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Chapter 521
Chapter 521
Chapter 521
Chapter 521: A Cowardly Move
"I apologize, Your Highness. We couldn't infiltrate."
"I see. It was indeed a tough task, wasn't it?"
"Indeed, Your Highness?"
Inside the fort.
Returning Lars asked inquisitively.
"Did I upset you by pushing a task that I thought was impossible?"
"No, I simply thought it was unlike Your Highness."
"Unlike me, huh... well, it was indeed a gamble. I thought it was 80% impossible."
"You were hoping for the 20%... Do you think the situation is that bad?"
I nod at Lars's words.
Indeed, we had been set back by Marcel.
But, it had only boosted the enemy's morale. We had not gotten back the lost siege weapons, let alone the time.
"What do you think is the best course of action for the Duke's army in this situation?"
"The best course of action... wouldn't it be to attack the nobles outside?"
"No, it's a siege. However, Marcel will never choose that option. No, he can't."
"Is it because he knows that we have other reinforcements?"
"Yes. He's aware. Because Finne isn't by my side. There's only one destination. He's likely reaching out to Rondine... but threats from the Empire won't work on Rondine. Unlike the undecided Duchy of Albatro, Rondine is entirely pro-Empire. Even if they're threatened, it will only deepen their hostility. So he'll choose another method. But no matter what method he uses, it'll be difficult to hold Rondine down for long."
Controlling a nation's movement for a long time is a herculean task.
If you try to control the king, there are people in key positions in the country.
If you try to control those in key positions, the final decision-making power lies with the king.
If you aim to control both, it's tantamount to taking over the country.
Unless you've been moving from a long time ago, it's impossible, and I don't think Marcel has been leading the Kingdom's plan from such a long time ago.
Besides, I sent Finne and Sebas over there. They'll make sure to move Rondine, no matter what happens.
"Ambassador Marcel is pressed for time and can't use the best strategy. Isn't that advantageous for us?"
"It's too advantageous. That's why I gambled. I thought it would be difficult, but if it succeeded, it would be significant. He's supposed to retreat before the border army arrives. I wanted you to take advantage of the ensuing chaos."
"That much...?"
"That much. In terms of strategy, if the Duchy of Albatro joins the Empire, the Kingdom will be in trouble. That's because the Kingdom boasts of an impregnable fortress because it has a port. The Kingdom once used that port to receive supplies from the Duchy of Albatro. That's why the land-based Imperial Army couldn't take it. We don't want the same thing to happen, so we want to bring the Duchy of Albatro to our side. If we can defeat the Kingdom's navy and attack from the sea, we can take the fortress."
To take the capital, we need to break through that fortress.
But, the Empire can't do it alone.
Learning from past lessons, we're making our move.
But...
"However, that's the Empire's strategy. From the Kingdom's perspective, they would be happy if they could execute the grand strategy of bringing the Duchy of Albatro to their side and coordinating with the Empire... but as long as they can hold the Imperial Army at the border, their strategy won't collapse."
Before the Imperial Army can be driven into the fortress or significantly weakened, the Empire can't achieve its goal.
And Marcel has the power to do that.
"Do you think Prince Leonard will lose?"
"I wanted to eliminate the possibility. But the gamble didn't pay off. It can't be helped. From what I hear from Seig, the female knight escorting him is formidable. Even if you had infiltrated, it would have been doubtful whether you could kill her. Let's consider it a good thing that you failed."
"That much... Who is this Ambassador Marcel?"
"I'm guessing, but he's likely the third prince of the Kingdom, Anthem."
"Prince Anthem!? Is he really here?"
It's just a guess.
I had only told Lars to infiltrate and kill if the opportunity arose.
Because the information was uncertain.
"The commander-in-chief... But I heard he was bedridden from poisoning. It's a famous story, isn't it?"
"But, the likelihood of him being Prince Anthem is highest."
"But... can he suddenly get up?"
"I don't know. All I know is that the ambassador named Marcel is extraordinarily capable. It was worth the gamble just for that."
"Indeed... There are even rumors that the Prime Minister supported the crown prince of the Kingdom because of his competence..."
"That's nonsense. No matter how much the Prime Minister tries, he can't do that. Back then, the crown prince was there. My older brother would never allow it."
"The Prime Minister wouldn't harm the Kingdom's prince unilaterally."
"He must have consulted with my father or brother. Neither of them would allow it."
"If anything, the Imperial Kingdom seems to be the one making secret maneuvers."
"If the Kingdom and the Union Kingdom go to war, and the Kingdom weakens, the Empire would move."
"The Imperial Kingdom would seize that opportunity. There's a possibility they desired such a development."
"But that's irrelevant now."
"But if that is indeed Prince Anthem... he will likely try to settle the matter before the border army arrives."
"That's right. That's why he was in such a hurry to recover morale and silence the nobles. He himself probably wants to settle things fairly."
"By the sound of it, is there a way to settle things that isn't fair?"
"I don't know if it can be called a conclusion, but... from the Kingdom's perspective, as long as Albatro doesn't stabilize while they're fighting the Empire, that's fine. So, there's a move to create a deadlock. Reputation-wise, it's the worst."
"Can we prevent that?"
"It's impossible. But if they go down that road, it's the end. The Duke will be cornered. It's not a complicated move. They will take the Grand Duke in the capital hostage and bring negotiations to the table. If they do such a thing against Julio, who was not even a worthy opponent, it would mean acknowledging their own disadvantage. Eventually, there would be defectors, and it would collapse. But, it can buy time."
It's not a good move, but it can buy time.
It's truly a last resort.
But now, as the border army is about to move.
That last resort is approaching.
"Why wouldn't Prince Anthem use that tactic? Honestly, I don't understand why he would accept the time limit of 'before the border army arrives' to fight."
"The reason is probably one. He likely dislikes such tactics."
"What?"
"He shouldn't be so pure and honest that he hates others doing it, but he probably doesn't want to use such tactics himself. The reason he's trying to settle things forcibly through battle is because if he retreats to the capital, he'd have to use that tactic. He must be aware of that tactic and also know that victory in battle is difficult in this situation. Still, he aims for victory in battle, which is a matter of emotion."
"He doesn't want to use a cowardly move?"
"Cowardly is subjective. Depending on the person, anything can be a tactic, and anything can be a cowardly move. But, taking the Grand Duke hostage and negotiating with the Duke is seen as cowardly by most people. There are fewer people who would say it's not cowardly. I can somewhat understand his feelings. He himself was hit with a dirty surprise attack. He wouldn't want to become the same."
After saying that, I looked at the Duke's camp outside from the window.
Everything up to this point is speculation.
But it's likely not too far off.
It's better to retreat to the capital quickly rather than forcibly aim for victory in battle.
Yet, he aims for victory in battle because he fundamentally prefers a fair fight.
"He's a terrifying man. It means he's confident he can take this fort in a short period."
Ideally, I wouldn't want to pit him against Leo.
But, I don't have enough manpower to take him down.
It's a problem.
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