Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Betrayed Marshal Betrays
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"The general is dead! Retreat!"
"...Retreat?"
The kingdom army's vanguard was retreating in haste, while the follow-up units that hadn't yet received the order continued to advance, causing chaos. With even Gaston, who might have reined in the disorder, now gone, the army quickly lost control and fragmented.
"Kill them!"
"Argh..."
"Aaaagh!"
Friedrich's Second Army, bolstered by the arrival of reinforcements and riding high on momentum, unleashed a ferocious assault on the utterly crumbling kingdom forces.
"Surrender! Drop your weapons, and we won't harm you!"
"Drop your weapons!"
Clang!
"I-I dropped it!"
"I surrender!"
"Ugh... spare me!"
Victor's flanking reinforcements aggressively urged surrender from enemies who hesitated to resist.
As an atmosphere of fleeing or surrendering took hold, especially among the green recruits, the conscript-heavy rank and file easily got swept up in it.
"Stay together! Rally as tightly as possible and retreat!"
The kingdom officers desperately tried to regroup their troops, but the soldiers, already plunged into chaos by the death of their commander Gaston, ignored their orders.
"Eighth Company! Rally here!"
Piiip! Piiiip!
Officers screamed themselves hoarse, blew their whistles for all they were worth, and waved their flags frantically, but it wasn't enough to control soldiers consumed by terror.
"Ugh!"
"I wanna live, I wanna live!"
"Stop! Enough... argh!"
Officers trying to block the disorderly retreat were even swept away by their own men. Despite having twice the numbers, the kingdom army couldn't mount any proper resistance.
"...What? Enemy reinforcements?"
"Yes! General Gaston is dead, and the main force has been routed!"
"Hah. If the main body's already collapsed, we don't stand a chance. We're retreating too!"
Gerard Leo, leading the kingdom cavalry locked in combat with the imperial Second Army's cavalry, decided to withdraw upon hearing the main force had collapsed.
"Waaaaah!"
"Glory to the Empire!"
In response, the Second Army's cavalry joined the fray despite reduced strength, striking the kingdom army's flanks and rear alongside the First Army cavalry under Victor's command.
"We're under attack from the rear too...?"
"Haa..."
"Resistance... is pointless. Prepare the white flag."
The kingdom army, stripped of fighting spirit, laid down their arms and surrendered. Only a portion at the rear, able to retreat quickly, managed to escape the battlefield intact.
The imperial forces pursued the kingdom troops fleeing at the limits of their endurance.
That evening, Gerhard arrived in haste upon hearing of the Second Army's clash with Gaston's kingdom forces, only to be greeted by the sight of them already finished with the battle and cleaning up the field.
"...Another battle broke out, and you won again?"
"Yes, sir."
One of the Eighth Legion's officers approached the stunned Gerhard and explained the full sequence of events.
"Legion Commander Friedrich! Didn't I order you to prepare for retreat in advance and pull back immediately if the First Army couldn't join even after the enemy moved?!"
After hearing the explanation, Gerhard assembled the officers and grilled Friedrich for his reckless baiting maneuver.
Though the Second Army was tasked with luring the enemy, Friedrich's approach had been far more audacious than planned.
"And deciding to counterattack upon seeing the reinforcements sent to aid your retreat! One slip-up, and the Second Army would've been annihilated!"
Gerhard was also displeased with Friedrich's decision to launch the counteroffensive.
Gerhard's main body had marched at maximum speed but arrived at the battle site only near evening, with everyone utterly exhausted. In that state, fighting would've been impossible, so Gerhard viewed Friedrich's counterattack as overly hasty.
"...I thought the main body had arrived."
"What?"
Friedrich replied to Gerhard with a hint of grievance.
"The message we received said cavalry reinforcements would arrive first, with infantry joining later."
"Hm."
"But the reinforcements that showed up were about 2,000 cavalry and several thousand infantry. So I assumed the main body's infantry had arrived too. The enemy's confusion was plain as day, so I launched the attack."
"Infantry?"
"I'll explain."
Victor, who had been listening to Friedrich's defense nearby, spoke up.
"I led 5,000 cavalry to the scene, but the kingdom army was charging after the imperials on a roll. The gap was a mere few hundred meters."
"Hmm."
"They'd fought the day before and ridden for hours already, so jumping straight into combat wasn't feasible. Their pace was slow, and to spare the horses, we weren't even in full barding. I worried the enemy might spot that we were just a hasty scratch force."
"..."
Gerhard listened silently to Victor.
"So I sent the 2,000 freshest horses to pressure them, had the rest dismount, and raised your banner to trick them into thinking it was infantry from the main body."
"...An impromptu ploy?"
"Yes. It was just to delay their advance, so I sent a messenger to Legion Commander Friedrich too. But almost as soon as our 'infantry' appeared, his forces attacked."
"Is that true?"
"Yes. Seeing the enemy vanguard suddenly turn tail felt like an opportunity too good to pass up, so I ordered the assault."
Friedrich readily admitted it.
He felt confident his judgment at the time had been sound.
"His attack deepened the enemy's chaos. Amid that, someone who seemed to be their commander was trying to control them from the front, directing the troops. I dispatched cavalry to take him out, and that's when the real battle kicked off."
"Correct. Killing their commander, Gaston Chartier, was the turning point."
"..."
Gerhard felt a headache coming on as he heard Victor and Friedrich out.
He knew Friedrich often employed bold strategies, but Victor was no slouch either.
Victor's audacity in feinting infantry by forgoing their cavalry advantage and targeting the enemy's commander amid a numerically superior foe was beyond Gerhard's imagination.
And that it was all spur-of-the-moment decisions made it all the more astonishing.
"So, the enemy and our own forces both fell for Legion Commander Victor's ruse. Something like that? And conveniently, the kingdom army exposed a weakness, which Victor exploited immediately?"
"...Yes."
Gerhard mulled over Victor's words, deep in thought.
"What are our casualties?"
He took a seat and asked the officers for the damage report.
The battle had happened; what mattered now was the outcome.
"Eighth Legion: 1,328 dead, 3,312 wounded."
"First Army reinforcements: 389 dead, 1,642 wounded."
As Gerhard expected—fighting more than twice their number—the imperial losses exceeded 40%.
"...And the enemy?"
"Casualties around 8,000. Prisoners about 13,000. More scattered, but we halted pursuit as our troops hit their limits."
"..."
Unlike his expectations, the kingdom army's losses were far heavier.
Imperials: 15,000 engaged, 6,671 losses. Kingdom: 35,000 engaged, confirmed losses nearly 18,000.
Accounting for the numbers, it rivaled the previous day's overwhelming victory.
"...With so many prisoners, further combat's off the table. What's the enemy situation toward Triel?"
Instead of praising or marveling, Gerhard inquired about the enemy heading to Triel.
Until moments ago, he'd questioned Friedrich and Victor's actions.
As commander, openly lauding the victory in front of all officers might encourage dangerous independent decisions.
"No movement yet, but they'll likely retreat once word of this defeat spreads."
"We'll clean up the field, then fall back to Roselle to regroup. Keep tabs on the retreating enemy."
"Understood."
After issuing detailed orders, Gerhard continued,
"Everyone, thank you for fighting well. Rewards will come after we reach Roselle. Legion Commanders Victor and Friedrich, stay. The rest of you, dismissed."
"...Yes, sir."
He cleared the room of all officers except those who'd commanded the battle.
"You know why I kept just you two."
"Yes."
"Yes."
Gerhard first turned to Friedrich.
Friedrich gripped his hands, as if expecting this, and replied.
"Legion Commander Friedrich. I've seen your boldness pay off many times, but today it was a bit much."
"..."
"The kingdom army wasn't fully prepared to attack—that's why it worked. Your lure could've been nipped at any moment. And the follow-up attack was rash too. With 35,000 enemies, if they'd collected themselves even late, we might've suffered a major defeat."
"...I'm sorry, sir."
Friedrich bowed his head at Gerhard's stern reprimand.
Though his decision led to victory, Gerhard inwardly approved of Friedrich owning his mistake without excuses, then turned to Victor.
"Legion Commander Victor."
"Yes."
"You know as well as I. If the enemy had been better prepared or seen through our bluff, things would've gone very differently. Three thousand cavalry and three thousand infantry carry different weight on the field."
"...Yes."
"I don't doubt your command ability, but you said they were exhausted troops. What was your plan if the enemy saw through it? If the commander's hit failed? If part of the enemy recovered and counterattacked?"
"..."
Victor bowed his head solemnly instead of answering.
"It was a dangerous engagement. We face the Brotan Kingdom with limited resources—preserving our strength matters more than inflicting heavy losses."
"Agreed."
"Be careful. These men volunteered to fight for the empire—they're not mere numbers one and two."
"...Understood."
Seeing Victor's fingertips tremble at those final words reassured Gerhard.
It showed Victor still carried the sacrifice of his troops to heart, despite two great victories.
Gerhard knew such virtue was rare in young officers.
Clap!
"Enough with the harsh words. My position makes it hard to praise you freely."
He lightened the mood with applause.
"That was Gerhard, commander of imperial forces on the Brotan Kingdom front. Now, speaking as the empire's old soldier, Gerhard Weisilt."
"...?"
He smiled at the legion commanders, surprised by the sudden shift.
"I wanted to say this in front of everyone, but I couldn't. Friedrich, Victor—well done. A historic triumph."
"Thank you, sir."
"Ah..."
He spoke to them in a softer tone.
"Your boldness, decisiveness, command, judgment—it's intimidating even for an old-timer like me to assess. If I'd been in your shoes, I couldn't have pulled off this victory."
"..."
"Don't take my earlier words too seriously. I've roamed battlefields for over forty years; retirement's not far. You'll lead the imperial army from here."
"General..."
Friedrich's eyes reddened.
"You've proven your abilities splendidly. Keep advancing by your own standards. ...You can do it. Please, take good care of the Dragonia Empire going forward."
Gerhard patted Victor and Friedrich on the shoulders,
"Good work today. Leave the wrap-up to me and rest. We'll discuss future plans after reaching Roselle."
Then he gathered his papers and left the meeting room.
"..."
Victor and Friedrich sat motionless for minutes after he left, lost in the afterglow.