The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 12.
At dawn, as the day broke.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
With the loud ringing of bells, an emergency situation arose in the camp.
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Quickly form ranks!”
“Wh…What’s happening?!”
Morgan, who had been holding a meeting overnight in the barracks, hurriedly rushed out and looked around.
Right behind him, Ironheart also rushed out and froze after looking around to the rear of the camp.
“There’s no way…”
The Calliper army stationed here had certainly taken a strategic position, establishing a camp along the mountains to secure the high ground.
Even if they couldn’t prepare more troops, they had occupied higher and more fortified terrain.
That’s why the opposing Alvard army couldn’t muster an attack.
Attacking while going uphill would put them in a very disadvantageous tactical position.
However, this formation, though holding the high ground, was not the maximum elevation.
To be precise, the mountainous terrain behind the camp had even higher altitude.
But they didn’t need to worry too much, as scout lines were deployed along any potential flanking routes the enemy could take, allowing them to detect any attempts in advance. In that case, they could strike the enemy’s side for a decisive victory.
That’s why they weren’t concerned about it.
But that terrain…
“This…this makes no sense…”
Morgan’s lips trembled.
In that mountainous area, nearly 2,000 soldiers had set up camp, looking down on them.
“General! The Ushis Goldray unit in front is also about to enter range! It’s a prepared pincer attack!”
The Calliper army, caught in the pincer attack from front and rear, began to panic.
Deputy Commander Ironheart hurriedly tried to reorganize the troops, but the enemy attack came sooner.
Swish swish! A rain of arrows began pouring from the high ground behind.
The man commanding that flanking unit sneered as he watched the flustered Calliper army.
“Too easy. So easy it’s yawn-inducing.”
He was Gillias Melbourn, the commander of the 2nd Army Corps of the Alvard Kingdom and one of its core generals.
“Master was right that after Altior Saleon retired, Calliper became a toothless tiger.”
That surprise full-scale attack on the northwestern front?
It was just a feint.
They made that move to divert the enemy’s attention, then formed a flanking force to march south.
This unit had secretly split off from the 2nd Army Corps that raided the northwestern front.
Taking advantage of Ushis army disrupting Calliper’s scout lines, they stealthily marched south to get behind them.
“Even if the general stratagem was hard to read, you should always be wary of such deceptive tactics as a general. Hmph, helpless fools must obediently die. …William!”
“Yes sir!”
“That over there is their command tent. Concentrate fire and bring it down.”
“Understood!”
The archers all aimed at Morgan’s location at once.
Morgan could only watch as the sky turned black with a hail of arrows.
That was the last sight he saw in his life.
***
In Calliper camp where the emergency had fallen.
I was hurriedly restoring order from the chaos.
“Don’t panic! Calmly raise your shields and block the arrows! Soldiers without shields, take cover behind terrain features! The enemy’s arrows are absolutely not unlimited! If you can withstand it for a little while, the arrows will cease!”
The opponent was an army that had secretly forced-marched and moved south. So they probably couldn’t bring heavy supply materials with them.
‘In the end, at most they can only shoot one quiver’s worth of arrows per soldier.’
If they had properly rationed them, they might have been able to shoot arrows for quite a long time, but now the opponent was concentrating fire on the area around the commander’s tent.
I gave instructions to the officers while gauging when the arrows would run out.
“Joshua, quickly restore the unit’s communication network! Felix, organize the disarrayed frontline! Soon Ushis Goldray’s unit will attack. The frontline absolutely must not simply collapse!”
“Ah, understood!”
“Tch, speaking informally now. Soldiers! Watch out for arrows while advancing to the frontline!”
They didn’t argue any further. Things were unfolding just as I had predicted.
“Brother Ferge, take care of the wounded soldiers and non-combat personnel like administrative troops.”
“Got it.”
Ferge hurriedly left.
And then at that moment.
‘The remaining arrows started running out!’
The amount of arrows had noticeably decreased.
The area around the commander’s tent was devastated from the concentrated fire, but the consumption of arrows had been just as intense.
‘The opponent left an opening.’
If I had been the opposing commanding general, I would have prolonged the arrow attack time. That way, Ushis main army advancing up the mountain could have gained more time.
Now, they had consumed their arrows too quickly, including against the generals and other officers, in an attempt to wipe them out.
This had provided me an opportunity to strike back.
“Master, please follow me. I will thrust into the enemy’s vulnerability.”
“Very well. Ilya’s mercenary band, advance!”
I swiftly moved with my master’s unit toward our destination.
Along the way, my master asked me, “Ars, I’m curious about something.”
“What is it?”
“How were you so sure the enemy would attack at dawn?”
“About that, it’s because the enemy had no choice.”
The opponent had formed a mobile guerrilla from the army that had ambushed the northwest front and sent them marching south.
This was an army that risked being discovered the longer time passed.
“So they must have force-marched under the cover of night. However, they couldn’t immediately attack upon arrival since it was still dark out.”
“A problem?”
“Yes, in the case of deploying in the field, it creates problematic situations for the enemy as well.”
Namely, the difficulty of timing the attack properly.
To time the attack, they absolutely must send a signal, but the only effective means of signaling in the middle of the night is using fire.
And that of course has an extremely high risk of being detected. Even if they did try it, the timing might not be precise.
There are that many variables in the field.
“On the other hand, timing it for dawn is much easier. Ushis Goldray’s army could start moving first.”
“I see…! Once day breaks, Ushis army’s movements would also be visible from the terrain features in the rear.”
“Yes, so they quietly waited until they saw Ushis army start moving first, then timed their attack to coordinate with that. This allowed them to precisely synchronize the timing of the pincer attack. The rear army was in a position to attack with arrows at any time, and by attacking after dawn, they could accurately bombard the commander’s tent area like they did, turning it into a honeycomb.”
Countless intentions are hidden within a single movement.
One must accurately read those to gain an equal footing and set the gameboard.
“But the enemy made a minor mistake there.”
“A minor mistake?”
“They expended their arrows too quickly. And as a result… The enemy ends up taking an unintended blow like this.”
The mercenary band of me and my master that had flanked around the left side of the battlefield was now positioned at the side of Ushis army advancing up the hill to batter the frontline.
“We’ll break through like this and sever the enemy’s waist. If we do this much, the enemy will greatly lose momentum.”
“Good, stay behind me Ars.”
“No, I cannot leave every burden to you, Master.”
My sister Julia who lacks combat ability is also present on this battlefield.
She has moved to a safe location for now, but if we are defeated, that would be meaningless. At the very least, I had to prevent outright defeat.
Swoosh! I steeled my resolve while spinning my spear.
“Then, let’s go!”
“Ilya’s mercenary band! Charge!”
Woooooh!! The elite mercenary band charged in.
“Wh-What is this?!”
“The enemy! Coming from the side! Ughh!”
To the frontal army that thought the entire Calliper camp would be pinned down by the arrow barrage, our presence was like a nightmare.
“Haaaah!”
Crack crack crack crack!!
Enemy soldiers with their necks pierced and dying from my lightning-fast four-strike combo.
Unlike when killing the bandits before, I felt guilt, but knew this was not the time for that.
‘If I don’t kill, I’ll be killed!’
Making up my mind, I continued the breakthrough charge.
Crack! That was the sound of the side of Ushis army meant to batter the frontline getting hit, and for Gillias Melbourne, the sound of a crack forming in the logic he had devised.
“…Just what is that unit?”
Gillias glared at the scene with eyes like he was seeing something from the afterlife.
A unit thrusting into the side of Ushis army climbing up the hill.
Their numbers were a mere 500 or so, but the effect was tremendous.
Since the frontal army had been climbing up the slope, when the enemy forced their way in from the side, their forces rapidly collapsed from the incline, causing great disarray in their formation.
Gillias, who had not expected such vigilance from the ambushed Calliper army, felt like he had been struck from behind.
“Could it be that they noticed the general’s strategy and made preparations to counter it?”
Deliberately allowing the ambush, then striking back with a thrust into the enemy’s opening.
If so, it was a perfect counter.
“No, there’s no way that’s it.”
Looking at the genuinely disarrayed enemy army, it’s clear.
Their command structure was in chaos because the high-ranking officers had all been killed by the earlier arrow barrage.
No matter what, they would not employ such a tactic at the cost of sacrificing all their high officers.
“Then is that the independent movement of some units…? Damn, expending the arrows so quickly backfired on us.”
He never imagined someone would seize on that minor mistake to counterattack.
Gillias quickly acknowledged his failure and began devising a countermeasure.
“This situation is dangerous. Extremely so.”
In the end, Alvard’s main force was also the 10,000 soldiers of Ushis Goldray climbing up the hill.
If that main force could not advance up, they could not seize this place.
“We have to deal with them before the enemy redresses their formation.”
From here on was a race against time.
Gillias led all 2,000 of his soldiers down the mountain to launch a sudden strike on the rear of the Calliper camp.
***
“Haaaah!”
Kwakwakwak!
Soldiers of Alvard collapsing like scarecrows with their necks impaled.
I, who was covered in the enemy’s blood on my armor, fought back the urge to vomit as I looked around.
‘Good, I’ve perfectly severed their waists!’
The enemy advancing over the hill would take a long time to march again if their waists were severed like this.
In the meantime, if we reinforce advanced defensive lines, the situation will rapidly become advantageous for us.
The enemy has more troops, but we still have the geographical advantage.
“Master! The enemy vanguard is trying to retreat! We must fall back now! If we stay like this, we could get isolated!”
My master, who was massacring the enemy like a dancer with swords and spears, nodded at my signal.
“I’ll open the way!”
Master sheathed her sword in the sheath on her back and gripped the spear with both hands.
I coordinated and opened a path to escape the battlefield.
“Gasp! Gasp!”
“I’m exhausted now, Commander Ilya!”
As we exited the front lines, the mercenaries following behind collapsed in exhaustion.
I said to them, “Hold on a little longer. Soon the troops from the rear will attack our main force. We must fend them off to end this battle.”
“…..”
The mercenaries looked at me with strange eyes.
One of them couldn’t help but ask, “But who are you? I’ve never seen you before. From the way you’ve been calling Commander Ilya, it seems you know each other.”
“I’m…..”
I was wearing the brown falcon-shaped helmet my mother had prepared for me.
The sleek helmet modeled after a falcon perfectly concealed my face.
I had no intention of revealing my identity to the world. If I revealed my name here, the story I knew could be completely ruined.
The traitor might notice me early and be on guard.
That’s why, no matter what, I didn’t want to reveal my name until I met the protagonist.
That’s also why I had sealed off the Chester-style sword-and-spear techniques and only used a single spear.
“I’m a mercenary like you. Call me Wade. I learned spear techniques from master Ilya in the past.”
“Wade? I don’t remember a guy like that in our mercenary band.”
“I’m a new recruit. Anyway, we’ve rested enough. Let’s move out right away.”
“We barely rested at all! Damn, you’re pushing us hard.”
Despite grumbling, the mercenaries dutifully followed.
Unlike regular soldiers, these battle-hardened mercenaries had the advantage of not losing morale during forced marches.
