I Became the Strategist the Monarchs Obsess Over

Chapter 29

Meanwhile, in Duke Chronor's army formation.

"We must retreat the army immediately."

Emilia von Chronor, the main player in the battle at the Imor River, was uncharacteristically voicing her opinion to her father, Karl von Chronor.

"What are you talking about, Emilia?"

Karl asked this, and Emilia responded.

"Our army is currently in an extremely unfavorable situation."

At her abrupt statement, Karl von Chronor frowned. Had anyone else said such nonsense, Duke Chronor would already be holding a whip, ready to lash out. However, Emilia had defeated Dian de Balboa, and as the protagonist of the previous battle's victory, even Karl found it challenging to lay a hand on her. In truth, Karl wished she would simply leave, as striking her was awkward for him, but Emilia did not back down from her opinion.

"What do you mean by an unfavorable situation?"

"Our army is besieging Crothea Castle with 3,000 troops and defending Seiz Castle with 10,000 troops."

"That is true."

"But if you look at the map here, you can see that Talin Castle, where the enemy's main force is stationed, and Crothea Castle are very close to each other."

"Nonsense. Isn't the sea blocking their path?"

"The sea is no obstacle. Charles Jean Rochefort—if it's him, he will conscript all the merchant ships docked at the harbor and invade the Crothea Peninsula. Then, he will join forces with Crothea's defense force, annihilate the siege force, and cut off our supply line from the rear."

Emilia's analysis was spot on. It aligned perfectly with the plan devised by Charles Jean Rochefort. This was because, from the perspective of the Crown Prince's army, it was the most likely way to secure victory.

"Emilia, I acknowledge your contributions in the previous battle."

"Then let us retreat—"

"But stop this nonsense that demoralizes our army! Our army achieved a great victory at the Imor River Battle. Having won the battle, it is only natural for one or two cities to fall into our hands! If we win the battle but fail to claim cities or castles, what is the point of victory? Would it not be an empty and fruitless triumph? Emilia! Since when did you start babbling about goddesses and such nonsense? Leave immediately! Do not show your face in the military tent until I call you again! If you do, I will kill you!"

Emilia von Chronor.

A character with the greatest military strength in the story and one of the highest command abilities.

However, Emilia was powerless at the moment. She was neither a monarch nor a general but merely the daughter of a duke.

'I need power, I need power...'

To freely carry out the will of the Goddess of War, she needed her own faction. For that, she thought...

'My father, the duke, is an obstacle.'

Emilia believed that her father was hindering the spread of the Goddess of War's name to the world.

-----

The next day, the Crown Prince led 12,000 troops toward Seiz Castle, and at the same time, Charles Jean Rochefort also crossed the sea with 3,000 troops.

From the north, the Crown Prince advanced toward Seiz Castle, while from the south, Charles marched toward Crothea Castle. The plan was to simultaneously advance from the north and south to defend Crothea Castle, which was on the verge of falling.

Meanwhile, Duke Chronor's strategy was the exact opposite. The plan was to besiege Crothea Castle with 3,000 soldiers to take it down while blocking the Crown Prince's army from advancing by holding them off at Seiz Castle.

As a result, both Seiz Castle and Crothea Castle would fall into their hands. That was Duke Chronor's strategy.

However, Charles Jean Rochefort thought little of Duke Chronor's strategy. While Duke Chronor might be decent as a tactician, he was far from competent as a strategist.

This was because he failed to recognize that he was in a disadvantageous situation. At this rate, Duke Chronor would face losses rather than gains.

There were various qualities required of a general. Some generals had tactical skills, while others had strategic abilities. Tactics referred to a microscopic view of war, while strategy referred to a macroscopic perspective.

It sounds complex when put like that, but it's easier to understand with a comparison. Tactics are about how to win a battle, while strategy is about how to use that victory to gain significant benefits.

In that sense, Duke Chronor knew how to win battles but didn't know how to utilize those victories for gains. That's why he was making reckless decisions now.

"I suppose I'll have to teach Duke Chronor a lesson."

Although Duke Chronor's death was imminent in the story, learning continues until death, does it not? Charles felt it wouldn't hurt to give him a final lesson.

With that thought, Charles crossed the sea and arrived at the Crothea Peninsula. The peninsula was centered around Crothea Castle, the largest castle in the region, surrounded by several smaller castles. Even with just 3,000 troops, the Chronor Army couldn't surround all these small castles, allowing Charles to move relatively freely within the peninsula.

Charles's 3,000 troops entered a small castle called Coromo Castle. After allowing his soldiers to recover from the fatigue of the sea journey, Charles set out the next day, July 25, 1501, toward Crothea Castle, which was besieged by Duke Chronor's special unit.

Crothea Castle, owned by Dian de Balboa, was a fortress with considerable defensive capabilities. The north side of the castle was a natural fortress formed by cliffs, the east side was bordered by the sea, and the west and south sides were surrounded by large moats, making it difficult to attack.

Consequently, the attackers had no choice but to wait, hoping the food supplies inside the castle would run out.

And the food reserves inside the castle were not plentiful. They would only last for a few months at best.

However, the real problem wasn't how much food was left. The concern was that the defense force, seeing the dwindling supplies, might prematurely assume they had been abandoned and surrender.

Therefore, Charles rushed toward Crothea Castle. At 11:30 AM on July 25, Charles Jean Rochefort attempted to ambush the Chronor Army from the rear.

However, the Chronor Army's scouts weren't idle, and when Charles's troops came within about two kilometers, the presence of the Valboa Army was detected.

The general leading Duke Chronor's special unit was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the enemy from the rear.

"Where on earth did the enemy suddenly come from...? Duke Chronor is holding firm at the front!"

It was hard to predict that they would have crossed the rough sea. After all, the Chronor Army was a northern power, and its intelligence network didn't extend much into the central region. They couldn't have expected the enemy to bypass Seiz Castle at the front and head straight to the rear to rescue Crothea Castle. Wasn't such a strategy contrary to the common sense of warfare?

But Charles wasn't bound by conventions. Orthodoxy or unorthodoxy was merely a convenience created by men. No matter the path, victory was all that mattered. That was Charles's philosophy.

As Charles was about to issue an attack order, Paul and Hugo summoned all the Valboa Army commanders.

It was highly irregular for ordinary commanders, not the overall commander, to summon all the Valboa Army's leaders. But Charles accepted the summons, thinking it was the fate of an outsider.

A strange scene unfolded in which subordinates summoned their superior. Charles heeded Paul and Hugo's call, and the other commanders also complied.

Worried that the commanders might be plotting something, Charles went inside the military tent ahead of time, tapping the desk with his fingers until Paul and Hugo appeared.

"Paul, Hugo, what's this about ordinary commanders issuing a summons?"

"We heard you intend to issue an attack order against the enemy."

"Yes, that's correct."

"That is absolutely unacceptable!"

Sigh. As expected. They wouldn't have issued a summons unless they intended to raise some objection. Surely, they were planning to engage in a power struggle here.

"Why can't we? Our army is 3,000 strong, and so is the enemy. It seems like a fair fight, doesn't it?"

"It's not the same 3,000! Our army suffered significant losses among our heavy infantry and heavy cavalry during the Imor Battle yesterday! As a result, the remaining troops consist mostly of light infantry and archers! With such a skewed force, fighting an equally numbered enemy is absurd!"

They had a point. A valid point, but it wasn't something worth listening to intently. After all, Charles had already given the order to advance, fully aware of these facts.

"Sorry, but the attack order has already been decided. I won't entertain objections. Tonight, we will fight the enemy."

"This lunatic! A single slippery fool is leading the Valboa Army to ruin!"

With that exclamation, Paul and Hugo simultaneously drew their swords.

"Rather than let the Valboa Army collapse because of you, we'll kill you here and replace you as commander! Everyone, attack!"

At Paul's signal, Paul, Hugo, and several escort soldiers all charged at Charles at once.