CH 294

Chapter 294 – Puppet War(11)

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Our army’s main body caught up with the rest of our army southwest of Parisiorum. With this, we had seized victory.

The fortress with Brittany’s precious provision warehouse was taken by us. The fortress had an incredibly long name. It was called Sage-Germain-en-Laye Fortress. It was annoying to remember or even talk about. The members of our army arbitrarily decided to call it <Storage>.

There were 700 foot soldiers and 200 cavalrymen protecting the fortress. Their fortifications were quite steadfast, but once our republican army of 10,000 swarmed them, the fortress didn’t last for even two hours. They probably never imagined that a massive army would come to raid them. It was a perfect surprise assault.

Their only hope laid in whether Henrietta sent them reinforcements or not……but how unfortunate. Our departure times were vastly different.

We made Batavia’s republican army cross the river first and had them depart immediately once they were over. While this was happening, Brittany was tied down due to their battle with us. This made them waste about two hours. Henrietta made a mistake the moment she engaged in battle with us.

Of course, this was in conclusion. If she had won the battle, then Henrietta’s name would have gone down in history as a renowned commander, while we would’ve been referred to as the fools who were split up and conquered because we were caught while trying to cross a river. That’s war. Everything is determined by the result…….

I had requested Baronet Bercy to start the fire in Parisiorum.

I was shocked when I heard that a mass purge had been carried out. Fortunately, Baronet Bercy managed to avoid that wave of blood. The Baronet was our only connection with the patriots of Frankia. It was incredibly lucky that he survived. The Baronet did a splendid job in carrying out his task.

Henrietta was probably lamenting miserably right now.

She lost her strongest fighting power known as the Green Rose Knights and her provisions. Now Brittany’s elbowroom has been narrowed down significantly.

Henrietta, you were too focused on pitched battles. In the end, war is about deception and more deception. By putting your backs against a river, you made it obvious that your goal was a pitched battle.

On the other hand, we hid our intentions til the very end. We made walls to make it seem like we were aiming for a prolonged battle and we crossed the river to make it seem like we were trying to go to Parisiorum. But our true goal was their storage. Henrietta tripped and fell on both of these traps.

At noon, Laura and I were together in our personal quarters.

Our forces have seized the decisive chance at victory, but the war wasn’t over yet. Brittany’s army was still alive and healthy. We couldn’t let our guards down. The two of us immediately started a strategy meeting as soon as we set up a military camp southwest of Parisiorum.

“Brittany now has only two choices.”

“They try to defend the city or they retreat.”

Laura nodded her head. I would finish her sentences whenever she started to talk. We had a full understanding of each other’s plans.

“The Brittans would not want a siege. Not only do they greatly prefer pitched battles, but they do not have the provisions to sustain a prolonged siege either. They would want to retreat, but…….”

“The issue is where they could possibly retreat to.”

The effects of the civil war are still widespread throughout Frankia.

The influence of royalists is strong on the west and east sides of Parisiorum. It was only natural since almost every known republican was slaughtered.

On the other hand, the north end of Frankia became a sacred area for republicans. The north end was also where there were a dense number of free cities that had declared independence.

Therefore, Henrietta would want to run away to either the west or east where the people are more amicable to them. If they kidnap the Emperor and Empress Dowager, then they could also receive a war tax under the pretext of it being the ‘Emperor’s order’. They would be able to legally obtain provisions.

However, we’re blocking their way south and west.

If the people of Brittany want to retreat south or west, then they would have to cross the river like we did last night. I shouldn’t have to say it, but Laura and I don’t intend to sit idly by and let them cross the river.

“We must order the wyvern unit to keep an eye on Parisiorum.”

“I already gave the order through Gamigin. Half of the unit is rotating every three hours to keep surveillance over Parisiorum.”

Laura smiled in response to my answer.

“As expected of my lord. You are what they mean by a perfect adjutant.”

“……I feel like you’re reversing our roles.”

Laura was probably the only vassal in the world who treated her lord as an adjutant. Well, not like I cared. As long as we can win the war.

If Brittany’s army did something, then the wyvern unit would immediately report it to us. We were planning to move in order to prevent the enemy from crossing the river. Of course, as long as Henrietta wasn’t an idiot, she should know that they were being watched by wyverns.

“The Queen of Brittany will either try to force their way across the river or give up on it entirely.”

“Both options are good for us.”

Laura nodded.

“If the enemy attempts to cross the river, then we would be able to fight with an advantage. Although things would be different if they possessed a unit strong enough to ignore the risk of crossing the river…….”

“But we did our best last night to get rid of that very unit. Isn’t that so, Laura?”

The Green Rose Knights.

They were abnormally powerful. It’s common sense for an army to become weak when crossing a river, but the Green Rose Knights were easily capable of fending off an enemy attack while also helping their allies cross a river.

Thus, we took the risk of wiping the Green Rose Knights out last night.

In truth, instead of splitting our army up into four lines of defense, we could have focused everyone into a single line. If we did that, then the line wouldn’t have gotten breached, but we intentionally let them break our first line of defense.

As a result, Brittany lost their trump card.

They didn’t only lose their strongest fighting power. They also lost their ability to cross the river without burden. Well, it would take some time before Henrietta realizes this as well…….

“Brittany has no choice but to retreat north.”

That’s right.

Queen Henrietta has no choice but to go to a land that was hostile to them. She will have to resupply by pillaging the villages and cities up north.

This was also something that Laura and I wanted.

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The commanders gathered in the barracks during the afternoon.

Most of the Demon Lords looked pleased. We had accomplished a strategic victory. It’d be strange if they looked upset. However, only the faces of Paimon, Vassago, and General Zepar were firm.

Paimon has always been unsatisfied with Laura’s tactics. There were a lot of things she wanted to say, but she was holding them back since they won. That was the mood she was emitting.

Vassago was just in a bad mood. Yesterday night was probably no different from a nightmare for him. He was making it obvious that he didn’t want to fight Agares ever again. Of course, I had already marked Vassago in my mind as being in charge of Agares.

On the other hand, General Zepar was clearly holding back his anger.

“Deputy Commander, I did not hear a single word about the plan for the previous battle. Please explain.”

The old general’s wrinkles looked like they were about to burst with rage.

We expected that our first line of defense would get breached. It was thanks to this that we had won, but General Zepar, who was in charge of that very line, was kept in the dark. General Zepar had struggled desperately because he thought that everyone would be in danger if he let the enemy through.

Laura answered bluntly.

“The first line had to fight desperately in order for our plan to work.”

“……Are you saying that we would have fought less bravely if I was told beforehand?”

“There is a vast difference between whether we have countermeasures or not. At the very least, this would create a difference in resolution. I believe that you would also agree with this, General Zepar.”

General Zepar closed his mouth. He understood, but he was also understandably upset. General Zepar’s face made his thoughts apparent.

“Naturally, the person who contributed the most in the last battle was General Zepar.”

Laura clapped her hands.

A beastman that was waiting outside entered the room while holding a flag. The other Demon Lords looked confused as they stared at the beastman. Only General Zepar managed to recognize what it was in an instant.

“That’s…….”

“Yes. It’s the Green Rose Knights’ banner.”

Once Laura made a gesture with her hand, another soldier approached and helped unfurl the flag.

“I reward this flag, in Supreme Commander Rudolf von Habsburg’s stead, to the general who contributed the most in the previous battle.”

“…….”

General Zepar’s eyes opened wide. It was a flag that boasted a history of 700 years. It was also something that had never been seized before throughout all of history.

If a normal flag goes for about 200 to 500 gold……then the Green Rose Knights’ flag was priceless. It would be a great honor to have that flag hanging in your Demon Lord Castle.

General Zepar quietly closed his eyes. It seems he was thinking deeply about something. He was finally able to get payback for the humiliation he received 500 years ago. It would be weird if he had no remorse.

“……Thank you, Deputy Commander.”

General Zepar opened his eyes and stood up. He brought his right hand to his chest and saluted. This was the greatest courtesy a general could show when he was already serving Barbatos.

Laura gave him a nod.

“Honor should naturally follow one’s struggle. However, the war has yet to end. Brittany’s army is still healthy. The actual distribution of honors will be carried out after we have won.”

The Demon Lords nodded their heads. A portion of them looked unsatisfied.

Well, what’s there to hide? It was Vassago again. Once I intentionally met his gaze and gave him a smile, he cleared his throat and turned away.

He is really an adorable gentleman. I was starting to like him more. Please continue to stay pure.

Laura continued once the mood had settled down.

“Starting tomorrow, we will thoroughly pillage the area around Parisiorum.”

“Hm? Don’t we have more than enough supplies now? Do we have to go out of our way to ruin our image through pillaging?”

Barbatos asked back. It was a logical question. Pillaging was normal in this day and age, but it was obviously better to not do it if possible.

Laura turned to glance at me.

“General Dantalian will elaborate further in that regard. He is the one who had designed this plan.”

“Yes.”

I stood up. Everyone’s gaze focused on me.

I cleared my throat before proceeding to give a calm explanation.

“This may be unfamiliar to my fellow Demon Lords, but royalists and republicans are currently opposing each other in Frankia. To put it simply, Brittany is on the side of the royalists while the Batavian army that is with us is republican.”

A majority of the Demon Lords tilted their heads. Why should we care about the political system in the human world? That was what their faces were saying. Tsk. I understand very well why you guys kept losing during your Crescent Alliances.

I smiled gently.

“Four years ago, a large-scale massacre occurred in Frankia because of the Brittan army. At least 10,000 republicans were slaughtered all throughout the nation. Therefore, the republicans of Frankia harbor a deep hatred toward royalists. We will use that hatred.”

The Demon Lords still looked confused.

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TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. I wonder if Henrietta will somehow be able to recover from this. We’re nearing the end of this segment, so I guess it’s time for the Demon Lord army to start sweeping up.

On another note, I was told the episode with my brother’s wedding is going to air sometime in August, so uh, yeah. If I disappear for a while in August, I’m probably dying from embarrassment somewhere. I’m not looking forward to it.

I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.