Chapter 87: (Self Edited) General Household Summit Meeting

“Sorry.” (Liao)Along the way, Liao said as if he muttered to himself. It was likely that he felt bad that he replied without permission a little earlier.

“Before you were a member of the unit, you were the heir of the Rube Household. It’s not something I care about, even if you have some personal affairs.” (Yuri)

“That’s a relief.” (Liao)

“If I don’t really like it, I should have left the gift here, and returned.” (Yuri)

‘Certainly, there are a lot of unscheduled jobs, but the meeting itself is a concern. If there is a problem, that would be two greenhorns joining the meeting. It would be annoying and we may feel inferior. Well, that much is fine, I guess.’

When we entered an open door, a map was placed on a large, heavy oval table, and some of the people, who had already arrived, were seated. Since this was the first meeting, I didn’t know their name, but I wonder if they were the head of the General households or people of that same position. They were VIPs.

“Prepare two chairs. They are my assistants. I’m letting them here to learn.” (Cain)

When Cain said such a thing, the person in charge of the place immediately prepared chairs without asking.

‘As expected, it seems that we can’t sit on the table. Well, I’m going to remain silent by the wall.’

I sat on a chair placed on the wall on the back side of Cain.

“Can I ask something?” (Liao)

Liao, who sat next to me, muttered like a monologue.

“What is it?” (Yuri)

Since it was boring to get angry because of us, who were being treated as assistants, talking privately, I also replied in a small voice.

“How are you feeling now?” (Liao)

‘What kind of question is that? Speaking of the feeling, I don’t feel good because there are so many old men. It’s far from a happy feeling like when I’m looking at Syamu.’

“What do you mean? It’s not bad if you’re feeling well.” (Yuri)

“This is the summit meeting that may determine the fate of a country. The fate of many common people depends on it.” (Liao)

‘Aah, is that what you mean? Since the important decisions of the politicians will start from now on, it seems that the mood is always uplifting.’

‘But nothing dramatic will happen at this meeting, contrary to expectations.’

‘The summit meeting may get tense though. However, in the system of the General household, someone gives a brilliant idea, moving to the persuasion part, and everyone agrees. It’s unlikely that it will develop like a movie.’

‘There’s no such thing like a brilliant idea is proposed, put into action, defeats a large army of enemies, and then, this summit meeting and today’s date will be remembered in history forever.  No matter how much I think about that, it is decided that they will reach a mediocre solution.’

‘Speaking of Japan, how many people can conclude the fall of the Ichi-no-Tani battle? No matter how brilliant Yoshitsune demonstrated his ability in war and speaking, the ordinary man couldn’t understand it. Without exception, there’s a theory of ‘I can’t go down that cliff. Do you intend to damage the soldiers unnecessarily?’. Then, everyone’s consent couldn’t be achieved.’

‘In meetings without leaders, the risky war of overturning the large numbers of army isn’t adopted, even in situations where it is needed. Even in the democratic government parliament, adventurous legislation can’t be done unless the ruling party has a majority. The law adopted is a law that everyone can think of and convinces everyone, in this case a strategy.

“You are a romanticist.” (Yuri)

I said while choosing the exact meaning.

“What?” (Liao)

“When I think about it, I feel like I’m waiting for the curtain of an interesting play to open.” (Yuri)

‘I don’t know whether it’s a tragedy or a comedy, but it must be a big story.’

“A play? Aren’t we involved in this?” (Liao)

‘Involved? Certainly, we are involved.’

“That’s what Carol might say. Do you feel sentimental about the people’s pain?” (Yuri)

“Hmm… well, maybe.” (Liao)

‘I see. Liao is still a young man, even though he is over 20 years old. He will probably become sentimental.’

‘I remember him giving a cold impression to the people of Kilghina, but when he actually traveled for ten days or so, and came into contact with them, his feelings may have changed.’

“I know each person can do it. If I’m omnipotent and omniscient, not only the Shanti, I also can make the Kuran happy. We will eliminate the war from the world and let even those born in the trouble live a life that they will not have trouble eating for the rest of their lives. However, that’s impossible. It’s very unfortunate.” (Yuri)

“…That’s a big scale of story.” (Liao)

Liao said as if he was amazed.

“Yeah. If you are willing to think about it, you can have an ideal that is as big as the sky. But what you can actually do is only within reach. You’re just sentimental because it’s a tragedy that’s going to happen.” (Yuri)

“…That may be the case.” (Liao)

“Actually, it doesn’t matter.” (Yuri)

“Is there really nothing I can do about it?” (Liao)

Liao asked.

“You can’t do anything about it, can you?” (Yuri)

‘In the first place, the fact that we do something for Kilghina is a breakthrough in itself. There’s no help for it.’

“For example what would you do if you were to do it?” (Liao)

“Nothing.” (Yuri)

“I mean if you were to do it.” (Liao)

‘What’s with you? Aren’t you talking a lot today?’

“Whether you use ordinary or unusual means, I can’t take over a General household and gain military power by the time of the battle. As long as that’s the case, my influence remains minimal. No matter how I act, it’s impossible to influence the battlefield.” (Yuri)

‘For example, let’s say I kill all the heads of the Kilghina General households who gathered here. Of course it is impossible, but let’s assume that I curry favor with the old man Prince Consort, who would participate, receive the royal order, become the successor of all General households, and become the supreme commander.’

‘Even if such a situation is possible, it takes time to actually control the entire army. The sudden death of the supreme commander, who was connected by blood-to-history, will surely cause great confusion, and it will take at most a year to resolve and restore it to the point where the army actually functions. Obviously, you won’t be able to fight in a week or so.’

‘No matter how convenient you think about things, it’s not possible for me to have enough influence to decide the battlefield.’’

“If I were to lead the entire army, I could think of an assumption. However, there is no future for that to happen. It’s a delusion that is neither constructive nor progressive, as long as the premise is meaningless.” (Yuri)

When I affirmed, Liao was silent. I didn’t bother to ask how he felt.

After a while…

“Yes, that’s for sure.” (Liao)

He said.

—

A little later, when all the participants gathered, the Prince Consort appeared at the end. He had a tired face.

Well, it was no wonder that he had a tired face because there was no end of enumeration.

“Well, let’s get started.” (??)

While saying it without vigor, he looked around at the participants. As his eyes looking around, our eyes met.

When I gave a light bow, he looked away. It wasn’t a place to casually greet a young man he knew, so it was natural to pretend that he didn’t know me.

“Cox-dono, I’ll ask you to start with the proceedings.” (??)

When the Prince Consort said that, the old man named Cox responded ‘Yes, Your Majesty’.

Cox Reki. This old man had been decided to be the Supreme Commander this time. I knew only the name but not the face. However, since he was sitting on the second upper seat, I had a hunch that he was the head of the Reki Household.

It would be alright if this guy proceeded with the meeting from the beginning, but in terms of the court order, the Prince Consort, who was a member of the royal family, was at higher position, so he should officiate the meeting.

“Now, let’s start the war council.” (??)

—

The meeting was intense.

“That’s why the plan of depositing cavalry comes up! Cavalry is the key to my army! Why should I let it go?” (??)

When a man named Otter Gazi said that, the air of resentment and resignation flowed through the venue.

‘I think that the Gazi Household is the same General household as the Reki Household, but I won’t hesitate to say that Otter has such a personality or there is a feud between the two households.’

“That’s why we failed in the last two Crusades… It’s a good idea to have a large number of the Galloping Bird soldiers to rush against their guns. Even if the cavalry of each General household is rushing to them, the other side can be easily dealt with.” (Cox)

Cox, the Supreme Commander, seemed to have a relatively decent intelligence, but I didn’t know how many times but he had persuaded Otter by saying so.

The Galloping Bird cavalry was centrally operated, rushing the large cavalry unit at this point, and the trend was obtained. The idea itself was something that Dolla could come up with, and it was extremely simple. That didn’t mean it was bad, and it was a strategy which might be powerful because it was simple.

However, a household appeared, saying that they didn’t want to let go of their cavalry. It wasn’t only Otter. When I quietly looked around, other people seemed to have the same feeling, though not in words.

In particular, that was the case with the General households from Shaalta. Oron Boff and Borafra Noza remained quiet, but it seemed that they didn’t want to send out troops.

For those who didn’t think that the crisis was relatively imminent compared to the Kilghina General households, they wanted to minimize the loss of their own army regardless of whether they won or defeated. As a matter of fact, the Kilghina side had the opposite idea. Since they were at the forefront, they wanted Shaalta to take charge of the burdensome part, and preserve their army regardless of whether they won or lose. Even if they were pushed back, Shaalta didn’t necessarily come again, and didn’t necessarily offer reinforcements at that time.

It was quite normal to have different opinions, but the difference in the position carried by each individual was fundamental. Therefore, from the perspective of Shaalta, they didn’t want to lend their cavalry to the Kilghina people. As expected, Cain, who was most concerned about the situation in Shaalta, seemed to be different, but I could see through the Boff and the Noza Household.

“You ask me to lend you my army, but my army is what I trained. Of course, I can use it best. If I lend it to you, you won’t be able to exert even ten percent of their strength.” (Otter)

Otter reiterated his foolish opinion.

‘It’s not unreasonable to say that, but ten percent is an overstatement. It’s a bit questionable if a god-like soldier can be created when this guy handles it.’

I had been listening to this meaningless conversation for an hour, so I felt like I really wanted to go home.

“For starters, we suffered a big defeat last time because there was a problem with the morale of the army. If the morale is high, we should be able to disperse the Kuran army. The strength of the army is based on morale, even without using the tricks of the arts of war. Encouraging the soldiers is important!” (Otter) Sᴇaʀᴄh the ɴøvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

It was a speech that made me want to despair when I heard it. It was so uncomfortable that I wanted to close my ears

‘If the morale is high, we can win. It’s possible to win the war even if there are twenty Yamato battleships. It’s as empty as that.’

Yamato Battleship (1/10 scale model)

‘Even with the same content, you can allow unlimited looting to boost morale. Or you can put out as much when you get the right ear of the Kuran. Or a proposal for the establishment of such a system is still good. However, that’s not the case.’

‘This guy thinks that morale will rise when he says to raise morale. It’s like saying if you don’t have a cannon, you can bring a hundred cannons, but you’re not motivated to procure them.’

“Besides, we have the Verdun Fortress. It has never fallen. This time, we have enough provisions and arrows.  You don’t have to worry about it!” (Otter)

After he finished speaking, Cain suddenly raised his hand. Cox’s eyes stopped at Cain’s right hand. Then, he said with a slightly softer expression.

“Otter-dono, it seems Cain-dono has something to say. So, please take a seat first. Cain-dono, go ahead.” (Cokus)

When that was said, Cain got up from his seat. Then, he looked back and came closer to me.

‘W-what?’

“Yuri-dono, can you lend me that for a bit?” (Cain)

‘Eh? Me?’

“W-well, I don’t mind.” (Yuri)

I handed the gun obediently. Cain returned to the table with my gun.

“This gun is the latest one used by the enemy, which Yuri Hou-dono here has purchased from the country of the Kuran. And here’s another gun. This was left by the enemy during the previous battle.” (Cain)

When Cain received another gun from his attendant, he put the two guns on the table and lined them up.

“If you compare the two, you can see that the new one is much lighter, even though it has the same caliber… They have succeeded in making it lighter and easier to carry, depending on the difference in materials or the manufacturing method.” (Cain)

Cain said while looking impressed.

‘I haven’t compared it, so I don’t know, but it seems to be much lighter.’

‘Maybe the barrel is thinner. If the performance of the material has improved due to advances in metallurgy, it is possible to thin the body while maintaining the durability of the barrel. Since the gun is portable, lightening it leads to a pure improvement in performance.’

‘Well, since the gun itself was made recently in history, it wasn’t a difficult story such as the progress of metallurgy, but the stage where I was simply touching it for the appropriate thickness. It may be a matter of omitting unnecessary thickness.’

“Why is Verdun considered invincible to those people in the future? Can the soldiers raise their morale when they see us, who can’t come up with such ingenuity against the increasingly powerful enemies? What do you think, Otter-dono?” (Cain)

However, Otter was laughing with a bitter face.

“Cain-dono, how can you make the Verdun Fortress collapse? I don’t think there is a way to make that happen.” (Otter)

“Hmm… Then, let’s ask Yuri-dono here.” (Cain)

‘Haah?’

“He is studying the Kuran more than anyone else at this age. He is fluent in Kuran and even negotiates and does business personally.” (Cain)

‘What? No no, don’t say anything that I don’t understand.’

‘What is that killer pass?’

“Well then, Yuri-dono, let us know your opinion.” (??)

The Prince Consort said.

‘Damn it.’

“…Let me introduce myself first. I’m Yuri. It’s just like I happened to pass by today, so even if I was suddenly asked for an opinion, I have never actually seen Verdun with my own eyes. I’ve only heard about it and I’ve seen it in pictures.” (Yuri)

“I don’t mind. I just want to hear your opinion.” (Cain)

Cain said it.

‘Even so, I don’t want to say anything about the fortress that I haven’t seen before.’

“This is if I’m going to defeat Verdun. If it’s me, the main plan is… to break the large front gate.” (Yuri)

“How are you going to break it?” (??)

The Prince Consort asked. Since I would be stressed out if I asked by the highly oppressive fool like Otter, I was grateful the Prince Consort asked before him.

“Well… I hear the slope in front of the front gate is quite steep, so it would be difficult to approach it with a siege tower or a battering ram. As expected, it is easier to use gunpowder. It costs money, but I may want to make a gun big enough to destroy the gate. If I were to prepare to sacrifice, it’s a good idea to have soldiers carry a specialized blasting tool to blow it up. But I’m not sure if that will work.” (Yuri)

‘Well, the latter choice is probably feasible. It feels like a directional bomb. By wrapping a large amount of gunpowder, pressing it against a particularly thin part of the gate and making the bomb detonate. It would be dangerous to the soldiers… to say the least.’

“Is gunpowder enough to break the gate?” (??)

“It depends on the gate. Of course, if the gate is made entirely of steel and is thick as an arm, it can’t be destroyed. However, if the gate is made of wood reinforced with steel, it won’t be difficult to destroy it.” (Yuri)

“Hmm… I think it’s good to think that the enemy is bringing a device to break the gate.” (??)

‘Eh? I didn’t mention anything like that.’

‘I feel that the discussion is going in a strange direction.’

“What do you mean? There is no guarantee that there is such a weapon.” (Otter)

Otter said it mockingly.

“You’re right. There’s also no guarantee that there is no such a weapon.” (Yuri)

When I said it lightly, Otter glared at me.

“Let me ask you. Yuri-dono, how are you going to fight in this situation?” (??)

While Cain turned to the side with the chair and looked at me, I felt like the discussion was really turning in a strange direction.

‘Why!? The burden is too heavy to give an opinion in such an air.’

“Well… Since he is inexperienced, he’s afraid to give more opinions in front of war veterans.” (Cain)

“I don’t mind. Tell me.” (??)

‘I don’t want to say it. I really don’t want to say it.’

“I think it’s better not to do a decisive battle on the plains in the first place.” (Yuri)

“Ooh?” (??)

“The enemy’s strengths are guns and numbers. Needless to say, guns are best handled on clear days in clear plains. On the contrary, they are just a heavy stick in the forest. If you pull them into the forest, you won’t suffer from guns. With this, it becomes a fifty-fifty battle. In addition, they are a bunch of crowds without proper military organizations unlike us. Their morale is high because they are allowed to plunder, but the disordered army can’t be commanded in the forest. Two or three surprise attacks will easily demoralize them.” (Yuri)

‘In other words, you should play guerilla warfare. The enemy doesn’t have an army that can deal with this guerilla warfare.’

“Hah! Are you trying to run away!?” (Otter)

Otter sat down and said something strange.

“Otter-dono!” (Cox)

Cox, the moderator, reprimanded him.

“Well, please think of it as a delusion from an inexperienced person.” (Yuri)

There seemed to be no further progress, and the atmosphere was getting worse. Since I came with a strange idea, it would hinder the progress of the meeting if I stayed here any longer. I didn’t want to give more opinion since they weren’t going to implement that. Any poor performance would only make the reputation of the Hou Household go down.

‘Let’s go back.’

“Well then, please let me excuse myself. Your Majesty Prince Consort, I brought this gun as a gift. Please accept it.” (Yuri)

I quickly gave the highest salute, and left my seat.

—

TLN:

I can’t explain well the battle of Ichi-no-Tani, Please refer to this Wikipedia link.To be honest, this is my first time looking at the Yamato Battleship. I’m not an expert in warship, but after intensively playing a Koei Tecmo PS2 game, Naval Ops War Gunner, few years ago, I can feel how impressive is the battleship.