第２０４掘：準備は万端？
**Chapter 204: Is Everything Ready?**
**Side: Yuki**
In the end, my conversation with Kirue was put on hold, and I’ve returned to the city of Betan for work.
Well, I can’t say I don’t understand her side of the argument, but there are things I simply cannot yield on.
Still, my wives are starting to pursue their own interests, which is a nice development. Kirue voicing her own opinions to me? That would have been unthinkable at the beginning. Back then, she heard I was a messenger of the gods and was absolutely obedient to everything I said. I sometimes wonder if her entire worldview is still centered solely on me, but as time passes, that should naturally shift outward.
……Probably.
Wait, focus. I need to concentrate on the job.
"Alright, listen up! We’re proceeding exactly as planned."
"Yes!!"
"Got it."
I gave the orders to set up the city’s defensive perimeter. Before starting this, we’d done a lot of groundwork—making soft bread, creating tools to grind fine flour, installing pump systems, and various other things. Thanks to that...
"My, it’s not often you see onlookers gathering like this for construction work. Is this what they call the virtue of your character, Yuki-dono?"
"Horst, you know better than that. It’s not about my character. I’ve only ever done good things for the people here, so they assume the next thing will be good, too. That’s why they’re looking forward to it."
"I understand. However, even if you are paying them for their labor, this is preparation for war. I wouldn't have thought to employ women and children for such a task. Yet, thanks to that, we have quite the workforce gathered."
Currently, the townspeople are divided into three groups: those watching from afar, those helping with the construction (the "part-timers"), and those continuing their regular work, like farming. Thanks to the "charity" work we’ve done so far, the people’s impression of our Zilba Empire is positive. That’s why the work is moving so smoothly.
"Everything has its use. Women and children may seem to have less physical strength than adult men, but they have time to spare. If you break down the tasks, share the workload, and encourage cooperation, you get results just the same."
"The wages are lower, though."
"That’s a selling point in its own way. It’s short-term work anyone can do. It even includes people who were never considered part of the workforce before. Even if the pay is below average, it’s just right for helping out with household expenses, isn't it? Besides, I doubt many of them expected to earn as much as they would at their primary jobs."
"True. You did declare it from the start. Paying wages by the hour... was it called an 'hourly wage system'?"
"Isn't daily payment the norm in this town?"
"Indeed. Only the wealthy own clocks, after all."
Yes, I’m using the townspeople as labor for these defensive works. By leaving a strong impression that we are their allies, they’ll feel a sense of ownership—that the things they built are actually protecting them. And by introducing an hourly wage and making it open to women and children, the "short-term, anyone-can-join" pitch brought in a massive crowd. I told them it was for war, but since there are so many women and children mixed in, it just looks like a lively festival.
"Still, this method is a stroke of genius. Most of the residents who don't own shops are farmers. They’re busy from morning until noon, but they have free time after that. And even the physically weaker women and children can handle simple tasks like digging holes. Plus, the tools you’ve provided, Yuki-dono, make the efficiency incredible."
They’re modern Earth-standard alloy shovels, spades, and pickaxes, after all. I also had Narjia apply a minor stat-boost enchantment to them, including a stamina recovery effect. Honestly, the fact that they’re now stronger than the soldiers of Betan... well, let’s not dwell on that. It’s a safety measure, in case they get injured—employer liability and all that. It’s also a study on how much effect enchanted weapons and armor have on the average person of this new continent.
"Now, Yuki-dono. You’re burying long wooden poles in the ground at regular intervals. Are you planning to build a fence with those?"
"No, hmm? A fence? It’s more like an evolution of a fence. Barbed wire."
"Barbed... wire? Is that what you intend to create?"
"Yeah, a cord of iron with thorns on it..."
I pulled a roll of barbed wire out of a wooden crate. "I’m going to tie this to the poles and connect them."
"Ho... But will this stop an enemy?"
"That’s the point. Like you said, Horst, the enemy will be suspicious, but they’ll think it’s easier to break through than a solid wall, right? It’s just a thin iron cord, after all."
"Is this iron cord really that troublesome?"
"Horst, can you cut this?"
"No, not with my bare hands... May I hold it for a moment?"
"Sure."
I handed the barbed wire to Horst, who looked at it intently, deep in thought.
"...The fact that it’s cord-like is the key. Striking it with a sword is meaningless, and since it’s iron, cutting it is extremely difficult. Even if you remove one wooden pole, it’s connected all the way across. This is far more troublesome than a standard fence or wall."
Horst is truly excellent. Both as a lord and as a soldier. As he said, this barbed wire prevents enemy infantry from advancing and allows the blast of artillery to pass through, making it a massive headache to deal with unless they have wire cutters or the means to blow away the support posts.
"And I plan to attach nearly ten strands of this to those wooden poles."
I’d love to make it into coils, but that’s asking too much. I have to keep the work doable by the locals. The enemy is likely watching, and if I suddenly constructed state-of-the-art barbed wire defenses, they’d be on high alert.
"Ten strands. And you’re building five layers of this based on the current progress... Will the enemy even be able to reach the city?"
"They’ll reach it, sure. Like you said, it’s cord-like, so they could throw blankets over it or use sheer numbers to push through."
"But you’ve dug deep holes between each layer of wire. Will they be able to maintain their function as an army while advancing through such terrain?"
To see through that much with just this information... he’s truly impressive. Well, the "deep holes" are only big enough for one person to fall into, but they’re dug in front of and behind the wire. This makes it impossible to use heavy weapons—or in their case, mass-based weapons like battering rams—to break through the wire. It forces them into the tedious task of having soldiers pick their way through one by one.
"That’s the goal. We’ll pick off the soldiers coming through one by one with our waiting archers and spearmen. And if they break through, we’ll promptly retreat to the next line of barbed wire."
"...To disperse the massive power of an army. No, it’s more than that. This style of warfare will surely change history."
Horst is a rare talent. It’s a waste to have him as a local lord. If it were up to me, I’d promote him to General immediately.
"Well, the enemy is moving. About 100,000 of them. Who knows what will happen."
"What a joke. Our forces are less than 5,000. Normally, no one would even think of fighting against such numbers. At best, one would resort to looting and making the city worthless so the enemy gains nothing from occupying it. Yet, in this situation, you are choosing to defend. And you’re doing it so calmly—handing out charity to the people, asking for voluntary cooperation, taking the long way around. You show no impatience. To me, it looks like you are certain of victory."
Sharp as ever. Horst is right; I don’t have a shred of doubt that we’ll lose. At worst, I’ll unleash a parade of modern weaponry and instantly wipe out the magic sword users in the main camp. The rest will just be mopping up. Even without that, the enemy, struggling with the barbed wire, will be heavily harassed by our goblin sniper squads from far in the rear, providing support while the Zilba and Betan soldiers hold the front.
It looks like a reckless plan to defend against 100,000 with 5,000, but in reality, only about 20,000 or 30,000 will be able to engage us at once. Our goblin units will pick them off with gunfire while they’re hidden by the other soldiers. Plus, our goblins will be mixed into the front lines with the Zilba and Betan troops to bolster the defense. I’m looking forward to seeing how the enemy tries to overcome this.
"I think the normal response would be to retreat, not overcome."
"I agree with Jessica."
"Huh? You guys were listening?"
"Well, you had us copy the strategy details yesterday. As for how they’ll overcome this..."
"I think it’s impossible."
"Ah, that’s what you meant."
But both of you voting for a retreat? That’s boring. The enemy only sees women and children doing strange things. Now, will Yuki be able to protect the city of Betan with such a small force?! What will be the fate of the townspeople?! The enemy attacks the city without mercy!! The curtain rises on the battle!!