Chapter 132

Sure, here is the translated text:

As expected, the commanders, excluding me, started shouting and forgetting their dignity upon hearing those words.

“When marching, it’s common for one out of ten to desert, so I was worried that morale would drop… But twenty percent… Duke Architel must be foaming at the mouth right now!”

“Ho ho, Count Walt… What do you mean by foaming at the mouth? Just say he collapsed holding his neck.”

“This war has been won before it even started. Your Excellency, how about we give the soldiers plenty of alcohol and meat to celebrate our victory in advance?”

It’s only natural for the commanders to speak like this.

In normal times, it’s common for one out of ten soldiers to desert the army, so Duke Architel, of course, thinks little of it, as do the nobles and soldiers under him.

But when that ratio doubles, thoughts like this arise in the minds of the soldiers and nobles.

Our commander is incompetent, causing soldiers to desert by twenty percent. Should we really trust such a commander to continue this war?

Once such thoughts begin to arise, the soldiers gradually feel a sense of doubt regarding the war for which they must risk their lives…

Soldiers with such feelings tremble with fear merely at the sight of the enemy wielding their spears or arrows flying in from beyond their range.

Yet, Duke Architel cannot possibly be unaware of such thoughts.

So I silenced the commanders and struck the makeshift desk with my fist to re-establish a sense of tension among them.

“Quiet! Duke Architel is a knight of reversals. There’s no way he wouldn’t be able to respond to such a minor issue. Surely… he will play some trick. If it were me…”

The commanders began to look at me with anticipation as to what I would say.

Let’s see, if I were to find myself in a situation similar to Duke Architel…

First, I would send out those with relatively high morale and good fighting skills to show the enemy soldiers that we are not losing.

The enemy conscripts would then think this.

“Oh, although two out of our ten soldiers have deserted… this is still worth a shot. The Duke obviously has a plan!”

Then, I would use the vanguard to push the soldiers forward to bring about a tight fight…

“If it were me, I would send out the elite troops first to engage the enemy infantry, then use the vanguard to inform them that we are fighting fiercely. This will likely lead the Architel’s conscripts to believe this battle is worth fighting…”

At that moment, a captain opposed me, saying, “But Duke Architel only has the finest knights and lacks a strong infantry, right? Meanwhile, our infantry is considered the best in Europe. So isn’t that something we don’t need to worry about?”

That fellow is probably Count Beerman’s son? He’s been commissioned for about three years…

Yet even so, his vision is so narrow. When the military academy is formed, he needs to be enrolled and thoroughly retrained…

I was so incredulous at his words that I looked at him with disdain and replied.

“Indeed, Duke Architel’s army is known for its strong knights compared to its weak infantry. However, Duke Architel has received a vast amount of support from the Emperor of Franche and the nobles in exchange for war compensation. If it were me, I would use that money to hire mercenaries to fill the gaps in the infantry. Lieutenant Short, do you have any information about the enemy’s troop composition?”

I also hadn’t heard about the enemy’s composition or number yet, but surely they would have assigned a mercenary infantry capable of confronting us.

This is because, if they did not, it could lead to a situation where our knights confront the enemy knights while our infantry is shattered and we face threats to our main force.

After a moment, Short received a report from the soldier outside the tent and began reading.

“It’s not certain, but… the enemy’s forces are estimated to be around thirty thousand. Among them, the knights are expected to be around six thousand.”

No matter how economically prosperous Duke Architel is… the number of knights belonging to his territories should be below four thousand…

Surely he must have procured armor and weapons with the money borrowed from the Emperor and nobles of Franche, then supported capable impoverished individuals to increase the number of knights.

Damn, even if we include the men-at-arms, we only brought three thousand heavy cavalry.

If we can’t properly use the matchlock rifles, our chances of losing are significant.

“Also, the Black Eagle Mercenary Corps is fighting under Duke Architel. Their number is approximately three thousand.”

The famous Black Eagle Mercenary Corps, known for having elite infantry, is three thousand…

If they take the vanguard in infantry combat, it will become difficult for our infantry to maintain overwhelming superiority.

In that scenario, if the enemy knights manage to repel our knights and then charge at the infantry with that momentum…

Our soldiers, who are facing both infantry and knights simultaneously, would undoubtedly suffer massive casualties and could be defeated.

However, that’s a tale for when I haven’t prepared the matchlock rifles, and I already have a plan to completely annihilate them.

The commanders who have been with me for a long time seem to believe that I have a strategy in mind, even though they do not fully understand the true power of the matchlock rifles…

They simply look at me with eyes that say whatever Count may use, he will surely find a solution.

And to meet their expectations, I made an exaggerated chuckle and said, “Indeed, this is a strategy befitting a hero of reversals. To think he would come to fight me, a mere rookie, doing his utmost… Such an honorable treatment is indeed a glory for his lineage. However, if we have received such generous treatment, shouldn’t we repay the enemy even more?”

The commanders stood up and replied to my words.

“Absolutely!”

“We must repay Duke Architel more generously!”

Shortly after, a lieutenant entered with a board about the size of a bulletin board that had white paper on it for me to use.

I began to draw my conceived strategy in an easy-to-understand manner and said, “First, we will place Colonel Samuel’s matchlock regiment at the very forefront of the infantry. Then, when the enemy infantry approaches, we will unleash continuous volleys with the matchlocks to break the momentum of their vanguard.”

Next, I continued explaining as I drew a line indicating the direction the infantry would advance.

“When the enemy’s momentum breaks, the matchlock regiment will move back through the gaps created by the pikemen, and the pikemen will all charge at the enemy infantry. Then…”

I drew a triangle to symbolize the enemy knights slightly to the left, a small distance away from the infantry, and then drew an identical shape symmetrically across from it and said.

“The enemy will, thinking our knights won’t engage, first try to flank our infantry that is struggling hard against the enemy infantry to save themselves. To prevent this, you and I will lead three thousand knights in a charge against their six thousand knights.”

At that, the expressions of the knights stiffened, and Baron Frost, who was sitting right next to me, stood up and shouted.

“Your Excellency! Our knights are indeed elite enough, but their knights are the finest! Especially Duke Architel… It’s said he once defeated three thousand enemy knights with a thousand of his knights! Can we truly face such a Duke in a situation where we are outnumbered…”

He could no longer continue, but everyone present knew the words that would follow.

Yes, it meant that we would lose.

I patted his shoulder and said, “That’s right, our knights will be defeated, and a great deal of blue blood will flow into the earth. However, what we need is an overwhelming victory like when we fought Duke Maxburg. To achieve this, we must be ready to face death, whether it be red blood or blue blood.”

“Y-yes…”

“Now, let me continue explaining the operation. We will initially feign defeat during the lance charge, then disrupt the formation, skirting past our own infantry’s pike line. The enemy will surely think it’s possible to annihilate our knights here, believing they can achieve an overturn victory against their failing infantry, and will chase us.”

Then, I struck the board with my baton and made a ‘bang’ sound with my mouth, declaring, “And as the enemy skims past our infantry pike line, the matchlock regiment, having anticipated their passing… will fire in unison, directing their shots at the enemy’s flanks.”

At that moment, the horses targeted by synchronized fire will be overwhelmed by the sounds of the matchlocks being fired, the smoke, and the sight of countless other horses dying tragically, leaving them unable to move.

No, most of the horses will throw off their riders and panic, and if we’re lucky, we might see knights and frightened horses attacking their own riders in chaos.

So, if we seize that opportunity, we can deliver an immense volume of gunfire upon them.

“Soon, the matchlock regiment will signal that it’s difficult to fire, and upon receiving that signal, we will charge in a diagonal line from the enemy’s vanguard to their rear. By then, the enemy knights will surely suffer nearly catastrophic losses. Does anyone have a different opinion?”

The commanders, upon hearing my words, were left without any further opinions to present.

“Also, since there is a very high possibility that Duke Architel will be on guard against this new equipment known as matchlock rifles… I will be relieving Colonel Samuel of his command right now to lower his guard. Instead, I will temporarily promote Captain Frost to Lieutenant Colonel to serve as his commander.”

At those words, Colonel Samuel looked utterly baffled.

“Your Excellency, no matter what…”

“Do you know how to use a matchlock rifle?”

“I know how to shoot, but I…”

“You’re now a Lieutenant Colonel. Well, I have a separate mission for you. Pretend to have grievances against me, and send letters to the nobles in the enemy’s rear base using vassals instead of soldiers under your command. Make it appear that you’re colluding with them. You’re free to reveal all military secrets except those concerning the matchlock rifles, so make sure to handle it well.”

After that, I left the military tent, saying, “This meeting is adjourned. We have to move to the Waine Plains on foot in seven days, so everyone should rest well.”