Chapter 48: The Hammer & Anvil (1)
“Why do you think so?”
“When analyzing the circumstances surrounding Chekovia, there’s no possibility of them having a truce with the Grand Duchy of Luxenia.”
“Go on.”
I pointed to the area around the Chekovia Kingdom and continued.
“If we compare the number of soldiers that can be mobilized by both the Chekovia Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Luxenia, they have fewer troops. Thus, in a one-on-one confrontation, Chekovia, having more power, would likely propose a peace treaty with Luxenia without any additional demands.”
Even if a bully or thug were uneducated and violent, as long as they weren’t foolish, they wouldn’t pick on someone weaker. They wouldn’t recklessly attack a muscular man who seemed capable of retaliating.
This was more of an instinct than a rational choice. Even drunkards picking fights would sober up and apologize before running away when faced with someone bigger and stronger.
And the conflicts and wars between countries work similarly. You would attack the weak and reason with the strong.
Currently, Luxenia was in no position but to be subservient to Chekovia.
“If they were to leave without any attacks, it’s like saying, ‘Don’t stop now. Rob my house and wallet some more!’ Thus, they wouldn’t propose a ceasefire.”
“However, currently, we, the Reich Empire, are at war with Chekovia, and a significant portion of Chekovia’s forces are allocated to this front. So, now Luxenia has some chance of winning, but they won’t agree to a truce under these circumstances.”
“It seems plausible diplomatically, but it will be hard to persuade the Brigade Commander with this alone.”
“Even if a peace treaty is signed with Luxenia and over 20,000 reinforcements are coming, it’s not like Chekovia is going to lose to our Imperial army, right?”
Our battalion had made significant achievements, thanks to good formation and training, but in a battle involving tens of thousands, it wasn’t enough.
“So, if I were the commander of Chekovia, I would launch more aggressive attacks to conclude the war before the arrival of 20,000 reinforcements. If the war is concluded before the reinforcements arrive, their achievements will be recognized. And now, they aren’t showing any signs of aggressive attacks. Instead, they are slowly pressuring us with their numerical superiority.”
If the lower-ranking officers and soldiers on the battlefield heard this, they would be dissatisfied. The Chekovian army wasn’t going to attack us today.
They would have deployed at least a thousand, intending to deal a significant blow to our battalion and the whole brigade.
“Your point makes sense. But if they had spread this rumor intentionally, do you have any idea why they would do that?”
I asserted.
“To lower the morale of our troops and increase the morale of the Chekovian army. They are probably waiting for our army to fall for their strategy and divide our troops. Even if it’s 40,000 against 50,000, it’s hard to predict the outcome, but if we send only one brigade as the enemy wishes, we’ll be facing 50,000 with 32,000.”
Officers like Colonel Nana, who studied extensively during their four years at the academy, were almost like re-engineered humans, always trying to find a solution, so as long as the situation was not utterly hopeless, they would seldom lose their judgment or feel despair.
“But if our troops, without proper education and motivation and only wanting to return home safely, hear we are fighting 70,000 with just 40,000, there will be despair. There will be ones lowering the morale, deserting, or even trying to collaborate with the enemy.”
“But if we can deter them, as His Highness the Crown Prince suggested, we need to come up with an alternative. Any ideas?”
Hearing that, I looked at the map and thought of a plausible plan.
“There are superior, mediocre, and inferior strategies. The inferior one is to fall for the enemy’s intentions, mobilizing a brigade to face 20,000 non-existent enemies.”
“Interesting. What about the mediocre and superior ones?”
“The mediocre one is to spread the rumor that we’re mobilizing 8,000 to face 20,000, luring Chekovia to attack us more aggressively and find the gap to strike.”
I talked impressively, but the mediocre strategy was just a makeshift tactic to execute the superior one. Because attacking the enemy’s gap in a war was basic knowledge.
It was as basic as saying,
‘If you want to be the top student, attend classes and study textbooks.’
“The superior strategy is to mobilize a brigade just like the inferior strategy, move it near Mount Kaines, which is about a day’s journey from our battlefield, set up camp, and pretend to prepare against 20,000 enemy troops. We must act as if we’re preparing for the real enemy for about a week while staying there, sending scouts, and building fortifications. After a week, we use our 32,000 troops as the anvil, and the brigade, including our battalion, as the hammer, engaging in a large-scale battle to pierce the enemy’s flaws.”
“Doing so, the remaining troops might suffer from the enemy’s fierce attacks for a week. Is that okay?”
“As long as His Highness the Crown Prince and Count Benner don’t make a big mistake, the temporary absence of 8,000 troops won’t cause significant damage. Rather, if a battle like today’s continues over the long term, the smaller forces of our army will accumulate damages gradually.”
Fighting the enemy head-on wasn’t a bad idea, but the charm of battle lies in combining the roles of the anvil and hammer.
We were going to create a semi-encirclement on the enemy by simultaneously using the anvil and hammer to exterminate them.
“This also aligns with the orders from His Highness. So, it’d make a good story to announce after our victory that all this was planned by His Highness.”
I wanted to be the top contributor this time, but as a member of the Empire ruled by the Emperor.
Being a member of the Crown Prince’s faction, one must not stand out more than the Crown Prince.
If not, one would face all kinds of restrictions and persecution.
And the Crown Prince was the kind to generously reward if he knew I yielded for him to gain merit, so it was best to give as much as possible in situations like this.
Hearing this, the Colonel smirked and said,
“Thanks to recommending you, I naturally entered the faction of His Highness the Crown Prince, and as a result, my personnel evaluation was positively reflected, allowing me to be promoted to Colonel. So, to gain a star under His Highness, I should listen to you.”
“You’ll soon be promoted to general. Please look after me then.”
“Then, I’ll modify the superior strategy you mentioned and recommend it to the Brigade Commander. It’d be good if we both could get promoted by the end of this war.”
When we were about to finish our serious conversation…
“By the way, Count Benner’s only daughter serves as my lieutenant, and she led a platoon under my command and killed a major in today’s battle. Can you reflect this in the personnel evaluation?”
“If she’s completed the minimum service period, the Brigade Commander will directly issue a promotion order in a few days. It’s the daughter of the Deputy Commander, after all.”
And a week later, the 9th Division of the Reich Empire, to which I belonged, part of the Chekovia Expeditionary Force, moved near Mount Kaines.
My lieutenant, Lieutenant Laura, managed to get promoted to Captain a bit earlier than others by the Brigade Commander’s authority.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢