CH 363

Chapter 363 – Chrysanthemum War II (4)

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Laura promptly began to give orders, making it clear that no further explanations were going to be given.

She was faster than anyone else when making military decisions, and an even greater characteristic of hers was that she never hesitated to put her decisions into action.

“Baroness De Blanc! You will be coming with me along with 6,000 cavalrymen to Pavia. We will advance for 2 days straight without rest. I hope you are prepared.”

“As you command!”

An elven mercenary captain saluted.

The mercenary captain looked like she was only 16 years old, but she was an elf. She was a veteran among veterans who was past her 90s now. Her name was Juliana De Blanc and was born to a baron family in Helvetica.

Laura gave her next command.

“Captain Dunant! I give you the authority to command all of the foot soldiers. Lead the remaining thousand cavalrymen and twenty thousand foot soldiers and march to Milano.”

“To Milano, Your Highness?”

A dwarven mercenary captain tilted his head as he inquired.

Laura was the one who forbade them from ever attacking Milano. They were most likely confused because she was sending them to Milano after having said that. Laura didn’t resolve this confusion and instead gave the same order but with more details.

“Yes. However, no matter what happens, do not pillage the people. There is no need to attack Milano either. Nor do you have to besiege it. Simply march to Milano and keep watch over it.”

“A simple task.”

The dwarven mercenary captain didn’t go out of his way to get clarification from his superior. All he wanted to know was what he had to do and how.

“How do you wish for me to respond if the enemy were to engage with us?”

“I trust your judgment.”

Laura answered immediately.

“You have all fought on this continent for at least several decades and, at most, for centuries. On the other hand, those Sardinian bumpkins have only experienced a civil war. Your blood and sweat-stained battle experience far surpass what the people of Sardinia have.”

“Y-You are overpraising us.”

If someone of lower-standing flatters you, then you could easily laugh it off. However, people cannot help but get shy if they’re praised so matter-of-factly by their superior. Especially if that superior is a beauty who you might only see once in your lifetime.

“E-Ehem.”

“But we should not lower our guards. Ehem.”

The mercenary captains looked at either the ground or the sky.

They were simply trying to hide their embarrassment. These individuals, who should be known for their menacing appearances, were assaulting my eyes by acting like shy maidens from the countryside.

Laura smiled brightly at them.

Her smile was as beautiful as plants that have just bloomed after a summer rain.

“In any case, a battle will not occur at Milano. You may begin building a supply base. I will be bringing plenty of provisions to be stored there, so you can wait for me.”

The mercenary captains gazed at Laura with their mouths half-agape.

They were likely smitten the moment they fell prey to Laoura’s captivating smile. I understand the feeling well, as even I sometimes found myself unable to resist her smile, giving in to desire regardless of our surroundings – be it my dungeon or a village.

“Hm? Is there something on my face?”

Laura tilted her head.

That gesture was also fatally charming. This girl was truly bad for the heart.

“I-It is nothing, Your Highness.”

“Your Highness is as beautiful as ever!”

The captains urgently tried to play it off.

However, contrary to their words, they were quite obviously blushing. Seriously, men are pitiful creatures.

……No, looking at it now, even Captain Blanc was blushing. Does she roll that way? Is Laura a marksman who can hit both genders……?

It’s okay. I understand how the captains must feel. I have a type of immunity since I’ve shared a bed with Laura for so long. What they lack is immunity. Things will get easier once you get used to it.

“……Why do you have a peculiar expression on your face, Count Palatine?”

Laura gave me a bleary-eyed look. ‘What kind of weird thing is he thinking about this time?’ was what her gaze was asking.

I shrugged.

“I do not know what you are talking about. I am simply worrying about the people who will be devasted by this war.”

“Haa.”

Laura let out a sigh.

That sigh signaled the end of the meeting.

The imperial army was immediately split into a main force of 21,000 and a detached force of 6,000. Normally, the supreme commander would be in charge of the main force, but Laura was instead commanding the detached force.

The main force of the imperial army marched straight to Milano. However, instead of actively attacking Milano, their goal was to slowly apply pressure.

On the other hand.

“Attention all troops! We will be advancing as quickly as possible.”

The 6,000 cavalrymen being led by Laura traveled at max speed from the very beginning.

We rushed straight between Milano and Novara. It was only later that the enemy learned of the existence of our detached force. It happened when we coincidentally came upon an enemy scout as we were advancing. The scout was bewildered by our appearance and hastily ran away.

“Should we pursue and eliminate them, Your Highness?”

Baroness Juliana De Blanc asked. She sounded as if she was ready to turn the direction of her horse at any moment. As expected of a miss who had lived her entire life as a mercenary, it seems her tone gets rougher whenever she sees the enemy.

Laura shook her head.

“No, leave them be.”

Our detached force ignored all of the scouts we encountered as we continued our advance.

The enemy army was probably perplexed. The major city of Milano and the military base of Novara were standing tall next to each other, but we chose to ignore both of these major locations. Our troops were literally like a bolt of lightning as we went past Milano and Novara in exactly a day.

This maneuver that went beyond common sense also perplexed our own troops.

“Your Highness! Won’t the enemy attack us from behind!?”

Baroness Juliana De Blanc asked as we continued to advance on our horses.

“Our forces have not besieged Milano. If Milano and Novara were to send reinforcements, then we will end up surrounded!”

“It is the exact opposite, Baroness De Blanc.”

Laura answered while chuckling.

“We are not the ones who have been caught, Milano is.”

“Pardon me?”

“I already explained this during the meeting yesterday. Sardinia’s main objective is to defend its bases. They never intended to defeat us through a short battle, nor do they have the manpower to do so.”

Laura tilted her head slightly to look at Baroness De Blanc.

The oncoming wind blew against Laura’s blonde hair, allowing it to flutter smoothly.

“Not only is their objective holding them back, but the soldiers they possess are also a problem.”

“Their soldiers……?”

Baroness De Blanc looked confused.

“Civilian soldiers will undoubtedly fight tooth and nail to defend their homes. However, if you look at that from another perspective, then it means that they are highly unlikely to put in much effort aside from defending against a siege. Coming out to attack us from behind may sound easy……but that is most likely not a tempting idea for their civilian soldiers.”

Considering the enemy’s objective, leaving Milano, their strongpoint, was not something they would want to do.

Furthermore, since a majority of their army consisted of civilian soldiers, leaving the walls of their city to intercept us was something they would actively want to avoid.

These were the passive reasons that were immobilizing the enemy.

“Adding to this, our main force is marching straight to Milano. Baroness, how would the Duke of Milano respond in this situation where they have to defend their city with civilian soldiers?”

“I believe……he would order his men to keep defending the city.”

Finally, the main reason that was forcing the enemy to stay put was the approach of 21,000 soldiers that Laura had sent to Milano.

“The Duke of Milano will consider the likelihood of our main force attacking the moment they try to send reinforcements. Therefore,”

They will prioritize defending even if Pavia gets pillaged.

Laura grinned.

“Do you know where the hole in my logic is, Baroness?”

“Pardon me? Oh. M-My apologies. I was unable to see one.”

Baroness De Blanc hesitated.

Seeing that response, Laura turned to face me instead.

“Count Palatine, do you know where the hole is, then?”

“You did not take Earl Pavia into consideration.”

I immediately answered.

Laura normally referred to me as “Lord”, but I decided to speak respectfully to her while in the presence of others since she had been appointed as the Emperor’s acting general. The mercenary captains would probably find it weird if Laura were to elevate me as her lord here.

This will unquestionably cause some mercenary captains to respect me more than Laura. People tend to follow the one with more power the moment they realize who has the most authority…….

A person with a lower standing having more right to speak than their superior would be inappropriate. This expeditionary force must unite as one under Laura’s command.

“You did refer to them as the civilian soldiers defending Milano, but not all of them are civilians. They most likely brought in whatever manpower they could get from the surrounding villages as well. ……Pavia’s militia must be included in that.”

“That is correct. Let me ask a question, then.”

Laura grinned.

It wasn’t the beautiful smile of a lady, but the smile of a tactician who manipulates wars.

“I am the one whom Earl Pavia is most afraid of. He is the person who sold me as a slave, after all. He must be afraid that I may come for revenge.”

“Indeed.”

“That is the kind of earl he is.”

Laura paused for a moment before her smile thickened.

“Once he receives a report saying that imperial soldiers are charging straight to his land—what thought do you think will go through the Earl’s head?”

The corners of my mouth went up.

“He will most likely assume that our imperial army is planning to make an example of Pavia and devastate it.”

“The Earl would lose his land and people in an instant and fall into ruin.”

“Naturally, he will plead to his supreme commander, the Duke of Milano, to send reinforcements.”

Laura and I, the master-servant pair, grinned as we looked at each other. If a third party was watching us, they’d probably be terrified.

“…….”

In truth, Baroness De Blanc was currently watching us wide-eyed and mouth agape.

I understood how she must feel. She was probably not accustomed to this kind of conversation. Get used to it. Things will get easier once you do.

“Will the Duke of Milano grant that request?”

“Similar to how Pavia is precious to the Earl, Milano is precious to the Duke. The Duke will not give ear to the Earl.”

“If that happens, the Earl will most likely criticize the Duke and call him a coward who only cares for his own land.”

“That will enrage the Duke, causing him to angrily tell the Earl to take care of his own land’s problems.”

The Earl will denounce the Duke as a dastardly coward and the Duke will criticize the Earl as being a narrowminded person who disregards military tactics and only cares for himself.

Conflict will occur among their highest-ranking members.

This can only lead to a single outcome.

“Earl Pavia will sortie on his own.”

“‘Cowards can stay holed up in a city. I will go condemn the sex slave myself,’ is probably how he will behave. Although his actual goal would be to let his people escape.”

We both let out a low laugh.

Ah, this was so fun. Nothing could possibly compare to the pleasure of playing with something precious to another and causing internal conflict on the opposite side.

And the people who enjoyed these sorts of things were undeniably the most rotten people in the world.

However, both Laura and I have already hit rock bottom.

I didn’t hold back my laughter as I asked a question.

“An Earl will be voluntarily leaving the safety of a city. By himself, at that. How do you intend to cook this Earl, General Laura?”

“Is it not obvious?”

Laura raised her hand and pointed ahead.

“We will give our guest a magnificent welcome.”

Our 6,000 cavalrymen kicked up dirt as we charged forward.

Our goal was Pavia.

No, to be exact.

The forest between Pavia and Milano.