Chapter 65

I tapped the hilts of the two-handed sabers at my waist, trying to calm myself. It had been a while since I last commanded troops, but this time the numbers were large.

"Sir, the enemy scouts have returned to their main force. There's no sign they've discovered us."

"Understood. Please endure and stay hidden a while longer."

I nodded in response to the report from our scouts.

This was the only road leading to Verrun Castle, on the outskirts of the Ritrayu territory.

Verrun Castle had been abandoned and in ruins for over a century, but it was now teeming with ten thousand mercenaries hired by the Duke of Ritrayu. I had just sent scouts to confirm this.

The Schweidler mercenaries were incapable of planning or commanding large-scale military operations. Their job was to fight as they were ordered.

That's why the Duke of Ritrayu sent his loyal officers, who were strategists and commanders.

We were about to intercept them and prevent their merger with the mercenary force.

This area was a gorge, allowing us to attack from the slopes on either side of the road below. There were many rocky outcrops where we could hide.

It was not suitable for lining up infantry, but it was perfect for skirmish tactics.

Soon, a report came in from the scouts.

"Sir, an unidentified unit is approaching from the north side of the road. There are about a dozen cavalry without firearms and around a thousand to fifteen hundred line infantry."

The cavalry are probably the officers. The line infantry are their subordinates.

Looking at my pocket watch, I saw that it was about two hours until sunset.

By now, Colonel Altsar was likely interrogating the Duke of Ritrayu. If we didn't weaken the Duke's forces by tonight, the Emperor might suddenly change his mind and suggest a peace treaty.

I ordered a squad of fifty men under my command through a messenger.

"Stand by until further notice. The signal for firing is 'Fairy Dance,' and the signal for retreat is 'Catch Me.' Confirm this with each squad."

"Yes, sir!"

I hope they can do it. On the battlefield, even conveying orders correctly is difficult. Misunderstandings and misinterpretations often lead to soldiers acting on their own.

But in a field battle against thirty times the number of troops, any mistake is unforgivable. I was getting nervous.

The road below curved sharply, bypassing the foot of the mountain. We were positioned at the foot of the mountain.

"The enemy's rear has passed the designated point."

"Wait until they are out of sight, then block the road with wagons. Make sure to block the passage of cavalry."

First, we had to cut off the enemy's retreat.

At the same time, the enemy column became visible from my position. They were the line infantry of the Fifth Division. The cavalry were indeed the officers. There were no cavalry or artillery.

Can we win...? Hey, 'Scythe of Death,' what do you think?

My unreliable precognitive ability didn't tell me anything, but it seemed I wouldn't die. I didn't care about my own life, but I wanted to know the outcome of this battle.

Alright, if I lose, I'll die here. What do you think?

...Still no response. As usual.

I shouldn't rely on my unreliable precognitive ability to risk my and my subordinates' lives. I was a temporary staff officer with command authority, responsible for planning and executing the operation.

Soon, a report came in that the enemy's retreat had been blocked. There was no choice but to act.

I turned to look beside me. Lance Corporal Lania, the band leader, was smiling. She held a harp, which didn't seem to match her uniform, but this time it would be a deadly weapon.

"Would you like a song, sir?"

"Please."

I tried to remain calm as I requested a song from Lania, who had been a traveling musician.

"'Fairy Dance.'"

"Yes."

Lania immediately began playing a lively melody.

The sound of the harp echoed through the gorge, but the enemy column didn't break ranks. They probably didn't realize it was an attack signal.

But soon, snipers began firing from various points on the mountain.

"The order has reached the far end. Please stop."

When I said this, Lania stopped playing and looked worried.

"They're quite far away. Will they really hear it?"

"They won't reach with a regular musket, but they will with a rifled musket."

We were only fifty men firing sporadically, so of course, there wasn't much damage. But the enemy column was a large target, so most shots hit someone.

When nearby allies were hit, the soldiers would panic, and the officers would have to consider a response.

"Our snipers are just one squad, so the enemy officers' best decision would be to ignore us and charge through. But they can't do that."

"Why not?"

Lania asked, and I gave a wry smile.

"If there are ambushes ahead, they'll be surrounded and annihilated. Officers are taught in military school never to move troops into unscouted areas."

"I see."

"Yes. And the Duke of Ritrayu's loyal officers are all obedient and easy to handle."

Officers with strong wills and good decision-making skills wouldn't be favored by the Duke. She only liked well-behaved dolls.

They had just sent out scouts to confirm the safety of this area, but they were attacked.

Naturally, they would think there were more ambushes ahead.

There actually wasn't anything, but they didn't have the resources to move so many troops.

My deputy, Sergeant Midna, reported.

"Sir, the enemy is counterattacking."

"It won't be effective. Keep firing."

We were positioned on high ground, hidden among the rocks, and about a hundred meters away, so most of the enemy's bullets wouldn't reach us. Those that did would have lost most of their killing power.

On the other hand, our shots were within range of the enemy's rear. The firefight was one-sided.

"Well, if the Duke of Ritrayu's loyal officers aren't incompetent, they should be charging by now."

Fighting at a distance where bullets don't reach is pointless. It only increases casualties.

So they would have to close the distance and charge up the slope. Our snipers were few but precise, so the casualties during the charge wouldn't be significant.

Sure enough, the charge trumpet sounded. Fifteen hundred soldiers were charging up the slope, intending to overrun us. With a thirty-to-one advantage, such a brute-force approach was possible.

But I had anticipated this.

Sergeant Midna's expression tightened.

"Sir, the enemy—"

"Stay calm. Lania, play 'Hero's Triumph No. 3.'"

"Yes, sir."

Lania, the band leader, played the harp. The meaning of this signal was incomprehensible to the Fifth Division soldiers.

Only we, the Sixth Special Task Brigade, understood it.

There was one more thing.

"Sir, the Fourth Division has started firing."

"Indeed."

From the opposite cliff, a battalion of the Fourth Division began firing in volleys.

Their guns were old muskets, but they were firing from a high position. Moreover, the rebels were facing away from them, and the officers were exposed.

The rebels were already in a charge formation, so their ranks were already disordered.

"What a mess."

The borrowed battalion of about five hundred men from the Fourth Division created a wall of bullets that mowed down the rebels. Especially the officers and non-commissioned officers in the rear.

I murmured, hoping none of my classmates were among them.

"By staggering the flanking attacks, we can attack from the front and rear, not the sides. ...Didn't we learn this in basic tactical exercises?"

By turning the enemy to face the feint, we expose their vulnerable rear to the main force. It's basic.

The enemy's command structure was already in chaos. Charge and retreat trumpets sounded simultaneously, and the line infantry were confused about which orders to follow.

The enemy soldiers charging up the slope also lost momentum and were being picked off by our snipers.

"There are more of them than I thought. Lania, play 'Catch Me.'"

"Yes, sir."

I decided to pull back the Sixth Special Task Brigade and increase the distance from the enemy. We would end the skirmish and gather around me.

The rebels had few options. Charging up our slope wouldn't win the battle, as we were only one squad. Plus, our snipers were retreating.

Trying to charge up the opposite slope to fight the Fourth Division was also impossible, as it was almost a cliff, too steep to climb.

This was more like a siege than a field battle, with the cliff acting like a stone wall. With a three-to-one disadvantage and being flanked, it was tough. A competent commander would have given up by now.

Lania, while playing, suddenly murmured.

"Oh? The enemy is fleeing."

"They'll try to flee, but they can't."

The road was blocked by wagons, and the slopes on either side were almost vertical. Infantry might be able to bypass, but the mounted officers couldn't.

The Fourth Division fired enthusiastically, piling up the bodies of the Fifth Division. They didn't see them as fellow Schweidlers. To the Fourth Division, the Fifth Division was another family's army, and the rebels were traitors, enemies of the Empire.

I couldn't borrow troops from my old unit, the Fifth Division, or the Emperor's First Division.

The Fourth Division, under the Medilen family, agreed to send troops only because Colonel Altsar's family was influential. In this country, connections were crucial for everything.

Perhaps because I was thinking about this, Sergeant Midna asked worriedly.

"Sir, is something wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking this is a pointless war."

"Pointless...?"

"No, there's no such thing as an interesting war, either."

Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

Seeing the rebels in a disastrous state, I decided to execute the final phase of the plan.

"Let's wrap this up. Head to the roadblock near Verrun Castle. The target is the enemy officers. Don't let a single one through."

"Understood."

The fifty-man sniper squad moved as one, systematically eliminating the confused enemy at the roadblock. They mercilessly shot the officers trying to abandon their horses and advance.

If the rebel officers didn't join the mercenaries gathered at the abandoned castle, the mercenaries wouldn't move. Even if they did, without commanders, they would be no better than a peasant uprising.

So, the officers must not be allowed to pass.

Soon, most of the enemy infantry lost their will to fight and fled toward the Ritrayu territory.

After a while, I received a report that all the enemy officers had been either shot or captured.

"What about our casualties?"

"None. ...Despite fighting such a large army."

Sergeant Midna was clearly surprised, but I shook my head.

"That was the plan, and you carried it out faithfully. It's the natural result. We should hurry back before the colonel scolds us."

"Yes, sir."

Sergeant Midna and Lance Corporal Lania looked at each other and chuckled for some reason.