Chapter 173: Operation Snake Fang

With a metallic click, I check the fit of my armor.

I moved my body a few times in front of the mirror stone that was prepared as a mirror to check the appearance, but there seemed to be no problem.

I had worn my grandmother's armor when I left New Nellie City because I didn't have time, but this time I decided to use my own.

This is the armor I used during my first battle and left in Nambonan City afterwards.

How would you like your sword?

I am fine as I am.

The servant tried to get me a sword that matched my armor, but I turned him down and picked up the Water Snake Sword that I had brought with me from New Nerry City.

This sword had been enshrined in the treasury of New Nellie Castle and had no historical or cultural value whatsoever; it was simply a gorgeous sword. It is simply worth only the value of the jewelry in which it is used, so losing it would only be a matter of money.

If this had been the treasured sword that my grandmother was said to have taken with her on her journey her, I would have immediately asked for a change at the risk of losing it.

How's that?”

I ask the servant, lowering the water serpent's treasure sword to my waist and posing with my cloak lightly lifted.

'Very well, sir.

After the grooming check, the servants would step back and bow.

Then, as if waiting for me to finish my preparations, a man enters the room.

We are ready to leave. We are ready to leave at any time upon your order, young master.

It was the next head of the Gatoren family of knights and the commander in charge of the troops stationed in Nambonan City.

It took all day, but the reorganization of the Quardenze forces was complete.

We're all set. Let's go.

Ha!”

As I left the room, the guards who had been waiting for me began to walk silently behind me.

The hallway of the mayor's mansion, which normally would be filled with a little more activity from servants and city officials, was eerily quiet, the sound of metal scraping against metal echoing in the air.

The sound of metal scraping against metal was a common echo in the eerily quiet corridor of the mayor's mansion. I felt like I was in the general rounds of a university hospital.

“Godspeed.”

Godspeed!

“Young Master, Godspeed.”

As I was making my way toward the exit, listening to the servants' voices in stereo, the commanding officer took a big step forward and lined up with me, as if he had made up his mind.

May I?”

What is it?

'It's about the chain of command for reinforcements.

The commander began to talk about the composition of the reinforcement force, which was based on the Quardenzetes' basic unit structure.

It was a basic formation in the Quardenze army, so there was no need to confirm it again.

The commander, who saw my appropriate attitude, let out a small breath and changed the subject naturally.

He then let out a small breath and naturally changed the subject.

You mean the rear light?”

I am ashamed to say, but that was a bit of a careless move.

Without waiting for our reply, the commander listed the names of the military officers who would remain in Nambonan and would be assigned to the city's defense and logistical support units. He seemed to be recommending young men he had been eyeing regularly, and there were many names of military officers stationed in Nambonan City.

In case you are wondering, Rialight is a military officer in the Nambonan resident army, but he also enjoys touring the city's brothels and has noticeable interactions with the commoners, including roomon. T fit in with the knightly Gathoren family.

I appreciate the recommendation, but it was Rialight who managed the Nambonan citizen soldiers the best. I would like to leave it to him this time as well.

When I was organizing the army, I had given instructions to include the Nambonan Citizen Soldiers,” He said. Originally, I had not planned to take them with me in the reinforcement force.

The knights and military officers who had seen up close the high morale of the Nambonan militia in the defense of the city, seemed to think that they could be used most effectively in local defense battles, and they wanted to keep them in the city. Fact that an increase in the number of Quardenze soldiers arrived from the interior yesterday may have had something to do with the fact that they are now in a position to secure troops.

However, I had a feeling that I wanted to see how the citizen soldiers would be used in the future.

And if it was a unit of Nambonan citizen soldiers, I could anticipate that there would be no stir if I unilaterally decided on a military officer.

For example, in the case of the Gatoren family, the Gatoren army is made up of the lords of the territories entrusted to them by the Kuordenze family.

It is a knight army, but one of its tasks is not only to be used for governing its own territory, but also to provide for its lord, the Kuordenze family.

This includes sending out men to the military base in New Neri, which is the core of the Quardenze army, and arranging for troops to accompany their grandfather Gulfis on his expeditions.

Probably more than half of Gatoren's army is seconded to the Quardenze Army.

Now, the Gatoren soldiers who join the Kuordenze Army in this way are not split up into different members.

Of course, in the case of a large-scale military operation, a unit combining several families will be formed.

For knight boys who cannot succeed their parents' families, the shortest route to success is to play an active role in the family to which they are transferred. Military officer of the Kuordenze family.

The city of Nambonan was annexed to the Kuordenze territory just a few months ago, and naturally, no knight families existed there. The time being.

This time, I requested that the citizen soldiers be made into a single unit.

Even though Nambonan continues to have a self-governing council, it is still a city that is under my control externally.

If this were the domain of a knight family, it would not be good for the organization for me to interfere.Since a knight's domain is entrusted to him by the nobility, he has no choice but to obey if we strongly tell him to do so As I aim to be the next head of the family, I hesitate to tell my father about it.

I was told that they belonged to my family, right?

Ha……”

The rear light had become a military officer belonging to the Quardenze family, so it was also convenient in that aspect.

Say, the commander in charge of the Nambonan garrison, he also belongs to the Kuordenze family.

As the next head of the Gatoren family, he belongs to the Quardenze military in order to have opportunities to interact with various knights and military officers in the territory. Branch manager.

After becoming a knight, he may lead a knight army and move as a unit of the Quardenze Army, but it is convenient for him to have a military officer he knows at the headquarters of the Quardenze Army.

Most knights have at least one experience as a military officer belonging to a Kuordenze family, so it is a kind of customary practice.

As the commander was still not convinced, I decided to play the last card.

The second-in-command is your father.

The expeditionary force numbered over 30,000 men. I would be the general, but since I had no experience leading such a large army, I would leave most of the practical work to my second-in-command.

I asked knight Gatoren if he would serve as my second-in-command, and he agreed to do so with a resounding “Yes.

As Knight Gatoren is the grandfather of Rialight, I am sure that he would not do anything that would make the commander uneasy, considering the light in his eyes.

I apologize for the length of this article at ……. I may have missed some parts, but please take good care of my foolish son.”

As expected, there seemed to be no room for objection to this, and the commander shrugged and withdrew.

Still, it seems that Learight is not very trusted by his fatherhis.

As we continue talking about the composition of the expeditionary force, I ask what's on my mind.

'Well, for that matter, how are the citizen soldiers doing?

'Well, thanks to your leadership, morale seems to be higher than when we were defending.

“Oh?”

I have never seen such a thing as a commoner soldier who is enthusiastic about going into battle, let alone if it is for city defense. I hope …… Rear Light doesn't mishandle this.

The goal of this military action is not the defense of the city of Nambonan, but the repulsion of Spierzeig's forces attacking the frontline base.

The citizens of Nambonan would have been satisfied if only they could have saved their own neighborhoods, but morale has remained high.

I'm glad it went so well.

“Yes. I didn't think that a single stone monument could raise morale so much.

Yesterday, when we were cremating the civilian dead, I did a performance.

I carved the names of those who had died in the war, as recorded by Kianes, into the stones of the city walls that I found lying around, and erected a monument.

Before the cremation, I read out the names one by one, praising the spirit of devotion and martyrdom of the city. It was not a memorial service to honor those who died in battle, but a ceremony to honor the heroes who defended their hometowns.

Could this technique be used elsewhere?

Probably not. In other cities and towns, people would not feel anything when they see the names carved in stone. No, in fact, they might even feel pity or resentment.

When we consulted about setting up the stone monument, there were not a few military officers who opposed it for the same reason as the commander mentioned.

The slave ancestors of the Eluo continent …… Commoners have always been the ones who are dominated and oppressed. From their point of view, death in battle is akin to a disaster in the name of the orders of the rulers.

The military officers feared that if they left a stone monument, it would be perceived as a mere “Victim list.

That is why I was very careful not to go in that direction during the cremation.

I said right there, “No, thank you for your efforts on behalf of the Quardenze family! Well done!” Would only invite a backlash. He praised the fact that they had stood up to protect the city of Nambonan and the strong will and self-reliance of the citizens there.

I don't know how comforting it was for the bereaved families to be called by name by a nobleman at the pinnacle of power and praised for the state of their spirit. Maybe they felt nothing, maybe they felt rebellion. The number of bereaved families is a small percentage of the total population of the city of Nambonan.

I may have been speaking to the believed, but in reality, I was showing them the way.

Praise by those in power is a sweet thing. It is even more so when it tickles their pride.

As a result, the citizens came to see those who died in battle as heroes, and the justification for their deaths became self-serving.

The first step is to make them realize that “It is honorable to be a martyr to the city of Nambonan.” …… If we can eventually twist that and create a value system that makes it honorable to be a martyr for the Kuordentse family, then all the better.

Besides, if those who die in battle are regarded as heroes, the hearts of the bereaved will be a little lighter. No amount of magic can change the fact of death, but power can give meaning to death.

Well, I'm not saying that the citizens of Nambonan don't have feelings of anger.

After the praise I continued my speech. It is one that incites hatred toward the Spiaseik family.

The war between the Quardenzes and the Spiaseiks began with the murder of my uncle, Quardenze Guardacre.

It is difficult for a commoner to openly criticize the nobility, even if they are enemies with the Kuordenze family. Therefore, I implicitly endorsed that it was okay to express hatred toward the Spierzeiks.

My uncle was killed by the Spiaseiks, and because of them, war broke out and the city of Nambonan suffered the consequences. The Quardenze family and the city of Nambonan are friends in that they killed their loved ones.” …… I simplified the situation and printed this information to the citizens.

I cannot speak out my resentment toward the ruling Kuordenze family, but I am allowed to criticize the Spiaseik family. The negative feelings generated among the citizens were to flow toward that one hole that had been opened.

I went out of my way to make a speech not only to maintain morale, but also to direct the hatred that might have been directed toward the Quardenze family toward the Spiaseik family.

The simplistic picture of the evil Spiaseik family and the Kuordentze family fighting to overthrow them quickly spread among the citizens.

Thus, driven by a sense of justice and righteous indignation, the young men of the city raised their hands to join the Kuordentse military expedition.

May I ask you one question?

What is it?

'What was the reason for the restriction on joining the army? I thought it was to increase the number of volunteers and to incite hostility toward the Spiaseik family.

So the citizens of Nambonan raised their hands saying they would love to join the war, but I limited this to 500 people. The main reason for this, to put it simply, is that I am a coward.

Knights and military officers looked at the Nambonan citizen soldiers as if they were unknown creatures, and I felt that if there were too many of them, the army might be paralyzed when trouble broke out. Of the applicants, we found that many of them were heirs of promising merchant families who would carry the future of the city of Nambonan on their shoulders.

The selection of the 500 was left to Roomon and other city officials who were familiar with the situation in the city, and they picked those who would have little impact even if they died.

I decided to keep quiet about the reasons for the decision and give them an afterthought, because they were not very cool.

“It makes no sense to let everyone who volunteered participate. Only a limited number of people can participate, which makes the volunteers look special to the citizens and gives them a sense of superiority.

Those volunteers who could not participate would be envious, and those who were chosen would be proud.

Even if they had a tough battle in the war, they will be seen as one of the heroes when they return to the city. It would be profitable if we could create the illusion that being a Quardenze soldier was an honorable thing to do.

The commander rubs his beard with an inarticulate snarl, as if to confirm the meaning of my words.

If the Nambonan citizen soldiers are going to be of any use in this battle, we will need to think carefully about what lies ahead. This expedition should be a good experiment …… Or even an achievement.”

I am not bold enough to make drastic military reforms, no matter how much I have been reborn as the heir apparent of a noble family.

The actual fact is that the military system of the noble family is inefficient in many areas, but it is actually operating reasonably well, so it is very difficult to touch it.

I am still under my father's protection, but even if I were to take over as head of the Quardenze family tomorrow, I would not be able to change the system as I wish.

What I can do is reform …… Or even improve it after accumulating a track record. If it is a new development like a pioneering association, but as for the existing organization, it is not possible to make a quick change.

Because of this reality, I am very grateful to have the Nambonan Citizen Soldiers card in hand. There is no better entity to try out what we have been thinking about in military affairs.

I admire the depth of thought you have put into this …… Young man.”

With that, the commander stepped back.

When he stepped out of the mayor's mansion, his horse was already there ready for him My horse, which I had ridden from New Nellie City, was still not in good shape, so this horse was to replace it.

I stroked the new horse several times before mounting it and moving it in a circular motion.

How does he look?

He seems fine.

I rode him lightly, but I got the impression that he was an honest horse, and I didn't feel that he was difficult to handle.

After waiting for the commanders and escorts to mount, we now proceeded toward the outskirts of the city.

I was wondering if your grandfather had given you any new information?

No, nothing since last night's report.

Grandfather is surrounded by several main ancestral forces, but he is running a messenger whenever he sees an opening.

According to the messenger who arrived in Nambonan, the enemy army was a coalition of five noble families led by the Spierzeig family, with an estimated 150,000 soldiers.

Of course, the Quardenze forces at the front line have only one granddad. My grandfather is struggling against a one-to-three situation.

Although the lineup is not likely to win, the three main ancestors of the enemy are only attacking him in a subtle way, as if to taunt him, and are not trying to hit him head-on.

They are probably waiting for a separate team led by Verret to take down the city of Nambonan to buy time.

The way they are attacking the city, my grandfather is already convinced of the existence of the detachment, and he is sending out messages to other cities besides Nambonan. In fact, since Nambonan City is considered to be in the middle of an engagement, there are more messengers heading for other cities and towns.

I can't wait to get going.

Even a grandfather who has fought a hundred battles is not invulnerable.

The first thing to do is to make sure that you have a good idea of ​​what you're getting into. No matter how much your grandfather might be, there's no way he could beat three of them.”

One of the enemy's main forces was led by the current head of the Spiaseik family, Verret's father.If his son was killed, he might become enraged and launch a desperate suicide attack.

I was inwardly quite impatient at the thought, but the commander responded in a calm tone of voice.

He said, “…… Probably won't have much of an impact even if they get word of our situation.”

Hmm?”

The commander continued.

Even if a message did reach the enemy forces, its content would be hard to believe.

The main army is destroyed, Verette is dead, and all the knights and military officers have been slaughtered.

Besides, as the head of the Spierzeig family, he would not want to believe such a result.

He said, “Surely, they will release a scouting force into the city of Nambonan to verify the facts. And we have already deployed our followers in many directions to hunt them down. We have no intention of returning them alive. Therefore, we should still be able to buy time. By the time the enemy gets a grasp of the current situation, they will be able to ……

“……, So our troops are attacking.”

“Ha. Surprise is a very fragile thing against a better surprise. We must make the most of this opportunity.

The rapid reorganization of the Quardenze forces was necessary to get ahead of the enemy before they received accurate information.

Without letting them understand the situation of the detachment that had attacked Nambonan City, this time we would launch a raid and lead them into confusion to take the initiative.

The Spierzeig forces, still anxious about the movements of the Verrett forces, could be said to be in a state of being entangled in a serpent.

The name “Operation Serpent's Fangs” Is very apt.

As I told you last night, we decided to call this military operation “Operation Serpent's Fang.”

I think it would be cool to have a name for a military operation, but it seems that the Quardenze military does not have such a culture, and there was no specific name for the operation.

Since it doesn't cost much money to name an operation, I decided to name it for the sake of upliftment.

When I was talking with the military officers about the time I defeated Verret, I accidentally mentioned the name of the operation, “Operation Street Devil,” Which I had been using in my mind. My terrible sense of naming the operation, and directly asked me to name it something more heroic and cool.

The military officers were appalled at the terrible sense of naming the operation, and directly asked me to name it something more heroic and cool.

When I solicited opinions from the military officers, I was advised that the inclusion of a snake element would be more like a heir to the Kuordenze family, so I decided to call it Operation Snake Fangs.

The name “Operation Snake's Fangs” Was derived from a speech made just before the assault on Nambonan City, and it was very popular among the knights and military officers who rode together from New Nellie City and actually participated in the assault.

For this reason, Operation Serpent's Fangs was used to encompass the period from the departure from New Nellie City to the rescue of the grandfather.

The battle in Nambonan City, where I stabbed Verret, was the first fang, and the one I am going to stab will be the second fang.

“Mr. Mayor!

Godspeed!

Occasionally, a citizen will notice us and cheer us on.

The closer we got to the outskirts of the city, the more the number of citizens increased. It seemed that they had gathered to catch a glimpse of the departure of the Quardenze army.

Passing the city walls under construction, they saw a line of Quardenze soldiers ready to go.

The soldiers were looking toward the knight on a slightly elevated platform, like a group of schoolchildren listening to the principal speak at a morning assembly on the playground.

The knight's voice can be heard clearly from a distance thanks to the magic of the loudspeaker.

The knight's voice was “……” Before setting out for the expedition.

As I was listening to the knight's words of caution about the expedition, several military officers came running up to me.

The knight said, “Young master, may I ask you to give the order after this? We will leave immediately.

Yes, I'll take care of it.

Apparently they were waiting for me.

I called out to the military officer standing next to me, thinking about what I was going to say.

I'm sure he's waiting for me to say something, so I call out to the officer standing next to me.

The goal of the operation is the withdrawal of Spierzeig's forces, so I don't mind leaking …… It, no, it's information that should be leaked.”

The place where the second fang of Operation Serpent's Fangs is to be launched is not the frontline base where my grandfather awaits. Leischlieff, the great shield of Voistra, the pride of the Spierzeig family.

Last night, when I heard that they were going to attack Leishlieff Castle, I thought it was too reckless.

The goal of the next move was to rescue my grandfather, not to destroy Spierzeig's main army. There was no need to take any risks, since the victory of the Quardenze family would be assured by simply pushing back.

However, if they head headlong for the frontline base without thinking, the two main ancestors will collide with each other in a two-on-three battle.

Considering the fact that my grandfather would be exhausted from day after day of battle, knights and military officers would want to play it safe here.

Therefore, the expeditionary force and Wilk's army led by me bypassed the frontline base and decided to attack Raishleif Castle as it was.

The castle is long and wide and close to the fortification line. The key to the strategy was to attack Raishleif Castle from a position from which it would be easy to retreat and surprise the Spierzeig forces.

For the Spierzeiks, Laishlieff Castle was a defensive line that must never be dropped.

If Raishleif Castle, the shield that protects the Voistula Plain, were to fall, the Quardenze would use it as a base from which to deploy their forces in every direction. The castle in time.

At present, only a small number of knights are packed in Reischlieff Castle, and it is expected that none of the main ancestors will be there. With the situation of the Veretto army unreadable, what would happen if Raishleif Castle suddenly came under a general attack Strategically, and considering the nobles' disposition, the knights and military officers estimate that the main army of Spierzeig, which is attacking the frontline base, will retreat.

The most likely scenario is that Spierzeig's main army will pull back to Raishleif Castle and fortify its defenses. In the event of an engagement with the retreating mainland army, Wilk's army is expected to retreat immediately.

It is truly a ping-pong dash type of operation, knocking on the door of Raishleif Castle and fleeing when someone comes to the door.

Since the main battle is unlikely and the strategy is to retreat when the main army of Spierzeig arrives, it will be a safe plan from the point of view of the military officers who think of my personal safety first and foremost.

Although they are talking a great deal about putting the fangs of a snake into the castle of Laishlieh, it is not actually that difficult.

At most, we will only have to destroy one of the small fortresses that make up Castle Reishleif.

Young master.

While I was thinking about having seeding sex in Nambonan City as much as I want when I get back, the knight's talk seems to have ended.

I step forward to give the order to go into battle.

I pulled out my Water Serpent Sword, raised it to the heavens, and announced in high spirits, “From now on, Operation Serpent's Fangs is underway.

From now on, Operation Serpent's Fang will begin.