The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 269
The Retreat of the Saleon Rebels and the Intervention of the Alvard Army.
The military situation was dire.
“Elaine, this is a battle I can see is impossible to win.”
My adjutant Elena, who was participating in the battle, shook her head.
“Our army’s numbers are 26,000 excluding supply troops. Meanwhile, the enemy has close to 100,000 troops!”
“….”
“Siege is impossible! The Saleon rebels are passing through military checkpoints without bloodshed!”
That was the biggest problem. Originally, if it were a homeland defense battle, we could leverage that advantage and draw out a war of attrition, but this war made that impossible due to the Saleon rebels.
We could consider besieging near the capital, but that would itself be a lost war. The enemy would try to win over other nobles after surrounding the capital.
If they managed to win over all the nobles, the situation would become irreversible.
That’s why I led the army to counterattack, but Elena was saying there was no solution.
“Moreover, the enemy has combined their armies. To stop their momentum, we must necessarily borrow the power of another army!”
“Elena, you’re quite nagging. Not like Eonia.”
“Is this the time to be saying such things?”
“I think we have a little… Time. After all, this war is a battle of legitimacy. Even if we consider the Saleon rebels, the involvement of Alvard will inevitably provoke criticism.”
If it became public that Saleon had brought in Alvard, there was a possibility that nobles maintaining neutrality would all turn to my side.
As if aware of this, the combined armies of Alvard and Saleon had stopped their march right there.
This was partly to reorganize their troops and drive out Ash’s cavalry, but I sensed something different.
‘What are they scheming?’
Since the enemy had stopped, I could also observe the situation.
We stationed ourselves at the eastern gate of Grancel and decided to watch the enemy’s movements.
* * *
After Ars’ departure, the royal palace of Alphensard became chaotic.
The king had just finished his coronation and then gone to war, and people from the Saleon faction were still being detained within the kingdom.
Regnard Hellian, who was in charge of the royal court’s affairs, was overwhelmed.
There were court matters, but it was because of Ryuna.
“Waaaah!”
Entrusted to maids after Ars went to war, Ryuna was crying bitterly and refusing to eat anything.
Her crying was so loud that the attendants had to cover their ears.
“Daddy! Mommy! Waaaah!”
Hellian shook his head.
“My goodness. Managing troublemakers is easier than calming down one child.”
Although all the maids skilled in childcare were mobilized, they couldn’t soothe Ryuna, who was extremely wary of others.
Hellian was wondering whether to forcibly put her to sleep when a helping hand appeared.
“Please let me handle this.”
“You…!”
Erina nodded.
“If it’s me, I can comfort this child.”
“…Wait, stop.”
Hellian stopped Erina from approaching Ryuna. If Erina had betrayed them, she might take Ryuna hostage to plot some scheme.
‘Could this be a trick to smuggle Gilbert Saleon out of the palace?’
Erina read Hellian’s concerns and smiled tragically.
“I no longer follow my father.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve decided to turn my back on my family. My father is trying to kill Lord Ars. More than that… He’s trying to sacrifice our territory of Grancel.
Erina then held out an envelope containing a letter.
It was a letter Gilbert had tried to send externally.
The contents were shocking. Even Hellian’s eyes widened.
“Using puppet troops to burn Grancel and massacre the territory’s people?! By the Saleon Duke’ own territory?!”
Hellian, who quickly understood the intention, trembled with his fist.
“Gilbert, you…! You’re finally crossing the line!”
Currently, Ars’ army was stationed in eastern Grancel.
If Grancel were to be looted while Saleon was attempting a coup, Ars would naturally be blamed.
This would be an excellent pretext.
A good reason for Gilbert to eliminate Ars and take the throne.
Gilbert intended to justify the coup by establishing revenge for the territory’s people as a pretext.
“Is this the only letter he sent externally?”
“No. My father was worried about being intercepted in advance and sent multiple letters externally. I think this letter might have also leaked outside.”
“Damn! Despite being so careful…”
He struck the wall with his fist and shouted.
“Hey! Deliver this information to His Majesty King Ars immediately! Hurry!”
“Yes!”
A messenger running quickly.
Erina slowly approached Ryuna, who was sobbing.
Her inner thoughts about Ryuna were complicated.
‘Why can’t I have a child.’
Despite having many intimacy, there had been no news. Even though Yumir and Eonia, who first became close to Ars, could be set aside, being later than Estelle was very frustrating for her.
She couldn’t help but wonder if there was a problem with her.
In this era, in this world, infertility was a significant flaw. It could be enough to be expelled from a family.
‘I wish I could have a child too…’
She tried to hide these inner thoughts and spoke to Ryuna.
“Ryuna, don’t cry. I’m here.”
Ryuna looked up at Erina with teary eyes, then burst into tears and hugged her.
“Waaaah! Mommy!”
“…!?”
Erina was startled. This was the first time Ryuna had called her ‘mommy’.
She thought it might be a misunderstanding, but Ryuna found comfort in her embrace several times but never called her ‘mommy’.
‘Is she really thinking of me as a mother?’
When her thoughts reached that point, Erina was moved and her body went limp.
As she staggered and sat down, Ryuna thought she was doing it to play with her and laughed cheerfully.
‘Yes, what does it matter that I can’t get pregnant. I already have my children!’
Ryuna, and the twin boy and girl. They were Ars’ children, and her children.
“Our Ryuna, why were you crying like that!”
“Kya-haha!”
Erina shook off her worries and began playing with Ryuna, smiling happily.
***
Saleon Rebel Army and Alvard’s Military Base in the Northwest
The leader of the rebel army, Altior Saleon, met with Alvard’s Grand General Kaien, his expression deep with emotion.
“You’re still correcting things, Brother Kaien.”
“You’ve grown quite old, Altior. It feels like just yesterday when you were speaking without understanding your place.”
They were colleagues from the Fensillon Empire era. Kaien had been commissioned six years before Altior and was his superior officer.
Altior, who warmly welcomed Kaien, suddenly speaks with a meaningful expression.
“Brother… Given the current situation, there’s something personal I’d like to ask you.”
“We’ll do that later. Now is not the time for personal conversation.”
“This is my final request in my lifetime. Please, hear me out.”
Altior intended to take his own life once this was over, regardless of the outcome, as he had effectively betrayed King Gareth.
Kaien, reading his inner thoughts, nods with a bitter expression.
“Go ahead.”
“Why has Alvard consistently been hostile towards our Calliper?”
Alvard and Calliper were historical enemies. However, Calliper was by no means an aggressive nation. As could be seen from King Gareth’s disposition, it was not a kingdom that would initiate war first.
In fact, Calliper had only truly started wars to reclaim territory twice: the recent Beckavia War and the past invasion of Alvard. Even in the war with Alvard, they had been continuously beaten until barely managing one counterattack. The invasion of Beckavia and war with Tunkai was also a war started because King Gareth mistakenly believed Ars had died.
“Why was Alvard so desperate to destroy us?”
“You’re asking this now?”
“I want to know, even now.”
Kaien closes his eyes tightly and mutters.
“I wanted to know something.”
“Something you wanted to know?”
“Yes, I asked Gareth about it. But he didn’t answer. So what choice did I have but to exercise my power?”
“What could it possibly be that would cause a war? If I know something, I’ll answer you!”
“The fact that you’re asking me this means you know nothing. …This conversation ends here! We’re now entering the operational meeting!”
“…Understood.”
At the joint operational meeting of the Saleon Rebel Army and Alvard’s Military, Kaien’ aides Gillias Melbourn and Ushis Goldray were briefing with tense expressions.
“Wade… No, Ars Elaine’s army is stationed at Dandel, the eastern gateway of Grancel. If we advance towards Alphensard, it will be to stab their side.”
“The enemy’s intention is clear! To cut off our supply lines and isolate us! The place we need to wage war is the enemy’s homeland! Therefore, we must secure our supply lines.”
Altior shook his head.
“Supply itself won’t be difficult. We can supply from the territories of our faction along the march route. He probably knows this too.”
One officer raises a question.
“Then why is the enemy stationed in eastern Grancel?”
Kaien answers instead.
“To make Crossing’s army conscious. If Crossing, located in the northeast, comes down, they’ll strike our head, and Wade’s army will attack our legs.”
Gillias shook his head.
“But sir, there’s been no talk of Crossing’s participation. The spies monitoring the situation report no significant signs.”
“They won’t use Crossing’s army because it would completely lose legitimacy. But if the situation becomes unfavorable, he’ll pull out the Crossing card anytime. We must be extremely cautious.”
Another staff member, Ushis, agrees.
“Suddenly Juras Pamilion disappears, and the mercenary Wade, who was missing in the Crossing region, reappears to inherit the Calliper throne… This situation is very artificial. I believe Juras Pamilion is definitely scheming somewhere.”
“Indeed, likely so.”
They were aware of Juras’s potential intervention. That’s why they were currently joining forces and stationed together.
In reality, Juras was outside the continent, but his presence still controlled people’s psychology.
Altior groans.
“What do you plan to do? Time is on the opponent’s side. We can’t stay like this.”
“…”
“Brother?”
“You really know nothing. Nothing about your lord, and nothing about your son.”
“What do you mean…”
“A letter arrived for me early this morning. I’m sure a letter intended for you was intercepted.”
“A letter?”
“Read it.”
As Altior opened the letter, his expression turned as hard as stone.
“Plundering Grancel…? By Alvard’s army!?”
“Precisely, it’s our army disguised as the royal army.”
“This is impossible! Are you saying Gilbert actually sent this letter?”
“Whether it’s possible or not depends on the interests. If this operation succeeds, your family will gain justification for throne usurpation. Your son is aiming for that.”
“Even so…!”
Destroying the territory they had cultivated and massacring its inhabitants.
“Altior, this is politics. When war and politics intersect, it becomes this cold. You can’t not understand this principle.”
“Ugh…!”
“Gillias!”
At Kaien’ command, Gillias Melbourn nods.
“I’ll give you 3,000 troops. March immediately towards Grancel. Then the Tunkai cavalry that has been following like flies will chase you.”
“I’ll follow the order.”
Kaien, having decided to deal with Ash and Lucretia first, leaks false information to Ash’s forces that Ars is plundering Grancel.
Deceived by this, Ash begins to head south, chasing Gillias’s forces exactly as Kaien intended.
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