I Became the Strategist the Monarchs Obsess Over

Chapter 24

"No."

"What?"

"Absolutely not."

Although it was an answer I somewhat expected, hearing it directly left me slightly flustered.

"Why?"

"Do you know how much it costs to assemble an army of 35,000 soldiers? It costs tens of thousands of ducats. And to advance these soldiers to the North costs another few hundred thousand ducats. After spending so much money, you're suggesting we retreat to the Central region without achieving any results? Not only would it be a tremendous financial loss, but His Highness the Crown Prince would become the laughingstock of the Central people. Regrettably, this strategy proposal is rejected. If I were to present it to His Highness, he would throw a fit and threaten to kill you. I'll cut it off at my level."

Saying this, Dian de Balboa handed Charles' strategy proposal to his subordinate.

"Well, as expected."

"Huh? Then why on earth..."

"That's why I prepared a second strategy proposal for situations like this. This one must be approved. I earnestly request it."

Charles presented another strategy proposal, and Dian sighed as he accepted it.

[Ahead of our forces lies a river, and behind us, a forest. If our frontlines collapse and we retreat, our troops will likely flee into the forest in the rear. By placing ambush forces there, we can easily repel the pursuing enemy troops, minimizing our losses.]

The proposal started with such a sentence. It addressed how to secure a retreat route in the event of our forces' defeat and where the retreat path should be to facilitate the withdrawal of our troops. Dian frowned as he read the proposal.

"Charles."

"Yes, Professor."

"You only listed the disadvantages of our forces, but we have many advantages as well. Heavy infantry is fundamentally stronger than light infantry. Even if some mud gets into their armor, their strength won't waver. And our forces are led by me, the world's only Sword Master. Yet you prematurely conclude that we will lose."

Dian's words weren't wrong either. The Crown Prince's Army was fundamentally superior in numbers and equipment. The problem was deciding which of the valid points held more weight.

Most problems were like this. Opinions that were outright wrong were rare in the world. Typically, valid opinions clashed, and the more reasonable one prevailed.

Charles sighed. No matter how hard he tried to persuade Dian here, Dian would remain entrenched in the 'reasonableness' he believed in and refuse to be convinced. In that case...

"Professor, you might be right. However, there's always the one-in-a-thousand chance. Please, just give me 3,000 men."

Dian deliberated for a while. And after his deliberation ended.

"I'm sorry, Charles. While I trust you, 3,000 men are far too many. That force would be more useful for a frontal breakthrough."

"Then even half of that would be fine."

"Even half is difficult. I'll give you 1,000 men. Take them and secure our retreat route. Of course, we won't retreat, but consider it an opportunity to nurture your potential as an outstanding strategist."

Adding this, Dian de Balboa began to advance, and Charles, along with 1,000 soldiers, headed toward the forest at the rear of our forces.

-----

"Charles! It's been a while!"

The one shouting while leading soldiers toward me was Scout Officer Gabriel. He was someone I had gone on a reconnaissance mission with previously, and it seemed he had been doing well since then.

"Gabriel."

"I came in a rush and didn't receive the strategy briefing. What should we do?"

I unfolded the map and compared it with the surrounding terrain. Thanks to Dian's capable scout unit, the map was reasonably accurate.

"What about that hill over there?"

"What?"

"Let's assume His Highness the Crown Prince's army is defeated. In that case, they'll retreat this way, right?"

"Are you suggesting we assume defeat?"

"Let's just assume for now. If they retreat, they'll come this way, and the enemy will pursue them. To protect our retreating forces and ambush the pursuing enemy, where do you think we should station our troops?"

"..."

Gabriel pondered for a while before speaking.

"You mean that hill over there?"

"Yes. Right now, that hill is the most promising candidate."

"Then how about digging shallow trenches along the path beside the hill? By lowering the ground level of the path, we can facilitate one-sided attacks from both sides of the hill. It'll make it easier for those retreating and harder for those pursuing."

"That's a great idea. Let's proceed immediately."

I worked with Gabriel to find suitable locations for ambushes, and we had the soldiers dig, creating an advantageous area for our forces to fight. While I was holding a shovel and leading by example for some time, Gabriel asked me.

"Why are you doing this?"

"There's no harm in being cautious."

"For something that's just precautionary, you're putting in an excessive amount of effort. Do you really think we're going to lose?"

Gabriel, whom I thought was just a scout officer, turned out to be sharper than expected.

"Yes. His Highness the Crown Prince will lose. And our digging will help preserve some of His Highness's forces."

At my words, Gabriel hesitated as if troubled, then said.

"But can merely 1,000 men stabilize our retreat route? It's a fight between 35,000 and 15,000. A mere 1,000 ambushers seem like they'd be easily overrun."

"No, the enemy won't force their way through our ambushers."

"What? Why?"

"Because the enemy commander is quite capable. We're going to exploit that capability against them."

Although I said this, Gabriel seemed to not fully understand and wore a puzzled expression. Charles didn't bother to explain further. After all, it would become clear in a few hours.

-----

Crown Prince, Leonhardt von Arcadia.

If the Emperor hadn't suddenly lost consciousness during a hunting accident, he would have naturally inherited the Empire.

However, the Emperor who should have passed the Empire to the Crown Prince had lost consciousness. Now, the princes and princesses were eyeing the Crown Prince's position.

The moment the Emperor died, countless packs of wolves would aim for the throne.

Yet, the Crown Prince's territory and forces were among the strongest in the Empire. No one had military power equal to the Crown Prince's.

Princess Leonia's forces, at most, numbered 6,000 to 7,000. Second Prince Lucas's forces barely reached 10,000. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince's forces numbered 35,000. On top of that, there was an enormous number of heavy infantry and heavy cavalry.

What an overwhelming difference in forces! Thus, Crown Prince Leonhardt believed. He needed to go on the offensive while he still held the advantage and expand his territory.

As the first victim, targeting royalty was too burdensome. Even as the Crown Prince, attacking fellow royalty would prompt the other royals to unite against him. No matter how strong he was, it wouldn't be easy to overcome.

So the Crown Prince targeted external enemies. If he claimed to subdue external enemies, it would provide justification in the name of the Empire to the people of the Central region, and he wouldn't be attacked by the royals.

The Northern Duke, Chronor Family.

Since the Emperor lost consciousness, they had shown a rebellious attitude toward the Central government. They hadn't paid taxes for years and sent the Duke's daughter instead of the Duke himself for important matters. How insolent they were! Conquering them would surely please the people of the Empire.

With this in mind, he launched an invasion. Of course, the Northern cold was indeed no exaggeration. Cold, poor, and a land with more monsters than humans. Under normal circumstances, such a land wouldn't even have piqued his interest.

However, with the upcoming battle for the throne, the Crown Prince wanted to capitalize on his strategic advantage as the most powerful force. For this, he needed more land and people, even if just a little.

Returning to the present, the Crown Prince and the Northern Duke were glaring at each other across the river.

The Crown Prince felt uneasy about crossing the river to attack the enemy. The river was visibly covered with thin ice, making it look difficult to traverse.

Nevertheless, the advantage of his forces remained unshaken. His army was led by Dian de Balboa, the world's only Sword Master, and was more than twice the size of the enemy's.

"Dian, you can handle it, right?"

"Don't worry. The enemy doesn't have a single Sword Master."

The Crown Prince nodded in satisfaction. If she took the lead, it wouldn't be difficult to cross the river and annihilate the enemy.

And on July 19, 1501 of the Imperial calendar, the majestic sound of drums announcing the march echoed from the Crown Prince's camp.

-Boom! Boom! Boom!

The soldiers of the Crown Prince's Army advanced in step with the drumbeats.