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Such were the unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances we had found ourselves in as we held our council. We had assembled the same roster as last time, plus Count Palatine Vodedt and Fabio, who was still prostrated on the ground.
“Our agents have brought another piece of unwelcome news,” the Count Palatine said.
“What is it?” I asked.
“The enemy are also marshaling the general populace. We’ve yet to determine their exact numbers, but it’s undoubtedly a large-scale effort.”
Reflexively, I clicked my tongue. The sound echoed loudly in the quiet tent.
Not good. As the emperor, every minor action I took would be scrutinized. I couldn’t allow myself to get emotional. First, I’d decide on Fabio’s punishment. Then we could move on to thinking up a countermeasure for the enemy.
“Fabio de Ramitead-Denouet.”
“Your Majesty.”
“We shall settle this matter once this is over. Redeem yourself with your performance in battle.” I figured that would work for the time being. There was no sense causing any unneeded friction before a fight.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. Your magnanimity knows no bounds.”
Next, to deal with the actual problem. “Count Palatine Vodedt has brought us intelligence that the enemy are conscripting from the populace,” I reiterated. “In all likelihood, this will mean that we will not be able to maintain our numerical advantage in the coming battle.” Still, it wasn’t like a vast enemy army had popped up under our noses and tanked our troops’ morale. We had time to think up a countermeasure.
“If we suppose that our enemy’s plan is to completely encircle Chelán Hill, then our strategy will be rendered useless,” I said.
Originally, that had been an unlikely enough eventuality that I’d dismissed it pretty much out of hand, since the presence of the Gotiroir to the Duchy of Raul’s east meant that the Raul army wouldn’t have been able to dedicate that much time to keeping us under siege. However, their decisive mobilization had given them more leeway in that regard, and the Gotiroir, having spent the last two months engaged in constant combat, wouldn’t be in prime condition. It would be impossible for them to take any of the duchy’s major cities in such a short time frame.
“So in order to prevent that outcome, we are considering taking Reydra,” I concluded. “What are your thoughts?”
Reydra was the enemy’s frontmost city, located east of Chelán Hill. If it remained secure, our enemy would have a foothold from which provisions and other supplies could be delivered to them while they sieged us.
“I mean no disrespect, Your Majesty...” Arnoul de Nunvalle began. He spoke haltingly and sent frequent glances at the other lords, as if worried about what they might think. It was a marked difference from his father, who never hesitated to provide a contradictory opinion to mine. “But even were we to successfully take it, we... We would not have the numbers to hold it.”
“Yes, that is true,” I agreed. “Which is why we will not be defending it. Our intention is simply to render it impossible for the enemy to use it as a supply base.”
“You can’t mean to put it to the torch!” Balthazar exclaimed.
His reaction was warranted; razing the city to the ground would certainly be the fastest method. However, Raul-controlled or not, Reydra was a city of the Empire. If we burned it down, the money and time that would need to go into rebuilding it after the war would come out of our own pockets. More importantly, it would make bitter enemies of the city’s people, and if word spread, damage my reputation. This was one case where I definitely wanted to avoid taking the easy option.
“No. Reydra is imperial territory,” I said firmly. “So that is not on the table. Our intention is simply to demolish its walls.”
Generally speaking, all cities in this world had walls. Demolishing Reydra’s would be a form of psychological warfare; the enemy would be reluctant to establish a supply base in a defenseless city, and even if they did, they’d be forced to leave more of their troops behind to guard it. That, in turn, would lower the odds of them encircling us at Chelán Hill. After all, according to one theory, a sieging force needed to be triple the size of a defending one.
“This is the perfect opportunity,” I said. “We needed to test-fire the cannons anyway, and it can also serve as additional training for the battle mages.”
As for Reydra itself, the city guard only amounted to two or three hundred in total, so taking it wouldn’t be much trouble. It would be a valuable experience for our mages—they’d just be launching their spells at a wall, rather than people—and there were a number of things I wanted to check with the cannons, to see if my knowledge of their Earth counterparts lined up.
“Does anyone else have something to say?” I asked, surveying my lords. It seemed that they didn’t. “Very well, then. Lastly, it seems there is no realistic chance that the work on Mifeux Hill will be finished in time, so we’ll be scrapping it entirely. Construction will conclude with the defenses on Ginaugh Hill. Agreed?”
There was a quick exchange in which everyone voiced their mutual agreement. It would be better to do nothing than make a mistake that could be utilized by the enemy.
“In that case, let us discuss how we will be taking the city of Reydra.”