The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 100
Crossing’s army of 20,000 charged in recklessly.
Hanneman, positioned at the rear of the army, furrowed his brow as if he couldn’t understand.
“Are they trying to reverse their forces and repel us now?”
It was foolish. If they were going to do that, they should have done it earlier in better terrain. To do it now when the troops were concentrated in one place, and even in flat terrain.
“Perhaps it’s to buy time for a retreat,” suggested one strategist.
“They might be trying to stall with part of their forces to avoid getting their tail caught.”
“No, look closely. The troops at the back have turned around too. They show no signs of heading for the mountains.”
“Then, that means…”
“Yes, they intend to end it here.”
The movement of the Crossing army now looked as if they could annihilate themselves within a day.
Hanneman shouted in indignation, “Was this their aim from the start? We’ve underestimated them far too much! Listen up! Don’t let a single one escape alive!”
The Western army moved in unison. Hundreds of officers commanded their troops in perfect coordination to confront the invading Crossing forces.
There was only one tactical miscalculation here.
As they had been actively pursuing the enemy’s tail, they were too close from the start.
If there had been sufficient distance, they could have used cavalry to strike the flanks of the charging enemy or used archers to pin them down, but due to the close proximity, they couldn’t execute such maneuvers and allowed engagement.
However, even this was minor.
It wouldn’t significantly affect the overall situation.
The problem was that the power of the charging enemy was beyond imagination.
“Uraaah!”
“Hyaah!”
Crack! Soldiers were swept away.
With Anton and Juras leading the vanguard and displaying their might, it was difficult to stop their momentum. Their in-game combat ratings were 99 and 98. They were top-tier warriors even Fischer Partin would struggle to handle.
And it wasn’t just the two of them.
The 2nd General Creeper Nolak, 3rd General Patty Hutt, and 5th General Kistler Fonte were also there.
All the core generals of Crossing’s military, except for the 4th General who was directly under the king, were in the charging unit.
It was a kind of buster call. No wonder its power was so tremendous. It had even momentarily created a tactical gap.
But still, it was 20,000 troops charging into 130,000.
“Surround them! Pin them down!”
“Encircle them!”
The soldiers were forming a tactical encirclement.
At that moment.
Juras turned his head, looking around, and then made a strange move.
“Huff, haaaa…!”
He staggered as if drunk, exhaling deeply.
Then he said, “It’s that way…!”
Juras changed direction and penetrated into a completely unexpected area. The other officers followed him without a shred of doubt.
The place Juras chose seemed at first glance to be a death trap. A tactical blunder.
But it came alive in an unbelievable way.
As they thrust into that spot, the encirclement broke, and the enemy forces fell into confusion.
As chaos ensued, Juras became even more frenzied. His movements weren’t orthodox. Yet they brought absolute effectiveness. As if saying that this was the hidden correct answer.
“Well, well…” Ars, watching this scene from afar, muttered in disbelief. “To think that guy was an instinctive type.”
Instinctive type. It’s just a saying, not that he’s really fighting on pure instinct. It’s not like he’s possessed by a spirit or anything; such a thing isn’t possible.
By instinct, it ultimately means the creativity possessed by an individual.
Some display this through acquired experience, while others are born with it as an innate talent.
Juras was a type that combined both.
He had honed his war experience and knowledge of military tactics to the highest level, and simultaneously possessed innate creativity.
Thus, he avoided all traps and found only the correct answers. This wasn’t just instinctive movement, but a perfect harmony of instinct and reason.
However, this doesn’t mean he has no weaknesses at all.
The fatal weakness of an instinctive-type warrior.
They can’t lead a large number of troops.
That’s why Juras only led 20,000 troops. Even then, other capable officers and adjutants were helping to lead the troops.
Otherwise, the soldiers wouldn’t be able to keep up with Juras’ ever-changing movements.
“So that’s what it meant to entrust the troops to me.”
Ars raised his command staff and shouted, “If this is how it’s going to be, the enemy’s response is obvious…. Everyone, move!”
Ars began commanding the remaining 80,000 Crossing troops.
He effectively dealt with the enemy by orthodoxly exploiting the gaps created by Juras.
The joint attack of the instinctive Juras and the orthodox Ars.
Juras stirred things up, and Ars ruthlessly swept through.
Faced with this formidable combination, the Western vanguard began to crumble helplessly.
* * *
“Wh-Wh-What’s going on…!” Hanneman couldn’t close his gaping mouth.
Such insane offensive power didn’t exist even in the West.
He felt the pressure as if he was facing the god of war.
Invincible. The combination of Juras and Ars was enough to be described as such.
“The Lehila infantry has been completely destroyed! The Lehila infantry commander has also fallen in battle!”
“The enemy’s main force is trying to devour our vanguard! There’s no breakthrough!”
“The vanguard units are in chaos! Please issue orders!”
In the chaotic situation, one strategist hurriedly advised, “How about retreating once? The enemies are in a situation without supplies. If we retreat and buy time, we can turn the situation around.”
“No! If we do that, we’ll suffer too much damage as they chase us!”
This force is not something that can be used and discarded; it’s the main army.
If this army suffers damage, the capacity to occupy Beckavia will disappear.
In other words, it means this expedition will end in failure.
“There must be some way! Think quickly!”
“Th-Then. Th-The important thing now is not the enemy units that have entered and are stirring up our vanguard, but the enemy’s main force supporting them from behind!”
That’s the unit that Ars is commanding.
Ars was supporting Juras from behind to prevent him from being surrounded while continuously deploying reinforcements to ensure Juras’ unit didn’t lose strength.
This is why Juras’ unit continues to exert its fierce power without rest.
“According to a spy who was inside the enemy camp, Wade, who was in the Beckavia camp, has moved to Crossing’s main force. He must be commanding that place.”
“That mercenary who killed Lexit…!”
At that moment, Hanneman recalled Zemuto’s advice.
Be careful of Wade as well as Juras.
The situation Zemuto had worried about was unfolding exactly as feared.
“If we take out Wade, who is commanding the main force, the enemy will lose their momentum. So I think it would be better to first deploy all the Five Dragons to tie down the opponent who has entered our vanguard, and then strike Crossing’s main force behind them.”
“That sounds good.”
Hanneman deployed all the Five Dragons to tie down Juras. Although Fischer Partin had died, the remaining four were still intact.
While they held Juras back, he aimed at where Ars was with the rest of the forces.
“This alone is not enough! Hey, deliver this message to the Tunkai army immediately!”
As the battle situation developed urgently,
Landon Crow, the general of the Tunkai army facing Beckavia, looked at Juras’ army as if he had seen something unbelievable.
“What on earth is that…?”
As far as he knew, Juras was a strategist. But this method of combat…
“He had been hiding it perfectly.”
This was partly due to Crossing controlling the information, but basically because all of Juras’ battles in the vanguard had ended in instant destruction, and the opponents didn’t even know properly what had happened.
“It’s dangerous. That can’t be controlled.”
At that moment, a messenger sent by Hanneman arrives.
“A message from Lord Hanneman! You are to immediately strike the flank of Crossing’s main force and aim for the enemy commander!”
“Tch! Assigning such a harsh role…”
But he knew well that this was the only way.
Only Tunkai, with its high level of cavalry proficiency, could carry out this operation.
“Adjutant! Quickly organize a separate force of 4,000! All cavalry!”
“Are you going to lead personally, General?”
“I have to.”
“You must be careful. The opponent is that Wade.”
“Even so, we have no other choice. Prepare immediately!”
“Yes, sir!”
As Landon approached his horse, there was a man who stopped him.
“If it’s something like that, let me handle it, Landon.”
“Ash!”
“You can’t put yourself in danger now. Now that that damn Klaus Forkner is gone, it’s time for you to take military power. If you get captured or die in a place like this, everything will be for nothing.”
“Your death would also be a big problem. I can’t send you.”
“Don’t worry. I’m confident I can protect my own life.”
Beside Ash stood a woman of indescribable age, holding a cavalry lance.
“I’ll protect Ash. Landon, leave it to us.”
“Even you, Lysithea…! Didn’t you hear who the opponent is? It’s that Wade. Even if it’s you two…”
“How can we accomplish anything if we’re afraid of the enemy? There’s no time to hesitate, Landon. Quickly give the order!”
“…Alright. But remember one thing. If you judge it to be dangerous, withdraw immediately!”
“Understood. Let’s go, Ash!”
Ash and Lysithea lead 4,000 cavalry to strike the side of Crossing’s main force.
The Crossing army, as if they had been waiting, used tactics to narrow the entry path for the cavalry.
By narrowing the entry path, the cavalry at the very front can continue to advance, but the cavalry following behind are forced to slow down.
In this case, the cavalry at the vanguard must make a choice.
Will they break through to Ars’ main force even with fewer follow-up forces? Or will they detour to regroup?
“This suffocating response, is this what they mean by Wade…! But you know what…!”
Ash showed an excellent counter.
Instead, he split the middle cavalry into two groups and had them detour on both sides.
“Lysithea! I’ll leave that side to you!”
“Got it!”
They quickly detoured their forces and infiltrated Ars’ main force from the sides. The vanguard cavalry was annihilated by Ars’ tactics, but during the time they bought, Ash and Lysithea infiltrated from both sides with just two people.
The number of cavalry that infiltrated totaled 300 riders.
‘This should be enough!’
No matter how many subordinates were protecting Wade, this number of cavalry should be able to crush the enemy.
So Ash and Lysithea charged towards the main camp where Ars was.
But he wasn’t there.
“What…!?”
The main camp was empty. There was no sign of Ars.
“Impossible! The command of the soldiers definitely started from here…!”
Moreover, the Crossing soldiers had defended this place with their lives.
“Ash!”
Lysithea shouted, pointing at their surroundings.
Before they knew it, the Crossing soldiers had turned around and were surrounding them.
“It was a trap…!!”
Ash gritted his teeth.
At that point, the place where Ars was located was somewhere he couldn’t have imagined.
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