Chapter 232: I Can’t Just Sit Back and Take It. (1)
Claude took a deep breath and started to argue.
“Why does the Lord have to enforce discipline? Is the Lord a barbarian training instructor now?”
How long has it been since the war ended, and now we’re talking about another campaign? Especially against those savage barbarians?
Not just Claude, everyone wore expressions of disbelief.
But Ghislaine responded with a look that said, “Isn’t that obvious?”
“Well, it’s my job to deal with them, right? It’s my father handling it now, but isn’t it going to be me next?”
“……”
That wasn’t an incorrect statement. The job of dealing with the barbarians had always been held by the Perdium family. That was why they received the authority and duties of a count.
“Okay, alright. I get it about being the future in charge and all, but… weren’t we talking about how to get horses right now?”
“Oh, those guys have plenty of horses.”
“So, you mean we’re going to steal them?”
“Exactly, who’s to say we shouldn’t loot them? This time, it’s our turn to plunder. I can’t just sit back and take it.”
“……”
At that, Claude made a face as if he was going to be sick.
The horses in the northern regions inhabited by barbarians were known for their strength. So, the barbarians were also skilled in cavalry.
It could be said their livelihood revolved around swift mobility to raid this and that.
However, the barbarians were notoriously weak when it came to siege warfare. Since various tribes were scattered, they hardly ever united, and with most being cavalry, they couldn’t really exert much power during sieges.
Knowing this, the barbarians usually only poked at fortresses occasionally and generally entered the kingdom by bypassing them.
That’s why the tactic of blocking the path and tracking them from the northern forts worked well, enabling the impoverished Perdium family to withstand against the barbarians for so many years.
But now Ghislaine was declaring they would snatch horses from the very barbarians who lived by them.
“Um, is that really okay? If it were that easy, Perdium wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble all this time…”
“It was tough because we’re poor. We needed to beat them down, but we didn’t have enough troops or supplies. But do you really think we can’t fight now? Those guys are always squabbling among themselves!”
“……”
The retainers had nothing to say once again and lowered their heads.
The Perdium family always struggled for various reasons. They couldn’t recklessly launch campaigns because they had to conserve their troops.
But what about now with Penris? There was an abundance of food, and 400 knights. The barbarians were grouped in small tribal units, so if they just decided to, they could easily take them down.
“Those guys are suffering from famine just like us. We need to take the horses before they eat them all. Don’t you think? And I’ve had a tough childhood because of them. Now I’m going to collect my dues.”
At that, Belinda nodded vigorously.
“That’s right! Lord Perdium didn’t have enough money because he was busy dealing with the barbarians, so he couldn’t give Young Master enough allowance. Young Master’s rebellious phase when he was little must have been because of insufficient pocket money.”
“……”
Claude, at a loss for words, looked around. The other retainers seemed to share similar sentiments, all watching the scene quietly.
It felt a bit burdensome to wage war again while focusing on developing the territory. But thinking about Ghislaine’s words, it didn’t seem like it would be that tough after all.
It was a bit overwhelming. But after listening to Ghislaine’s words, I thought it might not be that tough after all.
Claude asked Belinda, who had always been against him for the sake of being against him.
“How about the butler? Is he against it?”
Belinda paused for a moment, then answered clearly.
“I’m for it.”
“What? Why? You’ve always opposed war!”
“That’s because I hate those guys.”
“…You hate them, so you want to go to war?”
“Ah, I don’t like it, so what?”
I had no words. Well, is there a more convincing reason for war than that?
Claude clicked his tongue and searched for someone else.
“Fergus! What do you think?”
“Ho ho ho… I’ve always hated barbarians.”
‘We’re doomed!’
The feelings the Perdium folks had about the barbarians ran deeper than expected.
Claude shook his head and continued speaking while looking at Ghislaine.
“But most of our troops are infantry; is that okay? Aren’t the barbarians excellent in cavalry? If they run away, it would be a total waste, right? We have a lot of knights, but our endurance is a bit lacking, isn’t it?”
“We can receive cavalry support through Perdium. Just select some infantry for supply, and let the rest guard the territory.”
Claude and the retainers nodded. The Penris Knights were unmatched in instant destructive power; no one could withstand their numerical pressure.
If they had cavalry backing them up, they could conserve their strength, allowing for a slightly longer battle.
“Got it. I’ll prepare right away.”
“Good. I like that the time for opposing the fortress has been shortened a bit.”
‘I gave up half-heartedly because they don’t listen.’
Still, seeing every endeavor succeed gave me a little bit of trust.
Regardless of what the retainers felt inside, it was a relief for Ghislaine to have less opposition. Leading an army away meant handling things as quickly as possible.
‘I need to handle this quickly while Harold and Amelia are tied up. It’s the perfect moment since the Duke faction is also focused on the Crown Prince faction right now.’
That’s why they had waited for Amelia’s rebellion to begin even amidst the transportation issues delaying construction.
Honestly, even if it wasn’t about getting horses, dealing with the barbarians was necessary. They needed to stabilize their rear before a larger war broke out.
It wouldn’t be good to have to share Perdium’s forces at a crucial time. If your back itches, you should scratch it comfortably.
“Let’s move quickly without worry; this has all been part of the plan. Gather all the knights.”
At Ghislaine’s command, everyone moved busily. With rising strength and plenty of food, others were also feeling quite confident.
No matter what anyone said, they had not become one of the top territories in the North for nothing.
As Claude prepared for war, observing the atmosphere in the territory, he shook his head.
‘It’s strange. All of this came about because the lord went mad. Well… maybe I’ll cooperate a little bit.’
Claude tried hard to erase the thought that he had always been forced to cooperate.
Seeing how the lord had instilled such confidence in the people and had also helped them grow into strength was truly impressive.
While Claude was preparing to set out with a relaxed heart, Ghislaine came up to him and said,
“You’re going too. Pack your things.”
“Me? Why? Why am I going? I’m terrible at fighting!”
“Staff officer and rear support.”
“……”
Claude regretted not having vigorously opposed it.
*
Waaahhhh!
The battle against the barbarians was in full swing at the Northern Fortress.
“Get up there!”
Countless barbarians were rushing towards the Northern Fortress. They wore leather pants suitable for riding and tops made from beast fur.
The skull-shaped helmets and battle axes they wielded reflected their aggressive nature.
Zvalter encouraged the soldiers while fending off the barbarian warriors climbing the castle walls.
“Hold the line! We can repel them sufficiently!”
Six small tribes had united to attack the fortress. Though there were more than expected, it seemed manageable.
Zvalter wasn’t worried about the fortress being captured.
What was decided was not that the fortress would be captured.
“Oh no, this is bad. They might be sneaking in through the back.”
The barbarians knew they were weak in siege warfare. So when they attacked the fortress, it wasn’t really to occupy it, but merely to keep Perdium’s troops tied up here.
The real action was being taken by separate squads moving to plunder. While some attacked the fortress, the rest were raiding various villages in the North.
In fact, this method was rarely used by barbarians due to the heavy losses it caused.
However, due to severe famine, they had resorted to such desperate measures. After all, they had to feed their own tribespeople. Even fighting amongst themselves had increased.
“Brother! I mean, Lord! If this keeps up, the other territories in the North will be invaded again. Those bastards will blame us for it!”
“Ugh…”
Zvalter let out a groan. Being blamed wasn’t new to him, so he could care less about that. But thinking of innocent people dying made his insides churn.
What on earth was he supposed to do?
‘In a situation like this, we cannot go outside the fortress.’
Although things were somewhat better than before, they still had to be frugal with their forces. The barbarians were spread far and wide across the vast northern lands.
If they suffered heavy losses in battle and that rumor spread, more barbarian tribes would unite to invade again.
‘If we keep getting whittled down like this, the fortress will ultimately fall. There’s no other way…’
Ghislaine had spoken lightly to Claude, but the reality was far from easy.
Other lords were just giving minimal support to save their own troops while turning a blind eye. The nobles from the Duke Faction were uninterested in this place. The Crown Prince Faction was too preoccupied with keeping the Duke Faction in check to pay any attention.
Only Perdium cared.
They had been fighting a lonely battle here for so long.
‘I was hoping to ask Ghislaine for help… But I didn’t expect them to unite and attack this soon.’
Zvalter shook his head a few times in frustration and then shouted loudly again.
“Quick, repel them! Once those guys retreat, we will form a pursuit team as quickly as possible!”
At those words, the knights and soldiers gritted their teeth and engaged in battle.
“You bastards!”
“Quit holding back!”
Thanks to their improved skills and circumstances, their morale wasn’t low. But the chronic fatigue and exhaustion had left them all suffering from a persistent gloom.
They were merely holding on by igniting positive thoughts and the accumulated hatred inside them.
Those who couldn’t endure would inevitably leave. That was why Perdium always suffered from a shortage of knights and had betrayals from traitors like Jamal and Philip, who once kidnapped Elena.
Zvalter knew very well how tough it was to endure solely on responsibility.
“It’s okay! It’s okay! We will win, as we always do!”
He re-centered his mind. Yet he and everyone else knew that even if they pushed back the barbarians now, it didn’t mean they had truly won.
They could only endure to this point because the barbarians were not unified and were moving amongst their own tribes.
There were many times he wanted to give up. Yet Zvalter always did his best for his beloved family, his territory residents, and for the kingdom.
Zvalter looked around the battlefield with weary eyes.
‘I’ve grown old now…’
The young and vigorous wolf of the North was gradually weakening.
His abilities were getting stronger, and he had gained more experience, but his heart was being worn down by the harsh northern winds every single day.
When the heart weakens, no matter how strong the body is, it will inevitably crumble.
‘I want to rest.’
Even the responsible Zvalter was thinking such thoughts, so it was needless to say what the others were feeling.
Still, everyone in Perdium followed their noble lord Zvalter to the end.
He had something special.
That was his compassion for caring and loving everyone, and his unwavering sense of responsibility, even when times were tough.
The people of Perdium were inspired by that noble attitude, willing to risk their lives to follow him on this challenging journey.
While the weary Perdium Army faltered, the barbarians grew more confident than ever.
It has happened.
One could even forget what operation they were currently carrying out.
“Hey, hey! Be careful! You fools!”
“You crazy bastards! We didn’t come here to conquer today!”
“Just hold back and stall!”
Everywhere, Barbarian Great Warriors tried to control the warriors, but due to their aggressive nature, things were not going well.
Most Barbarian Warriors seemed to enjoy combat, and upon seeing blood, they lost their minds entirely.
The original plan was to just tie down the Perdium Army and have other warriors loot the place.
But the crazed ones were attacking the fortress too passionately, making combat more and more violent, and inevitably increasing the damage taken by the Barbarian Warriors.
Whoosh!
“Graaah!”
“Die! You bastards!”
“Why don’t you die! You sons of bitches!”
As the battle heated up, emotions ran high. This fight, which felt like it would never end, was more difficult for those defending than for those attacking.
Barbarian Great Warriors shouted everywhere.
“Fall back now! Let’s take a little break and hit again!”
“We only need about two more days! Then the others will bring food!”
“These idiots are morons! Look at those north-side fools! Hahaha!”
The Barbarians laughed heartily.
They were taking heavy damage, but they had completely tied down the fortress’s troops. They may have come due to food shortages, but fighting like this was still enjoyable.
The Barbarians began to retreat, mocking the Perdium Army like the tide pulling back.
The Perdium Army watched them with tired eyes filled with exhaustion.
Even though the enemy was taking heavy losses and retreating, they didn’t shout in victory.
In fact, this wasn’t a real victory.
Even now, others were likely flanking and invading the northern part of the kingdom.
Knowing this, they still had to guard the fortress.
The feelings of helplessness and humiliation washed over them, feeling like they were just suffering.
But what loomed larger was…
‘This is hard…’
The knights and soldiers of Perdium had become stronger than before, but the fatigue in their hearts grew even larger.
‘I want to rest now…’
‘When will this fight with these bastards ever end…’
‘Someone, please…’
But that was just a wish blown away.
This was an unending affair.
It had been like this before, it was like this now, and it would continue to be so in the future.
The only way for this to end would be to either run away or die.
Still, they did not give up.
They were indeed the last elite remaining here, living with pride in defending the kingdom’s north.
As they impotently watched the Barbarians retreat, one knight muttered upon seeing a cloud of dust in the distance.
“What’s that? Is more coming?”
The only army moving around here was the Barbarians.
It was rare for such a small unit to gather like this. It seemed that they had steeled themselves due to the famine.
“Get ready for battle again! Reinforcements are coming!”
Knights shouted from all around. It was clear that if more Barbarians reinforced their numbers, it would become even more difficult, but there was no choice.
It was their duty to guard this place with their lives.
Just when they had to forcibly lift their tired bodies and grab their weapons again without any rest.
One knight’s eyes widened in surprise as he mumbled.
“Oh, oh? That, that flag?”
It looked very similar to the Perdium emblem with a white wolf on a black background. The only change was the wolf’s color, which was now red; it was the emblem of Penris.
Whoosh!
The symbol of the newly risen army of northern power.
The red wolf’s flag fluttered above the charging mob from all directions.
As the sound of hooves grew closer, the figure became clearer to the others.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Horses charging as if to break the ground, and at the forefront, the one leading them.
A soldier recognized the identity and shouted loudly.
“It’s the Grand Duke! The Grand Duke has brought his army!”
Ghislaine was charging toward the fortress from behind the Barbarians.
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