134 – Conflict (6)
“…Huh.”
Early in the morning, a messenger came in with an urgent face, so I did something, but the Duke of Provence led his army and raided the southern border city of Charleil.
First of all, considering that the size is said to be the largest of any army that Provence has ever mobilized, it seems that they gathered as many troops as they could and attacked…
“So… No need to worry?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. The materials are sufficient and the walls are strong, so there is a saying in the field that there is no need to hastily build a support force because it can last for about two years.”
Why did you do this? There’s no reason to hit me, right?
I wouldn’t have dared to touch you if I just quietly shut myself in the territory and controlled the subordinate vassals and nobles of the same faction.
Even the south is full of hills, making it difficult for a large army to move. Gathering all the troops and attacking in that direction… Uh…
…No, let’s not be vigilant.
“Isn’t there a possibility that the Provencal army will encircle Charlieu Castle with a separate unit and send the rest of the army here?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It is not yet clear what they are aiming for, but even if they do, they will not continue to siege Charlieu Bay.”
“Okay, since Sir thinks so, I’m sure it will come up. So, what is the approximate size of the Provence army? We can’t completely pull back the army fighting Neustria, so we need to mobilize more reserves and mercenaries. I’ll have to deal with it.”
“They said there were about 20,000 people.”
“…Write.”
20,000, That’s a lot. I’m sure I scraped everything that didn’t exist.
It may not have been heavily armed like Rotaring’s main unit, but since it was the army of the duke who was in charge of Caroling’s frontier, at least it wouldn’t be soldiers filled with only the head.
“…Send a letter to the pro-Rotharing nobles. Attack the Duke of Provence.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I wanted to take care of it by myself as much as possible because I would have to give something after the war if I got help from my pro-Rotharing faction nobles, but I can’t help it.
No matter how much rotation you do, you can’t spread the front on both sides. Even the scale is 20,000 people.
As for the reward, it would be enough to take away the territory of the Duke of Provence. The one who isn’t satisfied with that… Let’s think about it later.
…………
“…Damn it.”
The Duke of Provence is in a very bad mood.
It’s good that he entered the kingdom of Rotaring with great enthusiasm, but everything went awry after that.
It’s all because of that castle, Charlieu.
The size of the castle is small, but because of that, it was possible to attempt a siege with only a small number of soldiers. Even the location was on a hill, so the ground was so steep that making a catapult was difficult.
[How about just passing by?]
[…Wouldn’t that put the rear in danger?]
[How many soldiers do you think there are in that small castle? If you are still uneasy, you can remove some soldiers and put the castle under siege.]
“Oops…”
The Duke of Provence was speechless even after seeing the general’s attitude, which could be considered rude.
Because it is a time of war, it is not possible to stimulate the military, because what he said was extremely right.
It is not necessary to capture the castle and advance. Of course, a soldier could suddenly jump out of a castle that hadn’t been captured and attack the back, but that Charlieu Castle was so small that it didn’t matter.
In the end, the duke accepted the general’s request and advanced as it was, leaving only the bare minimum of troops, but it was very unpleasant for him to not be able to completely drop the castle.
The duke has been in a bad mood ever since he left the castle, so the attendants around him are unable to act hastily.
If, by any chance, they get caught, their lord will turn into a puppet to relieve his anger.
“Your Majesty!! I see the next castle!!”
“That’s great!!”
‘Haaa…’
The attendants were greatly relieved to see their master, who suddenly became relieved at the news that the next surname had come out.
Perhaps if it had been delayed just a bit longer like this, someone would have been punished for their resentment.
“The plains are wide, the castle is moderately large, and there are forests over there. Very nice!”
“It’s the perfect environment for a siege.”
“What is the name of that castle?”
“This is Shahl, Your Majesty.”
“Shahlra! What a beautiful name.”
But whether or not the attendants around him are relieved, the duke doesn’t care about them at all.
I just set up all sorts of strategies in my head, happy about how to attack the newly appeared castle.
“Yeah, that’s how it should be! Surely it was good to hear Sir!”
“Very well, Your Majesty. The deployment of the troops— wait, someone is coming.”
And the general hears the Duke making a fuss with one ear and lets it out with the other, while trying to build a camp, he discovers a procession of something coming out of the castle.
Of course, the general wasn’t the only one who noticed the procession, so the atmosphere around them changed in an instant.
From nob le mtl dot com
Military response… No. There are some armed personnel, but they are so few that they are obviously for escort purposes. You can’t really attack with that waterway.
First of all, isn’t there a huge cart in that procession? There is a high probability that it is not a military response, but just a simple envoy.
…………
“Reason… Ha, are you asking because you don’t know?”
Ha, really.
Why are you asking when you know everything you know?
For fear of surrender, they were disarmed through a physical examination beforehand and welcomed them with great enthusiasm, but the result was shocking.
This place is Rotaling’s territory, with a declaration to return immediately, a cute threat that you will regret it if you attack, and finally a stupid question asking why you did this. I don’t like any of the words the envoy utters.
Chaeeng -!!
“Because Claude, your lord, usurped the rightful throne and is oppressing my people.”
“…Is that so?”
As he pulled out his sword and stuck it into the dirt, he spoke. The envoy bowed his head deeply and said so.
I can’t even make eye contact because I’m scared… Tsk tsk, an envoy would not be rude enough, but what a person with some level of pride should do. As expected, since the superiors have no fundamentals, the inferiors also become servile.
“Then, please show our sincerity.”
“Sincerity? Why should I show sincerity when you don’t even surrender?”
“We also have a thing called honor. We will give you a small gift, so please look after the excessive requisition even after the siege is over.”
“Hmm…”
Well, surrendering without a fight is certainly a bit like that.
No matter how dishonorable a country girl may be, if there is an enemy in front of her, she will wield a dagger in her arms.
“What is that gift?”
“A longsword for decoration made of gold, silver and jewels is here. It’s on the cart we brought. Would you like to see it for yourself?”
“That’s good.”
After checking the contents of the cart, the soldiers are gesturing that the envoy is right.
Until now, I’ve only acted too foolishly, so I’ve never been trustworthy, but I’m surprised that you’re kind in a corner like this.
If I had simply brought gold and silver treasures, I would have thought so.
Kikiiikㅡ
“Ohhh…”
When you open the lid of the box on top of the cart, the sunlight pours down exquisitely through the cracks in the box, and the long sword inside makes good use of the sunlight that pours in.
The dazzling light that comes out of the box is so beautiful that it blinds the Duke.
The silver-based blade has patterns drawn with gold thread, and the handle and base of the sword are decorated with various jewels.
“To give you something like this, your sincerity is amazing!”
“…How about it, isn’t it beautiful? Contrary to its appearance, it is very light and easy to operate.”
“Really? Let’s hear it.”
Click
As the Duke raises his ceremonial sword, a clicking sound resounds.
People on the Provence side don’t think it’s strange even when they hear the sound, thinking it’s just a sound coming from the pedestal, and don’t think it’s strange.
“Hmmm, this is definitely lighter than a real sword. Yes, I gave you such a good thing, but I can’t wash my mouth. I will definitely take care of my back, so let’s fight well without fear of defeat.”
“…Our father in heaven, take care of us.”
“Kuh, praying all of a sudden. You don’t have to be so frightened—”
Wow!
The Duke’s words are not finished properly.
A grand explosion occurs in the cart, and the explosion turns the wooden cart into sharp fragments and shoots them in all directions.
The figures around are pierced by the fragments of the tree and become terrifying as their bodies are pierced.
“Kuh… What is this… Your Majesty!!”
Those who suffered minor injuries due to being away from the heart of the explosion came to their senses after a while and ran to the duke to check the condition, but they instinctively realized that no one could heal the duke’s injuries, even if they had no medical knowledge. It is certain that he will die soon.
The soldiers immediately drew their swords and aimed them at the envoys, but there was no reason to cut them with swords as the envoys were also caught in the explosion and died or suffered near-death injuries.