Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: The Diplomatic Trap
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That bold audacity grounded in solid reasoning—proposing a preemptive strike to seize momentary superiority against overwhelming numbers, targeting the enemy's commander even when they outnumber you more than two-to-one by exploiting any opening.
That was exactly the kind of display Gerhard had hoped for from Victor.
From their previous exchange, he'd already gauged that Victor possessed a commendable grasp of diplomatic insight.
But Gerhard wasn't satisfied with mere competence. He wanted Victor to step beyond that, just as he had on the battlefield.
"The ultimate goal is to use negotiations as a tool to keep Brotan Kingdom under relentless pressure, denying them even the time to regroup—and thereby baiting them into rash action."
True to expectations, Victor wasn't content with their current advantage. He boldly outlined his intent to leverage it, along with diplomacy, for even greater gains.
If that boldness lacked clear foundation, it could easily veer into recklessness. Yet Gerhard couldn't suppress the grin tugging at his lips.
"...This is already enjoyable. Continue."
He was already primed to be convinced by Victor's words.
"It stems from the fact that the enemy, blocked by the mountains, struggles to track our movements, while we—with our abundance of skilled scouts—can easily monitor their positions on the plains."
Gerhard, who had witnessed the prowess of Ruth Kingdom's scouts in recent battles, nodded silently in agreement.
"We'll send negotiations to Brotan Kingdom demanding complete surrender and puppet status—or terms of equivalent severity—to provoke them, while making it clear we have no room for compromise. At the same time, we'll dispatch ongoing correspondence to Ildmar Kingdom and Kaen Kingdom to stage Brotan's isolation. Then, exploiting the information gap, we'll deploy targeted provocations and deceptions to goad Brotan into action."
"Hooh..."
"The key is forcing their kingdom to move its forces. The longer it drags on, the worse their position becomes, so even if their reorganization isn't fully complete, the moment they sense an opportunity, they'll commit their troops."
"And we devour those mobilized forces to crush the kingdom's resistance."
"Precisely. Once we shatter their reckless counterattack, the defeated kingdom will have no choice but to accept those 'provocative' negotiation terms as they stand."
"...Haha."
At Victor's proposal to utterly dismantle the kingdom in one fell swoop,
"Hahahahaha!"
Gerhard burst into hearty laughter, thoroughly pleased.
"Fascinating. Utterly fascinating, Vice Commander Victor."
After laughing so hard he slapped his thigh repeatedly, Gerhard addressed Victor, who still seemed poised with more to say.
"Yes."
"Your proposal to wield diplomacy as a weapon and smash Brotan Kingdom while they're leaping out like their feet are on fire—it appeals to me greatly."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Yet it seems you have more prepared."
Gerhard had initially intended to wrap things up with light advice, but seeing Victor's eyes still burning with intensity after such a proposal, he couldn't bring himself to stop.
"Have you already prepared the rationale for this proposal, right down to the detailed plan?"
He was curious just how far Victor had thought ahead in the brief time since learning of the diplomatic authority's delegation.
He'd been prepared to move on even if the minutiae weren't settled,
"Yes."
"...Heh."
Victor's firm response left him anything but disappointed.
"...Give me a moment. I have some questions."
"Understood."
Gerhard absorbed Victor's reply, carefully mulling over the proposal and formulating questions to refine it.
A few minutes later.
"First, regarding the kingdom's response. You've said you'll compel Brotan Kingdom to act through negotiations, provocations, and deception. But they know full well that Anyak, Saint Tour, and Montpieu are ideal for defense. Drawing them out could prove difficult."
Gerhard began with his questions.
"If you're certain they'll move, I'd like to know why. If not, what alternatives do you have?"
"I'm convinced Brotan Kingdom has no choice but to move."
"Hmm."
Gerhard raised the point out of lingering doubt, despite wanting to trust Victor's judgment—and Victor responded with unwavering confidence.
"It's due to the temperament of Guillaume Châtillon, who ascended to Brotan's throne at a young age."
"..."
"Rumors say he resorts to violence against defeated subordinates or impulsively draws his sword in the throne room, showing irrational tendencies. To assert his authority, he's chosen the high-risk path of personal rule."
"Mm..."
"This could simply mark him as an immature and reckless king. And considering he avoids friction with Antoine Clavier, the long-serving prime minister who wields strong influence at court, it might even be a deliberate act to avoid ceding control to Antoine..."
Gerhard felt a mix of surprise and anticipation at Victor's deeper knowledge of the kingdom's affairs than he'd anticipated, eagerly awaiting what came next.
"More importantly than intent, the result is that Guillaume rules the nobles through something akin to reign of terror, basing his authority on the success of his personal interventions."
"Hmm? Ah..."
"As you said, Commander, Brotan Kingdom will want to avoid reckless offensives. But Guillaume, who built his authority on fear and results, cannot ignore our provocations outright."
Victor pressed on confidently, careful not to overstep into rudeness.
"The kingdom's best move would be to ignore our provocations while allying with other nations or conceding minor points to buy time. But if Guillaume stays passive or yields ground, both his pillars—fear and achievement—will erode, weakening his leadership."
"A significant political risk."
"Exactly. Once our pressure crosses a certain threshold, even maintaining negotiations will be seen as diplomatic incompetence. If he has no intention of abdicating, he'll have no choice but to respond aggressively to our provocations."
"...I understand."
Gerhard inwardly admired Victor's insight as he moved to the next question.
"But as you know, our forces are stretched thin for proactive offensives. After several battles, the kingdom's army has a rough sense of our strength, so they might dismiss our provocations as mere bluffs and respond just as aggressively to our terms."
Having already heard Victor's explanation, Gerhard was half-convinced internally to adopt this third proposal,
"Yes."
"Do you have a way to pressure them into hasty mobilization, beyond mere words?"
Rather than probing the idea's validity further, he asked for specifics on execution.
"I do."
"...Tell me."
"Yes. First, we'll dispatch multiple envoys to Ildmar Kingdom and Kaen Kingdom."
"Hmm... If we could secure their support, it would indeed pressure them. But Ildmar maintains friendly ties with Brotan, so a favorable reply is unlikely. Moreover, reaching Kaen requires passing through Ildmar, making even communication uncertain."
Gerhard countered, feeling Victor's approach seemed too generic and ordinary for the goal. But,
"We don't need a favorable reply. We're not proposing alliance to them."
"...What?"
Victor's response, devoid of any hesitation, defied Gerhard's expectations.
As he pondered its meaning,
"...No way."
His eyes widened as he stared at Victor.
"The envoys to Ildmar and Kaen will do no more than deliver modest gifts."
"..."
"Ildmar will cautiously decline or hedge, while Kaen will naturally accept. From that point, we'll spread rumors to Brotan: 'Ildmar is carefully considering the empire's proposal, and Kaen has accepted it.'"
"Heh... Hehehe..."
At the cunning of that plan, Gerhard let out a low chuckle.
He shuddered at the thought that mere months ago, this man had stood against the empire.
"And the negotiation team dispatched to Brotan will drive the wedge deeper into their unease."
"Negotiation team?"
"Believing himself cornered, Guillaume may resort to extremes—like attacking our delegation—to preserve his authority. In response, we'll return Brotan's prisoners, including Bevis, and use them as our envoys."
"...What do you mean."
"The prisoners needn't convey our intent perfectly. It will showcase our leisure and signal to Brotan that settlement isn't our true aim."
Gerhard hadn't conceived such a method himself, but felt no shame in it.
No one, he thought, could devise every strategy in such a short span.
"This also stokes the kingdom's fear of the empire. Every word from the prisoners will naturally spread tales of that day's crushing defeat and our imperial army's overwhelming might."
Just imagining Guillaume's position made his head spin.
"Touching returned prisoners to save face would expose his own incompetence and signal dire instability within the kingdom. Yet treating them normally would make it seem like Brotan failed to counter our provocations."
This dilemma was no simple puzzle for Guillaume.
If Victor's plan unfolded as intended, Guillaume would have only one viable choice left.
"Slaughtering former allies among the prisoners carries too great a risk, so Guillaume will reluctantly accept them—then seek to demonstrate strength another way to recover his tarnished leadership. A touch of deception here, feigning reinforcements to heighten his impatience, could even accelerate their attack timing."
"..."
"We'll maneuver our forces at the right moment to feign an opening, luring his strike. Unless he exposes it as a trap—which he can't without political fallout—he'll have no choice but to attack."
Speechless, Gerhard stared blankly at Victor for a moment before,
"If I said you frighten me right now, would you believe it?"
"...Is that so?"
"I'll convene a meeting on this tomorrow. Be prepared to present your views then as well."
"Understood."
"Thank you for the counsel. And in the future... I look forward to more."
"My pleasure."
He dismissed Victor first, then sank onto the sofa with genuine relief that such a man pledged loyalty to the emperor.
"..."
Slipping his trembling hands into his pockets, Gerhard remained alone in his office, replaying their conversation in his mind.
The next day.
At the meeting of imperial officers,
"I approve."
"I agree with the vice commander's opinion."
Backed by Gerhard's support, Victor's proposal passed unanimously.