I Became the Strategist the Monarchs Obsess Over

Chapter 30

Paul, Hugo, and a few soldiers drew their swords and charged at Charles. They were genuinely trying to kill him. Otherwise, they wouldn't be emanating such killing intent.

However, Charles had someone he could trust. A woman who had stayed by his side throughout this battle without stepping forward even once. The subordinates seemed to suspect she was his lover, but the truth was different. Her true identity was...

"Glasia."

As Charles murmured her name, Glasia stepped forward and singlehandedly faced Paul, Hugo, and their soldiers in a 10-to-1 fight. However, it wasn't Glasia who was being pushed back but the enemies. What does it mean to be the third strongest swordsman in the worldview? It means that only two people in the worldview could defeat Glasia.

And because she was such a formidable fighter, even if the enemies numbered ten, she was not at a disadvantage. No, if anything, Glasia could have ended the fight in an instant if she fought alone. The reason the battle was still ongoing was actually because of Charles.

Glasia had to stay near Charles to protect him, so she couldn't stray far from his side. She had no choice but to fight while pushing the enemies away. Fighting 10-to-1 while protecting an ally was an incredibly disadvantageous fight, but Glasia's performance was astonishing. She was overwhelmingly pushing the enemies back and driving them to one spot.

'W-what kind of swordsmanship is this...!'

'Insane!'

Paul and Hugo thought. They believed that killing their commander and surrendering with the 3,000 soldiers to Duke Chronor would earn them great rewards under the duke. That's why they decided to betray Charles, the rookie commander. But an unforeseen variable had appeared, and now they were the ones facing death.

"S-stop! We surrender!"

Hugo was the first to shout as he raised his hands, and Glasia glanced at Charles. However, Charles simply shook his head. It was a sign that he would not accept their surrender.

In the next moment, Glasia stepped forward and cut down both Paul and Hugo with a single strike.

-Swoosh!

Blood burst from Paul and Hugo's chests. And then...

"T-this is madness!"

"Paul lost?"

The commanders who had been watching the scene let out gasps of shock.

Charles smiled briefly as if he had expected this and then spoke to the gathered people.

"Let me introduce someone. This is my escort, Glasia. If any of you are planning to rebel in the future, please keep in mind that I have a highly skilled escort. Glasia is a famous genius swordsman from Arcadia Academy."

Murmurs spread throughout the crowd. Paul and Hugo, still clutching their wounds, opened and closed their mouths as if gasping. It seemed they weren't dead yet.

"Glasia, they seem to be in a lot of pain. Please show them mercy."

At those words, Glasia quietly approached and ended both Paul and Hugo's lives. As expected of a future Sword Master, she seemed to know the weak points precisely. Paul and Hugo didn't move a muscle after that.

"Well then, I plan to attack the enemy tonight. Does anyone object?"

However, none of the gathered commanders spoke. They all planned to side with the winning leader anyway. For now, they simply wanted to preserve their lives in this place.

And so, the Battle of Crothea Castle began the next day.

-----

Although Charles had killed Paul and Hugo.

Their concerns were actually valid. The army had lost many of its primary forces, including heavy infantry and heavy cavalry. The remaining heavy infantry and heavy cavalry were truly scarce. Most of the soldiers were light infantry and archers.

In fact, fighting an evenly matched enemy with such a lineup was absurd. But in this situation, it made sense.

The reason being, the enemy, like Charles, wanted to avoid battle.

If both sides carried disadvantages, it essentially neutralized the issues—a plus-minus-zero scenario.

This was precisely why Charles confidently challenged the enemy.

Soon, the enemy and the allied forces were facing off at a distance of several hundred meters.

Charles shouted to his soldiers.

"Archers! Move forward! Infantry, follow behind them!"

A classic strategy: placing archers at the forefront with infantry following behind.

The enemy did the same, advancing with their archers at the front.

"Fire!"

"Fire!"

The archers from both sides, now within range, began shooting arrows at each other.

Arrows rained down like a storm, and the allied archers fell one by one under the enemy's arrows.

"As expected, the longbows of the North are strong..."

There's a type of tree that only grows in the North, and bows made from this tree have great tensile strength, making them extremely powerful.

Of course, bows from the Central region weren't bad either, but when it came to the best bows, Northern bows were considered superior. However...

"The enemy archers are retreating!"

It was not the allied archers but the enemy archers who first began to withdraw.

The reason was simple. The allied archers outnumbered the enemy archers.

In the previous battle, the army had lost numerous heavy infantry and heavy cavalry, leaving mostly light infantry and archers among the allied forces.

As a result, the remaining numerous allied archers overwhelmed the enemy with sheer numbers, forcing them to retreat.

However, the enemy infantry started to charge.

The enemy infantry outnumbered the allied infantry. Now, the real problem began.

Scout Officer Gabriel asked.

"What do you plan to do now...? Should we prepare to retreat?"

"Don't worry. We'll win."

The terrifying enemy infantry charged with maces and axes in hand.

They used their shields to block the arrows as they stormed toward them.

Some allied soldiers were slightly intimidated by their overwhelming momentum.

Northerners were generally larger in build than those from the Central region, so when they charged with battle cries, the Central soldiers felt slightly daunted. However...

"Do not fear! You are elite soldiers of the Valboa Army!"

"Fight! The Goddess of Victory is with us!"

Commanders across various locations encouraged the soldiers. As expected, the commanders of Dian's unit were calm and competent.

Encouraged by their commanders, the soldiers formed ranks and prepared to counter the enemy's charge. And soon...

-Boom!!!

The vanguards of both armies clashed.

"The enemy infantry outnumber ours. If they simply push forward, we'll lose. Will this really work...?"

Gabriel's concern was valid. There was a theory used by Britain as a key strategy during World War II. It was the "Lanchester's Law." The theory stated that if A's number of soldiers exceeded B's, A could win with fewer casualties.

A war of attrition wasn't just about pouring in numbers until victory. It was about leveraging numerical superiority into tactical and strategic advantages.

In this sense, worrying about defeat was reasonable due to the enemy infantry's superior numbers.

This was precisely a situation where Lanchester's Law applied. But...

"Gabriel, look closely. Do the enemy seem to outnumber us now?"

"What? Of course..."

Gabriel's words halted as he was about to answer.

"No, they don't."

That's right. The enemy infantry and the allied infantry were evenly matched in numbers. Moreover, with the allied archers providing solid backup from the rear, the allied forces were in an advantageous position.

In fact, the enemy had only committed half of their infantry. The other half had not yet been deployed. So what was the remaining half doing?

'They're probably guarding the rear.'

They were likely wary of potential attacks from the rear.

"But I don't understand. They could've won if they deployed all their forces at once. Why are they splitting their troops with such an odd strategy?"

"From their perspective, they have their own reasons."

The secret was...

"The defense force of Crothea Castle."

"The defense force of Crothea Castle?"

"Yes. They retreated from the castle upon seeing us. What do you think the soldiers of Crothea Castle thought when they saw that?"

"Uh..."

Gabriel, who had been thinking for a while, suddenly clapped his hands in realization.

"They must have thought reinforcements arrived!"

"Exactly. So, with reinforcements, they could surround the enemy from the front and back and annihilate them. That would be a brilliant commander's proper judgment."

"Then the enemy prepared for the reinforcements by...?"

"Splitting their infantry into two groups."

Gabriel finally began to understand the entire situation—why the seemingly disadvantaged allied forces were winning and how hard the enemy commander's position must be.

"But will the Castle Lord of Crothea help us?"

"I don't know."

"What? Then..."

"But the enemy already fears the reinforcements and has withdrawn part of their infantry, haven't they?"

That alone was enough. According to Lanchester's Law, the allied forces at the front now held the advantage.

"That alone is sufficient. Keeping the enemy worried about their rear is enough."

Gabriel finally showed a look of realization and nodded. As Charles had said, the allied forces were indeed winning—despite many commanders having predicted defeat.

"Charge! The enemy is collapsing!"

An old veteran, who had served Dian since childhood, shouted.

"Protect the rear of our troops! Your presence reassures the vanguard!"

The young commanders followed behind him.

Our forces steadily brought down the enemy. As expected, despite losing in previous battles, the commanders trained personally by Dian were unmatched in their excellence. And then...

"What is this! What are our troops doing! Aren't we falling apart! Deploy the reserve unit!"

The general leading the special unit on the Grand Duke's side shouted.

"But General, if we send out the reserve unit now, we won't be able to handle the enemy coming from the rear...!"

"Can't you see the enemy isn't here yet? From the beginning, there were never reinforcements from Crothea Castle! They're just cowering inside the castle out of fear! Deploy the reserve unit immediately!"

So shouted the enemy commander.

"Messenger!!! Messenger!!! Enemy shadows detected in the rear! Their number is approximately 1,000!"

At that moment, the defense force of Crothea appeared. Charles had thought it wouldn't matter whether they showed up or not, but he was, of course, glad they did. And then...

"All forces! Draw your melee weapons and advance!"

Charles shouted.

Our forces, whether they were archers or infantry, drew their melee weapons and advanced toward the enemy.

Thousands of our troops advanced toward the enemy. The enemy, unable to either advance or retreat, hesitated and fumbled.

Meanwhile.

"Our troops are fighting at the front! Assist our forces!"

Leading 1,000 soldiers, Juan de Balboa, the nephew of Dian de Balboa and the general of Crothea's defense force, attacked the enemy's rear.

Front and rear.

Watching the enemy approach from both directions, the enemy commander shouted urgently.

"Retreat! Retreat!!!"

The enemy commander shouted, but it was already too late. Sandwiched between the front and rear, the enemy commander's army was annihilated without a trace within 30 minutes.

At this, Charles extended his hand to the general of Crothea's defense force, who had arrived at the right moment.

The general of Crothea's defense force, immensely satisfied with having defended Crothea, grasped Charles's hand firmly and shook it.

It was a perfect victory for the Valboa Army led by Charles Jean Rochefort.