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26 Departure
Departure
At last, the day of departure had arrived.
The two corps assembled in front of the imperial capital, Adria Castle, were holding the departure ceremony, listening to the emperor's speech of encouragement from atop the city gate.
Even though discipline had been a mess until just yesterday, Yuno, knowing he couldn't allow such disorder in front of the emperor, had summoned all officers at dawn, roused every soldier, and drilled them to at least establish basic discipline. Thanks to this, the two corps managed to present a respectable appearance before the emperor.
Wearing his unfamiliar uniform, Yuno stood at the very front of the corps with Prinz, half-listening to the emperor's speech while mentally checking his own condition.
Circulating mana through his body, he felt not only refreshed but also an abundance of strength in every muscle. The energy even cleared his mind, and Yuno thought this was thanks to spending the night in Catherine's embrace, so he silently thanked his master once more.
The departure ceremony concluded with the emperor descending from the gate and presenting the supreme commander's standard to the crown prince, and the two corps began their march westward.
"Yuno, I'll go ahead and join the 1st Army. As planned, you command the 10th and 11th Corps, cut off enemy supplies to Streve Fortress, and watch for any enemy reinforcements while we attack the fortress."
Prinz planned to use teleportation to join the 1st, 4th, and 5th Corps, consolidate them as the 1st Army, and attack Streve Fortress as soon as Yuno's 2nd Army crossed the border.
"Yes. I'll do my best, brother."
"Prince Kent, please support Yuno well."
"Haha, don't worry, Your Highness the Crown Prince! My Windrage troops are the best elite on the eastern front! Plus, I've brought the Windforce Knights, so I promise nothing will come from the south!"
After shaking hands with Kent Windrage, Prinz told Yuno to send a report at least once a day, no matter what, and then disappeared via teleportation.
"Let's get going, Your Highness the Third Prince! Just trust your uncle, and I promise we'll win this war. Hahaha."
Yuno looked at his boastful uncle with a hint of doubt.
In this war, Yuno's uncle Kent Windrage was appointed commander of the 11th Corps, responsible for the southern offensive. Since Yuno was doubling as 10th Corps commander and moving with that unit, a separate 11th Corps commander was needed, and Kent was selected.
Once a notorious playboy, Kent had reportedly improved a lot after six years of strict training under Duke Windrage, and, most importantly, the duke had sent his eldest son with 5,000 elite soldiers and 10 senior Windforce Knights to support Yuno on his first campaign.
Although Duke Windrage advised limiting Kent's rank to a thousand-man commander regardless of the troops he brought, this wasn't practical. There was no guarantee that other noble sons would be better, and appointing a random count or marquis's son would only provoke Kent's resistance. So, reasoning that Kent was the better choice if abilities were similar, Yuno appointed him as 11th Corps commander, though he couldn't shake a chill of unease.
Despite his worries about Kent as a commander, the 5,000 Windrage troops he brought were as well-equipped and disciplined as the imperial regulars, so Yuno decided to trust the soldiers, not the commander. Even during the march, the 11th Corps's Windrage troops maintained strict discipline, unlike the 10th Corps.
Furthermore, the young, inexperienced officers appointed as thousand-man commanders were supported and guided by veteran officers, which reassured Yuno somewhat.
While he was somewhat reassured about the 11th Corps, the real problem was the 10th Corps under his direct command.
Marching toward the Teseito border, Yuno trained the 10th Corps at every opportunity. Originally a ragtag group of private soldiers, he managed to whip them into shape until they could be called an imperial corps.
Over the past month, Yuno stayed up late studying military science, marched by day, and trained the corps in the evenings.
At first, the soldiers grumbled about marching by day and training before dinner, but when the corps commander, deputy commander, and prince Yuno rolled in the dirt with them, complaints quickly died down.
Following Lichtenauer's advice to win the soldiers' hearts, Yuno ate meals with the troops, listened to their complaints, led training from the front without using mana, and handed out liquor and snacks to sentries during his rounds.
Of course, the liquor was to be drunk only after duty shifts, but for country boys who'd never tasted royal liquor, receiving it from a prince was an honor.
The soldiers accepted the liquor with trembling hands, too awed to drink it carelessly.
Yuno even spent his own money to provide quality meals at dinner, so as the march continued, the voices cursing Yuno faded, replaced by praise, and the 10th Corps grew stronger under his command.
But there was an unexpected side effect Yuno hadn't foreseen.
"What is His Highness the Third Prince thinking! What good does it do to associate with those ignorant louts! To demote us to mere deputies!! This is outrageous!"
"If we just supported him properly, victory would be assured… It's a shame."
"Exactly! We should have known from the first day when he turned down our drinking parties."
"So what if he's a master? In a large-scale war, the commander's ability is what matters, not the personal combat skills of the soldiers…"
"Maybe it's because he's not a legitimate son. If only Prince Heinrich were here, things would be different…"
"Hey! Watch your mouth! We're not alone here."
"I'm just saying! Jeez… let's just drink."
These were the noble sons disgruntled by Yuno's disregard. Spending their days drinking and whoring with prostitutes brought from the capital, they finally pushed Yuno to draw his sword.
About two weeks into the march, Yuno raided their drinking party, stripped them of command, and handed leadership to the most senior regular soldiers.
At first, these senior soldiers, originally from various noble households, feared repercussions if they returned home, but Yuno promised to personally take care of them if that happened. They swore loyalty to Yuno and began ordering the noble sons around as subordinates.
Since these noble sons now held no titles, they were, strictly speaking, commoners, so this was possible.
Their resentment soared, but Yuno ignored it.
Regardless of the nobles' complaints, the march continued, and after about a month, the Balkan Empire's 2nd Expeditionary Army reached the western edge of the Zenon Plains.
"Uncle, I'm counting on you for the southern front. Remember to keep communications open, and if you spot the enemy, don't engage report to me first."
"Haha, don't worry, Your Highness Yuno. Just trust your uncle. Hahaha."
After reaching near the border, Yuno's 2nd Expeditionary Army split in two. Yuno's 10th Corps advanced west of Streve, while Kent's 11th Corps moved south. At the same time, Prinz's 1st Army received a magic message.
"Hmm! Yuno just crossed the border. 1st Corps commander, are the troops ready?"
"Yes, Your Highness. The 1st, 4th, and 5th Corps are all prepared."
"4th Corps commander, supplies are good? Once we cross the border, we're in Teseito territory! Make sure not a single grain is lost!"
"We currently have enough food for the entire 1st Army for half a year, and I'll ensure the supply lines are maintained without issue!"
"5th Corps commander, you're in charge of siege engines, right? How's production?"
"We're about 90% done, and we'll assemble them at Streve for easier transport and concealment."
"Good! Let's deploy as well! 1st Expeditionary Army, cross the border at midnight and reach Streve within 24 hours!"
"At your command, Your Highness!"
That dawn, Prinz's 1st Expeditionary Army also crossed the Teseito border, and at last, Yuno's first battle the bloody siege of Streve Fortress began.
*Imperial Army advance routes: 1st, 4th, 5th Corps advance from current positions; 10th Corps to the western front, 11th Corps to the southern front.
Red dot: Streve Fortress
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