I Was Reincarnated as a Marquis in Another World

“In this war, our side will be responsible for the rear rather than the vanguard in order to avoid confrontation as much as possible. When I am with other nobles, I plan to refrain from using artillery, rifles, and combat engineers, excluding matchlock rifles.

Even one gun that disrupts the balance of the battlefield will cause the enemy to be cautious of us, so what if we use artillery that can efficiently slaughter more troops than guns?

Unless the enemy nobles are complete fools, they will leave only a minimal number of troops at the front to create a stalemate and then mobilize knights from the rear to attack us, who are a concern.

By doing this, their best method to minimize damage would be to eliminate the enemy who can launch distant attacks with artillery, which they cannot even respond to.

Moreover, both guns and rifles have a reduced effectiveness against knights, who are faster than infantry, as the number of attacks they can make within the same effective range is limited.

Especially since guns have already been revealed to the world, it is highly likely they will not demonstrate the same absolute superiority as before.

Taking advantage of this gap, Duke Orleans will slowly crush the Franche soldiers at the front, leaving us and the enemy to engage in a fierce war of attrition.

Then, by utilizing us as a buffer, he will enforce sacrifices while justifying that his strategy as the overall commander was correct, leveraging the privileges of the high-ranking officials to become the first meritocratic noble of the Eastern Expeditionary Force.

At the same time, he will investigate our potential hidden cards while using our position as allies and secure them before seeking countermeasures.

Thus, it is far more efficient to just wield matchlock rifles and fend off approaching enemy troops from the rear.

This way, there will be no reason for Franche’s Eastern Defense Forces to focus on us and launch concentrated attacks, nor will our hidden assets be exposed to the enemy.

“Thus, we will guard the rear of the Eastern Command and merely serve to supplement any gaps in the formation as reserves. For now, this is all; I will take questions.”

“Then, isn’t it unnecessary to organize artillery, rifles, and combat engineers? Especially since one artillery piece requires a carriage pulled by a horse for transport. I believe it’s much more cost-effective not to transport them at all.”

No matter how affluent our family is compared to other nobles…

It is not a wise idea to bring weapons that will not be used in the war, wasting the grain and manpower required for transport.

That is what he must be implying.

“This only applies if Duke Orleans leads the Eastern Expeditionary Force to victory without any issues in this war. However, looking at the current situation, it is clear this war will fail. Therefore, we intend to use the new weapons we have prepared. Let me first outline the reasons why this expedition is unlikely to succeed.”

I drew a line on the map connecting the territories of Architel, Count Iris, and Marquis Simon.

“Initially, this expedition had a formation of 70,000 troops, including Duke Orleans, Count Ilerias, Count Izza, and myself. However, as I mobilized 30,000 troops, I received intelligence that the Orleans house has amassed 40,000 serfs and mercenaries, 20,000 from Ilerias, and 15,000 from Izza. While that is undoubtedly a large force, it will be difficult to capture and maintain the territories of Count Architel, Iris, and Simon with this army.”

Of course, the serfs are unlikely to resist like volunteer soldiers during the Joseon Dynasty, engaging in guerrilla warfare.

However, through several engagements or sieges, the number of nobles, knights, and soldiers in the Eastern Expeditionary Force will gradually decrease.

Additionally, even if the transport merchants provide some supplies… it is essential to ensure that these merchants are not obstructed by serfs turned bandits, who have lost their villages and food during the expedition.

Considering the potential for desertions during the war… it will be impossible to acquire and maintain those three territories.

“The second reason is the enthusiasm of young nobles such as Count Ilerias in our expedition. Encouraged by the messengers I sent as a gesture of goodwill and victories in the internal conflicts, they have been blinded by their war ambitions. Some of these individuals will defy the commander’s orders and attempt charges or attacks. As a result, the suffering of the entire army will escalate, increasing the likelihood of defeat.”

Is that why they make jokes about this in modern warfare?

“If there is someone trying to become a hero around you, either run away from them or kill them. Otherwise, you will die alongside that wannabe hero.”

Moreover, even now, the armies of this era, excluding our Croilet forces, reward those who achieve military feats, even if they bypass commands, by glorifying their actions.

In such an age, an army led by enthusiastic nobles will charge at even the slightest opening they perceive in the enemy.

“For these reasons, our expeditionary force is highly likely to suffer defeat in the battles fought in the territories of Count Iris or Marquis Simon. If that happens… Duke Orleans will order us to stall for time while our forces retreat.”

In that case, the Duke, who is the commander of the Eastern Army in such a situation, would logically take responsibility for the rear…

However, the Duke is doing this to ensure that at least some of his remaining troops return safely to the Orleans territory.

At the same time, if he successfully weakens my forces significantly, one of the objectives of this expedition—maximizing the consumption of my soldiers—will be accomplished.

Therefore, surely His Imperial Majesty will graciously lower the severity of the penalties imposed.

Yet, if orders are disobeyed… “The defeat of our Empire was due to that Croilet traitor!!” he will rally the defeated soldiers and expand his territory, using the ‘betrayer’ to cover up his own errors.

“At that time, we will have no choice but to confront the enemy’s main army according to orders from the rear. And then the artillery, rifles, and combat engineers we prepared will shine.”

When a rifle is thrown, a few soldiers approaching in dense formation may die, but artillery is a weapon that launches iron balls at speeds exceeding dozens of kilometers per hour.

Thus, if it hits soldiers marching in formation, it will likely kill several with each shot, and possibly even dozens.

Moreover, if we add gunfire and utilize combat engineers to break the formation completely before engaging in close combat…

We should be able to win even against several times our number.

Even the barons, no matter how unfavorable the situation might be, trusted me to lead victory and spoke hopefully despite the difficulties.

“There has not been a word from Your Excellency that has been wrong so far, especially in war. What more do we have to doubt?”

“Since it is a war we must fight, we will follow Your Excellency.”

“It is frustrating to think that protecting other units while they retreat after suffering a great defeat is a scheme to sacrifice us… but we believe we will be rewarded accordingly.”

Then, I smiled at them as I said, “Of course. After all, we are a great army mobilized with 105,000 troops. Therefore, no matter what happens, we should be able to at least reach Count Iris’s territory. From there, we will send back the retreating allies and face the enemy’s main army…”

I paused briefly and then immediately continued.

“No matter how much Duke Orleans may dislike us, driving back the enemy’s main forces and stabilizing the territory afterward… What can we do? All the merits gained from occupying and defending Count Iris and Count Architel’s territories will return to our family. Thus, I will ensure you—no, you gentlemen—will be adequately rewarded.”

A moment of silence fell between us.

This was because I addressed them with the term “gentlemen,” a title used by the Emperor to call his direct vassals, implying that I intended to declare independence from the Eraline Empire on this occasion.

“Also, don’t worry about any conflicts that may arise during the occupation. Just follow my orders and maintain your positions there. So, do not fret and prepare for the war that will take place a year from now. Dismissed.”

**

Thus, we thoroughly prepared for the war for a year.

As a result, we successfully recruited 20 pieces of lightweight artillery of 500 kg, 500 combat engineers and riflemen, and 30,000 troops.

Although I would have preferred even more than 20 pieces of artillery…

We fought in the Thirty Years’ War with about 10 pieces on the battlefield, so this amount should be sufficient.

I then led all my forces to the first assembly point at Champagne Castle.”