Novel All
Chapter 577
Chapter 577
Chapter 577: Fall of the Frontline City
"General Harnish! The enemy city has surrendered!"
"Finally..."
A siege with thirty thousand men.
It was too resilient for a small city.
Despite continuous attacks day and night, their morale never faltered.
"That was a tough enemy."
"Indeed... It's daunting to think there are still several cities like this remaining."
"Fortunately, I don't think there are any cities in the rear that hold as much power as this one."
"I hope so..."
Undoubtedly, the three toughest cities were those on the frontline.
There was no mistake about that.
We have received reports that the other two cities are on the verge of falling.
Despite being small, they had a force not to be underestimated, thanks to reinforcements from other defensive positions.
However, their resilience was not due to their abundant military power.
At its root, their high morale was the cause.
"To defend their country..."
It's easy to understand the reason to oppose the invaders.
With the shared consciousness of the nation, it's an easy cause to rally around.
However, the Empire was well aware of this.
That's why they elevated the Kingdom's saint, and propagated the Prince's atrocities.
Those who follow the prince are evil, they built such a narrative.
The fact that the prince had abandoned the saint is undeniable because it is true.
Even though the saint was still within the Empire, the Kingdom's army invaded the Empire. There's no way to dodge this fact.
So we had expected the morale of each city to be low. The presence of the saint was supposed to have a major impact on the Kingdom.
"Is Prince Ansem, the commander of the Kingdom's army, such a remarkable person..."
A troublesome existence.
A person who could overwrite the presence of the saint.
If he has gathered such trust, the army he leads, even beyond the frontline cities, has high morale.
Certainly, there must be many people who wouldn't mind dying for Ansem.
"I want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Could you die for Prince Leonard?"
"? If it's an order..."
"That's not what I mean."
In response to his aide's answer, Harnish answered and started walking forward.
Because the city gates had opened.
Next, we move to the occupation procedures.
"Do I need to be prepared..."
Those in the Imperial army can die as soldiers.
Once you become a soldier, it's natural to follow orders.
However, even the general public in the Kingdom's army has high morale.
Surely those in Ansem's direct control are willing to die beyond the confines of being a soldier.
That's a big difference.
However, the Imperial army is not losing either.
At least as an individual, Harnish thought he wouldn't mind dying for Leo.
"Make sure all soldiers understand! Any abuse towards those who have surrendered will not be tolerated! This is an edict from the Commander in Chief, Prince Leonard! Break it and be immediately executed!"
It's a lenient measure.
Fear would be more effective to crush morale.
If they know they will be spared even after a full-scale resistance, they will continue to resist.
Fully aware of this, we are issuing this order.
Harnish liked this about Leo.
"As expected of Ansem."
While listening to the report from the frontlines, Leo muttered.
The three cities had fallen.
The frontline generals managed their troops well, and there was no chaos.
However, they all shared a common problem.
"The enemy cities burned all their food supplies upon surrendering, so we need food to sustain the city's population..."
"I didn't expect they would go that far."
"Indeed."
Leo nodded at Theodore's words.
Whether this was Ansem's directive, or an independent decision of the frontline, was unknown.
However, it was a dangerous act.
If the Imperial Army refused, mass starvation would ensue in the three cities. The death toll would likely surpass that of the war.
"Did they act on the rumors about your Highness, assuming you wouldn't abandon them?"
"I wonder. That's possible... But I think it's probably the frontline's independent decision. When I say 'as expected of Ansem', I mean that he has gathered enough trust to make them take such actions."
"In that sense, they are fanatics. Involve the citizens even after the city gates are open... It's not desirable."
Theodore said, grimacing.
The Imperial Army has a vast amount of food supplies - enough to feed the 150,000 Imperial soldiers.
However, if they had to distribute it to the citizens every time a city fell, the supplies would quickly run out.
Yet, they couldn't abandon the people.
"I didn't expect that elevating Saint Leticia would backfire at this point."
"Because we are the righteous Imperial Army fighting for Saint Leticia. After promoting ourselves that way, we can't abandon the citizens. Of course, we wouldn't abandon them even without such propaganda. If Ansem knew that and took this action to win, he's remarkable. However, from a strategic standpoint, it's a failure."
"How so?"
"It's okay for now, but this action will tie down Ansem's movements like a slow-acting poison. Moreover, Ansem will be the one in trouble after driving us out. After all, I don't think this was Ansem's directive. I can't imagine a broad-minded person like Ansem doing such a thing."
"However, even if it was an independent decision from the frontlines, we are the ones in trouble at the moment."
"Yes, that's true. For now, I want you to hurry and transport food supplies to each frontline. That's the top priority. We'll think about what to do next after we finish that."
"Understood."
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