The next morning.
As I spent my time handling tasks similar to those of yesterday, my subordinates once again came to visit.
“Major General.”
“What are you doing here again? You must have a mountain of work to get done.”
“We discussed what we talked about yesterday, all of us together, overnight.”
Dozens of people crowded into the small space, which contained only a field bed, desk, and wardrobe. They naturally formed a circle around me and began speaking one by one.
“We also thought long and hard about this. Should we really just accept this damned retreat order without question, and how should we persuade the soldiers?”
“If we have to retreat, we’ve already calculated where the new defense lines should be. But, there’s no answer.”
“No matter how we reviewed it, if we retreat from here, the only future is one where everyone is doomed. Not just this kingdom, but also your career, Major General, and ours, and even the soldiers’ lives.”
What the hell are these guys suddenly talking about?
If they had complaints, they could’ve just come to consult me. Why are they all crowding together now and making such an argument? Are they planning to mutiny against me?
I was puzzled for a moment.
Then my subordinates collectively dropped to their knees on the dirt floor, looking up at me, and began to beg.
“Major General, we’ll be blunt. Would you join us in overthrowing this country?”
Overthrow.
This word could only mean one thing. The intent behind it was so clear that there was no room for alternative interpretations.
“I… are you asking me to lead a coup?”
“It’s not a coup. Please call it ‘restoration’. A restoration for the royal family and the kingdom, which have been twisted beyond recognition.”
“That’s fucking the same thing!!”
A soldier saying he’s going to lay hands on the royal family, and that’s not a coup?
Even if they try to dress it up with nicer terms, the essence of it is the same.
They can’t stand seeing the country run like this anymore, so as patriotic soldiers, we’re the ones who have to step in and fix it.
Of course, during that process, there will be resistance from the vested interests, and in that case, it will be necessary to suppress them with force or threats.
In the end, the existing political system will be discarded, and it will operate in a reckless manner.
We socially agreed to call such actions “treason,” you know.
“Then, Major General, will you just stand by and watch the country head down the wrong path?”
“Even if it’s the wrong path, it’s the one the politicians chose. Soldiers like us shouldn’t get involved in politics.”
Having lived in a country where civilian control was the norm, I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable with my subordinates’ ideas.
They were saying that if they didn’t like the government’s actions, they should rise up? Are we some kind of Park Chung-hee or members of the Hanahoe faction? No matter how angry I was, this wasn’t right.
The moment we rebel, we’re forever branded as traitors.
We might even end up on the gallows together. A rebellion based on such a cause is unlikely to gain recognition from the common people.
However, the anger of these men had already gone beyond the realm of logical reasoning.
No. It would be more accurate to say that I hadn’t understood.
The hatred of the people toward the kingdom’s accumulated corruption and mistakes over the centuries.
“But if it’s not us, there’s no one to stop those damn politicians! The dukes, the archdukes—who will rein them in?”
“The Three Estates Council exists. If they stop this measure—”
“The Three Estates Council lost its power over a hundred years ago! What can a body that’s only used by nobles when they want to raise taxes do?”
I couldn’t refute that. I even doubted myself, thinking it couldn’t work.
The Three Estates Council was originally a body where nobles, clergy, and commoners gathered to discuss state affairs.
However, since voting rights were given by class, with nobles and clergy often banding together, it had long been far from a true parliamentary body.
It might have been effective at the start, but now it had long since degenerated into a place where the aristocrats proposed laws to exploit the common people.
It was obvious that it was completely useless in stopping the King’s mistakes.
“Even if the citizens start a riot, it’ll be the same. If thousands or tens of thousands of them rush toward the palace, do you think they’ll be welcomed? They’ll likely send the guard and gendarmerie to suppress them!”
“Major General, this country is far from having a system of public opinion gathering and rational governance. Nothing will change unless we use force.”
The actions of the angry citizens, who would have heard the news of the retreat, were unlikely to be effective.
In a democracy, protests are a form of political activity and a way for voters to express their opinions. But in a monarchy, it’s a life-or-death struggle, a desperate cry against the political elite.
The ruling class would interpret it differently and feel shocked—mostly in a bad way. Given what I knew of the high-ranking people in this country, they would likely try to crush the rebellion outright.
Rather than waste time negotiating, they would likely kill everyone and make sure no one dared to oppose them, saying, “Who are the commoners to rebel against the aristocracy?”
“We understand that you are usually so stubborn about these matters, Major General. But please, think again. If we don’t act, nothing will change.”
“If we leave it like this, your career, your reputation—everything you’ve built will be destroyed. Do you really want to deny everything you’ve worked for?”
“…Wait, give me a moment. Let me think—”
“If we leave it like this, the entire Northern Army will disband!”
Still unable to make up my mind, someone landed the final blow.
I turned toward the voice and saw Major Mauer, the Commander of the 2nd Division of the Northern Army, my comrade who was two years junior to me.
“What do you mean by that?”
“The majority of the Northern Army is made up of conscripts from the Great Plain region. As you know, Major General.”
As he said, most of the soldiers in the Northern Army came from the young men living in the plains near the northern border.
Since the area had a high population density and was close to the frontlines, it made sense for them to enlist.
Many of the troops had been recruited locally and immediately sent to nearby units for training. Even in my direct command, about 80% of the soldiers had joined in this manner.
“Does that have anything to do with the current situation… Ah.”
“You understand now, don’t you? What will happen to the unit if we retreat.”
I was about to question him but stopped midway, realizing what he was getting at.
Once we move away from the northern tundra, the Great Plain is right ahead.
If we retreat according to orders from above, we’ll have to set up a new frontline and build defensive fortifications right in the middle of the Great Plain.
Would the morale of the soldiers, who weren’t retreating due to defeat but because the country couldn’t afford the war due to extravagance, really hold up?
And there’s no guarantee that the royal family’s responsibility will remain hidden forever.
If they’re that close to home, wouldn’t it be strange if they don’t desert the army?
A month—no, even that seems too long. Probably within two weeks, more than half the troops would desert, and the defense strategy would collapse.
“Crazy.”
If we don’t retreat, it’s disobedience and certain disgraceful discharge. If we do retreat, the unit will disband, and I’ll be held responsible, facing social obliteration.
What the hell kind of choice is this? Either way, my life is over.
With a grimace, I felt Major Mauer grab my hand. He clasped both hands around it, looking up at me with a pleading expression and a desperate voice.
“Major General, please, change your mind and stand with us. Lead us as courageously as you did when we fought the Empire. Please, we beg you.”
“Please, Major General!!”
My subordinates all bowed their heads in unison, pleading.
The intensity of their request almost made me step back, but I couldn’t. Major Mauer was still staring at me fiercely.
In the midst of their desperate pleas, I racked my brain for a solution.
‘What should I do?’
First and foremost, refusing was out of the question.
These guys had already come to me, prepared for the worst. The shared sense of camaraderie from the battles we’d fought together and the respect I had earned meant they were asking me to join them. If I turned them down, they would eventually go ahead without me.
In their position, the fewer people who knew the true nature of their rebellion, the better. They would likely silence anyone who knew too much.
There was no way they’d just lock me up and leave it at that. Most likely, they would take care of me permanently.
I wasn’t about to get a bullet in my head with a polite “thank you” for my service. I wasn’t ready to die yet. I wanted to live long enough to see this mess through, after all the years of struggling.
So, what if I agreed?
‘Then I’d have to take charge.’
With my rank, my accomplishments, and the respect I commanded, the leadership would naturally fall to me. These guys knew that, which was probably why they’d come to me in the first place.
What this meant was that I’d be the leader of the rebellion.
If that’s the case, then I had no choice but to make sure the coup succeeded. I couldn’t half-heartedly protest to the king or try to fix the political system. I needed to uproot everything.
We had to make it so that no one could punish us—so that we’d be hailed as patriots.
Only then could I live, and they could live, and my family could be safe.
So, the question was: Do I die right now? Or do I gamble on this low-chance adventure?
After a moment of hesitation, I made my decision.
“Alright. Let’s do this, then.”
“Thank you! We knew you’d come around, Major General!”
“You’ll never regret this, sir!”
Whether I regretted it or not didn’t matter, but here we were. If I didn’t have a life to lose already, then let’s try this coup out. If we fail, it’s treason. If we succeed, it’s revolution.
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