novelraw Chapter 117: Revolution Defense War - Collapse (4)
Chapter 117: Revolution Defense War - Collapse (4)
It began with Christine's spies.
However, this was the Imperial Army, having suffered defeat after defeat in a war with a weak cause, and knowing that countless comrades had already surrendered.
Right before their eyes, the Revolutionary Army was advancing, and their comrades were surrendering one by one.
As mob psychology opened the floodgates and it began to spread, the chaos became uncontrollable.
They didn't know much about empires or revolutions, but the perception that this battle was already lost and fighting here would only lead to a dog's death drove the Imperial soldiers.
“S-Stop! If you don't stop immediately, I'll shoot!”
“This is betrayal! Treason against the Empire! I said, fight back!”
It was an effort to somehow control the chaos, but the warnings blurted out by noble officers who misunderstood the situation had the opposite effect.
'The battle is already lost, so what are we supposed to stop and what are we supposed to fight? Are you just telling us to die?'
-The oppressors of the Empire fear your eyes and ears opening more than they fear you shedding blood meaninglessly in battle!Marquis Lafayette's cry became a seed of doubt, taking root in the hearts of the Imperial soldiers and spreading its poison.
“Shoot! Stop them, even if you have to shoot!”
The young officer, half in a state of panic, probably didn't even know what orders he was giving.
However, to the Imperial soldiers, who already realized this was a fight with no hope of victory, it sounded different.
“Then why don't you go out and stop them yourself!”
“Uh, ugh!”
The Imperial soldiers had already lost friends and many comrades.
Furthermore, due to heavy losses, soldiers from various feudal states had been crammed into single units, which fostered a lack of belonging and made such a situation impossible to control.
Only one man flared up and disobeyed.
However, once emotions that would normally be suppressed by discipline and order enforced by fear began to erupt like a catalyst, it took only a moment for the entire army to be swept away.
At the forefront, soldiers were throwing down their guns and surrendering to the Revolutionary Army, while the officers who had been yelling at them were met with insubordination from other soldiers, utterly lost – a situation of pure chaos.
Meanwhile, Grand Duke Leopold, witnessing the Revolutionary Army approach before his eyes, bit his lip and shouted.
“Soldiers of the Imperial Army! Retreat!”
The Grand Duke, formerly a knight but now too old, had weak mana, and his voice could not reach the Imperial Army, filled with all sorts of cries and chaos.
“Don't you have families in your hometowns! Retreat— Keoheok.”
The Grand Duke, shouting with all his might, veins bulging in his eyes, trying somehow to regain control of his soldiers, coughed and staggered.
“Y-Your Grace!”
The Grand Duke looked at the blood on his hand with blurred eyes.
The blood he had coughed up.
'Is this it?'
The moment the Grand Duke accepted his fate, a shout, filled with mana, erupted from beside him and echoed throughout the Imperial Army camp.
“Retreat, soldiers of the Imperial Army! Do you not still have families in your hometowns! Do you intend to be swayed by a mere foreigner's wicked tongue and turn your families into traitors as well!”
Only after the voice, shouted by a powerful knight imbued with mana, reached them did a very small portion of the Imperial Army regain their senses.
Though swept up by the atmosphere and unable to speak out, the soldiers who felt reluctant to turn their backs on their motherland and families turned and began to flee as soon as they received permission to retreat.
“Albert……”
Count Albert von Wittelsbach, his leg bandaged, looked at the Grand Duke with his blurry eyes and spoke.
“Your Grace, please withdraw for now.”
The young knight, praised as the Empire's finest, had a devastated expression, but he opened his mouth and said what was necessary.
“This battle… is lost.”
Grand Duke Leopold, covering his mouth with his hand, coughed repeatedly and gazed at the devastation of the city streets he had painstakingly fortified.
The battlefield, divided between his former subordinates rushing to surrender to the advancing Revolutionary Army with their hands up, and those turning their backs to flee, not to fight, but to save their own lives.
No, it wasn't even a battlefield, but a scene that seemed to embody the very collapse of the Imperial Army.
“……Retreat. Have the entire army retreat. ……Tell them to give up Alsace too and withdraw. A defensive war in the Rhineland, in the Empire…… Keoheok.”
“Your Grace!”
“Heok, attend to His Grace!”
Amidst the scream-like shouts of Count Wittelsbach and his aides, Grand Duke Leopold, coughing up blood once more, finally lost consciousness.
*
Metz, the city they had fought a desperate, bloody battle to defend, but ultimately had to cede to the Revolutionary Army and retreat from after reaching their limit.
In its streets, the flag of the Revolutionary Army, of Francia, was flying.
There were almost no casualties.
There was no real resistance to speak of; at most, a few sporadic skirmishes had broken out between the retreating Imperial Army and the pursuing Revolutionary Army.
“Victory for Francia!”
“Long live the Revolution!
The faces of the soldiers, waving flags in exultation, were filled with joy.
“Long live the great Marquis Lafayette!”
Among them were soldiers shouting like that, praising me, and my face flushed slightly.
The great Marquis Lafayette.
They're probably happy because I led them to a great victory without bloodshed, but it's not like I'm some Blue Knight.
Hearing it directly is quite embarrassing; just how thick-skinned was that Blue Knight who ordered his retainers to call him that?
“As expected, as expected, truly, you are the great Marquis Lafayette! To actually make the Imperial Army collapse without a battle! Truly ama~zing! Unlike those treacherous retainers who called it a reckless challenge, I sincerely—”
“Enough, that's enough.”
Damien De Millbeau, who had been chattering ardently, immediately shut his mouth as soon as I stopped him.
It's strange, hearing it from this man isn't embarrassing, just annoying.
“Was Gisele Davy of any use?”
“Yes, yes?”
Damien flinched noticeably.
Right. Just an officer candidate, no, I think he was promoted to second lieutenant?
Anyway, he spewed all sorts of flattery as if the advice he heard from that second lieutenant was his own, so he has reason to feel a bit guilty.
“O-Of course, Your Excellency Marquis! Competent officers are always needed……”
Damien's voice trailed off. I deliberately gave him a slight smile, and he subtly avoided my gaze.
“Yes. It's an unprecedentedly fast promotion, but promote him to first lieutenant at least.”
Trying to snatch someone else's achievements as his own.
Damien, as if understanding my intention, immediately saluted and replied.
“Ah, understood, Your Excellency Marquis Lafayette!”
…I was thinking of letting it go at this, but thinking again, it's somewhat infuriating.
Because this man presented Davy's idea as his own, I had to feel self-loathing, wondering if I was such a simple person to be read so easily by him, didn't I?
As expected, a little more—
“The entire Metz region has been secured, Your Excellency Marquis Lafayette! The Imperial Army seems to have completely abandoned Lorraine and is retreating to the Rhineland!”
“Congratulations, Your Excellency Marquis! The number of surrendered Imperial soldiers reaches 20,000! General Jerome Morelle's Chasseurs are pursuing them, so the gains will expand further!”
Just then, at the perfect moment, Louis Desaix and Alexandre Berthier approached me and reported.
“Tsk, lucky you.”
“Yes? Ha, hahaha……”
I glared at Damien, smiling dumbly, then turned my gaze to greet Desaix and Berthier.
“Yes, good work. At this rate, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the Imperial Army has completely disintegrated.”
Out of the mere 50,000 troops remaining, a whopping 20,000 surrendered without even putting up a fight.
It’s a clear demonstration of how their morale is in shambles, and knowing Jerome Morelle's persistence, the damage will surely increase.
It may be temporary, but the Empire has lost its ability to wage war itself.
“It is thanks to Your Excellency Marquis.”
Desaix said with a smile, so I shook my head.
“No, strictly speaking, it's not thanks to me.”
I didn't start the revolution, nor was it my idea to treat the Imperial Army prisoners well and release them.
Ultimately, if Maximilien Le Jidor, the revolutionary government, and Eris hadn't influenced me, I, as a nobleman, could never have conceived of such an idea.
Besides, even though the Imperial Army was cornered and what I said was persuasive, without Christine's groundwork, it would have been difficult to achieve such an effect.
“So, where is Her Majesty the Queen?”
“After treating the wounded, she is conversing with the surrendered Imperial soldiers and reassuring them.”
“Hmm, I see. Then I'll entrust you with the cleanup and reorganization of each unit. Prepare them so they can sortie at any time.”
“Understood, Your Excellency Marquis!”
I received the salutes from Desaix, Berthier, and Millbeau, then turned my back and walked.
After walking a short distance, I saw Imperial soldiers in white uniforms gathered, and in their midst, Eris, wearing a white robe, conversing with them.
Even with a guard detail led by Lord Beaumont, for Her Majesty the Queen to be like that, in the middle of Imperial soldiers who were enemies until just yesterday, she's truly fearless.
From my perspective as Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army, frankly, it wouldn't matter if I just let the surrendered Imperial soldiers settle in Francia and washed my hands of them.
Because since the Imperial Army was routed without even putting up a fight, their tactical value is already spent.
However, this outcome is ultimately just the result of me tactically reaping the seeds Eris sowed.
In that case, I must ask for the opinion of the person involved.
“Your Majesty.”
“Ah, Marquis Lafayette!”
Eris's voice sounds bright.
Since both armies achieved victory with almost no bloodshed, it must be an exceptionally good result for her.
When I called out to Eris, who seemed to be in good spirits even at a glance, she quickly excused herself and approached me.
“Are you pleased to see your romantic ideals realized?”
“I love it!”
An immediate reply.
There's probably no need to tell her Christine's spies played a large role.
I chuckled and spoke again.
“Regarding the treatment of the surrendered Imperial soldiers, I'm thinking of settling them for now in Alsace-Lorraine.”
“In Alsace-Lorraine?”
“Yes. It's a border region with the Empire, so there's some exchange, and the residents we introduced are working for the Aquitaine Merchants. It seems some among them would rather stay and work than return home, so we can settle the Imperial soldiers there.”
“I see……”
As expected, Eris had a slightly nuanced expression, so I asked.
“Does Your Majesty, who has spoken with them, have a different opinion?”
“They've surrendered, but it seems quite a few are worried that their families in their hometowns will suffer hardships.”
“Hmm. Indeed, the Empire is likely to deal with them harshly. After all, they waged war using the spread of our revolution to the Empire as their pretext.”
“That… would be the case, wouldn't it?”
Eris's expression darkened, so I chuckled and replied.
“Of course, I don't intend to let that happen.”
“Then?”
“I don't expect a revolution to break out in the Empire.”
I incited the Imperial soldiers to join us, but realistically, for the flames of revolution to suddenly spread among the ignorant populace of the Empire and overthrow it?
There's no way something like that could happen so easily.
Even in Francia, where some seeds had already been sown, the revolution barely erupted after years of civil war mixed with natural disasters like abnormal weather.
Unlike Eris, I have no romanticism, so I don't expect that in the slightest.
“However, to the Imperial family and feudal lords currently steeped in fear, it will feel like a real threat……”
Ultimately, it's something they brought upon themselves, but this incident must have instilled in them a profound fear that such a threat might actually exist.
“We will include a demand in the peace negotiations for the repatriation of the surrenderers' families.”
Since they surrendered in response to my persuasion, I'll consider them under my protection and show some consideration.
It's not a particularly great gain, but if we demand territory, the justification of the Revolution Defense War will tarnish, and there's a high risk other kingdoms will also see us as a threat.
On the other hand, if we bring them back along with reparations, the Imperials who surrendered to us will be pleased, and above all, the cause of the revolution will be upheld.
“But, will the Empire accept that? From the Empire's perspective, it's handing over traitors to an enemy nation. Wouldn't they rather harm the families……”
As Eris says, the moment the Empire accepts that, regardless of whether it's a huge actual loss or not, the very foundation of the Empire will be shaken.
Because it means handing over the people of the feudal lords in a war initiated by the Empire. Their prestige would plummet to rock bottom.
“Ah, well, the Empire will naturally try not to accept it, of course.”
Then we just have to make it so they have no choice but to accept.
“The Rhineland. We will advance into the Empire, Your Majesty.”
The Imperial Army, once 50,000 strong, disintegrated in an instant.
In the current situation, not Grand Duke Leopold, nor anyone else, can stop us.
“First, we occupy the border regions, and then demand not from the Empire, but from each of the feudal lords, that they repatriate the families of the surrendered soldiers. If they don't comply, we threaten to invade. How will the feudal lords react when they see with their own eyes that the Empire cannot protect their territories?”
Until now, the feudal lords could remain unconcerned and act nonchalant because this was the Empress's war, not theirs.
However, when it becomes like that, it becomes their problem.
Since individual feudal states have no power to stop the Revolutionary Army on their own, those with their feet to the fire will first agree to repatriation to save their own skins, and then they'll shift the blame onto the Emperor and Empress.
“……Somehow, it feels like we've become the bad guys.”
Eris said, slightly unenthusiastically, so I chuckled and replied.
“If they hadn't invaded in the first place, they wouldn't be in this mess.”
They started a war under the childish delusion that they couldn't lose and wouldn't shed their own blood, so they need to pay the price to come to their senses, don't they?