NOVEL WEB Chapter 163: Trickery And The Thirty-Six Stratagems, Strategic Retreat (1)
Christian von Swiss Confederation, the ruler of the Swiss Confederation, was in a very bad mood.
No, from the moment he opened his eyes in the field bed prepared in the barracks in the morning until he tried to sleep at night, he was seething with irritation and anger every day.
It might seem like Duke Christian had anger management issues, but there was one reason why he was upset 24 hours a day.
He often cursed, shouting the name of the madman who disturbed his mind.
“Argh! Lieutenant General Yaeger, you dirty bastard worse than a dog! If I capture you, I’ll slice off your flesh piece by piece and chew it!”
Usually, even if such curses were made on the battlefield, no one actually does what they say after killing their opponent.
But the Swiss Duke seriously considered capturing Lieutenant General Yaeger and tearing his flesh piece by piece in the dungeons of his ducal castle.
However, the reality was that for over a month, the Swiss forces of about 100,000, no matter how well-positioned the Reich Empire’s military was for defense with fewer troops, had not yet broken through the division commanded by Lieutenant General Yaeger, with just over 6,000 men, so it remained an unfulfilled dream.
However, Christian knew that the more he vented his anger, the more it would demoralize the entire army.
He got up from the chair in his tent and went outside for inspection.
Outside, soldiers were gathering in groups, preparing meals with pots distributed to each squad.
“Captain Hans, what are you doing? You should mix flour and cheese in water and eat it with torn jerky.”
“Seeing you eat like that makes me feel sorry for you. I’ll bring some flat stones from my tent to bake the dough mixed with flour and water.”
“As expected of the squad leader, you have a different level of experience.”
“Pack it up and tell the others not to just mix the flour aimlessly. It’s much better to wrap cheese and jerky in the flour dough and eat it.”
The Duke, who had been too angry to even think about hunger, couldn’t ignore the proverb he heard among the mercenaries,
“A mercenary is always hungry, cold, and tired. That’s why they’re always hungry.”
He smirked bitterly at the realization that even he, a duke ruling a country, was not exempt from this saying, whoever had said it.
After completing the inspection, he thought of having a late-night meal and meeting with the nobles as he walked on.
“Keep a good watch ahead. You never know when that damned Lieutenant General Yaeger might attack. If you miss him, it’s over.”
“Understood, Senior Soldier Peter.”
“And don’t keep such a rigid posture. We are not some lucky guards at a noble’s mansion. Just keep a good lookout; if you’re unlucky, you’ll end up suffering after your shift.”
As Senior Soldier Peter said, mercenaries usually don’t recommend keeping a rigid posture while on guard, no matter how urgent the situation.
Because standing still in an uncomfortable but visually pleasing posture with a spear in one hand consumes more physical energy than necessary.
So, ideally, one should stand guard in a sharply angled and impressive posture, but no commander or noble on the battlefield ever forced this.
However, Duke Christian, swayed by complex emotions of anger, vigilance, and fear towards Lieutenant General Yaeger, became someone who overreacted and paid too much attention to even a slight flaw.
“Foolish men! If you are soldiers of the proud Swiss Confederation, how can you be so negligent in your guard?! If you fail to properly see a surprise attack by the soldiers of the Reich Empire, how do you plan to take responsibility?!”
Hearing that, the senior soldier thought it was too much, even though it was the Duke speaking.
The proper posture for a guard involved standing straight with the spear held in the right hand, the arm fully extended, and maintaining a 15-degree angle.
No matter how crucial vigilance might be, one could observe everything adequately as long as they remain mentally alert, even without adhering strictly to this posture.
Moreover, they were exhausted from battling the bloodthirsty man from sunrise to sunset…
He wanted to argue that this was unreasonable, but talking back to the Duke could mean losing one’s head.
“I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”
“Don’t be complacent! The moment you become careless and deviate even slightly from the standard, you’ll be overrun by those Reich bastards led by that damned Yaeger! Shouldn’t you be on guard and fight as if prepared to die instead of relaxing?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“If saying sorry could end the war, and if saying sorry could kill that bastard Lieutenant General Yaeger, then what use would it be?! Are you truly a Swiss mercenary? Perhaps you should give up being a mercenary and just wear a skirt instead?”
Thus, the soldier named Peter was berated by the Duke for a full 30 minutes, and he warned as he was about to leave,
“You’re under Baron Evian? Alright, there’s a meeting soon. If I see that guy, I’ll make it clear that Senior Soldier Peter is neglecting his guard duty!”
The Duke intended to check the guard status of other units as well, but as the strategy meeting was more pressing, he turned away.
On his way to the command tent, he received a report from a spy who had successfully infiltrated into the Reich Empire’s military.
“Lieutenant General Yaeger and his soldiers have been aggressively capturing spies, making it impossible to ascertain their numbers or detailed information. However, it’s certain that the Crown Prince has already fled, and by the day after tomorrow, the entire Reich Empire’s military will retreat.”
Swiss Confederation Military Command Tent.
Many vassals of the Swiss Duke quietly awaited his speech, and he, eager not to waste time, began,
“Let’s get straight to the point. The Crown Prince has fled, and the Reich Empire’s military will retreat from Richten Hill the day after tomorrow.”
At these words, the faces of the nobles were filled with concern.
This was because, for this war, the Swiss Confederation had conscripted soldiers to the limit.
No matter what, capturing the Crown Prince was crucial to acquiring a substantial portion of the Empire’s rich territories.
The escape of their top strategic target meant that they were in a situation where victory was absolutely impossible.
Moreover, the Duke and other nobles were even more shocked, as they had been under the misconception that the Crown Prince was being protected in the rear by that damned Yaeger all this time.
And there was sufficient reason for such a misconception.
Logically, a 26-year-old young master and baron of the Empire wouldn’t be at the vanguard unless it was to protect the Crown Prince.
Also, there were always flags and such symbolizing the Empire’s Crown Prince in the Empire’s military camp.
“So, we will launch a total attack over two days to somehow behead that damned Lieutenant General Yaeger who invaded our Swiss Confederation. Moreover, not a single one of those Reich Empire’s soldiers over there can be spared.”
Upon hearing this, the nobles resented the Duke in their hearts, but they did not voice it out loud.
Because, as the Duke said, they first had to kill the madman who had caused 10,000 deaths and 6,000 serious injuries among the 100,000 Swiss soldiers.
“Prepare thoroughly. On the honor of Swiss mercenaries, we cannot afford to let Lieutenant General Yaeger escape alive.”
After saying this, as everyone was about to leave, the Duke stopped Baron Evian.
“You have a senior soldier named Peter under your command. That damned man was lax in his guard duty. Just keep that in mind.”
Furious to the brink of madness because of Lieutenant General Yaeger, the Duke resorted to punishing even minor mistakes with severe reprimands.
The following day, the Swiss Duke received a startling report.
“Your Grace, there’s a massive problem! The Reich Empire’s military camp, where they were stationed, is ablaze! The flames are too intense; we can’t pursue them without extinguishing the fire first!”
Upon hearing this, the Duke stepped outside and, with a dazed expression, gazed at the burning Reich Empire’s military camp before collapsing to the ground.
Speechless, he could only sigh, “Ah, aah…” in dismay.
At that moment, Lieutenant General Yaeger was frantically organizing, managing to mount everyone except the fallen soldiers on horses.
Despite taking the injured, they were moving at nearly double the usual marching speed.
The Swiss soldiers were given ruthless orders to capture them by any means necessary.
“Run with the resolve to die and behead Lieutenant General Yaeger! If we can’t kill him, Switzerland has no future!”