Santairiku Eiyuuki

Episode 18: After Riding Tactics

"If you resist, I will kill you. If we're adults, we won't take it to life."

That's what Nia declared in the settlement of the Bulgarians.

Quite simply, a deputy who can speak Bulgarian translates Nia's words.

The Bulgarians obeyed Nia greatly and raised their hands, as the resistance was no longer in this settlement.

Nia gathers the inhabitants in one place and has the soldiers monitor them.

Pick some people on it and let them guide you through the settlement.

"Where are the sheep and horses?

"Hey, why would I..."

"If you don't answer, I'll kill you one at a time every three seconds. Three, two, …"

"Over here, over here! Follow me!!

The Nears, under the guidance of the Bulgarians, go to the place where they are herding sheep and horses.

Nia orders her men.

"Kill all the sheep. Leave the horses alive and kill them all."

"Hey, no!! Sheep and horses..."

"Shut up."

Nia fisted into the belly of the Bulgarians and then left a few horses to kill all the livestock with poison arrows.

Nia follows an iterative Bulgarian man back to the settlement where Yurt stands.

Next Nia commands the inhabitants who are gathered.

"Everyone, take off your clothes and remove all your ornaments. He who is not naked within thirty seconds will kill. 30, 29, 28…"

Nia ordered me, and the Bulgarians began to undress in haste.

After watching with satisfaction the Bulgarians, who hide their bodies naked, Nia collects the clothes she has taken from them in one place.

"Set fire."

Nia's men lit the clothes they had taken with pine light.

Flames burning bright red.

Plus Nia goes around setting all the yurts of the settlement on fire.

The Bulgarians naked can only watch how it goes.

That being the case, my once separated men brought in the prisoners.

After disarming them all, they're naked.

"All prisoners will be released. But... everyone cut off their fingers, so we can't fight anymore."

That's what Nia said to free the men.

He then mounted a decree on his men on horseback.

"Come on, we're going to the next settlement soon. Huh? Distribution of loot? You can decide that stuff even as you march! Act fast!! Look, I'm coming!!

Nia quickly left the settlement as she hurried her men.

The remaining inhabitants whine as they look at the flaming settlements.

"... how are we going to live?

No one could answer that.

Then within a week, by Nia and Jebe...

More than twenty settlements were burned and plundered.

"" Your Majesty the Emperor, we are now returning. "

"All right, well done. What's the outcome?"

Erkühl nodded contentedly when he heard the effects of the war from the returning Nia and Jebe.

It appears that we have succeeded in burning safe, defenceless Bulgarian settlements - especially those of the Chromium clan.

"Then let's retreat. There's no reason to stay here any longer"

That's what Erkühr said and gave all troops instructions to withdraw.

This past week, Erkühl has had about 8000 large armies deployed near the border with Bulgaron...

There is no need for Nia and Jebe to deploy any more troops than they have succeeded in the operation.

"Um, Your Majesty."

"What is it, Nia?"

"Is it possible for you to tell me the intent of this operation?

Nia asked Erkühl.

Erkühr laughs invincibly.

"Hmm... for once I ask, you know why I let the big army deploy?

"Yes. Yang Dynasty, right? Two of us, me and Jebe, secretly invade the kingdom of the Bulgarons, attacking a settlement of the defenceless Bulgarians"

When the war breaks out, the Bulgarians move their settlements near the battlefield.

The Bulgarians' settlement serves as a base for the barracks.

The purpose of Erkühl is to carry out a manoeuvre in the great army, in the gap where the men of the Bulgarons are paying...

It was to make Nia and Jebe attack the settlement, which approached the border with Lemuria.

"But as far as possible, the inhabitants do not kill, and I do not understand the intent of the order to burn down all their property…. I can't believe I didn't even kill the prisoner and just cut off my fingers..."

"Jebe would be the same nomad, you know?

When Elquille says so...

Jebe nodded small.

Nia blushes openly.

I regret that I don't know who I am, even though I know Jebe.

Most of the time in this operation, the effects themselves were more nigh......

Never is Nia inferior to Jebe.

but I guess Nia wants to win all the battles.

"For us nomads, sheep, horses, and easy to carry cloths and precious metals are a precious asset. Taking it all away means starving to death."

"You're right, Jebe. Nia, do you understand?

"... I mean, the purpose is to starve the Bulgarians to death, is it?

That's what Nia asks...

Elquille shook her neck left and right.

"No, a little different"

"... are you not?

"What, you were wrong too"

Knowing that Jebe was wrong, Nia looked openly happy.

Seeing the look on Nia's face like that, Jebe frowns a little uncomfortably.

"You would have been wrong too"

"What is it, what are you trying to say?

"Don't fight"

When Elquille blamed him for that, the two apologized to Elquille.

Erkühr explains to the two of them, sincerely thinking that the person who apologizes would be different.

"No one wants to starve to death. So they should move on to action before they starve to death. I mean, it's aid. We need to get some food from somewhere. Especially this time, the highly damaged Chromium clan and the small and medium-sized clan with a weak economic base will taste bad."

The Chromium family has lost a total of 30,000 people's food.

The small and medium-sized families, who originally had little stockpiles, would also be devastated.

"If this were Remlia, we could all help each other... well, what would happen to the bull gallon?

Erkühr smiled.

"You've tasted bad, Alicia."

"Yes, Father..."

Waiting for Alicia and the Crom chiefs who returned from the battlefield were their own people who had been deprived of food.

I had no choice, and Alicia and Chief Crom carried out a redistribution of food…

"We originally only had food for 400,000 people. Another thirty thousand people's worth of food and many sheep lost..."

The population of the Chromium family is 450,000.

In other words, the Chromium clan had already been pushed into a state where more than 50,000 people would be suffering from food shortages.

In addition to that, there was a further 30,000 fewer.

Particularly painful was the loss of many sheep, goats and horses.

Livestock is not so easy to increase, and it has become more difficult to obtain milk, a valuable source of nutrition.

"This year is good. But... thinking about the future..."

Even if we manage to survive this year...

I don't know what will happen next year to fulfill it.

If you do poorly, more than half of them could starve to death.

"And, clan chief! Oh my God!!

"What's up?

"The West Settlement has been raided!

"Hey, what? The Lemurian army?

"Yes, no...... that is by the hands of the Touram family!

Touram family.

In the kingdom of Bulgaron it is a family that has only so much power that it is quicker to count from below.

I highly doubt they will launch an attack on the Chromium clan.

At least, alone.

I mean...

"Have you fallen back on Remlia!!

Chief Krom clenched his fist with remorse.

Originally a family with a weak economic base.

He would have succumbed to the economic blockade of the Lemurian Empire at an early stage.

"Did the Lemurian army know exactly where our settlement was, also because there were internal guidelines..."

Nomads have the image of moving freely, but there is actually a proper order to that movement.

A place where water is secured and even more sunny… and, if possible, fuel firewood is readily available.

Such places are limited.

For the marginalised, I don't know where the nomads are now...

From the nomadic standpoint, the general position is discernible.

"First, let's take a look at King Bulgaron. So we just have to ask for food aid.... I'm Dear Telerig's fiancée. I'm sure you'll find it convenient."

"Right, okay, let's do that. The Touram clan is good later. Let's start with… solving the food problem."