152 – The End of the War (1)
Whitebeard mercenaries, temporary command tent.
Until yesterday, we, the Whitebeard mercenaries, lived as if everything would be over if we just defeated Baron Maurer.
For over 10 days, I had to march quickly through the forest, and every day I ate only biscuits and beef jerky boiled in water, which was a terrible meal.
‘Once we catch that bastard, Baron Maurer, everything will be over.’
He fought with only this in mind, and ultimately led 600 men to victory against 2,000 troops led by Baron Maurer.
High school seniors think that when they finish the college entrance exam and enter university, their hardships end and happiness begins, but in reality, as if that was the real beginning, there was still a lot of work left for our mercenary corps to do.
“……What should I do with this?”
While I was lost in my own thoughts, someone tapped my shoulder.
It didn’t hurt, but when I looked at his face and wondered who had hit him, it was Centurion Schnitzel.
“Century Schnitzel, why do you surprise someone who is seriously thinking?”
“I was curious as to why the guy who destroyed 2,000 people with 600 people was so worried. Why?”
“……It’s not over yet, is it?”
At those words, the other centurions standing behind laughed.
“What you said wasn’t wrong, but this isn’t an emergency.”
“You won’t get better by worrying unnecessarily, so just smile.”
“It’s a problem if your head works too well. “I sometimes feel pity when I see things like that.”
Until a few days ago, 600 men had to march through the forest without being detected by over 2,000 enemy soldiers, and when they arrived, everyone was desperate to build a dam…
For now, you only need to worry about one thing.
‘How do I safely join Viscount Cassano’s army?’
It is not a very difficult problem, just as it does not seem grand or difficult at first glance.
If that doesn’t work out, we can report that ‘we were unable to join because the current situation is not good’ and join the troops of other nobles of the Medici Republic…
A sigh and a laugh came out of my mouth.
“I see, I don’t know why I had to worry so seriously.”
“That’s all you need to know, bastard. In that sense, since I passed the Expert Intermediate level, I should buy these guys a drink when I get back, right?”
“Don’t you know that I lost all my money to buy Hilde? “I am living from day to day by receiving an advance payment from the miser, Captain Dalton.”
“But your salary is twice ours, you bastard. “Just buy it.”
If a mercenary is a little crooked, they say he is a gangster, and the centurion leaders of our mercenary unit often show me that they are gangsters when they try to get me drunk.
‘Well, those older brothers also live a lot like me, right?’
If it wasn’t so, I would have overturned it, really.
In the meantime, I heard a crashing sound and the sound of someone hitting my back.
When I was a new soldier, I felt shock and pain to the point where I thought my ribs might have been fractured if it had just been one hit.
Now, I can only feel like I was hit once, so I have grown up a lot.
“Captain Dalton, why do you hit people so hard?”
Dalton chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.
“That’s because the guy who lives off of his salary in advance calls me a miser. “I think they’ll just give me an advance and also charge me interest.”
If you combine the separate reward money you will receive from Viscount Cassano and the bonuses given by our mercenary corps, you will have a lot of money left even after repaying the principal.
Even if a small amount of interest is charged, it is not a big problem, but it is not good because it feels like ‘raw money’ is being spent when they say they are going to charge interest.
“Oh, isn’t that too much?”
Dalton snorted at my counterargument and said,
“Now, leave alone the debtor who lives here by receiving advance wages. What to do now? Do you want to go back like this, or do you want to find room for one more rampage?”
Normally, we would have said let’s take advantage of this momentum and have another drink, but now everyone just shook their heads and said let’s just go back.
“Well, honestly, I thought it was right to go back. Just defeating Baron Maurer this time was more than we could do. Do you want to take another drink there? And then you die.”
If you participate in a general war and march, even if you only walk on a flat path, you usually get one day of rest every 8 to 10 days.
The reason is simple, if you don’t rest, the soldiers will get tired and not be able to come to their senses on the battlefield.
However, over a period of nearly 20 days, we marched through the forest, which was as difficult as the mountain march, and engaged in guerrilla warfare twice.
But if you try one more time, you could be stabbed to death by your subordinates.
“For now, I’m thinking of returning to the castle guarded by Viscount Cassano. What do you all think?”
Someone nodded and asked.
“I agree. If you can go back, you should go back. But isn’t a nobleman named Viscount Grunwald leading 4,000 soldiers and besieging the castle?”
“That’s right.”
“But how can we break through that siege? “Do you have any thoughts, Captain Dalton?”
If we calculate somewhat generously, there are about 2,000 soldiers in the castle.
So, including us, there are 2,600 people.
How can you defeat Viscount Grunwald’s army of 4,000 with that number? It’s very difficult.
Then how about 600 of us breaking through the siege of 4,000 men surrounding the castle and entering the castle walls?
‘How can an army of 600 men get inside while avoiding the eyes of 4,000 people?’
In fact, it is impossible to break through the siege, but in the current situation, there is a much better way than breaking through the siege…
“Wurst, you idiot. Did you fall asleep when you captured and interrogated Baron Maurer last night? “What did the orders they received say?”
Everyone, including Centurion Wurst, opened their eyes wide at those words.
“Oh, you said you were ordered to join 2,000 troops led by Baron Maurer and repel Viscount Cassano, who is besieging Villa Hora Castle? And if the castle has fallen, lead 6,000 troops and retake the castle.”
By now, Viscount Grunwald is probably working hard to build siege weapons to attack the castle, believing that Baron Maurer is coming.
Because he adds the 4,000 men he leads to the 2,000 that Baron Maurer brings, making the number approximately 6,000…
With that level, it would be possible to break through the defenders led by Viscount Cassano, who numbered slightly less than 2,000 men excluding our mercenaries, and retake the castle.
“But the Baron has already been taken prisoner, and his 2,000 troops have evaporated into the air. Also, Villa Hora Castle fell into the hands of our troops.”
A soldier must follow an order, even if it is an unreasonable situation.
But what if the prerequisites given to carry out the command collapse?
‘Whether you do it or not, you are free. In most cases.’
Hearing those words, the other centurion commanders and executives’ eyes lit up.
“Furthermore, 4,000 men alone cannot take down a fortress guarded by 2,000 men. So what we have to do is simple. Do you know what it is, Martin?”
“I guess we can send a junior knight under Baron Maurer as a messenger. ‘Baron Maurer has already been defeated like a dog, so you guys are no longer able to carry out orders.’ Just telling you this news will be enough.”
If we send regular soldiers, when Viscount Grunwald hears this, he will think it is the enemy’s plan and will not even listen to us…
If I send you a full-fledged knight under Baron Maurer, someone whose identity is so certain, wouldn’t you trust me?
“After all, no matter what this guy says, if he pretends, he pretends. Okay, then let’s send a horse and a letter to one of the knights. Then we leisurely return to Villa Hora Castle. “Is there any difference of opinion?”
“No.”
“Okay. Then we will rest here for about three days and then begin the return march to Villa Hora Castle.”
And that night, I, who was the least skilled among the centurions gathered here, was given the task of selecting low-ranking knights from the Viscount Maurer family and sending them as messengers.
**
Two days later, Viscount Grunwald’s barracks.
Viscount Grunwald clicked his tongue, showing his nervousness.
“Oh, Baron Maurer, such a damn bastard. I already arrived five days ago and am building siege weapons, so why haven’t I heard from you for three days! “Are you sure you’ve lost it?”
There were no concubines or maids for the Viscount in this barracks, so even if he complained like that, there was no one who would listen to him.
So there was no reply, but the Viscount continued to gossip about Baron Maurer.
“I recognized that bastard from the time I supported that 4th prince idiot. “I guess they felt a sense of familiarity since both of them didn’t have anything in common, right?”
While he was grumbling like that, one of the soldiers guarding the Viscount’s barracks hurriedly came in.
“Viscount, one of Baron Maurer’s knights has something urgent to tell you.”
The Viscount’s expression, who had been calling Baron Maurer a bastard just a moment ago, brightened slightly in pleasure.
‘Even though that Maurer guy is a jerk, he’s better than no reinforcements.’
“Tell them to come inside my barracks and report in person.”
After a while, one of Baron Maurer’s junior knights came in.
If a knight came as a messenger, he would wipe off any dust or stains on his armor before coming to him, but the armor of a low-ranking knight was full of dust and stains.
According to the customs of the empire, there were only two cases in which it was possible to show that one had arrived in a hurry.
One is a very good thing, the other is a very bad thing.
And since there was no way anything good could happen in the current situation, the Viscount automatically strengthened his resolve.
“Let me report.”
The junior knight knelt down on one knee and handed a letter to the Viscount.
“I am Tobias Rosner, a junior knight of the Baron Maurer family. “The reason I came in such a hurry today is to inform you that 2,000 troops led by the Baron Maurer family have been annihilated…”
When the Viscount heard those words, he grabbed his neck.
“……? What did you say? An army of 2,000 people was annihilated? What does this mean that I am going to turn into a homos*xual who would kill a man by disemboweling him instead of a woman?”
Because of the ideology of the Deus religion, in this world homos*xuals were treated as heinous human scum who committed serial murders and even rape.
So, it was something you only say when you hear very absurd news…
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“I swear on my honor. The seal on this letter belongs to Baron Maurer, and what is written here is the story of how our baronial family was wiped out. Additionally, what you just heard and what is written here are all true.”
The Viscount roughly opened the letter, then read it all hastily, spitting out two curses over the course of several minutes.
Every time a curse was uttered, Tobias, who became the messenger, had to bow his head as if he were an eternal sinner.
“Ugh, sh*t! “Baron Maurer, you damn bastard!!!”
After cursing and getting angry for a while, the Viscount’s sense of reason gradually returned…
When I thought about it calmly, I realized that this situation was not that bad for the Viscount.
‘Now that the prerequisites for carrying out orders have been broken, I guess I’ll just have to retreat.’
As Martin expected, the prerequisite was broken, so he decided that it was best to make a ‘retreat’ and reduce the loss of power.
‘Well, I can’t help but spend the money it took to get here. He did not lose his love for the bottle. So there is nothing really bad. At least the empire will give you a war allowance, so it may be very small, but it won’t be without benefit.’
Then a hollow smile appeared on the Viscount’s face.
And only then did I see the face of the poor low-ranking knight over there.
“It must have been difficult to deliver this news, but thank you so much. Thanks to this, our Viscount family’s army will not suffer major losses.”
“I apologize.”
“What are you sorry for? “You did nothing wrong, it was the Whitebeard mercenaries led by that bastard named Dalton Von Prime.”
In that way, Dalton’s name left a deep impression on Viscount Grunwald.
“Anyway, what on earth are you doing here? No, it was a mercenary unit that belonged to Martin Mayer, whom Margrave Estelle praised so much. Huh, I thought Martin Mayer was the only one in that mercenary group. That guy named Dalton was no joke…”
After muttering for a moment, the Viscount went out of the barracks and gave an order.
“The siege of Villa Hora Castle is abandoned. Everyone pack your bags and prepare to retreat!”