War Is a Deception (3)
Usually, the morale of a defensive force is higher than that of an attacking one. This is because they feel the immediate crisis of having their property seized and their families killed by the invaders, and they fight with gritted teeth, viewing those who attacked them first as demons who have no right to exist in this world.
However, the morale of the army organized by the Dolce Republic to drive out the Imperial forces was not particularly high.
"Commander Palermo, the soldiers' morale is steadily declining. What should we do?"
The commander chuckled at those words. Seeing that, his staff officers felt relieved. They assumed that since he was laughing despite hearing the bad news of falling morale, he must have a countermeasure.
But in reality, Palermo’s own feelings were entirely different from what they thought.
'I don't know how to raise the soldiers' morale either, you idiots.'
The commander himself had no clue how to overcome this situation. However, he knew that if the highest-ranking person showed that he was also at a loss, morale would plummet to the very bottom of hell, so he simply pretended to be confident.
"In times like these, the best thing to do is to show that our supplies are abundant. Increase the amount of food provided to the soldiers."
"Will that really be effective, sir?"
"You lot go around and spread the word to the soldiers that our Republic has plenty of resources, so we’ve increased food rations. That alone will restore morale to some extent."
The higher-ups view soldiers as tools—or more precisely, as slaves. It is a tacitly accepted common sense in the military that the only people with freedom are the officers. The mindset of treating soldiers as equals, like Lieutenant Colonel Schumacher and his unit do, is an extremely rare exception.
'Slaves are happy as long as you feed them well.'
And the fact that the staff officers mentioned the "decline in soldiers' morale" to a commander like him meant that the officers' morale wasn't very good either. Under normal circumstances, he would have noticed this immediately, come up with a plan, and been furious... but the Dolce Republic had already been defeated by the Empire once before. In such a situation, it would be strange not to be worried.
"The enemy may have captured Como City, but even in chess, the attacker makes more mistakes than the defender. When they make a mistake, if we seize that opening, our side will surely be able to win against the Imperial army."
"I am in awe of your insight, sir."
"Isn't waiting important in fishing and hunting as well? Let’s wait patiently."
Palermo said that, but he was burning up inside just the same. What if he made even a single mistake here? It was obvious that the Dolce Republic would fall into a great crisis, and his own military career would end in disgrace. That was why he had to win, no matter what.
"Commander, a report on the Imperial army's movements has arrived from our spy."
"Let’s hear it."
The commander and the other high-ranking officials pricked up their ears. They had to know the enemy's actions to win...
"The Imperial bastards stationed in Como City have sent three divisions to capture Machio."
Palermo’s brow furrowed. It wasn't because he was in a bad mood or because the war situation had turned against the Republic. It was because he had a lot to think about.
'Is this truly an opportunity? Or is it a deception?'
"They say that supply materials and a supply convoy to support the three divisions are also preparing to depart."
"Is that true?"
"Yes, sir. It is reliable information sent by our spies who have infiltrated the Imperial army."
"Even so, we must be cautious. We must consider whether this is a trick by the Imperial bastards."
There is a saying that you should tap even a stone bridge before crossing it. There is almost no chance that a bridge made of stones will collapse while I am crossing it. You could say it’s more common to be struck by lightning and die. But what if the bridge is already mostly collapsed, and it suddenly gives way just as I try to cross it? In the end, you die. When operating an army, it is necessary to approach things with this mindset.
After nearly 30 minutes of silent deliberation, Palermo made his decision.
"We are going to the Desio Plain."
"Do you believe this is the perfect opportunity, sir?"
There is one ironclad rule that must be followed to win in war: 'Concentrate your own forces, and scatter the enemy's.'
Right now, the Republic army is tightly knit, and the enemy has already detached three divisions from their main force. Since one division has roughly 8,000 troops, they have lost 24,000 in combat power.
'This is a chance.'
"It takes fifteen days to get from Como City, which the Imperial army occupies, to Machio. So, if our side can arrive at the Desio Plain—which connects the three divisions sent to capture Machio and the Imperial main force—at the right moment?"
No matter how things played out, the situation would not be bad.
"They need to send supplies through the Desio Plain for those three divisions to capture and hold Machio. If the supply line is cut, those three divisions will either be annihilated by starvation... or the Imperial army will lead their main force out to the Desio Plain to prevent the worst-case scenario of those three divisions being wiped out."
At those words, the staff officers and general-level commanders under the commander let out exclamations of admiration.
They were making them fight while completely separated from their main force? In chess, that’s like removing a rook, and in the games Schumacher used to play in his past life—where his team was full of idiots except for him—it was like starting without a marksman.
'There is a chance of victory.'
"Looking at the maps created by our Republic, this place is also excellent for utilizing infantry and cavalry. Therefore, I intend to defeat the Imperial army on the Desio Plain. What are your thoughts?"
Everyone expressed their agreement.
"I agree as well."
"I will follow your opinion, sir."
Once the consensus was reached, Commander Palermo declared:
"We march to the Desio Plain."
To deceive the enemy, you must also deceive your own side. Because, as the saying goes, birds listen to daytime talk and mice listen to nighttime talk... there is a spy within the Imperial army that we haven't identified yet.
That is why Monica and Lina also do not know that we will soon be retreating. The only ones who know that we are retreating are the officers above the rank of colonel in the three divisions that are pretending to go capture Machio.
"Lieutenant Colonel Schumacher, you seem truly remarkable."
"What do you mean, Division Commander?"
"Humility is a poison if taken in excess. I never imagined you would stab the Republic bastards in the back like this."
"You are too kind. And haven't we not yet achieved victory against the Republic bastards?"
You shouldn't pop the champagne too early. Even if there is only 0.01% left until the project is a success. If you let your guard down like that, it's easy to ruin even a sure-fire operation or plan.
"That is what makes you remarkable. If I were you, I think I would have been incredibly arrogant."
Surviving in an organization for a long time and getting promoted isn't about being a genius. It's about knowing your place accurately. If you are on the incompetent side of the organization, you should focus on self-development or, at the very least, study how to play politics well. If you are on the competent side, you shouldn't even think about touching politics until you reach a certain rank, and you must at least pretend to be humble. Otherwise, those around you will be jealous and rush to trample you to death.
'If you brag about money, the only people left around you will be those asking to borrow it.'
I try to be humble with that same sentiment. Furthermore, there might very well be someone better than me somewhere in this world.
"I don't want to make unnecessary enemies."
"I am very lucky."
"Why do you say that?"
"I am retiring soon. If I am lucky enough to achieve a great feat in this war and get promoted to Lieutenant General, I will be discharged shortly after."
So what? What does retiring soon have to do with him being lucky?
"In about three years—no, that's too fast. The Empire isn't that flexible of a nation. Yes, in about six years, I would have had to compete with you for promotion. I think I would have lost."
"You are joking too much."
"It's not a joke. I really would have lost. Of course, it's not that I have any resentment that an excellent talent like you is commanding a mediocre guy like me, but..."
The division commander chuckled.
"If I competed for promotion against someone much younger than me and lost, I think it would sting a bit. But since I'm retiring soon, I'm glad I don't have to see that."
Just as I was listening to that high praise disguised as a joke that wasn't even funny, a soldier ran toward the division commander in a great hurry.
"This is a message sent by the Commander-in-Chief!"
"Give it here."
The division commander read it and chuckled. Then, he handed the coded message to me. It must have been something he could show me, right?
"It's an order to retreat. The idiots have taken the bait you laid out."
War is a battle where victory or defeat is decided by who succeeds or fails at fishing. And I had won this game of deception. I was one step—no, three steps ahead.
The division commander looked at me and shrugged.
"Having you under my command will be a very rewarding and proud moment in my military life. I’ll have to grab my grandchildren and brag about it until their ears fall off."
After making that joke, the division commander issued the order to retreat. And so, we began to bypass the area through the forest path.