Ancient Imperial Calendar Year 1813
The Battle of Raven Pass had ended with a crushing Kislavein victory. Ricardo had crowned his first campaign with triumph.
The Kislavein soldiers did not leave a single one of the 400,000 rebel soldiers alive; each one perished under the swords and spells of the Kislavein troops.
Kislavein casualties were around 40,000, a number far below expectations.
After the victory, the Kislavein soldiers celebrated their triumph with low-alcohol drinks and delicious food.
Ricardo gave his soldiers seven days and seven nights of rest. This period was the greatest reward for the Kislavein soldiers, who had been marching day and night for months due to the curse and had fought the rebels without rest.
While the soldiers rested, Ricardo and his commanders held meetings to plan the next objective of the campaign and potential attacks.
"Before he died, Wilheim confessed that the Turvig Dynasty supported the rebellion. Even though we have defeated the rebel forces, a major attack from the Northern Territories could begin at any moment."
Ricardo's explanation unsettled the Commanders gathered around the table.
"With our 560,000 soldiers, we have very little chance against the Turvig Dynasty's 2,500,000 troops," said Terman, his voice worried.
Edmund Rodwel interjected. "If wars were won by numbers alone,the Ancient Empire would never have fallen. Furthermore, we all witnessed the power of the Dynasty Heir. He single-handedly slaughtered sixty thousand (60,000) rebels."
The commanders around the table nodded in agreement with Edmund. As Terman sat down in shame, one person stood up. It was Edward Rodwel, Lord of the Rodwel Dynasty and Edmund's father.
"You are right, son. The Dynasty Heir is very powerful. But none of you know the power of III Kayra. He is powerful enough to slaughter hundreds of thousands of soldiers alone. On top of that, he has 2,500,000 troops behind him. Our chance of winning is very low. I don't want to demoralize anyone, but Terman is right; wars are not won by numbers alone. But no matter how many different tactics we use, III Kayra could single-handedly nullify all our strategies."
A silence fell over the room. Hearing these words from an experienced commander like Edward was enough to instill fear in their hearts.
Ricardo thought for a long time, reviewing all the battles from his past life and all the military tactics from the war history books he had read.
"If III Kayra is truly that powerful, then we only have one option left," Ricardo thought.
Ricardo placed his hands on the table and stood up. He took a deep breath and prepared to explain his plan.
"If Lord Edward is right, our situation is very bad. Therefore, we will perform Dark Magic."
Dark Magic Invented by Rodrigo Kislavein,the true first leader of the Kislavein Dynasty, founded in the late Ancient Imperial era, Dark Magic was developed and strengthened by subsequent generations, becoming a destructive force in the present day.
The commanders in the room reacted warmly to this idea. No one objected.
"No objections, it seems. Then let's develop a strategy for the potential war with the Turvig Dynasty," said Ricardo.
George Kislavein crossed his arms and stared intently at the table. "If we are to perform a powerful Dark Magic,we must trap the enemy forces in one area. But doing that is a thousand times harder than saying it. Any ideas?"
George was the grandson of Geovric, who was killed by XXI Carl Ashbrum, and the son of Gustav Kislavein, killed in the Battle of Magusa. He was also Ricardo's brother-in-law.
Ricardo searched for an answer to his brother-in-law George's question. Just then, he remembered a memory from his past life.
I remember. In my past life, I fought the Northerners. It was the harshest period of winter. I had set out on a campaign with 300,000 soldiers to suppress the rebellion of the Nomadic Tribes in the North. But I never thought the nomads I saw as barbarians would teach me the biggest lesson of my life.
The harsh winter conditions and professional nomadic cavalry devastated my soldiers. I fought in dozens of different regions, but the steppe and snowy terrain were unfamiliar to me and my men. The punishment for going North even once was severe.
After all those days, I saw him. The ringleader of the rebellion, Tengri Bögü Khan.
His gaze is in my mind as if it were yesterday. How could I forget? He descended upon us like a nightmare, slaughtering tens of thousands of my soldiers in an hour, and then retreated despite taking few losses. If I had known magic in that previous life like I do in this one, I could have destroyed the fleeing ones.
We followed the fugitives angrily. When they led us into enclosed terrain, I realized we had fallen into a trap.
As thousands of arrows rained down on us from the mountains, thousands of cavalry surrounded us from the right, left, and rear. I later learned the name of this tactic from a book.
WOLF'S TRAP (KURT KAPANI)
It's called a tactic where, like a wolf pack, they lure their prey into a trap and then surround them. Furthermore, the Nomads performed this tactic so professionally that they won most of their battles in past centuries, and would in future centuries, using this very method.
That day, in that circle of death, I and ten thousand of my soldiers barely escaped, but we lost the Northern Territories. People remembered this battle as the Battle of the Death Trap.
Through my research in the Blood Academy's library, I learned that Tengri Bögü Khan was one of the ancestors of the present-day Turvig Khans.
Ricardo more or less realized that he had the chance to avenge this heavy defeat from his past life.
"Listen to me carefully. We will defeat the Turvig Dynasty with their ancestors' own tactic."
The room watched Ricardo with curious eyes. Then, Ricardo began to explain the strategy in his mind.
The strategy meeting was over, and it was time to decide the fate of the rebel Dynasties and the cities and villages they ruled.
"Their fate is sealed. The head of a rebel is cut off. The bloodlines of all rebel Dynasties must be exterminated, and the people they ruled must be put to the sword," said Heinricht Fraus in a ruthless voice.
"I agree. It should serve as a lesson for now and the future," Osiris Isman said, supporting Heinricht's idea.
Marilin and Luna stood up angrily. "Don't be absurd!This would be an unprecedented genocide. Are thirty million people to be killed just because their rulers rebelled?" said Marilin, her voice anxious.
Luna tried to remain calm, but the idea of genocide chilled her blood. "Please reconsider this.If thirty million people are slaughtered, it will cause irreparable damage demographically, militarily, economically, and socially."
Marco asked for permission to speak and stood up. "Dynasty Heir,I have always followed you since childhood, and I will continue to do so. I will obey every decision you make, no matter how cruel. But here we are talking about destroying 30% of the Western population. This... this is too savage even for the Kislavein Dynasty."
After the younger generation stated their opinions one by one, Rodwel Karluk from the older generation stood up. "I see that the New Generation is too soft,and this is a terrible situation."
The younger generation in the room stared in astonishment at intelligence chief Rodwel. Rodwel continued with the same coldness. "How can you,who carry the blood of the Kislavein Dynasty, infamous throughout the world for its cruelty and brutality, use terms like mercy and ruthlessness? I understand the women, but you men should be ashamed. Dynasty Heir Ricardo Kislavein, my lord, please announce your decision."
Ricardo sank into his thoughts for a short while.
In my past life, I destroyed countless cities. I killed millions of people. And I did it even though it was considered excessive for that time.
Ricardo's inner voice grew thicker and filled with anger.
I have no intention of changing.
Ricardo stood up, not a shred of mercy in his eyes. His voice was clear and definite, full of authority. "As soon as the rest period I gave the soldiers ends,prepare. The rebel regions will be destroyed, along with their populations."
Some stood up eagerly, others with fear, horror, and disappointment. They bowed their heads. "AS YOU COMMAND,DYNASTY HEIR."
Everyone retired to their rooms to rest.
A few days later.
The rest period Ricardo had given his soldiers ended. At dawn the next day, the army would set out on a campaign to exterminate the rebel populations.
While Ricardo was in a deep sleep, his sharp instincts forced him awake.
Ricardo drew his sword. He didn't call for help because he didn't need to; he could easily take down two simple assassins.
As the larger assassin touched the door handle, a beam of light passed through him. Blood flowed from his stomach. Both assassins collapsed to the ground. Then the door opened, and Ricardo emerged. He looked at the two assassins on the brink of death on the floor. Their faces seemed familiar to Ricardo. He used a healing spell to temporarily stop their bleeding to interrogate them. "Who are you?Who sent you?" Ricardo asked.
"I am Andrew Kervin, son of Yurik Kervin. I am the older brother of the three Kervin brothers you slaughtered at the Academy. This is my son, Joshua."
Hearing these words, Ricardo remembered the three Kervin brothers who had tried to assassinate him at the academy.
"The irony of fate. The Kervin Dynasty, which served the Kislavein Dynasty for a hundred years, ended by my hand."
Andrew died in tears and agony. A few seconds later, his son Joshua also died. And so, the assassin Kervin Dynasty came to an end.
The next day, on Ricardo's orders, the Kislavein Army set out on a campaign to destroy the rebel cities and their populations. The campaign continued until the end of the year. Thirty cities and over a hundred villages were destroyed, and their populations massacred. It went down in history as the first major genocide carried out by Ricardo Kislavein. At 18 years old, Ricardo had become the murderer of 30 million people.
Ancient Imperial Calendar, Year 1814
Jarl III Kayra Khan, Lord of the Turvig Dynasty, entered the Western Territories at the head of 2,500,000 Northern soldiers. The war between the Northern and Western Territories, between the Turvig and Kislavein Dynasties, had begun.