Chapter 232
Chapter 232
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 232
Chapter Title: 99% Truth, 1% Lies (3)
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Stockholm Palace, Conference Room
The King of the Stockholm Kingdom, Christian von Basa, slammed his fist on the table repeatedly, his voice booming with rage.
"What the hell are we supposed to do to get out of this crisis! Ministers, generals—give me some real ideas, damn it! At this rate, our kingdom is finished!"
Christian bellowed at his ministers, who were all two or three decades his senior, but it was clear even the king had no solutions of his own.
The ministers, overwhelmed by the unprecedented crisis of the capital being under siege—a rarity in the kingdom's history—had thrown up their hands in defeat. No one stepped forward with a viable plan in response to his outburst.
"Why the hell doesn't the Stockholm Kingdom have a single talent capable of catching that slimy, cunning bastard who's barely out of his twenties—like a scheming serpent or a sly fox? What the hell have the Minister of Military Affairs and the other generals been doing running the Stockholm Staff College and Academy all this time? Why don't we have anyone who can stand up to that one young pup!"
At those words, the ministers—who had been vying for greater influence in the central government, sometimes cordially and other times with outright hostility—all shared the exact same thought.
'Even the Empire doesn't have anyone who can handle that guy. It's not that we're incompetent; that bastard's just insanely capable. So why the hell did he set up this mess and now dump all the blame on us?'
Meanwhile, the king felt a thirst gripping his throat amid the panic of the capital's siege.
He gulped down the water from the glass right in front of him and glared at the Foreign Minister as he stood.
"Foreign Minister, what do you have? Even something small—speak up."
"Requesting additional reinforcements from the Warsaw Grand Duchy is our best option, Your Majesty."
"You want me to bow my head to that rootless grand duke again?"
"I beg your pardon, but right now, survival must be your only concern. If the capital and the royal family fall, Your Majesty's pride—and we nobles along with it—ends here."
When the Foreign Minister declared the potential end of the royal line or something equally dire, the ministers were shocked, yet not one dared refute him.
The sight only deepened Christian's anxiety, but he still possessed enough reason to know that no amount of struggling would change the harsh reality.
'If I survive this crisis, I won't escape the responsibility as king. But the Foreign Minister, Minister of Military Affairs, and Field Marshal Bwadiswaf—those three will bear the heaviest blame.'
He resolved to employ the time-honored tradition among politicians, past and present: shoving the blame for the higher-ups' failures onto their subordinates.
"Part of me wants to grill the Foreign Minister of a nation for failing to predict the betrayal by our ally, the Sweden Kingdom. But time is too short for nitpicking, so we'll skip that. Let's ask the Capital Defense Commander."
"I shall answer with utmost sincerity."
"I'm told there are about 40,000 soldiers and 100,000 male citizens inside Oslo Castle right now, while the Reich Empire forces outside number only 85,000. So if I, Christian von Basa, lead them out and fight, don't we have a shot at victory?"
The ministers suspected the king was just posturing in front of them, but seeing the sincerity in his eyes eased their doubts and anger somewhat.
Capital Defense Commander Lübeck shook his head firmly.
"Your Highness's noble resolve fills me with deep respect. However, trained soldiers against ordinary citizens? The citizens will always lose. If we open the gates relying on numbers alone, defeat is almost certain."
"......"
"Then how about a surprise raid to catch them off guard? I'll lead the knights myself and stomp on the enemy headquarters before returning."
The ministers hoped the king's proposed operation might buy them some time if accepted.
'If the guys fighting those Sweden bastards come down and join us, we might even take down that Jaeger bastard.'
It was the kind of optimistic delusion that Lieutenant General Jaeger would have mocked as a wildly spinning fantasy.
"The enemy is that Jaeger. He's surely prepared for it already. Worse, he'd likely have everything set to capture Your Highness the moment you step out. I am deeply ashamed of my incompetence for offering no better countermeasure, but as a noble and general of the Stockholm Kingdom, I must oppose this plan."
Hearing this, Christian forcibly suppressed his anger and returned to his seat. Then, the conference room door opened, and someone entered.
"Minister of Military Affairs Oxenburg has returned from negotiations with Lieutenant General Jaeger."
Christian and the ministers asked in voices mixed half with hope and half with dread.
"Minister of Military Affairs, how did the negotiations go? Is Jaeger willing to withdraw?"
"This concerns the kingdom's future. Tell us everything."
"You bring good news, right? Speak up."
But instead of answering properly, Oxenburg wore a grave, somber expression.
His face said more than words ever could, leaving Christian and the ministers stunned and speechless for a moment.
"I have concluded negotiations with Lieutenant General Peter Jaeger and return to report to Your Highness and the ministers. General Jaeger has no intention of negotiating peace with us. No—in fact, he's eagerly awaiting a prolonged war."
"He plans to keep the siege going indefinitely?"
"Yes, Your Highness. He has no thought of ending the war. If anything, he seemed eager to escalate it."
Shock, fear, and confusion rippled through the ministers.
The Foreign Minister, in particular, was thrown into deeper turmoil. Intelligence from diplomats had indicated the Reich Empire lacked the resources for a drawn-out war.
"Commander Gerhard von Keitel, the Reich Empire's expeditionary force leader, has established a flawless supply system without a single gap. Thanks to that, even stationed near Oslo, the Reich forces receive endless supplies via sea transport."
"You're taking the enemy's word at face value?"
"It's confirmed by scouts we sent. Jaeger claims he can maintain the siege for a year, two years—no problem. And he looks fully capable of it."
"...... That can't, it can't be..."
"On top of that, the war-mad bastard has a perfect plan in place to request reinforcements from the Reich Empire."
A heavy silence fell over Christian and the ministers.
"No, Your Highness. He might not even need those reinforcements. The Sweden hicks still don't know we lost at the Ösby Plains, so they haven't mobilized more troops yet. But we can't predict when they will. So... in the worst case..."
The Minister of Military Affairs trailed off, unable to voice the outrageously grim scenario aloud—but everyone knew what he meant.
'The Sweden Kingdom Army and Reich Empire Army joining forces to breach Oslo Castle, capturing the king as a prisoner.'
As that possibility loomed ever closer to reality, Christian hurled his glass to the floor.
The shattering crash sounded like an omen of the Sweden Kingdom's dark future, filling the king and ministers with dread even at the noise itself.
"Damn it all! Fine, Minister of Military Affairs. Did that Jaeger bastard offer any peace terms?"
Oxenburg shook his head.
"I was kicked out midway. Lieutenant General Jaeger—that war-crazed berserker swordmaster—wants to see our blood."
At this point, Christian wondered if he'd committed some grave sin against Deus to deserve this fate. He even thought that, siege lifted, he'd attend mass daily to atone.
Then the conference room door burst open, and a general strode in quickly, dropping to one knee to report.
"Your Majesty, Tosby Castle has fallen to two Sweden divisions!"
The shock parted everyone's lips in unison. Before they could close, a messenger rushed in.
"Your Highness, Uppsala Castle is under siege by the Sweden 1st Corps! We need reinforcements!"
...... As Lieutenant General Jaeger's prophecy came true, Christian's fragile mind couldn't withstand the brutal reality.
He lost consciousness and collapsed to the floor... but he didn't die.
He had merely been thrust into a position where he'd have to accept a negotiation as humiliating as death itself.