Chapter 32

The battle ended blandly.

Compared to the effort put into planning and deploying troops, it was disappointingly anticlimactic.

“Sir, the casualty count has been completed.”

“How many died?”

“About 800. That’s quite a small number considering the scale of the battle.”

“So, we lost roughly a battalion? If we took out a legion in return… that’s a profitable deal.”

The central army, not the existing left wing, had faced the Imperial Forces on the plains. We borrowed flags to disguise ourselves.

This was a precaution because the existing units were too unreliable to lead the vanguard.

Their combat ability was decent, but their stamina had deteriorated from being on the front lines for too long.

The vanguard’s role is to endure the enemy’s frontal assault and keep drawing aggro.

If they couldn’t hold and the formation collapsed, it would be a disaster, right?

It’s best to minimize risks before starting a war.

‘We’ll have the existing left wing accompany the main force.’

While the central army showcased the power of the line infantry, our main force hid in the hills, lying in wait.

Can 20,000 people hide together?

Surprisingly, yes.

On the battlefield, visibility is quite limited, so even low obstacles can obscure vision.

Plus, the snowy plains reduced visibility, making camouflage easier.

When all enemy attention was focused on the vanguard and they had no capacity to watch their flanks, the main force finally moved. Straight toward the exposed flank of the Imperial Forces.

‘Bypassing the enemy concentrated at the front to strike from another angle. A classic pincer maneuver.’

In this medieval fantasy world, battles are fought in formations. Units must stick together tightly to fight as one.

But what’s the common feature of all formations? Except for the front, everything else is a weak point. The tactic is specialized for frontal assaults, so the rest is left to allies and abandoned.

If you don’t get it, think of tanks in World of Tanks or War Thunder. They can withstand frontal attacks, but a side hit makes them go boom. Formations are similar.

We ambushed these guys under the best conditions, so the result?

Simple. They melted away as fast as the speediest monarch’s retreat.

“We have more prisoners than the original left wing. Just keeping them locked up will be a hassle.”

“Better than losing. We’ll resolve it soon with prisoner exchange negotiations. Just hold them until then.”

In about three to four hours of battle, we killed around 3,000 enemies and captured a whopping 15,000.

Some escaped, but… whatever, we can ignore them. The snowy plains are not kind to isolated stragglers.

Half will probably freeze to death before they make it a kilometer. The other half will turn into popsicles after another 5 kilometers.

“So, what do you think? My way was right, wasn’t it?”

“…Yes. I didn’t expect you to be right, sir. None of us believed it.”

“It’s okay, guys. It’s the first tactic I developed, after all.”

Oh, by the way, I personally commanded the vanguard this time.

It was the first time deploying line infantry in actual combat, so meticulous management was necessary.

With traditional spear and musket troops, placement considering each type’s strengths and weaknesses is essential.

But line infantry is made up solely of shooters. Just line them up by unit, and it’s enough.

However, since I was the only one who knew that, I had to command on the front lines.

If I left it to those who only knew formation tactics, what could they possibly do right?

‘They were about to curse me out, weren’t they?’

The opposition was intense, and it was a lot of work.

With no time to persuade, I had to push through with authority and force.

Even as we set out, they all had unconvinced faces, but in the end, it turned out like this.

The battle’s outcome proved I was the pioneer. The emotional residue from forcing my way was also resolved.

“Do you now have a rough idea of how to handle the new formation?”

“I understand. But to put it into practice, I’ll need time to study.”

“Take your time learning. There will come a day when you’ll have to command directly.”

Though they were unfamiliar with the new tactic and showed resistance, they’re capable guys.

If told, they’ll learn and even delve into advanced studies on their own.

Honestly, that’s no easy task. Adapting to and accepting a completely new era’s meta?

Even on 21st-century Earth, many couldn’t do it. Especially my old battalion commander.

In his mid-40s, he still didn’t know what a logistics officer did. Damn it.

I got so fed up with cleaning up after his messes and calming down the pissed-off logistics officer that I left the service.

A month after I left, he probably got chewed out by the division commander for messing up all the settlement documents.

“With the enemy’s right wing subdued, next is the center. I’ll give you two days to rest and reorganize the troops.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Leave one regiment of the left wing to build a temporary prison. The rest will move with us.”

“Where to? The enemy is gone now.”

“Gone? They’re still swarming in the east.”

Anyway.

With a large number of prisoners and the numerical disadvantage reversed, our course was clear.

If we achieved victory with a tactical pincer, now we needed to create a pincer across the entire front.

* * * * *

And in the end.

My calculations were half right. Well, 73% to be exact.

“The Imperial Forces are showing their tempting butts! Everyone, run and kick them!”

“Don’t hesitate, attack! It’ll take them forever to change their formation direction! Push now, and we can crush them one-sidedly!”

“What the hell are these guys?! When did they get behind us—”

Smashing the Imperial Forces’ central camp went smoothly.

The harsh natural environment meant news of the right wing’s collapse hadn’t reached them. They weren’t guarding at all.

So, we simply smacked the back of their heads like it was training.

The problem was what came next.

We succeeded in breaking through but failed to achieve the goal of annihilation. We allowed them to retreat.

“The Imperial Forces retreated? How many?”

“Not sure exactly. It was an organized retreat, not scattered stragglers… probably several thousand in total.”

“Annoying. We did well but botched the finish.”

Honestly, there were excuses.

With nearly 40,000 troops deployed, it was impossible to subdue them all at once.

Even with us attacking from front and back, some units managed to regroup and retreat.

No matter how excellent the line infantry and their combat power, this is an era without machine guns.

The killing power of battlefield muskets has its limits.

“Which direction did they go?”

“East. The Imperial fortress and defensive line must be on the opposite side.”

“…They went to fetch their allies.”

The retreat path made their intentions clear.

Sure enough, contacting our right wing revealed the opposing forces had all withdrawn.

With the situation turning unfavorable, they gathered what troops they could and holed up in the rear.

“Shouldn’t we continue the offensive?”

“Crossing the snowy plains without knowing the way? Relying on a few captured maps and prisoner testimonies? Don’t fantasize.”

“…My apologies.”

Pushing forward with momentum would be best, but unfortunately, that option was blocked.

The northern front’s battlefield had always been within the kingdom’s territory.

To counterattack, we’d have to cross into Imperial land, but we lacked information about that area.

Before the war, there was virtually no human exchange with that region.

Where are the rivers? How many mountains? Nearby cities or villages? What we don’t know far outweighs what we do.

An expedition would be difficult, and establishing supply lines even more so.

Rushing into an offensive on the spot would likely result in everyone turning into popsicles or jerky.

“Did they set up solid defenses like us?”

“If their commander had any sense, surely.”

“Not good. We’ll have to stop the battle here.”

Of course, given enough time, we could pioneer a path… but there’s no compelling reason to. The cost-benefit isn’t there.

The cash-strapped kingdom government wouldn’t support the budget required.

“Let’s change plans. We’ll halt the northern front here and focus on maintaining the status quo.”

“Without finishing it?”

“Yes. The Imperial Forces won’t counterattack for a while anyway.”

Thus, I chose to halt the operation.

Though the finish was sloppy, we shattered and captured tens of thousands of enemy troops. That’s more than half of their northern army neutralized.

It’ll take them ages to recover their strength.

We were just short on troops, so sending part of the central army solved it, but they’re not like us, right?

Investigating the defeat’s responsibility and reshuffling personnel will take months at least.

At least during that time, we won’t have to worry about anything happening on the northern front.

“Mauer, I’ll give you 5,000. Use them to reinforce the defensive line and focus on vigilance. Can you handle it?”

“Leave it to me.”

“The remaining 14,000 central troops (1,000 died in battle) will head west. Since we’re out here, it’d be a waste to go back now.”

Instead, my gaze turned westward.

Toward the battlefield where hundreds of thousands of troops from both sides are still clashing.

“We depart in a week. Each unit should reorganize and prepare for the march.”

* * * * *

…I didn’t know it then.

The shocking truth we would face there.