The Extra Wants To Live

"So, assuming that Tumari moves as promised, we will devise a strategy." As Carl calms the mood and sorts out the story, the nobles suppress their discontent.

'That's unusual.'

Ali glanced at Carl as he was chased out of the command barracks by Harmon. The young archduke controls everyone, not with his position, but with his charisma.

"I have never seen an emperor of an empire, but if I were to become one, I would have to be like that." Carl is very intelligent and cool-headed despite his young age.

This war is not fought based on an individual's judgment but rather based on a secret agreement with Yusuf and the general will of the empire. From Tumari's perspective, it is also beneficial for such a cold-hearted man to become the emperor of the empire.

If you knew how to think properly, you would choose to make peace with Tumari rather than wage war. Since the outstanding man named Yusuf of Tumariado is set to become Padishah, they will be able to grow together in balance.

'… … What a pity.'

Ali's old face is filled with worry. Ali came as a host because he volunteered. All of Tumaria is on high alert after information about the strange power of 'Leader Sianna,' who rules over the Kuah Hadad cult, was transmitted through unknown channels.

The situation could not be delayed any longer, and Hardion needed certainty. Achtal's head would be worth it. Ali came here prepared to die. I trust Yusuf and the sect, but I don't know what will happen when things don't go as planned.

So what Ali was worried about wasn't his own safety. He was worried about his fellow priests who were being manipulated by the power of 'Leader Siana' and the frail people of Tumari who were caught up in the fight without knowing anything.

Yusuf and the Hadad sect must keep their promises, but so must Carl. Carl promised not to attack the helpless people of Tumaria and that he would pillage, but only to the extent that it would not kill the people.

If Carl breaks his promise, Ali will risk his life to ask Carl to keep his promise. So, he has to open his eyes wide and look at everything.

After a while, the Laurel Union's forces split into two and began a rapid advance. One group advanced straight east and surrounded Jihan, while another group raced north.

The western part of Tumaria was startled by Morgan's sudden movement and began to respond belatedly. Of course, war isn't something you can start just because you want to, and sieges, in particular, take a long time, so things don't progress quickly.

The time from the message of Azgoth to the siege of Zhihan was a full two weeks. Not only had the troops already been prepared in Bemale, but the supply route had also been completed.

The days in Tumari were scorching hot, but the nights were cold enough to require a fire and bundling up. In Morgan, summer was already waning, and autumn was quietly making its appearance.

***

Siege warfare is a battle of patience and, even if it seems trivial, it is a difficult battle that requires careful management.

Therefore, the important role of protecting Carl's troops advancing north by surrounding Jihan was assigned to the experienced veteran, Govan of Dabron.

"I ended up doing the most boring thing."

Philaine muttered softly as he supervised the soldiers building the camp with his father, Govan. Surrounding and blockading the Iron Fortress is a daunting task, but it is also the most boring one.

Perhaps they will just continue the siege until the end of the war and then retreat.

"It won't be that boring."

Goban rubbed his bushy beard as he watched the blockade being built step by step, maintaining an appropriate distance in front of the eastern gate of Jihan.

"There will definitely be a battle. Before the siege is complete, when reinforcements arrive, there will be a chance to attack from both sides."

Goban participated in numerous battles with his father from the young age of 15, knelt in Jihan, and even conquered Jihan once.

On the other hand, there was also the experience of having to run away after having the castle of Dabron taken away.

Goban knows inside out the tactics Jihan can employ. It was also thoughtful to build a base far away from the gate, in a narrow passage that was easy to blockade.

Wedge!

The air seemed to tremble at the sound coming from beyond the gate. Soon, a small dot is seen rising beyond the gate, slowly growing larger.

"Hey!!!"

"Don't run away!"

The soldiers tried to run away, but Govan stopped them with his loud shouts. Some hesitated and stopped after hearing the order, but most were embarrassed and hurriedly retreated from their seats.

Kwaaaaang!

A large stone fired from a catapult crashes into the ground, making a loud noise and causing the ground to shake. Broken pieces of debris fall and scatter in all directions.

The soldiers were startled, but the stone fell far enough away that it did not hit the positions.

This is why Goban gave up on blocking the narrow passages effectively and retreated to the open terrain, inefficiently establishing a base.

"How dare you run away even after receiving an order!"

Govan's beard shook with anger, and he shouted like thunder. He ordered his knights to drag away the runaways and make them run through the hot desert wearing only their underwear.

Of course, Goban wasn't angry at all. However, the unit's top commander cannot just leave a soldier alone if he disobeys an order he confidently gave.

The enemy's catapult attack ended up being a minor incident.

"Hmm… … I don't know what kind of commander the Lord of Jihan is."

Goban muttered as he glared at Jihan, who remained silent after measuring the distance with a catapult.

If the opponent is a commander as solid as a rock, he will quietly wait for the right time, but if the opponent is a commander as hasty as fire, he will not be able to wait and will rush out early.

Knowing your opponent is very important. But because the war hasn't been fought for so long, they don't know much about their opponents.

Govan summoned his command staff and held several meetings on various issues.

The meeting was led by veterans who had experience in the war with Tumari, and the discussion narrowed down to focusing on building up positions and biding their time.

"We should listen to the voices of those with experience, but shouldn't we also listen to the voices of young people with new ideas?"

Instead of ending the meeting as it was, Govan carefully passed the opportunity to the young people.

However, it was not easy to refute the words of veterans who had actual experience participating in the siege of Jihan.

"… … ."

"… … ."

Philaine avoided his father's gaze, which was staring at him intently.

But who else but Govan's son, Philaine, could open the floodgates here?

"… The goal is to blockade them, but if we just sit still like this, they'll get smug. How about we make them bleed once before they come out of the ground and make them cower?"

Philaine spoke not as Govan's son but as Baron Semilla, on equal footing with the others.

However, knowing Goban's intentions, the elders did not immediately refute and destroy his opinion, and thanks to this, the other young nobles and knights were able to slowly express their opinions.

"Fighting them head-on will only result in meaningless losses. How about sending a small number of troops up the western rocky mountain to cause some confusion?"

"The west will be prepared. The steep north will be unguarded."

"That's because it's a place where defense is unnecessary. It's a rough terrain that's hard to climb even with mana, and you can see everything from above."

"How about we try hitting the walls with catapults like they did?"

"The walls of Jihan cannot be broken. They will not even be scratched."

Jihan's castle walls are stone walls built with large stones carved from a rocky mountain. They are slanted, and the gaps are meticulously filled with mud and sand.

Since they could obtain stone by cutting it from the rock on site, they were able to build the sturdy four-layer wall. It cannot be brought down by hitting it with a normal catapult.

"Isn't our purpose to tear down the wall?"

An old nobleman with a white beard that reaches down to his chest gets to the point in a low voice.

"Our goal is to maintain a long-term blockade while minimizing damage, so hitting the walls, even if it's pointless, to discourage the enemy is certainly not a bad tactic."

"They're attacking from the high ground, but since they're attacking from beyond the walls, if you manage your distance well, you should be able to safely hit only the walls."

"It would be nice to knock on the door at night and keep you awake."

"Since it has come to this, how about hitting the South too?"

"The southern wall has such a large difference in elevation that it's difficult to even approach it. I think it might be too difficult."

Once you start talking, everyone starts saying whatever comes to mind. Some were rejected, but others were hired.

They measured the distance to the wall and even confirmed that they could strike the wall from outside the enemy's firing range.

Construction of the catapult began shortly thereafter under the leadership of an engineer.

This is because they originally came to occupy the western part of Tumaria, so they brought plenty