In October, when he was thirty years old, Hercule finished his wedding with Scheherazade and other internal affairs.
　Hercule launched his long-planned invasion of the Kingdom of Cerda.

　"Well, gentlemen. Let's start with a review of ...... our military capabilities.

　After saying this, Hercule ordered his servants to hand out the documents.
　He then ordered his servants to distribute the documents to the generals of the Lemurian Empire.

　As you know, after the ...... Bulgarian War, we established a new infantry corps. In addition, Nia and Jebe have been given two new battalions each to account for their achievements.

　Five legions of infantry, one legion of archers, one legion of heavy cavalry (cribanarius), one legion of medium cavalry (cataphract), one battalion of light cavalry, and two rangers of three battalions.

　That's 1,044,000.
　That's the entire standing army of the Lemurian Empire.

　"Oh, but keep in mind that the light cavalry is for spotting, so they don't take part in direct combat much. As for the Tonden-bei, 600,000 people, about three percent of our country's total population, are engaged.

　A total of about 700,000 troops.
　This may sound enormous.

　However, it is the standing army, about 100,000, that has the capacity to go out to war.
　The Tonden-bei is a completely defensive army, or rather, a status. ...... While the scale is huge, the financial burden is low, and the fighting capability is low.

　If the enemy attacked, they would not be able to use any tactics other than delay.

　The navy has also been strengthened to maintain control of the seas, with the number of ...... ships reaching five hundred.

　Naturally, the number of personnel has increased accordingly.

　"Now the question is, what is the total military strength of the Kingdom of Chelda? Well, ...... we don't know the exact number, so it's just a guess. ......

　The population of the Kingdom of Chelda is around 6 to 8 million.
　Of these, about 55%, between 3.3 million and 4.4 million, are warbeasts.

　In the Kingdom of Chellda, warbeasts = warrior class = soldiers, so the total number of warbeasts is quite large, but ......
　Before they are warriors, they are also farmers.

　Therefore, in terms of the total mobilizable (・・・・・) military force, it is reasonable to think that it would be about 300,000 to 400,000, or 10% of the population.

　It's a good idea to make a large assessment of the total military strength of the country, even though it has been exhausted by the recent civil war. ...... I'm sure you've heard of it.

　The Lemurian Empire's total military strength is about 700,000.
　The Lemurian Empire has a total of about 700,000 troops, but only about 100,000 are standing troops that can actually be sent out on expeditions.

　The enemy force is three times our size. In addition, taking into account the existence of the ...... Fullerling Kingdom, it is not desirable to fight for too long. Decide on a short-term battle. Well, ...... three years at the most.

　After saying that, Hercule looks around at the expressions of the generals.
　As Hercule had predicted, ...... many of them had expressions that said, "Are you serious? As Hercule had expected, most of them had a "are you serious?

　However, their eyes did not show any suspicion of Hercule.
　They are waiting to hear what Hercule has to say next, and what his specific plan and strategy will be.

　I'll tell you the name of the operation.　The name of the operation is ...... "Operation Surprise". What do you think?　Isn't ...... adorable?
　"'......'.

　That was a little slippery.
　Hercule scratched his cheek and regretted what he had just said.
　It would have been better, he thought, to have taken the 'no tiger without a tiger' approach.

　Oh, I'm sorry. I'll give you a rundown. ...... First, ......

　When the generals heard of Hercule's plan, their reactions were mixed.



　"...... Are you insane?

　Galfith's eyes widened.

　"There is a fine line between genius and something .......

　Christos held his head.

　You might want to get your soldiers to prepare their wills before they go into battle.

　Edmond let out a sigh.

　"Ha-ha-ha!　Great, Your Majesty!　If this works, the Emperor will be the greatest a**h*le in history!

　Darius burst out laughing.

　...... I still have a kid.

　Oscar looked stunned ......

　"Huh. ...... Looks like I'm not in charge there. Good luck, General Oskar.　When you die, I'm going to tell your children that their father was a great soldier.

　Stefan sends his sympathy and encouragement to Oskar.

　"Huh. ...... A short life, huh?

　Jebe, with a faraway look in his eyes, looks in the direction of his native prairie and twilight.

　"...... Are you nuts?

　The Lunarian in charge of the supply line frankly abused Hercule.

　You're right, it's His Majesty!　I'm not sure what you're talking about.　That's what makes me numb, that's what I admire!

　Nia said to Hercule, "Fool" in an offhand way.

　And ......

　"Your Majesty!　My name is!　What do you want me to do!

　Karolina shouted.
　Hercule has something to say to Karolina.

　"Stay.


　Oh, no!　Why not!!!

　Karolina closed in on Hercule.
　Hercule let out a sigh.

　Why? You just had a baby. You need to rest now. ...... I can't take you on a dangerous expedition like this.
　So who's going to protect you?
　I'm taking Scheherazade and Alicia with me. Isn't that enough?

　It's a matter of trust that Scheherazade and Alicia are not here.
　I can't tell you right now ...... because the mission is the mission.

　Hercule personally trusts them (Scheherazade because of her personality and Alicia because of her position, it is unlikely that she would divulge the mission), but the people around her were not convinced.

　But the people around them weren't convinced, though they were told before the expedition.

　So, but ......
　I'm talking for your own good. You know?　Carolina ......, you need to rest this time.
　...... I understand.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that.

　...... Your Majesty should first worry about the soldiers who are forced to go along with your reckless strategy.

　All the generals agreed with him.




　The end of November.
　King Hilderic II gathered his subjects and held a meeting.
　The topic of the meeting was the movements of the Lemurian army.

　"Gentlemen, as you may have already heard on ......, about 80,000 Lemurian troops gathered in Alectia about a week ago. Since then, the Lemurian army has split into two groups, one by sea and one by land, and is heading towards our country.

　King Hilderic II said in front of his subjects.
　Hilderic II's face twisted in abhorrence.

　The greedy, deceitful Emperor of Lemuria is finally about to overrun our land. ...... We must work together as one against this.

　Hilderic II then glared at his subordinates, Hoamel and Carmine.
　Even after the end of the civil war, the government of the Kingdom of Chelda has not been stable.
　This was because Hoamel and Carmine started a political war.

　King Hilderic II was unable to stop them, and felt itchy.

　However, he could not afford to have a political war at a time of national crisis.
　Therefore, Hilderic II knew that it was useless, but he nevertheless nailed it down.

　But ...... land or sea. Probably the best bet would be the sea route. I'm not sure what to make of that.

　Carmine muttered.

　The south side of the Kingdom of Chellda faces the desert.
　Therefore, its real territory is the narrow coastal area between the desert and the sea, which is the only area that is passable.

　There are not many roads that pass through this narrow coastal area.
　It is difficult for a large army to advance, and it is also difficult to bypass forts and cities, making it unsuitable for an invasion, and on the other hand, from the perspective of the Kingdom of Chelda, the terrain is easy to defend.

　And the navy of the Kingdom of Chellda has not recovered from its previous defeats. ......
　There are only about a hundred ships.
　In other words, it is easy to invade from the sea.

　Taking this into account, we can expect the land to be a diversion and the sea to be the main target.

　The problem is that we don't know from which port they plan to land. ...... Even if we blockade and chain the ports, we won't be able to hold them off for very long.

　The coast of the Kingdom of Chelda is long and narrow.
　Once they land, the country will be divided.

　"Your Majesty. As for the eastern part of the kingdom, the Teriportanian region, let's leave it behind. A small number of troops in each fortress will be enough to hold them back. Our land forces should be concentrated on the defense of the capital city of Cerda, and the city of Teripol, which is the connection point between the central and eastern regions and a logistics hub.

　The Lemurian Empire can't be invaded by land if there are enough troops in Teripol.

　The problem is the sea route. ...... We have to give up on this to some extent.
　Since they have lost the control of the sea, we don't know where they will land. ...... In other words, we should take a strategy that will not be a problem no matter where they land.

　In order to do so, it is important to strengthen the defense of the capital.
　As long as the capital does not fall, there is no problem.

　On the contrary, the Lemurian Imperial Army, isolated in the land of the Kingdom of Chelda, will be at a disadvantage.

　Then you can strike the weakened Lemurian army.
　The Kingdom of Chelda can mobilize a minimum of 200,000 troops and a maximum of 300,000 troops.
　The enemy army is estimated to be at least 100,000 ...... and has a good chance of winning.

　Also, if the Lemurian army attacked the city of Teripol with all of its forces, that is, from both the land and sea sides,......
　In the event that the Lemurian army attacks Teripol from both the land and sea sides, you can allocate the troops that you have placed in the defense of the capital to come to the rescue.

　If you can secure the communication route between the capital city of Cerda and the city of Teripol, the rest is not a problem.

　"But, ...... General Carmine. But, General Carmine, won't that mean that the region of Teriportania will temporarily fall into enemy hands?　It's one of my country's greatest breadbasket areas,......, and there are innocent people there.

　King Hilderick II did not like Carmine's plan.
　The Teriportanian region has a high percentage of human population. It would be unacceptable for King Hilderic II, who wanted to gain the support of the human race, to cut off this region.

　This region is also the support base of Hoamel.
　It is obvious that abandoning the Teriportania region would displease Kassandra, Hilderick II's favorite princess,......, and that is also not very desirable from Hilderick II's point of view.

　I'm sure you're aware of this, but I'm not.

　"But, Your Majesty. If we wait for the enemy at the entrance to Teriportania,...... and they land by sea and drop Teripol City, we will not only lose Teriportania, but we will lose valuable troops.

　The Lemurian army will eventually be exhausted and retreat.


　If so, Carmine argued, we should fortify ourselves inside the country.

　Hilderick II's eyes swam.
　Does anyone have an alternative? ......

　And then a young man of the human race stood up.

　"Your Majesty. We should not abandon the region of Teriportania.

　The young man's name was Iason.
　He is one of the generals of the Kingdom of Chelda, and one of the few warriors of the Hoamelites.

　He is one of the generals of the Kingdom of Chelda, and one of the few martial artists of the Hoamelites. ......'s own fighting ability is not very high.
　He is one of the few warriors of the Hoamelites.

　He is more of a military strategist or advisor.

　"Oh, Iason!　So, do you have any alternative plans?
　"Yes. First of all, divide the army into four parts.
　"Nonsense, ...... there will be at most three divisions of troops!

　Carmine shouted at the top of his lungs.
　Carmine didn't just want to divide the army into two.
　There was a big reason for this.

　The Lemurian Empire had a force of about 100,000.
　The Kingdom of Cerda, on the other hand, could mobilize at most 300,000 troops.

　Even if the troops are dispersed, the number of troops that will not be defeated individually is 100,000 for each of the three equal parts. ......　
　If the opponent is the Emperor of Lemuria, who is a good warrior, Carmine's idea is that you should take all possible precautions and limit your dispersal to 150,000 each.

　Carmine!　...... Iason, tell me the rest.

　Yes, sir. I understand Carmine's concern about the danger of dispersing troops. Listen first. We've divided our forces into four, one to defend the capital, one to the key city of Teripol, and one to Azdavia, the gateway to Teriportania.

　......

　Carmine has a frustrated expression on his face, but ......
　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm going to have to.

　And the last one will be dispersed throughout the region of Teriportania. If the enemy tries to land from the sea, the ...... dispersed troops will hold them off, and in the meantime, the main force from the city of Teripol will rush in and destroy them.

　"That's a theoretical theory!

　Carmine shouted.
　Carmine yelled.　Carmine banged his fist on his desk.

　Carmine slammed his fist down hard on the desk, "What makes you think you can hold them off?　We're going to get blown to pieces!

　"Landing operations sometimes require several times as many troops. There aren't many large ports in the Teriportanian region. If you try to land from a small port, it will take a lot of time. ...... On the other hand, if you try to land in a large port, you will only need to prepare a reasonable number of troops.

　Carmine and Iason exchanged heated words.
　Carmine and Iason argued furiously, each appealing to his king.

　"Your Majesty!　We shouldn't take any risks!　We should abandon the region of Teriportania.
　"Your Majesty!　"Your Majesty, the people are the treasure of the land and should not be dismissed lightly!

　Hearing both sides of the argument, ...... King Hilderic II came to a decision.

　"I will adopt Iason's plan.

　Iason smiles happily at Hilderic II's words, and Hoamel grins.
　Carmine, on the other hand, sniffed unhappily.

　(...... I feel like I'm missing something important.)

　I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but I'm sure you have.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what's going on in your life and how you're going to deal with it. ...... But as a politician and a soldier, I feel Iason has a point.

　In fact, it is not a good idea to abandon your people so carelessly.
　In fact, it is not a good idea to abandon the people lightly.

　If the Emperor of Lemuria, with his excellent ruling skills, were to take the region east of the city of Teripol, Teripoltania, ......
　If the Emperor of Lemuria, with his superior ruling skills, were to take Teriportania, east of the city of Teripol, he would not only take the land, but also the hearts of the people, and control them.

　The Teriportania region is the breadbasket of the Kingdom of Chelda.
　From an economic point of view, ...... if this land is controlled, the supply of food to the capital city of Chelda will become insecure.

　Therefore, Iason's plan is not a bad one.
　Of course, there is the danger of individual defeat.

　(Actually, both your father's plan and Iason's plan should be able to prevent the Lemurian army to a certain extent unless there is a serious failure or some kind of confusion or mistake. The Emperor of Lemuria doesn't want a long war, considering the existence of the Fullerling Kingdom. (If it goes on too long, he will retreat. ...... also ......)

　Is it really possible that the Emperor of Lemuria didn't even anticipate this level of operation?
　No.

　The Emperor of Lemuria should be able to predict the strategies of Iason and Carmine.
　He predicted it, and judged that he could win, and moved his army.

　Since he moved his army, he must have been confident of victory.

　(Something is ...... wrong. (Something is wrong.) I think I'm missing something. ......No, but the Lemurian Emperor's possible measures are already on the agenda.

　And the measures to deal with it are already being worked out now.
　So the Kingdom of Chelda will win.

　Yes, from a common sense standpoint.

　(...... worrying too much?)

　(Is that too much to worry about?) Sonia shakes her head as if to blow away her worries.


　Maybe I'm overestimating how much I fear the Lemurian Emperor.

　(At any rate, ......, I'll get the head of the Emperor of Lemuria.

　The man who disgraced the kingdom of Cerda.
　I'll make sure of it.

　Sonia clasped her hands tightly.