365 – Bastion Battle (1)
There are times in life when you desperately want to borrow a cat’s hand.
There are so many things to do that you need to save not only your sleeping time but also your eating time. For example, when I was an academy cadet, I would say it was a desperate and urgent situation like when the deadline for submitting an assignment was only a day or two hours away.
Nowadays, I am short on labor and time, to the point where I would like to borrow the help of a cat, or even a baby mouse.
In such a situation, I hurriedly built a defense system for the castle wall, and led only a small number of cavalrymen to the castle of Bastion in order to save at least one more person to fight on the wall.
“Marshal, Marshal. Aren’t you in too much of a hurry? If you fall like this, you will die right away!”
If you drive your horse too quickly and fall, as Anya, who is following behind me, said, there is a high probability that you will die instantly or suffer irreversible serious injury.
Right now, I don’t have time to relax and take care of my life.
Because I had to make the refugees fleeing through the castle gate, not only the men in the group, but even the boys and girls turn around and stand on the castle wall.
To do that, it was important to somehow catch them before they passed through the gate, and for that, I had to hurry to my death.
If you miss this, your chances of winning will decrease significantly.
“Marshal, I can see it over there! “A group of refugees is just about to leave the gates!”
A sigh of relief came out of my mouth when I heard that it was not too late.
“Raise the black eagle flag that symbolizes the enemy. Stop the procession! “Hurry up!”
“…… Do you plan to mobilize all refugees as soldiers?”
I wanted to explain why I’m doing this so you can understand, but it’s more important now to hurry up as much as possible.
“Hurry, now! “I’ll explain later!”
“Yes, I understand.”
100 Cavalrymen who followed me under my orders quickly blocked the refugees.
When a nobleman who appeared to be an officer leading the refugees whose path was blocked tried to protest on their behalf, a black eagle flag with five stars symbolizing the enemy was raised.
“…… Marshal? “Why is the enemy blocking our way?”
That one word caused a huge stir.
“Marshal, there is only one Marshal, Marquis Peter Yeager, right?”
“Why on earth is he stopping us from fleeing?”
“They took away all the young people in our village and gave us everything except the bare minimum food we needed to eat. “Have you come to beg us to die now that we have nothing left?”
They were people who would have supported me just a short while ago, but the moment they became refugees, they changed their minds and started pouring out all kinds of negative things toward me.
Some of the soldiers who saw this put their hands on the hilts of the swords on their belts, perhaps thinking that they should be executed as an example according to military law…
Now I am in a position to ask them for help, and they are people fleeing based on their legitimate rights.
So, while sending hand signals to those who had reached for the sword to stop them, he got off his horse and quietly advanced to the front of the refugee procession.
“I am Marshal Peter Jaeger, who commands 600,000 soldiers of the Reich Imperial Army.”
After seeing and hearing the marshal’s flag with five stars and the testimony of officers and soldiers, there is probably not a single one of those present who does not know that I am Peter Yeager.
When the Marshal himself came out and confidently declared, everyone’s attention was focused on me.
However, their facial expressions showed that the interest was not in a good direction for me.
With expressions filled with fear and resentment, the refugees cried out as if they were wailing towards me, who had blocked their path.
“Marshal, please do not block our path! We don’t want to die. “Please just let me go so I can live.”
“If we cannot evacuate, we will all be dead. “Don’t you know?”
“Why are you trying to prevent even lowly serfs like us, who can’t help in the fight, from escaping! Isn’t the Marshal someone who started out as a serf and worked his way up from the same status as us? “How can you be so heartless?”
When I heard those words, my heart broke as if it were breaking.
Because the people here are the ones who not only sent their sons, who have completed their military service and are in the reserve forces, back to the army where they might die at any time, but also gave everything they had when the empire conscripted war materials.
However, if I fail to defend Bastion Castle, the Empire’s second line of defense will be breached, and the worst outcome could be that they and all the people of the Empire will be trampled and exterminated in the war. …
As the enemy of the empire, I have no choice but to block their path and ask them to fight with me.
“As Marshal of the Empire, I also appreciate your dedication. However, I would like to ask you a favor. “I hope you will do your best to protect the empire and protect yourself and your family.”
At those words, among the many refugees, an older man who looked like he had eaten some ink came out and spoke.
“We pay 60% of taxes every year as required by the empire. Moreover, over the past few years, in addition to the prescribed taxes, there have been many cases where various foodstuffs, goods, and even cattle that were carefully raised in the village were mobilized for the sake of the empire. “We have already fulfilled our duty to the empire and contributed to it in abundance.”
“I admit it, without your dedication, would I or the army I command have been able to perform as well?”
“And now, for the sake of the empire, everyone, from the boys of our village to the young men and even those who have been discharged from the military, are holding spears and guarding that damned Bastion Castle. Do you know why?”
I couldn’t answer those words.
“It’s to protect my family. We are running away because these people who may die fighting on that wall want us, their family, to live. But are you now telling us to die together? Isn’t this too much? “Is this the path the people of the empire should follow?”
This is a statement that is close to a protest. Considering that this is a battlefield, it wouldn’t be strange at all to cut off the author’s head right now…
Instead of pulling out my sword, I just listened to all the complaints in silence.
And when he stopped complaining, he said.
“Even if I had a mouth, what on earth could I say to you? That’s right, all of this happened because the damn Peter Yeager wasn’t enough. But what can you do? If you don’t stay here and fight with me, this castle will be breached. Then, your family and the young soldiers you love will not escape death, and you will all end up in the same situation later. But if you stay and help me, there is no way. So lend me your strength.”
Those who were complaining about my words stopped talking, and a small murmur arose among the refugees.
Nobles, especially high-ranking generals with stars, are people who never say vulgar words in front of commoners in order to protect their honor.
Even though I used to be a commoner orphan, now I am a marshal and a marquis.
I, a privileged member of the top 0.001% Of the Reich Empire class pyramid, would admit to the immorality of a group of serfs and citizens and humble myself to ask for help.
I took a moment to catch my breath and shouted as if screaming.
“No, please. Let me be honest. It is only the people who are here now who can protect your families and hometowns. Instead, I, Peter Jaeger, dare to make a promise. I will cherish each and every life of you and those who remained on those walls. Even if I have to die, at least I won’t make it a useless death. “Rather than lose, I will definitely win, even if it means giving up my life.”
Then I bowed down.
The murmur of soldiers, officers, and refugees around me grew louder.
“Please entrust me with your dedication, courage, and sacrifice. Then, I will protect your families, neighbors, and even our homeland, the Reich Empire. Please give me one chance.”
As I said this, a murmur could be heard among the refugees.
“f*ck, someone as big as the Marshal of the Empire is bowing down and asking us, the insignificant ones…”
“He is a commoner like us who can apply military laws and such to kill a few people and just force them into the castle.”
“I don’t know if what I’m seeing right now is a dream or reality.”
The refugees’ complaints subsided in an instant as they were shocked that I had bowed down.
“Marshal, I will risk my life for you!”
“I may not know anyone else, but I can trust Marshal Peter Yeager!”
With those words, everyone’s attention, including mine, turned towards that direction.
There were people there with their hands raised high and expressions full of determination.
The wind catchers I planted… Or more accurately, they were all beings who would instill fighting spirit in my heart and were like a spark of hope that would light up the Bastion fortress.
And in line with that, the others I had prepared shouted loudly, burning their fighting spirit, and shouting to fight…
In the meantime, a boy, a boy who looked to be about 15 years old when I entered the academy, came forward to me with his chest outstretched.
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When a woman who looked like his mother or grandmother saw this, she tried to stop the boy…
“I will fight together with the enemy! “I will fight to protect my family.”
…… The fire of fighting spirit was kindled in someone other than the wind catcher I planted.