CH 227

Chapter 227 – Resisting City

A few hours on an air board will take me completely out of the Liberation Army’s sphere of influence and into the sphere of influence of cities and towns that have yet to revere the Liberation Army―the new Merinard Kingdom.

However, this does not mean that it will lead to immediate danger. The point is that the new Merinard Kingdom is not a hostile state. In short, there are many cities and towns that have not yet decided whether to join the new Merinard Kingdom or the Holy Kingdom.

As for such cities and towns, we believe that it will not be difficult to bring them into our side of the newborn Merinard Kingdom. This is because the Holy Kingdom is far away, and we are close. This means that it will take less time to dispatch our forces, and we will quickly become a threat to them if they become our enemy.

In addition, the rumor that we, the Liberation Army, destroyed the Holy Kingdom’s large army of more than 10,000 men with a small army is quickly spreading inside and outside the Merinard Kingdom through the merchants’ network. I don’t think it has spread outside the country yet, but within the Kingdom of Merinard, it is safe to say that it is already well known.

And under such circumstances, we, the Liberation Army, have dispatched a force with even an Adol clergyman in tow. Although the forces accompanying us are not numerous, the Liberation Army is capable of crushing the regular army of the Holy Kingdom, which numbers in the tens of thousands, with a small army. It is normal to think that it is unlikely that the forces of a single city or a single town, at least in numbers, will be able to handle it.

“That should be the norm, though.”

“It seems that they are ready to fight a thorough war.”

Ellen and I were having tea while watching the city from a watchtower made of solid stone, built at a distance where no arrows or magic could reach. Both Amalie-san and Bertha-san were seated at the same table as us and were looking at the city with worried faces.

It has been three days since we left Merinesburg. Until yesterday, all of the cities and towns had shown their willingness to quickly bow down to the newly born Merinard Kingdom, but at last, we were faced with a city that said they would not bow down to the new Merinard Kingdom and would even resort to war!

It seems that they already knew that we were working to pacify the country, and they are now firmly closing their gates and raising drawbridges in a defensive posture.

It seems that they were actually trying to surprise us by pretending to welcome us, outnumbered as we are, but such a move was discovered by Harpy’s scouts, who were scouting ahead of us. Before we arrived, the Harpy’s hand… or foot? A letter was thrown from the sky by the Harpy scouts before they arrived, and they hurriedly closed the gate, raised the drawbridge over the water moat, and took up a position for a siege.

“What in the world is the point of a siege under these circumstances?”

“I don’t know. I am not an expert on warfare, but isn’t a siege something that is done when there is a chance that reinforcements will come?”

“Not only that, but I think that would be the most appropriate way… If you have powerful interceptors, you can use the castle walls to destroy the enemy force in a defensive battle, or you can defend the castle so strongly that the attacker gives up and waits for the attacker to run out of supplies. There may be other ways to fight.”

“I see… You know a lot about it, don’t you?”

“Well, I am an expert in defensive warfare in the Liberation Army, so I know a thing or two, you know?”

Prior to that, I learned about fortifications on the net when building various types of bases across multiple survival games, and I took some knowledge of sieges and siege warfare, and modern and contemporary tactics.

Well, I can’t deny that my knowledge is limited compared to that of a professional soldier, but I still know a little about it.

“But what about this? Is it going to be a war?”

“Well, I think it will. If possible, I don’t want to cause any more deaths.”

“I see… I hope they can be persuaded.”

Amalie-san once again turns her worried expression toward the city―Gleiseburg.

The city of Greiseburg, which is showing its readiness for a thorough fight this time, is the central city in the northern part of the kingdom of Merinard. It is a strongly fortified city with a water moat and splendid walls and is said to have withstood the attack of the Holy Kingdom’s army during the war with the Holy Kingdom 20 years ago until the fall of Merineseburg.

What an irony that this city is now standing in front of us as we try to exterminate the Holy Kingdom’s army.

“That water moat and strong city walls look troublesome at first glance, but they are not an obstacle to me at all.”

If I extend a thick roofed passageway made of stone to cross the water moat, connect it to the city wall, and make a hole in the wall with a mithril pickaxe, I can send in as many troops as I want. Or, I could even create a tunnel under the moat to go directly into the city without them noticing.

“But if we want to avoid as many deaths as possible… Hmm.”

We are having tea in this watchtower elegantly, while downstairs, the Liberation Army, including Danan and Ms. Zamir, are holding a military discussion on how to conquer the city. Is it right to be having tea gracefully under such circumstances? I heard that the Liberation Army is planning to do something without relying on my power for the time being.

Well, there are two squads of gunners equipped with light machine guns and a harpy bombing squad equipped with air bombs among them, and all the elite soldiers that Danan is bringing with him are equipped with powerful goatsfoot crossbows. I think it would be easy to destroy the enemy force.

“What would you do, Kosuke?”

“What would I do? Well… I would sneak into the city and uproot their weapons and food?”

My inventory could easily hold enough food and weapons for an entire city. If I and a few others could sneak in under cover of night, we could complete the operation.

“If they lose all the weapons and food they need for a siege, they certainly won’t be able to continue resisting us.”

Gleiseburg is closing all the gates and raising the drawbridges to block our invasion. If they run out of stockpiled food, they will dry up quickly. If that happens, they will have no choice but to surrender.

“However, it is out of the question for Kosuke-sama to put himself in danger for that.”

“Yes, it is out of the question. You have already shouldered the fate of so many people on your shoulders that it would not be praiseworthy for you to move so lightly.”

“I see.”

Bertha-san and Ellen warned me deeply. On top of that, Amalie-san gave me a very worried look. It looks like I’m not going to be able to leave this place.

If I’m alone, I can escape from the enemy even if they find me. Especially in an urban battle, it would be near impossible for them to capture me. I’m confident that I can escape from Sylphy and Melty if anything is possible. But I don’t think I could get away from Lime and the others.

“…May I ?”

As we were discussing this, Ms. Zamir peeked out from downstairs with her lizard-like features. It may be rude to say this, but she looked kind of cute with only the top half of her face sticking out from the bottom of the stairs and her eyes peeking out.

“What is it? Have you decided on a policy?”

“Yes, I would like to ask Kosuke-sama and Saint-sama for your opinion as well.”

With that, Ms. Zamir’s head disappeared downstairs. Ellen and I also got up from our seats and headed downstairs to the conference room. Amalie-san and Bertha-san were supposed to be cleaning up after the tea, so we headed downstairs with just the two of us.

“You’re here.”

When we entered the conference room, we found Danan and Ms. Zamir in armor, Jagira leading the gunners, and Pirna leading the harpies, all members of the Liberation Army.

“Yeah, what’s going on?”

“We concluded that it was nothing if we just wanted to conquer the city. We’re going to attack the city the same way we’ve always done.”

“Well, yeah.”

I nodded to Danan’s words. We’ll hurt them with firepower, pin them to the ramparts, then blow them up with aerial bombardment, and while we’re at it, destroy the gates. That would be the end of it. But there was a drawback to this approach.

“But it would cause too many casualties.”

“Well, yes.”

This way, most of the people taking part in the battle will die or be seriously wounded, especially because air strikes are so powerful. A direct hit will leave almost no human form. I know it’s a little late to be doing this after blowing up the enemy so many times, but this is the time when we are trying to settle the country, so we don’t want to spill too much blood.

“Well, that’s why I’ve decided to rely on Kosuke.”

“I see… Hmm?”

“I’m asking you to make a move that will crush the enemy’s hopes without causing too many casualties. But you’re not going to go in there directly or anything like that. There is something to be said for this, isn’t there? A weapon or two to blow up that drawbridge and the gate from a distance.”

“Oh, come on, I’m not a blue-eared cat-shaped robot*… but that’s not to say there aren’t any.” [T/n: Doraemon, of course.]

This is the kind of thing that could happen.

The main battlefield in this world is known to use bow and arrow and warhorse from the beginning, so naturally, I also have one or two weapons suitable for this kind of siege battle. Until now, I had not used them because we were not on the defending side and because it was difficult to operate them without me accompanying them due to transportation.

After all, the body and ammunition are heavy as hell. The Liberation Army, which focuses mainly on mobile warfare, had little use for it. Until now, the Holy Kingdom’s soldiers had to be killed, so firefighting and bombing were sufficient.

“See, I told you that he would definitely have it.”

“I knew Kosuke-san would have it ready.”

Jagira and Pirna pointed accusatory words at Danan. Apparently, the girls had given up early on that with their current equipment, the only way to bring their opponents to their knees was to force them to suffer massacre-like casualties.

“…It’s not healthy to rely too heavily on Kosuke.”

In response, Danan looked bitter.

“I think Danan has a good point, but I don’t care. The purpose of this mission is to show our capabilities.”

Besides, the Research and Development Department is developing a front-loading magic gun, and if that is the case, something similar to this will be developed in a short period. There is no reason to hold back.

“Then let’s get on with it. I just have to knock down the gates and walls, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then lend me some men. I’ll have them train ahead of time since similar weapons will eventually be developed.”

“…Are you sure about that?”

Danan asked, to which I nodded. Danan knows that the weapons I am providing to the Liberation Army are actually only a small part of it. Because the last time Qubi framed me and took me away, I once took all the contents outside and left them there.

“Let me show you the weapon that made the high walls of this world obsolete in one fell swoop.”

With that, I climb down the watchtower. What kind of weapon, you ask? That’s the thing. It’s a rather primitive weapon that can be easily made with iron and gunpowder and doesn’t use explosives in the bullets. Let’s line them up in a row where the arrows can’t reach and fire them all at once.