Chapter 86
Chapter 86
The Iron Emperor — Chapter 86
In the command tent of the North Roselin camp, Duke Camillien Perren Roselin was lifting a glass of wine to his lips with an air of perfect leisure, despite having failed to take the fortress by siege.
"Your Grace, Baron Bels will not be able to hold out much longer."
"Heh heh heh. The little vermin. He thought I wouldn't be able to catch his tail if he waged a guerrilla campaign, didn't he?"
"Indeed he did."
Duke Perren had only found his first real lead after losing five thousand soldiers. The clue was that the attackers all had black hair. The conclusion, in short, was that these were Northern warriors.
Northern warriors in name, but it was no exaggeration to say that nearly all of them lived in South Roselin. So he had widened his surveillance net and pursued them relentlessly, which finally led him to this place where the Northern Mercenaries were gathering. On top of that, he had gained an unexpected prize: Baron Silen Bels, the man who could be called Marquis Helios Baikal's right hand, was here as well.
When Marquis Baikal's Eastern Army had withdrawn, Baron Bels had put on a show of bluff and bluster to buy time for the Marquis and the Eastern Army to pull back. For that reason, Duke Perren's feelings toward Baron Bels were anything but charitable.
"Rat-like little wretch. Your luck has run out."
Duke Perren's smile only deepened.
* * *
"It's impossible!"
"What is?"
A young commander of the South Road Army shouted with a stricken expression. But Go Jin-cheon's face as he shot back the question was not merely impassive—it was utterly unruffled.
"It's not twenty-five hundred. It's twenty-five thousand!"
"I know."
The young officers who had until now regarded Jin-cheon with deep respect watched their expressions fall at his indifferent reply. Yet unlike them, Eulji Buru and Eulji Uru were staring at their reactions as if they found them utterly baffling.
"Damned fools. Panicking without ever having tried to make a plan—what sort of flailing about is that?"
"Would be nice if I could make out a word of what you're saying. Let me have a go at that thing."
"Here, give it a listen."
Buru, who wore the Interpretation Ring he had received from Risel before setting out on the expedition, spoke gruffly, and Uru pressed him, clearly curious about what was being said. Buru smirked and handed over the ring.
"If we combine His Majesty's forces with our South Road Army, we have only a little over a thousand men. In that situation, even if we strike at their rear, the effect will be negligible. More than negligible—the battle itself is impossible from the start."
"It is not a thousand. By tomorrow, three thousand of our elite troops will arrive. And the South Road Army will be reinforced by five hundred more soldiers. That makes it worth attempting."
"Even so, that is fewer than five thousand."
Uru frowned at the words reaching his ears. The young officers from South Roselin were arguing that it could not be done. Unable to listen any longer, Uru opened his mouth as if his temper had caught fire.
"You fight a war by counting heads, do you?!"
"But there has to be at least some parity in numbers."
"Has there ever been a time we faced fewer enemies? It's always nearly double or triple!"
The young officer answered Uru's outburst with palpable frustration.
"But this time, the difference is in the tens of thousands."
Jin-cheon watched the quarrel between Uru and the South Roselin-born commanders of the South Road Army, his face utterly blank as he poked a hole in an egg on the table and drank from it.
Slurrrrp.
"......."
The sound of the egg sliding down Jin-cheon's throat brought the argument to a momentary halt. The South Road Army officers shook their heads at his nonchalant demeanor, while Buru stretched out a hand and began poking a hole into an egg of his own.
Tsk.
The smack of Jin-cheon's lips echoed loudly through the tent where the conference had ground to a stop. Seeing that the South Road Army officers' eyes had all somehow fixed on him, Jin-cheon set the shell down on the table and spoke.
"Anything more to say?"
"I repeat, it is impossible."
The officer's firm voice rang out again. At that, Jin-cheon nodded.
"Then you withdraw."
"Your Majesty!"
At Jin-cheon's tone—as though their presence or absence made no difference either way—the South Road Army commanders raised their voices. They reacted this way because their concern for Jin-cheon's unit ran deep.
They had not sworn an oath of fealty, but there was a bond of camaraderie forged over time as they fought a common enemy together.
Whether a nation called Gauri existed or not mattered little to them. They still only half-believed in its existence, and Go Jin-cheon's men had made no particular effort to convince them otherwise. But camaraderie was not the same as being willing to throw away their lives.
"We have no need of you, so I said withdraw!"
"General Uru!"
When even Uru—the very man who ought to be reining them in—joined in, the young South Road Army officers sprang to their feet, shouting. At that moment, Jin-cheon's voice rang out.
"Based on the reconnaissance we've carried out so far, I have concluded that this is entirely feasible. Of course, in war, numerical difference is absolute. But the enemy has overlooked one fact. Namely, that their rear-area security is lax. The truth is, the South Roselin theater consists only of the front where your Marquis Baikal is positioned and this place, Vihanen Fortress. And from piecing together how Vihanen Fortress is holding out along with surrounding intelligence, you do know that a significant number of resistance fighters have gathered here, yes?"
"That is correct."
The South Road Army officer nodded at Jin-cheon's explanation.
"If that is the case, we must consider that very little remains of the resistance. In that situation, if even Vihanen Fortress falls, what remains of the main strength will be absorbed into the Eastern Army. And given that Holy Empire units have been appearing from time to time, there is simply no room left for us to fight."
"......."
"As for us, we can simply withdraw and be done with it."
"Your Majesty!"
Desperate voices burst out. Seeing the dismay written on the faces of the South Road Army officers, two sharp furrows began to form between Jin-cheon's brows.
'Uh-oh... He's good and pissed now, he is.'
Buru, who had been drinking his egg, shook his head as he warily eyed the situation.
"As you yourselves said, our numbers are small. So it makes no difference if you withdraw, does it?"
"......."
The South Road Army officers fell silent at Jin-cheon's words. They could not bring themselves to say, 'If you would keep harrying the enemy's rear with your small force and prevent the enemy's full strength from concentrating against the Eastern Army, then please stay.'
Jin-cheon understood their intentions as well. That mutual interest was precisely why he had fought alongside them to begin with.
"A unit of a thousand men united in purpose is stronger than a unit of ten thousand that is not. Withdraw. In exchange, I will share equipment and supplies with you. This is where our bond ends. Each of us goes his own way. Any objections?"
"......."
At Jin-cheon's words, the South Road Army officers shut their mouths like mute men who had swallowed honey. If they withdrew here, they would command the existing five hundred men of the South Road Army plus the five hundred South Roselin soldiers due to arrive—a force of a thousand. That was a number with which they could seek to link up with the Eastern Army.
"Amusing. The very men who ought to be fighting are the ones pulling out."
Jin-cheon's voice flew into the hearts of the young officers and lodged there. Among the officers who hung their heads as though guilty of a crime, one raised his head and spoke.
"Your Majesty clearly said we may withdraw. If so, what point is there in insisting on joining this battle?"
"Hmm. They are called Northern warriors, are they not?"
"......."
"Warriors with nowhere left to go, in any case. If that is so, I shall take them in. And if I do, will I not gain warriors of my own through a single battle? Warriors different from you—my warriors. I shall make them my people."
Seeing the bizarre smile spreading across Jin-cheon's face, the officer shook his head from side to side. Their way of thinking was utterly alien to him. Then another officer spoke up.
"If you need people that badly, why are you letting us go?!"
"If you have no intention of swearing loyalty, then you must be cast aside."
"......."
At Jin-cheon's words, the young officers' faces twisted. It was the same as openly rebuking them. Jin-cheon had saved their lives and even avenged them. Now he was jabbing at them for trying to use him. No—he was saying he did not even care enough to hold their actions against them.
"And one more thing."
"Yes."
"If any soldiers among the South Road Army wish to remain, do not drag them away by force."
At that single remark from Jin-cheon, unease stirred among the South Road Army officers. It had been only a short time, but the awe and reverence the soldiers had developed for these men could not be dismissed. It was entirely possible that a considerable number would choose to stay.
"We will discuss it among ourselves."
"Do as you like."
Jin-cheon picked up another egg and uttered the words with utter indifference. Having run out of things to say, the South Road Army commanders saluted and slowly made their way toward the exit. Just as they were leaving, the highest-ranking officer among them stopped in place, turned his head, and addressed one more remark to Jin-cheon.
"This battle is striking a boulder with an egg."
"......."
Even they did not wish for their bond with Jin-cheon to end this way. There was no way Jin-cheon did not know what was in their hearts.
"Heh."
Jin-cheon gave a short laugh, tossed the egg in his hand into the air and caught it, then spoke to the officer who had addressed him.
"It is not striking a boulder with an egg."
"Pardon?"
The South Road Army officers stared at Jin-cheon with puzzled expressions, unable to grasp his meaning. Then, in an instant, Jin-cheon's arm whipped toward the wall.
CRAAASH!
"Hurk!"
"Wh-what in the world!"
The egg in Jin-cheon's hand had smashed straight through the stone wall. Staring at the hole the size of a man's head, the young officers forgot what they had been about to say. Into their ears came Buru's mocking voice—he had already reclaimed the Interpretation Ring.
"Our eggs are a bit on the tough side, y'see."
"That's impossible..."
"Watch and find out. Whether the egg strikes the boulder and breaks, or whether it shatters the boulder instead."
Leaving the South Road Army commanders' shock behind them, Jin-cheon, Buru, and Uru calmly poked holes into more eggs and drank.