第１７３０堀：いつもの夫のやり口 (Part1)
Chapter 1730: The Husband’s Usual Modus Operandi
Side: Seraria
“As far as we are concerned, we wish to push them back before their enemy forces fully consolidate, and hopefully, reach a reconciliation.”
“That would be the ideal scenario. So, what is the strategy currently in motion to achieve that?”
I can hear Martin-dono explaining the situation to my husband over the monitor, but to be honest, the faces of the members remaining here in Weed—or rather, those currently on standby—are looking grim.
And with good reason.
“...Steve, what kind of force would it take to pacify that continent?”
“Don’t say such ridiculous things. There’s no way we have that kind of manpower.”
I asked Steve, knowing full well what the answer would be, and his response was exactly as expected. Even if Weed possesses immense technology capable of crushing the enemy, it is impossible to field a force large enough to occupy an entire continent. Anyone can see that even if we could defeat them temporarily, we wouldn’t be able to maintain control.
Well, there are some fools who wouldn’t understand that, I suppose.
“Ah, or, while it’s difficult to aim for zero survivors, it wouldn’t be impossible to get the number as close to zero as possible, you know?”
“Don’t say such stupid things. There’s no way that would ever be permitted.”
Annihilate the negotiating party and develop the land ourselves? Do you have any idea how long it would take just to break even? Before that happens, we’d all fall ill from the guilt of massacring defenseless people.
“...If that’s the case, the only viable tactic is defensive warfare. The enemy’s objective is clear, and as long as we protect the towns to the north and south, they won’t be taken. Though, even scraping together the manpower for that will be a struggle...”
Jessica offers her opinion as a soldier. Or rather, there are no other means available. If we are to seek peace and dialogue with the enemy, we absolutely need an opponent to talk to. Therefore, utilizing a defensive posture is the best course of action. Stepping into enemy territory could easily turn into a quagmire. We must use our defense to demonstrate our strength, force them to the negotiating table, or perhaps prompt the neutral nations to take action...
That said, the Ohe Kingdom needs to take the lead on that, and there is the question of whether they would even listen to our opinions. As I’m turning these thoughts over in my mind, Stasia says something that pulls me back to reality.
“Indeed. For what it’s worth, we did have a suppression unit prepared for the Ohe Kingdom...”
That’s right. What we had prepared was just enough to suppress the summoned party should they turn hostile. Since there was no need to topple the country immediately, the plan was simply to extract information and secure the kidnapped individuals. Of course, we had a decent-sized unit on standby in case of war, but that’s a different matter when it comes to manning the northern and southern defenses. We’ve been pushing forward with plans to increase our troops due to recent troubles, but if it were easy to just add more soldiers, no one would be struggling.
“Stasia-neesan, even if it’s a kingdom suppression unit, we’re talking about a royal castle, right? Our goal is to rescue the hostages and the kidnapped people, so the unit isn’t that large. Even just taking the 200 people the Boss mentioned to that town is going to be a hassle.”
Come to think of it, there was that, too. I suppose that’s just like my husband; he likely wants to assess the situation firsthand. Even if he goes ahead to confirm the situation and determine the necessary numbers, how are we supposed to select those 200?
“*Sigh*, for now, we can’t even decide on the numbers recklessly. It all depends on how much information Yuki can extract from the Ohe Kingdom and how well he can grasp the necessary personnel and supplies.”
“...That’s true. Anything we say right now is just hypothetical.”
I feel a little calmer at Jessica’s words, but—
“Well, even so, just based on the information we have now, our current strength is nowhere near enough, you know~”
“““...”””
I understand all too well that Steve is right. This battle is far more troublesome than any of our previous conflicts. After all, we’ve never really had to face such a large number of enemies, and by limiting our foes, we’ve always been able to restrict the battlefield. But for the Ohe Kingdom, the enemies are the Northern Alliance and a swarm of monsters. Both are incredibly annoying. Even if they were united as one nation, it’s questionable whether they are even working together.
As I’m thinking about this, my husband’s voice continues over the link.
『Currently, the method the Ohe Kingdom is taking is to demonstrate our strength and make the other human nations think twice about making us their enemy. Specifically, as I mentioned earlier, we will push back the main force—or rather, the army currently gathered. In other words, if we defeat them, we can send envoys from the northern town to each country, backed by that military achievement and our power. That is to say, the summoning was for that very purpose.』
I see. Breaking through by bringing in a strong individual. That, in turn, adds weight to the persuasion of other nations. Well, it’s not that I can’t understand it, but the fact that they have to rely on others for that shows how dire their national strength is. Or perhaps it’s just unavoidable. Since they would have been destroyed without this summoning, it’s only natural, I suppose.
『In any case, pushing them back is the top priority. Can I assume the battlefield situation is under control?』
『It’s not so much that we can push them back; they have deployed in front of the town and are sealing off our movements. Specifically, they are restricting the entry and exit of merchants and interfering with the farmers’ work—or rather, they are burning the fields. In that sense, if we don’t push them back immediately, we will dry up.』
『A siege through starvation, then. It’s a standard method in war, of course. And you say it’s difficult for you to sally out?』
『Yes. If it were a battle relying on defensive walls, it might be different, but our numbers are equal or less. We have gathered 5,000 in the north, but the combined armies of the human nations are still larger. And there is the next issue as well...』
Indeed, if you have 5,000 soldiers out of a total population of 100,000, that means 5 percent of the total population has been sent as soldiers. And the production capacity of the northern town is near zero. This is almost hopeless. It is said that it takes roughly 10 to 50 people’s labor to feed a single soldier. We are already in a dire situation, and with the production hubs incapacitated, there is nothing to be done.
In other words, the defeat is already written on the wall. That is why they needed a powerful individual to increase the odds for a desperate, all-or-nothing sortie. Hence, the summoning. ...It’s not a bad strategy, I suppose. Provided we don’t consider the possibility of other nations joining the fray.
『Fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate. What is the food supply rate? If things go poorly, you might collapse from within, might you not?』