Chapter 202
Chapter 202
The Iron Emperor — Chapter 202
Not a breath of wind stirred.
The field was so still it was almost silent, yet the soldiers of the Haian Kingdom garrison felt a chill, as though they had been stripped naked and cast onto a plain swept by a wind as cold as a blade.
"What's going to happen."
The tense mood had already passed, and voices laced with resignation drifted out.
"Damn it. Even the nobles have no will to fight."
"They're saying that out of seventy thousand men, less than a hundred made it back alive."
The garrison soldiers' talk centered not on victory or defeat, but on survival. News of the complete annihilation of the Unified Roselin forces had already spread.
"So the rest are all dead?"
"......."
A sense of foreboding seeped in among the garrison troops.
Before their eyes stretched the wide encampment.
The sight of the Gauri forces moving about as if on display carried something beyond mere confidence—something that drained the will to fight from all who watched. Other considerations aside, the fact that they had already shattered an army of seventy thousand and were now pushing forward in return was, for all intents and purposes, proof of their strength.
"Something I heard—they say even among the Roselin soldiers, the ones who surrendered were let go without a single finger being laid on them."
"Really?"
At one soldier's words, faces began to brighten. Amid the spreading relief, someone asked cautiously.
"What about the soldiers who resisted?"
"......."
At that question, the soldiers who had been chattering in relief fell silent once more. The soldier who had been asked hesitated a moment before barely managing to speak.
"They say even the ones who tried to run were killed to the last man."
No will to fight remained in the soldiers' minds any longer.
One of the facts deliberately spread far and wide.
Surrender, or death.
They were making a point of not taking prisoners. The notion that the only path to survival was to lay down arms of one's own accord spread swiftly among the Haian soldiers.
Go Jin-cheon, who had been gazing at the palisade where the Haian garrison was stationed, opened his mouth to ask a question.
"Any word?"
At Jin-cheon's question, Mong Ryu-hwa approached, bowed his head, and answered.
"None as yet."
"Hm."
They were likely waiting for a reply to the demands they had delivered to the King of Haian. Jin-cheon said nothing, merely folding his arms atop Gangsoe and appearing lost in thought for a moment.
The Gauri camp was not simply waiting for an answer.
They were weighing whether to strike or not.
Given the Haian Kingdom's conduct, striking would have been the natural course from Gauri's standpoint. But in prosecuting this war, what Gauri needed to demonstrate was not mere victory.
It was overwhelming military force.
And to achieve that, they needed to concentrate every ounce of strength beyond the expeditionary force that had already begun its advance.
They had to push forward with overwhelming power and, with minimal losses, inflict maximum terror and maximum results upon the enemy. For that reason, they could not truly afford to divert their attention to the Haian Kingdom. Yet if it proved necessary, reducing it to ashes was essential. In reality, only a minimal garrison force remained back in the homeland.
That they could nonetheless forcibly levy troops and embark on an expedition was made possible by the fact that Gauri's true circumstances remained unknown to its enemies. Should the truth become known and an empire or another kingdom attempt to wage a protracted war, it would spell annihilation for Gauri.
In a sense, Go Jin-cheon was gambling with the fate of the nation itself. And it was a gamble he could not avoid.
If he could steer this war to the outcome he intended, what he stood to gain was a sphere of influence. A massive shield called Roselin. Just as Gauri had done in ages past—subjugating neighboring states and bringing them within a single fold.
The Haian Kingdom was included in that design. After demonstrating Gauri's military might, he intended to eliminate the influence the various empires held over Haian while simultaneously drawing it into Gauri's fold, just as with Roselin. To achieve that, Haian had to be made a brother-state of Gauri without fail.
Once that was accomplished, Gerard's maritime strength—which he had been building up—could be employed in earnest. To seize control of the seas. Hadn't one of the reasons for Gauri's decline been the loss of the sea routes it had once dominated?
The Haian Kingdom, capable of linking them to the seas that were no less vital than the continent itself, was an indispensable piece. It was only that, for now, dividing their forces would do more harm than good, and so Jin-cheon devoted himself solely to the task of securing Roselin.
* * *
A clamor that belied the name of the great hall of the Haian Royal Palace was erupting.
"It is absolutely unacceptable!"
"How can you speak of courting such disgrace of your own accord!"
The roaring voice of Duke Perisman, First Seat of the Central Noble Council, mingled with that of Deputy First Seat Marquis Iwaen, shaking the great hall.
"It would seem the two lords have been in remarkable agreement of late."
"That is not...."
"Hrrm."
At King Bera Han's sardonic retort, Duke Perisman and Marquis Iwaen, who had been raising their voices, flushed red and momentarily lost their words.
The two nobles had ordinarily clashed on every single matter, each backed by the Holy Empire and the Federal Empire respectively, so they could hardly avoid turning crimson at the king's barb.
After collecting his breath for a moment, Duke Perisman addressed King Bera Han in a somewhat calmer tone.
"This is an unconscionable affair. How lightly must this nation called Gauri hold us, to demand that we open the road for them to invade Roselin? And now you say you would grant it. I cannot consent to this."
"My thoughts are the same. Your Majesty, I implore you to reconsider."
King Bera Han regarded the two nobles and the others casting displeased looks from one side with an air of utter boredom. As though their clamor barely reached his ears.
Once their statements were finished, King Bera Han spoke in a languid voice.
"Was it a matter of pride when you opened the road for the Roselin army to march against Gauri and even supplied them with provisions?"
"That and this are entirely separate matters!"
"How so?"
At Duke Perisman's protest, King Bera Han asked in return as though genuinely curious.
"The Unified Roselin Kingdom is a state recognized by the Holy Empire. How can you compare it to that barbaric Gauri!"
"And so, for a single letter, you opened the road to strike Gauri and provided provisions. Is that it?"
"The provisions were paid for and provided in good faith."
"Paid for they were. And the farmers who received that coin are starving to death, every last one of them."
"......."
At King Bera Han's sneer, Duke Perisman's mouth snapped shut for an instant. But the king's words did not stop.
"So in the end, the actions of Unified Roselin—which, backed by the Holy Empire's power, tossed a few coins tantamount to nothing and plundered grain soaked in the blood and sweat of our people—were more justified than those of Gauri, who looked after our expeditionary force when it was on the verge of annihilation, sent tribute all the way here, and even dispatched an envoy to foster friendship?"
"Your Majesty, you are now speaking words that defy the dignity of the Great Holy Empire."
At King Bera Han's sharp rebuke, Duke Perisman countered in a manner approaching a threat.
"I would sooner take Gauri over a Holy Empire that starves the people of my own kingdom."
"How can you utter such words!"
As King Bera Han's remarks grew increasingly severe, Duke Perisman raised his voice still further. Yet the king continued on, calm and cutting.
"So tell me, my lord—are you a noble of the Holy Empire, or a noble of the Haian Kingdom?"
"How can you say such a thing! Do you doubt the heart of a loyal servant who has always devoted himself wholly to the Haian Kingdom?"
The tension in the great hall grew razor-thin.
Duke Perisman gave free rein to his fury toward King Bera Han, while Marquis Iwaen watched the scene with an expression of amusement.
Into the suffocating atmosphere, King Bera Han answered the duke's rage in an even calmer voice.
"I apologize, Duke Perisman."
"Hrrm."
At the king's apology, Duke Perisman cleared his throat and straightened his chest. But the king's reply was not finished.
"I merely thought I might have been under a misapprehension—seeing as the result of your tireless efforts on behalf of our Haian Kingdom has been our people starving to death by the score; as the envoys Gauri sent to me were screamed at in this very hall by the empire's nobles; and as the empire's knights fell upon Gauri's royal guards in the palace grounds like a pack of wild dogs brandishing their swords."
"Your Majesty!"
Those words were neither an apology nor an admission that he had been mistaken.
Duke Perisman's roar erupted, but King Bera Han paid it no mind, fixing him with a mournful expression and speaking once more.
"Curse this incompetent king who failed to recognize your labors. I fear the only thing I can do for you now is to grant you rest. We have yet to collect the full payment for the supplies we sold off to Roselin in this war, but I shall burden you with that matter no longer."
"What is the meaning of...."
At King Bera Han's sudden pronouncement, Duke Perisman could not finish his sentence. The statement was so unexpected that when every noble stared at the king in astonishment, he swiftly pressed on.
"Do not worry. I believe Marquis Iwaen here will help shoulder the burden. Duke Perisman, return to your domain and rest. Is that not so, Marquis Iwaen?"
"Your Majesty. I merely follow Your Majesty's will."
"Kghk!"
It was an unmistakable decree of expulsion.
And it had come at a masterfully chosen moment.
With the crushing defeat of the Roselin army, Duke Perisman's standing could not help but suffer a blow. Furthermore, with war declared against Unified Roselin, even the Holy Empire found its hands tied by the rivalry with the other two empires. In such circumstances, Duke Perisman was forced to step aside, absurd though it was.
Of course, his power was far too great for stepping aside now to mean stepping aside forever—but in the present situation, he had no choice but to withdraw for a time.
'The king has been losing his mind lately. What in the world has been going on....'
As Duke Perisman exited the great hall, he appeared unable to quell his surging rage. For Marquis Iwaen, now that his political rival was retreating, there was every reason to lend the king his support and no reason whatsoever to shield the duke.
"We shall see."
As he departed the royal palace, Duke Perisman's face bore only shame and fury.