Altina the Sword Princess - Book 14 (4 of 5)

Mariam wrote.

【Even if you say that…】

Freij returned to the capital of the Hispania Empire, Cantanal.

He lost Fort Bassetti, but he returned safely with 13,000 soldiers, and avoided any punishment.

They wouldn’t lop off the head of a commander while the Belgarian army was right at their gates.

If he had followed his orders and defended the fort to the death…

He would have died in the hands of the enemy.

Even if he escaped with his life, he would get executed in the capital.

Fortunately, he listened to Mariam’s suggestion and abandoned Fort Bassetti early. That was why he could eat a sumptuous dinner in the capital.
【The road in the Hispania Empire is a single path along the shore, you know? If we sent out a task force, it would definitely run into the Belgarian army.】

If they could take out the enemy’s supply unit, it would definitely give Hispania the advantage.

Belgaria had an army of 40,000.

It was a large army, which also meant it consumes a lot of resources.

Freij deshell a prawn as he spoke:

【And the enemy aren’t fools. According to scout reports, the Belgarian supply team is escorted by a powerful mercenary band. They also had riflemen armed with the newest model of rifles.】

『We can win if we send 30,000 men.』

【Well… We will need to have 30,000 soldiers to deploy first.】

The Belgaria supply team was escorted by around 5,000 soldiers.

『It’s useless to station 60,000 troops inside the capitol.』

【No no, the enemy is 40,000 strong, while we have 60,000, you know? The basic principle of attacking a fort is to have three times the numbers of defenders.】

Going by common sense, the attackers would need to outnumber the defenders three to one if they want to take a fort.

Which meant, if the Belgarian army didn’t have that many reinforcements, they wouldn’t be able to take the Hispania capital.

There was no telling what would happen in the surrounding cities, but the capital would never fall.

The enemy would retreat if they fail to take the capital— that was what the top management in Hispania and the army thought.

After all, an army of 40,000 couldn’t stay in enemy territory indefinitely.

And right now, the Belgarian Empire was also fighting on the northern and eastern front.

When spring comes, it would be time to start farming. If they didn’t let the conscript farmers return, it would affect the food yield in the coming year.

A large country would need a huge amount of food to feed their massive population.

【They can last for three months at most.】

『Dear Father, the Belgarian army already considered something of this level.』

【Well, maybe they will demand us to yield the territory up to Fort Bassetti to them. Their army will go home one day, so it won’t be difficult to repel them.】

『That fort is useless without naval superiority. They won’t demand something like that.』

【Yes, that’s true. In the end, if the sea of the Hispania Empire remain safe, we won’t lose.】

『The Belgaria Empire has warships.』

【So do the Hispania Empire.】

『You have already seen the power of the new cannons. If it turns into a battle between warships, we will lose.』

Freij smiled wryly:

【I saw that battle, and did worry about it. But if they could win at sea, why didn’t they attack from that avenue? The answer is, they are at an impasse with High Brittania and the neighbouring nations. They couldn’t afford to send any warships our way.】

『Wrong.』

【What?】

『Their goal is to keep the Hispania Emperor in Cantanal. This country is very religious. If the emperor flees, the soldiers and citizens would resist to the bitter end. But if they manage to take him alive—』

Mariam’s writing hand was grabbed by Freij.

【Hey… Watch what you write. Even if it is just an assumption, you will get an inquisition.】

An inquisition was no different from being sentenced to death. It wasn’t meant to determine someone’s guilt, but on how to carry out the execution. As the saying goes, ‘Nobody expects the Hispanish inquisition.’

Freij threw the paper into the heater.

【Listen carefully, Mariam. The 60,000 soldiers would defend the capital before spring comes next year— this is the decision made by the Hispanian emperor.】

『We can destroy the enemy supply team with just 30,000 soldiers.』

【How would we get behind the enemy?】

『Just let the fleet drifting uselessly around the capital transport them.』

Freij pondered:

【Hmm, that’s true…】

A large map was laid out on the table in the tent, and Regis placed a chess piece on top.

【… If it was me, I would use the fleet to transport the forces in the capital to attack the supply team.】

The Black Knight sitting opposite Regis glared at him:

【Tch… that is an effective strategy.】

Regis was responding to Jerome’s question on “What would you do if you are the Hispania Empire’s strategist, in this situation.”

The chess moved from the capital to the sea, then went around to a spot between the Belgarian forces and Sembione.

Jerome looked at the map:

【So, how should we deal with it?】

【Turn the invading army around, and hit the enemy forces lying in wait of the supply team in the back.】

【That might work if the enemy commander is a huge retard… But they would usually just escape on their warships.】

Regis scratched his head.

【Haha… That’s true.】

【If the Hispanians move their main forces with their fleet, the Belgarian supply line would get cut off. But we couldn’t pursue them either.】

【That’s right.】

【If the enemy used that plan, what should we do?!】

【We will have to retreat then.】

The chess piece representing the Belgarian expedition force was moved all the way back to Sembione.

Jerome hammered the map.

【Why you little! Are you planning this right from the start?!】

【No… Actually, Mr Gilbert also doubted me like that too, but I really have the resolve to defeat the Hispanian Empire.】

【But your only strategy is to retreat?!】

【… There is a small chance we can take down the Hispania capital Cantanal even if we ignore the supply line.】

Jerome clenched the fingers on his right hand.

【You actually dare to mock me, huh? Things are getting interesting, Regis. Should I make your face more interesting too?】

【No no no… I will explain properly, but it will take some time?】

【Make it quick! I will give you a chance to explain yourself.】

Jerome leaned on the chair arrogantly.

Regis placed the chess pieces properly again.

They were in his private tent, and the time was late at night.

It was almost bedtime, and Regis didn’t expect Jerome to show up and ask that question out of the blue.

Jerome probably felt there was something off with the plan after some introspection.

As expected of him.

Actually, there were some pieces Regis didn’t placed on the board.

【… When the Belgarian army invaded the Hispania Empire, their Emperor’s defensive strategy is to concentrate their forces in the capital Cantanal. Fort Bassetti was just a sacrificial pawn used to stall for time.】

【I see.】

Jerome showed a stern face.

He was strict towards his allies, but hates losses caused by negligence. Even if this was the enemies’ tactics, he didn’t feel happy about it.

Regis didn’t dwell into his feelings too much.

【… And, as for why the Hispania Emperor is mustering so much of his forces…】

【Ohh?】

【… Roughly half a year ago, I sent people to spread rumours in the Hispania Empire.】

【What?】

【… That was shortly after we repelled High Brittania, and the late Emperor died… I was thinking about what we should do if Latreille takes the throne. Once that happens, even if the place is far, he would also order a campaign to the south.】

Jerome had a complicated expression.

Some time ago, Latreille and Germaine also showed the same face— Regis recalled.

And right after that, there was an assassination attempt on his life. If Jerome also wanted to kill him, that would be the end of him.

【… Erm, did I say something strange?】

【I will be frank. You really irritate me.】

【Ehh?!】

【… When you heard the news of the Emperor’s passing, you already predicted the southern campaign?】

【That’s just a possibility.】

【… And you prepared a scheme ahead of time.】

【If we attack from the land route, while the enemy deploys with their naval fleets, then we would be helpless. So we need to force their leaders and main forces to stay in the capital.】

Jerome jerked up.

【What’s the rumour?】

【The Belgaria Empire captured a powerful siege weapon from the High Brittania Kingdom.】

【Is that a lie?】

【Well, it is a lie. But when they got wind of this news, they would be hesitant about reducing the number of soldiers in the capital, right?】

【If it was me, I would never let the enemy come near the capital, and will even launch a pre emptive strike to stop that.】

【… If that’s the Emperor’s personality, they would have concentrated their forces in Fort Bassetti. From their opening move we can tell what their grand strategy is.】

The Hispanian emperor and the military leaders all prioritized the defences of the capital. This clearly showed how confident they were of Cantanal’s defences.

【Which means, they are playing within your palm?】

【No… well, this is still within expectations.】

【Hah! What an amazing conman!】

Jerome pressed his forehead and leaned his chair back.

The chair started to creak.

This was Regis’ only chair, so he hoped that Jerome would use it carefully.

Similar to Jessica’s earlier visit, Regis was sitting on the bed.

【… But, I really did prepare a siege weapon though?】

【Hmmp… I can guess since there are messy things that aren’t provisions or weapons being sent over. Is it usable?】

【… I already tested it.】

【Anything else?】

Regis tilted his head and said:

【Yes… To be honest, the most important thing is the threat from the sea.】

【What about the steamships? Didn’t we capture a few?】

Ms Jessica also asked something similar— Regis said with a wry smile:

【They probably won’t let us use the captured steamships.】

【What about the Belgarian built ships?】

【The modification of the Athena class ships should be done. I already requested His Majesty Latreille to send them over…】

【Can that Emperor be trusted?】

What an awkward subject.

If Latreille treated this expedition as the top priority, he wouldn’t have ignored Regis’ request. After all, he bestowed the staff of the Généralissime to Altina.

However, there was another thing to consider— Altina was his political rival. Even now, she was the top threat to his position.

He might not be planning an assassination, but maybe he was trying to trap Altina in the southern front?

From the present situation, if there wasn’t any support from the capital, this war might drag on for several years.

By dragging out the war with Hispania, he could seal away his political foe and a troublesome enemy— which wasn’t a bad plan at all.

Regis’ returned his thoughts to the present:

【I was hoping His Majesty Latreille would give his consent… But the operation of the steam engine had just gotten started.】

【So they are using it already?】

【Yes… Steam locomotives are already being used in a small town to the south east of the capital.】

Jerome tilted his head:

【Is there any reason to use it there?】

【Yes… That place already had a river for transport, so this had nothing to do with demand or convenience… They probably did so to avoid any explosion from harming the capital.】

【Oh?】

【… Be it cannons or rifles, accidental explosions are common during the initial development phase. It must be the same for steam locomotives. It would be a big problem if the nobles in central got hurt by accident.】

【As expected of the mindsets of those retards.】

【… And it’s easier to keep things under wraps by keeping it away from the borders.】

Emperor Latreille planned to make full use of this technological advantage to win the war on multiple fronts. Therefore, he was very wary of the technology leaking out of the country.

【Well, the other nations never taught us either.】

Jerome values mental toughness and training, but he wouldn’t take the new weapons made from cutting edge technology lightly.

【… Oh, speaking of which, once the trial operation is done, a train route connecting the capital to the south would be put in place. The railway is already being built. A round trip trade route that usually take around 20 days could be traversed in three days with the railway.】

【What’s this nonsense.】

Jerome had never seen a steam locomotive before.

He didn’t believe this at all.

【… But the steam locomotive in the High Brittania Kingdom is faster than a sail ship.】

【I only believe what I see with my own eyes. Have you seen the High Brittania locomotive before?】

【… No.】

In contrast, Regis believed in the things he read in books. If a large number of books say the same thing, he would consider it a reliable source of information.

【… Well, it will be quite a while before the railway can be used. However, with the explosive population growth of the Empire, if the capital is linked to the food production regions, it would be great from the perspective of national development.】

【Can that thing be used to transport troops?】

【It can ferry tens of thousands of soldiers.】

Jerome pondered:

【Fufu… so tens of thousands of soldiers could be sent from the south to the capital in just a day and a half? If that’s true, it would change war much more than cannons did.】

【… That’s correct.】

Moving a large army would take a large amount of time and resources.

If these expenditure could be avoided, that was equivalent to having more soldiers. The number of troops that could commit to a battle would be different too.

If Latreille wants to conquer the surrounding nations, the rail network would be very important.

However, it would be many years before the rail network was finished— Regis thought.

In the end—

They didn’t receive any reports from the scouts deployed on the road of a sneak attack by the Hispania army.

It seemed that the enemy didn’t move their main forces out of the capital.

So no one made such a proposal?

Or did the enemy make the defence of their capital the top priority?

Belgaria sent out spies too, but it was difficult to get news on the decision of the top military leaders.

The only thing the spies reported was that the enemy had embarked on a large scale military movement.

Ten days passed since the battle of Fort Bassetti—

It was later than scheduled, but the expedition force led by Altina was resupplied safely.

Regis laughed out loud after confirming the catalogue of the supplies.

【Thank you very much, Mr Gilbert.】

The Mercenary King nodded with a serious face:

【It’s all there, right?】

【Yes, there’s no problem at all.】

【You are a strange one. Normally, the mercenaries would be sent to the front lines.】

It wasn’t a complain or insult, Gilbert was speaking in a calm tone, as if he was talking about the weather.

Regis scratched his head:

【No… If the Hispanian army made their move, then the supply team would be at the front lines.】

【They might move their main forces with their war ships— That’s what you said.】

【…It seems that they didn’t do that..】

【I heard a rumour. Belgaria has a powerful siege weapon with them.】

【Ahh, that’s…】

Despite his stern face, Gilbert shrugged.

【Is that your scheme.】

【… Ehh… Actually…】

【The same as usual, huh.】

He sighed heavily.

His reaction was different from Jerome, but Gilbert also had a straightforward personality that craves for face to face combat. He could only face Regis’ schemes with a resigned expression.

It seemed that warriors had a hard time accepting such a strategy.

【… For me, winning without a fight is the best outcome.】

Gilbert nodded.

【I concur.】

【……】

Gilbert’s face remained serious, and it was impossible to guess what he was thinking.

However, it seemed that he wanted to say something— Regis could sense that.

So he waited for him to speak.

Gilbert looked at the piles of resources.

【I was hired by the High Brittanian army to be part of an escort team back then too.】

【… It must be hard on you.】

【Your forces pulled a fast one on us.】

【… Haha.】

That was actually Altina’s unit, but Regis decided not to correct Gilbert. He wasn’t being literal anyway.

【I never thought you could create a fog.】

【… The conditions just happen to be in place.】

【High Brittania’s strategist wasn’t bad either… But he probably couldn’t pull that off.】

【Is that so?】

Regis thought about Colonel Oswald Coulthard.

Gilbert massaged his brows with his fingers.

【I thought about it many times. Many, many times… What should I have done to win? Where did I go wrong?】

【W-Well…】

Gilbert probably simulated his battle with Regis in his mind many times.

He then shook his head.

【In the end, I would always lose the supplies at some point. High Brittania’s defeat was inevitable once the Fourth Princess’ army set its eyes on the supply team.】

【Ah…】

【We encountered enemy forces thrice inside the Hispania borders. But they were units who already lost a battle earlier, and were just wandering along the road without any plans at all. One group even surrendered without a fight.】

【So you still fought twice, huh.】

【They seemed to have underestimated the supply team.】

They probably never thought that the supply was guarded by such a renowned mercenary unit.

【… After all, the Hispanian land forces lack battle experience.】

【Those who couldn’t gauge the actual power of their opponents are just amateurs.】

【… That’s true.】

Gilbert said:

【The supplies got here without any meaningful resistance. Why are things different this time?】

【Ehh… Well… The battle situation is different this time.】

Gilbert twitched the corner of his lips.

It was rare to see him smile.

【It’s because the enemy army don’t have a Regis d’Auric. That’s my answer.】

【N-No… Someone like me…】

【The Hispania Empire don’t have any incredible strategists, right?】

I wonder— Regis thought.

【… During the attack on Fort Bassetti, I think our enemy had somewhat seen through my strategy.】

【But you still took the fort.】

【No… The credit goes to the incredible efforts of the Belgaria soldiers.】

The plan was originally a failure.

He never thought his troops would carried on with the plan when the ocean was full of enemy patrol ships!

When he heard that report, Regis was stumped.

【… Also, when we attacked the fort, more than 10,000 of the enemy forces retreated splendidly.】

【Oh, so our foe stole a march on us?】

Regis nodded.

He learned something interesting from the guard captain of Fort Bassetti that was captured.

【… She seemed to be the daughter of the commander. She is young, but an incredible tactician.】

【What’s her name?】

【……Mariam Louis Jiménez.】

【Regis d’Auric… That’s the name of the enemy strategist.】

Mariam nodded at Freij’s words.

She was holding a pen with her right hand, but surprisingly, she wasn’t holding a chess piece with her left hand.

Because she was dining now.

In her left hand was a fork.

Most commoners in the Hispania Empire eat with their hands, but Freij was a Marqués house, so they still exercise the most basics of etiquettes.

Freij shared what he learned at headquarters.

Mariam had incredible insight, but she was a woman and a civilian, so she didn’t take part in the war council.

【Regis was a commoner Admin Officer, but the Fourth Princess favors him. Not only did he took down Fort Volks that didn’t fall for forty years from the Germanian Federation, he also repelled the High Brittanian army. He is now a Chevalier, and appointed the strategist of Belgaria’s Généralissime.】

『That’s the story that Belgaria is pushing.』

【Maybe. It sounds too amazing after all.】

『— That might be so, but we should re-evaluate that. The strategy he used to take down Fort Bassetti was very incredible.』

Freij frowned:

【There were two forts— That’s what the fleet admiral said. To think he could mimic that.】

『Holding lanterns high to make a raft look like a warship, tricks like this exist in the past too.』

【One side is the real fort, and the other is the charging enemy. Since they are moving, wouldn’t they be found out immediately?】

『The ships are subjected to the sea breeze and current too, so it’s difficult for them to determine if the lights on land are moving, or was it the swaying of their ship that made it look like movement.』

【That is pretty difficult.】

『We should be grateful to the admiral who observed quietly because he couldn’t determined which side was us. If the fleet opened fire on the fort, we would lose our chance to flee.』

【Ugh, yeah.】

If the navy fired upon them, then Freij would probably not have the chance to grumble in his home at the capital.

Freij’s started shivering.

If his daughter was frightened like this, she would look very cute… However, Mariam continued to stuff potatoes into her mouth casually with a fork as she wrote with her right hand.

It couldn’t be helped since she couldn’t speak, but this wasn’t close to the proper behaviour of a noble lady at all.

It was a late dinner.

This place was Freij’s manor inside the Hispanian capital.

He already sent his wife back to her old home to seek refuge.

He was certain that the Hispanian capital wouldn’t fall, but public order would deteriorate if this turns into a battlefield, and this might become a drawn out war. Shortage of food and supplies might happen.

Freij could bear with it since he was a soldier.

However, he didn’t want to waste unnecessary effort to soothe his wife who wouldn’t be able to stand adverse conditions.

By right, Mariam should evacuate too, but he couldn’t do without the brilliant mind of this girl.

She scooped up her seafood meal and continued writing with her right hand:

『His Majesty didn’t send any forces out of the capital.』

【I already proposed that, but His Majesty and high command all insist on defending the city.】

『How foolish.』

【Hey…】

Freij lowered his voice.

This might be his own home, but this was the residence of a noble. There were servants around here. Most of them were told to take a leave of absence, but some of them were still working here.

If they told on Freij, then he would lose his rank of General and his life.

Mariam didn’t look afraid at all. Was it bravery, or was she just dense?

『The high command seemed fearful of something.』

【It’s just a rumour… that the Belgarian army prepared a powerful siege weapon. They seemed to be wary of that.】

『Impossible. If they had such a thing, they would have used it to attack Fort Bassetti.』

【Maybe the enemy kept it hidden?】

『The Belgaria definitely prepared some sort of siege weapon. That was obvious from the amount supplies they had transported.』

【High command thinks the same thing.】

『If that was so, all the more reason to not let the enemy come near the capital.』

【We already tried.】

Freij shrugged.

Simply put, many soldiers fought the Belgarian army on the road and in the fort to stop their advance, but suffered heavy losses for their efforts. They already lost around 30,000 men.

Despite all that, the enemy was just half a day’s march from the Cantanal capital.

They might even attack tonight.

【They travelled for half a month, so they would want to rest for a bit.】

Freij put a sausage into his mouth.

Mariam wrote:

『When we stopped the enemy at Fort Bassetti, we could have forced them to retreat if we cut off their supply line.』

Freij chewed as he answered:

【Munch munch… Maybe. Gulp… but they might press on too. Gulp… And attack the capital without even looking back.】
Last year, the High Brittania army that invaded deep into the Belgaria Empire continued their advances even after losing their fleet and supply team.

And they were defeated by Field Marshal Latreille, who was still a prince back then— that was the report they had gotten.

For the Hispania Empire, the Belgaria army might do the same thing under similar circumstances.

Freij swallowed his sausage and said:

【Fort Bassetti fell earlier than planned, which is one of the reason why high command insist on turtling inside the capital. It’s hard for me to propose the contrary with the position I’m in.】

『Belgaria needed to take the fort quickly, but they still spent quite some time on it.』

【The powerful siege weapon that didn’t exist— that’s what you are saying? IF they really hid it, then what? Cantanal has more than 60,000 soldiers, it won’t fall to an unknown siege weapon. In the end, we have the upper hand in both numbers and supplies.】

In the Hispania Empire, as long as the Emperor was safe, they would never lose.

And given the current situation, they just needed to defend the capital, Cantanal.

Freij forked another piece of meat:

【On hindsight, maybe the plan of the Strategist Regis was to drag the time he attacked Fort Bassetti? And if we carelessly deployed the main forces out of Cantanal, we would lose the advantage in numbers. That might be their goal. There’s no strategy more reliable than letting 60,000 men guard His Majesty, that’s the conclusion of high command.】

Mariam nodded:

『Let’s respect their decision then.』

【Are you dissatisfied with that?】

『If it was me, I won’t let the strategist Regis have the initiative. There was no telling what scheme he might pull off, that’s too dangerous.』

【That’s why we prepared so much.】

『I don’t know what scheme the enemy will pull off, but only making passive preparation to react to the enemy— is unwise.』

【Is that so? I think that is the fundamental of defending.】

『Dear Father, the best outcome of war is to win without a battle. Otherwise, putting the enemy into zugzwang will be a victory too.』

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Zugzwang >

【There’s nothing so perfect in reality.】

『Even if we had to leave 20,000 men in the capital, we could still launch a pincer attack against the Belgaria army by using two army with 20,000 troops each. If that happens, even the best strategist would have a hard time. We can then hold the initiative.』

【A good proposal, but high command would never accept it— Now that you mentioned it, why didn’t you suggest this when we were defending Fort Bassetti? We could have cut off their supply lines.】

『Dear Father is really forgetful. We only had 15,000 soldiers back then. How much reserves did the Belgarians had?』

【Erm… Maybe 20,000.】

Belgaria might not have deployed all their reserves into the supply team. With the forces in Fort Bassetti, it would be difficult to cut off the Belgaria supply line.

They committed 60,000 soldiers into the south, and left 20,000 to defend their stronghold.

They wouldn’t be able to cut off the Belgarian supply line with inadequate numbers.

And the Hispanian high command would never approve a plan that needed such a large force.

Freij concluded as he forked another meat.

【Well, forget it. This war would end in a victory for the Hispanian Empire. Even if the Belgarian army penetrated deep into our territory, they also accumulated a lot of fatigue too. Our capital Cantanal is a sturdy fortress city, and we possessed a force large enough to win outright in the plains. We also have a fleet in the oceans.】

『Very well prepared.』

【That’s right.】

『However, the Belgaria Empire already expected that when they invaded.』

【The new emperor of Belgaria is a young soldier. When an army received the order to attack, their option is to do as instructed. It is the obligation of a soldier to obey orders, it’s the same for all nations.】

『Those who can only do as instructed are mere mortals. The ones who can prevail in the face of adversities are heroes.』

【In that case, there won’t be any heroes in this war. Well, the Belgarian army won’t last for long. At best, they can maintain such numbers for half a year.】

Even if they could send supplies from their home country, they would need plenty of escorts for each trip, the expenses would be huge.

Even if the Hispania Empire gets surrounded on land, they still could travel by sea.

As of now, Cantanal was still being resupplied via the sea.

【If this war becomes a long term stalemate, we might get a peace negotiation.】

『That might be possible.』

【Belgaria probably will ask us to cede the land from their southern borders to Fort Bassetti to them? But the Emperor wouldn’t agree to that.】

『Soldiers have no say in such discussions. There is no need to think about that.』

【If this war ends, I can get a long vacation. I want to idle in the countryside. The capital isn’t a suitable place for me.】

『Dear Father, your demotion isn’t confirmed yet…』

【I’m talking about a normal vacation! I just lost some troops, it’s not that serious that I had to be demoted, right?!】

The food flew out of his mouth and onto Mariam’s face.

She frowned and wiped her face with a napkin.

『Who knows whether a hero will appear on the battlefield? Father just has to defeat the Belgaria army.』

【What are you saying? My unit has only slightly more than 10,000 men, and that’s a reserve force in the capital too.】

『This is a good chance to recover our lost territory.』

【No no, like I said, I haven’t lost my status.】

It’s true that he lost almost 20,000 men in Fort Bassetti, but Belgaria had an army of 40,000. He still did his part and stalled them.

Mariam stared at him:

『You are satisfied with your current standings? Can you accept being a sacrificial pawn?』

【Ughh…】

『If not, I can tell you my strategy.』

He felt irked by his daughter’s haughty gaze—

【Well, let’s see what you have to say.】

Freij still decided to listen to her.

The Belgaria expedition force made camp just three hours march from the capital of the Hispania Empire, Cantanal.

Which was about 3Li (13km).

To enact this plan, they needed plenty of water. Considering the fact that the army of 40,000 also need to erect their tents, they decided to make the lake their base.

To the south was Cantanal, east the lake, and to the west was a road, followed by the ocean. Their backs faced north, which was a vast open plain.

There was an orchard here. It was a pity, but they couldn’t avoid setting up camp here.

As the estate owner had fled, the manor here was used as a field hospital.

Noon—

A man with a crate in his arms walked into Regis’ personal tent, which was situated near headquarters.

【Sir Strategist, it sure is hot today.】

【Yes, thank you for your hard work.】

It was the captain of the Pioneer regiment—Ferdinand Stuttgart.

He placed the crate beside the table and wiped his sweat.

Regis removed the opened books on top of the map.

【In this place, it doesn’t get too cold even in winter. The snow we saw a few days ago was an abnormally.】

【That’s great. Our work will get affected if it is too cold.】

【… I think this is the most suitable spot.】

I pointed to a spot on the map.

Ferdinand nodded:

【I think so too. We already inspected the terrain before coming here. The hardness of the ground is ideal, but we won’t really know unless we tried digging..】

【… Hmm, In that case, we should start work as soon as possible.】

【I will start the preparations immediately.】

【Thank you.】

【This is the detailed plans of the project.】

Ferdinand took out a scroll of paper from the crate by his feet.

Regis perused it.

【… Hmm, it’s not bad at all.】

【Fufu, thanks. This enemy will definitely be surprised.】

【… It will be great if they raise the white flag from terror.】

【Is that possible?】

【… Though not as frequent as Belgaria, the Hispania Empire is a nation that fought wars constantly. They mainly fought naval battles, but they had skirmishes with their neighbouring nations for the past century. So they won’t surrender so easily.】

【That’s true.】

【… They also made preparations so they won’t lose that easily.】

【We will finish the project as soon as possible.】

【… Ah, yes. Erm… I hope you can make preparations to run at a moment’s notice.】

Regis scratched his head.

Ferdinand stood stiffly for a while before laughing:

【Fuwah! As expected of Sir Strategist.】

【… I’m not joking, you know?】

【Hahaha… I know.】

Ferdinand did a sloppy salute:

【We will make preparations to flee and finish the project as quickly as possible!】

【I will be counting on you.】

Imperial Year 851, December Tenth—

The 40,000 Belgaria army led by the Généralissime linked up with the 10,000 pioneers and supply team.

The Hispania Empire’s forces were led by the Emperor personally, and comprised of 60,000 men mustered from all over the nation. It was known to be impregnable since the nation’s founding.

Combined, there were over 100,000 combatants from both sides— the battle of Cantanal started quietly.

The Belgaria army entrusted a project to Ferdinand.

While the Hispanian army chose to wait for their enemy to exhaust their supplies.

And so, ten days passed without any mlitary conflict.

Morning—

Freij came to the cook house with a yawn.

There were bread, soup, salad and curd here.

The variety and quantity was the same as usual, since he was a general in the military.

However, he could see that there was a drop in quality.

It wasn’t too obvious due to the chef’s effort, but the bread was already turning black, and the salad had a funky smell too.

The sea route ensured that their supply line would be open, but it was no easy feat to feed an army of 60,000.

And the next shipment didn’t arrive on time either.

The grumbles from the chief of each logistics department was also growing.

【As expected, this will become a drawn out war, huh.】

【……】

The surprising thing was, Mariam was already in the cook house.

And she wasn’t in her pyjamas, but a proper lady’s attire.

She pointed out the window.

【Mmm!】

【What is it?】

【Mmm!】

She smacked at the window.

【… What’s wrong with the window?】

Freij felt her daughter’s eyes seemed to be saying that she was watching a retard.

Freij shrugged, and walked to the window.

【It can’t be.】

He could see a bit of Belgaria’s camp from here.

However, it was 2legua (11km) away, and he was facing the sun.

Freij squainted:

【Smoke?】

He could see black smoke rising.

That was too much smoke for cooking breakfast.

【… Did their camp caught on fire?】

He turned, and Mariam’s expression seemed to be saying “Is there something wrong with your head?”

Freij shrugged:

【I’m just kidding. The scouts has already been deployed. We just need to go to headquarters to find out what’s happening at the enemy base camp.】

She wrote on paper:

『I want to go too.』

【Don’t be silly. How can I bring someone who isn’t a soldier to the palace?】

Haahh… Mariam drooped her shoulders.

She still understood such common sense. She was saying— no, writing it for kicks.

Freij sat back down on his chair in the cook house.

【Sit down, Mariam. Don’t forget to say your prayers before your meal.】

【……】

He was just starting to pray when he saw a butler coming in with an urgent letter.

Freij received the letter and opened it.

It was sent from headquarters.

Mariam bit into her cheese as she looked his way.

Something strange is going on in the Belgarian army, report to the palace immediately— That’s what it says.

So far, everything was within expectations.

Freij opened his eyes wide.

—『Bring Mariam Louis Jiménez with you.』

He read it three times.

And then looked at his daughter.

【Did you do something?】

『I don’t know what you mean.』

【His Majesty seeks your counsel. But why…?】

To avoid unnecessary attention, he had only told his close associates about Mariam.

【Ughh… Who planned this?】

Mariam’s face brightened immediately.

She wrote quickly:

『His Majesty is a wise man.』

【… Oh, I see.】

『I thought he was retarded in the past, seems like I have to reevaluate him.』

【I-I already told you not to say such things!】

Freij crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the cook house’s fireplace.

He steadied his breathing:

【Listen well!? The Emperor and those guys from headquarters won’t listen to your jokes like me! If you are suspected of Lèse-majesté, both of us would get hung?!】

『Dear Father, please calm down.』

【But…!】

『It looks like someone who knew about me informed His Majesty in order to set you up. Is that what you think?』

【… Maybe.】

『Dear Father, please don’t forget this one important thing.』

【Hmm?】

『The person who will drag you down intentionally—』

Seeing Freij grit his teeth intensely, she stopped writing.

Mariam then patted her breasts confidently:

『Don’t worry. I thought this might happen, and already learned the etiquettes on how to act in an audience with His Majesty from Grandfather.』

【… That’s why I’m so worried.】

But this was an imperial edict, so he had to go.

Freij sighed deeply.

At the center of the Hispanian palace where the Emperor resides was a tall tower.

A long time ago, this tower was a shrine.

The other buildings were built around it, and the entire palace was covered with mythological carvings, religious paintings and statues.

A devoted believer would probably cry at the sight of this place.

— This just feel overly oppressing.

Freij’s opinion of the tower never changed since the first time he saw it.

He wasn’t an atheist or critical of this Empire’s establishment. He just wasn’t that zealous.

However, this place shouldn’t be like this.

If God was the creator of the world like what the priests claims, then this place shouldn’t be so overbearing, Freij thought.

If God only likes places with such gloom and abstinence, then why did amazing sceneries, lively animals and rowdy music exist— the one who said that was his father.

— Now that he thought about it, his father was a heretic.

He looked to the side, and saw Mariam looking at the buildings curiously.

【Don’t wander your gaze.】

【……】

She nodded, but she kept doing the same thing.

Since they were summoned for a war conference, they headed to the war room instead of the audience hall.

The guards opened the doors.

Furniture in the Hispania Empire were heavily influenced by the Belgaria Empire. The tables and chairs had intrinsic carvings.

However, due to the deep religious influence in this nation, the carvings were religiously themed.

The generals were all gathered in this room.

The most senior Captain General admonished him:

【You are late, Lord Freij.】

【My humble apologies. My daughters preparation took some time because of the sudden summon.】

【……】

Mariam stared at Freij.

The truth was, Freij didn’t want to bring his daughter here, and spent too much time thinking of a reason to turn down the summon.

The ten generals in the war room looked Mariam’s way.

【So she is…】

【The granddaughter of the God of War…】

A short moment later, an old butler announced the arrival of the Emperor.

Everyone stood.

A special door at the deep end of the room opened, and a thin old man entered. The white silvery clothes on him seemed to be glowing slightly.

He was the Emperor of the Hispania Empire— Amador Haulnelaz Othello.

This white haired old man wore a white hat on his head.

The Emperor of the Belgaria Empire likes red, while the Emperor of the Hispania Empire prefers silvery white, the divine colour of God.

The Emperor took his seat.

The Generals then sat down.

Freij sat at the far end of the table, with Mariam sitting even further behind him.

She had a pen in her hand, with paper and ink on the table. The generals had already been told that she couldn’t speak, so no one faulted her.

『I’m humbled by Your Majesty’s summons.』

— Spoken just like a soldier.

Freij didn’t show it, but he sighed in relief.

The old butler passed the paper Mariam wrote directly to the Emperor.

The wrinkled face of the Emperor scowled even more:

【How nostalgic. When I first met the ‘God of War’, he said the exact same thing.】

The Emperor mostly keeps to himself, but he still smiled to ease the atmosphere.

When Freij wanted to inoculate the group first by saying “My daughter is wise because of her grandfather’s teaching, but she is still a child”……

Another general raised his hand.

【I have an urgent report— There are strange movements from the Belgarian army.】

It seemed they had been discussing this all morning.

The others were very concerned about this too. Unable to interject about his daughter, Freij put down the hand he raised half way.

The officer in charge of enemy surveillance— a pudgy Lieutenant Colonel reported:

【The Belgaria army dug a hole in their base, threw burning fuel in, and started a fire.】

The people present didn’t know what that meant.

【What are they doing?】

The Lieutenant Colonel didn’t know how to answer the Captain General’s question:

【Erm… According to the technical sergeant, it might be a blast furnace.】

【What’s a blast furnace?】

【Sir, a blast furnace is used to smelt steel. From the colour, the fuel should be coal. They diverted water from the lake, so they could adjust the temperature of the furnace and smelt steel.】

Despite the explanation, the mystery just got deeper.

【Maybe the Belgarians are manufacturing rifles in the middle of a war?】

Those who heard that mumbled to themselves.

【Or are they building a fort?】

The Generals started to frown.

If Belgaria build a base at this distance, then Cantanal would lose its function as an economic center.

It seemed that there wasn’t any need for negotiations, the land from that base to the Empire would be under Belgaria’s control.

— What a despicable scheme.

【……】

Mariam smirked.

The officers all opened their eyes wide. Freij felt his heart almost stopped.

But she didn’t fear the gaze around her and wrote:

『They would never build a fort. The Belgarian army won’t want to drag this war out. The soldiers have their own homes and families. If they erect a base on enemy grounds, how many soldiers would they garrison there? Who will pay for the expenses? Our enemy might be a big nation, but their funding isn’t unlimited. We can estimate the budget and forces they have committed into this war from what we can see right now. Do you understand that?』

【P-Pardon me.】

Erect a fort— the officer who blurted that out saluted and took a step backwards.

The Captain General asked intimidatingly:

【Well then, Lord Freij, what do you think the enemy’s intention are?】

【Ehh?!】

—This has nothing to do with me though?!

Well, he wasn’t completely uninvolved either. The officers seemed to think that Mariam was a subordinate of Freij, and treated her as his deputy,

With no regards for her father’s worries, Mariam answered:

『I have never seen any precedent like this, so I can only say that I have no idea.』

【What?! After saying something so cocky… Well, you didn’t really speak… Anyway, you are saying that you don’t know?!】

Mariam raised a hand to stop the Captain General.

Wait— That was what she meant.

The officers all took a deep breath at this bold move, and waited for her to write.

Mariam wrote quickly, but it still took more time than speaking:

『Even if we don’t know what exactly the enemy is planning, we can still do something about it. Since it is a blast furnace, they won’t be able to take it with them. If we send all our forces out to chase the Belgarian away, we won’t need to worry about it.』

【Leave the capital to fight?!】

『It’s better than sitting here and guessing what the enemy forces is trying to do.』

Everyone in the war room looked at each other.

Some started talking amongst themselves.

The place became noisy.

Mariam continued writing:

『The Belgaria army already predicted this situation before the war. The equipment brought all the way here by a renowned strategist isn’t just for show. Even if we don’t know what it actually is, it is definitely something that can break through the capital’s defenses.』

At this moment, the old butler raised his hand.

The room quiet down instantly.

The Emperor spoke:

【If we sent all our forces out, can we defeat the Belgarian army?】

The Captain General answered stiffly:

【I’m afraid… even with our army of 60,000, we won’t be able to best the Belgarian army. Their cannons and rifles are vastly superior to ours. On top of that, the quality of their cavalry and infantry are better than ours too.】

Seeing the wrinkles on the Emperor’s face deepen, the Captain General quickly added:

【The strength of the Hispania Empire lies in our Navy! We won’t lose to the High Brittania Kingdom’s steam ship!】

Freij thought:

— That’s because you haven’t engaged them in a straight shootout before, right?

To be honest, the Hispanian Naval fleet was small and weak.

They were twenty years behind Belgaria and High Brittania.

They built a lot of cheap warships, and had to pick their opponents. For example, disguising themselves as pirates to attack merchant ships from other countries.

Although they pretended it had nothing to do with Hispania on the surface.

However, these actions led to the Belgarian army invading right up to their capital.

The Emperor nodded:

【If the sea route remains open, Cantanal will not fall.】

The Captain General bowed deeply:

【Your Majesty is right. We will keep the status quo and be prepared for anything. We swear to defend the capital with our lives.】

The Emperor rest his right hand on the holy seal.

【May God be with you.】

The officers all gave thanks to their God.

And of course, Freij said that too.

He glanced to the side, and saw the words that shouldn’t be there left on the paper beside Mariam’s hand:

『Even if we can’t win, we can still force the Belgarians away from their base camp. If the enemy gave up their mobility to protect their important contraption, we can even use it to our advantage and crush them.』

Freij kept this paper away.
And then placed his hand gently on the head of his daughter who was biting her lips vexingly.