I Won’t Let the Execution Battalion Die, ~Even If the Empire Falls, We Want to Survive~ - Chapter 72: Defend the Battalion to the Death ①

“Company Commander, are we really burning everything?”

“All classified documents. Who we executed, what denunciations there were, where we sent officers. Burn everything that records our activities.”

I ordered the NCOs to throw documents into the fireplace. Documents that were legally required to be kept for three, five, or ten years. Burning this much would probably result in more than just military discharge.

“I’ll take full responsibility as company commander. You men just burn all of this as ordered.”

“Y-yes sir!”

The documents here were “evidence of misdeeds” to the anti-imperial faction. Leaving them would be very problematic.

Of course, records of the “duel” with Lord Grien probably remained elsewhere, and Lord Fumazov’s place would have records that “Yuo Nevilnel was executed.” “Evidence of misdeeds” existed beyond just here.

If captured and put on trial, we’d be finished either way.

So I left document burning to my subordinates and tackled other work.

“What’s the situation with the crowd besieging the palace?”

When I asked, a young second lieutenant from the Third Company answered:

“The crowd has grown further, reaching ten thousand according to Imperial Guards Division reports!”

Then he spoke anxiously:

“Um, should we really not deploy our company’s fifty line infantry?”

“Absolutely do not deploy them.”

The Imperial Guards Division was allocating remaining forces to palace security, but they had sworn loyalty to the Emperor. Since this wasn’t a democracy, the military’s master was the monarch.

So when the monarch faced danger, pointing guns at citizens was the “correct” choice, but doing that now would lead straight to revolution.

Since crowds already outnumbering the palace guards were packed around the palace, firing one shot would destroy order. How things would turn out was up to chance, but I didn’t want to participate in such a gamble.

“Ignore all orders from the Imperial Guards Division.”

“A-are you serious, Company Commander?”

The second lieutenant was shocked, but I patted his shoulder.

“I’m saying this because I’m serious. It’s to protect your lives. Or would you rather fight hordes of rioters with muskets after firing once?”

The subordinate second lieutenants exchanged glances.

“Captain Fonkt has always been hard to tell how serious he is.”

“Right, just like Lieutenant Meinen.”

What a terrible reputation.

“Don’t compare me to that drunken braggart. Assign the Third Company’s fifty line infantry to headquarters security. This is an official company commander order. You two take turns commanding.”

“Yes sir!”

Fifty infantry was platoon-scale. Since these second lieutenants had received platoon leader education at military academy, the two could probably manage them.

But this left only Second Lieutenant Crimine as the Third Company’s remaining officer. Lieutenant Meinen’s death in battle and Captain Yugi’s transfer were taking their toll.

“There’s a high possibility civilians will surge here. If they do surge—”

“Should we fire?”

“No, don’t shoot.”

I shook my head.

“I believe the ultimate winners of this upheaval will be the people. If we shoot those people, we’ll certainly face retaliation. Therefore firing is strictly forbidden—no blank rounds or warning shots either. Remove the flints.”

Muskets had pointed flints fixed with screws. These were struck against iron plates by leaf spring force to create sparks and ignite gunpowder.

So removing the flints would prevent firing.

“We don’t need to go that far—couldn’t we just not load ammunition?”

When one second lieutenant asked something foolish, I chuckled.

“The people might try to seize guns. Even if seized, I’m being extra cautious so they can’t fire immediately. Ah, you may use bayonets for self-defense. Fix bayonets.”

As long as no gunshots were heard, there’d be no worry of attracting surrounding rioters. Like a zombie movie.

“Anyway, don’t engage the people. Smooth-talk them and send them away.”

“You’re being unreasonable.”

“That’s the Third Company’s usual job. If you’re in trouble, call me to buy time.”

“Understood. We’ll do our best.”

The still-young second lieutenants saluted and left the room at a run.

Then Second Lieutenant Crimine returned in their place.

“Where did Captain Yugi go? Don’t tell me she already fled?”

“Hardly. She’s probably acting on the battalion commander’s orders.”

Captain Yugi, our Third Company’s former commander, was the battalion commander’s confidant. She’d transformed from an assassin targeting the battalion commander’s daughter to a lady absolutely devoted to protecting the battalion commander and daughter.

It was hard to imagine her abandoning the battalion commander to flee. She was probably engaged in covert operations, her original specialty.

“More importantly, we need to secure headquarters safety. Right now we need to buy time for classified document burning and escape preparations.”

“Yet there’s a company commander who forbade firing.”

She kept needling me. Definitely completely different from the other second lieutenants.

I sighed and reasoned with Second Lieutenant Crimine:

“This battle is like peasant uprisings where you can’t distinguish enemies from citizens. ‘Nightingales’ and ‘prairie fire’ forces are almost certainly disguised among the citizens, but there are also real citizens. Among those citizens, some will join riots while others won’t.”

“Complicated.”

Second Lieutenant Crimine seemed to understand the situation, looking troubled. Previously she would have immediately answered “Why don’t we just shoot everyone?” but she’d grown through experience.

“It would be easy if we could just shoot everyone.”

She hadn’t grown much after all. No no, she understood that was impossible. She was properly growing. Probably.

“So what do we do, Company Commander?”

To calm my anxious partner, I explained as carefully as possible:

“Since we don’t know how many are siding with the anti-imperial faction, enemy strength is unknown. Allied strength is also unclear. The military academy taught us to avoid engagement when the balance of forces is unknown, right?”

“I think we learned that.”

This was quite an important part. Remember it.

“Since we can’t choose ‘fight’ in ‘fight or flight,’ we can only flee. Even if we tried to hold out, there’s no prospect of reinforcements.”

We were no longer receiving proper information or orders from the Imperial Guards Division. Isolated from the command structure, we lacked power to act in this situation.

But even fleeing, rebel armies were surging from the north. If Penderltaine Fortress fell, besieging the capital would be a matter of time.

“Come to think of it, is Military Doctor Buho who went to the Fortress safe…”

“That fortress had ‘nightingales’ infiltrating it, right?”

“Right. When ‘prairie fire’ surges near the fortress, ‘nightingales’ will start moving too.”

With anti-imperial faction even among Imperial forces fighting rebels, it was hopeless.

If Imperial forces hadn’t been this deteriorated, the Kavaraf regional lords’ coalition army couldn’t have fought this hard. They weren’t accustomed to military action and had outdated equipment.

Then a Third Company NCO rushed into the room:

“Company Commander, report! Fighting has begun inside Penderltaine Fortress between fortress garrison forces! The opposing forces are also fortress garrison!”

This was bad.