"From the beginning, I never set out to unify the province by destroying the small lords. My goal is to destroy Lentland in the province of Nagouri. This war is only the first step.


    The soldiers seemed surprised at these words.


    However, one of them, Rayon, the captain of the White Eagle Squadron, said, "That''s great. He is a soldier of Elvish origin.


    The Count''s eyes see further than anyone else''s. That''s why I''d like to accompany you wherever you go.


    "Yes. You have to follow me. You must bring me victory.


    ●


    I brought my men to the enemy lord''s fortress.


    They are camped in a small mountain not much higher than a hill. They number no more than a hundred men.


    It is a fortress, but it is far from a full-fledged stone fortress. There is a kind of stone fortification around the hill, but it is possible to enter the fort by climbing over it.


    "I''m sure you guys can handle a forceful attack with your abilities. Now, who will be the first one to go in?"


    Needless to say, the first soldier to attack by force is also the most dangerous.


    "Leave this to me!


    Noen raised his voice.


    "The other day, I was unable to understand the Count''s feelings, and I made an abomination of myself. I would like to rinse it off."


    He''s got a lot of potential, I thought.


    He used to be a general in the service of another family that I had destroyed, but he has a very dedicated personality.


    "Well said. Well then, you may try. But I''ll give you a few hints."


    I described some of the less well-defended areas of the castle.


    "-- so it''s easy to get to the fort from the north. This fort is designed to keep out enemies from the south. If we are attacked from the south and cannot hold out, we are supposed to flee to the north in the direction of our stronghold. Of course, the road is easier that way."


    "I''m impressed that you could see that far so quickly. ......"


    The other generals were amazed.


    "If you put yourself in the enemy''s shoes, you will soon understand. It''s your turn now, Noen."


    "Ha!　I will crush the enemy for sure!"


    Noen''s men quickly made their way around to the back of the fort.


    We gathered on the south side of the fort to keep the enemy''s attention on us.


    Soon, Noen''s troops seemed to have entered the fort. A loud scream is heard from the fort.


    "Alright, Sivik, the enemy will try to run this way. We will block the way and destroy them.


    "Yes, sir!　No one leaves the fort alive!"


    Some of the enemy soldiers jumped out to escape from the fort. It is not surprising since he is a small lord and there are not many loyal troops.


    I''m sorry, but you will all die here.


    Get your bows and arrows ready. If any enemy soldiers come out, shoot at them!"


    The enemy soldiers, thinking they have nowhere to run, try to force their way out of our encirclement at once.


    The desire to flee is now stronger than the desire to fight.


    Even so, I do not loosen the siege, and I continue to mow down the enemy soldiers.


    Soon, smoke rises from the fort. Noen has done it.


    "Victory is decided!　Now, let''s work one more time to make our victory complete!"


    The victory was overwhelming. were the cheerful shouts of the allies.


    In the end, the battle was over within a few hours of the start of full-scale combat.


    When Noen returned, his body was covered with dirt, but he seemed uninjured.


    "Count, we have defeated the enemy general. He was the brother of the lord. He was begging for his life, but I cut him down.


    "That''s it. You''re really a pathetic fellow, begging for your life at this late stage."


    You go to the trouble of informing us that you will kill everyone who enters the fort, and then you beg for your life just as the castle is about to fall!


    It seems that these men have no taste for war.


    Rayon, the captain of the White Eagle Corps, said.


    "Even in these days, it is not as if bloodshed has been going on all the time. The small lords must have been able to hold their own with each other for a long time. They have never known truly terrible wars.


    "Rayon, you used to be a mercenary."


    Yes, many lords were naive like that. It was not uncommon to find lords who had never achieved any real military success.


    "It seems that you are right. But I don''t care about that old saying. I will continue to be strict.


    --Yes, that''s good. Let us trample down those who stand in the way of the High King.


    I see that Oda Nobunaga doesn''t like slow battles either.


    --Fighting is the most effective opportunity to show the power of the High King. The High King has almost never fought a siege. In a long and drawn-out battle, one does not feel the strength of the attacker even if he defeats the besieger. And if they give up taking the castle, the least damage will be the fact of defeat. It takes time.


    I agree with you. If the enemy can be defeated at once, it is better to do it that way.


    --Well, now we have one small territory. The foolish lords will hear of the destruction of their fortresses after all this time and, horrified, will at best offer their surrender. Fools do not have courage. They will never be prepared to defend their lands at all costs.


    Yes, I look forward to the enemy''s reaction.


    I look forward to the enemy''s reaction.


    When the enemy lord eventually offered to surrender, I ordered him to report to the camp.


    He was a useless man. He had a belly too big to be called a warrior. He must have stayed in the countryside and never played a proper game of politics.


    I thought he might be of some use to us, but he''s no use to us now.


    "Count, I admit that I have been in the wrong so far, so please forgive me. ...... Please, please, please. ......"


    "Okay. I''m not an ogre. I forgive you. I''ve never directly crossed swords with you. I''m not here to kill you all.


    "Thank goodness!　I will surely risk my life for the Count in this land!"


    "What are you getting at?"


    I said in a cold voice.


    "I will have my vassals rule this land. Your family will live as farmers in a village near Nevre.


    "Oh, no!　You said you would allow it. ......"


    "So I saved your life, didn''t I?　Don''t worry. We will take your vassals and reorganize them.


    If the top management is like this, the loyalty of the vassals is nothing. There will be no opposition now.


    Take him away.


    The strongest men in the SS took the arms of the "former" lord and dragged him away.


    Now let''s go crush the rest of the small lords.