Chapter 91

"Then, I will now explain the operation."

"“““Hai!”””"

The military conference to decide the strategy of the expeditionary force was held immediately after receiving the information that the Vietnamese army had suffered a crushing defeat, and it concluded in less than an hour.

The reason we could decide on a strategy so quickly was not solely because the Fourth Division's headquarters was excellent.

While I don't intend to deny that the headquarters was indeed excellent, the primary reason was that no one in the leadership believed that the military invasion by the Vietnamese Empire would succeed.

In other words, the upper echelons had been thinking of recovery plans from the beginning, knowing that they would fail.

This situation serves as a reminder that preparation is crucial when conducting military operations, much like a cane before one falls.

In that sense, it was a good thing that the upper echelons of the First Division were present as military observers.

I don't know what they think about being dispatched to Southeast Asia during the New Year's holiday after being reprimanded by His Majesty for a single mistake, despite having lived a peaceful life in the capital until now, and now facing an army of over 10,000 monsters.

"The monsters we will face are approximately 10,000 small ones, 300 medium ones, and 6 large ones. As a result of the consultation between the Fourth Division's headquarters and the integrated headquarters, we have decided to adopt a defensive interception strategy based on this base."

"“““Hai!”””"

But you know, when you listen to the boss explaining the mission, you naturally straighten your back.

Is this charisma? Or is it just the quality of the voice?

"The reason we did not adopt an offensive interception strategy by abandoning the base... Sergeant Nishitani, do you understand? Don't say it was out of consideration for the Vietnamese Empire."

"Hai! I believe it's because we lack the necessary elements for an offensive interception."

"Indeed, that's correct."

Despite being suddenly asked a question, Nishitani-san answered correctly right away. He's really Nishitani-san.

Also, for external reasons, there is the aspect of protecting the subjects of the allied country, so it's not entirely wrong to say that we can't completely deny it.

However, from a military perspective, Nishitani-san is right.

"As you understand, the main reason for adopting this operation is that we lack the necessary elements for an offensive interception, rather than diplomatic reasons. What we lack... Tago, tell me."

"Hai! We lack information, familiarity with the terrain, mobility, firepower, defensive power, and combat endurance."

"That's correct."

It's a harsh way of putting it, but the reality is that we lack everything. That's the situation we are in.

The originally planned offensive interception involved using the retreating Vietnamese Imperial Army, civilians, and some of the expeditionary forces as bait to stretch the monster formations in all directions, then breaking them down one by one where they are thinned out.

To execute this, we need the ability to predict the enemy's route, the command and judgment to accurately deploy forces to the thinned areas, and mobility.

Of course, we need the firepower to defeat the enemy before they can counterattack, the defensive power to win with minimal damage when we engage, the spirit and determination to fight multiple enemy units, and a supply system for weapons and ammunition that are consumed in each battle.

On the other hand, we lack all of these necessary elements.

We do have a strategy to set up ambushes at designated points and attack the monsters when they are lured there, but given the uncertainty of the effectiveness of ambushes against monsters evolved from wild beasts and the possibility that the enemy has a commander controlling the monsters, there is a high risk that the ambushed soldiers will be picked off one by one. Therefore, we cannot adopt a strategy that relies heavily on such a gamble.

Moreover, the enemy's numbers are significant.

"Given that we lack so much and the enemy's numbers exceed 10,000, it would be too disadvantageous to engage in the forest, even if most of them are small."

Yeah, that's right.

Even if we separate the large ones from the rest, if we can't take them down in the first surprise attack, we'll just face wave after wave of attacks. Additionally, even if we disperse the enemy, their numbers and mobility in the forest are overwhelmingly superior, so there's a high risk of being surrounded before we can pick them off one by one.

On the other hand, using the base for interception allows us to maximize the firepower installed at the base.

With small monsters, we can use conventional weapons, so the threat of their numbers becomes less significant.

However, the decisive factor is likely the training of our own forces.

While I can move to some extent and Nishitani-san can take simple evasive actions, the boss and Tago-san, who are in mass-produced models, can perform attacks without any particular issues, but when it comes to mobility, especially the ability to evade counterattacks, the current situation is such that it's impossible.

Furthermore, the artillery-equipped models brought by the First Division have the firepower to take down large monsters but cannot even walk normally, so they can only be used as fixed artillery with more firepower than the Yuita-type.

Given this, it's impossible for them to conduct a mobile, offensive interception, and it's hard to imagine they could handle unexpected situations like being ambushed.

Therefore, it's better to set up a defensive formation relying on the base's defenses and conduct a simultaneous attack when the enemy is in sight, which is less likely to result in unforeseen situations.

Additionally, a defensive interception allows us to easily apply the lessons learned from the Second Division's repeated defensive battles, where they repeatedly attacked the enemy in a semi-encirclement after they landed.

Given all these reasons, the defensive interception plan, which will likely result in more casualties but can reliably take down the large monsters, was adopted.

"Basically, the expeditionary force will handle the small and medium monsters. Therefore, our main target will be the large monsters. Of the six, the captain will take two, Nishitani sergeant will take one, and Tago sergeant and I will take one. The two artillery-equipped models brought by the First Division will take the remaining two."

If the large monsters are eliminated, the base can be used as a base. However, if even one large monster remains, the base's defenses are virtually useless. Therefore, this plan to take them down with the first strike was adopted.

"The order of attack is also decided. The captain will attack first, inducing the enemy's counterattack, after which the others will attack. The targets for each person will be assigned by headquarters, so the captain will start the attack immediately after receiving the order."

"That's..."

"Then, the captain will be the first to receive the counterattack, right?"

Nishitani-san and Tago-san look worried, but there's no other way to put it.

"It's not that I want to use the word 'inevitable,' but if we don't induce the attack, we'll be wiped out by the counterattack as soon as we attack. Therefore, the first strike must be made by someone who can survive while inducing the attack. Currently, only the captain in our army has a record of evading attacks from large monsters."

So, it's my turn. It's only natural.

"We have no choice but to rely on you. Can you do it?"

The boss asks anxiously.

If I were the protagonist of a game, I might say, "I can do it, no, I'll show you!" But unfortunately, I'm not the protagonist, and what the boss needs now is not a pep talk but a realistic opinion.

So, I will answer like this.

"To be honest, I don't know. However, even if I fail to evade the first attack, I can still defend against it."

It's not a lie. At the start of the battle, I have magic power and a shield made from the armor of a large monster. If all the attacks from a large monster hit, I'll be vaporized, but I can withstand a few hits.

"Surviving is enough. Of course, it's best if you can continue the fight."

"I will do my best."

That's all I can say.

"Thank you. What we need to do is simple. Take down the large monsters. Once that's done, join the other units to intercept the medium monsters. By the way, Sergeant Hashimoto and Sergeant Ayase will join my direct support unit. The small monsters will be the main enemy, but if the mass-produced models are touched, they'll be immobilized. I expect you to fulfill your duties."

"“Hai!”"

"Any questions so far?"

"“““...”””"

I can sense a "I have questions but it's hard to ask" atmosphere from everyone.

In this situation, I have to be the one to ask. I know what everyone wants to know.

So, here's the question.

"Okay."

"What is it, captain?"

"I heard that three artillery-equipped models were brought in, but can they really take down two large monsters?"

Everyone sends me a "Well said!" look.

Of course, they're concerned. If these fail, we could all be wiped out.

"That's... According to the engineers from Yuita, 'If we can launch a preemptive attack, we can handle the same number.'"

As the boss says this with a troubled expression, the others also frown.

I understand why everyone has this expression.

There's nothing less trustworthy than an engineer saying "It's okay."

The mass-produced models were also said to be "okay" and participated in the defense, but they only managed to reduce the number of large monsters by half before landing and were defeated by the 11 large monsters that landed.

Moreover, I, who have the most experience, have only fought large monsters that were exhausted from crossing the sea. I've never fought a large monster with plenty of stamina on land. So, when asked if I can "definitely evade the attack" or "definitely kill it," I'm at a loss. What are they basing their "It's okay" on?

Frankly, I don't trust it.

Especially since we're putting our lives on the line. If we move based on the engineer's assumption and end up with "We couldn't do it," that's not acceptable. That's why I wanted to know the contingency plan if the artillery-equipped models fail, but reality is cruel.

"The upper echelons don't think it's certain, but they also don't think it's impossible. Therefore, the captain is required to 'quickly take down two large monsters and then prioritize the remaining large monsters.'"

If the artillery-equipped models fail, it's all on me? That's a bit much.

"Isn't that a bit irresponsible?"

If someone like Saigo-san heard this, they'd probably say, "What's going on, Yuita-san?"

"It's simply a matter of not having the luxury."

I want to say, "Then don't go to war!" But in this case, the battle started because the Vietnamese Imperial Army went rogue. I understand that we can't start in a perfect situation. I understand, but...

"Either way, if we don't follow the plan, our allies will die. We can't guarantee that we'll follow the plan either. So, the captain should do what the captain can do."

"That's right. Oh, by the way, lieutenant colonel, if the captain can't do it, can I take the second one?"

"Hmm. Of course, Sergeant Nishitani. If you can't, we'll do it. Right, Sergeant Tago?"

"Yes. We can't leave it all to the captain, who has already taken the counterattack and been assigned two large monsters. If the artillery-equipped models fail, please leave it to us."

"We can't handle the large monsters, but we'll support you as direct support. Right, Sergeant Ayase?"

"Right. So, the captain can fight with peace of mind."

"...Understood."

This is going to be serious.

Thank you for reading.

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