"The crucial thing about their gait habits is that when someone crosses next to them, it's not silent."
"I don't know. What do you mean?"
"Haiku puts effort into one leg when performing a throw, right?"
"That's right. If you don't put strength in your legs, you won't be able to hold on, and you won't have any strength."
"Whenever I cross next to them, I hear a sound, albeit a very small one."
"...Ah, so that's what it is. Even an idiot like me can figure it out. In other words, they're strong warriors, so if someone you don't know crosses them out of habit, they'll put a lot of effort into their legs."
"I think so. I think it's something that comes out unconsciously because you're a strong person. Even if you dress and behave like a merchant, I don't think you can get rid of the habits of people who have specialized in fighting for decades."
"I see. I'm not quite sure yet, but I thought it might be a little. But that's not all Kai's point, is it?"
yes. What I want to tell you two is a speculation that is different from the one I just made.
This is a fear based on groundless speculation in the absence of any evidence to support it.
"This is just my own prediction, but it's just a worry. Perhaps someday, the empire will use this village as a base to invade the neighboring country."
"What do you mean!? After all, the neighboring country is a friendly country, and even this village in the countryside knows it! Why would you break the alliance with such a country and go to war?"
Irene gets angry. That's right. My own speculation is that our village will become a base on the front lines of the war, and everyone in the village will live a different life than before, and thatstrengthdeathIt means that you can stay.
Besides, it's a speculation that doesn't make sense from the current state of the empire and the neighboring country. I'm the one saying the weirdest things.
"If the two of you were in a position to attack the neighboring country, what kind of preparations would you make before attacking?"
"…I'll get the supplies together."
"Secure the logistics"
"That's right! Supplies and logistics are important."
"Well, Kai has been teaching me about war for a long time, so it's only now!"
Haiku triumphs. But I will give you a different answer.
"In addition to that, there are some other things that are important. … One of them is information."
After taking a breath, I asked the two of them a question.
"Who would you ask to bring information to the two of you to get information?"
"Of course, merchants who travel to and from other countries are in a position to obtain information, so I'll ask you."
The first one is true. But don't you think that the way you perceive things from the perspective of an actual merchant and the information you are trying to obtain from the perspective of an actual soldier, let alone a commander, are very different?"
"I'm sure! Just like civil servants and officers have different ways of thinking, I think merchants and commanders have different ways of thinking."
"It's obvious because the children's thinking in civilian education and officer education at school is different. From the perspective of the two of you, Haiku and Irene, what information do you each want?"
"I look at the terrain of the battlefield, the strength of the enemy's troops, and the number of people. Also, what kind of weapons will they mainly use? Also, how many horses and provisions will they have?"
"I am concerned with the relationship between the enemy's lord, the people, and the soldiers. If I can successfully confuse them, I will have an advantage in battle. Also, how to transport the enemy's supplies, logistics routes, etc. Well, Kai taught me all of that. By the way"
Oh, that's amazing! I remember what I told you earlier.
Since the Empire runs the country with a focus on war, the two of them have been taught the basics of what war is in advance.
At first, both of them looked at me with skepticism and asked me, ``How does Kai know this?'', but they both answered, ``I have a master as well, and he teaches me secrets, but they are special.'' I'll tell you specially because you're my friend."
As expected of a child. He's honest about what he says.
"Both of you remembered it well. But the answers you gave immediately were different. That's the difference in perspective. Perhaps His Majesty and the generals received opinions from both merchants' and officers' perspectives. Don't you want to hear it? That way, you can get a lot of information, and you can develop a battle that assumes various situations. Even if you respond flexibly, there are situations where you have some information and situations where you don't have any information at all. This will affect the decisions you make to move the army accurately and the coordination of the chain of command with each unit.In a war, the path to victory is determined by how much preparation and planning you do before it begins.''
"Kai said that it would be advantageous to learn it for career advancement, so don't forget it. It's for your own sake. But I understand what you said. It's possible that they're trying to gather information from various people."
"That's right! It's for himself. And because His Majesty is good at war, I think he was able to expand the country to where our remote village is. If he's good at war, he's the kind of person who would gather a lot of information. I think so."
"Hmm. I don't think it's wrong for a person like that to want to know a lot of information. However, a person who thinks that way orders many of his subordinates to gather information, and those subordinates are arrested. Don't you sometimes think about selling information to the enemy?I think the more people we have, the more danger there is.''
Irene is sharp.
I can't think of a normal child to hear the merits and immediately notice the demerits.
It seems like he will be successful as a civilian, but I feel like he will be a great success as a commander.
"The answer is also clear, but are you two prepared to ask? I think what I'm about to say is probably something that only those who have been judged to be "absolutely loyal to the Empire" will be told. It's something like that...if they find out about this, they'll be worried and regret it. I don't want to tell you because I'm really sorry.But it may not be the time to say that now.It's just my own speculation, and I don't know what the future of our lives should be. There is a high possibility that they will change it. Do you two still want to ask...?"
Because I really thought so, the tone of my voice, my face, and my gaze gradually lowered before I knew it when I listened to the two of them.
I just want to respect the wishes of both of them.
After all, it's cruel information for a twelve-year-old child to know.
However, I understand the danger of this story, and I don't want them to get involved with those merchants during the three months until we move to the city, so I convinced them to do this. There is also a feeling that I want you to listen to the end of the story.
This story will keep the two of them alive, but it may also become the shackles of their lives.
"Kai. That's a cowardly thing to say. Or rather, don't ask me that."