Episode 145

Reich Empire’s military 7th Division Command Barracks.

I was a bit late to the strategy meeting because I had gone to the restroom, and the officers, excluding me, had placed a beer on the table.

I saw them raising their beer glasses and making a toast.

“For our Division Commander who thwarted the damned Swiss bastards’ ambush!”

“A toast to the victory of the 7th Division!”

“For our promotions, wealth, and glory!”

And so the officers drained their beers to the last drop.

Lieutenant Colonel Anya and the other officers, perhaps because of the beer going around, started laughing and sharing heroic stories even before the strategy meeting.

“To be honest, when I heard the Division Commander order us to move in full armor as soon as we entered Switzerland, I thought it was too much.”

“We managed because it’s cooler here. If we did that in a warm place like the Peronia City Alliance, we would have all died.”

“I was thinking of suggesting that we march without armor starting tomorrow, but I never expected those soldiers to attack right after we finished wearing armor this morning.”

I agreed with what the officers said.

Honestly, I couldn’t have asked the soldiers to do this in a warmer place like Peronia, for fear they might die of dehydration or heatstroke.

To maintain the morale of the soldiers forced into this tough schedule, I, as the Division Commander, had to endure the hardships, too.

With all these happenings, I felt like everyone was relaxing, and I just wanted to go back to my barracks and sleep.

But since the situation was so urgent, I shook off those thoughts and ordered to prepare for the meeting as I entered the barracks.

“I’d like to have a drink with you all to celebrate our small victory, but the path ahead is a damned mercenary’s lair, so I can’t afford even a beer. Instead, when our division wins and returns, I’ll rent out an entire upscale inn for us to drink.”

In this era, an upscale inn obviously meant a tavern where women served drinks, and you could go for a second round.

I had no intention of getting close to any woman other than Laura, so I would quietly return home when everyone would go for a second round.

There was no greater happiness than buying drinks to celebrate the victory with my subordinates and sharing a glass together.

“We have two main paths we can take. One is through the road between Lindenhorf Hills and the giant mountains. The other is a longer detour.”

Whichever path we took, we’d eventually meet at the Jungfrau Plains.

The former path, passing through Lindenhorf Hills, had several villages, making it good for local food supply, and the land was flat, making it ideal for marching.

On the other hand, the return path, while not mountainous, had hills along the way that would inevitably exhaust the soldiers’ stamina.

From a soldier’s perspective, they would naturally prefer to march comfortably on flat roads, eating warm food and fresh meat supplied by the villages.

“The path chosen by our Division Commander is difficult and takes us on a longer detour.”

Hearing this, the officers looked at each other, wondering if they had heard wrong.

Seeing the person next to them nod silently, they realized they had heard correctly and then looked at me with disbelief.

“Division Commander, why would you choose such a difficult route over the easier one?”

“It’s not that marching is impossible, but please consider the soldiers’ exhaustion. They’ll collapse from fatigue along the way.”

“Hasn’t the Count, who is in communication with us, already said it? The enemy only intends to conduct delaying actions. Moreover, Ticino Canton can only mobilize about 4,000 men on its own, and we’ve already taken down hundreds of them today. As long as it’s not a siege, we have a good chance of winning. We have to fight anyway, so it’s better to go somewhere even slightly more comfortable.”

All of these were very reasonable points.

Especially since, according to the information sent by Count Bern, who had been in communication with us for several years, Ticino Canton could currently mobilize only about 4,000 men.

If they didn’t hole up in their fortress, we should be able to fight and win.

Moreover, one of the most important responsibilities of a commander during war was to send soldiers to battle in a state where they could fight.

As they say, it’s a hundred, a thousand times right to take the easier path.

“Certainly, as you all said, in most situations, the right answer is to take the easy and fast path.”

But that was when fighting in places like plains where ambushes were difficult.

If we were ambushed unexpectedly like the last time, my 7th Division could suffer heavy casualties or defeat, so taking the longer route would be the better strategy.

“But look at the terrain here. It’s not as extreme as cliffs or mountains right by the road, but aren’t there many hills and mountains perfect for hiding soldiers? So, the Swiss mercenaries, unable to give up their old habits, will definitely ambush us with arrows or magic as we pass by.”

As Count Bern had said, even if their number was not 4,000, there were only about 1,000 troops that could be mobilized if they would hide soldiers in the forest and attack with guerrilla tactics.

Due to continuous engagement, the soldiers might become too exhausted to fight before even reaching Reichenstein Castle, accumulating fatigue from battle.

Therefore, we should choose certain safety over trying to march on a slightly easier path.

“Didn’t we learn this at the Academy? The enemy isn’t foolish, so they’ll surely know where it’s best for us to march. They’ll try to tie us down, whether by ambushing with troops or constructing field fortresses. So, we’re taking a detour to avoid disadvantageous and dangerous battles.”

After this explanation, the officers seemed convinced, nodding their heads, but Anya asked me, apparently not fully convinced.

“Commander, but what if Count Ticino purposely leaves our supply route open, intending to cut it off later? Wouldn’t that disrupt our supplies?”

“That’s a valid point, but haven’t we brought enough hardtack and salted meat to last three weeks for such situations? Even if we don’t receive additional supplies until we reach Reichenstein, we won’t run out of food if we march while eating that.”

“I understand.”

However, to maximize our advantage, it seemed best to provoke a fight here at Jungfrau Plains, where the two paths converged, rather than having our supply route cut off.

“But as Lieutenant Colonel Anastasia said, it’s not good to give the enemy a chance to cut off our supply route. Therefore, we will lure them here to Jungfrau Plains.”

The officers looked puzzled at this, but I smiled and replied.

“The method is quite simple. We will just release a few spies in Swiss villages to spread a rumor. We’ve secured enough rations to last until Jungfrau Plains, so we’ll say we’re taking the rough path. Then, whatever strategy the enemy has prepared will surely fall apart.”

If such a rumor spread, Count Ticino would undoubtedly be furious that his plan had gone awry.

In case he didn’t take the bait properly, I should add this.

“After reaching Jungfrau Plains, our rations will run low, so we’ll naturally have to plunder local villages and fields.”

This way, the lords of Ticino Canton in Switzerland would be excited, insisting that we must be stopped at Jungfrau Plains.

Otherwise, their precious land and wealth would turn to ashes.

Jungfrau Plains, famous for their vast expanse even in Ticino Canton, would allow us to freely maneuver our knights and archers.

We might be inferior in infantry quality, but what if we had the advantage of the Empire’s knights and the Northerners’ archers?

If the forces led by Count Ticino were indeed just 4,000, as Count Bern had mentioned, then annihilating them all would be as easy as eating cold porridge.

“Well, then, let’s conclude the meeting here. Since we all have to take the rugged path, make sure to prepare thoroughly.”

I would put into practice the saying that, when in a hurry, it’s better to take the long way around.

Let’s see them swallow this bitter pill.