Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Siege of Como City (1)
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There’s a beautiful tradition of piling more work on those who do it well.
I hate this goddamn outdated bad habit.
Because the General Staff Headquarters dumped something utterly ridiculous on me.
Damn our Field Marshal, may your bald head shine bright.
“Ha, I’m not sure if this even makes sense.”
The deputy regimental commander—no, the regimental commander now—let out a deep sigh, and the officers began checking my expression.
Military organizations roll differently depending on the company commander’s mood or the battalion commander’s temperament.
As the top dog in the regiment, it’s only natural they’d watch my face.
“Gentlemen officers, the General Staff has issued new orders to our regiment.”
“What kind of orders, sir?”
“Lieutenant Lina, feel free to rejoice.”
Lina’s face turned pale at the blunt “rejoice” with no context.
The regimental commander sighs and says “rejoice” in a self-deprecating tone?
In one word: we’re screwed.
The officers who caught on all let out heavy sighs together.
Even before the orders were revealed.
“The General Staff has assigned our regiment the glorious role of vanguard. And ordered us to seize Como City in the Dolce Republic.”
“......Did I hear that wrong?”
In the army, “Did I hear that wrong?” has two meanings.
One is when you genuinely didn’t catch what was said.
The other is when it’s so absurd you want to pretend you didn’t hear it.
I heard in some division, after a regiment returned from a week-long march training, the division commander said something like that.
“This isn’t the live training I wanted! Do it again!!”
The regimental commander’s response back then was probably this.
“Did I hear that wrong?”
That’s exactly how the officers, led by Lina, felt.
Being vanguard is an honor, sure...
But ordering a single regiment to penetrate enemy territory and seize a city?
It doesn’t make sense on any level.
“Lieutenant Lina, unfortunately, you heard it right. The General Staff has ordered our regiment—”
“......Fortuna preserve us.”
All the officers looked to the heavens and made the sign of the cross.
Praying to the gods showed just how nonsensical this order was.
“However, the Chief of the General Staff has instructed us to judge according to the situation. So if things look bad, we can retreat immediately upon reaching Como City.”
“Thank goodness for that.”
“And in my view as regimental commander, even setting aside that this is an unreasonable order, it’s not entirely impossible to carry out.”
“Seizing a city with a single regiment alone, sir?”
“Exactly.”
Everyone tilted their heads at my words.
But looking coldly at the surrounding situation, it wasn’t wholly impossible...
“The General Staff delivered the declaration of war to the Dolce Republic’s ambassador yesterday, and it won’t reach their government for about a week.”
Our continent has no such thing as international law.
No Geneva Conventions, so NCOs and soldiers captured as POWs are handled at each nation’s whim.
Treated worse than human until POW exchanges, lied about as dead and enslaved, or executed outright—it’s not uncommon.
With the mindset that declarations of war only need to happen right before battle...
“Advancing five minutes after delivering the declaration is commonplace.”
“It’ll take the Dolce Republic at least two months to assemble forces to intercept the Imperial Army. Meaning we have roughly 65 days from now.”
“65 days—short if short, long if long.”
“And conveniently, the General Staff supplied us yesterday with three months’ worth of rations and ammunition, so we can march out right away.”
From the moment the declaration was handed to the Dolce ambassador, we’re free to start the war anytime, anywhere...
Monica glanced at the map and spoke up.
“We should have the troops prepare for a long-distance march immediately.”
“Right, every hour we move faster benefits us.”
Monica opened the regimental conference room door and ordered the soldier outside.
“We’re advancing into the Dolce Republic soon! Load all our regiment’s supplies onto wagons and prepare to march now!”
“Yes, sir!”
Unlike Lina, Monica was the impatient type.
Those two would make commanders of completely different styles...
Lina would favor slowly tightening the noose around the enemy, while Monica would be like a medieval knight relentlessly stabbing at gaps.
“Just don’t turn into Patton.”
After Monica issued the mobilization order, Lina asked a question.
“Why did the General Staff order us to deploy so urgently?”
“Good question.”
Even when ordering them to dig drainage ditches, it’s better to explain why.
Knowing there’s a reason behind the bullshit makes it less infuriating.
Especially for unreasonable operations—you must explain the “why.”
Otherwise, it just looks like suicidal nonsense.
“Our regiment is seizing a bridgehead to secure supply lines for the expeditionary force. Fail to take it beforehand, and the Imperial Army will pay dearly in blood to establish supply routes.”
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, they struggle desperately to cross Hangu Pass.
Even though you’d think they could just go around, losing tons of men.
The reason is simple.
Failing to secure it blocks supply transport completely, starving the army.
Same for the Imperial Army—if we push forward without taking that city, we starve.
The enemy knows it, and so do I...
“They want to see the outcome before the Dolce Republic sends major reinforcements. And since toppling even a small fortress like Como with one regiment is naturally tough... that’s why the precondition ‘retreat if the situation demands.’”
Without that precondition, I’d have protested immediately.
No way I’d throw away soldiers on insane bullshit.
“Odds of success? Unknown. But orders are orders. Our regiment advances on Como City as fast as possible.”
Como City isn’t a massive fortress.
But it’s one of the strategic chokepoints.
Seeing it up close, taking it down won’t be easy.
“......This really a city with only about 10,000 people? Right, Lina?”
Lina nodded at my words.
“A moat around such a tiny city... Doesn’t look easy to breach.”
“Walls aren’t that high, but the moat’s the problem...”
They’d hastily armed civilians and put them on the walls knowing we were coming...
And their armament wasn’t great.
Without the moat, I could’ve just thrown soldiers at it relentlessly and maybe taken the city.
“That goddamn ditch is the issue.”
Just a moat three meters wide and two deep...
But crossing it would get our regiment slaughtered in droves.
“Use the cannons?”
Even cannons—no high-explosives invented yet—might not breach the walls.
“Normal methods won’t work.”
“How about having troops dig a tunnel under the walls?”
Monica agreed.
“Walls aren’t huge, so mobilizing the regiment should get us a tunnel right underneath.”
“That’s a good idea too.”
“I’ll order the troops to start digging immediately.”
Dig a tunnel under the walls, pack it with gunpowder, blow it—walls collapse.
But this method has a fatal flaw.
If the enemy detects the digging, they counterattack.
That fortress likely has ways to sense tunneling...
Not high-tech, probably just buckets of water inside the walls...
But damn effective.
Vibrations from nearby digging make the water ripple constantly—hard to hide.
“......No, we infiltrate spies instead.”
“Spies, sir?”
Last time in Ravonia City, there was that silver-tongued agitator.
This world’s full of guys who’d betray anyone to change their fate.
Better to send spies to recruit insiders to open the gates.
“Give the chance to young officers, NCOs, and soldiers with good evaluations.”
“A chance?”
“Risk your life infiltrating, but succeed in opening the gates and it’s life-changing. Their choice.”
You can’t force this.
That day, our regiment selected infiltrators from volunteers with strong records.
Corporal Wilhelm of 1st Company was one chosen.