[War Is a Deception]
There was a saying inscribed on the military banner of a certain clan in Japan.
Fūrinkazan.
Swift as the wind, silent as the forest, fierce as fire, and immovable as the mountain.
It is a phrase that encapsulates the essential know-how required for managing an army.
The 1st Regiment I commanded was moving as swiftly as the wind, alongside three other divisions of the Imperial Army.
"Riding a horse through a forest is no simple task, either."
The roads weren't properly paved, and tree roots were everywhere, making it a nightmare that would make any soldier complain if they heard me say that. But truly, riding a horse through a forest—no, hacking through the forest itself—is no ordinary feat.
I don't even know when I might trip while walking on my own two feet.
It is incredibly dangerous to force an animal larger and heavier than myself to navigate a forest path.
"I wonder how the soldiers are holding up."
I checked the condition of the men around me.
They were all gasping for air with expressions of pure misery.
To deceive the enemy and launch a surprise attack at the perfect moment, I had to use a method the Dolce Republic bastards couldn't even imagine.
I didn't need to imitate the madman who crossed the Alps on elephants, but...
'It seems I have no choice but to do something unreasonable.'
However, one of the most important capabilities of a commander is to maintain the combat effectiveness of the soldiers somehow, even while carrying out an unreasonable march.
I had to ensure they worked while taking breaks in between.
"Halt for a moment. We will rest for 20 minutes."
"Yes, sir!"
As soon as the order was given, the soldiers collapsed onto the ground and began to rest.
"I'm going to die at this rate, damn it..."
"Does this even make sense?"
The complaints of the soldiers, exhausted by the forced march, were piercing the sky.
The fact that such words were coming out meant things were getting dangerous...
It looked like I had to use the one thing that worked best in times like this.
"Attention, everyone."
The resting soldiers turned their gazes toward me.
"Right now, our 1st Regiment and the three divisions of the Imperial Army are bypassing the forest to strike the flank of the Dolce Republic army."
The NCOs who had received proper training would understand what I was saying.
However, the soldiers who had only learned basic reading, writing, and arithmetic would likely not understand what I was talking about.
Even in countries where compulsory education is mandatory, there are people who graduate high school and still can't read a newspaper properly...
It would be difficult for soldiers who barely learned to read and write to understand the complex terminology used in operations.
"We are going to stab a knife into their side."
At those words, the soldiers began to show some interest.
After all, anyone can understand that if you stab someone in the side, they die.
Now that they finally understood why they had to do this crazy thing, their frustration must have been relieved to some extent.
'Because even if you have to do something you don't want to, it's less unfair if you know why you're doing it.'
"The other Imperial forces behind us are just waiting for us to stab the Dolce Republic bastards in the side. If we don't, they'll all end up dead."
In truth, nothing major would happen to the Imperial Army if we missed the timing of our flanking attack.
It certainly wouldn't be a small matter for three out of eight divisions to be missing, but...
It wouldn't make the tide of the war overwhelmingly disadvantageous...
'If about five divisions had gone missing, that would be a different story.'
However, what they needed most right now was to know why they had to do this difficult task, so...
A little exaggeration should be fine.
As I explained it so kindly, one soldier asked me a question.
"If our job is that important, do we get a lot of rewards?"
Looking at his rank, is he a Private?
That guy is going to get chewed out by his seniors later for having no sense.
Still, it was the question I needed most.
It wouldn't do to just tell them the motivation for doing this work.
I had to dangle a carrot in front of them.
"If the Imperial Army wins this war, I will petition the General Staff to grant a reward of 100,000 Marks to everyone here. If that fails, I will pay it out of my own pocket."
"Is that really true, sir?"
100,000 Marks is by no means a small sum of money.
It's not enough to change your life from the roots up, but it's enough to buy a cow.
'In Korea, does it feel like the price of a compact car?'
"In fact, there is a high probability that even more prize money will be awarded."
At those words, the soldiers' eyes began to sparkle.
They say that even for overtime work, if you pay several times the daily wage, people will line up to do it.
With a massive reward on the line and being told they were entrusted with an important task,
Everyone must be feeling quite motivated.
"And I don't know if you are aware, but... the Imperial Army has significantly changed its policy on NCO appointments."
For soldiers, becoming an NCO is the only opportunity to change their lives.
What I proposed to the Emperor and the Chief of Staff was reflected just before this war began.
"I won't say much. We are selecting four times as many as before. That means if you perform meritorious service and serve faithfully, you too can easily become an NCO."
"Is that really true, sir?"
"It is the truth."
If I were to spout nonsense about things like NCO appointments, my head wouldn't remain on my shoulders, even if it were me.
"So, dedicate yourselves to the Empire. The Empire will surely reward your dedication."
Before I knew it, the break time was over.
The soldiers who stood up began to walk the forest path again.
However, unlike just a moment ago, their eyes showed a sense of motivation.
***
A smile never left the face of Commander Palermo of the Dolce Republic.
There was only one reason for it.
Until they arrived at the Desio Plain, he had been worried that the Imperial Army bastards who went to occupy Machio City might be turning back.
But once they arrived here and scouted up to 50km from the Desio Plain...
"The three divisions of the Imperial Army must still be tied down in Machio City. Isn't that right, Deputy Commander?"
"Yes, Excellency."
"Even if they gave up on occupying Machio and were turning back, they wouldn't be able to make it in time. The battle between the main Imperial force and our army will begin tomorrow, and it will take three days for the three divisions that went to Machio to return."
The distance that the armies of this continent, including the Imperial Army, can march in a day is limited to about 14km to 16km.
This is because there are limits to transporting various supplies, such as cannons, using wagons pulled by oxen and horses.
Therefore, even if they were to engage in a desperate forced march, the probability of them arriving on time is low.
"The problem is that we don't know when they will return, so we must annihilate the main force as quickly as possible, but... they are in a state where they cannot use those three divisions anyway."
The Republic had scraped together every ounce of its strength, determined to drive out the Imperial bastards this time.
The mobilized force was a staggering 10 divisions, 80,000 men.
It was the largest scale of army the Republic could practically deploy to the front lines.
They had gathered this many troops because they judged that the very existence of the nation could be at risk.
"Once we achieve victory this time, I, the Commander, will be able to be promoted to Grand Marshal. And if I retire after about three years, it will be possible for me to become the Minister of Military Affairs in the Republic's Parliament."
In other countries, including the Empire, there are Emperors or Kings.
Therefore, the power of their parliaments is not that great.
Even if the Chairman of the Imperial Parliament has more power than a minister, it is not a level that can dare to compare to the Imperial Chancellor.
However, the Republic—the Dolce Republic, where nobles openly occupy parliamentary seats—is different.
The head of the Republic is also elected by the parliament, and the ministers of all departments are former members of parliament.
'If I just win, I can even aim to become the Prime Minister of the Republic.'
"If I vacate my position, the successor will be... you."
"Thank you, Excellency."
Thinking that he could certainly defeat them, a smile spread across Palermo's face.
"Excellency, I have a report."
Palermo lent an ear to the report from the reconnaissance captain.
Even if the victory of the Republic's army was likely, they hadn't won yet.
And war is a place where you never know when or where an unexpected event might erupt.
One cannot completely let their guard down until everything is over.
"The three divisions heading to Machio still show no signs of turning back. We searched up to the 70km point, beyond the 50km mark from here, but we could not see anyone suspected to be the Imperial Army."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes, that is correct."
In this era, there is no such thing as aerial reconnaissance, so there is a limit to scouting.
Therefore, the places they looked were naturally only the common roads that people travel...
They were not searching through the entire forest.
The reconnaissance captain threw out a word of concern.
"However, I am uneasy about one thing. Even if they succeed in occupying Machio, won't they starve to death if they go on like this without receiving supplies?"
"That is true."
"But seeing as they haven't turned back until now... I am worried that they might be coming through the forest path."
At those words, Palermo shook his head.
It was a very plausible speculation.
If they bypassed the forest and caught them off guard, they could deal a fatal blow.
However, the various wagons, ox-carts, and cannons possessed by the three divisions could not pass through the forest path.
You could say they might make carts by cutting down trees, but cannons are high-end equipment that must be made by melting copper and bronze.
There was a joke going around that if an artillery unit was annihilated, losing the cannons was more fatal than the lives of the artillery soldiers themselves...
Cannons are very high-end equipment.
Abandoning such things and coming?
'That's impossible unless you're a madman.'
"I don't know about anything else, but how could they abandon their cannons? Unless they were in a situation where they had to run away for their lives."
At those words, the reconnaissance captain was also convinced.
And the next day, they began to fight head-on against the five divisions of the Imperial Army.