The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 279

The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I’m a “Farmer”, Not a Demon King! ~

Chapter 279   About the enemy’s army

“In addition, this time the country is sending troops, but the number of troops the country is sending is only 20,000.”

20,000? Is that 20,000 soldiers? Well, it might be enough if it’s just conquering one city, but if that ‘city’ is Karakas, the story is different. In reality, the recent attack had nearly 100,000 troops, and they were defeated. Even when Karakas was first created, they attacked with a considerable force, and it was repelled.

If they’re attacking again, wouldn’t they prepare more troops?

“20,000? Quite few. Well, if the Eight Heavens aren’t coming, we don’t need a rabble.”

Ah, I see. The Eight Heavens are coming this time. In that case, they don’t need sheer numbers. After all, just having one of the Eight Heavens is an overwhelming force that would usually be more than enough to conquer a city.

If anything, preparing too many troops might just slow down the march, right?

“That’s true, but it’s just from the ‘country’s perspective.'”

“Are they bringing them in from somewhere else?”

“Some additional troops are expected from several nearby nobles, ranging in the thousands.”

“Ugh… seriously?”

Well, I can understand that. After all, it’s a serious punitive force meant to draw out the Eight Heavens. It’s only natural for everyone to want to join in and ride the winning horse.

Even if they can’t send a large number of troops, if they can contribute a few thousand, and if they cooperate and claim they participated, they might receive some benefits.

“I’m serious. We estimate the total to exceed 60,000.”

“60,000? …It’s a lot, but not as much as I thought.”

Even though the country is sending only 20,000 troops, when you consider the total enemy force, it seems to reach 60,000. It appears that a considerable number of nobles have joined in. Why do they want to crush this place so badly? Well, it’s understandable. It must be quite a nuisance for the nearby nobles.

However, even with this, there’s a fair number of nobles’ supporters.

Still, considering that the local nobles gathered nearly 100,000 troops the last time, calling 60,000 “just” 60,000 might not be an exaggeration.

“Last time was almost 100,000… to be precise, it didn’t quite reach 100,000, but this time it’s less. In normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be an issue. However, unlike last time, they have the Eight Heavens. The results won’t be entirely the same.”

Even though the difference in the number of troops might not seem significant at this point, in a regular war, such a difference could be fatal. Besides, even if the number is small, dealing with multiple members of the Eight Heavens, particularly the Tenth-Rank, wouldn’t be easy, as Edward points out. It’s better not to assume it will be as straightforward as the previous encounter.

“Most of that army will be involved in logistics and serving as reinforcements.”

“Logistics and reinforcements? What do you mean? Aren’t they going to fight?”

“They’ll leave the fighting to the Eight Heavens and plan to use people for governing this area afterward. Even if the Eight Heavens can handle defeating someone or somewhere, it’s not enough for the subsequent responsibilities with only five people.”

Ah, I see. Since they’ve been using the Eight Heavens, who are powerful but limited in number, they’re planning to take control of this entire area from the beginning. Well, it’s not just a plan; they seem to consider it a done deal. In that case, they also have to think about what comes after, such as the need for people, supplies, and so on.

So, since the outcome of the battle is already determined, it’s more efficient to carry everything together rather than wait for reports after the enemy is defeated.

Ah, that might be why the nobles sent troops. Not just because they want to side with the winning faction, but also because it’s relatively safe for them.

Normally, nobles would hesitate to send troops to fight us, considering the recent large-scale battles. However, if they can just use the soldiers for logistics, making it part of their achievements, then there’s no reason not to send troops.

After all, if the Eight Heavens are taking care of the fighting, there’s no risk for them.

“Also, I’d appreciate it if we could avoid a total massacre this time. Just like last time, if the population decreases significantly, it could lead to governance issues and, as a result, disrupt circulation.”

We let some escape last time, and it seems we’ll do the same this time. It’s quite natural. Dad might say that annihilation is acceptable, but if he insists on killing every single one, it would lead to severe problems in maintaining order afterward.

If that happens, there will likely be a significant loss of life in areas unrelated to the war. While defeating the enemy’s army might be a form of harassment against the true enemy, the king, I don’t wish for the deaths of unrelated individuals. I just hope those targeting this place will back off.

Additionally, if a large number of people die and the country’s strength declines, it could strain relations with foreign nations. This country has enemies in both the east and the west. If the country’s strength decreases, they might seize the opportunity to attack. That would be troublesome.

Actually, in that case, it’s not Zaviet who would defend; it’s us. We exist in the east, and the west is my mother’s hometown. We’ve just dealt with the west, so they might not attack, but it’s a possibility.

Regardless of who attacks, we’ll have to fight, so it’s probably better not to reduce the number of people too much. If possible, it might be wise to keep about half. Well, if I say ‘if possible,’ maybe keeping more would be better, but that depends on the situation.

However, Edward probably isn’t thinking about such things. He’s not concerned about deaths or subsequent wars; he likely has a different reason for stopping us.

If I had to guess that reason… well, it’s pretty clear.

“Money.”

“It’s money, indeed.”

“I don’t think it’s that obvious… like, you should think that killing people so easily isn’t right.”

“Huh? No, I don’t particularly think that. If someone wants to die, they can die, and it doesn’t concern me if someone kills someone else. If you don’t want to die, you shouldn’t have participated in the fight in the first place, right?”

Given his personality, I understood it would be related to money, but I didn’t expect him to state it so openly. He doesn’t bother sugarcoating it. Not that it would make a difference at this point.

“Well, leaving that aside, is it true that there are only five participants? There were eight initially, and one died, so there should be two more, right?”

“It’s necessary to allocate them to defend the king. After all, the opponents are us, so they’re cautious about assassination attempts.”

“I see. Since we’re not knights and they believe we have no pride as a country, they might think we would resort to any underhanded means, right?”

Assassins can be readily arranged if one wishes. I could even go myself. I could turn the castle upside down or sow seeds throughout the castle to create a forest. Adding seeds to meals, letting them grow and burst through the stomach a few hours later—well, I never did any of that, but assassins themselves can be prepared.

The various countermeasures against assassinations were supposed to be handled by one of the Eight… Oh, I forgot his name, the ‘Sword Saint,’ but he was killed in a battle with my father. Now, I think it would be easy to kill him.

However, with a powerful individual from the Tenth Tier, they should be able to defend against assassins reliably.

Or perhaps they considered the possibility of launching a solo attack. They know that we have the strength to defeat the ‘Sword Saint,’ right?

“Ah, now that you mention it, that makes sense. It might be a hassle, but if it became known that I have the strength to defeat the ‘Sword Saint,’ they might have considered the possibility of me attacking again.”

Father showed a somewhat thoughtful expression in response to Granny’s words. Indeed, that could be true.

If there was the capability to defeat the ‘Sword Saint,’ it might have crossed their minds that he could attack again.

If that happened, it would indeed be difficult with regular soldiers, and even with one of the Eight left behind, they might not be able to defend. After all, one of the Eight has already been killed. So, that’s probably why they left two behind.

“If we intended to assassinate, I would have requested it at an earlier stage. However, this time, defeating the army holds significance, so I rejected that idea.”

However, the idea of using assassins was rejected by Edward.

“Can I ask you something? I understand the part about defeating the enemy’s army. However, aren’t there any reinforcements? I mean, if this place were to be attacked, wouldn’t your mother and her family propose some kind of assistance?”

“Ah, if that’s the case, they came to my place. I refused, though.”

“To father’s place? Why? I never heard about that.”

“You didn’t ask, so I didn’t tell. Ideally, I should have informed the king, that’s you, but even if I told you and then declined, it would have been problematic, right? It’s you we’re talking about. Even after refusing, you’d probably be troubled, thinking whether you should have accepted the proposal.”

… Well, certainly, if I had been informed in advance that they were offering reinforcements and then declined, it might have caused confusion. As a king, that wouldn’t be ideal, but considering I was originally just an ordinary person, adding unnecessary complications during such a critical time would have been mentally exhausting. I intend to make efforts to change such aspects in the future, but during this crucial time facing the Eight Heavens, I want to remain calm.

“Besides, do we really need reinforcements?”

Father confidently says so, but I’m somewhat uncertain about my own confidence.

I have plans, and I think I can manage, but…

Well, if Dad says there’s no problem, then it should be fine.

Still, even though he didn’t inform me, why did he refuse? They offered reinforcements; why not accept?

Edward seems to have sensed my thoughts and started explaining.

“It connects to the earlier answer, ‘There is meaning in defeating the army.’ This war is for independence. Borrowing forces from elsewhere during such a time would spread the word that we couldn’t handle it ourselves. Considering the fact that, the Eight Heavens, is sending multiple members this time, it may seem inevitable to seek reinforcements. However, even in this situation, if we ask for aid, the fact remains that we ‘sought help.’ Therefore, we need to repel the invaders without relying on anyone.”

I see. Well, if we’re trying to gain independence with our own strength, it wouldn’t make sense if that strength came from elsewhere. In the eyes of those around us, showing that we can repel the invaders by ourselves is crucial.

“Well, personally, I thought it might be safer to take the cautious route and accept the proposal for reinforcements, but according to Black sword, there’s no issue. So, we’ve decided to repel the enemy’s army with our own strength alone.”

“Rejecting reinforcements and going at it ourselves… Well, leave that part to you. I mean, even if I think about it, I’d probably come up with a worse plan than you since I’m just a kid with limited experience compared to you.”

While I’m not completely incapable of devising strategies, they are, after all, the thoughts of a inexperienced kid. I don’t feel confident about winning against Edward in political maneuvering, intelligence games, or any behind-the-scenes confrontations. In that case, it’s better to entrust him rather than stubbornly trying to push my own ideas. It’s a matter of choosing the right person for the job.

“Even so, is it okay for the king to delegate everything to his subordinates? Don’t you consider the possibility of betrayal or takeover?”