CH 346

“And then…” I said. “Who is this King Karruzer?”

“Yes! That’s you, Your Majesty!”

No, that’s not right… That’s not it at all. What I want to ask is, who is this person King Karruzer, and what does he mean? I’m Flora Charlotte von Carruthers, not King Karruzer.

If they know that I don’t know too much, they may be repulsed again. But it’s also difficult to pretend to understand when you don’t know what the other person is saying. And if you try to take advantage of it because you’re misunderstanding something, it won’t be a good thing. Based on my experience, my intuition says that.

“In this country… no, it’s a legend from a long time ago on these isles…”

King Harold looks at me with twinkling eyes like a boy looking at the hero of a story. Thinking that the discussion was not progressing, a moderately elderly person who seemed to be a minister began to speak in Harold’s stead.

The Blish Isles were at war with the indigenous peoples and the Hermannic Anghel-Saksens, including the Delians, the Plossians, the Anghels, and the Saksens who settled there. Some representative countries rise and then disappear. The Kingdom of Wessek seems to be the last country of the Anghel-Sakzen people.

Of course, there are also Anghel-Saksens who live in other regions. Anghel-Sachzens are living in Alvaland, Welez, and even Ehrland, on the west side of the Blish Isles.

However, the Kingdom of Wessek is the last remaining legitimate Anghel-Sakzen kingdom. All the rest of the Anghel-Sakzen nations were destroyed.

In such a situation, it seems that the Anghel-Sakzen people once had a hero. Of course, it is a kind of legend or folklore, and its existence is doubtful. Still, it’s the lore that the Anghel-Saksens believe in…

Their peoples were once invaded from outside their borders, but they also had trouble with the invaders from beyond the sea. The Kingdom of Del in the east and the Kingdom of Frasia in the south. And the former Anghel-Sakzen people were also on the verge of perishing due to an invasion from the outside.

The hero who appeared at that time was called King Karruzer, who repelled foreign enemies, protected the Anghel-Sakzen people, founded the country, and even invaded the continent.

I’m not very familiar with the history of the Kingdom of Frasia, but at least the history I learned in Ploiss didn’t say that. Even if there was some kind of bloodline connection between King Karruzer and the Kingdom of Frasia, I have not heard that there was a counter-invasion by a ruler from the Isles.

Well, omitting the details, reality, and detailed lore, it’s pretty roughly like that. And when King Karruzer died, the country was divided before long, the tradition ends with the words like, “Even if I die, X will not die.” or “When crises threaten our nation’s existence again, someone will come to carry on my legacy.”, or something to that effect.

King Harold seems to think that the current situation exactly matches that tradition. Some of the other vassals don’t seem to think so, but of course, King Harold has been looking at me like a boy looking at the hero of a story.

I didn’t understand the situation a little while ago and it remained vague, but he said he would hand over the Throne of Wessek to me.

As far as I’m concerned, if I get the throne, I’m pretty lucky. I, who have no ties or relations to the Blish Isles, will be able to get a just cause to claim these isles and fight against other countries. In addition, it will be possible to claim control over some of the former Wessek royalty.

Right now, it would be ill-advised to accept it as, “Oh, is that so?” Even the retainers of King Harold who remained here wouldn’t be able to accept it if they were suddenly told that I was the king from now on. It’s true that I saved them from crisis once, but we still don’t trust each other.

“I understand the situation… First of all, let’s prioritize overcoming this current crisis,” I said.

“Yes! As King Karruzer wills it!”

Umnn… Is Harold okay? Isn’t he a little gullible? This guy is kind of…….

It’s just a coincidence that our names are similar, but we’re “Carruthers,” not “Karruzer,” and it’s probably the first name of the legendary King Karruzer. Carruthers is my last name, not my first name…

But from Harold’s point of view, our “Carruthers” might be a surname that means “Of Karruzer,” a direct descendant. Even I don’t know the origins or history of the Carruthers family, and it’s possible that they really have some kind of connection with King Karruzer, or something like that.

The Anghels are a people who originate from the Anghel Peninsula, near the border of the Kingdoms of Del and Ploiss. The Caan and Carruthers territories are a mixture of Anghels, Ploissians, and Saksens. In the first place, they are all of the same kind in the broad classification of Hermans and Hermannics…

Well, the Anghel-Sakzen people originated in the area where we live, so it’s possible that they share some kind of influence and lore.

And, if we leave that kind of historical consideration for another time, we need to do something about this situation first.

I don’t think the enemy will counterattack right away because they’ve taken so much damage, but… on the contrary, it’s possible that they think we’re off guard and counterattack right away. This site is overwhelmingly at a disadvantage, so we’ll need to be prepared.

“First of all… let’s contact my subordinates and work out countermeasures,” I said.

“”””Sire!”””””

My return to the ship won’t leave a very good impression on Harold and the other survivors of Wessek. On the other hand, Schwartz and Ramor, who are in command of the fleet, cannot land. If I go back to the ship now, people might think I’m being coy about this and run away.

That’s why we decided to build a position near the coast. Anyway, if it’s such a shabby fortress, it’s not so different from laying a position outside in the open. At the same time as showing that I didn’t escape back to the ship, I will secure a land deployment location for us, and then cooperate with the Wessek survivors.

Harold and the others are preparing to repair the fort and brace themselves for the next battle. In order to discuss future operations with the remnants of Wessek, I returned to the coast with several Wessek representatives.

Without returning to the ship, I dispatched a messenger to raise the landing force and start building up our defensive position. At the same time, I gather Schwartz, Ramor, and the other fleet commanders to discuss. From here we can quickly return to the ship if the enemy approaches. You can avoid being surrounded by enemy re-invasion while we’re talking in that standing shambles of a fort.

“I understand the situation,” one of the Wessek survivors said. “So then? What are we going to do?”

“About that……”

After explaining the situation to our commanders, I asked the Wessek survivors to withdraw. We have our secrets, so I can’t say that I can talk to them about anything. First of all, I will ask my subordinates to listen to the situation plan together, and then discuss the details of the strategy here. Once the strategy is decided, the policy is to inform the remnants of Wessek and cooperate with them.

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“First… in this situation, a battle with the Kingdom of Frasia is unavoidable. Frasia has installed Guillaume, said to be a relative of the Former King Wessek, and will conquer Wessek as a foothold for their invasion of this part of the Isles and eventually the rest of the region.”

Everyone nodded at my words. This perception is the same for everyone.

“Neither the Kingdom of Ploiss nor House Caan can remain silent and let the Kingdom of Frasia rule the Blish Isles,” I said. “Therefore… we will remove the Frasian influence from the Blish Isles.”

“Specifically, how?”

Eliminating the Kingdom of Frasia is a major premise. So how do you do that? It’s easy to say, but it’s unreasonable to ask us to fight alone against a large country like Frasia.

“First… Fortunately, this is an island. No matter how narrow the strait between us and Frasia is, there is no other way than to cross it by boat. We will blockade the island with our greatest advantage, the navy, one that has overwhelmed Frasia so far.”

I will explain in detail. First, the fleet must be divided into three. One is a supply and transport fleet. I’m going to return 5 of the galleons that are coming this way back to Caan territory. These 5 ships are escorts for the carrack ships that transport supplies and troops here.

Just as we are trying to blockade our enemy’s supply, the enemy will try to blockade us if they learn that we are resupplying by sea transport. Therefore, escorts are essential for transport units. Moreover, the carrack ship, which has the second largest loading capacity after the galleon ship, is slow. 5 escorts are not enough to protect a carrack ship.

However, the troops cannot be divided into escorts. Carrack ships also carry Caan guns, and transport units must be able to fight on their own to some extent. Well, the Hollant Kingdom’s ships could fight even with a carrack ship, so the only problem is the speed of the boat. They can run away even if they give chase, but if it comes to attack from the other side, we’ll manage somehow.

Next, we will turn about ten ships to the south and block the strait against Frasia. All who try to cross here may be sunk. It doesn’t matter if you are a merchant or a fisherman. I tell them not to pardon anyone who tries to cross here.

We can’t let them see us. Witnesses are all sunk. Some of the survivors will flow to the Kingdom of Frasia and the information will leak. But you should delay the flow of information to the other side as much as possible.

Guillaume of the Kingdom of Frasia and his troops, who have landed here, is likely relying on support from their home country. Completely cut off that support. Even if food can be procured locally, soldiers with high loyalty will not be available unless they are sent from their home country.

Even if they take in the soldiers and nobles of the old Wessek Kingdom, if they think that we have the legitimate claim to Wessek’s throne, no, if they were forced to obey Guillaume in the first place then they think we have the upper hand, there should still be nobles and soldiers here that will join us.

I don’t think Guillaume can use a local soldier when he’s not sure when they’ll betray him. In that case, Guillaume’s army would weaken if support and transportation from his home country were delayed. If the army were to land one after another from their home country, we would be at a disadvantage since we are few in numbers, but if we confined the enemy to this island and cut off supplies, support, and reinforcements, it would somehow work out.

The remaining 10 ships are our strength. If it’s a coastal region like the Blish Isles, having control over the sea is a big advantage. Securing sea superiority and supporting fire from the shore alone would give us a considerable advantage. After that, depending on the situation, these 10 ships will have various jobs such as dispatching them to the seas near the Kingdom of Frasia in the south, replacing them, and so on. We also expect it to play a role as a replacement and a reserve force.

After discussing the strategy, we immediately gave instructions. The fleet was divided, and the ships returning to Caan territory to escort the transport unit unloaded as many supplies as possible before heading home. Only the minimum amount of ammunition and food is left, and the rest is transferred to other ships. We just used up a lot of ammo, so I want to secure even a little more of it.

Then immediately send the fleet to the southern strait as well. I want to avoid our information from going to Frasia. Start a naval blockade right now and don’t let Frasia know what’s going on here. Besides, I want to hide as much information as possible about the Caan Cannon.

The Caan Cannon is neither invincible nor the strongest. There are workarounds and limitations. In the first place, once the ammunition is consumed, there is only hand-to-hand combat. It would be deadly if they knew how long it would take to run out of cannonballs. Even a galleon ship can’t do anything if it runs out of ammunition and is surrounded by countless enemies.

In addition to blocking information about the enemy, I would like to destroy each one in the strait during the early stages, before the enemy thinks about how to respond. If we destroy the enemy’s navy, our chances of winning will increase significantly. On the other hand, if we can’t block the southern strait, we have a slim chance of winning against them, who have a huge difference in military strength.

Unload the landing forces and supplies that have been transported, and build a position on land. I don’t want to make a place like this my base, but I can’t fight without securing a foothold for the time being.

“Now that that’s done, I will talk with the people of Wessek again,” I said.

“Aye! Safe travels!”

Our strategy is decided and moving immediately. Rather than discussing strategy with the Kingdom of Wessek, I’m just telling them about our decision… Either way they are useless in naval battles. Regarding maritime operations, we will simply inform them of the operations, and there will be no need to ask for their consent or discuss them jointly. In addition…….

I don’t want to doubt it too much, but it’s possible that the remnants of Wessek have spies rooted in them. It would be bad if we taught our strategy too carelessly and leaked it to Frasia Kingdom and Guillaume. In particular, it would be troublesome if they found out that our ground forces were so weak.

“Then let’s go… I’m looking forward to your performance in land battles, Janzicka, I said.

“Yes! Leave it to me!” Janzicka said.

There are many soldiers gathered from the Knights Nation, but their training and morale cannot be said to be very high. After all, the main force is the artillery unit of the Knighthood… And then there’s the former Polsky unit commanded by Janzicka… There are not many decent soldiers out here.

It’s an unreasonable story because I’m trying to train new recruits in real combat… I never dreamed that I would suddenly find myself in this situation when I landed here…

Well, I can’t help but complain. Will I do everything I can before I return to the Knighthood?