285 – The Great War of Bohemia (1)
Maria declared in a solemn voice.
“This will be the last war of this civil war. No, it must be the last war.”
All the vassals here, including me, swallowed dryly and nodded with determined expressions.
As she said, this war must be ended once and for all, no matter what happens.
If the battle becomes a long one, only the soldiers will die mercilessly due to the waste of unnecessary supplies.
‘It must be completed in one go.’
“Let everyone face this battle with the determination that it will be the last. Then, we will now begin the strategy meeting. “Sit comfortably.”
Maria, who would continue her remarks, remained standing, while our vassals sat in their seats and focused on her story.
“First of all, our army will mobilize over 100,000 troops in this war.”
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The atmosphere in the conference room instantly froze upon hearing that more than 100,000 troops were moving.
The Marquis of Schweig protested to Maria.
“Her Royal Highness, 100,000 is too much. If we mobilize that many troops, there will be no soldiers to guard this territory while we are at war.”
“If we lose this war, everything is over. In addition, we will end the battle as quickly as possible because it will reduce the burden on the people.”
On the defensive side, once a major defeat occurs, there is no turning back, but on the offensive side, it is rare for a single major defeat to lead to destruction.
Even though I lost my soldiers, I can still conscript my army again because my land is still intact where I can conscript additional soldiers.
Because we can block the incoming enemies based on that.
So, although Maria’s words are a bit harsh, there is no need for her to go so far as to object.
‘It’s best to end the war quickly.’
Other nobles, including the Marquis of Schweig, also nodded.
“It is certainly best to end the war quickly.”
“This is the last civil war. “The enemy’s resistance will definitely be strong.”
“It is much better to carry plenty than to carry just the right amount and then feel that it is lacking.”
Maria, who had gained support among her subjects, immediately began talking about the details of her next operation.
“In this operation, we will carry as much food as possible. And the remaining food, other than the food for the soldiers, will be distributed to the people in the Viscounty of Bohemia.”
This is the strategy I suggested.
After I led her soldiers in plundering the Viscounty of Bohemia, I did hint to Maria that she should stock up on plenty of food.
Translating her suggestion into her actual military operation…
“There are a lot of things to worry about just fighting a war, and it must be hectic, so isn’t it too much to distribute food to the people, Your Highness? “It won’t be a problem if we give them food after the war is over.”
The people over there won’t expect us to share food at all, so it won’t matter if we don’t go out of our way to provide relief to the people during the war.
No, honestly, like Baron Wilkes said over there, it would be hard to handle just one task at a time… What kind of freezing public relief…?
It’s not normal to think like this.
But saving the people is the best thing we can do right now.
“I agree. Those whose villages were looted must have returned to their hometowns by now. And they must have suffered from hunger for a long time, and they must be blaming us for that much. Mathias will use this to boost the morale of his soldiers.”
I stopped talking here on purpose.
This was to emphasize as much as possible the message to be conveyed in the future.
“But wouldn’t the story be different if our troops distributed food to those who were starving after being plundered in the Viscounty of Bohemia?”
The Marquis of Schweig listened to my story and showed interest.
“How exactly do you mean it will change?”
“If I were Matthias, I would strongly incite you to fight to the death if you do not want to end up like those Bohemians. “When serfs and low-ranking soldiers hear that bread for tomorrow is more important than loyalty to the monarch, they will pick up their swords and fight hard.”
“For lowly things, a meal is more important than loyalty and honor.”
No, you can say that because you have never starved.
After possessing myself in this world and starving for a few days, all I could think about was loyalty, honor, and shame, and as long as I could eat.
But since I am now one of the high-ranking people in this world, there is no need to refute that statement.
There is no need to cause conflict of opinion with someone higher than me.
“If we give food to those who are incited and want to kill us all, they will definitely lose their temper. “The morale of the entire army will drop significantly.”
“There will be no reason for serfs and low-ranking soldiers to risk their lives. If your plan is successful, our army will easily win this war. “Do you think so too, Your Majesty?”
Maria straightened her shoulders and answered confidently.
“That’s right. “To be honest, it was the nobles who chose the wrong monarch who were guilty in this war, not the poor serfs and commoners.”
No, it’s a civil war, so I just chose the wrong person to serve…
They are poor idiots who ruined their lives by investing incorrectly in stocks.
Ah, but those children made the wrong choice and many serfs died, so it is true that they are sinners…
‘If you twist him, you win.’
“So I want to set an example so they can choose the right ruler. “What does everyone think?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Okay, then we will proceed like this.”
**
Meanwhile, Mathias was receiving a very interesting report through the Information Guild.
“So what?”
The guild master of the information guild, or rather, the guild, which is actually the same as a thief or a fraudster, came directly.
“I heard a rumor recently that the Viscount Cologne, who betrayed and took over under the First Princess, and the First Princess are very close. “They say it’s not uncommon for them to talk or drink tea alone.”
When Mathias heard those words, her eyes lit up.
This is because I thought of a way to exploit this fact maliciously.
“Oh, is that information really trustworthy?”
The guild master smiled evilly and chuckled.
“This is information obtained from Princess Maria’s maid. Knowing that the b*tch was having some difficulties at home, he approached her and handed her 40 gold coins. It was very loud. The princess’s favorite food, tea, daily routine, favorite subjects, etc. “I gained so much information that I feel sorry for only giving 40 gold coins.”
The princess’s maid, or in Korean terms, the 24-hour secretary of the President’s Secretariat, said these words, so the reliability of the information was very high.
So Mathias fiddled with his gold coin bag, thinking of giving him a reasonable reward.
“It sounds like a believable story. “Okay, let me be specific.”
“I heard that Princess Maria often had private conversations in the presence of only her maid Jean and the Viscount Cologne.”
At those words, a moment of curiosity occurred to Matthias.
‘Can’t these b*tches love each other and even have s*x?’
But this was so ridiculous that he decided to put the thought out of his head.
It may be true that the Viscountess of Cologne is single and has no wife, but common sense suggests that some crazy princess is his vassal.
She is also 7 years older than herself.
It is widely rumored that the wives of the Viscount Cologne are very beautiful, but who would fall in love with a married man who has three wives with such beauty?
‘Women also have a desire to be exclusive.’
After very rational thinking, Matthias completely ruled out the suspicion that Martin and Maria were in love with each other.
Of course, the idea was wrong, but from a common sense perspective, Matthias was right.
“This is quite useful information. “Could you use this to spread the rumor that Viscount Cologne and that b*tch Maria are having an affair?”
The guild master, who had experience doing this many times, smiled evilly and laughed heartily.
“I think it would make a good picture if I said that the Viscount of Cologne seduced that woman, Maria, like her male prostitute. Maria was also orphaned at a young age, so using her lack of affection to brainwash her would work well for her. In addition, if the Viscount Cologne asked for all kinds of political support in her bed and persuaded Maria with her body…”
Mathias clapped his hands and laughed.
“You are truly capable. He is a person that would be a waste to leave behind in an information guild or something. What is it like? “When I become emperor, if you come to the Imperial Intelligence Department, I will give you a knighthood and territory.”
“Is that true?”
“The emperor does not say two things with the same mouth.”
At the same time as he said that, Mathias took a suitable sword from his room and handed it to him.
Handing over a sword, in other words, was a signal of recognition as a knight.
“The title will be officially bestowed after we take Maria prisoner, but if you want to change her fortune, do your best.”
“Yes! Your majesty!”
Then Mathias handed over a box containing hundreds of gold coins.
“It’s activity funds.”