Chapter 100
Chapter 100
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Sealed Orders
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sancho had set up camp atop a small hill on the outskirts of the Vitabeya Plains. He was now holding a meeting inside the command tent.
"As we saw in the Dronado Forest and Al Verdo Pass, the enemy excels at using scouts. There's no need to force our way into gathering intel. Prioritize preserving our forces."
"Understood."
Sancho revealed his wariness as he recalled the strength of the Red Dragon Legion.
Alejo, who had barely managed to retreat, remembered the fearsome prowess of the Red Dragon Legion's scouts firsthand and agreed with Sancho's orders.
The other officers from the Esperia Kingdom offered no objections whatsoever to Sancho's somewhat passive remarks.
"Count Gonzalez, sir. May I ask one thing?"
"Hm? Baron Blas."
Baron Alfredo Blas—who had been dispatched from the Paris Kingdom under the guise of mercenaries, with orders to push for aggressive combat—finally spoke up.
"Our current position is wide open on all sides. The enemy will spot us easily. Wouldn't it be better to hold position in the hilly terrain ahead? We could hide troops behind the hills or in the surrounding forests."
"...Honestly, I was wondering the same thing. If the goal is to make use of high-and-low terrain, aren't there several hills that would favor us more?"
"..."
Alfredo's point was utterly reasonable and grounded in common sense. Those who hadn't faced the Red Dragon Legion in battle nodded in agreement.
"As I told Baron Vanderas, we're critically short on scouting forces ourselves."
Sancho countered in a grave tone.
"...I don't follow. Since the enemy scouts will spot us anyway, are you saying we shouldn't bother hiding at all?"
The mercenaries had already swelled beyond the size of the kingdom army's main force, so Alfredo pressed on with confident sarcasm.
"Exactly."
"Pardon? No way... What?"
Sancho boldly affirmed Alfredo's jab at the Esperia Kingdom army's frailty.
"In the Dronado Forest and Al Verdo Pass, the enemy demonstrated overwhelming informational superiority. We didn't even notice their scouts slipping in. And that was on what we considered our strongest battlefield."
"..."
"By staying atop this open hill, at least the enemy won't get a one-sided grasp on our position."
It might have sounded dismissive, but it was merely psychological warfare. Even Alfredo knew Sancho was a capable general.
For such a general to openly admit his own shortcomings while highly evaluating the enemy...
"...That serious, is it?"
"The enemy moved as if they could read every one of our actions. It's not spies in our ranks. I believe it's because their scouts vastly outmatch our capabilities."
"..."
"To counter that, I've prepared a new command structure."
-Thud.
Sancho hefted the large box he'd kept nearby and placed it on the desk.
"What... is this?"
"Troops armed with guns are devastating when they form up in lines to fire. But scattered across multiple points, they're relatively vulnerable to cavalry charges. We hold the advantage in cavalry numbers as well, so our goal is chaotic melee combat leveraging cavalry mobility."
"That's true, but..."
He continued his explanation as he opened the box.
"...Pouches?"
"At Al Verdo Pass, even lightly equipped, we were always one step behind the heavily armored Red Dragon Legion. I don't see it as an issue of raw movement speed for the troops. It's about the timing of when they began moving."
"Timing?"
"Exactly. They moved at speeds that wouldn't be possible unless they were anticipating our strategy. That's why I prepared these."
The box was filled to the brim with cloth pouches, each marked with a distinct symbol.
Sancho picked up one pouch and pulled out its contents.
"I plan to distribute these to the regiment commanders and mercenary captains. The mark on the outside signifies the relevant situation, and inside I've written out my pre-thought responses."
"What in the world..."
"They'll head into battle following initial orders. Then, if one of the variables I mentioned crops up, they open the matching pouch and follow those instructions."
"..."
To deal with an enemy that reacted to their every move...
"I haven't finished them all since I can't predict every enemy action, but I've covered as many variables as possible and split the responses accordingly. The field officers will know best which pouch to open, so I'll leave it to them."
"...Heh."
"At the very least, this is faster than waiting for messengers to report intel to me and carry orders back out."
Sancho had unveiled a brutally straightforward strategy: predict every possible scenario in advance.
"...No place has more variables than a battlefield. You think that's feasible?"
"Who knows. But I think it's worth trying. And of course, I'm not saying I'll come up with every order myself. We'll draw on the wisdom of the other officers too."
The officers were utterly flummoxed. Alfredo immediately challenged its practicality.
"Sorry to put it this way, but it's absurd. We have to question whether field commanders—especially mercenary captains—have the judgment to pick the right ones. Interpreting and executing the orders correctly could be a challenge too."
"Hm."
"On top of that, large numbers of troops have to move in sync. If their judgments diverge, it'll cause massive chaos."
Sancho listened quietly to Alfredo's logical rebuttal, nodding along.
"Excellent points. I don't think this strategy is flawless either."
"Then..."
"But with our old methods, I can't see a path to victory against the enemy. I know it's not a perfect solution, but to slip past an foe that's predicting all our moves, don't we need something like this?"
"..."
Alfredo opened his mouth to argue further, but Sancho pressed on.
"Field errors could happen. The written strategies might be wrong. Even so, I believe it can let us keep pace with their speed—and maybe even get ahead in some cases. I trust our officers."
The officers' faces, filled with doubt and questions, gradually softened at Sancho's explanation, rooted in his faith in them.
"...Assessing the situation, picking the right pouch, and carrying out the orders... If even half our forces manage it properly right now, we'd call it heavenly luck."
"I'm not abandoning command. The point is, even if just one brigade executes successfully, that brigade moves beyond the enemy's predictions. That's where the value lies."
"..."
"...Isn't it possible?"
"Truth be told, we don't have much to lose. Your Excellency will have a hard time of it, but..."
"With this method..."
The officers began murmuring among themselves.
"...Understood. We'll trust you, Count Gonzalez."
"Thank you."
Even Alfredo, who had kept arguing, finally nodded.
---
The joint operation with the 5th Legion was creaking from the very start.
"...Sorry, sir, but the officers are putting up fierce resistance."
"What are they saying?"
"Some think you're trying to sideline them because you hate them. Others say it'd be better to advance independently."
"..."
Axel—who had taken the booklet outlining our tactics—returned with a disappointing report.
Were they getting cocky now that they had something to show for taking Al Cante? Or had their necks gone stiff because it seemed like I needed them?
The absurdity made my hand clench involuntarily.
"...We're facing superior enemy numbers. What do you mean 'sideline'? The enemy will hit our flanks and rear with cavalry, so I'm telling them to intermix with the Red Dragon Legion ahead of time and step up at the critical moment."
"I tried explaining that, but... I'm sorry."
"Hah... They don't want the front, don't want the rear, don't want joint advance... Just do whatever their officers want."
"..."
This continued even for troop dispositions upon encountering the enemy.
"...I heard they friendly-fired on our scouts."
"Well..."
"What the hell is wrong with them?"
In response to these small outbursts,
"The enemy holds the high ground, but our effective range is superior. Let's advance slowly together, staying alert for enemy cavalry raids."
"Yes, then..."
"No! We need to aggressively annihilate the enemy! The 5th Legion will attack the left side of the hill, so have the Red Dragon Legion hit the opposite flank!"
"...The enemy outnumbers us. Their cavalry is more than double ours. We need to hold formation and engage slowly."
"With that many enemy cavalry, we have even more reason to drive them off the hill! No matter how strong the Red Dragon Legion is, downhill cavalry charges are hard to stop!"
"Baron Shuh. Mind your words."
"...Yes. My opinion hasn't changed."
Even after arriving at the Vitabeya Plains and confirming the enemy, they remained uncooperative.
"...I'm sorry."
"..."
The overconfident 5th Legion kept trying to act independently. Deputy Legion Commander Axel failed to rein them in completely.
We'd dealt with worse back in the Ruth Kingdom, but after the exhausting work of fending off enemy raids all the way to the plains, the 5th Legion grated on me more than the immediate foe.
"Legion Commander, do we really need them?"
"...They're still allies."
"Allies have to help...! ...Sorry."
"I understand."
The Red Dragon Legion officers didn't look kindly on the 5th Legion, who had merely occupied empty land while we fought tooth and nail. They often came to vent their complaints to me.
"...Fine then. What strategy does Baron Shuh propose?"
"We'll advance with pikemen at the fore. The enemy..."
Still, we couldn't half-ass the battle.
In the end, I adjusted our strategy bit by bit to accommodate the 5th Legion's movements.
"The 5th Legion is moving!"
"Haa..."
Like a colt with the reins cut loose, the 5th Legion launched into independent action once more.
I'd sent a messenger to Axel, but no clear response came. Instead, I got the bizarre reply that even he didn't know what was going on.
"For now, let's move out ourselves."
To somehow make use of them, we plunged into battle without even time to patch up the discord.