91 – Civil War – 2
“Isabel, report.”
“Yes. Currently, the number of troops the crown prince can mobilize appears to be between 20,000 and 25,000. Although the North suffered heavy casualties, the Crown Prince is still the most powerful force on the continent. “It can be said to be about four times the number of soldiers that our army can mobilize, which is 6,000.”
“Four times, four times… “
The princess pondered Isabel’s words. 4 Times. It’s easier said than done, but four times is a number that cannot be exceeded. Simple calculations show that even if one person defeats one person, there are still three times the number remaining.
“The problem is that the crown prince has quite aggressive tendencies. He had previously invaded the North and intervened in the battle against Oxenberg’s fiefdom. The crown prince is anxious to expand his territory. You never know when he might try to invade another province, and his number one target is probably… “
“Claudia.”
Claudia was the name of the territory ruled by the princess. In other words, the crown prince was targeting the princess’s territory.
“There are three main reasons why the Crown Prince is targeting Claudia. One. Claudia is a strategic location. “It is located on the road connecting the North, East, and South, so just having access to Claudia can put pressure on many countries.”
The princess nodded her head and Isabelle continued her explanation.
“Two. Claudia is a wealthy province. “If the crown prince, who already owns a wealthy province called Binevia, acquires Claudia as well, the overwhelming number of soldiers coming from the crown prince’s territory will be difficult for anyone in the world to stop.”
That was also true. She seemed to be convinced and motioned for the princess to continue.
“Finally, the Crown Prince is afraid of His Highness the Princess. “Your Royal Highness is reputed to be the most capable among the royal family, and as a result, talented people from around the world are flocking to Her Highness, so the Crown Prince will want to quickly remove Her Highness from the succession structure.”
“Isabelle and Yuria, just like you.”
Isabel and Yuria each bowed their heads. Then the princess stood up from her seat.
“If Crown Prince Leonhard invades the Claudia region, he will only fight. Last time, the soldiers were poorly trained, but now our troops are superior in both quantity and quality. The situation is worth fighting with the crown prince. So… “
The princess placed her hands on Yuria and Isabelle’s shoulders respectively.
“I want your struggle.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
But there was one question.
“But why am I here?”
When I asked that, the princess said this with an expression that asked why she was asking such an obvious question.
“That’s right… “Aren’t you planning to become my subject soon?”
It was so confident that for a moment I thought it was real. The promise between me and the princess was that if the princess defeated the prince, she would become his subject. That’s why I quietly left the villa without them noticing.
—–
After leaving the villa, I was about to take a carriage and go to the dormitory when Uriah Russell suddenly knocked on the window of her carriage.
“What is it?”
“Would you mind having a quick meal?”
“Meal?”
That’s strange. Yuria isn’t the type of person to ask to eat first. At that moment, I remembered. Seeing that a person who doesn’t have this type of personality is doing this, it means that he must have important business. I thought so and answered right away.
“Let’s eat.”
Soon, Yuria led her carriage to a small restaurant in the island.
‘As expected, there is something.’
If you really just wanted to eat, it wouldn’t be strange to do it at Her Highness’s villa. Nevertheless, choosing a small restaurant in Arcadia clearly means that there was a different intention.
Peaceful music was flowing inside the restaurant. It seemed like they were musicians hired by the restaurant. I only found out after seeing the price tag. Although this place looks small and shabby, it is actually a fairly expensive high-end restaurant.
Soon, Yuria Russell ordered two servings of today’s recommended menu. Without even asking my doctor. But since she didn’t have any particular food cravings, she decided to just do it.
But something strange happened. And then Yuria left without even looking behind her.
“What is it?”
Why did you suddenly leave after saying let’s eat? Is this a new kind of Ijime? I thought so, but soon realized that wasn’t the case. This was because, as if taking turns with Yuria, a person sitting at another table appeared, his entire body covered in a robe.
“Who are you?” Uh?”
She lifted her robe slightly to show me her face, and I couldn’t help but be surprised.
“Lord Dian?”
“Shh, lower your voice. “My coming here is a secret.”
I lowered my voice. Fortunately, thanks to the music flowing, the sound did not spread to the surrounding area. This is why music seemed to flow in high-end restaurants.
“Lord Dian, why on earth are you here…” ? “You must be busy right now, right?”
The crown prince is preparing for war. Although he was dismissed from his position as the leader of the vanguard, it was a busy time for Dian, who was still a vassal of the crown prince, preparing for war.
“It was a busy time, so there was a need to come even more. I am now in a difficult position. In fact… “
“Wait a minute.”
I stopped her.
“I don’t really like hiding the truth and spinning around what’s really going on. So, may I try to guess Lord Dian’s intentions?”
“So be it.”
From Noble mtl dot com
I would feel guilty about directly revealing military secrets, but I would feel less guilty about reciting facts I knew in advance and only saying whether they were correct or not. Naturally, you will drink more alcohol.
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is preparing to attack His Highness the Princess. However, Lord Dian does not like this war. “Whether we win or lose this war, Lord Dian will only suffer losses.”
She nodded her head. And I continued.
“Because I was dismissed as the leader, it is difficult to make a big contribution even if I win. Moreover, since it is only in the eyes of His Highness the Crown Prince, it will not be easy to aim for Yangmyeong’s success from now on. But it’s better to win. If you lose, the territory itself could be blown away. Lord Dian’s territory is right next to Oxenberg, and if Her Majesty the Crown Prince loses the war, this territory will be the first to fall into Her Highness’s hands. This is the worst-case scenario for Lord Dian. “The territory inherited from generations of ancestors will be taken away.”
She nodded her head again. It seemed I was right.
“And the reason you came to see me here… “
“Of all the people I can confide in, you are the smartest.”
“I am neither on the side of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince nor on the side of His Highness the Princess, so I will not fall into anyone’s ears.”
“To tell the truth, it is as it is said.”
“Then what you want from me… “
“Advice on the current situation.”
I can do that much. As a priest’s kite. Because she accepted me as a temporary manager, I was able to quickly build a base. I owed her her debt, and if I could pay her debt with her tongue, it was not her loss-making business.
“Good. “Let’s slowly reflect on the current situation.”
“Yes.”
“The Crown Prince is now targeting the Claudia region. “Are you sure about that?”
She let out her sigh.
“It was originally a secret, but it would be useless to hide it when everyone already knows. “That is correct.”
“And it will be a long way for Lord Dian to achieve merit under the crown prince. Because he was dismissed from the vanguard. Right?”
“That is also true.”
“Critically, D-Gyeong is in a situation where she wants to go under Her Majesty the Princess if she can.”
“… “
There was silence for a while. And Dian found it difficult to open his mouth.
“Okay. In fact, I have always regretted betraying Her Highness the Princess and becoming attached to Her Highness the Crown Prince. “If I had known in advance who the Crown Prince was, I would never have betrayed Her Highness the Princess.”
“Then my advice is simple.”
Gulp. She swallowed her saliva.
“What is it?”
“After this meal, please run to Yuria immediately and ask for a message to Her Highness the Princess. “The real war will begin after the battle is over.”
“What? What is that… “
“Your Highness will understand what she means just by those words.”
Dian didn’t seem to understand what was being said. This is because her political sense is somewhat poor. However, since she is a born warrior, she is just not interested in politics, but her brain is not falling. When the time comes, she will treat her well too. Just as I intended.
—–
“Dian came.”
“Yes. Master has asked for a message from Her Highness the Princess. “They say the real war will begin after the battle is over.”
“Huh?”
The princess tilted her head in confusion.
“That’s not something that would come out of Dian’s head.”
“Then…” “
“Someone else gave Dian her advice. “A pretty smart guy.”
Yuria had an idea who it was. Dian had a meal with Charles before speaking with the princess. Yuria thought for a moment. Will she maintain her friendship with her master and keep quiet about Charles, or will she maintain her loyalty to her master and speak about Charles? But the next moment, Isabelle realized that she had no reason to even worry. This is because the princess suddenly started laughing out loud.
“hahahahaha!”
“Why are you smiling? Majesty.”
“No, I have to guess whose wisdom it is. “There is only one person around Dian who would think like this.”
The princess’s solemn expression began to relax for a moment. Her face lit up with a smile.
“It’s Charles.”
Yuria couldn’t help but be surprised by those words. How on earth did you know? It was clear that she had been involved in everything, from Dian hiding in Arcadia to her meeting with Charles, but it made Yuria feel strange that conversations were taking place behind her back that she did not know about.
As if she knew Yuria’s feelings, the princess immediately spoke to Yuria.
“Yuria, I don’t think you need to worry about Dian.”
“Yes? Why?”
“After the battle is over, the real war will begin. “Do you know what that means?”
“… I do not know.”
“It may seem difficult on the surface, but the essence is very simple. Dian wants to come under my wing, but it seems like he wants to avoid being labeled a traitor. So she asked Charles if there was a way. This is the plan Charles planned there. During the battle, I will take the Crown Prince’s side, but if I besiege Crotea Castle after the Crown Prince is defeated in battle, I will request reinforcements from the Crown Prince. Of course, the crown prince does not have the resources to send reinforcements, so Dian, the lord, broke the feudal contract by first abandoning his subject Dian, so he used that as an excuse to join me. That’s what it means to say that the real war begins after the battle is over. Of course, Dian doesn’t have the brains to come up with such a complicated operation, so of course… ”
“That’s why Charles’ name appears.”
“Okay. Charles Jean Rochepol. “It’s that man’s strategy.”
“Then what we have to do is…” “
“After winning the battle, instead of storming Crotea Castle, we just pretend to besiege it.”
After hearing those words, Yuria Russell felt like she could understand why the princess was so obsessed with Charles rather than herself. This is because even though she talked to Dian several times, she could not think of a way to save Dian. Charles Jean Rochepol. He was the same type of person as the princess.