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Chapter 578
Chapter 578
Chapter 578: The Importance of the North
The news of the frontline cities falling had naturally reached Ansem, who was assessing the situation from the rear.
Of course.
He also knew about his subordinates burning all the city's food supplies.
"Are you kidding me?!"
Hearing the report, Ansem couldn't help but kick a nearby chair.
A dull pain ran through his leg, but this was not the time to worry about such things.
"And the Imperial Army? Did they accept it?"
"Yes, they provided food supplies. It wasn't an ordered action, but it ended up reducing the enemy's food."
"Do you mean it's fine to do anything if it can cut down the enemy's food? What value does the reduced food have when we are pushing our own people, who we should protect, to the brink of starvation?"
"We can't afford to choose our methods, Your Highness."
"We must choose our methods! Why don't you understand?!"
Ansem yelled at Baland, unable to hold back his anger.
Faced with an outburst he usually never hears, Baland froze.
Baland is an excellent general, but he remains just that, a general.
He excels in defeating enemies on the frontline, but not in overseeing the bigger picture.
There were many such generals in the kingdom, which was why a commander was needed to lead them all.
They are the type to shine when utilized correctly.
The struggle against the United Kingdom, even with military strength, after Ansem's fall was due to this factor.
To such a general, the decision to burn food supplies in the cities that had surrendered seemed like a good idea in the current situation of using food as a weapon against an army of 150,000.
But Ansem saw things differently.
"Our nation is being invaded. That's why we are now united and working together. A common enemy in the form of the Imperial Army. That's important. However, if we burn our food, the enemy of the people becomes the Royal Army. They are not just pieces on a board. Without the cooperation of the people, we can't conduct a siege. The reason why the frontline cities have held out this much is due to the people's cooperation. They are our comrades in arms. And we must show sincerity to our comrades. That's why I ordered them to surrender before we ran out of food."
Even if there was certainty that the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army, Leonard, would absolutely accept the people, the decision on the ground went against the overall strategy.
Ansem's basic strategy was to engage in sieges in various cities, drawing the enemy further into the kingdom while wearing them out.
Sieges of cities will continue in the future. However, if it becomes known that the Royal Army burns food at the end of a siege, the morale of the people will drop significantly.
"But if the citizens see it as a fight against the invaders..."
"What matters to the people is their daily life! Whoever can guarantee their daily life is their protector! If we threaten their daily life, we become the invaders! They are not soldiers. They don't have an obligation to risk their lives fighting for the kingdom. The fact that they agreed to the siege is because they have an affection for their country, the kingdom. The Royal Army must not carry out actions that extinguish that affection!"
After finishing his explanation, Ansem immediately turned to his desk.
Every moment counts.
"Your Highness, what are you...?"
"I'm calculating the amount of food to send to the frontlines."
"Are you sending it to the cities that have already fallen?!"
"Are you sending it to a city that's already fallen!?"
"It's because food supplies will come later that we burned them. I'll make it so that we can use that as an excuse. No matter how hard it may be, it's better than nothing."
"You're giving a lot of food supplies to the enemy for the sake of 'better than nothing'..."
"We're not giving them to the enemy. We're giving them to the people of the kingdom. If they receive food supplies from us, the Imperial Army can't widely advertise this incident. We need to show that we won't use the people on the front line as pawns!"
With that, Ansem began calculating the food supplies at an astonishing speed.
It's not good to have too much or too little.
You need to send the right amount.
However, it was an act that put a strain on the body.
"Guhh... Ghh...!"
"Your Highness!?"
"Don't worry!"
Even as he spat out blood from his mouth, Ansem didn't stop his hand.
Because there was still time.
If they could send the food supplies, they could maintain the unified kingdom.
If this fails, the collapse will begin. If the cities continue to rebel, they will have to change their original strategy.
A move to stop that.
When Ansem finished that calculation, he handed the paper to Baland.
"Send the food supplies written there to the frontline cities. It's urgent!"
"Y-Yes! Understood! But Your Highness, please rest..."
"If you want me to rest, make me think it's okay to rest! Hurry up!"
"Yes!"
Scolding Baland, Ansem hurried him on.
It was a race against time.
This matter should not be taken lightly.
With that thought, Ansem, who was in a hurry, received a message.
Having a bad premonition, Ansem quickly wiped the blood from his mouth.
"What happened!?"
"Message! The Northern cities have defected in response to the call of the Holy Maiden Leticia! They have begun to move large amounts of food supplies!"
"Damn it! Was I too late!!"
Ansem distorted his face in frustration.
The Northern part of the kingdom was a land rich in crops.
However, it's not large enough to maintain 150,000 food supplies.
That's why they didn't take proactive measures.
At that time, even if they rebelled, it wasn't a big deal.
But now it's different. The importance of the north has changed.
The northern cities wouldn't have agreed to hand over food supplies so quickly for the Imperial Army, and it should have taken time to rebel in the first place.
But everything has accelerated because of this incident.
Now, the food supplies being sent are to maintain the frontline cities. They are food supplies to help their brethren.
Moreover, the one leading this is the Holy Maiden Leticia.
With this, Leticia's popularity will revive.
She didn't go to the north foreseeing everything.
But she went to the north because she judged that she could do something.
Whether her nose is good, or her intuition is sharp.
Anyway, in the face of Leticia's initiative that once saved the kingdom, Ansem inadvertently clicked his tongue.
"...Baland... Stop the transportation of food supplies... It's too late now."
"What will you do now...?"
"Cities everywhere will start to rebel... We'll try to prevent it, but it's impossible to prevent everything. Our defenses have collapsed... We're changing the strategy."
With a body that didn't listen to him, Ansem breathed life into it.
It was unexpected, but it was not a desperate situation.
He hadn't lost yet.
Telling himself that, Ansem stood up from his chair.
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