Chapter 68: I Guess I Have to Change the Game Myself. (4)
Zvalter stared quietly at the map laid out in front of him.
Not long ago, he had been pondering how to arrange his formation and make a decisive move.
If the enemy’s supply unit had been wiped out, there would be more options available.
But before that, he needed to confirm what had actually happened.
“Explain in detail how this happened.”
The other retainers were silent, merely gazing at Ghislaine, drenched in blood.
Ghislaine calmly surveyed the battlefield and reported the situation.
“…So we ambushed the enemy and annihilated their forces, burning all the supplies. It’s a bit of a loss, but it was too hard to carry everything back. Ah, this is the head of Baron Fabro, the commander of the supply unit. Does anyone recognize him?”
Baron Homern opened the box and examined the severed head closely, stammering as he spoke.
“Y-Yes, that’s Baron Fabro of Digald. I’ve seen him a few times before.”
The retainers gasped in astonishment. Only Randolf looked bewildered, blinking his eyes in confusion.
He had been ready to take a swing at Ghislaine, but the mood was clearly not right for that.
Having spent a lifetime on the battlefield, he instinctively recognized it.
“This isn’t the usual playful Grand Duke. He’s giving off an air of a human butcher. Why is that guy like this…?”
He couldn’t understand at all.
How could a Grand Duke, who had only lived in his territory and had never experienced war, display such a demeanor?
Zvalter was surprised by Randolf for a different reason.
“An ambush… Are you saying you moved so recklessly?”
Though he reprimanded, there was more astonishment than anger in his voice.
An ambush, if successful, could inflict significant damage on the enemy.
But if it failed, the chance of total annihilation was high—a double-edged sword.
That’s why this tactic was only employed after carefully considering numerous conditions such as weather, place, terrain, timing, and the enemy commander’s tendencies.
Yet, moving troops out to attempt an ambush without the lord’s permission was something only a madman would do. But Ghislaine had charged forward without hesitation, and even succeeded.
“Anyway, we don’t have many options available,” Ghislaine replied bluntly. Zvalter shouted in frustration.
“Even so, shouldn’t you have consulted with us first? You should have gathered and prepared your forces properly before going out! If you had failed, you and the mercenaries would all be dead! Are you unaware that even a handful of our forces is precious right now?”
“If that had been the case, we might have failed.”
“What?”
“Already, a traitor has provided a justification for war against Digald. How can you guarantee that there won’t be another traitor?”
“It’s a situation we’ve created in the span of minutes. How can we assure there are no more traitors?”
“What do you mean by that, you scoundrel?!”
Zvalter could no longer contain his anger and shot up from his seat.
The remaining retainers and knights in Perdium were those willing to risk their lives in battle.
Saying there could be a traitor among them was a dangerous remark.
How could they risk their lives to follow if their loyalty was questioned?
But Ghislaine replied with an impassive face.
“Can you really guarantee that there’s no one like that by Father’s side?”
“What, what?!”
“I trust no one. The only one I trust is myself.”
Seeing his blood-soaked son speak so resolutely left Zvalter speechless.
The retainers couldn’t rebut either.
It was true that there had been a traitor among the retainers.
The current Grand Duke looked like a volcano ready to erupt.
Overwhelmed by the atmosphere, everyone held their breath.
With a chilly gaze, Ghislaine scanned the room before speaking again.
“We will defend the castle from here. No one is allowed to leave. If you try to go out, you’ll face my sword.”
At his aggressive and unilateral declaration, Randolf grimaced and stood up.
As he opened his mouth to protest, Zvalter reached out to stop him.
“Fine, since we’ve succeeded anyway, I’ll let the ambush issue slide. But what’s the reason for the siege?”
“The enemy is a large army. They must bring a supply unit even to this small territory war. But now that the supply unit is annihilated, they can’t maintain their forces for long.”
“……. ”
“Meanwhile, request support again from Count Roges. Once help arrives, we can open the castle gate and launch a counterattack.”
“What if the support is delayed or doesn’t come at all?”
“Even if support doesn’t come, the enemy can’t outlast us. While they prepare to retreat and regroup, we’ll find a way.”
The enemy’s main force must have brought in supplies, but feeding such a large army would mean they could only hold out for a few days at most.
The real question was whether Perdium could endure that long.
With siege equipment leading the large army, holding out in Perdium Castle wouldn’t be easy.
“We must hold out for at least a week.”
“We have no choice but to do our best. That should increase the odds of victory compared to a quick battle.”
“Hmm…….”
Ghislaine’s words did have a point.
If they were to lose trying to go all out in a quick fight, it would end there. But if they could endure against the castle wall, their chances of victory would rise.
The defenders were at a disadvantage in a protracted battle due to being besieged and cut off from supplies, but the attackers would face supply issues too.
Zvalter, deep in thought, turned to Randolf.
“What do you think?”
“Cough, I don’t know.”
Though there was merit to the argument, Randolf, still upset at Ghislaine’s unilateral stance, couldn’t give a positive answer.
On the other hand, Baron Homern, who had insisted on defense from the start, quickly backed Ghislaine’s stance.
“I think this time the Grand Duke is right. It’s better to request support from Roges again and hold our ground.”
The other retainers showed similarly positive reactions.
“We’re all running low on supplies anyway.”
“It’s impossible to prepare supplies to feed 6,000 men immediately. It’s advantageous for us to hold out.”
“The Grand Duke has done a great job. This is an opportunity!”
If survival chances were higher, there was no reason to oppose Ghislaine’s suggestion.
If the probability of survival was higher, there was no reason to oppose Ghislaine’s opinion.
Although the Grand Duke had always been a thorn in his side, this time, thanks to Ghislaine’s reckless maneuvering, things had gone smoothly.
Baron Homern, Albert, and the other retainers looked at Ghislaine and smiled contentedly.
However, Randolf still gazed at Ghislaine with suspicion.
“He’s definitely accomplished something… but it’s too risky. One wrong move and he could become a murderer.”
Having lived on the battlefield his entire life, Randolf sensed that the Grand Duke’s momentum was far from ordinary.
As Zvalter fell into deep thought after hearing the retainers’ opinions, Ghislaine spoke up again.
“There are other methods.”
“What would that be?”
“We can abandon the Territory Residents and retreat to the Northern Fortress right now.”
“You bastard! Is that something a noble would say?”
Zvalter shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Ghislaine.
The retainers also frowned and cast disdainful glances.
“If the castle is captured, the Territory Residents will live like slaves and die! Don’t you understand that?”
Even if they successfully retreated to the Northern Fortress, if the Territory Residents were trampled, it could take decades to stabilize Perdium again.
However, Ghislaine met the Count’s gaze with cold eyes.
“But you know that the probability of our survival is higher that way, don’t you, Father?”
“…”
Zvalter glared at Ghislaine in silence.
The one who broke the tense silence was none other than Baron Homern.
“Enough! Stop it! We don’t have time to fight amongst ourselves. Lord, the Grand Duke’s words may be extreme, but they’re not wrong. You need to make a decision quickly!”
Zvalter turned away from Ghislaine as if he couldn’t bear to see him any longer and closed his eyes.
He wasn’t pleased with the situation, but as Homern said, they needed to decide quickly.
‘The probability is low, but… it’s better to cling to that than nothing.’
He never planned to abandon the Territory Residents. He was just troubled by the slim chances of victory.
In the midst of it all, Ghislaine had come up with a way out, so the answer was pretty much set.
Zvalter let out a deep sigh and said.
“Alright, we will fight back at the castle. Prepare to organize and deploy our troops. And review the routes to contact Count Roges.”
At the Lord’s command, all the retainers bowed their heads.
Having gained a glimmer of hope, they now had to do their best to hold the line.
At that moment, Randolf stepped forward and said.
“Wait! Are we leaving the mercenaries gathered by the Grand Duke as is? Why not integrate them into our forces?”
Everyone’s gaze turned back to Ghislaine.
Zvalter coldly replied.
“You have no intention of doing that.”
“I will act independently.”
“Don’t you have any thought of listening for even once?”
“I’m sorry.”
Ghislaine firmly rejected the idea.
Randolf frowned. He wanted to forcibly take the mercenaries, but now that the Grand Duke had stepped forward to accomplish something, there was no justification to seize his forces.
Zvalter suppressed his anger and said.
“The operational command must be followed.”
“Understood. However…”
“What is it?”
“Please allow me to defend the castle gate.”
“The gate?”
“Yes.”
Zvalter narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.
‘Is he trying to save his troops? What is he thinking?’
Immediately after the siege begins, the walls are the most dangerous part.
You never know when you’ll be hit by a catapult, and you also have to fend off troops pouring from the siege towers.
However, once the gate is breached, that area becomes the fiercest battleground.
It becomes the fiercest battlefield.
“What’s the reason? Are you afraid of standing by the castle wall?”
“I plan to wait at the castle gate and provide support when necessary.”
“Support, huh…”
“Since they are mercenaries, their training is lacking. It might be better to fill the gaps that way.”
Though Zvalter felt uneasy, he accepted the reasoning.
After all, there was no way to keep a soldier like that in line by denying permission.
“Do it that way. However, when the war is over, I will hold you accountable for acting unilaterally.”
“As you wish.”
Ghislaine turned away as if finishing up his business.
Albert hurried to grab him.
“Wait! Where did you move the newly acquired runestones?”
“I’ve already used them all.”
“What? That much, already? Where on earth?”
“I used them where they were needed, so don’t worry.”
Without further explanation, Ghislaine stepped out into the battlefield.
‘The preparations are almost complete now.’
One by one, everything was falling into place as he thought.
But he didn’t reveal everything honestly.
‘Count Lorges won’t be able to send support.’
In other territories, responses had come despite rejections, but communication with Count Lorges’ territory had completely ceased.
That meant the routes heading there were all blocked.
‘Just as I expected from that guy.’
Seeing the soldiers bearing Digald’s name reassured him.
There were only two great lords in the North who could provide such a large force.
One was Count Raybold. And the other…
‘The Commander of the Northern Army, Count Harold Desmond.’
The Ruthania Kingdom would later reorganize its military in the face of the continental warfare.
All the lords in the North would become Harold’s vassals, and Harold Desmond would receive the title of Duke anew.
‘It seems you were in charge of the North after all.’
Ghislaine had met Harold in his previous life.
Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but quite knowledgeable in strategy and capable in combat.
After being defeated by Ghislaine, Amelia gathered her remaining forces for guerrilla warfare, but Harold confronted enemies openly with brute strength.
‘With him involved, holding out will be tough.’
Count Perdium and his retainers chose to fight believing only Ghislaine’s hope.
However, Ghislaine didn’t believe that they could hold the defense.
From the start, Desmond had likely sent such a large military force and equipment with a siege in mind.
‘This is the best we can do.’
Ghislaine was confident he wouldn’t easily lose even if he faced the enemy directly.
If six mages launched a surprise attack, it could inflict considerable damage.
The enemy wouldn’t know the mages were here.
Moreover, if he led the assault troops and attacked from the side, he could disrupt their formation.
If they strategized well and moved in harmony with their allies, it wouldn’t be impossible to turn the tide.
‘But merely having the odds isn’t enough.’
If they clashed, the damage to their forces would be unavoidable.
It would be the end if they lost, and winning would not really mean winning.
They would be battered, and a second attack would not be stopped.
Ghislaine didn’t desire a victory that left them wounded.
‘I have to show them an example.’
He had to clearly demonstrate to the enemy that messing with Perdium would lead to death.
Up until now, Ghislaine had been preparing only for that.
For a single move.
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