Chapter 40
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Pull Forward the Offensive Endpoint
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Koenihesen's 7th Guard Infantry Division crossed the front lines and began advancing into imperial territory.
As a result, the gap they left behind was to be filled by the Bamen Reserve Division from the rear—
"This is intelligence we absolutely cannot ignore, Division Commander!"
"It's that damned son of Willy's. We have to capture him no matter what!"
"He's not just some simple hostage. This is our chance to show that the empire's so-called war hero family is nothing special. Our Bamen Reserve Division will make it happen!"
The reserve division's staff officers spat out all sorts of impassioned arguments, voicing their opinions.
Normally, these meetings devolved into clashes of opinion.
Some in favor, some opposed, others calling to wait and see.
But not this time. Everyone aggressively pushed for an offensive.
And the reserve division's commander was deep in thought, wrestling with the decision.
'Our orders are to cover the rear of the 7th Guard Infantry Division and advance to the front lines.'
Attack orders. The higher-ups wanted them to commit to the offensive, pushing forward relentlessly.
They were to drive ahead without giving the empire any time to prepare defenses.
The plan was to keep attacking until they halted, then switch to defense...
'Who could've guessed the Allied Forces Supreme Commander's son was here.'
William Reinhardt of Kenes. Imperial Army Marshal and Allied Forces Supreme Commander.
His son, Douglas Reinhardt, was already a monster who had swept across battlefields multiple times.
Fortunately, they'd crushed his vanguard this time, giving them some breathing room.
But it wasn't Douglas—the Supreme Commander's second son was on the front lines too.
According to their own barely escaped POWs, he hadn't retreated yet and was hiding somewhere nearby with his remaining forces!
"And! One more thing! The daughter of an imperial duke is with him! We heard them whispering clearly!"
The Supreme Commander's son and a duke's daughter. Capturing either would be top-tier hostage value—and there were two of them.
Why they were on this front was a mystery, but interrogating the POWs handed over from forward units made it plausible enough.
Imperial nobles aspiring to be officers spent about a month with frontline units for experience.
If their attack hit at the wrong time and they couldn't retreat? Entirely possible!
If this was real, they had to capture them. Alive if possible. Even corpses would do.
Sure, they had orders, but HQ would revise them immediately upon learning this.
Redirect forces from the front lines to eliminate remnants and capture VIPs.
This was a chance to strike back at the Reinhardts—who'd inflicted the heaviest casualties—and the Victory Duke in one blow.
An opportunity to finally heal their bruised pride after repeated defeats.
"...Gentlemen. We must consider this could be an enemy trap."
He calmed the excitement first. Assessed the situation coldly, weighing all options carefully.
Charging in like rabid dogs was amateurish. Utterly foolish.
Would the enemy handle such critical intel so carelessly?
Why leak it through our POWs of all things?
Was this coincidence, or deliberately fed to them?
The division commander tried to temper the hype by pointing this out.
The staff groaned but forced themselves to game out the worst-case scenarios.
Yet the situation kept veering in an increasingly suspicious direction.
"Division Commander. Rear units have taken hits from enemy raids."
"Again? Damn it all!"
"Scouts report: Enemy remnants are targeting our supply trains."
"Those filthy pests are really getting on my nerves!"
This was a headache not just for them, but for the units that had advanced ahead.
They'd pushed back the imperials, only for these scraps to cause chaos in the rear.
This shifted even the commander's gaze toward dealing with it.
Consider their ultimate orders: 'Before the empire can fully prepare defenses, unleash maximum offensive pressure to create separation at the front.'
In that light, stabilizing the rear was important too. These annoying flies needed swatting.
'It violates orders right now, but on the big picture, it's necessary. HQ will understand.'
A perfectly logical judgment that rear security was essential.
The front was advancing smoothly anyway, buying them some leeway.
And the most decisive factor? Merit.
'Capture them, and it's merit equal to—or greater than—frontline fighting.'
'Promotion. We'll outshine those who bled for it.'
'The enemy commander's son. A duke's daughter. What bigger prize is there?'
Greed ignited. Not ordinary greed—a massive, roaring inferno.
Success meant guaranteed promotion. Massive rewards.
Brush it off and hand it to the trailing units? Insane.
No urgent support requests from the front yet. That meant leeway.
Conversely, the enemy remnants left behind were just a handful.
It wouldn't take long. With their overwhelming numbers, it'd be quick.
A feast laid out before them. The menu was too delicious to refuse.
Thinking of others devouring it made their eyes spin.
In the end, they made their choice. One they believed utterly rational from their perspective.
"Order to the entire division: Delay the advance and target the enemy remnants here."
The greedy hunt, fueled by lust for glory, began.
Purruk! Purrruluk!—
Run, lightning! Run! If they catch us, this master dies! Uwaaaah!
Look at those Koeni bastards chasing us, screaming 'Catch that guy!'
They look like zombies whose eyes have gone feral from starving for a month.
"Catch him! Catch him no matter what!!"
"They said a cartload of gold-filled pouches for whoever grabs him!"
"We have to be the ones! Run till you drop!"
Crazy bastards! Putting that insane bounty on a barely adult noble kid!
I'm not in the mood for bounty rankings just because the price is high!
Using me and Ar as bait to pin down the trailing division and wear down their nerves.
Meanwhile, Erwin strikes from all sides, forcing them to bleed manpower.
The result? Gaps in their lines, disrupting their follow-up operations.
That's the rough outline of the bait plan Erwin and I devised.
Which means now it's time for me to step up to the front lines proper—but—
"Ugh!"
These crazy Koeni bastards. They're sticking to us like bears after honey.
Just yesterday, they were all tense about traps, chasing half-heartedly.
But today? Full-throttle pursuit out of nowhere.
Thanks to that, my teasing almost got me caught for real. Damn it.
"This way! Just follow straight ahead!"
The imperial soldiers moving with me mounted up in perfect order.
When the distance closed too much, designated men wheeled their horses and charged the enemy.
They'd clash in a skirmish, then rejoin the formation...
'Shit. Shit. Shit.'
Every glance at the unit showed more faces missing.
Just minutes ago, they'd been fighting Koeni scum right beside me.
But as the pursuit intensified, they pressed ahead to shake it off... and never came back.
"Platoon Leader. Don't take it too much to heart."
Maybe he read my mood—an NCO spoke up cautiously.
I know. Thinking like this won't change a thing. Having a heart won't help.
It just muddies the mind. And on the battlefield, overthinkers die first.
Losing people is par for the course in war. Someday, my job will be reducing those losses to paperwork and numbers.
If I can't go numb to it, I'll never handle that role. I have to adapt.
That's what scares me more. That one day I'll adapt too well. Start judging lives by numbers alone.
"Can't see the enemy anymore. Looks like we shook them off."
Purruk!—
Soldiers and horses alike panted heavily in the heat, scanning the surroundings.
In the meantime, I pulled out the map to prepare for the next move.
"By now, Erwin should be hitting this road."
"The enemy's no fools—they'll have defenses up. You think it'll be okay?"
"It'll be fine. It's our company commander, after all."
Who else can I trust if not Erwin? His skills are the best in the imperial army right now.
Even my brother or father would struggle to match that performance.
Of course. Our Erwin's the protagonist, after all. Rocking those cheat buffs?
"Time for us to move out too. Head to the rally point, rotate fresh troops, swap horses. We still good on water?"
"We're mobile—no worries there. But..."
Why the pause all of a sudden? You're making me anxious. Spit it out already.
"Truth is, we haven't had any contact with Lady Ariete—no, Adjutant Ariete's group since earlier. None of the soldiers from over there are showing up either..."
The battlefield, that hell itself. Of course nothing went smoothly.