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Chapter 126: Pride Gets in the Way
Matokal, who borrowed a new set of underwear from Rico, took her seat and we began to have dinner. It was our usual lively mealtime, filled with chatter and laughter. However, Matokal’s appetite wasn’t very good.
“Matokal, don’t hold back. Eat up!”
Matokal’s eyes darted around nervously.
“…Meals in this house are quite noisy, aren’t they?”
“Huh? Wouldn’t it be more delicious to eat together and make some noise?”
“Linos, in most noble households, meals are meant to be eaten quietly. It’s only in our house, even when it’s not a party at the mansion, that we have lively meals like this.”
Rico chimed in to support me.
“Is that so? Then, should we eat quietly?”
“No, this is fine as it is. I was a bit surprised at first, but I’ve grown accustomed to it, and I actually enjoy eating with everyone.”
“That settles it then.”
“Who would have thought that a defeated general would be invited to the enemy general’s residence and be treated like this… It’s unheard of.”
“Treated? They’re just telling you to eat and go, aren’t they?”
“Well… even so…”
“Don’t say such serious things. Look, because of you, the fried chicken is gone!”
“It’s not my fault…”
“It’s alright. There’s still more. Please continue eating, Matokal.”
After dinner, I accompanied Rico in escorting Matokal back to Juka.
——————-
A few days later, a certain report reached the Lamaron Army stationed at the border of the Hideita Empire.
“What? The Imperial Army from Juka’s capital is heading south?”
“The… the Great Demon Lord’s army has begun to move?”
“If that’s the case… we…”
“Enough! What good does it do to be frightened like this?”
The one shouting at the hesitant soldiers was Armond, the commander of the Third Army.
“Even if it’s the Great Demon Lord, if the entire Imperial Army mobilizes, we won’t be at a disadvantage! Instead of that, we should first strike the enemy in front of us!”
“Armond, hold on.”
Interrupting his words was General Carius, the overall commander.
“If we don’t determine the capabilities of the Great Demon Lord’s forces, our own casualties could escalate. We must send out scouts and carefully assess their strength.”
“General, you always act like this! Being so cautious will affect the morale of our soldiers!”
Armond was furious from the depths of his heart. Why wasn’t the commander defeating the enemy before their eyes and triumphantly returning to the empire?
After the elite Imperial Matokal Unit captured Juka, a Hideita army of over 100,000 troops pushed towards the border. This was expected from the beginning, so the Empire immediately dispatched a force of 100,000 troops under the command of General Carius.
The Lamaron Army, consisting of 150,000 troops after merging with the initially stationed 50,000 troops at the border, completed their formation, facing off against the Hideita army across the Ilbezi River, which served as the border. The Ilbezi River was a mountainous river, and both the Imperial and Empire forces entrenched themselves on opposite sides of the river, setting the stage for mountain warfare.
Lamaron had planned to send 10,000 reinforcements to Juka. However, they received news of the annihilation of the Matokal Unit and the resurrection of the Great Demon Lord. Carius immediately decided to freeze the upcoming operation, resulting in a stalemate on the front lines.
Armond and the staff officers, along with Carius, shared the same thought: that the troops should be withdrawn to the Imperial capital for the time being. However, the Hideita army in front of them posed an obstacle to that plan. Combined with the Great Demon Lord’s actions, they had held multiple military councils in the past few days, but no effective strategies had emerged.
Armond was growing anxious. The current location where the Empire was positioned was the meeting point of the Hideita and Juka borders. If the Great Demon Lord’s forces appeared here from Juka, the Lamaron Army would be surrounded. In such a scenario, the Empire would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage.
As the overall commander, Carius hadn’t been idle either. He had even shared the information about the Great Demon Lord’s resurrection with the Hideita side and proposed a ceasefire to counter the Demon Lord’s forces. However, the Empire scoffed at the messenger, denying the existence of the Great Demon Lord and rejecting the proposal.
However, in reality, this had turned into a tit-for-tat situation due to the Empire’s high-handedness, and the truth was that the Hideita side also desired a swift withdrawal.
“…However, Lamaron isn’t budging,” murmured Lycen, the Southern Army Commander of the Hideita Empire, to his staff officers.
“On paper, they have the advantage. However, the renowned Count Basam has captured the capital of Juka. If we wait a little longer, they might also retreat…”
“The Demon Lord is resurrected and will attack us here. If we retreat back to our country based on such rumors, we will be mocked for a long time.”
“If we withdraw quickly, we can also retreat.”
“Yes, but considering their nature, they might charge at us or try to flank us from behind. We must maintain strict vigilance.”
Thus, both armies maintained a posture of waiting for the other side’s move, resulting in a stalemate.
“…That’s the situation.”
“A stalemate, huh?”
I was drinking tea in a room in the barracks next to the northern gate of the capital with the old general and Kunogen.
Having gone to the southern lands with Layfence to deliver relief supplies for three days, I heard that the border where the Imperial Army and Lamaron were facing off was nearby. I used Ilymo’s Wings to get there ahead of time and observed the front lines. There were no signs of battle, just both armies glaring at each other across the river.
“Shouldn’t someone intervene and mediate? Should I go?”
“No, it would complicate matters if Lord Linos were to mediate. After all, you are the Emperor’s brother-in-law. If someone is to mediate, it should be someone who is not too closely associated with Hideita and Lamaron.”
“Is that so?”
It seems that both sides are in a situation where they can’t retreat. If either side withdraws, they might be able to retreat, but both countries’ honor is at stake, so they can’t just withdraw easily.”
“That’s absurd.”
“Well, you can say that. Even from a strategic standpoint, retreating from a mountainous area requires meticulous preparation, as it can result in significant losses. There is no guarantee that you won’t be attacked during the retreat. If there is someone who can do it, it would be Kunogen, right?”
“It’s impossible for me, General.”
“How would you retreat then?”
“Well… I would disguise ourselves as if the Imperial Army were in the mountains and retreat under the cover of darkness.”
“I see. But won’t Lamaron mock us for deserting in front of the enemy?”
“We can ignore those kind of people. In fact, wouldn’t it be more impressive to withdraw gracefully overnight, proving the Imperial Army’s high level of training?”
“…Kunogen, you’re optimistic. I don’t dislike that idea. However, does the southern army have that level of training? To silently retreat from the mountains in the middle of the night without making a sound. If they can do that, it would certainly be praiseworthy, but it’s quite difficult. Even with my personal guards… I wonder?”
The old general chuckled.
“Then, General, what would you do?”
“Hmm, if it were me… I would aim to inflict a certain level of damage on the enemy, divert their counterattack, and then retreat… However, I apologize, I can’t think of how to achieve that damage. Ultimately, I might end up adopting a strategy like Knogen’s.”
“On the contrary, if we were to inform the enemy about this plan, they might retreat in reverse, don’t you think?”
“That could be possible, hahaha.”
The two of them laughed heartily.
“However, here’s the thing. The soldiers will continue to wear down if we continue like this. It is certain that we need to take some action before that happens.”
The old general spoke with a serious expression. I stood there, arms crossed, thinking about it. How could we retreat both armies with minimal losses?
“I’ve come up with a plan. I’m not sure if it will succeed…”
I explained the details of the plan to the two of them.
“Interesting! It’s worth trying! Truly worthy of Lord Linos. It’s unheard of, indeed.”
“Well then, shall I start preparing immediately?”
“Kunogen, get ready right away. We should hurry.”
“Um, General Layfence, this is just a suggestion…”
“No, it’s enough. I will write a letter to Lycen. No, perhaps it would be better to receive a royal decree?”
Completely ignoring me, the old general eagerly started thinking about making arrangements.
“Well, living a long life has its benefits. I never expected such an interesting plan to be devised. This is going to be fun. Fun indeed. Fufufufu.”
…It seems like this old man might be a battle fanatic after all.