396 – Battle of the Palatinate (6)
Even at the moment when I struck his neck with a sword, His Highness the Archduke still did not stop resenting and cursing me.
“Peter Yeager, you cursed devil bird….”
However, when I struck down his head with my sword and cut off his vocal cords, he became very quiet, as it is said that a dead man cannot speak.
All eyes around me focused on me.
“f*ck you, His Highness! His Majesty the Archduke was killed by Peter Yeager’s sword! We’re f*cking done now! “No!”
“You bastards no bigger than the Reich Empire, how can you do it? You cut off the head of the monarch of a grand duchy so cruelly? “The world’s killer!”
“Deus, please do not forgive that bastard who cut off the head of His Majesty the Archduke of Warsaw, whom you anointed and made noble!”
The Allied soldiers were not only angry at me for killing the Archduke, but they treated me as if they were human trash who had killed or raped their own children.
Of course, I am not that kind of trash, and as Marshal of the Reich Imperial Army, I just did the best I could in the current situation.
The basic rule of war in this era is that there is an implicit, or even semi-codified, law that the monarch of a country or the monarch’s relatives must never be killed on purpose.
However, I broke the rule and cut off the head of the Archduke of Warsaw myself. I broke the rule, so from their point of view, I was completely trash, but it was the best choice for a strategic goal.
I will destroy Warsaw as soon as minimal damage from this war is completed.
What I need for him is to give people the fear that when they hear my name, they will spontaneously urinate, convulse, and die.
I don’t feel guilty at all because I did what was necessary.
“Ensign Karl! What are you doing? “Hurry up and spread the word that I, Peter Jaeger, have subjugated His Highness the Archduke of Warsaw.”
At those words, the guy who had lost his mind for a moment due to the shock of seeing the enemy of a country kill the archduke, the commander-in-chief of the enemy army, right in front of his eyes, immediately came to his senses.
As soon as he came to his senses, he immediately stuck the archduke’s neck into the part where the spear blade of the marshal was attached.
The archduke’s weapon was immediately raised high for everyone to see.
“Reich Marshal Peter Jaeger personally decapitated the Archduke of Warsaw, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces! Reich Marshal Peter Jaeger personally defeated the Allied Commander-in-Chief, the Archduke of Warsaw! Long live the Reich Empire! Long live your Majesty the Emperor! Long live Deus!”
At those words, the eyes of the Imperial and Allied soldiers, who were repeatedly fighting each other to the death, turned to the enemy plane.
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At first, everyone just stared blankly without saying or doing anything, but soon the reactions of the Imperial and Allied forces became polarized.
The Imperial soldiers suddenly cheered and jumped with joy, and the Allied soldiers lost all energy in their bodies, to the point where they completely lost the will to resist.
In a normal battle, if the situation is like this, surrender is immediately recommended and victory is confirmed, thereby reducing unnecessary sacrifices.
‘If we want to destroy the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and make other countries recognize the empire’s hegemony, we cannot stop here.’
“Exterminate every single one except those who just surrendered! Kill every single enemy within your reach! These guys are the scum of the world who condemned not only our soldiers and men who fought bravely in Bastion Castle, but also children and women, and beat them to death! “It’s not worth saving.”
Declaring that, I quickly swung my knife and decapitated the Allied soldier in front of me.
“Not one of them will return alive! “The only place you guys can return to is hell, where you go when you die!”
The soldiers, who had completely lost their morale due to the shock of the Archduke’s death, were unable to properly grab the vehicle they needed to use to resist me.
“I will surrender. Please, please, spare my life. “I have to go back and take care of my family!”
“Our only crime is that we were dragged in by that f*cking bastard, Archduke.”
“Marshal Jaeger, please spare the lives of these lowly bastards!”
In the meantime, many Allied soldiers mentioned their families and expressed their sense of injustice.
It’s not that I don’t understand.
Honestly, among the soldiers of this era, who would choose to go to the battlefield and die like a dog?
But, if these bastards were to tell me that I would falsely surrender and sacrifice my head in Bastion Castle and ask them to spare the soldiers in Bastion Castle, how many of them would have even pretended to listen?
‘There’s no way such an innocent bastard exists.’
“Don’t be a dick, just shut up and die quietly!”
After saying that, I immediately swung my sword and cut off their heads.
“Surrender is not accepted! Generals, officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers all die equally here! “They are the ones who turned the faithful citizens of the empire who served Deus into devil worshipers!”
Imperial soldiers responded to my cries.
Those who voluntarily participated in Bastion Castle, where they continued to fight at the forefront, saying they would avenge their families, as well as the countless soldiers who followed.
“Marshal Yeager told me not to let these scum live!”
“We can’t let these heretics live! “Knock them all to death!”
“Surrender means go to hell, panting on your stomach in front of Satan, making jokes, and saying that you surrender.”
On this day, I succeeded in killing all but 15,000 of the 1 million Allied troops who invaded the Reich Empire, including about 10,000 who surrendered.
**
A few days later, the camp where the Allied Forces attacking Bastion Castle were stationed.
Originally, this place would have been looted and burned, but I stopped the soldiers for now.
Instead, I looked around this place, which was completely ruined.
Burned corpses of enemy soldiers, remains that are now rotting and giving off a smell, tents with only a thousand pieces remaining, etc.
It was truly a fitting end for the bastards who invaded the empire and even drove those who fought with desperate determination in Bastion Castle into heretics.
“I paid back for their atrocities, but seeing them like this fills me with emptiness.”
Of course, I don’t feel sorry for them being left behind like this.
The fact that those who fought with me in Bastion Castle without sacrificing their lives have died and that I can no longer see them makes me feel extremely painful and in vain.
Until the Allied Forces were completely defeated, this was a thought I had worked hard to keep in the back of my mind.
Only now that revenge is successful is the tearing pain that I felt when I let them go is being conveyed to my heart.
And those who fought with me at Bastion Castle seemed to have similar feelings, as the sound of wailing continued to be heard from this ruined camp.
“Holt, Holt you damn bastard. Why did you leave your mother first and die? “How can I live without you?”
“Mom, Dad… We won, but it’s unfair that you passed away without even seeing the win!”
“Anna! You stupid b*tch, we promised that if we came back after defending the castle, we would get married and live happily ever after in our hometown! “What will I do if you leave me behind?”
As someone who could be said to be the culprit in causing these people to lose their families, I could not bear to offer them words of comfort.
“…… I am a sinner. “He is the world’s killer.”
That’s also true, if I hadn’t come up with the idea to enter this castle and stop the Allied forces, the people here wouldn’t have died.
However, I only decided because it was the best choice.
I just think of the dead and feel extremely sad.
“Marshal, a body presumed to be Lieutenant Colonel Landel was found in the middle of the camp. Would you like to go see it? Or would you like to be polite and cremated as is?”
“Let’s go see it in its original state. No, gather everyone who fought with me in this castle.”
“Yes, Marshal.”
And not long after, all the survivors who fought in Bastion Castle and I headed to the place where Lieutenant Colonel Randel’s body was.
When I saw Randel’s body, I really couldn’t say anything.
“……”
It was the same for others.
Because, without looking closely, one could see how desperately and courageously Randel fought, resisting death until the very end.
In this silence, the military doctor carefully opened his mouth.
“We have collected testimonies from those who surrendered and became prisoners of the condition in which they died. “Can I tell you?”
Hearing those words, I nodded, trying hard to hold back my tears.
“According to what the officers confirmed before cremation, there were 13 wounds on the body that were believed to be from sword cuts, 20 marks of being hit with a mace or blunt weapon, and all bones, including the shoulders of both arms, were broken due to falling from the castle wall. “It’s broken.”
I have also been cut slightly, though not deeply, by a knife, so I know very well how severe the pain is.
At first, the pain spreads all over my body to the point of indescribable pain, and then it hurts as if the wound had been cut with an iron.
All the strength in my body disappeared, and my eyesight became dizzy.
However, there were 13 such wounds, and 20 were wounds from mace or blunt objects. The bones in the left and right arms were completely fractured.
I can’t even imagine what that pain must have been like.
Suddenly, my heart felt heavy and tight.
The military doctor said while meditating.
“In that condition, no one would have been able to take a single step, or even lift a finger. However, according to the gathered testimony, the lieutenant colonel swung the sword at the archduke’s neck while his body was already torn and torn and unable to move.”
When I imagined that scene, tears began to flow from my eyes.
“…… Please bury Lieutenant Colonel Randel as respectfully as possible. “If it had not been for his noble sacrifice, the empire would have been defeated.”
“Yes, Marshal. “Then, I will write down the cause of his death and his achievements for the last time and honor him respectfully.”
“Please.”
At the same time as he said that, the military doctor took Randel’s body away as politely as possible.
Then Laura stood next to me with a dark expression.
I see a thick document on the side, so it must have the number of people who died in this war written on it.
“Marshal.”
“Go ahead and tell me. “How many people survived this terrible battlefield?”
“Of the 724,000 imperial troops, 120,000 were killed, and the 1 million-strong Allied army was virtually annihilated, according to estimates. “My guess is that about 10,000 people returned alive.”
The criminal record revealed by numbers was so perfect that it could be said to be a miracle.
A large army of 1 million people was completely annihilated with the loss of only 120,000 people.
But I couldn’t just be happy.
This is because many civilians in this castle, even women and children, were driven to death.
“Who died at Bastion Castle?”
When Laura heard those words, she clenched her teeth, then carefully opened his mouth.
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“Out of a total of 52,000 people, including 30,000 imperial troops and 22,000 civilians stationed at Bastion Castle, 35,000 were killed. “There are 2,000 injured.”
“……35,000 People, including women. In the General Staff College, it is said that if even 30% of the troops die, the army is annihilated, but as many as 70% of them died. “Because of my choice, all of our soldiers, including women and men, are killed.”
And then I let go of my head and wept right here.
The reason was no different.
I have been commissioned into the military, taken command, and ordered countless soldiers to die, but I feel an overwhelming sense of guilt because I have never forced them into such a gruesome fight.
The sense of shame felt by an incompetent human being who dragged civilians and women into such a battle.
Lastly, I feel sorry for those who fought desperately at Bastion Castle for trusting and following this guy until the end.
A regret that I imagine would not have happened if I had been more competent.
I cried for nearly half a day along with the survivors of Bastion Castle around me.
When I stopped wailing, I felt like something had broken inside my head.
And I decided.
“We have annihilated the entire Allied army without leaving a single one behind, but that is still not enough. It’s not enough. Even if I cut off the Archduke of Warsaw’s head, my sins are not all forgiven.”
This is Laura’s first time seeing me like this.
He looked at me with eyes showing surprise and fear.
“I think that by occupying at least the entire Grand Duchy of Warsaw and killing all those who resist, we can at least avenge their resentment. “As soon as we clear the battlefield, let’s go straight to the capital.”