I Became the Commander in a Trash Game Who Copies Skills

Chapter 51. Chess (1)

Just because a war broke out didn't mean the country would be devastated in a day, or that a large-scale battle would erupt with a bang.

In the first place, for a clash to occur, armies from both sides needed to be present, and those armies couldn't teleport.

War was surprisingly sluggish.

This was especially true for a civil war.

The opponent was an ally until yesterday.

One side knew the other's strengths and weaknesses inside out, and the same was true for the opponent.

They shared all knowledge of the terrain—which areas were advantageous or disadvantageous, where the supply line bottlenecks were, when the rivers flooded, and which areas were good for surprise attacks.

Therefore, the aspect of a civil war usually flowed as follows.

First, they would cautiously engage in a slow territorial battle over secured key points.

They would harass each other with guerrilla warfare while gathering as many troops as possible.

Once they felt they had prepared a decisive blow to knock down the opponent, they would march their army and clash with a bang.

Of course, even after the armies gathered, they would often buy time and inflict damage on the enemy through fierce battles of wits, seeking to fight on even slightly more advantageous terrain.

This was how a civil war slowly ate away at a nation.

In particular, according to my data from experiencing the Empire's civil war crises over several hundred times, an empire that had gone through a civil war would experience a period of stagnation with a probability of over 90 percent.

Of course, I had no intention of letting that happen this time.

That was why I had obtained the authority for independent operations.

Of course, that didn't mean I would set out alone.

“There's no immediate rush.”

The Archduke said, stroking his beard.

“Of course, this is just between us. Anyway, I plan to depart once the weather improves a bit.”

It was the rainy season.

It had been raining for over a week.

The roads had turned from muddy to slushy.

The Archduke's army decided to depart on the day the rain stopped.

“I received a message from the White Magic Tower. They said the weather should clear up by tomorrow. Their forecasts are half right and half wrong, but… it is about time for the rain to stop. Finish up any remaining business in the city.”

Today's operational meeting ended early.

It seemed he had duties to attend to as the supreme commander before leaving the city.

I also had one matter to resolve.

Originally, there were two.

As the mercenary band grew to over a thousand members, the training was slower than I had expected.

Training didn't just consist of combat.

Combat was merely the final highlight of a war.

Everything else—marching, cooking, setting up camp, and standing guard—was subject to training.

In fact, most mercenaries tended to do these things in their own way rather than through formal training.

However, I improved upon the Imperial army's methods with some additions.

Although some procedures could be somewhat rigid and formal, they were essential for the preservation of combat strength.

The fact that no place was as advanced as the Imperial army in terms of doctrine and operations for a human-centric army also played a part.

Veterans from the Imperial army adapted quickly.

However, it was unavoidable that mercenaries who were not from the Imperial army found it somewhat awkward.

Both in combat and non-combat training.

Fortunately, that problem was resolved.

“Everyone seems to have cheered up since that last speech. They’re enthusiastic, too. And more active in training.”

Of course, that wasn't the only reason.

Most of my current members were those who had witnessed the performance of the Ash Mercenary Band in the Battle of Wolfskrig.

At that time, the survival rate of the Ash Mercenary Band was unparalleled.

They knew that, which was why they were trying to adapt, even if it was uncomfortable.

‘The problem is this one…….’

[Painveil Inn]

I looked up at the worn-out sign.

This was the first mercenary band headquarters building I received from the Emperor.

* * *

After the Battle of Wolfskrig ended.

The Emperor gave me the authority to establish a mercenary band and, along with it, a building as a gift.

It was the four-story inn where my members and I had stayed for several weeks during the war to subjugate the Vampire Duke.

‘No, seriously? He gave you this building? The Archduke?’

Of course, I told everyone around me that the Archduke had given it to me.

There was a small incident where I had to stop Brol, who declared he would bow three times a day in the Archduke's direction—a heretical statement from the Luark Church's perspective—but that was nothing compared to the problem unfolding before my eyes.

“Don't you think this thing will collapse if we leave it as is?”

That was the cynical assessment of Brol, who had been making a fuss just a few months ago.

Well, he wasn't wrong.

Originally, I had planned to use it for a while and then repair it after the civil war was over, but….

The problem was that we suddenly became a thousand-strong mercenary band, and I ended up buying all the surrounding buildings to create a complex.

I hadn't considered that not only the inn before me but all the surrounding buildings that made up the complex were structures that had been neglected for three hundred years.

Until now, I had been too busy recruiting and training members to care about repairs, living in a makeshift manner, but as the time for our departure approached, I started to think that this was not right.

Flap. Flap.

First of all, there were no doors.

When we used it as a temporary lodging, we just hung a large piece of cloth in their place.

The doorframes were half-rotten, and the yard in front was overgrown with weeds.

During the rainy season like now, the ceiling was also rotten, and water dripped down in streams.

Perhaps the only part that was in decent shape was the water facility, which had been maintained by the Imperial army's corps of engineers.

On top of that, as we became officially employed by the Imperial army, the mercenary band's standing had risen incomparably, creating a need to give the headquarters buildings a respectable appearance.

This building would be the face of the Ash Mercenary Band for a while.

Someday, it would not be a derelict building in a pioneer city like this but a grand building in a major city, and further, if I were to form an independent power, my own territory would become the headquarters, but that was still a distant dream.

“We need someone to leave in charge.”

Olif was right.

The construction would have to proceed while we were away from the city.

I needed someone to supervise the renovation work and manage the facilities after the construction.

“…This is difficult.”

The important thing was who to entrust it to.

It had to be someone reliable.

The problem was that our mercenary band had just expanded its size, and all the core members had become commanders, so I couldn't leave any of them behind.

Bart was far from being a commander, but he was practically my adjutant.

On the other hand, hiring someone to manage it would likely cause a huge problem for the already tight finances of the mercenary band.

After the reorganization, we had spent an astronomical amount on warhorses, armor, weaponry, and supplies to fit the new structure.

We were on the verge of squandering all the service fees received from Viscount Pewin, the advance from Archduke Gabir, and even the money earned during the Battle of Wolfskrig.

However, the solution appeared from an unexpectedly close place.

“You promised. That you’d quit if a dangerous situation arose.”

“Honey, still….”

“Are you, a man, going to break a promise you made? Please. Stop being a dangerous mercenary now. Come and do the carpentry work you love. I'll help you.”

Poodle, who had become one of my informants during the Battle of Wolfskrig.

His wife had arrived in Wolfskrig as a member of the third wave of immigrants.

She had traveled all the way to the distant front lines to see her husband.

“…Honey.”

It didn't seem to be a planned visit.

Judging by how flustered the usually good-natured Poodle was, his face changing color.

“I can't do that. I've already signed the papers. I'm now a member of the Ash Mercenary Band.”

Poodle said, his chubby cheeks trembling.

As he said, Poodle was among the mercenaries who had signed on this time.

It was because his own mercenary band had been virtually disbanded.

Out of about thirty members, more than ten had died.

Three or four others were said to have been crippled.

“I heard everything from Mr. Peter. You almost died this time, didn't you?”

“Honey, it's okay. Ash is a really trustworthy younger brother. His side had almost no casualties, you know?”

“I'm pregnant!”

Poodle’s wife shouted.

Looking closely, her belly was slightly swollen.

It just wasn't noticeable because she was wearing loose clothing.

“It's your child! The one we conceived when you visited last time!”

It was a happy occasion.

However, Poodle’s expression was troubled.

“Are you going to let your child grow up without knowing their father's face? For at least a few years… can't you take a break?”

I decided to help ease his worries here.

“Y-younger brother. What you just said… are you serious?”

“Yes, I happen to need someone to repair and manage the buildings.”

“But the contract….”

“Managing the headquarters buildings is also an important mission. We will keep your salary the same and just slightly modify the contract. Since you like carpentry, I'll entrust it to you.”

“……Younger brother.”

Poodle firmly grasped my hand with his thick ones.

His wife was shedding streams of tears.

“I'll look forward to seeing it when I return.”

Anyway, with this, the mercenary band's affairs were concluded.

I stretched my stiff neck and looked up at the sky.

The rain clouds were departing.

The weather was clearing up.

* * *

The sky cleared.

It had been exactly ten days.

The army departed as planned.

Viscount Pewin's army had already left ten days ago, and now it was the turn of Archduke Gabir's private soldiers and the southern army.

“…We shall punish the vile Marquis Ricardo and the rebels who seek to tear down the Empire! For the Empire!”

After a formal speech, which differed from the one I heard months ago only in its target but not in its overall content, the army left the city.

The march was rather slow.

This was because most of the roads had turned to mud from the poured rain.

The situation would improve once we entered the imperial highway proper, but it was unavoidable for the journey from Wolfskrig to Burken Fortress.

“One, two, three! Push!”

Clank!

Every time a wagon wheel got stuck, we would gather our strength to pull it out and move forward.

It wasn't just our mercenary band; it was a common occurrence among other mercenary bands, and even among the Imperial army and the Archduke's private soldiers.

[That is correct. Therefore, we should circle to the north and strike the enemy's flank…….]

[Nonsense! We must strike the south first. Hasn't Gunterburk been weakened!]

At night, I attended the military commanders' meeting with the Archduke through a crystal ball.

Of course, it was not a place for a mere mercenary captain.

I was just listening in at the Archduke's recommendation.

By the way, seeing all the commanders scattered across the front lines using crystal balls every day made me realize it again.

That war is an event where money is poured out lavishly.

[You're not thinking about the supply line at all….]

That crystal ball.

One of them cost about ten gold coins, I believe.

Moreover, it was a consumable item whose effect wore off after a few uses.

Although almost all magitech devices made by the magic towers were ridiculously overpriced, the communication crystal ball was in a league of its own.

By the way, the fact that useless thoughts were crossing my mind meant it was probably time for the meeting to end.

As expected, the Archduke, who was presiding over the meeting in place of the Emperor, concluded the session.

“That's all for today's meeting. Report your unit's situation and then we will adjourn.”

The meeting ended.

I came out of the Archduke's barracks.

No particularly important information was exchanged.

Though they were all necessary discussions and plans, to me, it was just a repetition of a war situation I had experienced thousands of times.

Rather, what I was concerned about were matters like the condition of my members.

This, by no means, was a trivial matter.

The Empire's civil war was like a chessboard with the pieces already arranged and set in place.

On this chessboard, the biggest variables were me and my mercenary band.

“We should rendezvous with Count Calcuta’s army in about two days.”

Around the time we had been marching for about ten days past Burken Fortress.

The Archduke called me aside to talk.

“It was just as you predicted. The Anti-Imperial Faction's closest garrison has set up camp a three-day march away.”

Was it the effect of me throwing in a few words about the war situation during a separate strategy discussion?

I felt a strange enthusiasm in the Archduke's gaze.

It wasn't something to worry about right now.

It was time.

“As planned, we will split off around here.”

“Alright, may the light of Luark be with you.”

In the middle of the night, we separated from the Archduke's unit.

We moved stealthily under the pretext of heading to the rear to maintain the supply line, deceiving even our allies, with the exception of the Archduke.

After traveling through the night, we arrived at the entrance of Elkanto Forest.

A forest that stretched long like a canyon between two mountain ranges, straddling the territories of both the Pro-Imperial and Anti-Imperial factions.

The terrain here was difficult for a large army to traverse, so both sides had only stationed a minimal number of troops to watch for any unexpected developments.

We intended to break through this forest within three days.

For reference, the forest is the home of the Beastmen.

This is the core of the operation.