TGS - Chapter 108
Chapter 108: Pre-Battle Attrition
Obstinate, ambitious, and hostile toward the commander appointed by the royal city—
Unlike Motis's fantasy that "a good beating can solve all problems," such a person would be difficult to convince through sheer force alone.
Unfortunately, in a place like the northern fortress, the bond between the army and its defending general was deep. Since the general was resistant to Alyuin, the men under him would likewise refuse to submit.
And things did indeed develop that way. That evening, the army's generals gathered to discuss the battle plan. Looking around, Alyuin was the only non-local in the room, a seemingly out-of-place figure.
"As is customary, we'll first call for their surrender. If the rebel slaves refuse, then we'll concentrate our forces and attack the city."
"Surrender? Those slaves dared to kill the Lord of Senna City. Even if they knelt and begged for my forgiveness, I would never spare them!"
"Well, it's best to avoid a fight if we can. We can reduce our losses, and the military pay and troops don't just fall from the sky... But it's true they're unlikely to surrender. We'll just treat it as a formality."
With a tacit understanding, the high-ranking generals of the fortress engaged in a heated discussion, excluding the newly arrived princess.
Alyuin was not impatient. She listened quietly with a faint smile on her lips until the generals had settled on their tactics and were preparing to write them down. Only then did the Princess speak: "This is your plan?"
This is it?
To deal with passive-aggressive people, besides responding with cold indifference, being even more passive-aggressive than them was also a good option.
The defending general curled his lip, which pulled at the wound he'd received that morning while fighting the Princess's boorish royal guard, causing the corner of his mouth to twitch in pain.
He said irritably, "Your Highness, if you have an opinion, let's hear it."
"Perhaps the slaves are not as skilled in combat as a regular army, but Senna City itself has its defensive advantages. You want to take the city gates in one fell swoop, but have you considered how great a blow it would be to our side if you fail?"
"Of course I've considered it, but failure is impossible—like I said, they're just a bunch of slaves. They haven't made a move for so long, only daring to cower in the city. They're probably racking their brains over how to suppress the innocent citizens inside."
The defending general sneered. "Time is money. If we can take it in one go, let's not bother with any fancy tricks. Otherwise, will you be paying the extra military wages?"
Alyuin said leisurely, "I won't be paying, but neither will you."
The military expenses needed to quell the rebellion were ultimately provided by the royal city. While it was good to be frugal, that was predicated on achieving victory. Otherwise, it was all for naught.
The defending general was momentarily speechless. He exchanged a look with a colleague beside him, his face darkening as he adopted his combat demeanor.
It was an iron-blooded, grim, and terrifying aura forged through countless battles. Combined with the generals' burly physiques, it was quite intimidating.
If she were truly some half-baked noble dropped in to score merits, she probably would have been cowed by such silent intimidation and dared not raise any more objections, content to serve as the army's mascot.
Alyuin scoffed.
"Don't want to waste your breath, so you resort to intimidation?" She raised her eyes, the chilling, murderous aura within them every bit as potent as theirs, if not more so. "Have you forgotten that I am the commander of this campaign, not any one of you?"
In that instant, the generals subconsciously held their breath. Some even instinctively assumed a defensive stance, as if the one standing among them was not a young princess, but a humanoid beast.
Dangerous and untamed, the slight curve of her lips was like the cold glint of fangs just before they pierced flesh and blood.
For a moment, no one spoke. The atmosphere was tense.
The generals, who had been determined from the start to make the Princess a commander in name only, hesitated. Only then did they suddenly recall that this princess was rumored to be an outstanding commander herself, with immense prestige in Digebia.
Digebia, the main city on the northwestern border, was a city far more important than their northern fortress.
"Now, are you ready to listen to me properly?"
the Princess asked with a warm smile.
Regardless of what they were thinking, at least they finally showed the proper respect on the surface.
The right to speak had imperceptibly shifted.
The only exception was the defending general, who excelled at being passive-aggressive. Perhaps, just as Lena thought, he had traded his brains for brawn. Even in this situation, he didn't forget to find fault, much like a master of contrarianism.
"Why not send the elite troops first? Having these already combat-ineffective fellows charge at the front—isn't that just delaying our opportunity?"
"No, that won't do. Planning the retreat before the battle has even begun—that's destroying our morale."
"And your arrangement of the archers—"
From the initial "Your Highness" and formal address, to later speaking recklessly and abandoning all honorifics, the defending general had clearly forgotten the calm and composed essence of a passive-aggressive person, wholeheartedly embracing his inner contrarian.
Alyuin, however, did not ignore these questions. She explained them one by one, but without so much as raising an eyelid, as if mentioning them in passing, not taking him seriously at all.
The defending general was speechless.
If you have the guts to take charge, then have the guts to look me in the eye!
When the tactical discussion concluded, the other generals were tongue-tied. Even if they still had doubts, they wouldn't voice them in this situation.
Just as the Princess had said, they weren't paying the army's expenses anyway. Following Alyuin's cautious plan for once didn't seem like such a big deal.
Seeing his colleagues give up their resistance one after another, the defending general felt an even greater anger, as if he had been betrayed.
"Your Highness, please wait."
Alyuin methodically rolled up the topographical map. "Speak your mind."
"Just this morning, I sparred with the captain of your personal guard. It ended in a draw, and I haven't had my fill yet." The more the general thought about it, the more reasonable it sounded, and the more fluently he spoke. "I hear your combat prowess is no less than Lord Motis's. Why not have a match with me? If you win, I guarantee I will have no further objections."
—It was a lie. The defending general was very confident in his own abilities. But even if the Princess could actually win, he would at most admit defeat verbally. It was impossible to make him follow her orders without question from then on.
"That won't be necessary."
"Ha, is Your Highness worried I'll be too rough? Don't be afraid, it's just a friendly spar. As a humble city-defending general, how would I dare to actually injure you?"
Alyuin said flatly, "You're overthinking it. A spar would certainly be a nice diversion, but unfortunately, I don't wish to cause any pre-battle attrition."
"..."
"Instead of challenging me to a fight, perhaps you need more rest. Motis's blow landed in a rather conspicuous place. It wouldn't look good for the defending commander to appear before the troops tomorrow looking like this."
The general subconsciously touched the bruise at the corner of his mouth, the result of an elbow strike from Motis.
What a humiliation!
In a silence filled with an indescribable mix of emotions, Alyuin nodded to the men in the room, turned, and walked out.
Concealing the cruel, deadly undertone in her eyes, she let her lips relax into a peaceful line. Her soldier's stride softened into a light-footed gait as she skillfully shed all traces of her threatening aura. Alyuin returned to the lodgings for the contingent from the royal city.
Lotus was watching a locally assigned handmaiden weave a hat from leaves.
The daily work of these handmaidens not only included serving the nobility, but in their spare time, they would also weave small items like this to earn some pocket money.
For example, the light red leaves before them, as slender as willow leaves, were skillfully woven into a wide-brimmed hat. The craftsmanship was exquisite and sturdy, and it was said to be better at blocking the sun than many ordinary hats, even providing a natural cooling effect.
Hearing familiar footsteps, Lotus looked up to see Alyuin approaching in the afterglow of the setting sun.
"Is the discussion over?"
"Mhm."
Alyuin came closer, paused for a moment, then suddenly picked up a newly woven leaf hat. She placed it gently on Lotus's head and adjusted the angle.
Lotus unconsciously raised a hand to the brim, bewildered.
The Princess pressed a hand to her lips, hiding her smile.
Specialty products woven in a place like this invariably carried a local style. This city was near the northern border, and its customs were somewhat influenced by the peoples beyond the northern lands.
Take this leaf hat, for example. It wasn't that it wasn't exquisite or beautiful, but—its redness really didn't match the River Goddess's usual cool elegance.
As she looked, she couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder.
Even wearing such an object, Lotus still looked so divine, as if she could never be tainted by any other color.
Lotus, with the hat on her head, thought for a moment, then picked one up and placed it on Alyuin's head in return. The two of them, wearing identical northern-style leaf hats, looked at each other for a moment and couldn't help but chuckle.
After paying the handmaiden for the two hats, they returned to their room. As they spoke of the discussion with the defending general, Alyuin glossed over the less pleasant parts, focusing on the amusing bits.
"When I said I didn't want to cause any pre-battle attrition, the look on that fellow's face was priceless. I really wished you could have seen it."
Alyuin rested her chin on her hand, twirling the leaf hat with the other. She was like an ordinary girl, happy to share amusing stories from her travels with her family.
Lotus said, "The attack on the city is tomorrow, then."
The Princess nodded, her smile fading as her expression turned serious. "According to their plan, they would send out elite forces to scale the city walls with ladders and breach the city in the shortest time possible. If Senna City's troops and armaments were insufficient, that might work."
"But given Senna City's terrain, if the enemy is sufficiently prepared, we will only suffer a major defeat."
"So, strictly speaking, tomorrow won't be an assault on the city."
Alyuin lowered her eyes, a coldness flashing through them. "It's just to sober up those fellows who think victory is assured just because the enemy is slaves, the ones who are eager to breach the city immediately for military merit."
Lotus nodded. She suddenly remembered the poisons and perfumes that had worried her back in the royal city.
This place was near the northern border, so it was indeed possible that some strange things existed here. Therefore, when she was alone in the afternoon, Lotus had used her divine power to sense her surroundings for a moment. Only after confirming she detected no abnormal reactions did she feel at ease.
"Tomorrow, I'll go with you."
"You're going too?"
The battlefield is so dangerous—
She swallowed the rest of her sentence. Alyuin sometimes selectively forgot that Lotus was a goddess, for whom the concept of danger was entirely irrelevant.
The Princess agreed. "Alright."
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