Chapter 183 : Chapter 183
Chapter : 183
The message from the Holy See’s envoy was nothing special.
It was more or less what I had expected.
They would grant me the title of Count of Campania, so I was to retake the County of Campania.
They must have believed it was the perfect opportunity, since the Great Emperor of the Holy Empire was likely beginning to reach his limits under the Great Famine.
“Well, yes. Now really is the moment.”
In fact, if you played [Pangea Universalise], around this time the “Battle for the County of Campania” always appeared.
And by now, the Great Emperor of the Holy Empire would be suffering badly in the north.
In the north, a stalemate. In the east, he was bickering with the elf king, the Prince-elector of Bohemia. In the central regions, peasant revolts were also erupting within the Holy Empire, tying him down.
On top of that, whenever there were nobles who so much as irritated him, he would raise an army and beat them down, like a rabid dog—so he had enemies on every side.
“It is the outcome of stupid, coercive diplomacy. Tsk. I should not end up like that.”
A world ruled by violence collapses the moment the power behind it begins to seem even slightly lacking.
It was time for the order led by the old Great Emperor to crumble.
And it so happened that I had repelled the peasant rebels’ incursion, so I had a measure of military breathing room.
Still, regardless of my judgment, I replied with a deliberately indifferent face.
“Hmm…. Is that so?”
Was it not the Holy See that was burning with impatience?
There was no need for me to leap at the offer the moment they proposed it. In matters like this, bargaining—give and take—was important.
The expedition’s war funds would not be small, after all.
Sure enough—
“Y-Your Excellency?”
The Holy See’s envoy visibly wavered. He must not have expected me to find the proposal anything less than irresistible.
The act was working beautifully.
“What is the matter?”
“Th-that…. You are not planning to refuse the offer, are you? This is an enormous opportunity. Cardinal Adriano has also promised vast support.”
“I know. I understand. But even so, can I decide on a war so far away at once? I must discuss it with my vassals before I decide.”
I spoke as though it were the most natural thing in the world. In truth, until now, major decisions had been less discussion and more unilateral announcement—but what did it matter?
“A discussion…?”
“Yes. So wait a little, Envoy. Before long, I will send you good news.”
“Understood. But please remember this. The Holy See is fully willing to support Your Excellency the Margrave’s advance.”
The Holy See’s envoy said it as though he were clinging to the words.
He had likely boasted on his way here that I would, of course, accept, telling people not to worry. Now that reality differed, he was flustered. The fear that everything might fall apart was getting the better of him.
As for me—
“Good. Then step outside for a moment, Envoy. We will speak among ourselves.”
I said it calmly, feigning ignorance.
In any case, at my order to leave, the Holy See’s envoy bowed politely and departed through the door. Even as he left, he kept glancing at my vassals with a desperate look, as though he was burning with anxiety.
And once the envoy was gone, everyone in the room immediately poured out words at me.
“You are not going to refuse, are you? This is an enormous chance!”
“Meeeeee! That is right, Lord-nimu. We have to raise the army at once. Mehr.”
“Mm-hm. That is right. If it is the County of Campania, is it not the Emperor’s land? As far as I know, even before, the Emperor did not have the capacity to send troops across the sea. If things are this chaotic, it should be even harder now, should it not, Your Excellency?”
My ears were ringing.
But Magician Agpiel and Bishop Marco were one thing—why was Magician Azuela chiming in?
I was not sure she should be bringing up information about the Great Emperor’s court so carelessly. What if the enraged Emperor sent assassins….
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Magician Azuela made an awkward face.
“W-why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
“Hmm…. No. You really are consistent, you know. Consistent.”
“What?”
Leaving the still-bewildered Magician Azuela behind, I turned to Magician Agpiel.
The Great Sage was looking at me with the same worried expression as ever.
“I do not usually criticize your decisions, but I have to say this. If you miss this chance, the Emperor will recover his strength, and retaking the County of Campania will become even harder. So if it is not now….”
Good heavens, old man….
To think he cared for me so sincerely. As always, I could only be grateful.
“I know, Magician Agpiel. Of course, now is the perfect time to take the county with ease.”
Then why are you speaking like that?”
“Well…. If I accept at once, it looks bad, does it not? It would make me look desperate and impatient. Hahaha. I need to squeeze a bit more out of the Holy See.”
The moment I finished, Magician Agpiel’s mouth fell open.
To think I had been doing that calculation even in the middle of all this.
“You truly are…. You truly are good at fox-like tricks! Very good.”
Magician Agpiel clicked his tongue in disbelief.
---
In truth, there was no need for discussion.
The vassals in my office, led by Magician Agpiel, and the commanders who led soldiers in the field, had no intention of letting this perfect opportunity slip away.
“Summon the Holy See’s envoy. Tell him we will gladly retake the County of Campania.”
And so I said it, and immediately began preparations for war. No matter how cornered the Great Emperor of the Holy Empire was, war was still war.
And since it was an expedition, there was much to prepare.
I had to draw up a supply plan, and I also had to prepare defenses in case someone tried to raid my lands while I was away.
Above all, it was important to decide how many troops to bring.
Others said I could procure what I needed by hiring mercenaries on site, but my army was no longer the kind that could be filled out through mercenaries.
They were soldiers trained thoroughly in my tailored tactics. Mercenaries were only headcount—hardly something I could regard as true combat power.
Besides, the person governing the County of Campania on the Emperor’s behalf was not ordinary.
“Count Steffen is still within imperial territory, yes?”
“Most likely, is he not?”
“Then that is fortunate. Very fortunate.”
Count Steffen.
I had met him even in the War of Succession of the Kingdom of Aragon, and he was a man who managed armies with frightening brilliance. Since the county had been governed by Count Steffen as a regent, the quality of the defending soldiers would surely be nothing to scoff at.
The one fortunate point was that Count Steffen, being trusted by the Great Emperor, would probably not be there….
“Your Excellency! According to our intelligence, Count Steffen has returned to the County of Campania. It seems the Great Emperor has noticed.”
Damn it.
This world really did have an infuriating talent for unfairness.
---
-BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.
Drums thundered.
-THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD.
The sound of heavily armed soldiers marching blanketed the earth.
Ten thousand men in total.
This massive force advanced with a single objective: the retaking of the County of Campania.
Of course, this was not the whole army.
The County of Campania was called a county, but it was nearly the size of a kingdom.
That meant more troops were needed, and I decided to borrow them—not solely from my own domain’s strength, but from outside.
“Thank you for answering my request for support.”
“It is nothing. Considering the faith between us, it is only right that I assist.”
“I never imagined I would hear you speak of faith. Baron Pierre—no, I should call you Viscount Bardi now.”
“Haha. Call me whatever is comfortable.”
Perhaps because he had survived and won a fierce battle for succession, Sir Pierre—now Viscount Bardi—was far softer than before.
He had even put on a healthy amount of weight, which suggested he was governing the Viscountcy of Bardi with a measure of stability. Well, that was why he could bring troops to support me.
“I brought one thousand heavy infantry and five hundred crossbowmen. Our land forces are somewhat weak, so there were not many soldiers we could mobilize. My apologies.”
“Apologies? Not at all, Viscount Pierre Bardi. Besides, you brought a fleet with you. The value of that fleet is immense.”
Indeed, the fleet Viscount Pierre Bardi brought numbered sixty ships.
And not small vessels, but great galleys.
A level superior to the naval power of an average kingdom. With this, it was no exaggeration to say I had effectively seized control of the seas around the Apennine Peninsula.
As a result, supply lines that I had planned only over land became richer and more secure by extending over the sea.
And in truth, I did not even need much more land strength.
There were simply too many other nobles nearby, still hoping for scraps of profit to fall into their laps.
“Oh, pious Your Excellency! We have heard you will liberate the County of Campania from the filthy oppressor, the Great Emperor of the Holy Empire. We wish to join you!”
“For honor! For a glorious death! I offer my sword to Your Excellency’s journey!”
“Your Excellency! Our house has borne a grudge against the Great Emperor for generations. Grant us the chance to settle it!”
They approached me with different motives, but they all wanted one thing.
To contribute to the retaking of the County of Campania.
I had no reason to refuse.
On an expedition, every soldier was precious—and here they were, volunteering. What could be better?
They were unruly and difficult to command, but mercenary companies were not wholly trustworthy either.
In any case, with this, the army, the navy, and the supply lines were all complete.
Now only the County of Campania remained.
Only the occupation of it.
Swiftly and quickly.
In a single blow, I would choke off their breath.
---
The moment we entered the County of Campania, the Holy See actively supported us with its intelligence network.
“Count Steffen is abandoning the forward forts and concentrating his forces.”
“Your Excellency. Intelligence says some cavalry are detouring through the mountains to attack the supply lines.”
“It is said that Count Steffen has effectively abandoned the waters. He appears to have ordered evacuations in the coastal villages.”
Thanks to that, once I crossed the county’s border, I was able to push deep into Campania with unstoppable momentum.
But all I found, as the Holy See’s reports suggested, were empty forts and villages reduced to scorched wasteland.
“Hmm….”
“He is vicious. To smash his own territory with his own hands.”
“Because to Count Steffen, it is not land he intends to sink roots into and rule. A filthy bastard.”
Looking at the ruined villages, the nobles cursed as one.
In the era of [Pangea Universalise], wars rarely destroyed ordinary villages as extremely as wars in the East did.
After all, it was land they would later rule. In a sense, it was property both sides might possess(?)—and he was destroying it himself.
If so, he should have ended it like a noble, with an honorable battle between armies.
Of course, exceptions occurred when war grew fierce, but most of the time it was as such.
“What shall we do, my lord?”
“For now, we will stay here. The day is already fading; we should rest.”
With a bitter smile, I answered.
In many ways, I could feel that Count Steffen was a noble well accustomed to war, and skilled in it.
If he avoided a decisive battle and dragged things out, then the attacker would accumulate crushing fatigue.
Eventually, the attacker would collapse from exhaustion and retreat, or make some foolish decision and throw troops away in defeat.
Of course, I had no intention of being dragged along by Count Steffen’s design.
“I will have to draw him out.”
No matter how ruthless he was, if he merely watched his entire territory burn without moving, then he was not a noble.
Seeing his land plundered on every side, even Count Steffen—gathering troops and preparing a defense—would have no choice.
“Of course, it is not without risk.”
As we scattered to plunder, there was also the danger of being defeated in detail.
But if you did not take risks, you did not create variables.
“Good. Then I will do it.”
So I decided.
I would scatter bait in every direction.
And did I not have quite a few pieces I could afford to throw away?
The armies of those nobles who had chased after me, desperate to earn merit.
I planned to scatter them.