Chapter 589

After winter ended and spring arrived, Ludwig never took his eyes off the movements beyond the barrier.

Once the snow that had piled up all winter melted, the hooves of horses would once again gallop across the land. To replenish the food and supplies consumed during the winter.

Spring was the season of Ka`har.

—

‘…This winter was unusually harsh. The scouts I sent beyond the barrier didn’t return. The loss rate was too high, even by our standards.’

Scouting the east was akin to offering half your life. Yet, it was a necessary task, so Ludwig regularly recruited suicide squads to monitor Ka`har’s movements.

In other seasons, it was nearly impossible to shake off Ka`har’s pursuit, so most scouts were deployed only in winter. Still, about a third of them were always caught by the enemy and never returned.

However, the losses this winter were not a third but nearly triple that. Except for a few lucky ones, it was practically a total wipeout.

‘Winter is the worst season for cavalry. Yet, such a high loss rate. It means they spread their warriors across the grasslands, conducting a thorough and relentless search operation all winter. Instead of resting, they focused on cutting off our intelligence…’

They’re preparing for war. Ludwig could only conclude that.

In reality, it was just that the warriors, following Or-han’s orders to search for sorcerers, happened to hunt down the Empire’s scouts as well… but Ludwig couldn’t know that.

Regardless, Ludwig expected Or-han’s Ka`har to launch a large-scale military operation come spring. Whether they’d attack Dane like before or directly target the barrier was uncertain.

But no matter Or-han’s goal, Ludwig’s duty remained the same. Landenburg’s responsibility was to defend the barrier from external threats. If he couldn’t predict the enemy’s movements, he had to prepare for the worst.

Ludwig, with the imperial family’s permission, conscripted a large number of his people to bolster his forces and significantly expanded the defensive equipment on the barrier. All to complete full wartime preparations before spring arrived.

And then, spring came.

—

Despite the 90% loss rate, the remaining 10% of scouts miraculously returned, allowing Ludwig to partially grasp Ka`har’s movements.

They had concentrated all their forces in the capital, Ordos. That large force had marched east, only to return shortly after with significant damage. Since then, they had fallen silent.

The information was fragmented, but it was enough to understand Ka`har’s situation.

‘A defensive battle with their full forces. Marching east means… their enemy was likely fellow Ka`har. Tribes rebelling against Or-han’s rule.’

The Ka`har princess who had fled to the Empire, Ha-shal-leur, had mentioned it before. The Ka`har tribes in the eastern grasslands opposed Or-han, and subjugating them all was Or-han’s lifelong ambition.

She didn’t know the exact scale or strength, but it was certain that Or-han’s enemies were numerous in the east of Ordos.

‘If Or-han’s position remains strong, it means he’s suppressed and defeated them. Then, this silence must be to recover from the losses of that battle.’

Ludwig’s speculation was accurate.

Or-han, who had ascended to the position of Kagan after annihilating the tribal alliance, had suffered significant losses in a full-scale war against enemies twice his size. The weakened Ai-shan army was now in a state of recovery.

Given Ka`har’s rejection of sorcery, they relied on medicine, pharmacology, and natural healing to treat their wounded.

Though the morale of the warriors who had finally unified the east was higher than ever, replenishing their forces and healing the wounded was a matter of time, not morale.

—

‘Once they recover their strength… they’ll be stronger than before, both in quality and scale. The full force of the east will likely march toward the barrier.’

Ludwig exhaled deeply, puffing out magical cigarette smoke like a sigh. The situation was different now.

Ten… no, eleven years ago, he had seized the opportunity when their defenses were weak to achieve significant results. Nine years ago, when Or-han marched through Dane instead of targeting the barrier, the Empire and Landenburg forces had surrounded and forced him to retreat.

But now, such victories were no longer possible. Back then, the Empire’s forces were intact, and the world outside the east was at peace, allowing them to fully confront Ka`har.

But look at the Empire now.

Monsters roamed the land, and the Imperial Army was struggling with a lack of troops. The beastmen had quieted down after their failed invasion, and the fairies were at war with the dwarves. If not for that, there wouldn’t even be enough forces left to defend the capital.

Could the Empire, in its current state, successfully repel Ka`har’s invasion? Ludwig couldn’t imagine an optimistic outcome.

Even if they managed to repel Ka`har, the Empire would be left powerless and doomed to fall. Whether to monsters or another race, it didn’t matter.

‘We can’t just wait for their attack. That won’t stop them.’

After a night of deep thought and lengthy discussions with his advisors, Ludwig finally made a decision akin to a gamble.

They would cross the barrier and attack Ka`har.

It was a near-insane idea, but there was no other way. If they couldn’t face a fully recovered Ka`har, they had to strike before they regained their strength and inflict as much damage as possible.

A few days later, two letters bearing Ludwig’s seal arrived in the capital.

Ludwig’s handwritten letters detailing the eastern situation, the operation plan, and a request for support. The recipients were, of course, Emperor Leopold and the Empire’s Greatest Sword, Ha-shal-leur.

—

======[ Ha-shal-leur ]======

‘…The situation in the east seems more serious than I thought. To resort to such a gamble…’

I put down Ludwig’s letter, leaned back in my chair, and flicked the cigarette ash.

For Ludwig to suggest crossing the barrier and directly confronting Ka`har… it meant there was no other way.

[Ordos’s east, a battle involving Ai-shan’s full forces… I see. Those idiots have handed us the conquest of the Great Plains on a silver platter.]

Hersela spat out words laced with disdain.

Without the Empire’s interference, it would take about three years to fully conquer the Great Plains. That calculation was based on the plains’ vastness and the size of the hostile tribes, and Hersela agreed with it.

Subjugating and stabilizing the tribes scattered across the plains would take that long.

But judging from Ludwig’s letter and Hersela’s words, it seemed Or-han had succeeded in unifying the plains in just one year. Or rather, the unification had come to him.

The three-year estimate was based on a conquest war. If the enemies themselves brought their full forces from the eastern plains to be annihilated, the timeline would naturally shrink.

Of course, that didn’t mean everything was over. There was still the process of subjugating and stabilizing the defeated tribes… but that could be done with just a few thousand troops.

‘The Nidhogg problem is worrying, but… we have no choice but to go.’

I knew better than anyone what a unified Ka`har was capable of. Hersela, being originally from Ka`har, likely knew just as well.

Ludwig seemed worried about their flanking forces invading the Empire, but the original Ka`har was strong enough to smash through the barrier head-on.

Everything had changed from the original story, so whether they were as strong as before or weaker was uncertain until we faced them.

But one thing was clear: we had to attack before they recovered their strength. This moment, not long after their war with other tribes, was practically our only chance.

Even if directly attacking Ordos was impossible, we had to at least weaken their forces. Before they returned as an unstoppable calamity.

The problem was…

‘Will this plan work?’

I pointed to the operation plan written at the bottom of Ludwig’s letter and asked.

It was better than sending all our forces beyond the barrier for a large-scale battle, but it was still a risky gamble. If the plan went even slightly wrong, we’d suffer massive losses.

[Well… isn’t it up to us to make it work?]

Hersela, unable to guarantee the plan’s success, dodged the question with vague words. Not that she was wrong.