Jungle Warfare Is Hell (1)
"Lord Isaac, according to our survey, support for a full-scale war against the East across both the West and the South has come in at one hundred and forty percent."
I stared at Lumina in pure disbelief.
"Okay, same question as last time — who the hell keeps running these approval ratings?"
"The Avians, sir."
"How do you get a hundred and forty percent?"
"Western support came in at one hundred percent, and the South tallied forty. They simply added them together."
"…From now on, reassign anything involving numbers to someone else."
Having finally glimpsed the miracle arithmetic of the Avian people, I resolved never again to entrust them with so much as basic addition.
"What's the troop disposition looking like?"
Lumina flipped through the next stack of documents and continued her report.
"Combat rifles have been fully issued to the Tiger Beastmen and Leopard Beastmen. Reconnaissance units are already patrolling the Great Rainforest. As ordered, we're minimizing open engagements — only exposing ourselves enough to draw Eastern forces deeper into our side of the jungle."
"How far along is the aerial mapping?"
"Abella and the Avian scout units have been identifying enemy strength and positions from the air and feeding the data to the Dwarves, who are drafting the maps now. Last I heard they were about ninety percent finished — should be complete by tomorrow."
"Excellent. And the enemy advance?"
"Kraktore's Orc minigun unit holds the front. Elf pistol marksmen are covering the flanks at the rainforest's edge. Once the East confirmed we'd committed significant forces, their movements largely stopped. I suspect they intend to settle into a prolonged guerrilla campaign."
I nodded at Lumina's crisp summary and rose from my seat.
"Understood. Lumina, come with me to the forward command post. If the maps are nearly done, it's time to call a commanders' meeting."
I climbed into the vehicle Lumina was driving and headed for the temporary forward command post near the edge of the Great Rainforest.
Facing the jungle, Orcs with miniguns and Elves with Glocks stood watch in mixed pairs. Far overhead, Avians wheeled busily through the sky.
The Orcs and Elves on perimeter duty turned as I approached and snapped salutes.
"Welcome, Great Chief."
"You've arrived, Lord Isaac."
"Ah — no need to turn around. Keep your eyes on the front and just talk. Anything suspicious from those bastards these past few days?"
An Elf soldier answered.
"Until a few days ago, they were showing themselves periodically from deeper in the jungle. We returned fire each time, and they'd duck behind the trees and vanish. But ever since the Tiger and Leopard Beastmen began operating, they've barely appeared at all."
"Hmm. So once the disruption started in the middle, they decided to lock down the interior instead of throwing meaningless feints. They're moving exactly the way we want. Still — never let your guard down toward the jungle. Absolute vigilance."
"Of course, Great Chief!"
"Not even a single rat will slip past us!"
Orc and Elf saluted again. I returned the gesture, then entered the command post with Lumina.
Waiting inside, already briefed, were Orc Great Warrior Kraktore, Avian leader Abella, Chief Dwarf Craftsman Rondar, Tiger Beastman leader Barkan, and Leopard Beastman leader Shaila.
They all rose to greet me. I raised a hand and waved them back into their seats.
"We're in the middle of an active campaign. Skip the formalities. No need for greetings."
The moment the representatives of every race were seated, the meeting began.
"Barkan, Shaila. What's the situation inside the jungle?"
Barkan — a tiger beastman so massive and densely muscled he could have stood among the Orcs without looking small — answered in a deep, gravelly rumble.
"Just as you ordered, Lord Isaac. We harass them while inflicting only minimal damage. Every engagement, we kill two or three, then break contact immediately and withdraw. We've been repeating that pattern."
"Our casualties?"
"Six lightly wounded and four seriously wounded from when the terrain was still unfamiliar. No further losses since then."
"No dead. Good. Well done, Barkan."
Barkan snorted with pride, a short puff of air through his nose.
"They may know this ground better than we do, but Tiger Beastmen are born and raised in forests and jungles. Once we learn the paths, the operations aren't difficult. The West simply doesn't have jungle this deep and brutal, so it took a little time. Once we're used to it, it's nothing."
"Shaila? Status of the Leopard Beastmen?"
This time the Leopard Beastman leader spoke — a woman whose presence was sinuous, alluring, and razor-edged. She smiled with her eyes as she delivered her report.
"Just as you ordered, Lord Isaac. We've been hitting the supply columns hard. After a few repeats, they started throwing huge escorts at every convoy. These days a single supply run looks like it has at least two hundred troops. They keep changing their approach routes after every fight, so we've been deliberately herding them into Tiger Beastman territory."
"Meaning the Eastern army is gradually bunching into a single mass. Casualties among the Leopard Beastmen?"
"Heh. We're fast and quiet. Eleven lightly wounded, nothing else."
Barkan let out a low growl and snapped at her.
"Hmph. You took more wounded and you're still bragging."
"Ha? Unlike you, we don't have any seriously wounded."
"We engaged the enemy main force. You went after soft rear-area supply units. Different work entirely."
"Oh, is that so? Want to switch jobs right now? See who does it better?"
"Both of you. Enough."
Tiger and leopard — true to form, the two of them bickered more viciously than anyone else among the beastmen.
"Tiger Beastmen and Leopard Beastmen are both performing their missions excellently. There's nothing to rank. When the fighting's over, I'll buy elk meat from the northern snow mountains and divide it equally. Until then, stop fighting and cooperate."
At the mention of elk meat — the single food both tribes would kill for — their eyes changed.
"…Can we have it raw?"
"I'll make a special exception. Fresh-killed, still dripping blood."
Barkan smacked his lips, already salivating at the thought.
Shaila casually slipped in one more demand.
"…Could we maybe get Eastern forest boar as well?"
"Once we occupy the East, I'll hold a grand boar hunt and portion it out until your bellies burst."
"…Slurp."
Both of them surrendered instantly to the lure of food, stopped arguing, and sat back down licking their chops.
On the surface the front looked like a stalemate. In reality, everything was flowing exactly as we wanted.
The Tiger Beastmen kept striking the rear of the enemy main body, producing a steady trickle of dead. The enraged Eastern army, busy trying to hunt them down, refused to leave the jungle and stayed bottled up in their rainforest garrisons.
The Tiger Beastmen deliberately showed themselves in scattered glimpses, drawing the enemy deeper inland. At the same time, from the rear, the Leopard Beastmen ambushed supply columns until the escorts grew larger and larger.
Supply units, desperate to avoid contact, steered clear of Leopard Beastman hunting grounds — and before long found themselves forced onto routes that cut straight through Tiger Beastman territory.
"Abella. What did the aerial reconnaissance show?"
Time to confirm the results with the Avians.
Abella sketched on the situation board and moved markers as she reported.
"The supply escorts got so big that a single jungle garrison couldn't hold everyone, so they've been frantically repairing nearby outposts. I don't think even they expected this many troops to pile into one place. They can't send anyone back either — Tiger and Leopard ambushes make that suicide. This is their main base. These are the outposts they're repairing. And here — this is where they draw water…"
Avian eyesight was overwhelming. From a kilometer up they could pick a field mouse out of a lawn. Even in dense jungle canopy, the slightest gap was enough for them to spot whatever lay beneath.
The Eastern army almost certainly had no idea that the very forest they trusted for cover left them sitting in the palm of the Avians' hands, completely exposed from above.
Abella marked several X's across the board. To us, those X's were firing coordinates.
After hearing her out, I designated the targets.
"You've all done excellent work. The next Eastern supply column has already passed the halfway point. They'll reach the garrison sometime tonight. Lumina — select trained Elf personnel, pair them two to a team, and assign them across thirty Cheonmu launchers."
"Yes, Lord Isaac."
"Tiger Beastmen and Leopard Beastmen — keep the gunfire coming until nightfall so the enemy doesn't get any clever ideas. As long as they stay pinned in their garrisons, we've succeeded. I'll signal before we open fire. Evacuate with at least an hour to spare."
"Understood, Lord Isaac."
"Got it, Lord Isaac!"
"Avians — pull out those with the best night vision and rest them thoroughly. We'll need them after dark. Once the barrage starts it will be dangerous, so don't fly too close to the enemy garrisons."
"Got it, Lord Isaac!"
"Rondar. Work with the Dwarf spotters, verify the firing coordinates, and feed precise data to every Cheonmu. The moment the order drops, I want simultaneous fire."
"Leave it to me, Boss!"
"Orcs — hold outside the Great Rainforest. If any survivors try to flee, take them prisoner if possible. If the situation doesn't allow it, kill them."
"Understood, Great Chief!"
With orders issued to everyone, I drew a thick red X over the largest Eastern garrison inside the Great Rainforest.
"Tonight, we show those bastards what jungle warfare hell really looks like."