Chapter 44 – Arloston’s painful military council

Vilgard entered the territory of Alcarol, where amid the reorganisation of his legion, the administration of the domain, and efforts in procreation, uproar erupted throughout the empire.

Suddenly, Vilgard, the illegitimate child of the former emperor, rose in rebellion on the grasslands. Surviving the imperial purge of the royal family over a decade ago in the capital, he had been amassing power in the far east for a long time.

Now, finally, with Tsukimikado Mayo, a member of the Amatsuki Imperial Family, as his wife, they moved together towards the unification of the empire.

Furthermore, they defeated over ten thousand imperial soldiers dispatched to the grasslands in their first battle, swiftly bringing the Dockward territory under their control.

The empire, displeased with this, assembled a punitive force of a hundred thousand troops, but astonishingly, Vilgard defeated them with only twenty thousand soldiers.

Moreover, while the hundred thousand soldiers were completely annihilated, Vilgard’s forces were nearly unscathed.

This rumour spread like wildfire to every corner of the land. While the numbers might be exaggerated, even considering that, it was an undeniable great victory that no one could ignore.

Especially for the empire, the fact remained unchanged that they had been continuously losing since the first battle and were defeated even in the decisive battle. In the capital, daily strategy meetings were held mainly among the officials of the Ministry of War.

“What should we do…! His Majesty’s anger has not subsided in the slightest over the past few days!”

“It’s also an issue that Lord Barkdain has become a prisoner!”

“With this major defeat, there’s no doubt that the alliance of lords and the western bandits will become more emboldened!”

There are also knights who have fled from the Schleitocker Highway, albeit few in number.

Furthermore, messengers from Vilgard have arrived and it’s recognized as a fact that he is the legitimate prince and has shown prowess on the battlefield.

With this, the situation changes. He’s not just claiming to be of royal blood; he’s the real deal.

Additionally, it’s confirmed that Tsukimikado Mayo is genuine as well. Just with that, the empire has several measures it must take.

It’s been over ten years since the civil war began but such a significant event has never occurred before. Arloston ponders the events of the past few days and what must be done in the days to come.

‘Suffering such a clear and undeniable defeat in the first battle is a significant blow that cannot be ignored… Perhaps I was too hasty as well…’

They must immediately suppress the bandits. The decision itself was not wrong and it was necessary to send in enough troops to ensure their complete eradication.

The miscalculation lay in the enemy’s strength. And perhaps in their strategic manoeuvring.

Even hearing the accounts of the surviving knights, it’s unclear why they lost. At the start of the battle, both sides clashed head-on with the same formations and in terms of numbers, the imperial army was overwhelming.

But somehow, they found themselves surrounded on all sides, and the imperial forces were annihilated. Even those who were on the battlefield couldn’t understand how it happened.

‘I’ve heard that the battlefield was in terrain where ambushes couldn’t be set up. Even if we could win in clashes between cavalry on both flanks, that alone wouldn’t result in encirclement. To complete an encirclement, winning with the cavalry should have been a necessary condition. Was there a strategy in place to ensure victory there…?’

Regardless, there was certainly some strategy at play. Otherwise, two large armies wouldn’t have clashed head-on, and the advantage of numbers wouldn’t have been nullified.

Moreover, Lord Barkdain was the supreme commander. He may be a knight with outdated ideas but he has fought on the front lines and has ample experience as a commander.

Especially in battles with large armies like this one, it’s his forte. He may not be the best as the supreme commander, but he’s better than most.

‘But this much is clear. The bandits… no, Nii-san’s army is employing tactics that defy the traditional theories of the empire. It’s certain that their main force consists of nomads…But there’s no one on this continent who understands how nomads fight on the battlefield.’

Is Vilgard merely a figurehead for the army or does he also command it? If he does command, where did he learn such tactics? There are many mysteries.

In any case, the fact remains that they have secured lands crucial to the empire, namely the Dockward and Alcarol territories. Aeroston wants to dispatch troops immediately, but there are reasons preventing that.

Firstly, it’s the strength of the Imperial Knights. Even though they redirected surplus forces from the capital this time, they don’t always have that luxury.

The Imperial Knights, being more seasoned than the regional forces, are deployed in critical areas… areas where they absolutely cannot afford to be outmatched. The borders to the west and north, as well as the adjacent regions to the imperial territories.

The imperial territories still struggle with the governance of dispatched lords.

Rebellious warriors launch terrorist attacks at the risk of their own lives and the townsfolk hide such resistance forces. Recently, rebel factions among the warriors have even begun to organise themselves.

To keep them from leaving the imperial territories…and to ensure immediate suppression if needed, they’ve deployed the Ironclad Knights towards the imperial territories.

While it’s difficult to immediately mobilise the highly trained Imperial Knights, it’s possible to mobilise the forces under the lords’ command in the name of the emperor. But this also comes with risks.

Firstly, to persuade lords who primarily want to use their forces for their own defence, adequate rewards are necessary.

They may be subjects of His Majesty the Emperor, but they won’t act as volunteers. Lords feel a greater responsibility towards their own domains than towards the empire.

And the lords simply fear the Vilgard army, which annihilated a large force including the elite Imperial Knights.

Even if the lords were to gather their forces for battle, they likely cannot envision a victory. If their regional forces were to be crushed, as proven in the case of Alcarol territory, they would face invasion into their own territories with no remaining military power.

Here again, the outcome of the first battle is haunting in a negative sense. Currently, neighbouring lords are probably hesitant to provoke Vilgard unnecessarily.

Furthermore, Arloston heard that even after being occupied, both Dockward and Alcarol territories are still ruled by their respective lords. In other words, as long as they don’t oppose, there’s a chance for the lords to continue their rule without interference.

Considering these points, it seems unlikely that lords are willing to move against Vilgard’s suppression.

‘If Nii-san’s intentionally doing this, it’s quite impressive…’

Arloston sends his admiration to Vilgard in his mind.

Contact between Vilgard and the alliance of lords is inevitable now. It’s going to be quite troublesome for the empire… However,

‘The alliance of lords is not unified. They may not unanimously cooperate with Nii-san, and negotiations between the two parties could be protracted. The one who benefits the most from having time on their side is us..’

In the meantime, efforts to rebuild the military and establish new defence mechanisms must be accelerated. It will take time, but preparations have already begun for the formation of the Imperial Knights to be sent to the border with Alcarol territory.

However, there are no plans to invade Alcarol territory with that force. They are meant to serve as a deterrent to the Vilgard army from entering imperial territory.

The enemy has the capability to annihilate large armies with a small force. If they were to engage in battle, Aeroston must ensure that all preparations are made beforehand.

The outcome of the first battle had a strong influence on every faction, prompting such cautious responses.

‘If governance in the empire had been proceeding smoothly, we could have mobilised Adrldon’s Ironclad Knights immediately…’

However, the possibility of mobilising his knights has become even more remote.

The princess of the warrior families, a member of the imperial family, has survived, and moreover, she has risen up to liberate the imperial territories. The resistance movement is likely to become even stronger in the future.

‘Overall, the empire still maintains superiority in terms of military strength. But that is by no means reassuring… nor is it a cause for complacency.’

Where did the gears start to fail? Was it when the decision was made to dispatch troops to the grasslands? Or when they invaded the imperial territories? Or perhaps when Creyval ascended to the imperial throne?

“Arloston-dono, what will you do about Vilgard’s envoy?”

As the topic shifts, Arloston feels a headache coming on.

Vilgard’s envoy had requested substantial protection for both Barkdine and Roglain, two key figures in their army. It’s a clear demand for payment.

And this response is also difficult…or rather, ill-timed. If the outcome of the decisive battle had been a narrow victory for Vilgard, they would have simply ignored the envoy and hastily sent out troops again.

But now, sending troops is a gamble with uncertain chances of success and the risks are too high.

It’s still unclear how the relationship with Vilgard’s faction will develop. Handling the envoy and prisoners requires careful consideration.

After all, on one hand, there’s the noble military aristocratic families of the empire, and on the other, there’s an irreplaceable commander with education and experience.

Abandoning Barkdine would incur the resentment of the military aristocrats who revolve around him.

If Roglain is abandoned, there’s a risk that despite his rigorous training and advancement under the Knight Commander, he’ll ultimately be forsaken.

The newly formed Order of Knights and its associated nobles are also Arloston’s support base within the military. He couldn’t afford to undermine the foundation he had painstakingly built.

“…Let’s accept their demands.”

“What…?”

“But…”

At least by accepting the two of them, we can avoid incurring the nobles’ resentment.

And we’ll gain detailed information about Vilgard’s army and Vilgard himself. It’s costly, but the information is worth paying for.

“But the treasury doesn’t have that much leeway. Especially since the Knights already take up a significant portion of the budget.”

The one who spoke up was a civilian official in charge of finance. He looked nervously at Arloston as he spoke.

“I’ve heard that Roglain’s demand is relatively modest. Perhaps we could have Barkdine take responsibility as the general for the major defeat?”

“Nonsense!”

“Are you suggesting we abandon Barkdine!?”

“No, but Barkdine’s age suggests that continuing active duty may become difficult soon.”

“Perhaps there’s room for consideration…?”

It’s a foregone conclusion that Barkdine will be held accountable upon his return.

He won’t have a future as a knight…or as an imperial noble. Whether it’s Roglain or Barkdine, they will be removed from their positions as commanders.

But Arloston’s stance remained unchanged.

“If they think the central authority will abandon us when something happens, the knights won’t be able to focus on fighting the enemy. We’ll buy them back.”

“So, where will the funding come from?”

“…I’ll request it from His Majesty.”

Creyval possesses the wealth and treasures accumulated by generations of emperors. These assets are separate from the treasury and are personally owned by the emperor.

Much of it consists of treasures obtained through conquests during expansionist policies.

Arloston planned to somehow persuade the emperor to sell off some of his personal assets to secure the funding. But convincing him wouldn’t be easy.

‘…I’ll have to schedule a meeting after the conference.’

【It seems I won’t be going home today either】. With that thought, Arloston let out a sigh in his heart.