Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Playing with Fire Before the War (5)
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Upon hearing that report, I let out a cheer and shouted,
"Good! Then let's get ready for the final fire prank that'll completely shatter their minds! Is everyone prepared?"
The entire special forces unit responded to my words with booming voices.
"Yes, sir, we're ready!"
"Just give the order! We'll burn every last bit of them to the ground!"
"We'll follow your lead, Battalion Commander!"
Their faces were already lit up with anticipation of toying with the enemy one-sidedly.
As their leader, I opened my mouth to meet that expectation.
"Alright, here's our plan. We're not going to pull off any complicated tactical maneuvers this time. We'll just pour oil in the forest near where we expect them to pass, then lie in ambush with oil barrels in hand. When the enemy's vanguard approaches, we'll roll the barrels downhill, hit them with Explosion magic and fire arrows to give them a taste of flames, then immediately withdraw and link up with the Jaeger Battalion's main reconnaissance force."
It was a far simpler plan than what we'd used in the mock battle.
Since the whole operation boiled down to 'pour oil in the woods near the enemy's expected route, ambush until they show, roll barrels, blow it up, set it ablaze, and bail.'
I figured that since we elite special forces were about to take on an overwhelmingly larger enemy force with such a straightforward scheme, I needed to explain the reasoning properly to avoid any grumbling.
Just as I thought that, Laura—who was always full of curiosity and questions—stepped up as the group's representative.
"I have a question, Battalion Commander."
"Go ahead."
"If the enemy vanguard hasn't spotted us, wouldn't it be better to use this chance for a fire attack and ambush to hit them directly?"
If we were willing to take the risk, we could pull off a direct ambush like Laura suggested.
And if it succeeded, we'd earn fame for twenty men crushing the enemy's vanguard with valor.
It was the kind of bold plan a commander unafraid of sacrifice might attempt.
"It's a solid idea, but our special forces have already succeeded in diverting and ruining the food supplies they planned to requisition. That means the ducal army, which relies heavily on those requisitions, will see massive cuts to their rations. The troops will go hungry, and their morale and combat effectiveness will plummet. In other words, we've already weakened their fighting strength."
"Just as you say, sir."
"On top of that, we have valuable intel on the enemy army's size, morale, and supply situation that no other recon unit has. If we get greedy here and attack directly, only to get wiped out, we lose the chance to report all that precious info, right?"
At my words, Laura nodded as if she'd just realized something.
The other special forces officers, who had apparently harbored the same doubts, began murmuring in agreement.
"You're right, sir. If we fight here, worst case we all die, and all that hard-earned intel goes to waste with us."
"Or we could get chased down by their cavalry in the rear and wiped out anyway."
They had a point, but there was one more reason I wasn't going for a direct attack on the vanguard.
"To be frank, in this operation, it doesn't matter if we don't kill a single enemy soldier. What we need to do is plant the fear that they could be attacked by us anytime, anywhere."
The officers all looked shocked at that, but I pressed on regardless.
"The enemy commander probably thinks they're still safely marching inside Chekovia Duchy territory, so they're only keeping a minimal guard and advancing at ease. That way, the troops can conserve energy for the real fight against our main army."
And that made sense. Even in our modern world, where globalization and the European Union let you cross borders in a minute with just a passport like showing a bus ticket,
people inside France's borders are mostly French, and those in Germany's are mostly German.
In a fantasy world where open borders were unthinkable even in death, it was common sense for invading forces to stick together tightly against risks.
Even if enemy small units roamed around, they'd be at least battalion-sized at minimum, and even then they'd pull back if our main army approached to avoid getting picked off piecemeal.
Otherwise, who knew how they'd get ambushed?
With that experience and ancestral wisdom, every army reduced vigilance in friendly territory to preserve troops' stamina—it was as true as water flowing downhill.
"But once they get hit once, the commander and his staff will panic at the unexpected attack and ramp up security. Otherwise, they risk getting hit again."
Beyond that, humans suffer mental shock from unforeseen events, temporarily dulling judgment and intellect.
For example, someone dumped by their girlfriend the night before exams might bomb problems they could've aced easily.
And this was a battlefield, where one misjudgment could doom thousands or tens of thousands.
Since we weren't engaging directly, our one bad call wouldn't cause huge enemy losses.
But it could stir up plenty of needless trouble for them.
"Then the troops will have to pull double guard shifts at night without proper sleep, exhausting themselves chasing ghosts. As the hardship mounts, complaints against the officers will pile up, tanking morale and stamina both. Does that make sense now?"
The special forces officers nodded, shooting me looks that said, 'As expected from our major.'
"Alright, let's get to preparations as ordered. Time to pave their road to hell."
An hour after our special forces briefing ended, the vanguard of the Chekovia Ducal Army.
They were advancing about four hours' march ahead of the main body, tasked with scouting and reporting any potential threats.
But their commander, Captain Alex, wasn't scanning the surroundings with particular sharpness.
The higher-ups might chew him out for it, but he had his excuses.
'They send battalion commanders or higher for real dangerous recon into enemy territory. Sending a mere company commander like me means it's half formality.'
Subordinates who thought that way were usually wrong, but based on the situation so far, his reasoning was spot on.
"Fuck, stuck doing vanguard recon so I have to wake up three hours earlier than everyone else and suffer like this. What a joke."
As he yawned and glanced around, a heavy rumbling reached his ears—like something massive rolling.
"Rocks? Shit! Company commanders, get your men as far from the sound as possible! Getting crushed means death!"
The green company commanders, with NCO help, pulled their troops back to minimize casualties.
But what rolled down wasn't rocks—it was massive oil barrels.
Everyone there instantly realized this was an enemy attack aimed at them.
But like the saying, it was too late once you spotted the ambush.
Before they could even shout a warning,
fire arrows and Explosion magic flew from the woods simultaneously, striking the barrels. The oil ignited and detonated, sending flaming debris everywhere and turning the area into a sea of fire.
"Help!!"
"Fuck, fuck! It hurts!! Water! Water!!"
Some soldiers hit by the debris were already ablaze, burning alive.
Captain Alex, with years of service, heard the sound of an enemy company-sized force fleeing on horseback, so he judged no follow-up attack was coming.
"Water Ball on the burning guys to put them out! Hurry back to main body and report we could get ambushed anytime! Rally the troops and prep to move!"
It was the wisest call in that mess.
But Alex and his men's morale had crumbled from the terror of the unforeseen ambush; their legs shook, barely able to walk.
Especially the green privates and privates first class—the stench and sight of burning flesh and cloth made them puke.
The rookie commanders floundered, useless in controlling the chaos.
A few veteran soldiers even slipped away in the confusion, deserting.
But true to his rank, Alex leveraged his years of experience doggedly, managing to save and withdraw about ninety of his hundred men as he bellowed,
"Fuck, you bastards! Enjoy fucking with us like that in war?"
Meanwhile, upon hearing the vanguard's report, Chekovia headquarters issued new orders to all units, citing the low casualties but unknown repeat risks.
"Double night guard shifts per company, increase recon unit numbers and patrol times."