Chapter 431
Chapter 431
EP.431
Two months later, near the city of Francois Valois.
“Is everyone here? The junior officers and soldiers are in the midst of playing around, but you are such a disgusting Generalissimo that you invite them to sit in the meeting room like this. Hehe, I’m sorry.”
The generals under my command responded with cheerful smiles to my words.
“If I were to be called by His Excellency the Marshal, I would come without hesitation no matter how delicious the delicacies of mountain and sea food are in front of me.”
“Those who couldn’t attend are probably pounding the ground because they regret not being able to hear His Excellency’s ingenious strategy with their own ears.”
“It is enough to have fun with a refreshed mind after completing the mission.”
As I listened to the reactions of those who responded more cheerfully to the words containing their own humor, a smile suddenly appeared on my face.
“Very good. Then, as of the current time, I will disclose the information reported by the scouting party one by one. “Everyone, please take your seats.”
As the generals sat down in their respective seats, I took out the report sent by the scouts and began to read it.
“The enemy commander is Marshal Carlos von Chevalier, and the size of the troops he leads is estimated to be approximately 250,000. In addition, it is said that the knight led about 30,000 people.”
We brought 30,000 knights, so if you add the number of archers, our cavalry strength is superior.
‘You can’t let down your guard against their knight.’
Although he was severely robbed by the United Kingdom, who were using a strategy of sucking the backbone by interfering in Francois’ disgusting civil war.
Their knights are still the strongest on the continent.
When the generals heard the number ‘30,000’, they sighed deeply and touched their foreheads as if they were in pain.
“Those Francois guys went through that civil war with the United Kingdom guys and still mobilized 30,000 knights. “It seems like there really is a castle obsessed with knights.”
“Isn’t it possible that these guys have a wall that they can’t stand if you don’t raise a horse?”
“Ahem, ahem, those are really uncomfortable words. “Please don’t say that my love of words is a castle, but rather culture.”
While everyone was talking in worry, I smiled and called out to Carol with a wave of my hand.
“Major, bring that.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The generals tilted their heads and paid attention to me.
After a while, Carol brought out a fairly large crossbow that, unlike a typical crossbow, had gears and other mechanical mechanisms with a rope attached to it, and placed it in front of me.
At the same time, on the opposite side of the wall, a little away from where I was sitting, a breastplate worn by ordinary knights was placed on a support stand.
“The crossbow often used by Zenobian crossbowmen was modified from the armory. The power is approximately…”
I intentionally interrupted my sentence in a tantalizing way and then began to turn the mechanism attached to the top of the crossbow with one hand.
The other generals seemed to feel the utility of being able to load a crossbow with one hand, and they all continued to speak in voices of admiration.
“It’s amazing that you can load a crossbow with one hand.”
“Your Excellency’s concept has been reproduced exactly in the armory.”
“… As expected, you are amazing.”
I pulled the crossbow string and loaded an arrow that was much sharper and heavier than a regular crossbow arrow.
“See for yourself.”
When I pulled the trigger, the arrow flew towards the armor with a fairly heavy ‘thud’ sound.
And as proven after several experiments, the crossbow penetrated a breastplate of similar strength to that used by Francois’ knights.
“It’s roughly like this. “What do you like?”
When I said this, the generals clapped their hands passionately with their mouths wide open.
“and! “You can penetrate that thick breastplate in one go!”
“Your Excellency has created a fearsome weapon! “I was so shocked that my mouth dropped.”
“…François’ knights are all as good as dead.”
The life of a knight lies in the ‘defense’ and ‘weight’ of the person on the horse and the horse, but if this crossbow is used, their defense will be virtually broken, so the knight’s value will drop by half or more.
The biggest reason to fear knights is that, excluding magic, they rarely die from soldiers’ attacks.
Because all you need is that crossbow and the game is over.
‘I can picture the knight looking embarrassed.’
“The production process for that crossbow is complicated, so they said they would work hard to prepare it, but they have only prepared about 5,000 so far. So, I plan to give it to the archers and have them shoot all at once before they collide with our knights, and use it to kill the momentum of the charging guys.”
“It’s really good. “With just one hit from that, you can kill Francois and all those snail-eating knights!”
Generals and commanders are people who always get excited when they see excellent weapons, so you should understand their current state of excitement.
Although he was over 60 years old, he was extremely excited and ran towards me, asking for my understanding, holding the crossbow as if he was fishing for it, and then turning it around, spitting, admiring it, and explaining it.
There is no chaos as the generals gather around and look at each other.
I really can’t stop you.
‘Even so, I’m very glad that my officers didn’t see me doing that.’
If you had seen it, it would have been difficult to find dignity in the commander’s eyes as he looked at the new weapon.
I opened my mouth because I needed to end the event praising the new weapon, which could never end, and explain the operation.
“So, after the archers kill the Francois knights with these crossbows, our knights will come in and trample them.”
Then, I immediately started moving the wooden horses that symbolized the friendly infantry and the enemy infantry.
The gathered generals quickly returned to their seats and began to listen to my words.
“Then this is how we will conduct infantry warfare. First, our infantry will form a formation to the side and fight the enemy infantry head-on.”
Laura raised one hand and objected.
“Your Excellency François, don’t you think the morale of the infantry is low since they have been continuously defeated? So, why don’t we try to break through the center even if it’s a little too much in the beginning?”
If you succeed in breaking through the center and splitting the enemy army in half, it is an attractive operation that allows you to unilaterally pound the enemy infantry from then on…
“It makes sense, but the Marshal I will not agree with that opinion. This is because the friendly forces are inexperienced as they have not fought in actual combat for the past four years, while the enemy forces are veterans who have continued to fight small and large-scale wars dozens of times a year. So, strictly speaking, our troops who have only received training are at a slightly disadvantage in terms of combat power.”
“Is that so?”
“Furthermore, according to the scouting party’s report, the nobles of the Francois Republic wanted to educate the soldiers. I heard that the princess was brainwashed into believing that the vengeful princess would commit a cruel massacre when she returned. So it appears that morale will be higher than we thought.”
No matter how low the morale of soldiers is, if you immediately put a knife to their throat and threaten to kill them, they gain strength that they did not have before and become soldiers fighting desperately to survive.
This is common sense that has been proven in countless wars.
‘In fact, we are doing our best to distribute food and preserve the lives of the people, using the mercy of the Imperial Princess Cafe and her love for the people.’
Still, there is no business in the face of propaganda and fabrication… so there is nothing we can do.
I moved the wooden horse that symbolized our infantry.
A form in which the horses of the right wing of the friendly infantry cover the sides and rear of the enemy infantry, and the remaining horses block the enemy’s attack.
“It is the most standard method, but the infantry on the right wing stabs the enemy in the back while the left wing and center forces block the enemy’s attack. I will give instructions to the rest according to the situation on the battlefield, so that each person can move according to the role of the unit under his or her command.”
With those words, all the generals stood up at once, saluted me, and left the barracks.
In the conference room where everyone left, I sat down and sighed.
“Damn you! “It’s like public sentiment swayed by propaganda and fabrications.”
The other territories that the empire had occupied so far were somehow suppressed by the empire’s overwhelming force and were able to be converted into imperial subjects.
“That was possible because the empire’s national power was able to suppress discontent, but the situation is different this time.”
And then I hit the desk.
“Of course, since we are distributing food to people suffering from hunger due to a long war, that alone can make them turn to our side to some extent. This alone is not enough. “Isn’t there a more effective way?”
While I was thinking alone for quite a long time, a strategy that could turn this situation around suddenly occurred to me.
“I never thought there would be a way like this…”
That’s how I was able to set up a plan to make Francois completely part of the empire.
On my way back to my private barracks to go to bed with a lighter heart.
Over there, I saw Friedrich with a company commander.
Friedrich was waving his hands and the company commander was smiling sincerely.
“Ensign Jaeger, Company Commander Bonn, has very high expectations for your performance.”
“… My father was great, but I wasn’t that great.”
“This company commander has high expectations of all platoon commanders, and this is especially true of you. “Didn’t you graduate at the top of the academy and earn all the badges that can be earned at the academy?”
I only got average grades at the academy.
Our Friedrich seems to have inherited his ability to study from his mother, and his grades are excellent.
As for his swordsmanship and weapon handling skills, he has never missed the top spot at the academy.
In addition, he won the championship at least once in various competitions held within the Academy to recognize his ‘ability’.
The company commander then whispered softly into Friedrich’s ear.
“This company commander’s first promotion review is early next year, hmm.”
I was a bit surprised to see the company commander giving the maximum burden without exceeding the limit.
But I didn’t really have any intention of burying it.
Whose son is this?
There was no way Friedrich would collapse under that much pressure.
No, just looking at his performance at the Academy, he is a son who will undoubtedly leave his name in history as a more outstanding commander than me if the timing is right. It will take care of itself.
I walked towards those two, cleared my throat, and said.
“Isn’t it time to sleep? Go ahead and get some sleep. “Why are you talking so much?”
The company commander froze as soon as he saw me.
“Loyalty! Yes, I understand. dismissal!”
Then he took Friedrich and returned to his barracks in an instant.
“……Cute things.”
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