Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Extra Strategist's Royal Road
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After the meeting ended, Banningss came rushing over to me in a fuss.
“Hey, Als! Is it true about you? They say you got promoted five ranks!”
“Yeah, that’s how it turned out. Looks like I’m a battalion commander of infantry from now on.”
“Seriously!? Being an infantry battalion commander is a huge deal. Unless you’re from a high noble family, it takes at least ten years to climb that high.”
“Really?”
“That’s what they say! Even commoner soldiers take thirty years to get there. You know that, right?”
Noble-born cadets generally start at the rank of junior officer. Thanks to that, my five-rank promotion shot me up to a pretty high position.
Banningss sighed enviously.
“Phew…! I wish some big shot would fall off his horse and roll my way somewhere.”
“Then maybe an opportunity will come up soon.”
“Opportunity?”
“You see it over there, don’t you?”
A key officer was explaining the army’s march to the other officers.
Banningss watched for a moment, and his face turned pale.
“W-what? A march? With the entire force for a full-scale battle…?”
“Grab that opportunity well.”
“W-wait! Als, more importantly, I have something to tell you.”
“…?”
“Dorothy wants to thank you. Go see her when you have time.”
“Got it. I’ll definitely visit later.”
I decided to let it slide since I had no intention of going out of my way anyway.
When I returned to the barracks like that, I came face-to-face with my new unit.
General Dunan must have quietly pulled some strings, because the new additions were all familiar faces.
“Tch, who would’ve thought I’d end up under your command.”
Wade was the infantry battalion commander Felix, who had helped me in the Pollick battle where he first made his name known. He had joined my unit leading over a thousand heavy infantry.
And beside him was a female officer named Stina. I heard she was Purji’s classmate and lover.
“Nice to meet you. You must be Als. I’ve heard a lot about you from Purji and Yulia. Yulia wasn’t exaggerating when she said you’re someone you can’t forget once you see. I almost stared blankly myself for a moment.”
“Y-yeah….”
Having a female officer in a combat unit was extremely rare, so she must not have managed her expression for a second.
Stina gave a wry smile as she spoke.
“Don’t think it’s strange. I’m just commanding the territory soldiers I brought to this war. Normally, I work as a training officer for female cadets. So I plan to leave actual combat command to Purji.”
“I see. Welcome aboard.”
The number of soldiers she brought alone was three thousand.
Considering her family was a barony, that was quite a lot. After all, we had only brought five hundred private soldiers ourselves.
These were the soldiers entering our camp, organizing their gear.
This was the moment my unit reached five thousand strong.
“Purji, can you set up the basic command structure? I don’t think the soldiers will listen to me nicely.”
I was already the talk of the camp as the flashy promoted lightning-fast cadet.
Purji nodded but let out a deep sigh.
“It took me five years to go from regular officer to infantry platoon commander…. And you’re an infantry battalion commander in a week….”
He seemed utterly deflated.
While Purji was organizing the unit like that, Gaspar returned from scouting toward the Elron Plains.
I had sent him to the adjacent battlefield instead of scouting the Toonkai formation, to avoid stirring up unnecessary confusion.
“How’s the Elron Plains?”
“An eerie atmosphere is hanging over it. Makes sense since Kaien and Jemuto are facing off. But it doesn’t look like battle will break out right away. They seem to be watching this side too.”
“They’re deciding their course of action based on the battle results here, huh.”
“Probably. But why’s it so noisy? Don’t tell me we’re marching?”
“That’s exactly it.”
When I explained the situation, Gaspar made a bitter face.
“Hmm. Doesn’t sit well with me.”
“What do you mean?”
“This classic bait tactic. It’s something bandits often use. Kidnap a hostage to make the enemy desperate, then lure them into a trap.”
“You think so too? But they won’t fall for a trap that easily.”
“Kehat, don’t underestimate bandits. They may be clueless about military tactics, but no one’s better at throwing opponents into panic.”
“Hm…. Gaspar. Keep watching the Elron Plains side.”
“Leave it to me.”
If Svenner formed a guerrilla unit and launched a surprise attack to support Toonkai, we could face a major crisis.
‘Evil Brain Jemuto, was it?’
In the game, he was just a name with no appearances or feats.
‘A character of this caliber can’t be insignificant, so he must have been involved in the updated story.’
He was on par with that Juras guy. No way he’s just an extra.
I had a gut feeling he’d taken some measures here in the Glarun Mountains too.
*
*
*
Meanwhile, at Toonkai’s formation facing the Caliper army.
Commander Kraus Faulkner was trembling with rage.
“What did you just say!? Not only did you fail to kidnap the target, but Kallehan got done in too!? The only one in the enemy camp who could kill Kallehan is Dunan! Did Dunan show up there or something!?”
“T-that’s…. Sub-leader Kallehan fell off his horse and was killed by an enemy soldier….”
“You call that an excuse!? Kallehan taken out by a single grunt!?”
“But it’s the truth!”
“Shut up!”
Thwack! Kraus kicked the reporting soldier in the head. With his hard military boots, the soldier rolled his eyes back and fainted.
“Damn it! This throws the whole plan off!”
He had planned to make the Caliper army attack with this one blow. Kidnapping the enemy general’s son was meant to drive the nail in.
If Caliper chose to sit tight, Toonkai would have just sacrificed its cavalry for nothing.
“Goddamn it!”
Unable to hide his anger, Kraus threw himself into his heavy chair. At that moment, laughter erupted from beside him.
“Hahaha, where’d that bold promise to show a changed man go, Kraus?”
It was a middle-aged man in exotic attire.
Behind him stood a sharp-faced man in similar clothes, and every soldier in the tent except Kraus was eyeing him in fear.
“It’s too early to call the operation a failure, Grandis.”
“Hm, then there was no need to vent your rage by striking your subordinate, was there?”
“That was….”
Kraus was cursing inwardly.
‘Damn Svenner bastards. Of all things, bringing in western tribes….’
These were people from the western tribes that the Svenner Kingdom had newly allied with.
Kraus, originally from that region, had known this man Grandis for a while.
As pursuers and bandits, that is.
Kraus had been defeated by Grandis before and chased to the continent.
“How about I help? Why else would the Evil Brain send me here in secret?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll decline.”
Even though he’d lost before, Kraus didn’t think he was inferior to this man.
‘All show and no substance, acting cocky…. At least the real western powers haven’t stepped forward yet.’
If they did, Kraus’s position would be awkward. To the western tribes, he was a traitor.
That’s why he was grinding his teeth, determined to lead this war to victory.
‘If the cavalry bait failed, just switch to a more vicious method.’
Just like that woman—his mentor who taught him war and now one of the western tribe leaders.
‘I need to change the plan.’
But then.
“Boss! The enemies are charging!”
“Is that true!?”
“It’s true!”
“They’re really coming at us? Good, you bastards, move out!”
Dunan’s an idiot. Dunan’s an idiot! Kraus shouted in glee and gave the signal to launch the prepared plan.
As dawn broke, the Caliper army of 65,000 began its advance.
Their first target was a watchtower in neutral territory, which they smashed.
Rooooar!!
Whether something cursed was piled in that damned watchtower, the soldiers spontaneously cheered as it collapsed without orders.
Chief of Staff Geitz smiled at the sight.
“General. Seems like good morale boost.”
“Yes, just as you said.”
Starting with smashing the watchtower, the Caliper army began infiltrating the enemy camp in earnest.
Their target was the rearmost of Toonkai’s six main camps.
Attacking from the end would drag the enemy out like sausages for piecemeal defeat.
“General. Enemy sighted.”
“Good. Time to pay them back! Follow me!”
Dunan personally took the vanguard, commanding 10,000 elite troops.
“Raaah!”
Kwang! Astonishing force slicing three enemy soldiers in one strike.
Though he didn’t appear in the game, if he had, he’d be rated 95 in force—a fierce general stronger than Eonia or Ymir, on par with Iliya.
He especially shone in such melee situations.
A general who read the battlefield’s flow with animal instinct—and that’s why Dunan soon sensed a sticky foreboding.
“The air’s changed suddenly…?”
It wasn’t this battlefield’s air that changed. Ominous currents suddenly blew from the surrounding directions, enveloping the field.
Dunan quickly returned to Chief of Staff Geitz to check.
Geitz was in a panic.
“How did they set up such an ambush…!”
Ten ambush forces surrounding the Caliper army from all sides, tightening the noose.
“It wasn’t six main camps!?”
In other words, including this one, Toonkai’s formations numbered eleven.
Geitz was shocked at the false intel from the start, and chilled at their swift, simultaneous approach.
“General! Enemies approaching from all sides!”
The Ten Sides Ambush—a famous ambush tactic used by Han’s Han Xin and Wei’s Zheng Wuk.
Ten armies striking from all directions to annihilate in one go.
“Splendid.”
Dunan praised the swift ambush.
Unlike Geitz, he hadn’t underestimated Kraus from the start.
‘To pull off such a perfect ambush. The rumors of a bandit rivaling the Ten Heroes weren’t empty. But…!’
This was exactly the battlefield Dunan wanted.
“Don’t panic! Everyone, form up and intercept the enemies!”
The Caliper army was condensing power at the center, preparing to counter the encircling foes.
Though surrounded, Caliper had more numbers.
Plus, this forested terrain made encirclement gains ambiguous.
If they held firm, Caliper could win.
‘Now it’s my time. I’ll smash you, Kraus Faulkner…!’
Dunan of chaos.
He was confident he could turn this messy battle to victory.
That’s why he insisted on pushing despite Als’s worries about the ambush.
In the end, Dunan had chosen to win the war too, but….
“Ha! Idiot.”
Kraus grinned slyly and signaled.
“Now…! Do it!”
Then, an anomaly struck the Caliper army’s center.
Swish! Toonkai soldiers hidden in pre-dug tunnels emerged stealthily and whoosh! ignited prepared incendiaries all at once.
“Wha…!?”
A massive blaze erupted from the formation’s center.
The Glarun Mountains were humid by nature, and with spring’s moist leaves and branches, fire wouldn’t spread fast—but dried petals on the ground acted as kindling, igniting rapidly.
“G-General! Fire…!”
“…!”
Dunan was speechless.
Fire in the formation’s center.
This nullified his plan to condense power against the ambush.
‘Me, played in the palm of his hand…?’
Such a meticulous scheme meant they knew exactly where and when he’d attack.
“Damn it! Extinguish it quickly!”
Geitz ordered firefighting in Dunan’s stead, but as flames climbed trees and branches, it was impossible.
“This is the end, Caliper’s darlings. Time for total annihilation!”
With Ten Sides Ambush complete encirclement, Caliper had no escape.
Fire inside, surrounded outside.
Kraus moved to finish the annihilation, but boom! A crack sounded from the rear.
“…What?”
Chaos in the northern battlefield.
Soon, a subordinate rushed up shouting.
“Boss! Sub-leader Jagartan’s unit defeated! It’s been breached!”
“What!?”
The encirclement broken so fast?
Now Kraus was speechless.
“N-no! The retreat can’t open this quick! Block it now!”
Kraus pulled troops from both flank ambushes to plug the gap, but those reinforcements were routed by Als’s unit.
A massive hole tore through the Ten Sides Ambush.