The Demon King Seems to Conquer the World

Chapter 296: Old Soldiers

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When I returned to the church riding the eagle, Dimitri was standing right next to the gate, giving orders.

Good. It seems I have made it in time before departure.

I immediately began descending, removing my restraint harness amidst the crowd of people. Dimitri came running towards me.

“I’ve come to an agreement with Angelica. We’ll take the northern route, not southeast.” (Yuri)

The reason I had to rush was because of this. If we used the route on Angelica’s side, the direction would be north, but if we were heading toward Shantinion, it would be southeast. We couldn’t afford to leisurely withdraw while negotiating.

“Once the action guidelines are communicated to each army, we will begin operations. The artillery should change targets and focus on bombarding the Pope’s army’s front against Angelica. Since we can’t take the cannons, make sure to prepare for self-detonation as well.” (Yuri)

“Understood!” (Messenger)

The messenger directly under the artillery command ran off.

Whether we retreat after Angelica’s army collapses or while holding out, the difference in casualties would be more than tenfold. We must support as much as possible and make the enemy struggle as much as we can.

“You there.” (Yuri)

I grabbed another messenger.

“Relay a message to Dolla, who commands the combined cavalry. Tell him not to do anything and just leave the horses’ legs in the rear. They’ll be put to heavy use later. Go!” (Yuri)

“Understood!” (Messenger)

The messenger saluted and left. Before his hand even dropped, I caught another one.

“Find the eagle rider who was acting as a liaison with Alfred’s camp and bring him here. I’ll make him the liaison with Angelica’s camp.” (Yuri)

That’s because he can speak Telor.

“Understood! I’ll go look for him.” (Messenger)

He ran off.

Busy, busy.

“Your Excellency,” (Dimitri)

Dimitri called out.

“You should notify your subordinates about the retreat and be ready to move at any time. I have business with Gin.” (Yuri)

“While you are away, I’ve formed a unit here to fight to the death. What do you think of that?” (Dimitri)

For a moment, I didn’t understand the meaning. Although this place was prepared, albeit temporarily, to withstand a siege, it seemed that they had formed a unit to stay here and draw the enemy’s attention as a sacrifice.

“—You, Dimitri. What do you mean by this?” (Yuri)

I couldn’t help but show my anger, but Dimitri wasn’t fazed.

“I know that Your Excellency doesn’t favor such tactics. However, if I am to command, I judged that this method is necessary to save more than half of the soldiers.” (Dimitri)

It was in case I didn’t return, wasn’t it? I was the one who left and entrusted him with command in case I didn’t come back.

“200 hundred men, all volunteers and old soldiers. In this situation, each of them will save the lives of a hundred men. Of course, if Your Excellency Yuri orders them to, they’ll return to their original units immediately.” (Dimitri)

“—Where is the unit? I’ll go see them directly.” (Yuri)

“They should be gathered near the northern wall.” (Dimitri)

“You stay here. Order close air support to Angelica’s camp. Direct a fierce bombardment on the parts of the front where they’re attacking, hitting them hard before they can take their next step.” (Yuri)

“Understood.” (Dimitri)

After Dimitri saluted, I quickly walked away.

—

While lost in thought, I arrived at the northern wall area, and there I found a group of old men laughing and chatting away. Men in their sixties to eighties were gathered, acting like they were at a reunion. Perhaps they were reminiscing about past battles.

“Oh, Yuri-dono! Everyone, our God of War has arrived!” (Vito)

The one who said this with half-joking tone was a familiar old general.

His name was Vito Mori. He was already over eighty, I think. His son died in the battle of the previous generation of Gouk, but he still had a grandson.

“Vito. Is that you?” (Yuri)

The Mori Household, in the context of the Hou Household, was a large household that normally commanded several thousand troops. It wasn’t typical for them to be in a position to lead two hundred men to die as a sacrifice like this.

“I left the command to my grandson. He’s almost 30 now, so it was about time I passed it on.” (Vito)

“You—” (Yuri)

The words ‘go back and reunite with your original unit’ almost slipped out, but I couldn’t say them.

These men had made up their minds, and they took pride in the fact that their deaths would serve to protect their comrades. That much is clearly conveyed to me. This is probably their true wish.

“You’re going to die, you know. Are you okay with that?” (Yuri)

Fighting to live and dying as a result and fighting knowing from the beginning that you will die, are two completely different things. I have always thought that way.

“Yuri-dono, this is the final stage for us old soldiers, and it’s a stage too good to be true. We have nothing but gratitude, and not a single one of us holds any grudges. Please, do not take away our chance to die.” (Vito)

The smile on Vito’s face as he said this reminded me of Soim.

“A flower path is a flower path only if there is a way back.” (Yuri)

“That’s the path to the underworld—” (Vito)

“I’m not talking about that. You should be preparing a retreat route.” (Yuri)

Vito chuckled loudly.

“That’s an extravagant wish in this situation.” (Vito)

“I’ll explain now. There’s a cannon there, right?” (Yuri)

I pointed to a cannon to his left and Vito looked in that direction.

“Yes, there is.” (Vito)

“That’s a cannon. When we retreat, we’ll blow it up. It can’t be left for the enemy to capture. We’ll fill it with more than double the usual amount of powder. Then, apply overpressure to make it explode. In other words, it’ll become a giant bomb and explode spectacularly.” (Yuri)

Normally, if you did it like that, the pressure would escape from the muzzle, but we’d use specially designed shells that contract under pressure, and the sides would clamp into the cannon’s chamber. A ceramic would grip onto the sides to prevent the cannon from firing, and it would explode. Additionally, we would use black powder that’s wrapped in special casing. Tests showed that the cannon would explode completely, leaving no trace.

“It’ll be quite the spectacle, won’t it?” (Vito)

“You’re not very perceptive.” (Yuri)

I grinned.

“This place is on high ground, right? The area around the town is a slope. If those iron lumps go rolling down, they’ll crush soldiers and then cause an explosion like you’ve never seen before. After ramming three of those in, don’t you think it’ll give us a shot at breaking through the encirclement?” (Yuri)

As I said that, Vito looked dumbfounded for a moment, but then he formed a ghastly smile, like a child given a new toy.

“Interesting. Let’s make it happen.” (Vito)

“Now I can finally say it.” (Yuri)

“Yes?” (Vito)

I placed my hand on Vito’s shoulder.

“Survive, Vito.” (Yuri)

“—Understood.” (Vito)

“Let’s both survive and meet again. I’m counting on your work out there.” (Yuri)

Leaving those words behind, I walked off to give the artillery unit detailed instructions.

—

“Your Excellency!” (Dimitri)

When I returned to the church after everything was taken care of, Dimitri approached me, looking alarmed.

“According to a reconnaissance report, the highway to Angelica’s territory has been severed. The bridge has been destroyed.” (Dimitri)

“I see.” (Yuri)

Maybe because of all the grim news, my senses were numb, or perhaps because I had expected this, I felt nothing. If anything, it was more like, “Of course”. After all, the path along the river was technically part of Alfred’s territory.

With such a meticulous plan, it wouldn’t be strange if they had prepared this much. A bridge can easily be destroyed by targeting its structural weak points. It doesn’t take much manpower or money to do so.

“It’s not something that can be patched up like before with an emergency bridge. It’s been completely destroyed.” (Dimitri)

To them, heading north was likely an unexpected move. Being so thorough as to destroy the bridge along that route means they were extremely determined. Well, that’s to be expected. If I were in their position and wanted to finish off an opponent who liked unsettling schemes as much as I do, I’d take those measures too.

“We’ll manage somehow. The fact that there’s a river means that once we cross it, we can defend ourselves there.” (Yuri)

In a retreat battle, you need to fend off the pursuing enemy. Normally, you would defend the position until most of your troops had withdrawn, then fall back and fight, ideally stalling in difficult terrain like forests or narrow valleys, where large armies struggle to maneuver. Naturally, it would be ideal if you can use a river to block the enemy.

“But how will we cross the river?” (Dimitri)

“We’ll build a bridge. That’s why I’ve trained the engineers for times like these.” (Yuri)

Engineers don’t normally engage in actual combat. They are a construction-focused unit. Since engineering skills require knowledge in surveying and construction rather than combat, their training differs completely from regular troops. Of course, they’re also trained in emergency bridge construction.

“Your Excellency, we don’t have much in the way of supply goods. Securing building materials, let alone the bridge construction itself, would be incredibly challenging. If it takes 10 days to build the bridge, we’ll be wiped out by then.” (Dimitri)

“If we use the eagles, we can gather everything right away.” (Yuri)

“…Eagles? Are you saying you’ll use eagles to build the bridge?” (Dimitri)

“Unparalleled mobility is useful in any situation. Don’t worry about that part. I’ll handle it. You just focus on commanding the retreat.” (Yuri)

“Well, if that’s the case, understood…” (Dimitri)

I began walking toward the engineers’ location. I would need to assign a guard and prioritize their movement.

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