Chapter 11

We suffered considerable losses, but our Revolutionary Army achieved a great victory by annihilating the enemy several times over.

After capturing all the remaining suppression forces as prisoners, we immediately began looting.

“Hey, this guy wore a gold necklace to the battlefield?”

“Look at this scabbard. Even without the gems, it’s crafted like a work of art.”

“There’s plenty of spoils, so everyone take what you need! Don’t get too greedy and start fighting!”

We took everything from corpses and prisoners alike—armor, equipment, personal belongings. Everything.

From the moment they showed up in matching uniforms and boots, I knew these guys were filthy rich. Even the lowest-ranking privates had wallets stuffed with cash.

Meanwhile, we barely had enough uniforms to go around, let alone matching ones. We were patching ours up just to get by. These spoiled brats.

Well, thanks to them, our soldiers all got a hefty share. Heh.

“Lieutenant General, the commander of the Capital Defense Forces is protesting, saying this is no different from theft.”

“Ignore him. Are those punks in any position to resist just because we’re acting like bandits? They should be grateful we let them live.”

If we were fighting ordinary Imperial Forces, it wouldn’t have come to this. At most, we’d confiscate their weapons.

Even in the brutality of war, there are minimal rules that both sides adhere to.

But these guys are suppression forces. They were sent to crush us, labeling us as traitors. Their goal wasn’t just to win—it was to wipe us out completely.

So why should we bother following the rules of war? They were the ones who declared they’d ignore the rules in the first place.

“Did we recover all the armor?”

“Everything except what was completely destroyed. We’ve got about 16,000 sets that are still usable.”

“Distribute them to the Grenadier units first, then the Pikemen. Make sure it’s fair so no one complains. Even the mismatched sets, combine them and distribute them properly.”

“Yes, sir!”

Anyway, the most valuable spoils from this victory were two things: Grand Duke Alexander’s head and the Capital Defense Forces’ armor.

It’s not as flashy as the Royal Guard’s, but it’s enchanted with defensive magic, making it top-notch in terms of protection. It can even block bullets from a distance.

I tried it on once when I went to the capital for a medal ceremony, and it felt incredibly sturdy.

So I decided to distribute it all to our soldiers. The better equipped our frontline troops are, the fewer casualties we’ll have.

Priority went to the 39th Grenadier Regiment, which recently joined us. They’re from my hometown and share our cause of overthrowing the corrupt ruling class.

Since they handle the dangerous task of using grenades, they needed the best equipment. In this era, grenades are more like lit gunpowder bundles than portable bombs.

Grenadiers are already an elite unit, and without proper defensive gear, their casualty rates would skyrocket.

‘I’d love to take their fancy uniforms too, but it’d make it hard to tell friend from foe. Guess we’ll have to leave them.’

The Capital Defense Forces’ uniquely decorated uniforms had to be left behind.

Even now, with the civil war, we’re barely managing to distinguish friend from foe with a few markings on our clothes. If we changed uniforms, it’d be chaos.

Once we take the capital, we’ll design and issue new uniforms for the Revolutionary Army.

“Baden, have the high-ranking officers been interrogated?”

I left the soldiers and returned to the barracks to receive a report from Brigadier General Baden.

“Yes. Lieutenant Colonel Kais put his special skills to good use. After a few hours of ‘discipline,’ they spilled everything they knew.”

“What did we learn?”

We sent all the members of the suppression forces’ command, who were with Grand Duke Alexander, to the interrogation room.

With high-intensity torture authorized, results came quickly.

“It seems there’s not even a single division’s worth of troops left in the capital, Rahator. They brought everything they had and got wiped out.”

“I thought it was a lot for a hastily assembled force, but they really scraped together everything they had…”

I couldn’t help but be stunned. They had brought the Royal Family’s elite forces and lost them all in one go.

I had planned for this outcome, but it went even better than expected. I never thought the Grand Duke would be this incompetent.

“Did they request reinforcements or issue an emergency mobilization order?”

“They did send out mobilization orders to nearby units before they left. But there was no mention of an emergency mobilization order. Should I double-check?”

“No, it’s fine. They probably thought they could handle it with the forces they had.”

I organized the information in my head and unfolded a map. It was a military map showing the names, sizes, and locations of units stationed across the country as of two months ago.

According to it, there are four units within a few days’ march of the capital. If we extend the limit to two weeks, there are six.

“If they all come at once, it’ll be a pain…”

Before the war, there were twice as many. Since they didn’t need to send troops to the frontlines, the forces were spread out in the rear.

Even with the main forces at the front, there were still enough troops scattered across the kingdom to form a corps or two.

The good news is that two of these divisions are units I’ve already destabilized with propaganda.

So the actual hostile forces we might face immediately amount to about 45,000. 10,000 in the capital, and 35,000 either on their way or planning to come.

“Why don’t we just crush them all? We have the strength to do it, Lieutenant General.”

“It’s not about whether we can. If we destroy all our allies, how are we going to manage public sentiment?”

Crushing them isn’t hard. We still have plenty of supplies.

But if we do that, the number of Kingdom forces we’ve defeated since raising the revolutionary banner will approach 100,000. How will the people see us then?

An army that kills more allies than enemies? It’d be a miracle if they didn’t see us as Imperial spies and traitors.

“…..Wait. We don’t necessarily have to crush them. We just need to keep them from reaching the capital, right?”

At that moment, a shift in thinking occurred in my mind.

What we need now is to prevent the nearby units from reaching the capital.

So, a direct confrontation isn’t the only option.

“To march from the south to the capital, they have to cross a river, right?”

“Yes. It’s called the At…something.”

“Atranthia. I know it well because my hometown is near its lower reaches.”

Just as Mesopotamia developed between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the kingdom grew between the Tiora River in the north and the Atranthia River in the south, gradually expanding its influence.

But expansion to the south was halted by the coastline, so most of the southern forces are on the other side of the river.

What this means is, if we destroy a few bridges, they won’t be able to reach the capital.

“Order the 39th Regiment to head south. Tell them to destroy all the bridges between here and here and then return.”

“Won’t this make land transport difficult later?”

“It’s better than shedding blood among fellow countrymen. We can always rebuild the bridges later.”

I immediately wrote the order and had it delivered to the messenger outside. That takes care of blocking about 20,000 troops.

That leaves one division and two regiments approaching from the east and west.

“With this scale…it’s manageable.”

I decided to leave them be for now.

With just under two divisions’ worth of troops, we can detach some units to deal with them.

Even if we have to face the capital’s forces and them simultaneously, we can still proceed with the capital assault. The Revolutionary Army has more than enough capability.

“Baden, order the soldiers to rest. We’ll head back to the capital in two days.”

Our journey to overthrow the incompetent king and the greedy central nobles is nearing its end.

* * * * *

A week later.

The Revolutionary Army, marching with countless prisoners and mountains of spoils, finally arrived at the capital, Rahator.

“General. We can finally see it. The fortress walls surrounding the capital.”

The first thing to greet us was the uniquely styled fortress walls. An ancient relic and fortress said to have been built by angels sent by the goddess herself.

Whether that’s true or not, it’s clear the defenses are lax now. Watchtowers and artillery batteries are empty, with no soldiers in sight.

“Shall we prepare for the siege?”

“No. We’ll wait for now. We should at least offer them a chance to surrender.”

I approached the walls with a few cavalrymen, proudly waving the banner of the former Northern Army, now the Revolutionary Army. The sentries panicked as I got closer.

“Listen up, Kingdom forces! I am Lieutenant General Carlos von Roytel, commander of the Revolutionary Army!”

After a brief pause, I held up the salted head of Grand Duke Alexander and shouted.

“The suppression forces you sent have been utterly annihilated, reduced to wandering souls on the barren plains! Their commander died in battle, and only this head remains!”

“Therefore, if you wish to avoid the same fate, surrender immediately! Cease your foolish resistance and open the gates! I promise on my honor that no blood will be shed, and no harm will come to civilians!”

Of course, there was no response. The tightly shut gates showed no sign of opening.

I calmly returned to headquarters and summoned the officers for tactical instructions.

“It seems they intend to fight to the end. Prepare for a siege. Set up camp and position a regiment near each gate.”

“Shall we start building siege weapons after the encirclement?”

“No. We’ll take the capital without shedding blood.”

There’s no reason to waste gunpowder and lives assaulting a fortress with insane defenses. It’s inefficient.

We have a more effective and powerful tactic. Why bother with that?

“Block all routes to the capital. Don’t let even a single rat through.”

Cities consume rather than produce resources. The kingdom’s capital, with its population of hundreds of thousands, consumes an enormous amount.

Can they hold out long-term with their supply lines cut? I doubt it.

“We’ll call this operation…’Downfall.'”

Just as the U.S. tried to starve out Imperial Japan, let’s see you wither away too.