I Became the illegitimate son of a duke

16 – The Agreement to End the War

“aaa!!!”

“No…”

Where did it go wrong?

The soldiers, who suffered from the pressure of being surrounded from front to back, couldn’t control their bodies properly, and when the enemy’s follow-up army finally arrived and attacked with cavalrymen, the results were disastrous.

Heavily armed soldiers who were slowly followed from behind are covered in mud and spilling the contents through their armor, while the soldiers standing in the front line are unable to withstand the impact of the enemy.

“…No, there is still a way.”

If you capture the Duke of Burgon… Yes, if you manage to catch him—

Pu-wook!

“—-!?”

A blade covered in mud and blood rises from my stomach.

The words… Won’t come out. It hurts so much rain, brightness… Breath…

Damn it…

…………

“Ah, I finally see Donggun over there…?”

I ran like crazy to the southeast and finally found the army…

The flags with the family crest written on them are nowhere to be found, and the armor is all too dull. It is impossible to imagine that the army of the proud Carolingian Kingdom.

Then…

“Emergency, emergency!!!! Everyone prepare for battle!!”

“What? Donggun?”

I tried to warn you by shouting, but I heard a stupid sound from behind.

These bastards…

“There’s no such thing, it’s a trap!!”

Even if I tell you, those bastards are still rummaging around like idiots.

What are you so slow? Right Now…

“Huh?”

The scene I just saw… The scene I saw while scouting the east… I can see it again from the north.

There is still an army in dull armor, covered in mud and without a flag.

People who saw my reaction were puzzled and turned their heads to the north, and it spread to the whole army in an instant through crowd psychology, and eventually most of them turned their heads to the north.

…They must be thinking the same thing as me.

“…To the west, to the west! Fast!”

…………

“Your Excellency Arras! Another army is coming from the west!”

“Hmm… I haven’t achieved a complete victory yet.”

Despite a pincer attack from the southeast and north, the enemy’s northern forces held out for quite a while.

Because the soldiers were exhausted or injured from dealing with the enemy’s dong army before, and the resistance was unexpectedly too stubborn.

In an hour they’d all be dead, but the problem is that they held out until reinforcements arrived.

“What about friendly casualties?”

“It’s difficult to count because it’s in a chaotic battle!”

“…I guess so.”

It’s hard to know the damage during a fight on a normal flat ground, but it’s scary when the floor is slippery and muddy.

‘…There are corpses all over the floor.’

Not only enemies, but also corpses of allies abound.

It is said that the enemy was easily defeated in the previous battle, but a battle is a battle, and the allies must be in a state of accumulated fatigue.

‘Hmm… What should I do?’

It is generally very difficult to send an army that has fought two battles into another battle.

But the vast majority of the enemy forces are heavily armed, unable to move properly in these swampy areas. There are no good generals.

Are you going to fight back, or retreat for now—

“Your Excellency, the enemy is charging!”

“What?”

What I thought about for a long time disappeared at the soldier’s shout, but I couldn’t feel any irritation.

As if bouncing my head, I turned to the west and saw a group of guys in shining blue armor rushing towards this place from a swamp full of mud.

The horse is charging. Seeing him floundering in the swamp… He looks like a turtle with a silver shell.

…I was worried about giving my head a headache. I forgot they were jerks.

…………

“What!? Why are you charging at will?”

“I, Your Highness… I heard that we needed to help our allies quickly… Knights and nobles led enlisted men and charged…”

Crazy bastards.

Do you dare to disobey my order, cowardly bastards clad in iron, saying that their lives are not worth it?

No… They have no reason to listen to my orders. Those are my brother’s subjects, not mine.

Even in the chain of command, they’re reinforcements, so there’s no need to listen to my orders.

“There is a danger of allied death, archers, stop shooting and raise your sword! Blow the charge horn!!”

“Yes!!”

But it’s obvious that bad things will happen if we leave them alone, right?

Damn it… I have a bad feeling, but I can’t help it. If you don’t follow them, catastrophe will happen.

No… Did you wake up already?

…………

“Hey… Chloe.”

Chloe is holding onto my body so that I cannot move at all, as if the incident that just happened has turned into a trauma.

Since they’re siblings, it’s okay, but aren’t they too attached? If you fall a little –

“If I go, I will die.”

“You haven’t said anything yet…?”

To die… Why do you say such bloody things…?

Are you kidding…? Yes, I guess.

“…No one can deny the feat of Your Highness. The detailed tactics borrowed the power of the generals, but that’s what everyone does, and the grand flow of this battle was created by Your Highness.”

The general in the control room tells me this.

To my ears, it sounds like being satisfied and being quiet…

“Above all, if His Highness is captured, it is literally doomed. No matter how advantageous the battlefield is, the future cannot be predicted—”

“Stop it, okay… Keep calm.”

The thing that changed the most after I became a duke is that I came to see tyrants with wonder.

I can’t stand it because my servants aren’t being pushy, they’re pouring out advice they think for me like a tsunami from all directions.

Aren’t those tyrants ignoring this and just doing what they want?

They’re crazy. That’s right, you’re called a tyrant because you’re crazy, right?

“Hee hee…”

“…”

When I reassured myself that I would not go out, Chloe smiled wryly.

Are you that happy? Well, my brother says he won’t go to dangerous places, but where is the younger brother who won’t be happy–

Kwaaang!

“Wow…?”

“Your Highness, it is a great victory. A great victory!!”

At that time, a messenger with a flushed face burst through the door of the headquarters and screamed.

The people at headquarters are startled at first by the sudden loud noise, but the surprise quickly turns to delight soon after.

…Good.

“Waaa!!”

“Your Highness, I’m reducing it!!”

“Stop it, you can’t hear the messenger!”

After I quieted the generals, the messenger began to explain what had happened on the battlefield.

The first battle with the Eastern Army resulted in total annihilation in the dictionary sense, and the second battle with the Northern Army was joined in the middle by the enemy’s Western Army, and it is said that about 15,000 people escaped.

Doesn’t that mean… All but 15,000 were killed or captured?

“What about friendly casualties?”

“It said it was still being counted.”

“Yeah… Got it.”

You’re crazy.

Take 20,000 against 40,000, and trade 25,000 of them?

The damage hasn’t been fully revealed yet… But that’s amazing, I never thought using the swamp would be so effective.

Even I, who knew the Battle of Agincourt, a battle that took place in a swamp similarly, was thrilled to hear the result, but other generals who do not have such knowledge are appalled.

I didn’t even go to the frontlines, and I only planned the strategy together with Arras, but the generals’ eyes on me became frighteningly fanatical. Don’t look at me with those eyes!

“…Didn’t Arras say he wouldn’t pursue?”

“Yes, you said you were too tired…”

What, why are you so scared? Did you think I’d get mad at you for not chasing you?

Failure to prevent the enemy from retreating means that the army is too tired to pursue. Arras’ judgment is correct.

For now, think about the 15,000 people who escaped—

Kwaaang!

“Your Highness! The enemy has made an offer of negotiation—”

You don’t have to.

“Okay, I’ll camp in front of Nevers Castle. Send a negotiating party there. But tell the commander in chief of the Carolingians to come too.”

“Yes!!”

Now it’s my turn to go out again.

“…”

The only person who wasn’t happy in this crucible was Chloe.

…………

“Nice to meet you. My name is Claude, Duke of Burgon.”

Since Burgon and Carolingian speak the same language, there was no need for an interpreter.

It is fortunate that among the enemy generals, there is a younger brother of the king who has full power. I can finish the Carolingian front quickly and focus on his great uncle who might be coming down from the north.

“Eh…?”

“Kuh…”

The Carolingian envoy who sat in the seat in front of me had a very stupid expression on his face. Not only the envoys, but also the enemy commanders sitting behind them.

I think I know what you’re thinking, I can’t stop laughing.

“It seems that Count Nevers played his role very well.”

“…!”

It was only after I gave the decisive clue, that the characters of the Carolingian Kingdom crumpled their faces with the [Tricked!] Expression.

It feels so good to see enemies disassembling? A little more… No, let’s restrain ourselves for now.

“Hemm, anyway, to get to the point… Burgon’s request is simple. I, following Claude de Burgon’s succession to the Principality of Burgon, acknowledge that the Principality of Burgon and the Kingdom of Carolingian are completely separate countries. I want to do that, and get the Bar region and a small amount of compensation.”

“Var… You mean?”

“Yes.”

The first two are things that must be done, so strictly speaking, they cannot be considered negotiations.

In other words, the most important thing in this negotiation is the cession of the Bar region. It’s where my eldest uncle is running rampant.

The Bar region, which can travel back and forth between the inland and coastal regions, must be eaten at all costs.

“…We’ve come to sign an armistice, not to surrender. We have 15,000 regulars left, so we will never sign such a humiliating treaty.”

Is it like this?

They are well aware of the importance of the Bar region, so they will do anything to stop it.

But… How about this?

“General Arras, how many Carolingian nobles have you captured?”

“There were too many to count.”

“How much do you think the ransom should be?”

“Hmm… Well, it’s the first time I’ve received a ransom.”

As I gave the signal, Arras began to speak as we agreed before.

Hey, you’re really good at acting. Can i change my job

“Ah… I’m thinking about what it would be like to buy Barr with that ransom.”

As we began our conversation, Caroling’s expression literally began to rot.

Those who have already been burned once will know better.

What we, my grandfather, did during the old war.

“…”

Why do you keep your eyes open?