Chapter 17: Rogue Lords (end)

[Aintorian Territorial Army: 13432 men]

[Training level: 50]

The level of training, which had been significantly declining, was steadily increasing thanks to Haddin’s efforts. It was a given that with a few more months of hard work, the newly drafted troops would be transformed into a reasonable army. The taxation policy was being maintained and the people’s spirit remained at 70.

“Your Excellency!”

While I was sitting on a chair in the shade of a tree watching the soldiers train, satisfied with how well things were going, Haddin came running in with a shocked look on his face.

“According to the urgent news that just came in, it seems that the northern border has also been invaded…….Furthermore, the border has collapsed, and now the Narja Kingdom’s army is invading Lunan territory!”

What came out of Haddin’s mouth was a history I knew well. The butterfly effect after I stopped the invasion of the Narja Kingdom here has not yet appeared, and it seems that their invasion of the Lunan Kingdom is being carried out according to history.

“Is that true?”

“Yes. It’s also a large army. They say it’s an army of over several hundred thousand!”

“I see, we’ll just have to push on with our training. Pull yourself together, Haddin. How can a commander be so flustered?”

“No, that’s…….I’m sorry, sir!”

“Master!”

This time, the chamberlain came running to me.

“Chamberlain you don’t have to run around like that, you can just send someone…….”

“Master, there’s no time for that, there’s an imperial messenger over there with the king’s royal decree!”

The chamberlain pointed breathlessly outside the barracks. There was a general and a group of soldiers on horseback, wearing the royal flag. The man on the horse was holding something that looked like a scroll.

A royal decree?

That’s completely unexpected. The war in the north is still the history I know, but the rest of it feels like a completely different history is unfolding. Whether that’s good or bad for me, I don’t know yet.

Anyway, I heard that the imperial envoy had arrived, so I headed over there. Unless you’re going to rebel, you have to treat the imperial envoy like the king, that’s the royal law. When I arrived at the entrance of the barracks, the imperial envoy got off his horse and asked me.

“You are Aintorian Erhin, Lord of Aintorian, correct?”

“I am.”

As soon as he heard my reply, the imperial envoy immediately unfolded the scroll-shaped imperial envelope.

“The Lord of Aintorian shall obey the orders of the King!”

When I heard that powerful voice, I knelt down for a moment. It was a natural royal custom for a lord to kneel before the king’s royal messenger. After confirming my appearance, the royal messenger began to read the royal decree.

“Count Aintorian Erhin. I commend you on your success in stopping the invasion of the Narja Kingdom. Your abilities are highly valued and you should immediately join the Royal Army and demonstrate your skills. Due to the state of emergency, your position as a border lord is no longer valid. Leave the borders to the troops of your territory, you will lead the soldiers on the front lines to defend the country.”

What do you mean? You mean I’m supposed to go to the front lines alone and fight as a commander?

The Royal Army is a superlative of the Territorial Army. Normally, the king’s army that defends the capital is called the Royal Army, but when war breaks out, the allied forces are formed from the various territorial armies. The exception to this is areas that border other countries and are always in danger of war breaking out. The territories in the border areas will not transfer their troops even if war breaks out.

Of course, if the situation becomes more urgent, the capital will be given top priority and a general mobilization order will be issued, but it’s not at that stage yet. That’s why they want me to come alone for the time being.

What are the benefits of going to the front lines?

I have enough money to rebuild my territory. In order to grow my army, I must increase the population of my territory. I can use the money to absorb population from other areas, grow my troops, and then reconstruct them.

The situation is such that anything is possible. However, the biggest problem at the moment is the lack of human resources. In order to unify the country, human resources are essential.

Aintorian doesn’t have the resources, but what about the front lines? The front line attracts many warlords. So naturally, there will be a lot of good people there. I need to find someone who can be my ally, it is absolutely necessary.

Besides, there are few opportunities to level up in Aintorian, but on the front lines, battles occur on a daily basis. This means that I can level up, which is the most important thing for me. Of course, there is a certain amount of danger involved, but I have my perks! There is no success without danger.

In the history of the game, the Lunan Kingdom will be destroyed in this war. If that happens, Aintorian will also be destroyed.

The Narja Kingdom will probably try to take over Aintorian after they take the capital. Right now, Aintorian is still lacking in power. I had to stop the destruction of the Lunan Kingdom here and have time to develop my army. In other words, the Lunan Kingdom would have to play the role of a shield.

People, levels and time, the benefits abounded. I finished my calculations and said as I carefully received the imperial decree.

“Aintorian Erhin, Lord of Aintorian. I humbly accept the royal decree!”

* * *

The temporary headquarters of the Royal Army of Lunan was set up at Linon Castle in Linon territory, not far from the current capital. The commander of the Lunan Kingdom’s army is Duke Ronen, the leader of the lords.

Ronen was having a meeting with Hayna, the chief of staff of the Royal Army, to discuss personnel changes. The general is the commander of all the troops in the army.

The general-in-chief is the overall commander of the commanders of the various units belonging to the corps. The vice-general is just below the general-in-chief, but it is the general staff that actually plans the operations of the Royal Army. The vice-general is just below the general, but it is the chief of staff who practically plans the operations of the Royal Army.

This position, the flower of contention, has already been changed three times since the invasion of the Narja Kingdom forces. The first was killed in battle and the second one disappeared.

This time, the newly appointed one was Berhin Hayna, famous for her clear mind in the capital. She was also a relative of Duke Ronen. Normally, anyone would want to be a chief of staff. However, it was a position that no one wanted now that the Lunan Kingdom was losing battle after battle. The chief of staff would be remembered in history as the strategist who brought about the downfall of the country.

“Where the hell am I supposed to send Count Aintorian?”

“I’ve given it some thought…….”

Hayna paused for a moment before continuing with her question about the treatment of Count Aintorian, which was the source of her greatest concern.

“I thought a supply base would be nice.”

“Are you serious about that?”

Duke Ronen asked back with a puzzled expression. This was because the supply troops at the supply base were a very important unit that supplied the battlefield with food delivered from the capital.

“I’m going to appoint him to the position of the current commander of the Supply Corps, Count Nolan, who was killed in the North.”

“No, no matter what, a person of ill repute like Erhin would never be considered for that important position.”

When Duke Ronen strongly disagreed, Hayna continued her explanation.

“But General! Can you send him to the front line and entrust him with thousands of soldiers? Isn’t that what you were worried about when you told me to find a suitable position for him?”

“That’s the king’s order. Isn’t there a better way?”

“The supply units are fine. If we send him to the front lines, we won’t be able to control him and he might destroy the troops entrusted to him. If that’s the case, I think it’s better to send him to a supply unit that we can monitor and control. I’ll keep a close eye on it. If he does anything strange, I will immediately report it to the king and have him withdraw his order. I have it all planned out, so you can trust me.”

It was the king’s order, so they had to give him a position. However, his title is ‘count’, so it is necessary to give him a rank higher than that of commander, that’s what status is all about.

This was the only way for Hayna. In the current situation, there is no position that can be entrusted to a prodigal count who only knows how to fool around.