I Became the Strategist the Monarchs Obsess Over

Chapter 28

"I have a strategy."

When Charles raised his hand, the nobles were astonished.

"Insolence! How dare you propose an opinion before His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"This is a place where only nobles and royalty are present. An academy student has no right to speak here!"

The old-fashioned ones caused a brief uproar, but the Crown Prince soon raised his hand.

"Enough. That person is Dian's proxy. While acting as a proxy, he must be treated equally to Dian. I allow him to speak."

At those words, the nobles displayed reluctant expressions but could do nothing except bow their heads as it was the Crown Prince's decree.

Charles pulled out a pre-prepared map and spread it open toward the Crown Prince.

"This is the castle we are currently in, Talin Castle."

At this, the Crown Prince nodded. Then Charles's finger pointed to the right.

"And this is Crothea Castle. While it is defended by 1,000 soldiers, it's only a matter of time before it falls."

"Sir Juan is a competent commander. He will definitely hold out for a long time."

"Whether he holds out for long or short is uncertain, but if we remain idle, the castle will eventually fall. The question, then, is how we can act to protect Crothea Castle."

"Protect it?"

The Crown Prince's eyes widened. He hadn't thought it was possible to defend Crothea Castle.

"Let's think about this calmly. Why are our 15,000 troops stationed at Talin Castle unable to rescue Crothea Castle?"

"Well... isn't it because Seiz Castle is blocking the way?"

Between Talin Castle and Crothea Castle was Seiz Castle. To the north of Seiz Castle was a mountain, and to the south was the sea, creating a situation where one couldn't enter Crothea Castle without passing through Seiz Castle. The problem was that 10,000 troops of the Chronor Army were stationed at Seiz Castle. Attempting to pass Seiz Castle would inevitably result in an attack by the Chronor Army. However...

"To be precise, it's not that Seiz Castle is blocking the way."

Charles said this while pointing somewhere.

"To be exact, it's the sea that's blocking the way."

That's right. Between Talin Castle and Crothea Castle lay the sea. It was only because they tried to take the land route that they were obstructed by Seiz Castle.

"We cross the sea. Directly from Talin Castle to Crothea Castle."

"..."

"..."

After a moment of silence.

The Crown Prince spoke, though not to Charles, but to one of his subordinates.

"Liam."

"Yes."

Liam de Bordeaux. While he wasn't on Charles's level, he was a relatively young strategist in his late twenties who served as the Crown Prince's military advisor. Because they were of similar age, the two got along well.

Though he didn't rank among the top strategists in the worldview.

If one had to make do without him, he was a somewhat decent strategist. However, his fatal flaw was his personality. His subordinates likely suffered because of him.

And it was to such Liam de Bordeaux that the Crown Prince asked.

"Do you think Charles Jean Rochefort's strategy is realistic?"

At that, Liam contemplated briefly and then...

"It was a strategy I had considered as well."

He said this. Then the room began to grow noisy. The nobles started murmuring among themselves.

"However."

As Liam continued, the nobles' murmurs began to fade.

"Upon review, there weren't enough ships. Even if we gathered all the ships docked in Talin Castle and the surrounding cities, there were only 30 merchant ships. Even if we emptied all the cargo holds, it would be impossible to transport all 15,000 of our troops."

At those words, the Crown Prince sighed. He then spoke.

"If that's the case, the strategy is dismissed..."

"It's possible with 3,000!"

Charles suddenly raised his hand and interrupted, causing the Crown Prince to stop mid-sentence.

"What?"

"The remaining Valboa Army numbers exactly 3,000 if we exclude the injured. As the interim commander of the Valboa Army, I will take responsibility and cross to the Crothea Peninsula with only the Valboa Army."

"...!"

Sounds of sharp inhalation spread throughout the room. After a moment of silence, it was Liam, the Crown Prince's strategist, who spoke.

"Was your name Charles Jean Rochefort?"

"Yes."

"Charles. Let me ask you a question. What would happen if 3,000 soldiers of the Chronor Army boarded ships and invaded the vicinity of Talin Castle?"

At that moment, Charles understood Liam's intention.

'Liam de Bordeaux. Damn you. Trying to trip me up like this.'

But he had to answer well here. If he avoided the question now, it would appear to the Crown Prince that Charles had lost to Liam. To not lose the psychological battle, it was better to respond directly.

"A special unit of the Chronor Army would be surrounded by our forces, cut off from supplies, and starve to death."

At those words, exclamations broke out among the gathered nobles.

"Charles Jean Rochefort. Then wouldn't the same situation unfold if 3,000 of our troops sailed to the enemy's rear? Wouldn't they be surrounded, cut off from supply lines, and starve to death as well? I'm asking this for your benefit."

Benefit, my foot. He was just trying to keep me in check as a fellow strategist.

Even as I thought that, my mouth didn't stop. If even a second of lag occurred, it might appear as though Liam was leading the situation. In debates, it's more important to appear as though you're winning than to actually be winning.

"The difference between our forces and the enemy's is that we can coordinate with the main force."

"Coordinate with the main force?"

"As soon as the Valboa Army crosses to the Crothea Peninsula, His Highness the Crown Prince will advance on Seiz Castle. This will force the enemy's main force to confront His Highness, preventing them from sending reinforcements to the Siege Force at Crothea Castle. During this time, I will join forces with Crothea Castle's defenders to annihilate the Siege Force and sever the enemy's supply line. In this strategy, it is not I who will be isolated, but the Chronor Siege Force."

At Charles's words, Liam's eyes widened. It seemed he hadn't thought of such a strategy. Soon after, Liam burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

The nobles looked puzzled by Liam's laughter. The Crown Prince was no exception.

"I'm impressed. Honestly, it's a very intriguing strategy. Charles Jean Rochefort, you certainly are a talented academy student."

"..."

Strange. Liam wasn't the type to praise others so easily.

"But there's one critical flaw in your strategy."

Of course. What flaw will he nitpick this time?

"It's the fact that our 35,000 troops lost to the Chronor Army's 15,000. The enemy's morale is at its peak due to their great victory. If the Crown Prince's 12,000 troops and the Chronor Army of 10,000 were to face off... wouldn't the Chronor Army be tempted to advance and attack?"

Honestly, this was a criticism I had anticipated. In fact, I hadn't just anticipated it—I had lured him into making this criticism. Liam de Bordeaux had fallen into my trap. The reason was that Liam didn't know me well.

'From now on, it's no longer a battle of logic but of emotion. Watch closely, Liam. This is how you handle an inept monarch like His Highness the Crown Prince, Leonhardt.'

With that thought, Charles turned his head away from Liam with a meaningful smile. Instead, he turned toward...

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Charles knelt before the Crown Prince.

"Forgive my disrespect, but may I ask just one question?"

The Crown Prince soon answered.

"You may."

And Charles spoke the words he had prepared in advance.

"Is our army weaker than the enemy's?"

"..."

"..."

A bold question thrown out of nowhere caused the room to fall silent.

Liam de Bordeaux frowned as though realizing his mistake. Being a somewhat capable strategist, Liam immediately understood his error. At that moment, Liam sensed his defeat.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince hesitated. Their 35,000 troops had lost to the enemy's 15,000. Perhaps their army was indeed weaker than the enemy's. To lose despite having more than double the forces—could they really claim to be stronger? But if he admitted it aloud, how would he maintain his dignity as Crown Prince? All the nobles present were influential figures. If he showed weakness before such individuals, how would they treat him upon returning?

On the other hand, if he insisted they were strong despite losing to a significantly smaller enemy force, it would damage his dignity just as much. Thus, the Crown Prince was stuck, unable to speak. As he regretted granting permission for the question, the audacious youngster who had posed the troublesome question spoke again.

"Your Highness's army is incredibly strong."

"!?"

"What?"

Charles's unexpected remark shocked not only the nobles but also the Crown Prince. To declare that a defeated army was strong? Everyone thought so but kept it to themselves to preserve the Crown Prince's dignity. Charles, however, continued.

"Your Highness's army is strong! Their morale is high, their equipment excellent, and their numbers overwhelming. They only lost the previous battle because it was fought on a river. Ask the soldiers. Do you think they'll say they lost because the enemy was too strong? No. They'll say it was because of the treacherously cold ice and the mud seeping between their armor. I've already heard such testimonies from dozens of soldiers."

"..."

"Our army mistakenly believes we lost because we're weak, but the enemy knows the truth. That's why, if another standoff occurs, the enemy won't be eager to attack. They can't be certain of victory in a rematch."

Murmurs began to ripple through the room. People were debating whether his words were true. But one person had already reached a conclusion in their heart. That was none other than the Crown Prince.

"He's right..."

"What?"

"Your Highness, what did you just say...?"

The Crown Prince was deeply humiliated by the previous defeat. He had prided himself on possessing the strongest army in the world, only to lose to an enemy force less than half his size. Moreover, he had lost to the Northern Army, which he had considered far inferior to the Central Army. The Crown Prince felt like dying of shame. Thus, Charles's words affirming the strength of his army resonated deeply with him.

"He's right! Our army isn't weak! We lost only because we fought on unfavorable terrain! If we fight again, we can win!"

The nobles whispered among themselves at the Crown Prince's reaction, but only Charles smiled as if he had expected it. Charles had once cleared the game as Leonhardt von Arcadia, the Crown Prince. Thus, Charles was well aware of Leonhardt's personality: prideful and arrogant, always thinking he was the best. Charles believed that such a Leonhardt would never fully acknowledge defeat, and he exploited that trait.

"Liam de Bordeaux."

At the Crown Prince's call, Liam quietly bowed his head.

"Charles is correct. Our army is strong. If our main force and the enemy's main force were to fight again, our army would win. It seems your mistake was thinking that our army could lose to something like the Chronor Army."

Liam thought. To be honest, he had over a hundred counterarguments, but the stupidest thing one could do in the Crown Prince's army was to talk back to the Crown Prince. Thus, he simply bowed his head and said this:

"Yes. It was my oversight."

"If you've understood, follow Charles Jean Rochefort's strategy. Summon the ships for the Valboa Army. Do it immediately."

At those words, Liam showed a troubled expression, while Charles calmly accepted the victory.