I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 262 Writing a Letter
To His Majesty the Supreme Emperor of the Bohemian Empire, His Majesty Wyat-Kash-Fernal:
May Your Majesty be well.

Your subject Meredith, in his capacity as Grand Steward of the Imperial Court and Head of the Peace Dove Organization, hereby reports on the military situation at the front.

Your Majesty, I have been stationed with the army on the border of the Kingdom of Bagnia, where we have been in a standoff with Lord Sisso, the lord of Hegland, for over thirty days. However, the situation has proven far more unpredictable than we initially anticipated. Therefore, I hereby present this detailed account for Your Majesty's wise judgment.
Meredith's quill nib scratched across the parchment, but the world outside the tent beat like the drums of hell, interrupting his thoughts.

The next second after he angrily looked up, a deafening artillery barrage suddenly exploded outside the military tent. The silver ink bottle beside him bounced half an inch high on the oak table, and a few drops of ink splattered on the cuff of his dark blue uniform.

This should be the Bohemian army conducting its routine daily artillery bombardment of Hegland, with the intention of psychologically suppressing Count Hisoka's army and weakening their morale.

However, Meredith learned from his scouts that this tactic was not very effective. The Bagnians in the city seemed to have become accustomed to the roar of artillery fire, and their will was as hard as rock, difficult to break.

The tent canvas fluttered wildly in the gusts of wind, and the projection of the hanging Bourne Eagle flag on the letter paper swayed wildly, as if the golden eagle was about to break through the paper.

"Third Squadron, switch positions!"

A hoarse command came from outside the tent, and the sound of iron boots shattering the ice shell swept across the camp like a tide. Meredith looked at the shadows hidden in the military tent and could tell that it was the unique gait of the halberd mercenaries from the southern mountains... Their steel-soled boots were always three times heavier than those of their own soldiers.

These are guards hired by the peace dove specifically for its superiors. Agents are never well-received by their own country's military, and danger lurks in such prejudice.

Another cannon shot ripped through the night sky, this time close enough to hear the whistling of the bullets whizzing past the tops of the tents—this must be the enemy's counterattack.

As the candlelight flickered violently, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror opposite him… His hard jaw was taut like a bowstring, while the firelight outside the tent shone through the gaps in the canvas, casting a blood-red halo on his graying temples.

Meredith frowned as he tried to bring his thoughts back to writing the letter, but the bombardment was too loud, and he had to put down his pen and wait for a break in the shelling.

After a while, when the noise outside the tent subsided considerably, he picked up his quill pen, cleared his mind, and continued writing.

Count Xisuo, though his territory was barren and his armor outdated, possessed a temperament as cold as northern iron, unyielding and unyielding.

I have repeatedly sent secret envoys, using special tariffs and border trade as bait, to induce them to tacitly allow our army to pass through Hegland and directly approach Wotradnoy.

However, this barbarian chieftain burned the documents and declared that "the Bagnian eagle banner can be stained with blood, but not with dust"... His peasant soldiers even threw pitchforks at our envoy to show their contempt.

The Kingdom of Bagnia is depleted of its treasury, and its people are mostly subsisting on millet chaff. Yet its soldiers are exceptionally fierce and brave. I have observed the defenses of Hegland; though they lack modern firearms, they rely on stone ramparts and moats for cover, and have even conscripted mountain people and crossbowmen to hide in the dense forests. Their tactics are crude and brutal, but their strength lies in their desperation; they cannot be tamed by gold or silver.
As he wrote this, Meredith recalled his unpleasant conversation with Count Hisoka from afar. He couldn't help but sneer, his pen slamming heavily on the parchment, the ink spreading out in a dark cloud.

A scout reports urgently that Prince Chris has apparently led 5,000 elite troops south, and his vanguard has reached the vicinity of Waterladnoy.

Our scout group, which we had previously dispatched, encountered a battle on an unnamed hilltop. After one night, the adjutant, Gehrman, returned with only three remaining riders. Colonel Carlos fell off a cliff into the river and was seriously wounded. Fortunately, he was discovered by our fleeing soldiers at dawn and survived.

According to survivors, the enemy has an elite officer corps, all equipped with flintlock muskets (three sample muskets were included). This must be due to secret foreign assistance. I have ordered my peace dove spies to investigate thoroughly.
As Meredith wrote this, he felt somewhat apprehensive and anxious. The fact that the Emperor had sent him here meant that he attached great importance to the affairs of Bagnia, yet so far the mission had yielded no results.

Bagnia, this mountainous country, has always been synonymous with poverty and tyranny. When invaded by foreign enemies, it usually cannot stay for long before having to leave in disgrace.

Therefore, the Bohemian Empire's attitude towards it has always been, "I want to control this region, but I don't want to have a deeper relationship with the barbarians here." In other words, I want to support a compliant proxy, a watchdog, so that my army can use this mountainous region to launch attacks on the other two countries, but I don't want to occupy this land.

The Fifth Bohemian Legion, now composed of 15,000 men plus over 10,000 laborers and claiming to be an army of 30,000, will appear outside Hegland. Their purpose is very simple... political extortion, kicking someone when they're down, taking advantage of a crisis, and signing unequal treaties.

Meredith's primary task was this, but he felt he had no chance of completing it.

The stray dogs that the Emperor had painstakingly adopted... The high-ranking officers of the Restoration Army are a bunch of useless fools who can only bark but dare not bite. They have now fled to Bohemia and lost their influence over Bagnia.

Meanwhile, the new guard dog that was ordered... Count Dirac Sisso, this stubborn old dog seems to have found a new master ahead of time. Chris provides him with a lot of material support, so much so that when Meredith tries to recruit him, the old dog is dismissive and even bares its teeth at him.

How could Meredith not be furious with this old man?

Meredith sighed and continued writing.

Your Majesty is wise; the current situation is extremely precarious.
If the deterrent strategy continues: troops stationed at the six border fortresses could be mobilized and brought into the country under the guise of "exercises," while rumors of Prince Bagniacris and his king's collusion with foreign powers could be spread, which might shake the morale of the people under Count Sisso's rule.

However, this process will be time-consuming, potentially giving Prince Chris a chance to catch his breath.

If a thunderous strike is launched: Concentrate the strength of six armies and launch a full-scale attack on Hegland, with the Fifth Legion as the vanguard and the six armies of the fortress as reinforcements, the city may be captured within half a month.

However, this move may cause heavy casualties to our army. Secondly, the mountain people of Bagnia are good at guerrilla warfare. If Lord Xisuo does not submit, he may trap our army in the quagmire of the mountain country, allowing Chris to reap the benefits instead.

I dare to suggest that we could explore another avenue and meet with Prince Chris.

According to the intelligence reports, although this young man is young and impetuous, he is quite adept at political maneuvering. Furthermore, his relationship with Count Sisso is superficial, and he may be useful to the Count.

If we grant them a certain degree of autonomy and food aid in exchange for their tacit consent to our army's passage, then Your Majesty's great cause can be accomplished without bloodshed. Even if they refuse, we can sow discord between them and the Western Sog, and wait for them to turn against each other so that our army can reap the benefits.

However, this plan is perilous and requires a trusted confidant to secretly meet with Your Majesty, carrying Your Majesty's golden seal. I am willing to personally go to this dangerous place, and I humbly beg Your Majesty to make a swift and wise decision.

We await Your Majesty's decree.

Your loyal servant,

Meredith
Frost month of the Bohemian Empire year ***, at the front camp of Hegland+
After writing the last word, Meredith put the letter into a parchment envelope, then sealed it with sealing wax. The envelope was decorated with the serpent head emblem of the Simiac organization, and the edges of the letter were subtly embroidered with gold thread for anti-counterfeiting purposes.

"Someone, send this letter back to the country, the highest level."

"Yes, my lord."

(End of this chapter)