The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 274

Episode 274 I’ll Buy Some Time (1)

‘… … I got hit in the head.’

When Giselle heard that Desmond was coming this way, she became lost in thought.

Harold moved faster than expected. I thought he could, but this was faster than I could have imagined.

‘So much has changed.’

By using information from the future, we have moved faster than anyone else and have taken the lead in many things.

The pro-Prince faction, which should have been decimated by now, is still alive and well, and Ferdium, which should have been destroyed, is still alive.

As a bonus, new technologies have brought us numerous benefits.

All of this was possible thanks to the knowledge he stole from the future.

And the price for changing the future was now coming.

“My lord! Earl Desmond is clearly mad! How can he raise an army by himself when there is no civil war!”

Claude shouted in thought. Up until now, the Fenris Territory has been waging war by preparing first and then attacking the opponent by surprise.

Even if you didn’t know it when you were preparing, if you look at the results, the situation was always set up to be like that.

But now, for the first time, the enemy has invaded before we are ready. The situation has completely changed from before.

Jiselle asked calmly, without showing any emotion.

“How many new bows were produced?”

Galvarik looked embarrassed at Giselle’s question.

“Now… … it’s a little over halfway done.”

This is a bow that uses new technology. It is impossible to make it just by putting your mind to it. It takes a lot of precision work to complete each bow.

Jiselle nodded and continued.

“How inadequate are the soldiers’ weapons?”

Claude answered with a similar expression to Galvarik.

“It’s not even half full.”

A total of nearly 10,000 soldiers were recruited. There was not enough time to arm them all with full galvanium armor.

Even though the production speed was fast, the quantity required was enormous.

The people who went now felt deeply why the lord always shouted ‘Hurry, hurry’. Since they were not as prepared as they wanted, their confidence gradually waned.

The anxious vassals were making a lot of noise in Daejeon.

“The soldiers are under-trained! No, they are outnumbered to begin with!”

“The 2nd Corps will hold them off for a while, so we need to find a way to buy time by negotiating or something!”

“Let’s immediately request mediation from the pro-Prince faction!”

Most of the soldiers are trainees and have not yet been fully equipped with Galvanium armament.

The difference in force is so overwhelming that even if you defend, there is no guarantee that you will be able to block it. Even if you can block it, the damage will be enormous.

In the midst of all the chatter, a messenger came running and shouted.

“The 2nd Corps has been annihilated!”

The faces of the vassals had now become completely pale. The only thing they could count on was the help of the prince’s faction, but even that was of no use.

“It really was crazy.”

Someone muttered. There’s no way he could be running wild like this alone without being crazy.

I could feel Earl Desmond’s persistent determination to somehow trample on the Fenris territory.

And that realization came back as a horror. No matter how great the lord was, he would not be able to solve this problem.

Although the reason was a little different from what the vassals had thought, Jisel’s expression hardened when she heard the news that the 2nd Corps had been annihilated.

‘I’ve never been the type of person to act this way.’

Harold in his previous life was not like this. He was focused solely on carrying out the duke’s orders with precision, always observing the situation around him and moving cautiously.

When I heard that he was gathering troops, I kept many possibilities open. However, based on what I had seen, heard, and experienced in my past life, I thought that it was most likely that Harold would move during the civil war.

It was never Harold’s way to act like that.

‘I also considered the possibility of moving alone… … .’

So I was always busy and moving without rest.

Harold just moved faster than he expected.

‘It looks like you’ve thrown everything away.’

Even for Desmond, who is considered one of the greatest lords, gathering 30,000 soldiers is a difficult number to achieve. It is equally difficult to gather the supplies needed to feed them.

Harold’s disregard for the relationship between the Duke’s family and the Prince’s faction meant that he was willing to give up his own life. In other words, Harold started the war by risking everything he had in order to kill Giselle.

Those who protect what is precious are strong, but those who throw everything away are fearsome.

‘Just like me in my previous life.’

Fenris, who was not yet ready, had difficulty handling Desmond.

‘I was careless. I think I blindly trusted the information from my past life without realizing it.’

Jiselle smiled self-deprecatingly. It was a problem that she had trusted information from her past life too much, but it was also a problem that she had driven Harold into too much of a corner.

He is a person who thinks about others and has feelings. It is natural that he will go crazy and do something when he is cornered.

Even if you regress, it is not omnipotent. The more you change the future, the greater the uncertainty that follows.

Belinda stood up and shouted, not pleased with the anxious vassals.

“My lord! I will go! I will go and assassinate Count Desmond! Then the enemies will be confused! Then we can buy enough time to prepare!”

“No. You won’t succeed.”

“You can do it!”

Belinda insisted, but Giselle would not allow it. Then Vanessa stepped in.

“My lord! We can’t let this place be taken away from us! I’ll do whatever it takes to stop it!”

Alfoy grabbed Vanessa’s sleeve to tell her not to do that, but she shook it off coldly and continued speaking.

“How did we develop this place! We can stop it if we all fight for our lives! Why is no one saying anything! We always win! We can win! Let’s set traps or whatever! I can just attack without stopping with my magic!”

Despite Vanessa’s cries, the others turned away without saying anything. They knew what she was thinking, but it was just foolish stubbornness.

The reported force consists of 30,000 soldiers, 8 siege towers, and 12 catapults.

There are 6 circle magicians in the Count Desmond’s personal circle. There are also dozens of magicians following him.

This meant that even if Vanessa unleashed a tremendous amount of firepower, her opponent could neutralize her attacks.

‘Once both magics are neutralized, all that’s left is for the soldiers to fight.’

‘They say there are over 100 knights. Real knights, not half-baked ones like ours.’

‘Desmond’s soldiers are strong. Our soldiers are strong too, but they are outnumbered.’

The number of properly armed soldiers was only 4,000. It was certainly not a small number, but it was nothing compared to the enemy’s strength.

Jiselle closed her eyes and fell into thought. Even he thought that it would be dangerous to fight now.

‘We can do it if we want to attack Mercury, but… … The soldiers’ training and weapons are too poor. The damage is bound to be great.’

I never thought about losing. But if the damage was great, even if I won, it wasn’t really a win.

Because Jiselle has to keep fighting not only with the dukedom but also with the powers behind it.

‘If I win just this once, it won’t mean anything to me.’

Even if we defeat Desmond, it won’t be the end. War will break out again soon.

That’s why preparations always had to be made quickly, yet sufficiently. You have to minimize damage as much as possible to continue fighting the enemies.

‘If only I had just a little more time… … .’

With the help of my father and the Marquis of Branford, it would not be difficult to make up for the lack of troops. The new bow would also be almost finished in the time it took for them to send troops.

But now there was no time for that. If we waited for them to send troops and held Mercury, we would lose almost all the troops we had raised so far.

Count Desmond made a really good move, leading an overwhelming force.

‘I can’t help it. I have no choice but to back out this time. I’ll have to re-plan.’

After finishing her thoughts, Giselle opened her eyes and said.

“Move all supplies and troops to the old Fenris area.”

At those words, all the men bowed their heads. Moving to the Fenris region meant giving up the Cavaldi region.

It was inevitable that there would be great regret. Everyone felt the same way.

‘What a pity. It was such a developed territory.’

‘Still, there’s nothing I can do. I still can’t handle an army of 30,000.’

‘There is no choice but to plan for the future.’

On the one hand, the vassals were relieved. It would be difficult if the reckless lord were to bring untrained soldiers to fight.

Since everyone didn’t know that Jiselle had regressed, they just misunderstood her as being stubborn and unruly.

But Jiselle never did anything without thinking. She always thought about efficiency and time.

Because I was confident that I would succeed, I was able to take risks and achieve results.

There was no way that a person like that would accept a war that was sure to result in great losses.

“We will establish a defensive line centered around Fenris Castle. We will finish the rest of our preparations there, regroup, and then retake the Cavaldi region.”

Claude nodded with a relieved expression.

“It has been built in preparation for war, so it will be able to withstand it.”

“Yes, let’s destroy all the important facilities and move as quickly as possible. Tell Gillian and Kaor to hurry and return.”

The Cavaldi region has developed beyond comparison to the past. It is also a territory overflowing with iron ore.

Perhaps Earl Desmond could occupy Cavaldi and be satisfied. Even if he wasn’t satisfied, it would take time to completely take control of the Cavaldi region.

‘Be happy for a moment.’

Unfortunately, now is the time to retreat. As soon as preparations are complete, we must plan a re-invasion and seize the opportunity.

It won’t be easy to deal with Desmond, who has taken over the Cavaldi region and become more powerful.

Under Giselle’s orders, the vassals moved busily. It was also a task to calm the terrified people who heard the news.

Jiselle went around the territory, reassuring people.

“Don’t worry! Count Desmond won’t touch you! I’ll definitely come back!”

To maintain a developed territory, you need a population of that size. Harold is no fool, so he won’t commit massacre.

With the 2nd Corps annihilated, there was no army left to hold back Earl Desmond. His retainers moved busily, their expressions burning with anger.

Even though Desmond’s army is slow to advance, it is not a long distance so it is obvious that they will arrive soon.

After a while, a large number of trainees and supplies arrived at the castle. Gillian heard the news and sent soldiers who were training in the southern region.

Jiselle, who received the report, tilted her head and asked.

“What about Gillian?”

Gillian, the 100 knights, and the 1,000 soldiers sent to the fortress did not return.

Claude handed over a letter with great embarrassment.

As she read the letter, Giselle’s face began to gradually distort.

[My Lord, I know you decided to retreat because you are not yet fully prepared. However, if we lose this place, it may take some time to recover. You must never give up this place. You said that once the new bows and the soldiers’ equipment are completed, we will definitely win. I will risk my life to buy that time. I still remember what you told me… … .]

– I will definitely end the poverty of Yeongji. Not by becoming a drop of water, but by becoming rain.

[… … You have finally achieved what everyone said was impossible, my lord. And I also know that you need this place now to fight a more difficult enemy. So do not give up here. The knights and I will somehow buy you time. Do not stop preparing and be sure to win. Then… … you will be able to cover this north as a storm, not a rain.]

“Gillian… … .”

Giselle had a serious expression on her face. Gillian was willing to give up his life for Giselle’s dream.

In the heavy atmosphere, Claude handed over another letter.

“What is this?”

“That’s what the articles there say.”

Giselle opened the letter again. There was a letter from each of the 100 knights to the lord.

– Are you scared, our ignorant lord?

– We’ll stop it. Don’t worry.

― You idiot, you act like you’re so great every day, but you’re a total idiot.

– Why did you do that to me?

– Ah, it’s a bit of a shame that I couldn’t see the captain’s troubled expression.

……

It was full of boasts and curses, as if someone might say that he was a former mercenary. Since he was writing with the determination to die, it seemed like he had said everything he wanted to say.

Jiselle burst into laughter without realizing it as she watched that.

Jiselle, who had been laughing for a long time with her head up, suddenly stopped laughing and muttered.

“Yeah, sometimes things like this happen in life. Plans are just plans.”

There is no such thing as a perfect plan. It is natural that your response will change depending on the situation. The only thing that matters is that the results are perfect.

“… … Hey, you’re not thinking anything strange right now, are you?”

Ignoring Claude’s question in an anxious tone, Giselle continued.

“Actually, I didn’t like the idea of ​​retreating. I was too considerate. It wasn’t like that when we were fighting the kingdom.”

After a long time, he started talking nonsense again. Claude and his men looked even more anxious. Regardless, Giselle just kept saying what she wanted to say.

“The soldiers’ training continues.”

“yes?”

“We will also continue the production of new bows and galvanium weapons. All manpower in the territory will be assigned there.”

“My lord! I told you that if we fight, we have no chance of winning! You know that too, my lord, so you decided to retreat!”

“We will not accept any objections. We trust Gillian and the knights, and we will prepare as quickly as possible. Then we will go to rescue them.”

Jiselle crumpled the letter in her hand and smiled wickedly.

“Harold Desmond will die in this war.”