39 – 7. Recapture of the City
The Count gathered his soul and summoned the soldiers.
Even with his right arm called Philla cut off, he showed great courage by mobilizing two hundred and fifty men, and including the troops sent by the Holy See, the total number of troops was over four hundred.
It may look shabby, but this is something that was scraped to the ground with everything it had for the fight of the soul.
Considering that this is a military force trained professionally for war, rather than conscripted entirely from farmers who were plowing their fields, it is the largest army I have ever seen in a while.
The number of knights who robbed the barons like that was twenty, including myself.
The knight referred to here is not just a serf riding a pony holding a club. This refers to real knights who have been officially ordained and equipped with weapons.
In short, there are as many as twenty people who are war machines who have devoted decades to honing their combat skills and possess the ability to turn trash into corpses.
This is a solid force. We had a clear advantage in terms of money, weapons, cause, and number of wizards.
The only thing was that there was not enough time.
In the barracks they were called into, there were priests who would participate in the battle and skilled servants brought along by the knights.
The secretary who would act as a staff member and the officer who commanded the soldiers also huddled together, huddled in the corner of the tent.
Everyone waited for the count to open his mouth.
It is a fact that is often overlooked, but nobles are also intellectuals who have received higher education than clergy. If you learn it well, you can use magic, and you can access information about war relatively freely, so there are people with excellent military skills.
And the count, who had received such high expectations, sighed heavily.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Thank you for gathering like this. First of all, those who occupied Villach yesterday were the emperor… “I think everyone knows that a messenger was sent to His Majesty.”
“Yes!”
“I thought about it with my staff all night, and in the end, we came to this conclusion. “The siege will be abandoned.”
I suddenly declared giving up.
Because it was a place where only high-ranking people gathered, there was no undignified muttering or whispering to the people next to them, but it was clear that there was some agitation as people were seen sighing softly.
However, this was to be expected, as three successive attempts to build siege weapons failed. I didn’t expect Count Villach to make a decision so quickly.
The Baron, who watched the production process and failure of the catapult, continued.
“Siege weapons are difficult to mobilize. So, a few people have to infiltrate and open the door. “I’ll tell you in advance, there is no such thing as a secret passage.”
“How about digging a tunnel?”
“The ground is not soft enough to be dug in quickly. Also, those in there must keep that possibility in mind. “There is a high possibility of getting caught since they will not lack experience in combat and sieges.”
The Count looked back at the knights. The knights standing next to me stiffened.
“Your role is important.”
“What can we do?”
“We will attempt negotiations for the last time tomorrow, and if we fail, we will launch a concentrated attack on the front gate of the castle two days later. When you look away like that, some of the knights can climb the ladder and go to the back of the castle and open the door. Then, we will immediately rush into the castle with the soldiers waiting nearby.”
In fact, it was better to go in at night as a small group of elites to avoid being caught.
However, unless the thieves have udon sari on their heads, security will be the tightest near the bridge lowering device rather than on the castle wall. It would be perfect to die surrounded and crushed by the violence of numbers.
It is common sense that a castle wall exists to block enemies, and a castle gate exists to enter and exit the castle wall.
So, you have to make it unforgivable without lax security. Even if they knew this was a decoy, they had no choice but to disperse their forces.
“I would like to send five knights into this operation. Of course, soldiers and servants will follow. “Are there any applicants?”
It’s better than joining the elite at night, but it’s still a dangerous mission.
Perhaps they had reached an agreement with the Count in advance to take charge of the gun, and a particularly elderly knight came forward immediately.
The pattern drawn on his shield was similar to the pattern on the seal of the earl’s family. From that, it was not difficult to guess that he was a knight under the earl’s direct command.
A young-looking knight with an impressive long scar on his face also raised his hand.
From what I’ve talked to a few times before, he was the third child of a Korean-American noble family who wanted to enhance the family’s reputation.
Two knights who were complaining about being tight on money these days also applied.
Whether it was fame or money, it was natural for the regrettable side to step forward. But the number is still four.
I was lost in thought for a moment.
The reason I stood on this battlefield was to save people.
It was also because I realized that morality and kindness exist even in this cruel world.
When it comes to fame and money, I don’t have it either. Of course it’s good to have it.
But what moved my heart more than anything was the fact that even with such motivation to participate, I couldn’t beat the time by pounding on the gate.
How can we trust humans whose swords are not luminous and entrust the success of the battle to them?
When I raised my hand for the last time and filled in the number, the Count shouted loudly with a satisfied look on his face.
“Praise for your courage and honor! Even if this fight is forgotten by everyone on earth, God will remember its deeds.”
*****
The Count later laid out a few detailed plans, but he didn’t need us to remember to sneak back behind the castle.
All you have to do is learn about the internal structure and how to operate the device from a soldier who has worked as a guard in Villach.
However, the part about prohibiting looting in the operational plan was mandatory for everyone, including me, to be drilled into our heads.
Occupying the enemy’s castle and plundering their homes was a completely natural thing, like the saying that the moon rises when the sun sets.
Many knights and mercenaries prayed to God to help them make money. But the money never came into my pocket on its own.
Therefore, the logic of miracles was established that prayer is only done when asking for forgiveness from God after looting.
The order of making money and praying has changed, but anyway, it was a prayer to make money and it even came true, so it doesn’t matter.
This is a proposition that has been imprinted on an instinctive level.
“After the occupation, focus on clearing out the remnants. Never, ever do anything strange like looting! “We must not overlook the fact that Villach is not an enemy camp.”
“But why shouldn’t you loot…?” “Oh, I see!”
“Can I trust these people…? ….”
But Villach is definitely the count’s land, even if the house was robbed. This is a place where you can’t loot like usual.
He emphasized compensation several times and asked for a calm occupation. Even if you understand it with your head, don’t let your instincts get in the way.
The Count ended the meeting only after emphasizing to the commanders that the soldiers should also be aware of this fact.
There is no clock, but seeing that the sun has risen, it feels like two hours have passed since we entered the tent.
I took steps to find Lisia, who had been waiting on the hill for longer than expected.
But strangely enough, there was another fast, narrow stride walking next to me. I see that his top goes down to his ankles, so he’s a priest.
When I turned my head and looked at the target, it was a bishop with whom I had only met face to face a few times. This is actually my first time mixing words.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, Your Excellency Bishop.”
But what is it? Why are you acting so friendly all of a sudden?
“I have high expectations for you. Wasn’t the first time we met at Villach’s pledge ceremony? From then on, he came to know the Lord’s faithfulness and honor.”
Naturally, neither I nor the bishop ever made eye contact during the oath ceremony.
Of course, since I was standing in the exact center, I took a look at his face, but the bishop probably didn’t even know I was there.
The bishop, who had just been seen withering away in real time in front of the Count due to the heavy sin he had committed, came back to life as soon as he breathed the outside air, and his mouth became smooth.
There was no sense of discomfort as the relationship progressed calmly, from strangers to acquaintances, from acquaintances to casual acquaintances, without even putting saliva on the lips.
Is this really the power of a human being who survived a church full of dark-hearted priests and rose to the position of bishop?
The speaking skills that come from years of experience and the hard iron plate on the face are enough to make even me, who has made a name for myself through self-introduction, have to give up.
The bishop went one step further and began to explain the injustice to me, pointing out various grounds.
I couldn’t ignore him because he was a high person, so I responded appropriately and passed it on with one ear.
“Anyway, if Guiberto hadn’t interfered, this wouldn’t have happened. I think he is behind this. Why has His Holiness still not kicked out the man who turned his back on him? ….”
“… Uh?”
Guiberto is a rare naming method around here.
It’s a name I think I’ve heard before somewhere.