WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

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◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 107: Preparations of the North

Despite the Kingdom of Edelstein’s wishes, the situation in the Kingdom of Novakia did not turn around.

Having seized Vantor Fortress and Fort Lecoa as a foothold for their invasion, the Kingdom of Arelia used its remaining strike force of about six thousand men as the core, swelling their ranks with conscripts and mercenaries lured by permission to plunder enemy lands.

With that, they began to ravage the northern territories of the Kingdom of Novakia, where the royal capital lay. It was an overwhelming show of military power, backed by national strength. A mid-sized nation like Novakia had no means to resist.

The total number of troops thrown in at this opportunity exceeded ten thousand. Among them, the conscripts and mercenaries unleashed their desires upon villages and small towns.

Many of them were from the region of Myurei, long an enemy of Novakia, and thus their violence and looting knew no restraint.

As the land was ravaged and Novakia’s nobles struggled even to raise militia, the main army centered on Arelia’s regular soldiers, advanced without hindrance.

Meeting almost no resistance, they pushed eastward through northern Novakia until at last they reached the royal capital, Cēsis.

By this time, the conscripts and mercenaries who had gone out plundering also rejoined, and the great host of more than ten thousand encircled the capital, completely cutting off supplies and reinforcements from the surrounding regions.

Sustaining their logistics through pillage of the royal domain, the most prosperous part of Novakia, the Arelian forces increased their pressure for surrender.

In defiance, King Oscar of Novakia staked everything on a reversal and sallied forth from the capital with roughly four thousand troops.

The royal guard, the regiment entrusted with the defense of the capital, and a levy drawn from the citizens of the city, together they formed King Oscar’s force. In morale, they were in no way inferior to the Kingdom of Arelia.

Yet the uneven training could not be overcome, and above all, they were at a hopeless disadvantage in numbers.

They attempted to break through the enemy lines and strike down the King of Arelia, but the levy units on the flank were struck, causing the formation to collapse.

The small but disciplined body of regular soldiers, though formidable, were ground down as they were held in check by Arelia’s own elite troops, equally formidable in skill.

In the end, the advance was abandoned, and their efforts turned solely to ensuring the survival of King Oscar.

The result was devastating. The levy forces were half destroyed. Of the roughly fifteen hundred regular soldiers, fewer than half made it back to the capital alive.

The capital had lost the majority of its healthy adult men who could be relied upon, as well as most of the arms to equip conscripts.

Among the surviving regular soldiers, only a few hundred remained uninjured. With no hope of victory left, King Oscar accepted the terms presented by King Childebert of Arelia, guaranteed safety and property for the nobles, safety for the citizens of the capital, and the cessation of looting and violence against the people across the kingdom.

Thus, he resolved to surrender.

In barely less than a month, the Kingdom of Novakia was defeated. During this time, the Kingdom of Edelstein had done nothing more than station troops along its border with Novakia. There was simply no opportunity to intervene.

To the east of Novakia lay the Empire of Rigald. They, too, only stationed a certain number of troops in the border regions, offering no aid to their neighbor, a country that had once been an enemy, now bound only by a passive friendship.

Rather than risk depleting their forces in vain by betting on Novakia’s faint hope of a reversal, the Empire chose instead to further strengthen its already solid frontier defenses.

If the Empire did not move, then even if Edelstein sent a small contingent of troops, it would not change the course of the war.

It would only waste precious strength. Sending a large force was impossible as well; there had been nowhere near enough time to prepare the logistics necessary to march thousands across foreign soil.

From this judgment, Crown Princess Claudia, though personally burdened by the guilt of abandoning an ally, resolved to remain a bystander.

As the seasons shifted into early summer, in May, with the wheat harvest approaching, the conscripts were sent home and the costly mercenaries dismissed.

The occupation of Novakia by Arelia’s royal army and the forces of its nobles advanced steadily. Reports from spies placed within the kingdom reached Claudia’s hands.

“King Childebert of Arelia has made the royal castle of Novakia his base, placing the royal family and the principal nobles under watch while preparing a governing structure for the newly conquered territory with annexation in mind.

Order within the Kingdom of Novakia, beginning with the capital Cēsis, is generally stable. Since the surrender of the Novakian royal house, organized pillaging has ceased.

As for acts of violence, it seems King Childebert has issued a strict prohibition, with reports even of public executions carried out on soldiers who disobeyed the order.”

It was Count Alphonse Barten, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the one directing intelligence operations, who spoke at the Privy Council. Listening to his report, Claudia kept her gaze fixed on the surface of the council table, her expression thoughtful. Then she lifted her eyes and spoke.

“From what I hear of the situation, is it not possible that the King of Arelia intends to turn Novakia’s remaining forces against our kingdom?”

So far, King Childebert’s treatment of Novakia had been uncharacteristically lenient.

In the past, for a royal house that resisted even when surrounded in its capital, he would have, at minimum, executed the monarch, imprisoned the consort, and forced the children into a monastic life.

At times, he had gone so far as to slaughter the royal family outright.

Yet this time, not only lives but even property were spared. His clemency extended not just to the royal family, but to the people as well. Looking at past cases, the storm of looting and violence had never ended in as little as a month.

It was not impossible that age had mellowed the King of Arelia, but it was more reasonable to assume that some intention lay behind this treatment.

If she placed herself in the King of Arelia’s position, then after showing kindness as a conqueror, he would demand recompense for that kindness. He would say to Oscar of Novakia: ‘I have treated you gently, now show devotion. If you wish to continue receiving such leniency, prove your worth through contribution.’

The King of Arelia’s goal was the unification of the western continent. If so, the most profitable path for him was to compel the Novakian royal house to cooperate in that aim.

Should the King of Arelia order the royal house of Novakia to attack Edelstein’s border, then Edelstein would be forced to divert substantial forces to defend the northern frontier.

Inevitably, the defense system along the western border would be severely weakened by the burden in the north. Such a disadvantageous state for Edelstein would, naturally, be of great benefit to Arelia, paving the way for the next invasion.

Once the rule over Novakia was settled and the main host returned to home soil, the now-thinly defended western frontier of Edelstein could be struck with ease.

Having deduced all of this in but a few moments, Claudia’s words left Alphonse wide-eyed. Then he nodded in agreement.

“…As expected of Your Highness the Crown Princess. Reports have indeed arrived saying just as you surmised. The Novakian royal house has begun preparations for a march, and it seems their target is the borderland with the Kingdom of Edelstein.”

The other retainers present also showed reactions of surprise and admiration at the Crown Princess’s swift and precise judgment.

Claudia, however, paid such responses no mind. Her thoughts were already moving to the next step.

“Since we have detected signs of a march in advance, our kingdom must act now. We cannot afford to waste time contending leisurely with Novakia… Fortunately, we have already stationed two regiments along the northern border.

They shall be ordered to bring the matter to a swift conclusion. Grant them every freedom in action, support them from the rear, and leave the concrete methods of battle to our capable generals.”

The deployment of forces along the Novakia border had been made with just such a scenario in mind. This time, preparations were in place.

And when it came to military affairs in detail, there were commanders to be relied upon. Rather than meddle from the rear, it was better to grant wide discretion to those who knew war far better than herself.

To ensure they could fight to their fullest, her duty was to provide support from behind. Knowing this, Claudia spoke firmly.

“Also, make ready to send an envoy to the Empire… Convey to that realm that the time of our kingdom’s decisive battle draws near. And secure their aid.”

From the way Arelia was moving to set Novakia’s remaining forces against them, it was clear that Edelstein’s own day of decisive battle was not far off. Perhaps, if soon, even within a year.

If the Empire’s assistance could be secured at that time, the chances of victory would greatly increase. Thus Claudia judged it necessary to reach out to the Empire now.

To brush aside every stratagem of the enemy and drag King Childebert, the root of it all, onto the field of decisive battle—that was the only realistic path to victory for the Kingdom of Edelstein. It was for this reason that, until now, they had withstood Arelia’s ploys and harassment.

This time as well, they would repel the feint from the north, win the aid of their allies, and build a posture prepared to meet the decisive clash with all their strength. That was the duty of herself, the next sovereign.

“These coming months will be the crucible that decides the fate of our kingdom. Each of you, give your utmost to your duties.”

Encouraging the assembled ministers with those words, Claudia brought the Privy Council to a close.

・・・・・・

From the moment Vantor Fortress and Fort Lecoa had fallen, the Ferdinand Regiment had taken up positions along the border with the Kingdom of Novakia, prepared for any sudden turn of events.

The Albrecht Regiment, part of which was stationed in the Elzass Corridor to serve both as homeland defense and rear reserve, had likewise been moved to the northern frontier.

It was in late May that a new order arrived from Crown Princess Claudia to both regiments.

Signs suggested that the Novakian royal house was gathering its remaining forces to advance on the border.

Therefore, the regiments were instructed to take the initiative, make ready for battle, and devise measures to bring the conflict to a swift conclusion. Friedrich heard of this from Matthias, the regimental commander and his foster father.

“The forces that the Kingdom of Novakia can muster should not be many. Should they gather too large a host and arm them fully, it could spark rebellion against their conquerors.

In truth, the King of Arelia’s aim in setting Novakia’s remaining forces upon us can be no more than to force us to divide our strength between north and west.”

The conversation took place in Remscheid, capital of the Bachstein region. Once the residence of the Dukes of Bachstein, its castle now served as the administrative headquarters.

In one of its rooms, now used as the regimental command office, Friedrich stood summoned as Matthias spoke to him.

“To add further, it is hardly likely that the forces of the Kingdom of Arelia will follow after Novakia’s remnants and strike from the north. King Childebert is not so foolish as to fight with a newly conquered and unstable land at his back.”

“…And it seems there is still some time before the Novakian forces begin their march. Having suffered a crushing defeat, their army greatly diminished, and their land thoroughly ravaged, raising militia and forming units will be no easy task.

Since Arelia has only just secured victory over Novakia, they will also wish for now to focus on stabilizing their occupation. I cannot imagine the King of Arelia forcing the Novakians to advance in undue haste.”

Matthias gave a firm nod at Friedrich’s words.

“Just so. Which means that as an enemy, Novakia is not an immediate threat. Yet for the Kingdom of Edelstein, we cannot afford to bleed ourselves against them either.

Our losses must be kept minimal, the enemy rendered powerless in a short time, and our forces returned to the western border, where we must devote ourselves to facing Arelia.”

In that case, the matter was not simply one of achieving victory. As Friedrich thought this, Matthias went on, speaking to the same point.

“What is needed is complete victory. To render the enemy army incapable of fighting in a single decisive clash would be most desirable.

For my part, I have no intention of losing to a host cobbled together from remnants, and I am certain Lord Eisenhut of the Albrecht Regiment feels the same…

That said, we are fortunate to have some time to spare in this situation. If there is a sound stratagem to ensure a greater and more certain victory, then it should be put into effect.”

Listening to Matthias’s words, Friedrich realized why he had been summoned.

“From Her Highness the Crown Princess we have been granted leave to undertake any action necessary for swift and absolute victory… Friedrich. This is precisely the situation in which your ingenuity must be brought to bear. Have you conceived of any scheme?”

“…Do give me… a moment.”

Even before his foster father’s question, Friedrich had already begun to sink into the depths of thought.

Matthias waited silently for Friedrich’s deliberation to end, as did Gregor—standing at his side, his arm fully healed from the wound sustained the previous year. A hush settled over the chamber.

After several tens of seconds, Friedrich finally spoke, laying out the stratagem he had devised.

・・・・・・

With the Crown Princess Claudia’s orders in hand, the two regiments were to fight in concert. To discuss the details, Matthias and Rebecca Eisenhut, Marquess and commander of the Albrecht Regiment, convened a joint war council.

In a conference room of the government building in Remscheid, the commanders of both regiments gathered, along with their adjutants, staff officers, and battalion leaders.

On either side of the council table, the senior officers of each regiment sat arrayed around their respective commanders.

“…I see. It is a harsh plan, but it does indeed promise significant effect. As ever, your foster son comes up with intriguing ideas.”

Having listened to the explanation of Friedrich’s strategy, Rebecca spoke in a voice tinged with admiration, though her expression did not change.

“Since the proposal originated with us, the Ferdinand Regiment will be the one to carry it out. The Albrecht Regiment shall bear the central role in the ensuing decisive battle against the Kingdom of Novakia.”

“Very well. We have already diverted part of our strength to watch the Elzass Corridor, and in terms of mobility we cannot match you and your rapid-response troops. Until the first signs of battle appear, we shall remain in reserve and preserve the soldiers’ strength.”

Rebecca gave a nod without objection to Matthias's proposal.

“Fortunately, my Eisenhut domain lies nearby. At the time of the decisive battle, I can mobilize a considerable number of my domain’s troops and militia.

That should be more than sufficient as fighting strength. After you have carried out your stratagem, you may remain in the rear and observe at your leisure.”

“A generous offer indeed. Then so it shall be.”

The House of Eisenhut, of which Rebecca was head, held a position like that of a leader among the northern lords of Edelstein.

It seemed she intended to make full use of that standing and bring forth her strength in full. Smiling faintly at this, Matthias gave his reply.

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