I Became the Commander in a Trash Game Who Copies Skills

Chapter 57. Infiltration (1)

A month-long operation.

Including the battle with the Indika forces, we had won eight times in eight field battles.

However, our operation was not limited to field battles on flat terrain.

The mercenary band's operational objectives were broadly twofold.

First.

To disrupt the enemy's supply system by striking their supply lines, including recruiting officers and reconnaissance teams.

Second.

To shake the main rebel force at the front by capturing small enemy rear bases.

For a month, while striking supply convoys and recruiting officers, we also steadily carried out the second objective.

Surprisingly, this part was not particularly dangerous.

This was because we rarely had to engage in combat.

Especially in the case of villages, which constituted the majority of our target bases, we always resolved the situation through dialogue from beginning to end.

“Hello, village chief? Is this L'epton Village?”

“Huh? That’s right. Your uniforms are Imperial. Which Imperial army are you?”

“The Imperial army that follows His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Eh? Has the Marquis' side been taken already?”

“Hahaha! Taken! Village chief, your choice of words is excellent. Indeed, we've eaten them all up!”

I put forward two company commanders as negotiators.

Karen, with her gentle appearance and good-natured personality.

And Brol, a good-natured man with an unknown relationship-related trait.

For the country folk, the combination of these two worked like a charm.

“…And so, His Majesty the Emperor's army has gained the upper hand. We are delivering this news in advance.”

“Hmm, so which side are you asking us to take? Folks like us are in no position to get involved in the affairs of our betters. We don’t have many young men left now.”

“Ahaha, we're not trying to conscript soldiers. We were wondering if we could buy some food and oil, would that be alright?”

“Oh? Oh, oh? Of course! Welcome to L'epton Village!”

There is a saying in Confucianism that the will of the people is the will of heaven.

In many cases, the will of the people can be bought with shiny gold coins.

We handed over gold coins and received supplies of grain, freshly slaughtered meat, butter, and cheese.

We had managed to win the hearts of the locals in enemy territory while also solving our supply issues.

Depending on the lord, it was common for supplies to be forcibly requisitioned during wartime, so simply purchasing them at a fair price was enough to win their favor.

It wasn't a particularly burdensome amount either.

Since the Imperial army covered one of the mercenary band's biggest expenses—the members' salaries—our funds were not abundant, but they were not lacking either.

In the first place, this was cheaper than buying through a middleman.

Just as Jeju tangerines are most cost-effective and delicious when bought in Jeju Island.

Of course, not everyone thought this way.

As Brol reported.

“Some of the lads are grumbling. They're asking if we really need to go to these lengths to win the favor of some country bumpkins… Should I give them a good scolding?”

Probably half the lords who rule the Empire would think similarly.

But no.

The value of the goodwill shown by the locals cannot be measured in gold coins.

Its true value appears in the information they let slip like complaints.

“A recruiting officer passed by a while ago. He said he was heading north and conscripted three of our village's young men. He said it was voluntary, but is it voluntary if you threaten them with taxes!”

“A merchant caravan? There's a caravan that always stops by our village. They stopped by three days ago, too, and this time their wagons were several times larger than usual. Business must be good, huh?”

“A suspicious person? Uh, oh, my mom told me not to say… but since you gave me something tasty… I did see some grown-ups I hadn’t seen before by the stream. They were dressed like that pretty lady over there……”

With the information obtained from the villagers, we easily struck the enemy's supply and reconnaissance.

The role of this information was crucial to the background of our 8 wins and 0 losses.

As the members also realized this, the grumbling gradually subsided.

Meanwhile, another category that occupied the list of target bases along with the villages was fortresses or castles.

This was even easier.

They would surrender on their own after I used an item once.

Kwa-kwa-kwang! Boom!

A single round of artillery fire from inside the castle walls.

Kwa-kwa-kwang! Ku-kwa-kwang!

And the artillery unit, annihilated by the cannonballs that returned along the exact same trajectory they had flown.

“…We surrender.”

It is not easy to maintain morale after witnessing the outlandish magic that reflects cannonballs.

The fortresses with their artillery destroyed would usually raise the white flag immediately.

In the first place, most of them were former Imperial soldiers.

Imperial soldiers are fundamentally educated to be loyal to the Emperor.

That is why many Imperial soldiers deserted their units and joined the pro-imperial faction's army when signs of a full-blown civil war appeared.

Most of those who remained were reluctantly staying due to reasons such as family living in nearby villages.

They occasionally showed some resistance, but the result was the same.

“Surrender! If you surrender now, the Emperor will forgive you with his great magnanimity!”

[Deploying [Commander’s Roar].]

There were no cases of them holding out even after hearing the Emperor's name.

I didn't know if that iron-blooded Emperor would really forgive them, but….

That was none of my business.

Anyway, we dealt with the fortresses we had obtained this way simply.

By delivering the orders the Archduke had given in advance.

“These are the orders of the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army and the Commander of the 3rd Division of the Imperial Army, Archduke Gabir. Defend this fortress as you have been doing.”

“Yes? R-really? Without punishment, no, even a light disciplinary action….”

“However, you must stand on the side of His Majesty the Emperor, not the side of the traitors. If you successfully defend the fortress, it will be recognized as a meritorious service in the future.”

They looked moved.

It was understandable.

Seeing their artillery wiped out in a single blow, they must have been resigned to their deaths, but they had been elevated from traitors to Imperial soldiers in an instant.

From our perspective, this was also efficient.

Most of them were former Imperial soldiers anyway.

That meant they were troops that would have to be absorbed after the civil war ended.

Even if, by some chance, they sided with the rebels again, we had sufficiently achieved our strategic objective just by planting the seeds of doubt.

The notion that a traitor can betray again is a common belief in any world.

“Oh, and while you're at it, please manage our prisoners as well.”

This wasn't the Archduke's order, though.

I divided the prisoners we had captured in the past battles and entrusted them to each fortress.

Some prisoners with outstanding abilities were also absorbed into the mercenary band.

Those prisoners were entrusted to Brol's 1st Company.

As a result of a previous experiment, I had confirmed that Brol's trait wasn't just about extracting information.

That ability naturally moves people's hearts.

The reason Brol was liked by everyone wasn't just because of his good-natured and豪放 personality.

“It's because of Captain Ash that you're being spared. Huh? You all know that, right? Meat shields or whatever, originally, the law of the Empire is to just slit your throats! Do you know that!”

“…We know!”

“No, that won’t even be necessary. You saw him blow up the mortars, right? Do you know how creatively he can kill you? He has shown you mercy. Do you understand!”

“We thank you for your mercy, Captain!”

…It felt like my reputation was accumulating in an unintended direction.

Anyway, to summarize the month-long operation, it was as follows.

We destroyed one supply caravan, two supply units, one recruiting officer and a company of new recruits, and three reconnaissance teams, and retook six villages and three fortresses.

One month after passing through Elkanto Forest.

If everything went as expected, about half of the total operation period had passed.

The mercenary band had secretly set up a camp in the forest near the Maenenwood River.

It was a day's journey from the city of the Count of Maenenwood, who had made some sort of deal with Indika.

* * *

“You must be really… careful.”

“Of course.”

“Please promise me you'll come back.”

“That’s a flag….”

“Pardon?”

“…Never mind. Olif, just trust me.”

In the middle of the night.

I secretly slipped out of the camp.

I had temporarily entrusted the command of the unit to Olif and the company commanders.

I had told them to hide in the forest and rest for a day or two before moving, so if nothing happened, they would be conserving their stamina there.

I rode along the river on my now quite familiar horse, Gray.

It was a full moon night, but fortunately, clouds covered the moon and stars.

Thanks to that, the ground was shrouded in complete darkness.

However, my vision was as bright as day thanks to the white mask.

“……”

I won't deny it.

The fact that both abandoning the command of the unit, even for a moment, and wandering alone in enemy territory were considerably dangerous.

But I had no choice.

I had decided to do so.

‘…I will not avoid it.’

The anomalies I didn't know about.

I decided not to run away from the tide of change brought by the World Scenario 4.0 update.

No, rather, I would somehow use it to survive.

Who would have thought that the spoils I had taken after defeating Tribus would become the symbol of my second identity?

Who could have predicted that the friendship I had formed with the Princess of Blood by not ignoring the statue's call would allow me to foresee Count Calvenia's attack and even save the city of Gunterburk from the clutches of the beastmen?

[You are the Nameless Ash.]

[Following the hero's destiny, save the world from its end.]

The day I first fell into this place.

I still couldn't understand the meaning of the proclamation that appeared before my eyes.

But at the very least, perhaps that ironic joke of a ‘hero's destiny’ was becoming a reality.

Anyway, right now, there was another anomaly before my eyes.

The intervention of Indika in the Empire's civil war, presumed to be a change brought by the 4.0 update.

For reference, the Count of Maenenwood's conspiracy had also been verified.

As a result of interrogating the Indika prisoners with Bart, who was fluent in six languages, they all testified that they had been welcomed by the Count in Maenenwood for several days.

Cross-referencing this with the contents of the letter, it seemed to be a fact that the Count of Maenenwood had participated in Indika's crimes.

If so, what remained was the reason.

Why was Indika committing massacres of civilians in a foreign country that would bring them no benefit?

And why did the Count betray the Marquis and align himself with such an Indika?

The surest way would be to ask them directly.

Swoooosh….

The night wind brushed over the waves, creating a refreshing background sound.

Before I knew it, the city walls were quite close.

I left the riverside and entered a low-lying forest.

After tying my horse in a secluded spot, I took out some gear from my subspace.

It was the attire of an Indika heavy infantryman that I had taken in a previous battle.

[Deploying [Warrior's Binding].]

[Summoning bound enemies.]

[Summoned troops: Indika Heavy Infantry (5), Indika Rifleman (3), Indika Archer (6), Indika Slave Soldier (19)]

After changing clothes, I summoned the troops.

As planned, I inflicted wounds on the arms, legs, and abdomens of a few of them.

“Kugh….”

“……”

“It’s alright. Continue….”

I felt a little guilty, as if I were tormenting my subordinates who were standing still, but it was a necessary measure to ensure the perfection of this plan.

Afterward, we all smeared ourselves with dirt and tore our clothes, becoming suitably shabby and bloodstained.

After a final check of the plan, we left the forest and entered the imperial highway.

“Madad karo!”

“Aadmi, aadmi ghayal ho….”

“Someone's injured! He-help us!”

We shouted loudly in both the Indika and Imperial languages.

Loud enough for all the guards on the city gates and walls to hear.

“Monster! Monster! An ashen mage monster!”

From now on, we were the survivors of the Indika army, holding vivid information about the enemy.

And we were survivors who had fought a fierce battle with a mercenary band led by a monstrous mage.