The Indomitable Martial King Chapter 308

Although it may only be a number on paper, losing 3,000 regular soldiers in one day cannot help but take a mental toll.

Yubel II sighed.

“I wonder how long I can last like this… … .”

The Chief of Staff of Operation Crovence offered consolation to the King.

“Please don’t worry too much, Your Majesty. “It was our first close match, so there was more damage than expected, but that doesn’t mean we won or lost.”

Other staff members also nodded.

“Most of those who died in the first battle were those who had been conscripted for the first time and had no experience. It is unfortunate that they lost their valuable lives, but looking at it calmly, it was not a great force. However, the remaining troops are the original fortress garrison and soldiers trained through the Crovence Civil War. “The damage from the first day will not continue.”

Yubel raised one eye and sent a suspicious look towards the staff.

‘Are these guys sincerely saying this, or are they just saying this to please me?’

Yubel, who was with Finia, a dwarf woman who listened to the voice of truth since childhood, became wise enough not to be swayed by flattery that was pleasant to hear even after becoming king. The only side effect of this was that he began to doubt whether all his subjects’ words were true or flattering.

Yubel subtly sent a glance to Finia, who was standing some distance away from the conference room.

‘Is this real?’

After becoming king, Yubel stopped asking Finia’s opinion for the most part. Even after becoming her king, if you ask her to figure out the truth about everything, she will not be able to develop her own judgment. (Actually, Phineas mistreated her for that reason, so she couldn’t ask.)

‘But it’s a crisis right now, so it’ll be okay, right?’

Finia gently nodded at Yubel’s glance.

‘I mean it.’

Only then did Yubel’s expression brighten. Clearly, his staff was not empty-handed.

In fact, during the reign of King Yubel II, because Yubel was so apt to flatter anyone, his subjects had the habit of saying only the right things, regardless of the king’s feelings. No matter how unpleasant the words were, if it were true, Yubel would never be angry.

“Hearing what you guys say makes me feel relieved.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. And the cross-breed warriors of Antares would not be the same today either. It was the first battle where the two sides fought together, and according to reports, there were some discrepancies. However, now that we are in control, I believe we will be able to significantly reduce the damage.”

“I see, you can somehow survive for 15 days?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As he answered, the Chief of Staff suddenly looked worried.

“I am rather worried about the Principality of Antares. They have helped us with many powerful Auror users, which is an excellent attitude for an ally, and I am truly grateful, but I wonder if it will cause a setback in the battle against the Vasily Kingdom army… … .”

“That 15-day period is what Antares promised. If the principality falls, the future of the Western Front cannot be guaranteed either.”

“That’s right… … .”

King Reppenhardt’s strength lies in Yubel, whom he trusts more than anyone else. Since he was the king, he could not show it, but he was also in awe of the man.

A man who is more powerful than anyone else in the world, and who is literally thousands of years old.

It does not simply mean the strength of the body. If it were just physical strength, Emperor Gerard, who is currently playing in the fortress, would be much stronger.

However, I felt that Leppenhardt had a strength that transcended his body. Absolute confidence, unwavering mental strength, and will.

I can’t even imagine him losing like that.

‘Yes, if Lord Leppenhardt is alone… … .’

But this is a war, not just Reppenhardt’s fight, but a huge war between nations.

Will the Principality of Antares be able to handle the Kingdom of Basil?

Will the Principality of Antares, which has sent the majority of Auror users and warriors of different races, be able to stop the enormous power of not only the Kingdom of Vasily but also the kingdom of Basil, as well as the 10,000 holy armies gathered from all over the continent, combined with the powerful Sayer Church?

My heart sank.

Looking out the window, Yubel recalled the sight of the invisible Principality of Antares in the south.

‘Lord Leffenhardt, is everything going well there?’

Chapter 47 Antares Southern Front

One

The border area dividing the Kingdom of Vasily and the Principality of Antares, the Jaqud Plain.

Vasily’s large army was marching here, avoiding the rugged Rakid Mountains.

The Rachid Mountains are an oval-shaped mountain range that largely encompasses the northern and eastern parts of Vasily, and monsters frequently appear, so it was not a terrain where the army could advance. It may be a small number of people, but it is not a terrain where tens of thousands of troops can pass through.

“To that extent, the Principality of Antares will not defend itself at all… … Couldn’t we form a separate unit and aim for the Rachid Mountains? Then I think we can target their capital right away.”

Tens of thousands of Basil’s Kingdom troops marched in long ranks, and at the center of it all was an elegant-looking middle-aged swordsman riding a white horse twice as big as the others. It was Sir Egrad, an Auror user whom the Vasily Kingdom was proud of, and the commander-in-chief of the Antares conquest army.

Sir Ashir, his adjutant and staff member, shook his head at Sir Egrad’s words.

“The Rachid Mountains are no place for an army to pass through. If you try to march there, you will lose most of your soldiers before you even enter enemy territory.”

“Then wouldn’t it be okay to form elite troops that can handle the terrain of the mountain range?”

The adjutant sighed inwardly in response to Sir Egrad’s series of questions.

‘Ugh… … .’

Sir Egrad was clearly a powerful Auror user and a great warrior who was respected by all of Vasily’s knights. But that does not prove that he is a good commander. Rather, because he had practiced swordsmanship all his life, he was the type of person who was as bad at strategy and tactics as a knight.

Now that such a gentleman has taken over as the commander-in-chief of a large army, he wants to use his scheming skills and deploy a great tactic that will go down in history.

That’s right, because history books often tell stories of famous generals crossing mountain ranges and stealing empty houses. However, there is a reason why those famous generals remained in history.

“There are certainly some old masters who used such tactics and achieved victory. But that doesn’t work in today’s times, Commander.”

“why? Do you think it will work well?”

The staff responded as if it was pathetic.

“Isn’t there magic communication now?”

In the old days, when real-time communication was impossible because there were no magic towers, surprise attacks were possible by taking advantage of the difference in information transmission speed. However, now is the golden age of magic, where any decent wizard can convey information through the magic tower.

“As is the case with our Kingdom of Vasily, all countries on the continent currently have regular wizards and small units stationed in rugged terrain such as mountain ranges or wilderness. This means that we cannot conduct a surprise attack before the news that we are crossing the mountain range is known to the enemy, as in the past.”

“Then shouldn’t we just kill that wizard and the small unit before they can contact us?”

“If it were a system of delivering news by messenger like in the past, that would work. If you sneak up on the unit’s garrison and surround it, the messenger will not be able to escape. “All you have to do is hunt all of Jeonseo-gu.”

The staff continued their explanation as if they were tired.

“However, there is no way to prevent a wizard from sending a crystal ball transmission to the magic tower. All you have to do is mess up the entire mana flow around the garrison and send a jamming signal, but if that’s possible, you’re already an Archmage. Would the Archmage really want to take on such a mission? What the Commander said is nothing more than a call for a surprise war using only Auror users, but with such a small elite force, there is no need to cross the mountain range. All you have to do is cover your face, blend in with the merchants, and cross the border.”

A surprise battle across a mountain range is over if you give the opponent time to prepare. If the information is known in advance, the opponent can move his troops to the foot of the mountain range in advance and easily massacre the troops who are exhausted from crossing the mountain range.

“Right. “Is there a reason why such tactics aren’t being used these days?”

Sir Egrad was clearly illiterate in strategy and tactics and had a strong sense of public opinion, but he was not a fool.

Although the adjutant who talked back to me was a bit off-putting, his argument was completely understandable. He felt regretful and immediately gave up his plan (?).

Then a question suddenly occurred to me.

“Hmm, then a surprise attack through a mountain range would never work in this era, Adjutant?”

“I guess so.”

The adjutant nodded.

“If I were to be specific, there would be one case. If a mountaineer who originally lived in the mountains and was familiar with the terrain formed an army and marched through the mountains at the same speed as on the plains, that strategy would work. “If we don’t waste time in the mountains, we will be able to strike the capital before the army has a chance to move.”

Then Sir Egrad laughed.

“A mountain people who rarely gather a few dozen people is forming an army? Do you have to advance from the mountain range at the same speed as a horse running on flat ground? “In short, this is something that can’t happen?”

“Of course.”

“I understand, Lord Ashir.”

Sir Egrad said energetically as he grabbed the reins.

“It’s okay, I have a few things in mind besides that! “Let’s slowly unravel those tricks against the Antares bastards!”

It seems that Sir Egrad did not give up on his dream of becoming a ‘master general who will go down in history.’ The adjutant sent an uneasy look towards the triumphant Lord Egrad.

‘No, I just want you to carry out the operation as decided by the General Staff… … .’

It was Lord Ashir who once again envied the Bashtalon Empire.

The Vastalon Imperial Army, which has been well-established for a long time, did not immediately entrust command of the army to even Auror users.

The empire considers distributing talent to the right place as a virtue above all else.

The command of the army was decided by a recognized veteran commander in consultation with the General Staff, and the atmosphere of the Empire was that even an Auror user would obey the commander’s orders during times of war. In fact, the 3rd Battalion of the Imperial Army that attacked Fortress Tahan also had three powerful Auror users, including Lord Kirint, but wasn’t its commander Commander G-Man?

The reason Crown Prince Gilius served as Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army was not simply because he was the Crown Prince. Although Gilius was the crown prince, he had already studied with the empire’s leading strategist and tactician and had been recognized for his excellence.

If he had not had the talent of a commander, the emperor would never have handed him the baton, even though he was the crown prince, and the crown prince would not have been ashamed of it.

On the other hand, the command system of the Basil Kingdom army was strictly based on lineage and family. Vasily’s staff was also full of talented people, but the final decision was made by the commander-in-chief, Lord Egrad, or a unit commander from a noble family with a deep tradition.

In this way, if the commander gets momentarily excited and his judgment becomes clouded, he can end up losing a war that could otherwise be won.

Adjutant Ashir looked regretful.

‘It’s not that I don’t love my country, but an empire is an empire. Not everyone can give titles, right? ‘He doesn’t start a war for strange reasons like our country’s king.’

Of course, I am glad that a stage has been prepared to enhance my reputation as a military man. But the reason for this war was frankly absurd.

How plausible is the empire’s justification for entering the war?

Isn’t it a sacred reason to act according to God’s will?

In comparison, Basil’s kingdom… … .

‘Oh my god, you’re starting a war just because you killed your country’s Auror users?’

Wasn’t that also the case that the other side didn’t take action first, but this side attacked and was counterattacked and died?

I knew for a long time that the current King Vasily had a rather petty personality, but from the perspective of a citizen, it was honestly a shameful reason.

‘What on earth are your subjects doing? ‘Why don’t you stop me, Your Majesty?’

Although Ashir did not know, the subjects of the Kingdom of Basil did not stop the king from making such a petty declaration of war.

Rather, he actively agreed with it.

Of course, it was not because all of his subjects were petty and mean-spirited. If that were the case, the country would not have been maintained properly. The king of a country can go on a rampage, but not all of his subjects can emotionally sympathize with him.

Although the justification was so-so, in reality, this conquest of Basil’s kingdom had real meaning.

It was a fear of the rapid growth of the Principality of Antares.

The Principality of Antares borders Crovence and Basil. And it has a very close relationship with Crovence.

At first, I didn’t pay attention to it, thinking it was okay for an emerging country to grow, but in just a few years, it grew at an incredible rate. Looking at history, it is safe to say that there are very few cases where a country that has become too strong leaves its neighbors alone. Unlike other countries that are crossing a bridge to protect themselves, for Vasily, it is like fire falling on his feet.

Additionally, Leffenhardt’s origins also became an issue.

In a normal case, one might feel a sense of familiarity with the country since it was founded by someone from the Kingdom of Basil. But that only applies to ordinary people.

Jim Unbreakable is a grotesque Mu-mun who shouts that he is the best on the continent and the only one under the sky who doesn’t listen to what others say, and shouts that he is the only muscle in the world.

The greatest macho on earth founded a country, so how can we expect that country to be gentle and peaceful? As someone from a neighboring country, I cannot help but feel very anxious.

Moreover, among the kings of all time, there was not a single one who cared about their hometown. Even Rastal, who was the king of the pre-war era, was from the Duchy of Rastil and was a ruthless man who easily cut off the head of Prince Rastil at the time. (The name La Stahl was also given to him by his parents after the name of the country, telling him to be loyal to his country!)

Due to a combination of emotions and circumstances, all of Basil’s subjects supported the conquest. King Vasily, who has been on a rampage for a long time, for some reason all his subjects agree with what he says, so he just says it’s good, but if you look inside, there was a political reason.

“Anyway, for the sake of the future, this war must never be lost.”

Sir Egrad looked serious as he rode his white horse.

Ashur, I hadn’t even thought about that, but Lord Egrad guessed that much. Although he was weak in strategy and tactics, as a born aristocrat, he could easily grasp political trends.

While still riding his horse, Sir Egrad suddenly asked:

“How many Eldrill Guards are left?”

Lord Ashir quickly responded.

“It’s three days away, Commander.”

Unlike the Crovence western border defenses, which had been honed over a long period of time, the southern front of the Principality of Antares was simple. Eldrill Guard is a fortress built in a narrow canyon connected to the Termanian gateway at the end of the Jequard Plain. Since the country was young, it was impossible to go any further than that.

Once you break the Eldrill guard, there is nothing to block after that. You can march straight to the capital, Aranan Grad.

As such, it was a powerful and defenseless fortress built with the utmost effort of the Principality of Antares… … .

“Eldril Guard, that’s a grand name.”