Chapter 203
Warfare Paradigm (1)
Using Effir’s mobility, Han-bin’s group frequently crossed the northern border and damaged the Kaldris Army.
Each time, the Kaldris commanders became troubled.
“Damn it!”
“I don’t know how to deal with them!”
The damage itself wasn’t as great as it looked since Han-bin’s group attacked and vanished.
However, it was also true that the number of troops had been steadily decreasing like that phrase, ‘many a little made a mickle.’
In addition, there was a bigger problem.
Every attack made them take charge of settlement!
They had to keep the ranks in order, give them a break time for the soldiers who had lost their morale, and treat the wounded…
Every time Han-bin’s party swept away at them, their movement was delayed for more than a day.
As a result, the Kaldris troops bound for Fort Fieldrocks had to maintain their slow march speed like turtles.
Meanwhile, the Allendia-Churches Alliance had gathered without a hitch at Fort Fieldrocks.
“At this rate…”
Leon Hart smiled with relief during the briefing.
“We’ll have full power in ten days.”
On the other hand, the situation in the south wasn’t that good.
On the southern border, five Templar Lords, including Sabine Asil, were leading 10,000 troops and fighting an uphill battle against 30,000 troops of the Mado Kingdom.
Unlike the suffering of the Kaldris Kingdom that went beyond common sense, the Mado Kingdom had no such problems.
Every battle had been executed logically, and the results were also normal.
Some held out, some broke through, and the frontlines kept changing.
After all, the dominant Mado Kingdom Army gradually encroached on the territory of Allendia and headed north.
* * *
The capital of the Fairy Kingdom, Armorica.
In the conference room, Fairy King Sormel and several vassals gathered.
Everyone looked into the document with a dark expression and talked about their worries.
“At this rate, the Southern Front will collapse.”
“The damage will be greater. We’ve already lost power to less than seven thousand.”
“I was hoping they would hold on somehow…”
“That’s too much to ask.”
Sormel spoke, looking through his vassals.
“Get in touch with the Sword King.”
The supreme commander of the Fairy Kingdom Army was Sir Lacrell, the 1st Allendia Corps commander. Sabine Asil, the Althea Templar Lord, was the supreme commander of the Church’s army.
First of all, it was nominally so.
But the actual command, as everyone knew, was the Sword King Felard and the Spiritual Boxer Leon Hart.
The Allendia-Churches Alliance was waging war based on their strategy.
Nevertheless, they didn’t intentionally assume the position of the supreme commander.
Those two were the kind of leaders who took the lead in fighting. They were often absent from the camp.
If such people took the position of the supreme commander, it would be difficult to issue orders quickly if the situation became urgent.
So the whole tactic and strategy were framed by the two, and Lacrell and Sabine Asil took practical command.
“He’s not like a Valtara warrior. Rather, he’s a remarkably resourceful man.”
Sormel gave a look of trust to the far northern sky.
“I’m sure they’ll figure something out.”
* * *
Ahead of the Fairy Kingdom messenger, Ryu Han-bin spoke confidently.
“Tell the South. Leave the least number of troops necessary for security, and rally at Fort Fieldrocks!”
The Pegasus Knight of Allendia, who came as a messenger, opened his eyes round.
“… What?”
What was he talking about?
They were still struggling because they didn’t have enough troops, and they still want them to pull out all the troops?
Then there would be no barrier to preventing 30,000 Mado Kingdom troops.
The Mado Kingdom Army, which had nothing to be rough about, would march on the edge of a merry-go-round, and within less than 15 days, even the capital of Armorica would fall into the hands of the enemy.
Despite not being in a position to venture back, the messenger unwittingly asked.
“So who’s going to protect the South?”
Once again, Ryu Han-bin confidently said.
“You don’t have to protect it!”
“Are you sure?”
“Tell them to surrender when the Mado Kingdom troops come. And then you hand over the territory.”
“… What?”
It was an even more elusive remark.
At that moment, Han-bin smiled.
“There’s nothing to worry about. They’ll be coming north, too. There’s no real surrender.”
“What makes you think so?”
Han-bin didn’t answer.
He just shook his hand.
“Go and tell the King! If he trusts me, do as I told!”
Wondering, the messenger returned to the Fairy Royal Family.
Of course, the royal family was in turmoil.
“Are you sure we can do that?”
“At this rate, the whole of Allendia may perish…”
After much thought, Sormel decided.
“I, the Fairy King, will follow the will of the Sword King.”
Han-bin wasn’t just a powerful man with great power. He was an out-of-the-box strategist who had provided them with a sustained victory with his great tactics.
“He didn’t inform us of the operation on purpose because he was wary of the presence of a spy.”
It must’ve been a very delicate and elaborate strategy.
Then they had no choice but to believe it, right?
“There must be a reason why we don’t know!”
* * *
Even Ryu Han-bin didn’t know.
He had to give the messenger an answer as soon as possible, so he showed off by mixing the acting as he was told.
But he hadn’t heard the details yet.
Leon Hart smirked at Han-bin, who returned.
“It’s convenient to have a false name.”
The strategy was advantageous only when few people knew it.
However, it couldn’t be completely concealed.
If they hid information too much, their men might become anxious and commit unexpected acts.
It was also a strategist’s ability to determine how much of the operation should be known and how much to hide.
But Leon Hart didn’t have to worry about that.
There was Sword King Felard, who had a reputation as an ‘Extraordinary Strategist.’
“We’ve done something so far, so we can gain enough trust without telling them why.”
“Well, let’s just say…”
Shaking his head, Ryu Han-bin asked.
“Are you sure it’s okay to pull out all the Southern troops? I think that’s the perfect way to be robbed.”
If the Mado Kingdom forces took over the capital, Armorica, the Allendia Kingdom forces on the northern border would be attacked from both sides.
Even Han-bin, an outsider in strategy, could know.
Leon Hart shrugged.
“It’s not going to happen.”
“Why?”
“There are two reasons.”
The first one.
“They’re allied forces.”
Allied forces couldn’t help but care about each other’s damage.
One side suffered great damage, and the other side won the war without much loss?
It would greatly expand the national power of the two countries.
“It’s not as if one side is taking the initiative. Right now, the Kaldris Kingdom and the Mado Kingdom are on par.”
The only dying one was the Kaldris Kingdom’s army.
There was little damage on the side of the Mado Kingdom.
If the war continued as it was, the Mado Kingdom would be fishing in ‘troubled waters’ while the Allendia Kingdom and the Kaldris Kingdom were destroyed.
“From the perspective of the Kaldris Kingdom, that’s a hard sight to behold.”
Hence, they had no choice but to ask the Mado Kingdom to help them.
The enemies were all in one place, so the Mado Kingdom should come over and fight with them.
“Of course, it’s just a convenient interpretation. Historically, there are quite a few cases where it didn’t work that way.”
It was also surprisingly common for countries with greater damage to take more interests once they won the war.
“The vassals cannot help but care about their future, but in some cases, the monarch puts great victory first.”
The Kaldris Kingdom and the Mado Kingdom were dictatorships with the absolute power of the Thunder King and the Archmage.
If those two ordered, even if there were oppositions, the vassals would have no choice but to follow.
“This is the second reason.”
Leon Hart grinned.
“Was the goal of the Thunder King and the Archmage in the first place the conquest of Allendia?”
“Oh, come to think of it, it’s not.”
Their real purpose was to secure Kibie, the incarnation of darkness, and become a god and goddess.
“So what do you think is the purpose of this war?”
“… Isn’t it to secure Kibie?”
“No.”
It was to find out how the incarnation’s party had beat the Transcendental, how much power they had, and determine their tricks.
They had started that war just for that.
“The Thunder King and the Archmage are not interested in winning or losing the war. Their goal is to drive us into a corner and make us fight with all our might.”
If the situation became unfavorable, then Han-bin’s group would be cornered, in which case they would win.
“They win battles, but they don’t have to win this war.”
Once they grasped the real power of Han-bin’s party, the Thunder King and the Archmage would join in the fight.
As long as they secured the incarnation of darkness, the next thing would be nothing.
“But what would happen to us if Allendia collapsed like this?”
“Well, we have to hide like we used to, right?”
“Yes, like when the Fairy Queen was looking for us.”
Leon Hart smiled coldly.
“But can they be so patient? They are losing their life span every day.”
A strong army surrounded the incarnation of darkness.
It meant that her location was revealed.
“They’re going to give up this advantage and make us hide, forcing them to find and deal with us again? I don’t know how long that’s going to take.”
Rather, it was better to continue the war.
“But it’s all empty talk. What if it doesn’t work out as expected?”
Leon Hart shrugged.
“What should we do? Allendia will be taken away.”
“… That’s not something to say so easily, is it?”
“Instead, 17,000 Allendia troops will be Holy Punishers.”
“Ah…”
Only then did Ryu Han-bin understand.
There were countless temples of the six denominations in Kaldris and the Mado Kingdom. They were wobbling between the two countries and the Churches.
“With their help, we’ll scale up what we’ve done in Allendia and do it again?”
“Exactly.”
Of course, the enemies couldn’t grumble their imprudence like in the past.
They weren’t stupid either.
The Six Churches would surely be enemies of the Kaldris and the Mado Kingdoms.
But there was a difference from then.
If the Holy Punishers were numbered 17,000, that was already past the guerrilla level.
They would’ve had a myriad of rough patches through many strongholds.
“Honestly, it’s bleeding too much. It’s just going to cut each other’s weight.”
There would be no benefits for the Thunder King and the Archmage.
There was no way that someone like the Archmage didn’t know that, so they would continue the army’s march.
“I don’t care if Genovia doesn’t notice this. We can reveal the confidential information.”
“In the worst case, what if they know all this and make stupid judgments?”
Leon Hart smiled bitterly at Han-bin’s next question.
“Then we’ll have to be the real Holy Punishers. We don’t have the option of surrender anyway.”
* * *
Tasmaral, capital of the Mado Kingdom.
“What?”
A blonde black beauty was snorting, leaning on the throne.
“They’re going to do what they’ve done once, again.”
Indeed, Genovia wasn’t stupid. As soon as he saw it, he realized Leon Hart’s trick.
She pouted.
“I don’t want them to do what they want…”
The problem was that the gains and losses of each other were so compatible.
“I see why Holien was swayed. We’re going to have to wing it, right?”
She was also spending her lifespan day by day.
She didn’t want to go through the vast Latna again, searching for the incarnation of darkness.
“Alright, I’ll play along.”
After discussing the current situation with Garhan, she gave an order right away.
“Move all the southern border forces northward!”
A blonde middle-aged man watching her from the side asked carefully.
“When will you move them, my queen?”
“Wait a little longer, Nakterion.”
Genovia touched the silver necklace around her neck.
“I think I can get it done slightly.”