“Sir Lyam is right. The enemy is drawing troops and supplies from as many as eight provinces, so if we delay, the disadvantage will only increase. I will end the war early to protect this place, the western part of the kingdom..”
“How do you mean.”
“like this,”
The baton carrying Highcastle crossed the edge of the sword and traversed the Strom family's territory. Coastal Angst, forested Obdorf and Topal with its Centennial Castle..
“To stab the enemy's soft lower abdomen in one fell swoop..”
I opened my mouth for a while and blinked my eyes dumbly..
“Are you serious? The Duke of Avilambus is going to attack the Elector's living room.?”
“think it's crazy?”
“yes. of course.”
The prince smiled as if he was very satisfied with the immediate answer..
“I can't believe it was recognized as crazy by the Lord and no one else. It's something to be proud of..”
“What nonsense are you talking about... … . Wait a minute, Your Highness..”
I narrowed my eyebrows at a thought that suddenly occurred to me..
“No way, the land that was supposed to be given to the Nudein people.”
“I think it would be appropriate to remove half of the Angst fat..”
I unconsciously cupped my forehead at Ulkar’s confident attitude..
“……Have you ever heard the saying ‘pay back’??”
“Should I pay back? This is my first time hearing it. what is that?”
“‘It is an abbreviation for ‘You just have to pick it up and pay it back.’ It's a spell that crazy gamblers say right before they go bankrupt..”
“Hmm. That's a funny thing to say. I like it.”
“You're bound to like it. Aren’t these words perfect for my ex?.”
“Is that so? Pay back, pay back... … . I think it sticks in my mouth..”
“IC, Your Highness-”
Seeing the prince's carefree appearance, I looked down and took a deep breath to calm my excitement..
“You may not know this, but the Mitter Gerand Empire is not as bad as ours..”
“What a mess. As a prince, this is a very sad expression..”
“Yes, I'm sad too. Still, you have to face reality. I tell you, in a situation where enemies are attacking, my father and eldest brother are just watching with their hands off. Is this normal??”
Ulkar just shrugged his shoulders with a bitter smile..
“Do you know what's sadder? Unlike a kingdom, an empire is a normal country. As soon as the enemy tramples on the territory, its head will pop out..”
Who is the head of the empire?.
“The emperor?”
“Yes, the emperor..”
Yes, of course he is the emperor..
Ruler of the Mitergeland Empire, elected from among eight electors who monopolized the right to vote and be elected..
An emperor is someone who cannot be ignored just by his name alone, but the emperor of the time, 'Ruilix II', is a man with particularly strong power. This is thanks to his having a wider territory than any other elector and having as many as five emperors as his ancestors..
“I heard that old man, if he wanted to, he could raise an army of about 100,000. If you attack carelessly and the emperor comes and threatens you, you won't be able to recover even a single bone.,”
“You don't have to worry about that. Because I have a double eye.”
“……Compound eye? What kind of plan do you have??”
“that……
“that?”
Ulkar placed his baton on the table and leaned back. And smiled brightly.
“It's a secret.”
My face was contorted as if it were a hideous evil sight, but regardless, the prince continued speaking in a calm tone..
“The Nudein soldiers will be useful in attacking the Hundred Years Castle..”
“That was your plan from the beginning? Is that why you didn't let me participate in the training??”
“exactly… … . Of course, there are other reasons as well..”
He explained while pressing his temples..
“Aran Hareth has told too many people about my promise. It's like deliberately starting a rumor..”
“……So, they spread the rumor that they had agreed to receive land from the prince.?”
“It's not something you can't understand. The lords of Gwangmyeong Church rarely keep their promises to the Nudein people. It is said that it is a common practice for them to slightly increase the binding force by publicizing the contents of the contract to those around them..”
……Anyway, they were talking about the details of the contract everywhere? That's okay though?
No, considering the treatment the Nudein receive in the kingdom, isn't it such a strange thing?.
“But what does spreading that rumor have to do with training??
“The problem is that the lords gathered at High Castle also heard about this promise. Everyone is looking at me with suspicion..”
“A look of suspicion? why?”
“I'm worried. All I have is the land ”
He pointed to the upper part of the map spread out on the table. It was in Southernshire and its vicinity..
“Here, the land inherited from my maternal grandfather and the land obtained during the great orc subjugation are all here. There is some fertile land, but since it is all in the north, it is quite cold. It's not a very appropriate place to give in to the Nudein people..”
“……So the lords are worried that their land will be taken away and given to the Nudein.?”
“That's it. In this situation, how could the Nudein army be used so openly??”
“ O ugh ’’ —
“To put the lords at ease, you must either lie and say you never made such a promise, or explain your plans to seize the enemy's land, as you just did to the Lord..”
The prince tapped the armrest as if he was troubled..
“It's difficult. As a faithful Gwangmyeong Christian, it is impossible to lie… … . When I explain the plan, even Kyung, who is known for his bold thinking, is shocked. How can we persuade the lords who are frightened by the enemy's large army?‘?”
“It must be difficult. Everyone will be worried that Your Majesty has gone crazy from the pressure..”
“Hehe, it could really be so..”
No matter how you persuade, it is not the end. If too many people know the plan, the risk of it being leaked to the enemy increases..
Since our troops are outnumbered, if our plan to take a detour and attack the enemy's heart is revealed, we may face a fatal counterattack..
After hearing the prince's long explanation, I slowly nodded..
“……There was such a situation..”
“Now that explains it.?”
“I still can’t agree with the idea of striking the Hundred Years’ Castle, but… … . Your Majesty has compound eyes. How dare I criticize him?.”
“Yeah, I'm glad you understand what I mean..”
“……I didn't say I understood.”
Ulkar stretched and stood up..
“Well then, I hope you get your message across to Aran Hareth..”
“……yes? It's me?”
“Who else could it be??”
“No, why do I.”
“Isn't there a worthy candidate? Aran Hares and… … Hmm, I heard you have a special relationship..”
Only then did I realize the prince's intention and frowned..
“You said you would speak obediently, but did you tell me to persuade Atalanta instead of you??”
“Oops, I got caught..”
“ majesty.”
“I may have to talk for days to convince her, but one night is enough for her..”
“No, that's it……
What kind of prince orders his knight to make pillowcases from Risongsa? Isn’t this a real jerk?.......
“Oh, just convince Aran Hareth.
There are things to be careful about when.”
“……I haven't said I'll do it yet..”
“This time, you must keep it a secret. Tell them that if the Nudein people boast that they will acquire the land of Angst, they will be considered as having leaked the operation plan and will be severely punished..”
“No - just a moment, Your Highness..”
“I will only believe in you. Now then, I'm going to get a briefing on the supply plan from General McNeil..”
Just as I was trying to chase the prince heading upstairs,
Dang dang dang dang!
Against the background of loud bells, Goleman and heavily armed soldiers rushed into the conference room..
“Your Majesty, avoid!”
“The wyverns are coming, Nari.!”
“what? This is raised,”
I was about to run out in a huff at Goleman's words, but suddenly I looked back. Ulkar, who was standing in the middle of the stairs and calming down the excited soldiers, raised his hand to me with a gentle expression..
“You came quite late today. Take care of yourself, Lord Phoenics..”
“……Ugh. See you later.”
“Don't get too upset. Because I am not a person who forgets the hard work under my command..”
I'm glad there's someone outside to vent my anger on. If it weren't for the wyverns, they might have been irritated by our vicious farm owner..
I left the prince behind and ran out into the inner courtyard. As I stretched out my hand, Gollman quickly handed me a javelin..
I glanced at the sky. Dragon knights who looked to be roughly in their 30s were taking a detour to the north. Are you targeting alumni?.
“Ogg, Shlizo-!”
Very slightly nervous, booming voice. At my call, an old mage stuck his head out from the top of the castle tower..
“I'm ready!”
As soon as I heard his answer, I made a move three or four times and stepped forward..
“Inhale-”
Cooung!
Thanks to the impact of the ground shaking, the javelin as long as my arm shot out, leaving a blurry afterimage..
No matter how strong my strength is, I cannot hit the wyvern that is trotting in the distance with a heavy javelin. After being brutalized last time, the dragon knights only fly at altitudes of over 100 meters, and since they only circle the outskirts of the city, the distance is in the kilometers..
My javelin only flies about two or three hundred meters at most, so catching those things is absolutely impossible..
However, with magical assistance, the story is different..
““Whoa!” The white beard fluttered, and an enormous strong wind poured from the mouth of Ogshlizo, the mage of Antrum. The wind concentrated on one point and pushed my javelin, which was soaring fiercely, with all its might..
So, finally.
Tweet-
A wyvern with a javelin stuck in its wings cried mournfully. The surprised riders quickly took out their magic potions and sprayed them on the wyvern, but my second javelin pierced his shoulder..
Wyvern, whose belly skin was torn by a series of javelins, fell helplessly along with his rider, who was hanging on a special saddle..
“You idiots, what are you just sitting there watching! shoot!”
‘Murg’, Prince Ulkar’s fierce sergeant, shouted loudly from the middle of the castle tower. In response, the archers and crossbowmen fired arrows all at once, and the ballista guns under Burnt Donnell also began shooting..
“Whoa whoa-”
With a heavy sound, Ogshlizo blew out a gust of wind again. A wide-spreading breath scooped up a group of arrows..
However, unlike the javelin I threw, which shot straight up in a spiral in the gust of wind, the arrows quickly lost their strength and were caught in the wind around their feathers, breaking their balance..
In the end, not a single arrow was an effective hit against the Wyverns flying at high altitudes. However, perhaps because there were already casualties from my javelin, the dragon knights quickly pulled the reins and soared upward..
Well, from their perspective, they might be cringing because the damage occurred in just four days..
The wyverns flew so high that they barely reached the clouds and dropped the stones and jars of burning oil they were holding in their claws into the city..
Fortunately, the combat wizards at High Castle were not so incompetent that they could not block an attack falling from nearly 1 kilometer above..
“Break, break, scatter.”
When Master Epoz suddenly appeared and chanted a spell, a stone the size of a human body that was falling towards us crumbled into the size of a pebble. Of course, it was very threatening, but it was manageable by holding up a shield or hiding under a building..
In addition to Master Epoz, several wizards spread their own spells, and the Wyverns' bombardment was blocked in vain..
“I'm going back, Nari..”
“ O bar 〒『.
Wyverns are certainly monsters, but they are not helicopters or fighter jets. You can't fly for a long time at an altitude high enough to be close to the clouds..
In the end, the dragon knights had no choice but to turn their noses before the wyvern's wings froze..
“You're throwing particularly well today, aren't you? Did you feel strong?.”
“……Thanks to the encouragement from our respected Prince Ulkar..”
“Your Majesty?”
Instead of answering, I handed him the javelin I was holding in my hand, and Goleman quickly took it and put it in the javelin package..
“Where are you going, Nari??”
“Close your eyes for a moment. don't look for it.”
Now that the dragon knight bastards have been chased away, today's mission is over. After I'm stuck and take a nap, I'll head out to the training ground in the late afternoon..
“Uh, I can't do that.……
“Why, what else??”
“You have to go to the cavalry camp..”
“Cavalry encampment? The cavalry hasn't arrived yet.?”
“yes. Hey, Mr. Hicks is here too, right?.’’
Following his gaze, I turned my gaze toward the stables in the courtyard.-
“lily.”
Standing next to Hicks, who took off his hat, was Bicorn, a horse so large that the surrounding war horses looked like immature colts..
They must have received a message from the heavy cavalry and came to prepare for my departure..
okay. The mission that was completed by driving out the young dragon knights was as the commander of the central guard, but the mission as the vanguard of the heavy cavalry remained..
“……What have you been doing without going out until now? The sun is already up in the sky.”
“I guess he was waiting for the dragon knight. There is nothing good about overlapping reconnaissance times..”
“Ah,.”
I was wondering if you were lucky today. That's how my luck is.
I sighed heavily and then handed the bicorn's reins. Goleman searched Bicorn's saddlebags, checked for lunch and drinking water, then loaded the javelin and handed over the helmet..
“Please come back, Nari..”
“uh. If I don't come back, know that I'll fly to the east..”
“yes. Then, I can drink the wine I bought at Dandelli in my room.?”
“Do whatever you want. Instead, I got permission from Hayla..”
“……Aren't you going? Everyone will be waiting.”
“Ahhh,.”
“Stop cursing. Among the articles, there is probably no one who swears as much as I do..”
“……I'm going.”
I feel like I want to kick that non-stop Jo Dong-a Lee, but I don't even have the will to do so..
“Hey, dude. Now take care of yourself.”
I kicked him in the stomach with the heel of my boot, and Bai Cong grunted in annoyance, but turned his head towards the south..
It's an exciting time for power reconnaissance. Yay.
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