The Strategist Knows Everything - Volume 3 Chapter 1
Part III: The Imperial State Edition
Chapter 1: The Front Line 6
Translated by : Hiro02
Edited by : SevenTails
Besides me and Mikana, the other commanders and Fio were in a tent strung up in the center of the garrison. Fio called me in.
“Yum!”
“Indeed! Never thought I’d get such a good meal in a garrison!”
“Yeah, it’s delicious.”
“Mhm, it’s delicious.”
Nox has been taken over. No joke, it’s been completely taken over. They all fell into the enemy’s hands. It was the biggest enemy we’ve ever encountered and I couldn’t think of a way to win.
All of Taira’s warriors and troop commanders were completely out of my hands. I couldn’t do anything.
“Fu-fu… Do you want to eat my food too, Yuki-chan?”
Fio confidently walked up to me and interrupted my idiotic thoughts.
What happened was simple. Fio’s cooking captured the hearts of everyone. They say cooking is a way to a person’s heart and it’s one of the most destructive things you can do in the world.
“I don’t like your look of confidence, so I’ll pass on it.”
“Why? I made it so delicious!”
“If I get used to a good meal like this, I’m afraid I won’t be able to eat something similar again.”
“It’s okay. You just need to stay in the Empire forever.”
I knew that was her goal. If an independent unit led by a Veris military strategist were to be absorbed by the Empire, it would turn into a disaster. Moreover, because she uses food as a pretext, it’s hard to dismiss this as a joke.
“Nox has to return to Veris.”
“Don’t be like that. I know that the Empire is but a temporary place for Yuki-chan.”
Seeing Fio smile a bit sadly, I felt a little guilt-ridden. But.
“I’m not letting your act fool me.”
“Now you’re being suspicious of me! I’m hurt by what you just said!”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. So? How long will Fio stay?”
A week has passed since we left Ferrenor.
I wasn’t sure if it’s a blessing or if it was just as Fio had hoped. I didn’t know if I was right or not.
”While my uncle and Yuki-chan were playing around, I had already sent the message that I wanted to participate in the war. However, if I don’t get a reply back, I can’t participate. It takes around 3 days by horse from Ferrenor to the Capital and from the Capital here takes around 4 days, right? Is it weird for me to be here?”
“No, didn’t you receive the message? Are you guys already on your way to the fort?”
“Is it really strange for me to be here?”
“Chill out. It’s weird to think that… What kind of situation is that the person, who was appointed as the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army is not only in another country’s unit, but is also cooking food for their troops?”
After I smiled and asked again, Fio calmly replied, waving her hands and shouting, “I don’t care where the Supreme Commander is! Besides, it’s cool to appear at the end!” (EN: Fashionably late.)
“Do you really mean the last thing? But do you really know? Just think about the war’s situation. The place you should be, as a Supreme Commander, is the most important place, right? And it’s definitely not here by any stretch of the imagination?” 1
“I want to stay! I said it already! If I ask Berg, I’ll get there faster than you’ll know it, so allow me to stay a little longer!”
I shrugged and shook my head slowly as Fio puffed up her cheeks and sulked.
“The time for selfishness is over. There’s a chance they already know of Fio’s participation in the war. The thing Albion fears the most is Fio’s participation in the war. If that were the case, it’s crystal clear for them to attack us.”
“You’re right.”
A voice affirming my words echoed in the tent. It was Mikana who came in and commented.
A little out of breath, Mikana looked straight at me and Fio. Her eyes were filled with determination.
I wasn’t sure if the situation went as expected, but I’m sure you can guess from the way she said it.
“Thirty thousand of Albion’s troops have invaded the right Fort of Raire.”
The number of troops in Fort Raire was 8,000. However, the equipment they have deployed wasn’t that good. The most likely place where Albion was expected to attack, though, was Fort Hauser to the left. There were 15,000 troops deployed to Fort Hauser, and priority was given to powerful equipment and elites. The reason is that the road from the Albion side to Fort Raire is steep in the woods and mountains, and not suitable for a large army to attack. And to be honest, I’m wondering if the 30,000 figure could be a false report.
Nevertheless, they were the Four Wise Men. If it’s them, then a week of preparations is understandable.
“In the past week, they’ve been dispatching troops little by little.”
“But there’s no way you can miss a 30,000-men army…”
“This situation being precipitous means that there are plenty of places to hide, and the soldiers in the fort must have been caught off guard. I’m sure they were. Fio, the confusion between the troops is inevitable now. Let’s head to the front.”
“… Right. I’m not sure if 30,000 for 8,000 is a bad deal at Fort Raire. I’m also not so sure if the Four Wise Men will come out.”
Fio chuckled. She no longer had the selfishness from earlier. I’ve already switched to having Fio as a commander. It was faster than she expected but Fio had already begun to think about how to deal with it.
I wasn’t going to say I wouldn’t be able to get anything out of it, but a commander who was quick to change his/her thinking can respond tactfully and flexibly. It’s quite reliable to have her on our side.
But it wasn’t just simply a force of 30,000 troops. According to reports, Albion’s imperial invasion force had a total of 70,000 men, from which 30,000 were here. It should be considered as an elite force.
And there were still 40,000 in the background.
The last bastion was to build a defensive front. We couldn’t send a large army to the small fort in the center, Fort Keion, no matter how hard we tried, but neither could Albion. Thus, the battle was going to be between an elite few. Of course, the best of the best elites have been deployed there, and Nox and I were prepared for it so far.
But right now, the worst of all could happen.
“Nox will head to Fort Hauser. Prepare to move. It’s going to be a two- or three-way simultaneous invasion.”
I instructed the troop commanders in the tent. Each commander then relayed the orders to their subordinates outside to prepare the troops.
I exhaled and started to reorganize the situation.
No matter how well equipped and manned the fort was, they won’t last very long against an army led by the Four Wise Men themselves. Hauser needed reinforcements ASAP. 2
Of course, we need to help Fort Keion as well, but the fort was always on the lookout for any potential attacks, and with their vigilance, it’s impossible to approach it unnoticed. And the message has yet to come so we could do it later.
The problem was to the right and left. No, Fort Hauser, where Nox was heading to reinforce, was going to be fine. Even if 40,000 came, with Nox’s 5,000, it would be 20,000 against 40,000 in a defensive battle. Fort Hauser would be able to withstand even if three times as many enemies arrived.
The question was, will Irene Macefield from the Four Wise attack Fort Raire on the right?
It was a good idea to have Albion’s army attack Fort Raire, but with 30,000 elite troops, they don’t need the Four Wise Men to personally lead them through. Of course, that’s if we didn’t do anything.
When I think of it that way, it may seem like a formidable battle in the direction of Fort Hauser, but Fort Hauser also has double the number of troops. If there are more Albion troops, they can overwhelm us with firepower and Fort Hauser will have a hard time.
We had to defend all three forts, but Albion only needed to take one of them down. Albion’s invasion was definitely set up with that in mind. If we make a mistake in the distribution of our forces, we will certainly lose at least one of the forts.
I think they will rely on the elite few for the fight. Fort Keion, where the difference in numbers cannot be taken advantage of, is the hardest of the three forts to capture. If only Irene Macefield had thought of it that way.
“I guess the main attack this time is in the center.”
“I agree. If they were to attack us with the intention of blocking the right and left, there is little danger in them suddenly sending in all of their troops. Well, I don’t know if they will deploy their entire army.”
That was certainly true. It was only a report of about 30,000 Albion troops going to Fort Raire. Whether the 40,000 to the rear will move is entirely speculative for us.
But warfare is about anticipation.
“If I were the enemy, I would. Albion can’t afford to waste its time on the Empire.”
“Oh, I get it. The Empire…”
I nodded at Fio’s words. The Empire had sent two out of three generals to Veris. They were completely intent on bringing down Veris, but as far as Albion is concerned, Veris can’t afford to be abandoned by the Empire. However, it’s only their initiative, and if the Empire does not help them, they won’t be able to gain an advantage after the war.
However, Veris’ defense against Albion was solid; it will take more troops than a good general to bring it down. So, by dealing with the empire quickly, Albion should want to fight Veris.
“Veris has Sophia too. If nothing is done, the Empire would bring down Veris and take custody of her. That wouldn’t make Albion’s people happy. In light of this, Albion’s army wants to decide quickly. No, we have to decide.”
If the enemy can read the situation, they will know what to do.
In the same way, the defenders have to maintain a defensive front and mustn’t lose a single fort. The attacker has their own intentions, just as we have our own situation.
It is no longer a prediction, but a certainty and Albion will come forth with its entire army.
“The first step is to rescue the left and right forts.”
“Char and I will go to Raire.”
“… No. No matter how much Fio and Charlotte are stuck fighting between the 30,000 and the 8,000, you will lose the ability to fully deal with the center. If Fio is stuck, she cannot use the fast movement in Frezberg. If I can’t gather the forces from left and right to the center, they will break through the center.”
“Then what will you do? Nox is going to Fort Hauser, right?”
That’s right. Nox was going to head to Fort Hauser. Irene Macefield probably won’t be in the attacking force, but without Nox’s reinforcements, Fort Hauser was not going to be able to defend against 40,000 enemies.
There would be an attack to both right and left to get Nox to head to either Fort Hauser or Fort Raire. Of course, it wasn’t a given that Macefield would head to the center, but it wouldn’t be out of line. Fort Hauser and Fort Raire can be taken down without Macefield, but the center one cannot be taken down in a short time without Macefield. The fort was vulnerable, but it needed a few days to make sure it was taken down. That’s what Fort Keion was like.
If they wanted to take it down within a short time, they needed to have Macefield leading the elite group.
I’m sure he was thinking about Nox’s position, just as I am thinking of his position. Normally, I would place the main unit in the center where it would be easier to deal with the right and left, and first send reinforcements to the attacked Raire.
With that kind of formation, I could deal with the left, right and center of the field without a hitch. And I’m sure that Macefield was assuming that that was the safest strategy possible. And the safest strategy is the one that was most likely to happen, but I wasn’t the only one to think of that. I’m not sure how far Macefield was willing to go to get me, but I don’t think he underestimated me, so he was going to come to crush me himself.
For that reason, I assumed that Macefield would be in the center and so I quickly put together a plan.
“I’ll be accompanied by four of my commanders to Fort Raire. We will immediately defeat the attacking Albion forces and head to the center or left on Frezberg to reinforce them. Of course, if Macefield is in the attacking force at Fort Raire, we will encounter him there.”
“Four people? That means you’re giving Nox’s command to someone else?”
I nod at Fio’s words. The five troop commanders in the tent had a confused look on their faces. No, there was one person who let out a sigh.
“I’m sorry for always forcing you to do such things.”
“It’s fine. That’s what I’m here to do.”
Nicola exhales a sigh and lets out a wry smile.
Nicola was always ordinary. She doesn’t take risks, doesn’t have adventures and just fought normally.
If other troop commanders had the skills to make their troops fight at more than one hundred percent, Nicola can constantly make them fight at eighty percent power perfectly. The same was true for other units.
It was also easy for the soldiers to fight when they’re commanded under the same strategy. It is difficult to win against a strong enemy, but Nicola could make them fight the same as usual. I wasn’t going to be able to find someone who could replace me out of the five troop commanders, but I wasn’t the only one who knew the nature of each unit, so it was fine to leave the overall command to her.
“I’m worried about leaving Nicola onee-san alone there! Let me join her in the left too!”
Roy took a step forward and said so. Mikana didn’t even give him an accusing look. Given the balance of forces, if Macefield were to be in the attacking force at Fort Hauser, Nicola would be in great danger. My strategy was basically allocating a lot of forces to the right and center. I was aware of it, but I couldn’t always play it safe by eliminating the element of betting on it. It’s even better to do so when the opponents are huge and tough.
“Roy. I’m still the captain of Nox’s Third Unit. It doesn’t matter what kind of opponent comes at me, I can at least hold them off on my own. I’ve always been unassuming, but being unassuming has its own uses. I’m going to trust Yukito-sama’s instructions and fight because he brings out the best in me. I’m most anxious when I have men under my charge, but I will not let them die in vain in the name of… Nox’s Third Unit’s Commander, Nicola Rior.”
Therefore, it seemed convincing.
And that’s how Nicola talked with Roy. Nicola’s appearance was a little different than usual, which made Roy flinch slightly.
Leading Nox means becoming a general of 5,000 men. Even if it was an acting one, her freedom would be lost and her life would be targeted by more enemies. Even without Macefield, Nicola’s life would be in danger.
Yet she was able to make up her mind quickly. Nicola said she was a knight when she first met me, and she’s right.
No matter how unreliable she looked, Nicola was a proud knight of Veris. I’m sure she was even willing to put her life on the line.
But.
“I never asked you to be prepared to die. All I ask of you is that you take care of Nox’s men and your own life. If Macefield is not there, I want you to persevere. If he is, we’ll come to your aid at once. So until then, I want you to endure. You’re good at that, right?”
“I’m certainly good at it. I’m sure of it. It’ll be easier knowing that if we just sit tight and hold on, help will arrive.”
It couldn’t be that easy, but Nicola certainly made it sound as if it was. Nicola was growing up. Ever since becoming Nox’s troop commander, she has gained a certain confidence in her role. Absolute confidence in her role.
Following around and cleaning up the mess around me. That’s what Nicola has been doing all along and that’s what I’ve been ordering her to do. It was indeed inconspicuous, but Nicola was already an indispensable commander in Nox.
“Captain Ars, Erica, Mikana and Roy. Inform your units that Nicola will be the commander-in-charge. The danger levels will be the same as always. No, it will probably be more dangerous, so we will have to push ourselves harder. I want everybody to be prepared and optimistic.”
“There is no need to prepare ourselves that much.”
“Yeah, yeah. Such things are already normal.”
“I’m not going to die but, well, following you is usually dangerous anyway. This happens all the time.”
Captain Ars, Roy and Erica each responded to my words, and Mikana, who was standing behind me, also replied with a rare smile.
“Ever since the day I became Yukito-sama’s subordinate, I was prepared to lay down my life if Yukito-sama were to command me to. It’s a good thing that we are all in the same boat, so you don’t need to worry about us. And besides, it’s us who will win anyway.”
Mikana asserting her confidence was even more encouraging than usual.
The total number of enemies was 70,000, and the current number of enemies attacking was 30,000. I was sure that the troop commanders here weren’t ordinary people, as they smiled down on the difference in strength of more than twice as much.
To be honest, I can’t bring myself to laugh, but my subordinates are laughing about it. It’s no big deal. Then I, as a general, have no choice but to laugh with confidence.
“You’re right. The only person I can lose to is Kaguya-sama and I don’t plan on changing that. I won’t allow it to. Get ready to go! Let’s move to the front!!”
(1) used to emphasize that something is not true, does not happen, etc.
(2) as soon as possible.