Chapter 319 – 319. The Duke’s First Confusion (1)
– One –
“So, are you saying we should temporarily stop the advance, Your Highness?”
A general asks a question with a disapproving face.
Around his heart, a sign indicating that he had been bestowed with the rank of major general by the emperor was shining.
He didn’t seem to harbor even the slightest sympathy for Regal, as if he were completely emperor, or a member of the imperial family.
“That’s right. If 50,000 priests, especially priests specializing in healing and detoxification, participate in the war, wouldn’t it be possible to dramatically increase the survival rate of soldiers? “
Wriggling
Hearing his remarks demeaning the Imperial Army, the major general’s eyebrows twitched.
However, since his remarks were speculative, and there was no evidence or witnesses to deny them, he suppressed his displeasure.
“It may have originated from the competence of the enemy, that is, the rebels, but one thing is certain: the number of imperial and noble soldiers outnumbered the enemies. Didn’t you judge that 50,000, the maximum would not exceed 100,000?”
“…It was.”
Pudeudeuk.
The warden goes to it.
But even this time, I can’t refute it.
It was also because it was a fact that he had confirmed and verified with his own eyes.
“Then it should be noted that even though the expedition was conducted in at least twice the number, not a single one survived.”
“…”
There were also enlisted soldiers drawn from aristocratic families.
However, no one survived the enemy camp, and Regal, who arbitrarily retreated from the enemy, is the only person involved.
He testified that he had accompanied only a few escorts while retreating from war to war, leaving all the rest of the soldiers behind in the northern unexplored lands.
It was revealed that even the operational command of the enlisted men was handed over to Lieutenant General Miller G. Draft, the commander of the Imperial Expeditionary Force at the time.
Even if it’s not true, no one can testify.
And for the most part it sounded like there were only reasonable corners in his testimony.
Therefore, although he can hold Regal responsible for the retreat of the enemy, he cannot hold him accountable for the annihilation of the 1st Expeditionary Force due to his incompetence.
Therefore, the label of incompetence can only be followed by the Imperial Army, so even if Regal secretly belittles the Imperial Army, there is no way for the warden to refute it.
“To judge the pros and cons of the troops, the types of troops of the 1st Expeditionary Force were diverse enough, and the number of troops for each type was sufficient. In other words, it is safe to say that it is an exemplary organization according to the manual. Do you agree with this?”
“That’s right…”
“Even the troops recruited from the Church, namely the Heretic Questioner and the Cathedral Knights, participated in the war along with the Imperial Army, so the quality of the infantry must have been so outstanding that it is not worth discussing.”
“…”
“In addition, siege weapons were mobilized to overflowing levels, so even if the enemy set up a base in a rough terrain in the northern unexplored land and carried out a sit-in based there, they would have been able to respond sufficiently. In addition, even magicians and shamans participated in the battle in units of regiments. So, even if the enemy engaged in guerrilla warfare, wouldn’t they be able to respond leisurely?”
“Okay…”
A groan escaped from the warden’s mouth.
At the time he also reviewed the failure of the first expedition, it generally went in the same direction as Regal’s thought flow, so he couldn’t find words to refute it.
It’s just that Regal didn’t openly mention the incompetence of the 1st Expeditionary Force, he was simply making it possible to recognize the incompetence of the leadership of the 1st Expeditionary Force simply from the context.
It was a mean way of speaking, but at the same time, there was no doubt that it was an extremely efficient way of speaking that could easily gain psychological superiority.
“However, I don’t think it’s simply the result of the imperial army’s incompetence, or the rebels’ competence, unilaterally. As long as there are no internal traitors, we can imagine the situation in which the elite of the elite, the imperial army, is trampled on so unilaterally. I think it’s an overkill to do.”
“…”
Before getting to the point, Regal, in his coy voice, refutes to himself what he said earlier.
However, the warden was only a loyal soldier, and he never became an old politician.
Even though Regal flipped his hand, his expression calmed down the moment Regal brought up the possibility that he might not have originated from the incompetence of the Imperial Army.
As loyal as he was, the warden was very simple.
“Keukkeuhmm. That’s what I thought too. The 1st Expeditionary Force went out with such a perfect organization, no matter how outstanding the enemies were, internal traitors or external problems, that is, hardships due to geographical and environmental factors, Unless it happens, it seems impossible for a large army of over 200,000 to be annihilated.”
“That’s right. I don’t want to assume that there is a traitor inside, so unless the circumstances or physical evidence are revealed, I’d like to put that aside.”
“All right.”
Suddenly, the warden was eagerly agreeing with his opinion.
But he was still oblivious to the fact that he was completely caught up in his speech.
“Perhaps, by using topographical or environmental characteristics known only to the rebels, the 1st Expeditionary Army could have been destroyed. Or by inducing the 1st Expeditionary Force to be exposed to natural disasters, the natural disasters that humans cannot resist. It could have been made to be trampled upon by violence.”
“That’s right. I was wondering if that’s a possibility.”
Of course, even in such extreme conditions, the fact that there is not a single survivor is highly unnatural.
No, on the contrary, it is very contrived.
However, to the extent that they had to cling to such things, they desperately wanted to prove that the Imperial Army was not incompetent.
The failure of the first expedition, which could not even properly grasp the cause, was the most disastrous defeat and one of the most terrible failures since the establishment of the Imperial Army.
Because Regal was fully aware of the psychology and desires of the soldiers of the Imperial Army, he was using them very easily.
“But the topographical characteristics of the northern unexplored land can be seen as its vastness and flatness.”
“Yes. Therefore, it is most likely that he lured the 1st Expeditionary Force to the habitat of the dangerous creatures distributed there, not the terrain, camped at the entrance, and slowly dried up the 1st Expeditionary Force to death.”
“Then…”
Regal pauses for a moment.
It was because the name of the warden did not immediately come to Regal’s mind, as he heard it and threw it away after deciding that the name was not worth remembering.
The major had an important position as deputy commander of the 2nd Expeditionary Force, but that was also worthless to Regal.
“Director, in your judgment, what do you think dangerous creatures refer to?”
“Of course, it refers to a poisonous creature or a huge beast, doesn’t it?”
As if putting the correct answer into his mouth, Regal nods his head and smiles heartily.
Seeing that, the face of the warden was relieved as if Regal had completely forgotten about insulting the imperial army.
“I agree. I made that decision, and when I received a call from the Church that they were dispatching 50,000 priests, I decided that I should join them, even if the expedition is temporarily suspended.”
“Hmm…”
The warden’s expression hardened and hesitated somewhat.
However, it seemed to be somewhat different from the unpleasant hesitation he had felt before.
“There will be some delay in carrying out His Majesty’s Majesty’s orders, but if the cause is reasonable and the results are good, it won’t be a big deal to delay the expedition for a while. Whether it’s reported after the fact, or right now. Reporting or receiving His Majesty’s approval doesn’t seem to be a big problem.However, if 50,000 people suddenly join the expeditionary force, I don’t have the confidence to handle the rapid increase in consumption of supplies and provisions. I hesitated, so I dared to ask Your Highness to reconsider.”
Regal’s smile deepens.
There is a bit of fishiness, but the warden never notices it.
“It won’t be much of a problem.”
“Yes? What do you mean?”
He had read the warden’s desires, and he knew long ago that the excuses he had made were completely false.
The warden only objected to Regal’s opinion out of dissatisfaction with the careless execution of the emperor’s strict orders.
However, because he was not foolish enough to reveal it, Regal was always making a name for himself throughout the empire as the most senile ruler.
“By any chance, do you know of progressive civic groups active throughout the Empire?”
“Yes. About them, I’ve heard more or less.”
The small intestine cannot hide its displeasure.
The self-proclaimed progressive civic groups are mostly gatherings of people who deny the existence of the empire.
Those who are somewhat moderate are those who acknowledge the class itself according to the lineage of the imperial family and aristocracy, but reject the ruling method of the few ruling over the majority by the imperial family and aristocracy.
In other words, their main goal is to establish a so-called republic, in which the representatives of the citizens form a parliament and rule, and then deprive the imperial family and nobles of all powers of governance, leaving only honor.
The more radical ones deny even the ranks of royalty, nobles, commoners, and slaves.
They are of the same ideology as the rebels who fought the battle for the capital, and their main goal is to claim that all humans are equal, and to deprive nobles and imperial families of their right to rule and honor.
In other words, they are those who want to bring about a fundamental change in society.
That’s why their existence should never be allowed under the imperial system.
“It is true that they are an entirely unnecessary organization in the Empire, operating under an unpleasant banner. But this time, I have been told that they will lend a hand to the second expedition for the survival of the Empire, or rather, for the survival of mankind. .”
“Is that… Is that true?”
As if not believing Regal’s words, the warden blinked his eyes and asked Regal’s words.
If his subordinates had asked such a question, Regal would have clearly expressed his displeasure.
However, a high-ranking general in the Imperial Army, even if he is of humble origin, is generally treated equally with a high-ranking aristocrat.
That’s why, even though he was a useless and stupid human being, Regal couldn’t carelessly brush the warden as he did to his subordinates.
“That’s right. Whether it’s establishing a republic or fighting against the imperial system, isn’t all of that possible only if humanity exists? After the demons started to stir in the system this time, their attitude seems to have changed a lot.”
“May I ask how it’s changed? I have no connections there, and I’m not interested at all, so this is the first time I’ve heard of it.”
Regal nodded.
He was sitting in the position of commander of the expedition, but since he was under the watchful eye of the Imperial Army and the Emperor, he always had to be patient.
When he recalled it, his chest became tight.
“There’s nothing special about it. Right after the first rebel movement, especially radical progressive civic groups were rooting for the rebels in their hearts. It’s clear that they judged them to be some kind of comrades with the same thoughts.”
There were both progressive civic groups and conservative civic groups secretly supported by Regal, so there was no way they were unaware of that fact.
To be more precise, Regal was instigating and manipulating such an atmosphere, so it was safe to say that it was Regal’s opinion.
But the warden had no way of knowing that.
“And to varying degrees, it is certain that even moderate liberal civil society groups would have welcomed the chaos in the empire. If the imperial system was shaken by the rebels, they would have judged that it was the right time to establish a republic. “
“Ah…”
“That’s why, looking at the 1st and 2nd system battles, it is clear that progressive civic groups would have cheered. To be precise, until the devil started to stir.”
“Is that so…”
Was it because it was a world he knew nothing about?
The warden blankly nods his head.
“However, after the demons stirred up, and as we did, we began to suspect that the rebels and saints might be connected with the devils. I heard, so they say that with such a cause, they met directly with the Pope.”
“Ah, then, are they paying for the priests of the church to go out?”
“That’s right. I heard that not all, but some groups raised funds for the war and delivered it to the church. Based on that capital, all supplies and supplies for the 50,000 priests who have now dispatched troops are all from the church. I told you to pay for it.”
The warden’s expression widens.
Regal’s opinion had a good reason, and it was a solution that even the problem was solved from the beginning.
There was no reason not to accept it.
“In that case, Your Highness. May I have an opinion, the warden?”
“Tell me.”
Perhaps tired of explaining until the idiot-like warden agreed, there was a hint of fatigue in the regal tone.
But the warden still doesn’t notice it.
Seeing that, Regal was clearly aware that the warden was an idiot.
Regal was sure that there would be no problem in manipulating the warden to his liking.
“It seems too inefficient to stop the march entirely and stay stationed. It’s starting to get cooler in the mornings and evenings, so it’s sure to be getting harder to sleep in the open air. So we’ll have to get to the beginning of the northern frontier before it gets any colder.” However, wouldn’t it be possible to build a garrison for the soldiers to use as a base?”
“That’s right.”
“So it seems more efficient to slow down the march, allowing the priests to join them in the middle of the march. If we don’t establish a safe base before winter arrives, we’ll be sure to freeze them all before we can carry out any proper operations.”
Regal nodded.
It is because the director’s opinion was reasonable.
“Okay. We haven’t left the communication area yet, so it’s better to communicate with the priests every day and adjust the pace of the advance.”
“Yes. Then, we will discuss the organized contents together at the strategy meeting tomorrow.”
Regal smiled and nodded his head.
The secret meeting in the middle of the night has come to an end.
