Chapter 258 – End of the War (1) *Illustration of Sets and Panteca*
End of war (1)
While Yuno was having a good time with his women, Tesseito’s army, who had taken the County of Akel, the most important point in the Zenon Plain, was forced to fight a fierce retreat to return to his home country.
“The 5th and 7th Corps, pursue the enemies to the end!! Make them feel the price they have to pay for daring to target the Balkan Empire!!”
As soon as commander-in-chief Mayer’s instructions were given, the 5th and 7th corps of the Balkan Empire caught up with them at breakneck speed, taking away the County of Akel and making them unable to properly rest as they turned to the west in vain.
Haha5th Legion!! It’s time to show off your talents!! It’s time to prove that our 5th Legion is the fastest corps in the empire!!”
“The 7th Corps must assist the pursuit of the 5th Corps and prevent the enemy from escaping to another place! We must limit the enemy’s retreat and force them to one place!”
Arnim and Claudia usually bickered, but they commanded the corps in perfect harmony, and as soon as Tesseito’s army escaped from the County of Akel, a fiercely strong siege began to surround Tesseito’s army.
Despite being pursued by light infantry, who would have easily chased them off, the Teseito cavalry could not suppress or shake them off.
Due to the hay burned by Ajin’s actions, the horses, unable to eat properly and exhausted, gradually became slower and slower, and in the end, the cavalry had to carry on the battle of the hippopotamus with the unfamiliar equipment of infantrymen.
“Damn it! Those dirty Vulcan bastards!! They took advantage of our inability to fight properly to attack us!!”
“What are you saying? That’s the basics of tactics!!”
“Ugh… If only we had spoken properly… You guys…”
“Heng~ So, where did you get harpooned by our imperial army on the Enakan Plain last time? Ah,~ That’s right! I heard your commander-in-chief became a eunuch? Well, then it’s not like you can’t fight properly.”
It was a fight under unfamiliar horses, and the light infantry of the 5th Imperial Corps, whose morale was high due to the victory, fought a one-sided battle, almost slaughtering the Tesseito cavalry whose morale was at its lowest.
Although a small group of special forces led by Count Mula fought desperately at the rear, their stamina was completely depleted, and they could barely block the Guard Knights led by Viscount Amin.
Moreover, it wasn’t just legionnaires who were targeting them.
Two years was still not enough time to completely solidify the occupied territory, so as the news of Tesseito’s defeat spread, guerrillas began to swarm everywhere, and the thin supply routes began to be attacked.
“With our village’s strength, of course we can’t compete against the enemy head-on, but if we can get enough supplies, our village will be able to do it!!”
“Prevent supplies from reaching the Teseito army, even if it means setting fire to the village warehouse!! You have to somehow prove that you have achieved merit!!”
As Tesseito’s rule prolonged, the villages that had cooperated with them to survive little by little became afraid of possible retaliation from the Balkan Empire when Zeno’s hegemony was about to be reversed again.
Therefore, to avoid retaliation, their choice was to attack Tesseito.
Large villages actively engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Teseito army, even hiring mercenaries, while villages with low military power even set fire to their food to prevent supplies from flowing to the Teseito army.
In this way, Tesseito’s army, suffering from the double hardship of chasing troops and starvation, hastened its journey toward the home country, and in the meantime, the number of their troops was gradually decreasing.
However, even in such a hopeless situation, there was one hope for them, and that was that Tiruen’s body had completely recovered.
“Convene all commanders and staff above the rank of 1,000 to the command barracks.”
As soon as he got up from his seat, he reported the current situation to his staff, thought about it for a while, and then summoned the commanders.
When the summons was issued by Tiruen, who appeared for the first time since the last time the County of Akel was occupied, the Tesseito commanders rushed to the command barracks.
“Listen carefully! Tonight! We will escape from here and return to our home country!!”
Hope bloomed on the faces of everyone gathered in the barracks at the sight of Tiruen confidently talking about escaping even in a desperate situation where the enemies had occupied Yoyoyo and surrounded them.
“But for that to happen, sacrifice is inevitable… And I hope that two of the Ten Thousand Seals gathered here… Will volunteer to lead the crew and charge the enemy with me. Do you have any volunteers? For this attack. I will promise a huge reward in my name to the family of anyone who volunteers!!”
In response to Tiruen’s question, the barracks was filled with silence.
“I will be at the forefront of this attack!! Is there really no one here who would sacrifice his life for his country? Is there not even one brave person here who would sacrifice himself for his comrades who are in danger together with Tiruen!!”
Tiruen bit his lip at the sight of the commanders remaining silent despite his speech.
‘As expected… Is there no one… In that case, we have no choice but to do it by lottery…’
He could have appointed them directly with the authority of the commander-in-chief, but since Tiruen wanted to make up his volunteers for this attack where death was almost certain, he looked at his men with sad eyes and lowered his head.
And at that time… A soldier’s voice was heard from the very back.
“Uh… If it’s okay with me, I’d like to volunteer for this attack!!”
Tiruen’s head lifted at the sound of that voice, and he passed through the thousand seals gathered in front of him and moved forward.
“Hey. What is your name and position?”
There was a young soldier with a stocky build and tan skin, so Tiruen grabbed his shoulder and asked a question.
“My name is Setsawa Panteka! I was currently serving as a centurion in the Shaka Infantry, but as a warrior of the Thousand Seals, I am serving as the Deputy Commander of the Thousand Seals!!”
“Good! Setsawa! As of now, I will appoint you as the official Heavenly Seal!! But… You look quite young… How old are you? I can be honest with you!!”
Although her body was quite sturdy, she was a bit short and her face looked very young, so Tiruen asked Setsawa’s age.
“… Uh… I’m currently 15 years old… I lost my parents when I was 12 and joined the military to make a living…”
When Setsawa’s age was revealed, the Ten Seals gathered at the command barracks seemed to be greatly shocked.
And Tiruen did not miss the opportunity to provoke his subordinates.
“Look at you!! Even this young man volunteered for this attack to save his comrades!! Don’t you feel anything when you see this? Do you want to pass on this heavy responsibility to such a young child and save his life? !!”
“No!! We were short-thinking!! Our Cheonin University will stand at the forefront!!”
“I will apply too!!! Even if you don’t select me, I will stand at the forefront even as a single soldier!!”
A fifteen-year-old child volunteered for a life-threatening attack, and the shame of hesitating because they feared for their lives stimulated the Heavenly Seals.
When all the Heavenly Seals showed up to volunteer, Tiruen selected the two oldest Heavenly Seals and appointed them as a suicide assault force, promising great compensation to their families and generous pensions to the surviving families of his subordinates. .
“Your Excellency Commander-in-Chief! I was the first to apply. I don’t have a family to support anyway, so my life isn’t worth it to me!! So I also…”
Chin!
Tiruen grabbed Setswa’s shoulders when she protested against him and led her inside his barracks.
And after she had written her letter, she stamped it with her own seal and placed it in his hand.
“Setsu and Panteka. Your support has awakened the spirit of our allies. And you are still young. Children like you, who will lead our team in the future, should not die in vain like this!!”
“But your Excellency too!!”
“No, I will never die!! I also want to burn my life and take revenge on that evil Balkan emperor… But I cannot die like this!! So you too must survive here and help me!! Do you understand? ?”
Setswa unconsciously nodded at Tiruen’s passionate voice.
“If you understand, after returning to your home country, come to the capital and visit my mansion! If you bring the letter I gave you, the guards at the mansion will not chase you out. Do you understand?”
“Yes. Yes! Your Excellency!! I will follow your orders!!”
Tiruen smiled at Setsuwa, who placed her letter in her arms and bowed before retreating.
‘The healing ring seems to have exhausted its effectiveness… But the space movement necklace is still intact… So, after sacrificing 2,000 troops to break through the enemy’s siege and escape the main army, I can return through space movement. !! Emperor Yuno… I admit defeat in Zeno this time, but… I will definitely get revenge on you!! Revenge of our sacrificed soldiers!! And… Revenge of my lost masculinity!!!’
Other functions recovered completely, but despite continued focus on healing internal injuries, he lost feeling in his lower abdomen forever.
With this shameful injury that she could not bear to tell anyone about, Tiruen burned her hatred for Yuno and prepared to carry out her plan.
*Illustration of Sets and Panteca
