Tie down the Thedorant Military in the Setungrad area.
By any means necessary, make those bastards charge one more time with all their souls.
To my order, the 1st Corps Commander had saluted, saying he would do so without fail.
I didn't give any detailed orders in front of him.
Because I didn't have the confidence to say that much. Because I was so sorry.
Anyway, the 1st Corps Commander would know well what they had to do.
Another Provocation similar to putting Setun's Name on Thedorant's Castle?
Those bastards aren't fools, and if we openly say, 'Please attack here one more time,' who would bite?
A Provocation only works properly when you throw a big one at the necessary moment.
Anything more than that just gives them grounds to believe something is up.
Therefore, the 1st Legion did not use an emotional Provocation like Setungrad. No, they couldn't.
They had to use a more certain and simpler method.
A cause for Thedorant to feel increasingly anxious, yet end up attacking.
A bait that they have no choice but to bite, even while thinking, this is suspicious, this is suspicious.
“Commander-in-Chief. Urgent news that a fire has broken out inside Setungrad.”
“…Is that so.”
As expected. The method the 1st Legion chose was to intentionally cause an internal problem.
Showing the Enemy a gap where the Defense has become lax due to internal chaos.
That if they attack now, they can harvest the fruits of their three months of hardship.
That this is the first and last chance, so they must seize it. That this is an opportunity sent by the heavens.
It was a proper fishing line cast to the Thedorant Command Staff, who were toying with the retreat card.
As a Result, Thedorant couldn't hold back and rushed towards Setungrad.
Though the War situation was growing stranger, the bait cast before their eyes was too sweet.
It's understandable, as it was a Castle that had tormented them for a full three months.
Moreover, its Name was that of the very person of Setun's Yoke, the Theian People's worst shame.
What Thedorant person could ignore it when they could blow all of that away in one go?
‘In the end, it managed to tie down Thedorant's ankles, so from our Empire's perspective, there's nothing better than this. But….’
A bitterness spreads. I click my tongue and let out a sigh without realizing it.
Even if I prepared for the operation and made thorough preparations for it.
Even if I made sure that the errant legionnaires weren't swept up in the fire they themselves started.
In the end, the 1st Legion had handed over the outer Castle, including the castle walls, to the Enemy.
In other words, they had given up at least 70 percent of the facilities that had been the core of their Defense.
There must have been a lot of Damage. A great many people must have died and been injured.
For the sake of the Empire's even greater victory. Because of the order received from the 1st Corps Commander. From me.
Due to the judgment to hand over the Castle itself, which is most important in a siege.
It's something that always happens on the Battlefield. It's the place where the sacrifice of the few for the many is most frequent.
It's not a selfish act. It's something someone has to do to achieve the ultimate goal.
It's a duty that those who sit in high places and give orders must bear.
And at the same time, they must not collapse, and they must be able to be indifferent.
‘…I wonder if that will go well.’
As the position gets higher and expectations rise, the burden also grows.
There's the burden of being able to do well, but bigger than that is the weight of lives.
The ability to see them as numbers is also necessary. But as a human, is that really….
“Commander-in-Chief?”
“…Sharlua? When did you get here?”
“Just a little while ago. The adjutant told me I was here, but you didn't answer.”
“Aah. I, I must have been lost in thought for a moment.”
“What were you thinking about, for the Commander-in-Chief of all people to be spacing out?”
Sharlua, taking a seat, asks jokingly with a smile.
In response, I just manage a bitter smile and ask the adjutant for tea.
“Have some.”
“Aren't you having any, Commander-in-Chief?”
“Me. Hmm. I, how should I put it. I'm a little off.”
At my answer, Sharlua's expression suddenly turns strange.
Then she alternates her Gaze between the teacup and me before speaking.
“…It seems you have some worries. Shall I try to guess?”
“Pardon?”
“It seems that the feelings you've been harboring, knowingly or unknowingly, have all come to a head this time. The kind that anyone who sits in a high position is bound to experience at least once.”
…You sharp woman. Is it because she's a Demon?
I didn't even say anything similar, yet she Sensed it like this.
“Commander-in-Chief. In our Novgorod, there is a saying. The higher one goes, the less that person can understand the feelings of others.”
“…”
“It means they become a being who forgets the Heart of a person. Whether voluntarily or involuntarily.”
“I see.”
“So, I think your worries, Commander-in-Chief, are a relief.”
A relief? I look at Sharlua as if to ask what she means.
She took a sip of tea, savored it for a moment, and then continued.
“Because it's proof that you, Commander-in-Chief, are also human.”
“Proof, you say?”
“Yes. Because you've now risen to a very high place. A person who doesn't think, 'I am no longer the same kind of being as those over there,' a corrupted person. But rather, a person who, because of that, remembers the times they were lower even more. A person who cares for the people there.”
Sharlua's words, to be honest, were hard for me to understand.
If you're human, of course you should be like that. Because many people are suffering because of me.
I'm not a greater being than them, I was just lucky.
“That's why I admire you, Commander-in-Chief. At a glance, you seem like the perfect, ultimate Genius Strategist. But looking again, you're a very ordinary person. A person who walks steadily without losing their way.”
“Ahem. That's too much praise.”
“But I mean it, you know?”
“That won't get anything extra for Novgorod.”
“Hehehe! Of course. I never thought the Commander-in-Chief, who only holds military power, would overstep his authority!”
Watching Sharlua burst into laughter, I feel a little bit of relief.
Yes. Even though I'm a lacking person. Still, I haven't completely changed.
Even being able to have these thoughts, this pity, and this sorry feeling, was important.
“Don't let go of the burden, but don't be buried by it. Be someone fitting for your position, but don't forget you're human. Kael. My son. Stay strong.”
I recall the words of my Father, who was practically a grand senior when it came to the Battlefield.
Indeed. A guy like me was really, incredibly lucky.
*
Before everything started, I had moderately divided the forces of the 1st Mobile Legion and infiltrated them beyond the front lines.
A large force of nearly 20,000 cannot move all at once. They would be discovered immediately.
Above all, they are not an assault force for a large-scale Battle, or a crushing unit.
Nor are they for attacking a Castle or besieging a stronghold.
The content of the order I gave them is this. Attack if you can, if not, don't.
Block each passage, cut off the Enemy's communication, and destroy anything that looks easy.
Do not be obsessed with the victory or defeat of a Battle. It is enough for you to just cause confusion.
You just have to make the flustered Enemy Command Staff retreat faster than originally planned.
It seems the mobile force that went to the rear is carrying out that order much better than expected.
“Commander-in-Chief. This is a new report from the Setungrad front. It says that some of the Enemy units have moved to reinforce the flanks, and a few other units are preparing for a hasty retreat.”
“How is Setungrad?”
“A few Days ago, flames soared and we lost the castle walls and outer Castle, but they are still resisting in the inner Castle. There were a few dangerous moments, but with the news of our Ally's movement, they didn't push in further, except for the units that were originally attacking, so the Battle has entered a lull.”
“That’s a relief.”
Yes, a relief. I was worried they might go crazy and just hug Setungrad and drown.
But from Thedorant's perspective, doing so would be impossible.
No matter how much Pride or self-respect they have, if they lose all their troops, what's the use of it.
For now, they will focus on strengthening the flanks and observing the rear situation more closely.
‘Although it's already too late.’
By now, the eastern and southern legions in charge of the wings must have made a wide detour.
And they would be cutting off the Enemy's waist from above and below the central front.
At the same time, the cavalry belonging to the 1st Mobile Legion, now acting as several units.
They continue to target each passage or relatively poorly defended facilities.
If communication posts are captured, or if Messengers are killed, the chaos will reach its peak.
“We must clearly show the Enemy our intentions. This is an encirclement. If you don't retreat, you will all die. That's what we must say.”
“But Commander-in-Chief. In that case, we won't be able to capture all of Thedorant's forces. There's already news that a few units are even retreating.”
“That was the intention. If we corner those enraged ones into one place, it's obvious how they'll resist.”
I said it last time. You don't fight with guys who have lost their minds.
Even if you win, it's not a win. Thedorant will just fall and that will be the end, but our Empire is different.
To maintain the Empire's Superiority and order as it is, something more Overwhelming is needed.
Therefore, make them focus only on gritting their teeth and falling back, rather than fighting.
Even if they take half and return, make them leave the other half behind.
Although it's uncertain if they can really take even half.
“Many of them will be reaching their limits from the continuous fighting throughout the winter. Is retreating an easy task? Even for well-trained units, the most difficult thing is to retreat while maintaining order. Furthermore, in the fear of being surrounded, will they be able to do that well, leading their tired bodies?”
“Then what you want, Commander-in-Chief, is not encirclement and then annihilation….”
“A large-scale encirclement. Just up to there. Make them leave their arms and legs and escape with just their torsos. And what I want are those 'arms and legs' left behind.”
Right after finishing that story, the ones who had gone to carry out my order returned right on time.
“Commander-in-Chief. We have returned.”
“Welcome. So, how is it?”
Looking at myself rubbing my hands, I feel like a child waiting for a Christmas Gift.
But it's true I'm waiting for a Gift. A very anticipated one at that.
“We found out some popular Thedorant songs through the Thedorant prisoners who agreed to cooperate. After that, we had them teach our military band so that even without the songs, the feeling can be fully conveyed through the music.”
“Good. Ah, just in case. There should be no attempt to force a mournful atmosphere, or any overt sign of telling them to Surrender. Just as the Thedorant soldiers taught. Just the kind of feeling that anyone from Thedorant would know. Got it?”
“As you wish, Commander-in-Chief.”
The Empire's Great Victory. At the same time, the Empire's mercy. And the justification the Empire alone will gain.
There must be a reason why the Emperor appointed me as the Commander-in-Chief.
He wants something from me, someone who settles things not with Battle or Tactics, but with something else.
I am a Subject of the Empire and a Subject of the Emperor. I am the eldest son of a Count.
I must show it. For my Family and my House. For those who are watching me.
And as they say, now for myself as well.