Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Mass Surrender
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As Victor's speech came to an end, the soldiers' opinions were sharply divided.
"I might get to see my mother again..."
"I wonder how my little brothers are doing?"
The conscripts, who made up the vast majority of the kingdom's army, had no qualms about surrendering.
They had been dragged into service against their will, either for pay or under threats from the nobles, and their goal had always been survival.
They had supported Victor because serving under him offered the highest chance of staying alive.
Moreover, the imperial army had imposed strict limits throughout the war to avoid coercive plundering or massacres that might provoke backlash from the kingdom's people they planned to annex later.
As a result, these soldiers had never had any real reason to fight or any sense of patriotism to begin with, and Victor's confirmation that the empire treated occupied territories and prisoners leniently sealed the deal.
"General Victor's right. The empire doesn't mistreat prisoners or plunder occupied lands—why risk our lives for that?"
"Exactly. If we fight back pointlessly and the war escalates?"
Especially those conscripted in the latter half of the Northern War, or those who had stayed under Victor's command and avoided defeats, felt little resentment toward the empire and had no aversion to surrender.
After Victor had taken command, most engagements had consisted of the Ruth Kingdom army launching surprise attacks and then retreating, culminating in holing up in the castle to await an opportunity.
On the contrary, they harbored far greater resentment toward the nobles who had made their lives miserable, so some were swayed toward surrender by Victor's speech framing continued resistance as something only for the nobles' benefit.
"If the general were staying, maybe..."
"But he's leaving tomorrow? How are we supposed to beat the empire without him..."
Others lost all hope upon realizing Victor himself wouldn't be staying.
This included those who had felt powerless from the overwhelming defeats early in the war, and the troops from the 1st Legion, where Victor's influence was strongest.
They placed no trust in the Ruth Kingdom, now led by strangers they barely knew, and had followed the more reliable Victor instead.
Of course.
A minority, centered around the nobles' private soldiers and noble officers, raised dissenting voices.
"What if he's been bribed?"
"He mentioned the emperor's mercy? Maybe that woman bewitched him."
Since Victor had gone to the empire and returned, some soldiers suspected he had defected in the meantime.
"Surrender to the empire scum who killed Ivan..."
"I'd rather die than surrender to the empire."
Others, harboring grudges against the empire for personal reasons, vowed they wouldn't surrender to them no matter what.
"I can't abandon the Ruth Kingdom just to save my own skin!"
A rare few even displayed patriotism toward the Ruth Kingdom.
"What if this is all part of Victor's scheme?"
"Didn't you see Vladimir confess? What nonsense!"
"It's suspicious. The timing's too perfect."
"He said they did it out of fear when the general returned! The plan was in motion long before!"
Conspiracy theories emerged claiming it was all a plot orchestrated by Victor to enable his surrender.
However, with clear evidence of Vladimir's rebellion and Victor's appropriate actions afterward as acting commander, those pushing such theories faced rejection even among the soldiers.
Victor didn't ignore these complaints.
"Luise, was it? With a face like that, it's no wonder she seduced the general."
"Hmph. Maybe."
"...General?"
Just as he had the previous day, he spent the entire day touring the barracks, meeting soldiers one by one and persuading them personally.
Even though most were willing to surrender, these holdouts harbored such strong resentment that Victor's direct appeals largely failed to sway them.
But the very act of his persuasion, which continued until late into the night, moved the hearts of those who had been wavering.
"He's going that far for us..."
"General Victor's bearing that dishonor for our sake."
"He was the one who wanted to protect the kingdom..."
The soldiers' sentiment rapidly swung toward surrender.
Once the tide had turned decisively, even those who had been hesitant made up their minds to surrender.
The noble commanders of the 2nd and 3rd Legions, who stood to benefit from the kingdom's survival, tried to rally as many opponents as possible, but since they had to avoid drawing attention from Victor—still the supreme commander—or the 1st Legion that would surely follow him, their efforts yielded little fruit.
The forces stationed in Zabrinsk totaled around 28,000 men.
"1st Legion Commander Anna and 7,952 others, reporting in. With 2nd Legion Commander Yuri Igorev absent, I'm also leading an additional 5,184 from the 2nd Legion."
"4th Legion Commander Alexandrov Kalichin, reporting. All 5,986 of the 4th Legion have arrived. Similarly, in place of the absent 3rd Legion Commander Pavel Andreyev, the 4,785 from the 3rd Legion are temporarily under my command."
According to the reports from the assembled legion commanders, a total of 23,907 had followed my surrender order.
The goal had been to secure at least half—enough to dominate the majority—but this number far exceeded my expectations.
This seemed to include virtually everyone except the small minority who had voiced complaints.
Over half from the 2nd and 3rd Legions had moved as well, suggesting the legion commanders' control was weaker than anticipated.
"...Thank you. Since you've all shown such courage, I'll do my utmost as well."
"..."
"Today, we'll march to a point about 20 km from the imperial army's garrison. Prepare your weapons, rations, and tents, then we'll depart immediately."
"Understood."
To minimize confusion among the soldiers while denying opponents time to persuade and mobilize, I had chosen the very next morning.
But with so many following my will, there was no need to rush the march or burden everyone with full gear.
The distance from Zabrinsk to Josef's garrison was about 40 km.
To avoid overtaxing the troops, I had written in the letter that we would camp overnight at the midpoint before proceeding to the garrison.
The terrain to the garrison was relatively gentle, so marching 20 km over half a day shouldn't be difficult.
"Prepare plenty of wagons so the soldiers only need to carry one canteen each."
"Yes, sir!"
Well aware of the horrors of a fully laden march, I opted to lighten the soldiers' loads as much as possible.
It might take a bit longer, but with such numbers, a slight delay was nothing to fear.
And if I wanted them to become my strength later, I needed to treat them well from the start.
Two days earlier, news arrived at Josef Steiner's garrison that a rebellion had erupted in Zabrinsk Castle, resulting in the king's assassination.
Details on how events had unfolded afterward were unknown, but Josef saw it as an opportunity and began quietly preparing to move his forces.
He planned to bide his time, wait for Victor's return, then claim the negotiations were void without the king—the original counterpart—and use that pretext to attack the Ruth Kingdom.
In Josef's eyes, this rebellion was the Noble Faction's chance to make a comeback.
With the rebellion weakening the kingdom's forces and the empire having finished reorganizing, victory seemed assured.
Winning would greatly expand his influence, and any backlash over breaking the truce would fall on the emperor who had declared it.
Of course, it was a high-risk gamble, so he had no intention of rashly attacking the kingdom.
He merely increased border patrols to a level that could be seen as mere precaution against contingencies.
Then, the night before last, Victor's letter reached Josef.
It notified him that the Ruth Kingdom army, represented by Supreme Commander Victor, had decided to surrender to the Dragonia Empire and would depart for the garrison the next morning at 9 a.m. with the surrendering troops.
When he first received Victor's letter, Josef didn't believe it.
The claim that only the army—not the kingdom itself—was surrendering felt odd, and it came from Victor, who had entered Zabrinsk less than a week prior.
No matter how much of a hero he was, Josef didn't think Victor could make the entire kingdom army surrender.
No suspicious movements had been visible from outside the castle either, so he didn't take the letter at face value.
He found it more plausible that the rebellion had tangled things up, forcing Victor to flee into exile.
With guards already bolstered, Josef made no further responses.
He assumed the letter was fake or that even if Victor came with troops, it would only be a handful of close aides.
However, around 1 p.m. that day.
"General Josef! Ruth Kingdom forces are on the move, following Victor who flies a white flag!"
"How many?"
A breathless sentry burst into Josef's tent.
"The column stretches endlessly! At least 20,000!"
"You're certain... No, never mind."
Suppressing his doubts upon the sentry's report, Josef immediately rose to prepare a response.
"...Clear out all the temporary tents and get ready! Request additional supplies! Adjutant! Prepare a letter to His Imperial Majesty!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Right away!"
With Victor and his army already en route, they would arrive at Josef's garrison by tomorrow at the latest.
Treating prisoners poorly would be dangerous for Josef too, as both the emperor and the Noble Faction nobles had emphasized proper handling of captives.
As he prepared to receive the sudden influx of prisoners, Josef quickly drafted his letter to the emperor.
With the kingdom army surrendering, the credit would likely go to him for guarding the border.
The kingdom, now bereft of its army, wouldn't hold out long anyway.
Resuming the war was a gamble for him, but accepting the surrender offered certain rewards.
Josef penned the letter with a joyful heart.
"And increase surveillance on Zabrinsk Castle! We need to keep tabs on the reactions of those who stayed behind!"
"Yes, sir!"
Not forgetting to bolster vigilance in case the kingdom made separate moves—since this surrender was largely Victor's solo act—against any kingdom response.
"...They won't just sit idly by."
Josef didn't stop there.
According to Victor's letter, his army would halt at the midpoint between the garrison and Zabrinsk for camp, arriving tomorrow.
To make his claim on the surrender credit ironclad and portray himself as the one facilitating it.
"Prepare my horse!"
He decided to ride out ahead and greet them personally before they reached the garrison.
"The marching forces have halted and are setting up temporary tents."
"Good. Let's move out!"
That evening, as Victor's army stopped its march.
To avoid overly alarming them, Josef set out from camp with only a small group of officers.