Chapter 3
Chapter 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Butterfly Effect (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Captain Romeo, what do you mean by that? Just three days ago, we achieved a great victory against over 100,000 Imperial troops. Do you think they had the spare capacity to prepare an ambush operation?”
Common sense dictated that the Division Commander's words were right a hundred, a thousand times over.
Yet in war, or in the life people live, events that defy common sense often occur.
Like some idiot sinking all the enemy warships the moment they spot them, or sentencing a general who won the first victory to beheading as a reward.
“Division Commander, they predicted that one company of light cavalry on advance reconnaissance would come and set up field fortifications in the narrow path we were passing through.”
“No matter how I think about it, it doesn't make sense logically.”
No matter how vast the Empire was, assembling over 100,000 troops would require scraping soldiers together from every corner.
And on top of that, conscripting enough reserves to form a secondary defensive line?
Logically speaking, it was nonsense.
Even so, the Division Commander couldn't unconditionally reprimand Captain Romeo because...
'One company of light cavalry suffered near-total annihilation.'
When the Division Commander applied this outcome to his own common sense, only one conclusion emerged.
“Even so, if your report is true and the enemy has already built defensive positions at the strategic chokepoint... Damn it all.”
“Division Commander...”
“You're right. We won against their 100,000-strong army, but we have to retreat from here. If we fall into their ambush, our forces will be wiped out.”
The Division Commander lit a cigar and took a deep drag.
Then he spread out a map and let out a heavy sigh.
“High Command ordered us to advance to Riens and then negotiate peace. But we're retreating after barely covering a fifth of the distance. No, at minimum, we have to fall back to Anras. Even after beating over 100,000 troops, we'll end up negotiating peace while handing over just a handful of small cities.”
Gaining a few cities was by no means a small achievement.
But compared to the victory they had won, it was far too meager.
It had been a great triumph that could have claimed at least one province out of the Empire's 35—or half of one, at the very least.
Yet what they stood to gain from this victory was less than 3% of that.
After such a decisive win, ending up with this paltry result meant that a significant number of the expeditionary force's high-ranking officers would have to honorably step down.
“Those dogged Imperial bastards. Do they have a farm for harvesting soldiers or something?”
“I'm sorry, Division Commander.”
“I ordered the force reconnaissance, and though you lost soldiers, you warned us of a crisis that could have led to our army's annihilation. I can't reward you for the heavy losses, but it won't blemish your military record going forward.”
And with that, the Division Commander reviewed this rotten situation thoughtfully and let out a wry chuckle.
Thanks to his thorough reconnaissance and keen insight, he had averted the annihilation of the Republican army.
“Captain Romeo, I'll make sure to remember your name clearly.”
Not long after, to avoid total destruction, the Republican army swiftly began its retreat.
It was the miracle sparked by Schumacher's modest victory.
Soon after, peace negotiations between the Imperial Army and the Republican army commenced.
Karl von Clausewitz, the Imperial Minister of War and chief plenipotentiary for the peace negotiations, kept encountering utterly absurd situations.
Not only had the 100,000-strong army led by Field Marshal Max Hoffmann—reputed as the Empire's most capable commander—been annihilated in the blink of an eye,
but the nobles were throwing fits, trembling in fear that the Empire might collapse because of it.
“Our sacred Empire couldn't possibly fall from a defeat like this. Those idiot nobles.”
He was a noble himself, but he had no desire to be lumped in with those incapable of proper judgment.
If a child on the street asked, “Wow, mister, are you a noble like those other mister nobles?” while he walked the same path as them...
No, he'd want to just say he was a commoner.
“To minimize the damage we take in these peace talks, we need to bluff boldly and act like nothing's wrong.”
With over 30,000 dead in a defeated army of 100,000, the enemy would demand at least one full province out of the Empire's 35.
He had to suppress that and cap it at around half.
Otherwise, it would harm the Empire's national interests, cost him his head, and drag his family's honor through the mud.
“....... This is tense.”
It was a critical negotiation with his own neck on the line in the small picture, and the nation's interests at stake in the big one.
Yet Karl greeted the opposing commander-in-chief with natural poise, showing no sign of tension whatsoever.
“Minister Clausewitz, I must express my respect for the Empire's valiant struggle and unwavering commitment to the war. You truly don't know when to give up.”
Karl's anger surged to the top of his head at those words.
What else could they be but mockery for the over 30,000 soldiers they had lost? No one would phrase it so prettily otherwise.
He felt an impulse to play a xylophone with the man's teeth.
“Thank you for the praise.”
“Even after inflicting near-annihilation on your 100,000-strong army, you still had a hidden trump card ready to deliver a fatal blow to our forces.”
Karl was dumbfounded by that statement.
What damn trump card?
They had scraped together every available soldier nearby to form the 100,000-man army and conscripted the local populace as supply bearers, wringing out every last soul.
He had issued emergency summons to other divisions in distant regions, but none had arrived, which was why they were in this mess—or so he thought.
'What kind of nonsense trump card is this?'
But Karl, seasoned in the twists and turns of politics, showed no hint of fluster.
“Even so, it seems Fortuna was not on your side. Our 7th Division commander uncovered your nefarious plot in advance.”
“Heh, you caught on well. We had a trump card hidden to wipe out the Republican army.”
The Republican commander-in-chief, Italo Valvo, sneered at Karl as he spoke.
“A reconnaissance unit made up of one light cavalry company sent by your vanguard 7th Division clashed with the defensive positions we had set up at the chokepoint leading to the strategic point. Though the recon unit took heavy losses... Do you think we're fools who wouldn't realize why you'd fortify such a narrow alley?”
Now Karl understood why they had deluded themselves into thinking the Empire had some trump card.
One cavalry company had suffered near-total losses at the 'defensive positions' in the chokepoint to the strategic point.
From their perspective, if they had neglected reconnaissance in pursuit, they would have been isolated in the Empire's fortress-like territory across its entirety.
And an isolated army would be annihilated under the Imperial Army's relentless assault—or so they had arrogantly assumed.
In reality, the Imperial Army had no such trump card or stratagem to resolve this crisis.
'Who came up with this brilliant operation?'
“What a shame. We should have shown you the full spicy might of the Imperial Army.”
“Haha, when I received that report, it truly sent chills down my spine.”
Karl's smile wasn't a real one.
Though everything was turning in the Empire's favor, he had no clue which unit had executed this devilishly clever deception.
But one thing was clear.
'Whoever it was, the one who devised that operation saved the nation.'
“Cede the territory from Regalo City to Mare City. We'll make peace on those terms.”
Numerically speaking, it was at least 50 times better than the best conditions Karl had anticipated when he first entered the negotiation hall.
But like a true politician, he completely masked his emotions and proceeded with the talks.
“That's absurd. From Regalo to More.”
“...... Isn't that going too far?”
“Don't you know the Empire could muster a million-strong army if it wanted to?”
“....... Fine, from Regalo to More it is.”
“Good.”
And so, the Empire secured peace negotiations on far more favorable terms than anyone had imagined.
They had lost territory as the defeated party, but...
It was like being let off with a 100 million won fine when they expected to be hit with 10 billion.
After Italo Valvo departed, Karl immediately summoned one of his subordinates and asked,
“The Empire needs a hero. A great hero to cover up this defeat.”
The Empire engaged in large-scale battles once a year, give or take.
As a result, the populace's war-weariness was sky-high, and news of over 30,000 dead would hand power straight to the anti-war nobles.
To prevent that, they needed a miracle to overshadow the tragedy.
“I don't know who it is, but someone held the rear with a small force to the very end. And as a result, a miracle occurred.”
Karl explained the details of that miracle in exhaustive detail.
“I don't know who, but he's a war hero. Contact His Majesty the Emperor and High Command—medals, bonuses, whatever. Request they lavish him with everything without holding back.”