Chapter 141: Operation To Attack Switzerland (4)
Thus, the Swiss expeditionary force advanced towards their respective assigned areas, and our 7th Division also began to slowly take over Ticino Canton, as ordered and moved forward.
What I could see now is beautiful Swiss scenery, like a landscape lifted straight out of a photograph.
To the right, tall trees stood densely, and to the left, mountains with their beautiful, snow-capped peaks continued endlessly, occasionally interrupted by mysterious, sky-blue lakes and clear streams flowing along the valleys.
Personally, if I ever get a long vacation, I would like to come here on a family trip with Laura and my yet-to-be-born baby. It was that beautiful.
Perhaps because of this, even the soldiers and officers started to relax and engage in small talk, their hearts were opened by the peaceful and serene beauty of the landscape.
Sergeant, when I earn enough money and discharge, I want to set up a newlywed home here with Maria.
Im discharging in two years too. Im thinking of bringing that damned woman, getting married, and taking her on the trip we never had. The waters clear, and the airs fresh.
The Swiss people living in such a place are truly enviable. Good air and beautiful mountains.
Two thoughts came to my mind when I heard that.
The first was that throughout history, whether in modern or medieval times, living in a place with beautiful mountains and clear water really meant enduring a lot of hardship.
Because good mountains meant inconvenient transportation, and for Europeans who mainly lived off farming, it meant terribly insufficient farmland, directly linked to the difficulty of making a living.
The second was that there was always a high likelihood of something happening whenever tension was relaxed like this.
Although, contrary to expectations, nothing might happen.
Wherever one goes or looks in Ticino Canton of the Swiss Confederation, there are often forests and rough terrains ideal for ambushing at least 100 troops.
Naturally, the Count of Ticino, who controlled such a place, would likely use the terrain for surprise operations to hold us back.
As I was lost in thought while riding my horse, Anya, who had taken on the role of adjutant in Lauras place, came up to me and asked,
Lieutenant General, are you worried about something? I will do my best to help you if I can.
To that, I responded with a serious expression,
No, its nothing significant. Just a lot on my mind.
Lieutenant General, you are both a benefactor and hero to me, Anastasia Kerzhit. So, I would be happy to answer any question, even if its personal.
Then, it might be a bit impolite, but may I ask you a question?
Instead of answering verbally, Anya nodded in agreement to my question.
The White Wolf Tribe often attacked Swedias merchant caravans, didnt they? Just like other northern tribes.
Asking Anya, a Lieutenant Colonel and a knight of the Empire, about her times with the northern barbarians could be a bit overstepping.
Especially since attacking a functioning merchant group was considered a crime in the Empire, even if it might not be among nomadic tribes.
Even though asking her about this might be a discourtesy,
Indeed, that was the case in the past. We had no choice if we wanted to survive.
I see. Then, based on your experience at that time, Id like you to answer my question.
Yes, Lieutenant General.
And after a moments hesitation, I asked,
It seems like the Count of Ticino in Switzerland might ambush our division. Based on your previous experience, do you think a surprise attack on our division could be successful?
About half and half. Lieutenant General, you are avoiding the rough paths and taking the less susceptible routes to ambushes. However, there are still places that look good for ambush.
If thats the case, the enemy would attempt an ambush when they think the 7th Division is relaxed enough to inflict significant damage.
Moreover, the fact that our division was allowed to relax and chatter during the march was a strategic decision, anticipating that there would only be one major battle in the Ticino Counts territory.
We were sending archers and scouts into the forests and mountains along our route to search as much as possible, but so far, there was no indication that the enemy had hidden a large force.
Thus, logically, there didnt seem to be an element of surprise in this situation yet, but, on the other hand, it was common knowledge that unforeseen variables always occurred on the battlefield.
Moreover, our Empire hadnt sent an army to Switzerland in nearly 200 years, so even if we sent scouts to gather detailed information, it was hard to identify all the shortcuts and ideal ambush spots known only to the people of the Swiss Confederation.
All these circumstances pointed to one thing.
Considering the nature of the Count of Ticino and our current situation, he will surely ambush our 7th Division in the coming days. We need to be prepared.
That was because I, too, had successfully ambushed from an entirely unexpected location when I was fighting on the Raintlant Front.
As a result, I once turned an entire division upside down with just about 100 soldiers.
Moreover, while no collective movements had been detected nearby, it seemed entirely possible for the Count of Ticino to ambush us if he so desired.
Additionally, the Swiss Confederation had a history of ambushing and completely defeating the Imperial Army in the Morgen Battle about 200 years ago.
Having tasted victory before, they would surely come to attack us again, without a doubt.
With this thought in mind, I called the messengers around me and issued an order.
Effective immediately, all knights are to dismount and don breastplates, greaves, and vambraces, and carry the halberds that the infantry use. In addition, soldiers are to wear armor and march in a state ready to fight the enemy at any time.
It might seem odd for soldiers in the field to march without being fully armed, but most medieval armies rarely marched in full armor.
This was because the armor worn by knights alone weighed about 20kg, and even the armor worn by soldiers typically exceeded 10kg, making it very heavy.
Wearing such armor, soldiers had to walk about 30km every day for days, perhaps even months.
They could endure it for a week or two, but any longer, and soldiers would get exhausted and collapse.
Typically, during marches, armor was carried in carts, and soldiers only wore battle dress and carried weapons.
In addition, all soldiers are to wear cloaks for warmth as the weather is cold.
This was partly to protect the soldiers from the cold.
However, the real purpose was to hide the fact that we were properly armed, even if just a little, from the outside appearance.
That way, the enemy was likely to think this before ambushing us.
Those guys are walking comfortably, not even thinking that our Swiss Confederation soldiers might be nearby.
In addition, to maintain the soldiers stamina, besides the regular major rests during breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the minor 10-minute breaks every two hours, we will take one more major rest before lunch and dinner, considering the movement in armor. During this time, soldiers not on guard duty are to stop marching and take naps on the road.
By increasing the rest time like this, the distance we could march might decrease, but it would also reduce the extent of physical exhaustion.
Additionally, the enemy, thinking that we were crazy enough to take naps during the march when they were not visible, would lower their guard.
They will probably become more aggressive in their ambush tactics.
Lastly, today we will march in a standard formation, but starting tomorrow, well reorganize into a formation with one knight squad and one infantry squad each. Spread the order to all units, and as soon as the message is relayed, we will stop marching and start putting on our armor. Then, immediately propagate the order throughout the division.
Mixing knights and infantry at the squad level would make a group of about 37 people, enough to form a defensive unit in case of an attack from any direction.
In other words, we could turn the Swisss strategy of ambushing and disorganizing our division against them.
And the messenger immediately began delivering my orders to the commanders of each unit, and I also began putting on my armor right away.
Once everyone has donned their armor, we will march at the standard pace! March for two hours, then eat dinner and set up camp!
After doing this for a few days, it seemed they would slowly come.
I wonder if we could successfully bait them.
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