Chapter 117: Siegfrieds Interventions (2)

But would it be easy to draft civilians? If its not done properly, wouldnt it just cause discontent?

Isnt this the Republic? It couldnt have been that difficult.

Ah youre right.

The prevalent culture in the Republic was to give their life for Republicanism. In such a cultural atmosphere, if you refused instead of doing the same thing, then youd be treated as less than a horse. It wouldnt have been difficult to increase their manpower if the people were encouraged just a little bit.

Then, it wont be as easy as its been up until now.

Marquis Bologna let out a sigh of regret.

It can't be helped. Even so, well be able to capture it in ten days.

Ten days? Is there a reason youre rushing, MarquisForrest?

In a war, we never know when or what could happen. So, when theres a clear opportunity, I want to achieve as much as possible.

Milton turned to look at Viscount Sabian.

Is everything still good?

Its all good, sir.

The lord and vassal exchanged opinions quickly and briefly. Milton had previously instructed Viscount Sabian to keep track of the Northern Front since Siegfried could intervene at any moment. Seeing how there was no information, Viscount Sabian figured that meant there werent any reinforcements from the North yet.

In that case, lets focus on besieging Litinque Castle for now.

***

When the large army of 60,000 led by Milton and Marquis Bologna arrived at Litinque Castle, Milton quietly admired it and nodded his head.

Its definitely worth giving up on both Bells Castle and Hornie Castle.

Litinque Castle looked very solid and perfect. The walls were high and strong, and the moat surrounding the castle was 5 meters wide.Because the gate functioned as a drawbridge, it would be impossible to use a battering ram and because of the moat, it would be difficult to use a ladder or grappling hook to climb up the castle walls. Milton had attacked many castles, but Litinque Castle seemed to be the strongest and most difficult out of all the castles. But that was only natural since it was the last fortress guarding the borders of the Kobrook Republic.

What should I do? At this rate, itll be difficult to capture in ten days

Now that things had gotten like this, Milton began to think that what Marquis Bologna said previously, to take some troops and attack from the back, wasnt a bad idea. At that moment, Viscount Sabian, who had returned from viewing the walls, spoke to Milton.

My Lord, Ive come up with a plan for the siege.

It seems doable?

Yes, My Lord. Although itll be very difficult, theres still a few possibilities.

A few possibilities

For a second, Milton thought it was ridiculous. Here he was, trying to think of something, but Viscount Sabian had already thought up multiple ways to attack the castle.

Lets hear it.

Yes, My Lord. There are two possibilities, but before I tell you what they are, I have something to ask you.

What is it?

Theres one where we could win in three days, but therell be a lot of damage. And theres another where itll take half a month, but therell be far less damage.

And youre asking me to choose one?

Yes, My Lord.

Milton sighed at Viscount Sabians words.

Half a month is too long. Its long but

Milton spoke after thinking it through.

How much damage would we take in the three-day operation?

It would be at least 20,000 to 40,000 troops, My Lord.

Half of our troops would die?

That castle demands at least that much, My Lord.

Milton spoke bitterly.

What about the operation that takes half a month?

Under 5,000 men, My Lord. Maybe even less than 2,000 men.

Hooooo

Youre calling this an option?

Milton sighed deeply. He wanted to attack as quickly as possible. MIlton wanted to settle the situation here before the enemys reinforcements arrived from the Northern Front. However, the difference in casualties between the two operations was too big. If Milton was an ordinary nobleman, he would have prioritized his war service over the lives of his men but

It cant be helped. Lets go with the half a month plan.

Yes, My Lord.

When he heard Miltons answer, Viscount Sabian inwardly smiled.

With My Lords character, I knew he would go with this option.

Viscount Sabian had deliberately explained his plans like this so that Milton would give him this answer. Of course, there hadnt been anything wrong with his report to Milton. However, there were some exaggerations. The three days attack plan meant they would launch a full-scale frontal offensive Truthfully, even with that, there would have been less than 10,000 casualties.

Although Litinque Castle looked strong and sturdy, there were still a few hidden cards on their side as well. From the start, Lester Kingdoms army wasnt putting in all their effort and men into this. After all, this wasnt a war in their own country; they had only come as a reinforcement force. If Milton wanted to, they could very easily besiege Litinque Castle head-on with sheer power.

But, Viscount Sabian encouraged Milton to make one choice over another by reporting exaggerated results. What reason could he have for doing this? Could it be that he was wavering in his loyalty to Milton? No, that wasnt it. Viscount Sabians loyalty towards Milton was as strong as ever. He did this because he thought Milton was going about this war wrong.

My Lord is too conscious of Siegfried. We can calmly proceed with the war but were putting in too much effort into it.

Viscount Sabian believed that in his role as a tactician, sometimes, he had to confront his Lord for his own sake. At least, thats how he comforted himself.

Truthfully, with his personality, Viscount Sabian didnt like doing something like this. With his personality, he believed that if he didnt like something his Lord was doing, it was best if Sabian pointed it out directly. It wasnt his personality to be evasive or to influence someone into doing something else. But he didnt avoid it. No, he couldnt. Viscount Sabian remembered belonging to the First PrinceSkytsarmy in the past.

That war. For Viscount Sabian, it was both his first actual war as well as the war where they were defeated miserably. At that time, Viscount Sabian had boldly and straightforwardly spoken to the First Prince. He had been convinced that he was right and he couldnt just watch that dimwitted First Prince be reckless. Viscount Sabian didnt care whether the person he was speaking to was the next king and without hesitation, Viscount Sabian had spoken directly.

But what was the result? The First Prince didnt accept his words and even excluded him completely from his staff. In the end, the First Princes army had been annihilated. Others didnt know this, but that war had traumatized him. Although Viscount Sabian had been completely excluded, the army that he had been in suffered a terrible defeat. Because it was the first war that he had participated in, that war remained vividly imprinted in his memories. Not to mention, the words of Marquis Trauss, his deceased teacher.

[Tsk, wasnt there a way to say the same thing differently? You knew the personality of His Highness, Prince Skyt, yet you didnt stand down?]

Viscount Sabian didn't know this then, but during his teachers funeral, he thought over the words and realized that his teacher had been right. He had been overconfident. He thought all he had to do was say the correct thing. Then, the person he was speaking to would automatically understand and agree to everything. Why? Because he was correct. It had been arrogant of him.

With that in mind, Viscount Sabian realized that he had some responsibility for the First Princes army being defeated that badly. From an average persons point of view, Viscount Sabians thought process was too much. But because Viscount Sabian was smart and talented, and as self-aware as he was of his skills, he was also a person who took responsibility for himself.

Sometimes, a competent person will contradict himself. This was exactly what Viscount Sabian was doing right now. He was afraid of being rejected by Milton if he talked directly about it. So, he manipulated Milton in order to get the result he wanted. It was something that would help his Lord Milton fight the war a bit better, but it was something that Viscount Sabian would never have done 3 years ago. In the first place, manipulating someone to get the results he wanted meant that a small part of his