A short story from Zadu Fort
We, the Rocha soldiers who remained behind in Hartaut's royal castle to transport the prisoners, came to Zadu Fort on Prince Milimos's orders.
That's because I was told to attack Purunya from here, which was unreasonable.
Including Roccia's soldiers in the fort, there are 4,000 people. With this, we have to attack Purnya country. It was a difficult task for me, who was the captain of a humble local unit.
“Are you really going to do a counter-invasion?”
I frown at one of the soldiers' question.
"Prince Milimos is the lord of Rocha. His orders must be carried out. However, if it turns out that the invasion is impossible, we might as well stop at this fortress to avoid unnecessary sacrifices."
"Well then!"
I pushed down the soldier's head with my hand, smiling happily.
"Idiot. Don't look so happy. All you have to do is look for a hand and find out there isn't."
"I know. I guess you'll just pretend to look for it."
"Listen, I didn't say that, did I?"
"Right. I didn't say that."
I thought it would be a problem to have such a good sense of things, but after entering the fort, I decided to tell the Rocha soldiers about the situation and see their reactions.
"--That's why we have to attack Purunya country, but it's impossible, right?"
“The Crown Prince of Hartaut is in this fort, so we need soldiers to protect him, so I wonder if we can use all 4,000 Rocha soldiers.”
“There will be Hartaut soldiers as well. Shouldn’t they protect the fort and the crown prince?”
"Those guys are good with bows and arrows, but they're not very strong in hand-to-hand combat, so I'm worried."
That's why it seems that if we don't leave dozens of Roccia soldiers behind, the fort might fall and the Crown Prince might die.
I see, we now have a reason why it would be difficult to invade Purnya country since we would have to allocate the number of Rocha soldiers to the defense of the fort.
I also talk to another soldier.
“What do the soldiers of Purunya look like?”
“They launched a full-scale attack once after the Crown Prince entered the fort, but they have been quiet since we were able to defend ourselves and were dispersed.”
“Are you saying that the Purnya side has suffered such damage that it cannot fight another battle properly?”
If that happens, it's a good chance to strike back---which means I have to carry out Prince Milimos's orders.
As I waited for a reaction without showing my inner anxiety, the soldier in front of me shook his head.
"However, that's not the case. I used the wooden bird that Prince Milimos left behind to take a peek at their camp. Even though there were some injuries, it was pretty much intact. ”
“In other words, they are preparing for a long war and are planning to use this fort as a food raid?”
"No, probably. I think they believe that the forces of Ferokony will come as reinforcements. And I don't think they are planning to take down this fort with the forces of Ferokony and the soldiers of Prunya. Kanato”
“The royal castle of Hartaut has been liberated, and the army of Ferocony has been dispersed, right?”
"That kind of information didn't come this far. After all, we only found out about it after hearing it from you."
To sum up this soldier's thoughts, the army of Purnya is in a siege stance in anticipation of a long-term battle - in other words, they are solidifying their defense by surrounding a fort. Therefore, even if we leave the fort and attack, there is no doubt that it will be intercepted.
Now there are two ingredients that do not require obeying Prince Milimos' orders.
I decided to ask another soldier, wanting to know at least one more reason why Prince Milimos didn't carry out his orders.
"That's why we have to carry out a counter-invasion into the country of Purnya on Prince Milimos's orders."
After finishing the familiar explanation, the soldier--the one who was in charge of organizing the Rocha soldiers at Zadu Fort--his eyes lit up.
The expression on this soldier's face told me that he had a great idea, and I had a bad feeling about it.
“If that’s the case, please take a look at the draft of this strategy manual.”
What was presented was a plan for a counterattack against Purnya's soldiers.
Although it was called a draft, it detailed where the food collection area was in Purnya's camp, where the commander's tent was located, what time the meal was to be held, and what route the night watch would take.
“How do you get this information?”
"Yes! I used a wooden bird that Prince Milimos left behind and saw it from above."
While holding a grudge against Prince Milimos for leaving me an unpleasant souvenir, I flip through the draft paper. And I was shocked.
"Are you really going to use this tactic?"
“Under this siege, in order for us to completely defeat them, we have to cause chaos on the enemy side.”
“Even so, the wooden bird produced by Prince Milimos’s research department is disposable.”
"No problem! I'll leave enough wood birds to use in the case of a counter-invasion!"
No, no, there's probably a big problem.
If I carry out this draft, Prince Milimos will definitely make me look down on him.
But. The strategy in this draft is likely to be successful if implemented.
That is why, far from canceling out the previous two ``reasons why you don't have to do it,'' the emphasis is on the ``reasons you have to do it.''
Damn, I should have been satisfied with just two reasons without getting too greedy.
No, no. This is how it was drafted. It must have been delivered to me sooner or later.
Even though I felt helpless, I had to make a decision.
"Okay. Let's carry out this strategy. Then, we will have to ask the Crown Prince of Hartaut about its implementation."
“Understood! Then I will arrange for you to meet Crown Prince Akin immediately!”
I was taken aback by how confident he looked.
"Hey, hey. Normally, a meeting with the Crown Prince would be accomplished by us making the request and then being accepted by the other party, right?"
``Not really.'' Crown Prince Akin casually interacts with the soldiers, saying, ``I'm just a freeloader in this fort, just because I managed to escape.'' That's so true that even I, a soldier from another country, have even had drinks with the crown prince.''
"I think these princes have forgotten their common sense somewhere..."
Noticing the grumble that came out of my mouth, I decided to make a gesture to the soldier in front of me to show that I was joking.
"Anyway. I'm meeting with the Crown Prince. Please show me around."
"Yes. Now, come here."
As I was being guided by the soldiers, I was hoping in my heart that Crown Prince Akin would reject the strategy in this draft.
After all, the current situation at the fort is peaceful even though it's a time of war. Even so, if we Roccia soldiers left the fort, that peace could be destroyed.
If the crown prince was concerned about his own safety, even escaping from the royal castle, wouldn't he be selfish enough to tell him to stop the plan?
My odds of doing so will soon collapse.
"Prince Milimos's orders? I understand. Rocha's soldiers can do whatever they want after leaving this fort. Only Hartaut's soldiers can hold the fort."
I widened my eyes at Crown Prince Akin's statement and couldn't help but ask again.
"Is that ok?"
"Of course. Besides, if you guys drive away Purnya's soldiers, it will be safer than the current situation. Besides, it might be possible to escape from this fort and return to the royal castle."
When I heard Crown Prince Akin's thoughts, I realized that my thinking was poor.
Although Crown Prince Akin was worried about his own safety, it seems that he was not a foolish person to indulge in the current momentary peace and lose the opportunity to gain greater security.
I realized that I had misjudged the person, and that I had lost my reason for refusing Prince Milimos's orders.
Ha, I don't want to do it, but I have to do it.
Damn it. Prince Milimos will definitely make some sarcasm comments later.
After all, it would be foolish to tie torches and oil pots to dozens of wooden birds and have them attack the enemy's food storage area or the commander's tent.
However, it is a strange tactic that no one in the world has ever used before, so it is certain that Purnya's soldiers will eat the bubbles.
Then, taking advantage of the chaos, Roccia's soldiers leave the fort and annihilate Purnya's soldiers, who are finding it difficult to organize their resistance.
It's a battle with a high chance of success, and it's also a strategy that can reduce the damage to your allies.
I had no choice but to do it, but I was certainly worried about what would happen after I did it.
Thanks for the chapters
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