Chapter 259
Chapter 259
Iron Emperor — Chapter 259
Baron Gowin's lengthy explanation was something everyone had already anticipated. Still, the generals of pure Gauri origin continued to wear expressions of disbelief.
"The scale of warfare between the empires is unexpectedly small."
When Jin-cheon remarked on it, the generals' eyes turned simultaneously toward Gowin. They likely had the same question.
"There were two great wars, one a thousand years ago and another five hundred years ago, but since then there has been virtually no large-scale clash. There was some proxy-warfare activity, but in the end, as various states were annexed here and there, it all came down to localized conflicts—power-struggle engagements fought every ten or twenty years."
"Why?"
The exchange continued between Jin-cheon, who could not comprehend it, the Gauri armed commanders with him, and Gowin, who wore an expression of finding it all perfectly natural.
"The Holy Empire's power surpasses the other two empires but was never overwhelming. In fact, during the past clashes among the Three Great Empires, an astonishing number—roughly one million—were mobilized. Yet in the end, no one achieved victory, and the aftermath forced the Emperors of both the Holy Empire and the Maritime Empire to abdicate their thrones. Since then, a strict balance of power has been maintained."
At Gowin's explanation, Jin-cheon let out a short laugh.
"As expected...."
Seeing Jin-cheon nod, Gowin replayed his own words in his mind, searching for anything that might have warranted such a nod.
"If we’re talking quality, North Roselin’s army might actually be better, no?"
"Mm."
"What do you mean by that? It is true that North and South Roselin's long conflict has elevated their soldiers' practical combat ability, but the Holy Empire's Massed Battle Array is reputed to be virtually invincible."
Gowin's expression was full of caution as he conveyed to Jin-cheon and Buru that this was not something to take lightly. The answer, however, came from Dae Mu-deok, who had been merely observing from one side.
"Tell me, where does that assessment of invincibility come from?"
"It was proven in the previous wars."
"About five hundred years ago, is it?"
"......."
"Or are you talking about those power-struggle engagements?"
"Well, that is...."
At Mu-deok's questions, Gowin showed a moment of confusion.
"Before we came to this place, our Gauri waged war continuously for seventy years. Of course, we fought countless wars before that as well. We fought the Sui Dynasty's great army of over a million, and repelled every invasion of hundreds of thousands of troops."
"What?"
Gowin, who could not possibly have known such facts, wore an expression of sheer bewilderment.
"What I am saying is, war is not decided by the number of heads."
"The million Emperor Yang sent was a million on paper, sure, but they weren't all tied up at Hanseong."
When Buru snickered and seized on the point, Jin-cheon bared his white teeth and laughed in return.
"Exactly. In the end, the Holy Empire's three hundred thousand, when you examine it closely, is not truly three hundred thousand. Sustaining and operating a long supply line requires that many personnel. Though our own problem is the manpower tied up in supply—frankly, we must accept that our troop-mobilization capacity has already reached its limit."
"Hmm."
Back to square one.
Only Gowin, utterly unable to grasp what they were talking about, rolled his eyes and glanced around.
"Let us think on it a while longer. Risel."
"Yes."
Risel, who had been of almost no help from his corner, bowed his head at Jin-cheon's summons and made his presence known.
"I think I will need to meet with Gerard."
"In person, you mean?"
"Yes. It seems I will have to mobilize even the naval forces fully."
At Go Jin-cheon's words, Risel nodded. When you considered it, the naval troop numbers were not insignificant. Thanks to having absorbed the pirates, every young man knew how to handle a weapon and could practically be considered a soldier.
"Then I shall prepare an escort and horses."
When Dae Mu-deok spoke of preparing for the journey, Jin-cheon shook his head.
"Only Risel and Hwi-garam will accompany me."
At Jin-cheon's words, Risel's face crumpled. He had been reduced to a mode of transportation once again.
"Hoo. I shall prepare the teleportation magic circle."
Before the words were even fully out, Risel rose to his feet of his own accord, and Jin-cheon wore a satisfied expression as he gave Mu-deok a few more preparations to make.
"Mu-deok, prepare some suitable liquor for a morale visit."
"Understood."
"Huh?"
Just as Mu-deok was about to rise to carry out Jin-cheon's orders, Ung-sam's voice abruptly burst out from one side.
"You’re a general in name only—what kind of way is that to talk?"
Buru, who was nearby, turned red and rebuked Ung-sam. But Ung-sam ignored him and quickly turned to Gowin with a question.
"So, how do the empires handle supply?"
"W-well, they use wagons and the like."
To Ung-sam's matter-of-fact question, Gowin gave an exceedingly ordinary answer.
"Do they not transport goods using magic, such as teleportation?"
"For short distances, perhaps, but over long distances it becomes difficult. There is not a single precedent in all of military history."
Gowin's reply to Ung-sam's question was definitive.
"Magic of that level would require a caster approaching the rank of Archmage or an enormous quantity of mana, but since no such being exists, there has never been a case of...."
"......."
Gowin's voice, mid-answer, gradually faded until no sound came out at all.
A sudden silence descended.
In that instant, every eye in the room turned toward Risel.
Gulp.
The sound of Risel swallowing echoed with unusual loudness.
"Approaching the rank of Archmage...."
Flinch.
Jin-cheon broke the silence as if speaking to himself.
It was only a small tremor of the shoulders, yet Risel's trembling was palpable to everyone. Ung-sam immediately followed up.
"And if we add an enormous mana capacity...."
Flinch!
Buru's voice cut in like a punctuating interjection.
"There is certainly such a person right here."
Shudder.
Risel's form trembled violently.
"It will be the first precedent in history."
With Jin-cheon's pronouncement, Risel's anxiety became reality.
"Hahaha, this is a great blessing upon Gauri!"
Mu-deok's hearty laughter rang out. And with that, the great Archmage Risel's grueling supply struggle began.
* * *
A cluster of bright light wove through the empty air, blending beautifully. The eyes of those watching the light held reverence.
Thud.
"Huk!"
"Lord Risel!"
"He has collapsed from exhaustion! Quickly, carry him inside!"
The problem was the commotion that erupted at the end of that light. Dark shadows hung beneath the limp Risel's eyes, and on the faces of the wizards scurrying about was an expression that said the inevitable had finally happened.
"......."
"Mm."
Amid the bustling movement of wizards and soldiers, there were those who remained perfectly still—Go Jin-cheon and his party. Watching Risel, slumped lifelessly like a corpse and being carried away, with eyes full of pity and fear of what aftereffects might follow, was none other than the instigator, Gye Ung-sam.
In contrast, Jin-cheon stood stroking his chin in thought, while beside him, Hwi-garam worked a brush as if compiling statistics.
"Is he all right, Teacher?"
Calling him the teacher who had instructed him in the culture of the continent, Eulji Buru murmured in a worried tone, in his own way.
"It is the third time now, he will be getting used to it. Do not worry."
Eulji Uru scratched his head as he answered. The name of the teacher abandoned by his disciple was, of course, Risel.
"The summary?"
"It is finished."
Hwi-garam put away the brush he had been writing with and answered Jin-cheon's question. At that, the generals around Jin-cheon turned their heads, their eyes demanding the results. As if satisfying their desire, Hwi-garam leafed through the organized documents and began to lay out the findings.
"First, assuming we supply the expeditionary force at the absolute minimum and set that force at sixty thousand, the result indicates that a certain degree of supply will be possible."
"Ooh!"
"What joyous news!"
The most delighted were, as ever, Uru and Buru. If concerns over supply could be alleviated, it would naturally be advantageous in many respects. It meant they could keep rampaging as freely as they were now.
Hwi-garam's explanation continued amid their cheers.
"Based on the results of experiments for various operational methods, considering a magical supply unit led personally by the Uljeol, a number of about ten is the most efficient. This is because the core of the magic is, in any case, handled by the Uljeol himself. Since the number of wizards is already critically insufficient, this scale can, rather, be regarded as appropriate."
Jin-cheon was nodding at Hwi-garam's explanation. Gowin's face, however, was tinged with worry.
"The Holy Empire's magical power is on an entirely different level. That aspect cannot be ignored. The frightening part of this battle is precisely that."
"Since when has magical power ever been sufficient? You fight with what you have, matching it as best you can."
When Buru thumped his chest and boasted, Gowin, who had raised the point, shook his head.
"The existence of wizards is not something to be taken so lightly."
Gauri did not despise wizards, but neither did they consider wizards absolutely essential to warfare. In truth, the reality was that aside from Risel, wizard power did not play a particularly significant role within Gauri itself.
Excluding Risel, a 4th Circle master represented the highest level of skill, and most of the rest were 2nd or 3rd Circle. If one considered a wizard practically useful in combat starting from the 3rd Circle, the genuinely helpful ones, apart from Risel, numbered at most about twenty. The remaining forty or so were essentially apprentice wizards at or below the 2nd Circle master level.
Even so, Gauri had accepted them on a national level because they were profoundly grateful for even that much. Of course, from the wizards' perspective, rather than receiving poor treatment in other kingdoms, it was better to learn under the Archmage Risel and receive at least some recognition in Gauri.
The fortunate points were the ignorance of the Gauri leadership and Risel's character.
Jin-cheon's view on wizards was that having many was sufficient....
This was also the basis for his complacent assumption that their skill would improve if they were driven mercilessly enough. And why wouldn't he think so? Hadn't Risel himself been a 2nd Circle wizard treated like a pebble when he first came crawling in?
The formula in Jin-cheon's head ran as follows:
Risel → 2nd Circle wizard → grew into an Archmage.
Many other 2nd Circle wizards → same starting conditions as Risel → all grow into Archmages.
It was an absurd formula, but fortunately, such thinking was confined to Jin-cheon and the Eulji Brothers.
Be that as it may, thanks to this mindset, Jin-cheon's treatment of wizards was generous even for those of low Circle. Though there had been an occasion when Risel, deeply moved by his actions, asked a question and then shut himself away for some time.
Jin-cheon's answer at that time had been....
'One's the same as the next. A child grows up and becomes an adult—that is simply the way of things.'
There was even a story that, upon hearing this answer, Risel had foamed at the mouth and wailed alone, 'A magic circle does not rise simply by feeding it like a growing child!'
Whatever the cause, looking only at the result, it was thanks to the head of state Jin-cheon's equal treatment without discrimination and Risel's devoted teaching of the lower wizards—never forgetting his own tadpole days—that the wizards remained content and stayed despite receiving comparatively less practical respect and financial support than they would in other countries.
Had another country ordered its Archmage to devote himself entirely to the supply struggle, he would probably have rained three or four Hell Fires on the royal palace and defected without a backward glance.
Much less could they even imagine such human experimentation as this.