True to my orders, the cavalry pursued the deserters at a leisurely, halfhearted pace.
Of course, it only seemed leisurely from our perspective. The prisoners had to run barefoot, after all. To them, even cavalry trotting along at a walking pace were sheer terror itself. According to the cavalry commander's report, the prisoners had been fleeing desperately, running for their lives.
"Your Highness. We've confirmed that the prisoners are heading into Piacenza."
Baron Juliana de Blanc reported. Her face was drawn pale from having spent the entire night on the chase.
"We even showered them with arrows to give the feeling of a genuine pursuit. Some unlucky ones were hit and went down. The guards at Piacenza saw the whole thing. There's little chance the prisoners will be suspected as spies."
"Good work, Baron. Go get some rest."
"Thank you," the baron said, and left the office.
After the baron had gone, I asked.
"Laura. Why did you deliberately hand the prisoners over to the Grand Duke? They know the full reality of our forces. It's no different from handing him information for free."
"To draw the Grand Duke of Florence in."
Draw the Grand Duke in?
Laura nodded.
"The Grand Duke has been suspicious of our strategy all this time."
"...Impossible to figure out."
The Grand Duke of Florence furrowed his pale brow. Even his frown carried an air of aristocratic refinement. The regiment commanders gathered around quietly watched their commander.
"Why do the enemy keep sending reconnaissance units? They're only a hundred men at most. It's as though they're endlessly tossing us snacks..."
"Mm."
The regiment commanders exchanged troubled glances.
The royal army had been winning victory after victory. The reason they couldn't simply celebrate each triumph was that the enemy's numbers were far too small.
Fifty at the fewest, two hundred at most. And even that was if a skirmish actually broke out — they would trade blows for a bit and then promptly flee. It was more accurate to call these encounters engagements rather than battles. Calling these victories felt almost embarrassing.
"I believe they're trying to lull us into complacency by handing us small victories. However…"
"However, it's far too transparent to be called a stratagem…"
"Yes. That's exactly right."
The regiment commanders wore equally troubled expressions.
The enemy kept feeding them minor victories. As a result, one would start to believe the foe was weak. Letting one's guard down, one would then leave an opening — and that was when the real attack would come.
It was a textbook stratagem.
For such a ploy to actually work, the "minor victories" had to be of a somewhat grand scale. No fool would grow complacent just because a hundred enemy scouts had been defeated. Cosimo de' Medici, Grand Duke, was certainly no fool.
One regiment commander spoke.
"The enemy is afraid of us joining forces with Milan's army. They want to give us the impression that they aren't strong enough to warrant us bothering to link up."
"Gentlemen, then that means they're treating us like idiots."
"…"
That was precisely what didn't sit right.
The Grand Duke of Florence had not held Laura de Farnese in particularly high regard. But her subordinates were a different matter entirely. Mercenary companies that were legends across Helvetia stood in their ranks. Some regiments had histories spanning over two hundred years.
The commanders of such legendary companies would hardly have failed to advise Laura de Farnese that this kind of flimsy trick could not be used to toy with their opponents.
"Could it be that the Imperial Army's supreme commander is far more of a fool than we imagined — someone who won't even listen to his own subordinates' counsel…"
"Ha ha."
The regiment commanders chuckled quietly. If the man were really that spectacularly incompetent, he wouldn't have been able to defeat the Bretagnian forces. In other words, there had to be some unknown intention hidden behind the enemy's actions. The Grand Duke shrugged his shoulders. He had been half-joking himself.
"It seems the Imperial Army wants us to grow impatient. There's no need to dance to their tune. Set up wooden palisades here in Piacenza and fortify our defenses thoroughly."
"Yes, Your Grace!"
Two days had passed.
He had given the soldiers ample rest. The Grand Duke of Florence was beginning to consider launching an assault on Pavia. Just then, his adjutant entered the office cautiously.
"Faithful to eternal glory. I bring a report."
"Mm."
The Grand Duke, seated at his desk, gave a nod.
It was discourteous for a subordinate to speak first without knocking, but the Grand Duke had banned all cumbersome formalities among the troops.
"A rebellion has broken out in Pavia, Your Grace."
"A rebellion?"
The Grand Duke set down his quill. He had been drafting a report to deliver to the royal court, and instinct told him that the news he had just heard was far more important than any weekly military dispatch.
"Report in detail."
"Citizens of Pavia who had been held prisoner staged a large-scale escape. Five minutes ago, seven citizens arrived at our camp."
"I'll hear the rest on the way. Lead me."
The Grand Duke sprang to his feet. He threw on his cloak himself and hurried out. The cloak was red, bearing the colors of the House of Medici.
"Are these citizens genuine? It could easily be a ruse."
"The Imperial Army's light cavalry has been in hot pursuit, right on their heels."
"Mm. And the pursuit itself—could it be a feint?"
"The Imperial soldiers opened fire. Nine citizens were fleeing originally, but two were struck down by arrows. Our garrison scrambled to send soldiers and drove off the pursuing force."
The Grand Duke gave a thoughtful "Mm" and touched his chin.
Soldiers and attendants walking the corridor respectfully made way upon seeing the Grand Duke. People parted to both sides and bowed respectfully. The red cloak billowed behind him as it swept across the corridor floor. It had been used for so long that its hem was frayed and tattered.
"Summon Lord de Durazzo. We'll verify the truth with a spell of verification."
"The sage heard the news and has already left."
"Very well."
The two men walked out into the courtyard of the residence. Citizens in wretched condition were gathered there. They sat in chairs brought by the attendants, weeping openly. Soldiers stood around them with somber expressions.
Upon spotting the Grand Duke, everyone rose to their feet. Among them, a mage wearing a slate-blue robe hurried over with quick steps.
"Loyalty to the Eternal Glory."
"You've been working since dawn. Is the inspection complete?"
"Yes, Your Highness the Grand Duke. The citizens of Pavia have been confirmed."
The old mage leaned in close and whispered.
"They say roughly three hundred citizens attempted to flee."
"But I see only seven citizens before my eyes."
"...That tells you how fierce the pursuit must have been, Your Highness. Please comfort these poor souls. Pavia has become hell, and the mercenaries are cruel as demons. They have all lost their wives and daughters."
The Grand Duke pressed his palm to his forehead.
"...We'll conduct the interrogations tonight. See to it that my guests are given warm food and a comfortable place to rest."
"Most gracious Medicis."
The mage shook his head slightly.
"I have taken the liberty of preparing a restorative potion for them. Forgive my presumption, but they possess detailed knowledge of the Equator's military forces and armaments. I believe it would be wise to extract that information immediately and formulate countermeasures."
The Grand Duke then muttered in a flat voice.
"You're asking me to interrogate people who just barely escaped here from Pavia?"
"If the information we gain from them can help us defeat the Equator, Your Highness — that would be the deepest comfort and the truest revenge of all."
"..."
The Grand Duke slowly nodded his chin. It was the kind of gesture one makes when trying to convince oneself.
The interrogation was conducted carefully, with the young Grand Duke watching. It was not an interrogation of prisoners, but of their own citizens, carried out with their consent. When the examiner asked his questions politely, the citizens answered through their tears.
"There were three soldiers quartered in our home. From the very first night, those brutes violated my daughter… My son and I tried to stop them, but it was no use… Those soldiers even gathered with the ones from next door and… together they… our neighbor's daughter as well…"
"Son of a bitch!"
Commanders who had gathered one or two at a time could no longer contain their fury and spat curses.
Every time the details of what the Imperial Army had done purely 'for fun' spilled from the citizens' lips, the Grand Duke and the soldiers of Sardinia grew more and more speechless. Pavia was hell, in the literal sense. Murder, rape, and arson were committed without a shred of hesitation.
"Since yesterday, they've been destroying the city. They've lost their minds! Homes, city walls—nothing is spared…"
"One moment."
The Grand Duke of Florence raised his right hand.
"The Equator destroyed the city walls?"
"Y-Yes. They burned and smashed everything they could see, indiscriminately."
"……."
The Grand Duke furrowed his brow, as though something didn't quite add up. After a moment, he murmured.
"…So that's what it was."
"Your Highness?"
"Escort these people to the guest quarters of the residence, with courtesy."
And then the Grand Duke assembled every regiment commander.
Once all the commanders had gathered, the Grand Duke gave his order.
"Gentlemen. We march on Pavia immediately!"
The commanders were stunned by the sudden command.
"Your Highness, did you not just recently order us to strengthen our defenses? Please allow us to understand the reason for this new command."
"We've figured out why the enemy kept sending small scout parties without rest."
The Grand Duke spoke with conviction.
A dark smile crept across his face.
"The Imperial Army is trying to escape the encirclement!"
"Why would they indiscriminately destroy a city they worked so hard to capture? The Grand Duke would surely be plagued by that question."
Laura lifted the corner of her lips.
"Pavia is surrounded by reasonably decent walls. If we hole up here, we can easily hold out against an army of thirty thousand or even fifty thousand. But why destroy them..."
Laura tapped her temple lightly with a finger.
"At that moment, a certain fact would dawn on the Grand Duke. Namely, that we kept sending scout parties. Why would we tirelessly send small units that could never influence the broader picture? And why destroy the walls now of all times? The answer is..."
"Your Highness? Encirclement?"
"We've been mistaken this whole time. We were thinking from our own perspective. Now think from the enemy's perspective instead."
The Grand Duke of Florence pointed at the map.
"Our forces are currently not joined with Milan's army. That's because the Duke of Milan and I are at odds. But there's no way the Imperial Army knows that the Duke and I are feuding."
"..."
"From the enemy's perspective, we are currently pressing them from two directions — Milan and Piacenza. We're not separated at all. On the contrary, we're cooperating to form an encirclement! On top of that, we hold an overwhelming advantage in numbers. What do you think the enemy will do?"
"...! They'll try to pull their forces back, Your Highness!"
The Grand Duke nodded. His eyes blazed with certainty and fury.
"It was the exact opposite. The Imperial Army isn't trying to prevent us from joining forces. From their perspective, we've already joined forces. Which means the best they can do is delay our rendezvous as long as possible."
"Indeed. So that's why they sent small units to obstruct our advance."
The brigade commanders wore expressions of understanding.
"Since they've already decided to pull their forces back, they won't just hand Pavia over to us intact. They'll destroy it thoroughly and abandon it so we can't make use of it."
"Your Highness. Then the enemy is currently..."
"That's right. They're preparing a strategic retreat."
The Grand Duke clenched his fist.
"The enemy has only two choices left! They either retreat with fifteen thousand prisoners in tow, or they slaughter every last prisoner and retreat."
"Slaughter..."
"They'll see them as a burden anyway. For those demon-like bastards, it's entirely possible."
The brigade commanders let out low groans.
"Your Highness, if that is true, we must hurry to Pavia at once."
"Yes. If they're retreating with the prisoners, we'll sink our teeth into their heels. If they're slaughtering the prisoners... killing fifteen thousand people is no easy task. It'll take days. The citizens facing death will resist with everything they have."
The Grand Duke slammed his fist down on the table.
"Either way, the enemy's discipline will fall into chaos. Now is the greatest opportunity! Issue the order to the entire army! We march on Pavia!"
"Abandon Pavia and pull the forces back. That is the Grand Duke's answer. His judgment will fall into three possibilities."
Laura spoke in a cheerful, almost humming tone.
"If they retreat while dragging the prisoners along, we attack during the chaos caused by fifteen thousand captives. If they try to execute the prisoners and retreat, we strike before they can. If they abandon the prisoners and retreat, the Grand Duke becomes the hero who liberated fifteen thousand innocent citizens. Either way, it's nothing but profit for the Grand Duke..."
Laura pointed to a specific section of the map with her baton.
"And as the Grand Duke chases them down, we intercept with everything we have! There won't be a second battle! The Kingdom's forces led by the Grand Duke of Florence will be annihilated by tomorrow!"
I looked at her and smiled.
Laura had declared she would turn Pavia into hell. But it wouldn't be just Pavia. The entire Kingdom of Sardinia would experience hell.
Laura de Farnese would become a name more hated by the Sardinians than the Demon Lord. I had a premonition of that...
============================ Afterword ============================
[Reader Comments]
YouAreMine// Yes, this is my first comment.
HanMoe// Welcome.
Omicron// This person, their comment situation is...?
Promarun// Elizabeth's reason for existence isn't in the mental breakdown. (...)
NineBreaker// Then you'll really die!
SwordMage// It's not like they don't appear in the story—they definitely mix in blood too. It's a crowd, after all!
FishMan// Dantalion feels like he's riding a bus, so he actually enjoys it. Oh my, when he orders to trample Sardinia, there are servants below who trample of their own accord!
MorningBird// To put it another way, it should be said that Carthage lost to Rome rather than Hannibal lost to Rome—that way Hannibal would feel somewhat less wronged. ㅠㅠ
Selendis// Thank you!
xgesty1// Huh, has it been that long already? It still looks familiar to my eyes.
Have a nice day^^