Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Bait Operation (3)
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My place is right next to the bait unit's senior-most commander—in other words, the unit leader.
Even if Lieutenants Lina and Monica don't harbor any romantic feelings for me.
Still, it's better to be near those two than stuck beside some sweaty, bushy-bearded old man reeking of body odor...
"Frankly, I'm a bit worried."
"What concerns you, Major General Hausenburg?"
"The operation you proposed, Major Schumacher, has plenty of merit. His Excellency the Commander agrees, and so do I. But if it fails this time, we're done for."
Major General Hausenburg clenched both fists as he said that.
He must be terrified at the mere thought of failure.
Honestly, just imagining failure makes my heart race too.
Thanks to the medals I've earned and my track record so far, I won't face a firing squad if we fail...
But in the army, I'd be stripped of my uniform for sure.
"So your plan must succeed."
"Yes, sir."
"And yet, we still haven't heard from the reconnaissance units that the enemy is approaching..."
As the Major General was about to continue, a cavalryman hurried over.
"Sir! We've spotted an enemy cavalry unit 10 kilometers to the northeast!"
Major General Hausenburg swallowed hard.
"How large is the enemy force?"
"At a glance, roughly five to seven thousand!"
Far more than I'd anticipated.
Even if we beat them in a cavalry battle here, it wouldn't inflict enough damage to render their cavalry useless in the next fight.
But losing thousands of cavalrymen would obviously cripple them in the all-out battle to come.
'They're staking everything on this too.'
"How was the enemy unit composed?"
"No cannons, infantry, or supply wagons in sight."
"Pure cavalry?"
"Yes, sir. Just heavy cavalry (knights) and light cavalry."
Major General Hausenburg's face hardened.
At least things were unfolding exactly as I'd predicted...
But fighting over five thousand cavalry isn't easy.
"Calling for reinforcements won't help much. Even at five or six thousand, we can repel them with the forces we have here. Major Schumacher, return to your unit immediately and form up."
"Yes, sir."
Cavalry shines when it exploits gaps in formations.
Conversely, they can't show their true worth without a weakness to target.
Line infantry firing matchlocks can unleash more firepower the wider their formation is horizontally, and the deeper it is.
But if it's narrow horizontally and thick vertically, the firepower weakens.
A rectangular formation inevitably has one long side and one short—creating a weakness.
'We can't let the cavalry aim for that.'
"Everything so far has gone exactly as you predicted. I hope it continues that way and we win. Right?"
"Yes, sir. And we will win."
"Alright, I'll trust your word."
Major General Hausenburg gestured for me to withdraw.
Then he began issuing orders to the officers and soldiers around him.
It's almost time.
"First Company commander, how are the battalion soldiers holding up?"
"They're all a bit worn out from the ten-day march."
Marching isn't called an operation that preserves combat strength while reaching the battlefield for nothing.
It's no easy task to arrive at the intended fight in a state ready to battle at any moment.
"Our battalion defends the eastern side of the square formation as planned."
"Yes, sir. Shall I bring up the wagons?"
Hiding soldiers behind supply wagons offers some protection from cavalry.
A common anti-heavy cavalry tactic used in both East and West.
In the West, they called it a wagon fort.
Every other unit is using them to build defenses...
"No, our battalion won't use wagons."
"Battalion commander."
Monica cut in.
"Is it to secure a path for our cavalry—including myself—to pursue the enemy?"
Her experience living among nomads on horseback was paying off here.
Defense isn't just about holding ground.
It's about whittling down the enemy's strength and then striking their rear decisively.
'Though there are exceptions...'
"That's part of it, but also to lure their attack here."
"Lure their attack?"
"Even if their heavy cavalry charges us like wild boars, horses—no matter how well-trained or armored—won't smash into wagons packed with dirt."
"Just as you say, sir. No matter how brave a horse is, it won't charge a wall."
"So the enemy cavalry's main force has no choice but to target the side without our wagons. That's why we'll dig traps here and wait."
Monica nodded at my words.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
This is what it means to earn a subordinate's respect.
Having a male subordinate who respects you is great, but a woman? Even better.
I felt fantastic.
"What kind of traps do you plan to dig, sir?"
"I requested a large supply of stakes in preparation for a cavalry battle. We'll plant them behind the units guarding the eastern side of the square, then hide behind them when the enemy cavalry approaches."
"Simple, but effective. Cavalry can't stop once they charge, so the Ortz Kingdom cavalry will impale themselves."
Think of it like car brakes.
They don't stop on a dime even when you slam them.
"Once they start dying on the stakes... it'll be Lieutenant Dorothea's cavalry company's turn to shine."
"I'll give them a real taste of Lichten's spice."
"I expect great things."
I ordered the battalion soldiers to unload the stakes from the wagons and plant them one by one.
The enemy will catch their breath the moment they arrive, then charge straight at us.
They won't scout inside the square.
They'll fall right into the trap.
"Lieutenant Lina, deliver this request to Colonel Berg."
"Yes, sir. But what will you do, battalion commander...?"
"Do we need to distinguish between officers and enlisted when digging on the battlefield?"
The officers around us tilted their heads.
They looked confused, like they had no idea what I'd just said.
Cute bunch.
But rather than explain, I'll lead by example. They'll get it soon enough.
"Even in chess, the king leads from the front, and the pawns follow."
With that, I grabbed a stake from the wagon myself.
The soldier handing it over looked pale as a ghost.
".......... Battalion commander?"
"Give me a stake, shovel, and mallet."
"Y-yes, sir..."
I took the stake, shovel, and mallet from the stunned soldier.
Then I started working alongside the troops.
I'd never done manual labor like this at the officer academy—they said officers don't shovel dirt...
It had been about five years since my last time.
Maybe because I'd slaved away digging in my past life in the Korean army?
I was even better at it than the sergeants around me.
"Sir, we'll do it. How can you, the battalion commander, do such menial work?"
"Sergeant, on the battlefield, there's no difference between officers and enlisted."
"But still, someone as important as you..."
"Don't make me say it twice. I'm doing it too."
The sergeant who'd spoken didn't look happy—he went pale instead.
In the Korean army, company commanders were masters of every chore and dig, but in the Imperial Army, even sergeants rarely shoveled unless necessary.
NCOs were considered high-ranking.
A commissioned officer—no, a lieutenant colonel—shoveling?
Lieutenants and below faced pressure to join every non-essential task.
It also vented soldiers' gripes about monopolizing the work.
'Though the pressure will hit them harder...'
All calculated.
"Yes, sir!"
The sergeant I'd talked to started running around energetically.
Officers got their uniforms dirty carrying stakes, and NCOs jumped in, hands in the dirt.
"Has the battalion commander finally lost it?"
"War heroes really are different... This is straight-up crazy."
"Damn it, me hauling stakes."
Anyone grumbling got one glance from me, and they buckled down hard.
Is this why some brass occasionally grab shovels for trench work or run drills in full gear?
Eliminate complaints by joining in, and boost participation...
It's oddly addictive.
"Sir, Colonel Berg approved your request. But why join the work yourself...?"
"Lieutenant Lina, you too. It'll be your first time."
I grabbed Lina and put her to work as well.
That way, we managed to set the stakes before the enemy cavalry arrived.
As we caught our breath, a trumpet blared.
"Enemy cavalry sighted!"