Radiant Dragon’s Otherworldly Reincarnation - Chapter 248 : Chapter 248
Chapter 248. Just Accept It (1)
As expected, three days was impossible.
But after running and running like mad, the army led by Patrick was able to reach its destination in five days.
Latenop.
The capital of the Harbor Kingdom.
The outer walls of Latenop were incomparably high and thick compared to ordinary castle walls.
When the first king of the Harbor Kingdom decided to build the capital on this site, it was the dwarves who personally designed and supervised the construction of the outer walls.
The durability of the walls was so great that it could withstand a dragon’s breath at least once, and on top of the walls were various defensive weapons personally made by the dwarves.
It was truly an iron wall of defense. But….
“It doesn’t matter how high the walls are.”
The previously captured Grenburg Fortress was also armed with sturdy walls.
But the method of capture was simple.
He flew into the sky with the elves who used wind spirits and the magic swordsmen who could fly.
Then he just had to ask them to drop him inside the fortress.
And from the moment Patrick entered the fortress, it was a one-man show.
He ran to the castle gate, blew away the enemies blocking his way, and opened the gate.
No matter how high and sturdy the castle gate was, as long as there was a means to fly, it was not difficult to conquer.
‘I don’t know what kind of dirty tricks that creepy old man will pull, but if I crush him before he can, it’ll be fine.’
Strategists are a tribe that basically predicts the opponent’s actions and prepares traps accordingly.
In that case, if you strike them down quickly without giving them time to prepare, wouldn’t most strategies be preventable?
That was why Patrick had urged his allies to somehow conquer the capital.
And when he finally arrived in front of Latenop, Patrick saw it.
“What is this?”
“Is it a trap?”
The outer walls of Latenop, with the castle gate wide open.
His companions were bewildered by this unprecedented situation. And Patrick frowned and said.
“Is it an empty fort strategy?”
A stratagem where one empties the castle to make the enemy complacent, and when the enemy enters, they are attacked in a pincer movement and defeated.
“Hmph, I read a bit of Romance of the Three Kingdoms back in the day.”
“What’s that?”
“It exists. It’s a tragic novel where the great heroes trying to change the world, Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, Lu Bu, Yuan Shu, and others, fail to achieve their goals due to the evil schemes of three brothers.”
Was Romance of the Three Kingdoms that kind of book?
It seems a demon’s interpretation differs from that of ordinary people.
“Anyway, if that’s an empty fort strategy, then there must be a trap waiting inside.”
“What will you do?”
“If you know the enemy’s intention, breaking it is easy.”
And Patrick clenched his fist and said.
“Now, let’s charge straight in and smash them to bits.”
“You said there’s a trap.”
“It’s fine if we know it’s there. We’ll just smash that too.”
“……”
In the end, it meant his actions wouldn’t change. Sanson let out a deep sigh.
In any case, even if there was a trap, with the gate open, they couldn’t just ignore it.
“We are charging into the enemy camp. All units, form a two-column line!”
“Yes!”
The Double Dragon Knightly Order, having received Sanson’s instructions, lined up in two long columns.
Patrick looked at the scene and smiled with satisfaction.
“Good. Shall we go then?”
“Yes!”
“Don’t fall behind the Young Master!”
“Let’s gooo!”
The Double Dragon Knightly Order took the lead, charging into the castle gate with Patrick.
And the moment the group’s vanguard ran through the gate and entered….
“Uh…?”
“What is this?”
“Heo….”
Everyone wore a dazed expression.
What awaited them was not a trap.
It was just civilians with haggard complexions.
Even though the enemy had passed through the capital’s gate and entered head-on, not a single soldier resisted.
There were only civilians who appeared to be in a poor state of nutrition.
Even the great Patrick’s face hardened at this sight. And an old man from among the citizens cautiously stepped forward and said.
“Excuse me. Are you, young sir, Patrick Schneider of the Kingdom of Atronia?”
“Well, I am. Who are you?”
“I am a resident of this capital.”
“……”
“Please, save us.”
Patrick’s expression became grave.
***
The army led by Patrick quickly occupied Latenop.
No, it was hardly an occupation.
There were no soldiers in Latenop who intended to fight against Patrick.
They even stormed the royal palace, but that too was empty.
Some chamberlains, maids, and low-ranking officials remained, but not a single knight or soldier was left.
The opponent had vacated the capital without any resistance.
“This is…. a good thing, isn’t it?”
“Right?”
“It was a completely bloodless entry, after all.”
Listening to the knights’ conversation, Patrick’s expression became serious.
“The warehouse…. search the warehouse. Quickly.”
“You mean the treasure warehouse?”
“Not that one, the food warehouse!”
It was rare for Patrick to shout so urgently.
The knights hurried to the royal palace’s food warehouse.
And a short while later.
“Young Master. The food warehouse is empty.”
“Damn it….”
Patrick’s face contorted upon receiving the report.
The king of the Harbor Kingdom had taken all the food with him when he retreated with the capital’s forces.
He hadn’t even touched the other treasure warehouses; he had just emptied the food warehouse as quickly as possible and fled.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
“Patrick, we’re in big trouble.”
Matthew came running in a hurry and said.
“What is it?”
“The citizens of the capital are clamoring for food.”
“……”
Patrick’s face turned deathly pale.
At that, Sanson, who was listening beside him, shouted in an angry voice.
“No, it hasn’t even been a day since we occupied it, why are they demanding food from us?”
“They say the Harbor Kingdom told them to.”
“What did you say?”
Matthew sighed and explained the situation.
***
Immediately after the communication with Patrick ended.
Duke Krupa hurriedly ordered all the defensive forces of the capital.
“Empty the royal food warehouses completely. If you can’t move it, burn it.”
And as if that weren’t enough….
“Confiscate all food from the capital’s citizens. Anyone who resists may be killed for treason.”
“Your Grace. It will be difficult to handle the people’s backlash.”
“It’s fine. When you confiscate the food, deliver two orders.”
“What orders?”
“One, the Double Dragon is invading the capital. We do not wish to fight him and destroy the capital, so we are retreating. The citizens of the capital may also open the gates and surrender peacefully.”
It was an order that deviated greatly from common sense.
When a nation’s capital is in crisis, the officials and people should unite to fight the foreign enemy, but Duke Krupa was urging them to just surrender. And…
“We cannot leave food for the enemy, so we will take it. But tell them not to worry. The Schneider fiefdom owns one of the continent’s foremost granaries, and the Double Dragon is a great hero whose fame resounds throughout the continent. Therefore….”
The corners of Duke Krupa’s mouth lifted.
“Wouldn’t he naturally take responsibility for and look after the people of the occupied territory?”
“Ah….”
Only then did the knight understand Duke Krupa’s intention.
“I will carry out the order at once.”
And the Harbor Kingdom’s Royal Guard was mobilized to forcibly confiscate food from the capital’s citizens.
The citizens vehemently protested, but when Duke Krupa’s words were delivered, the protest subsided somewhat.
They acquiesced to the fact that if they surrendered peacefully, the Schneider fiefdom would take responsibility for and look after them, rather than fighting to defend the capital and shedding blood.
And so, Duke Krupa completely emptied the capital of its food, leaving behind only people and wealth, and then departed.
***
“A cruel man….”
Patrick clutched his head and sighed.
This wasn’t an empty fort strategy, but a scorched earth tactic. But….
“Still, to completely empty the capital of a nation like this?”
There’s a limit to how unconventional one can be; he truly had not expected this. And….
“Young Master. The citizens are urgently demanding food.”
As unexpected as it was, the effect was absolute.
Patrick clutched his head and agonized.
“Do we have any surplus food?”
“Yo… Young Master, that’s….”
“We don’t, do we?”
“We have a little, but if you’re asking if it’s enough to support the capital of a nation, it’s not even close.”
“This is driving me crazy.”
In the first place, Patrick had crossed the sea and entered the Harbor Kingdom with only a small number of troops.
This meant he hadn’t brought much food.
And what little food he had, he had given to the dwarves.
So where on earth was he supposed to get the food to feed the citizens of the capital, Latenop?
“Young Master, what should we do?”
At Sanson’s question, Patrick pondered.
In fact, it wasn’t that there was no way. That way was a thorough iron-fist response.
Whether the capital’s citizens starved or not, he couldn’t create food out of thin air.
And even if it was an occupied territory, he had no obligation to feed the people who were still the enemy.
The citizens might protest or stage an armed uprising, but with the elite forces led by Patrick, it wouldn’t be difficult to suppress them with force.
Yes. He could respond that way.
Rather, that was the only solution. The problem was….
[Are you a villain? Or a hero?]
Patrick recalled Duke Krupa’s question.
“Damn it, this is why I hate dealing with those strategist types.”
If he were to suppress the civilians of Latenop with force here, Patrick would become a villain.
No, he might not be a villain, but he wouldn’t be a hero.
It doesn’t matter.
He had never wanted to become a hero. But….
[Cheon-ah….]
“Haaaah…. I’m really going crazy.”
It doesn’t matter if the whole world points fingers and calls him a villain. But….
‘Master….’
Even if you deceive the whole world, you cannot deceive yourself.
Suppressing starving civilians with force here would be an act that directly goes against his Master’s teachings.
For Patrick, that was impossible.
It was impossible.
***
In a forest some distance from Latenop.
A knight approached Duke Krupa, who had set up a formation there, and spoke.
“Your Grace, Krupa. The Double Dragon is moving as you predicted.”
“Give me a detailed report.”
“Yes. He is reportedly appeasing the citizens of the capital by distributing a meager amount of food.”
“Yes. It has come to that, after all.”
The corners of Duke Krupa’s mouth lifted.
Currently, 70 percent of the Harbor Kingdom’s military strength was being used to blockade the Iron Mountains.
And the remaining 30 percent was scattered here and there, so the capital’s military strength was at best only about 10 percent.
With such a force, could they truly defeat the Double Dragon?
It would probably be difficult.
Even if it were possible to win a fight, the risk was too great.
So Duke Krupa chose a way to win without fighting.
“Winning by fighting is at best a mediocre strategy, but winning without fighting is the best strategy.”
No matter how strong the Double Dragon is, a person cannot live by strength alone.
How can one feed hungry people with swordsmanship?
From the moment he passed the starving citizens of the capital, deprived of all their food, onto Patrick, the stratagem had already begun.
In fact, Patrick should have made a quick decision here.
He should have callously abandoned the starving people of the capital and pursued the king and Duke Krupa, who had fled with the army. But….
“You couldn’t do that. Because you are a hero. A hero who cannot turn a blind eye to the people.”
A faint smile appeared on Duke Krupa’s lips.
He didn’t know if Patrick’s actions now were due to his own heroism or a sense of duty born from being pushed by public adoration.
But what was certain was that Patrick Schneider was a man who could not escape the shackles of being a hero.
“A young man living as a hero…. Seen from a distance, he is truly admirable and excellent. But it is a weary life that I would not impose on my own children, let alone myself.”
Duke Krupa smirked.
Heroes were sufficient to exist only in stories.
***
Patrick, tied down in Latenop, faced the worst crisis.
He had distributed all the food he had to the citizens of the capital, but it was nowhere near enough.
Naturally, the citizens’ discontent reached its peak. On top of that, decisively….
“Everyone! Look at those wicked invaders. Look at this reality where our families are starving to death because of them!”
Someone stepped forward in front of the crowd and began to give a surprise speech in a loud voice.
“This never happened under the reign of His Majesty King Derius. But when the invaders from the Kingdom of Atronia invaded and conquered our land, our children began to starve. Whose fault is all this?”
The crowd nodded as if they agreed with the man’s speech.
In fact, it was King Derius who had confiscated and taken the food, and Patrick had not yet done anything that could be called governing. But….
“That’s right. He’s right.”
“Damn it, what a mess this is because of those Atronia bastards.”
“Damn sons of bitches!”
What was important to the crowd was the present reality.
And a target of hatred upon which to pour out their dissatisfaction.
The one who had stepped forward to speak clenched his fist and shouted.
“Will you die like pigs and dogs? Or will you bravely rise up and….”
Peeeeek!
It was then.
A whistle was heard from a distance, and knights wearing twin swords came running.
“Stop! What is the meaning of this?”
Oliver rushed over and apprehended the speaker.
“You are under arrest for causing a disturbance and inciting discord.”
When Oliver ordered the arrest, the knights went and apprehended the man who had given the surprise speech.
During the process, the man struggled violently and shouted.
“Let go, you invaders! Everyone! These bastards are trying to starve our children to death. These bastards are trying to take everything from us, mmmph!”
“Gag him first!”
Even before Oliver gave the order, the knights gagged him. But that was of little use.
Oliver looked around and frowned.
‘Damn it….’
Resentment, hatred, fear, exclusion….
It was a gaze he had never received in the Schneider fiefdom.
The people of Latenop already regarded the Schneider fiefdom’s army as hateful invaders.
‘We weren’t the ones who took the food….’
It was unfair, but it couldn’t be helped.
Several times a day, people like this would emerge, giving surprise speeches and inciting the capital’s citizens.
Seeing that the content was similar, it was probably at the enemy’s instruction, but announcing that would have no effect.
Oliver was just annoyed and frustrated by this situation.
“This is driving me crazy. Please do something, Young Master.”
