War Is Deception (2)
They say that to win a war, you need three things.
The perfect timing granted by the heavens, and the ability to seize terrain advantageous for battle.
And finally, the ability to maintain the fighting spirit and morale of the soldiers.
"The roads are well-cleared, making it easy for a large army to pass, and there's a wide plain, so it'll be a good place to fight," I noted.
Monica added a word to my observation.
"I also think it's the optimal location for operating cavalry."
"That's certainly true. Cavalry must be deployed where they can utilize their mobility."
Cavalry that has lost its mobility is useless in every way.
You can't reload a Musket while on horseback, and there's a limit to how effectively you can swing a sword.
Consequently, a stationary cavalry unit is nothing more than a sitting duck.
Conversely, if you can utilize that high speed—
To put it half in jest and half in truth, it’s even possible for a single cavalry platoon to completely annihilate an entire infantry battalion.
'Though, a variety of ideal conditions must align for that to happen.'
"I'll show you what an invincible hammer that crushes the enemy looks like," Monica said.
"I'll be looking forward to seeing a performance worthy of that claim."
"Just trust me."
Monica puffed out her chest as if she were proud.
Lina frowned for a moment upon hearing that.
She then pointed to the surrounding forest and spoke.
"Securing the mobility of the cavalry is important, but couldn't we use the forest here to launch a surprise attack on the enemy even during the battle?"
"You mean having a portion of our troops enter the forest while the field battle is in full swing, then flanking them for a surprise attack?"
"Yes, exactly. As Monica said, it's good to keep stabbing at the enemy's formation using cavalry, but... since the invention of the Musket, the initiative in war has shifted from cavalry to infantry. I think a surprise attack or a flank maneuver using infantry would be better."
"If we hide troops in the forest and attack by flanking, we can put the enemy in a semi-encircled state."
When people focus on one thing, they lose sight of their surroundings.
Humans are such that when I’m hard-carrying in a game, I might not even notice if the house next door is on fire.
If that’s the case, what about a war where the lives of tens of thousands are at stake?
They only see what’s happening right in front of them, making it extremely difficult to notice who is approaching from the flank.
If we use this to bypass the enemy, we can launch a simultaneous attack from the front and the side.
The enemy will surely throw up their hands in surrender at the unexpected assault.
"That's a great idea."
Lina turned her gaze toward Monica and curled one corner of her mouth into a smirk.
Monica’s stinging gaze shifted toward Lina.
"Then, let's suggest to the Commander-in-Chief that we meet and fight the enemy right here."
Monica, who has a knack for handling cavalry, and Lina, who has a high understanding of infantry.
Since those two have both agreed that this is a good place to fight...
It would be best to choose this as our battlefield.
However, it feels a bit lacking to simply have a pitched battle as they suggested...
Isn't there a way to toy with the enemy more surely and lethally?
"Colonel, is there something you're not satisfied with?"
I suppose my contemplation was showing on my face.
"No, it's not that. As you and Lina said, it would be hard to find a better battlefield than this."
In war dramas, you often see scenes where battles take place in locations that are unconditionally disadvantageous to the enemy and unconditionally advantageous to the allies.
But as we know from playing online games...
While war isn't a friendly match that follows 'rules' like a sport, unless the opponent is a complete idiot, they roughly know whether fighting in a certain spot is disadvantageous or advantageous for them.
They only fight if they think they have a chance of winning, or if they are forced to fight for strategic reasons...
They won't fight to the death in a place that is only disadvantageous to them.
"What I was contemplating just now was what kind of strategy we should use on this battlefield to ensure our victory."
"I see."
"So, it's not that I'm dissatisfied. I'm going to think about what strategy to use for a while, so you two please supervise the soldiers to ensure they are surveying the terrain properly."
"Yes, understood."
Lina and Monica returned to the companies they each commanded.
And I remained lost in thought.
If I utilize the forest near the plain and the surrounding geography well...
I think I could use a strategy that properly stabs the enemy in the back.
As I was deep in thought, the map of the surrounding terrain in front of me suddenly caught my eye.
"Como City and the Desio Plain where I am now..."
As I drew a line eastward from the plain, there was a city named Machio.
Judging by the markings on the map, it looked like a fairly large city.
The moment I saw that, I felt like the last piece of a puzzle had been filled, completing the picture.
If I use this method, I can really mess them up.
"This is how it should be done."
Having gained enlightenment, I looked around.
While everyone was engrossed in grasping the terrain, Jurgen caught my eye.
"Sergeant Schmitz, are you out of your mind?"
He was berating the deputy platoon leader under him.
Perhaps because he was a former non-commissioned officer, he showed a level of expertise different from the average second lieutenant.
"I’ve been a deputy platoon leader too, so I know—you have to give the soldiers time to drink water consistently. It’s not like we’re in the middle of a war right this second."
"......I apologize."
"If you die while scouting the terrain, it’s all for nothing."
"Yes, understood."
"I know you’re a newlywed and need a lot of money, but let’s be reasonable, be reasonable."
It was a sight that made me wonder what on earth I was watching.
In Korean terms, it would be like a second lieutenant commissioned from the officer candidate program berating a sergeant, but...
'What a truly fascinating sight.'
I finished the reconnaissance, as if I were going to dig up every single ant hill, and returned.
Then, I sent a strategic proposal to the Commander-in-Chief.
[Strategic Proposal: Operation Desio]
Target: Lure enemy forces to the Desio Plain.
Method: Disseminate false intelligence regarding a troop movement to Machio City.
Execution: Utilize the forest path for a flanking maneuver during the march.
Luger Walter, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Expeditionary Force, was currently looking at the map drawn by Lieutenant Colonel Schumacher.
Since Lieutenant Colonel Schumacher was not a professional cartographer, there were slight discrepancies in scale or distance...
But the map he had spearheaded contained every piece of terrain information necessary for establishing a strategy without missing a single detail.
"The guy who’s going to leave his name in history is good at this kind of work, too."
Usually, such maps only list terrain information, but...
Lieutenant Colonel Schumacher had even written down the expected routes and travel times for the enemy's march.
It was a map that could greatly alleviate the headaches of those establishing the strategy.
"I envy Zeppelin. I have to worry about marrying off my tomboy granddaughter, but that guy..."
It was a map so well-made that it made me feel the urge to dump all my work onto Lieutenant General Zeppelin if we win this war and return.
And under the box that held the map, there was another bundle of documents.
"Lieutenant Colonel Schumacher is the type of guy who, if he has no work, will create work for himself."
What was inside was a strategic proposal from Lieutenant Colonel Schumacher.
A smile spread across the Commander-in-Chief's face.
"The most advantageous terrain for our forces to fight near Como City is the Desio Plain, and we need to lure the enemy there, eh."
From Commander-in-Chief Luger's perspective, the reason Lieutenant Colonel Schumacher insisted on luring the enemy there was perfectly valid.
Not only was it an open field perfectly suited for utilizing the cavalry possessed by the Imperial Army, but it would also allow for a portion of the troops to be bypassed through the forest to attack the enemy's flank.
The enemy would be the same, but since there wasn't any terrain around here that was unconditionally advantageous only to our side...
'This must be the best option.'
"The Dolce Republic bastards will obviously know very well that this place is advantageous to our side, but they will also naturally realize that the Desio Plain isn't a bad place for them either."
Commander-in-Chief Luger continued to flip through the report.
And then, a paragraph caught his eye.
[Even if we lure the enemy to the Desio Plain and bypass troops through the forest, the number of troops that can move at once without being detected by the enemy is limited. Therefore, we must leak false information that we are sending three divisions to Machio City.]
[After actually dispatching three divisions to Machio City, have them march toward the Desio Plain via the forest path on the way to Machio. If we succeed in timing it correctly, the enemy will be attacked by a superior force from an unexpected direction, leaving them unable to do anything before being annihilated.]
And behind that, the routes for bypassing the forest, the time required for the detour, and the amount of necessary supplies were all calculated.
"If we do exactly as this says, we can surely crush the Dolce Republic bastards."
It’s not an easy task for three divisions to march while hacking through a forest path, nor is it easy to stab the Dolce Republic army in the side at the right time.
However, if we move according to these thorough calculations...
'It will surely succeed.'
And behind that, it was even written how to spread the false information to deceive the Dolce Republic army.
A strategic proposal where everything was calculated to near perfection.
Commander-in-Chief Luger decided to accept the operation exactly as proposed.
"When the Empire is in danger, Fortuna gives birth to heroes."