Glaiftrum War Chronicles The Salvation Strategy of Matthias, the Smiling Strategist
Unified Calendar 1196, September 15th.
Glaiftrum Kingdom, eastern Vehtermünde Castle. Count Caspar von Nordhausen.
It had been about two months since departing from the capital, Shwerrenburg .
The flooding of the Schwahn River on the border with the Lichtrot Empire prevented us from crossing, but we finally reached a point where the operation could begin.
The river is wider than usual, measuring about seven hundred meters across. Two pontoon bridges and around a hundred small boats will be used for crossing, but it’s estimated that it will take until noon on the 16th to ferry our army of sixty thousand troops even under optimal conditions.
Though we can finally cross, I feel uneasy that things aren’t going according to plan.
I was waiting with General Gerhard Kempfert of the Grandtfruit Republic for reports from our advance forces when shocking information arrived.
“Report from our reconnaissance team! The Imperial Army’s flag is flying over the town of Fairat!”
“Fairat has been captured…?”
As I was at a loss for words, General Kempfert shook his head slightly.
“This is something that should have been anticipated. It’s probably the Third Legion led by Marshal Mauer. If they rushed here after receiving information about our deployment, there’s nothing strange about it.”
I understood what the general meant.
The Soldat Empire valued information highly. Naturally, they must have spies in our kingdom’s capital, Shwerrenburg , and the Republic’s capital, Gedult.
Our kingdom’s army departed on July 10th. The distance to the Imperial capital, Hirschaholst, is about two thousand kilometers, but using ships, the information would have reached the emperor by early August.
After that, if they sent orders to Edelstein and rushed their troops, they could arrive by mid-September – right about now. Fairat only had about two hundred guards stationed, so it wouldn’t be surprising if it was occupied without resistance.
After receiving this information from the messenger, Count Lothar von Weigert’s adjutant appeared.
“Count Weigert requests your immediate presence in the command room for a military council regarding our future strategy.”
We hurried to the command room.
Count Weigert was waiting impatiently, tapping the conference table while we waited. As soon as we sat down, he began speaking.
“You’ve probably already heard, but the Empire has taken control of Fairat. We’ll immediately execute the crossing and recapture Fairat. After that, we’ll proceed to the imperial capital as planned.”
I was momentarily speechless at these unrealistic words.
Thus, it was General Kempfert who first raised an objection.
“We don’t have any siege weapons! Moreover, we don’t know how many troops the Imperial Army has stationed in Fairat! A reckless attack would only increase our casualties! Please reconsider!”
I supported his words.
“The General is correct. Even with siege weapons, Fairat isn’t easily captured. If it was occupied by one of the Empire’s legions, a blind attack would only result in our side suffering unilateral losses.”
“Do you think I don’t know that? But the enemy prioritized movement! Therefore, their forces shouldn’t be substantial!”
Count Weigert expressed his convenient claims without hiding his irritation against our arguments.
“Have you confirmed that their forces are small? We can’t decide our strategy based on speculation!”
When I raised my objection, the General nodded strongly in agreement.
“We also haven’t received information about large enemy forces! Moreover, are you suggesting we just sit here and watch, my lords?”
After saying this irritably, Count Weigert stood up.
“I am the Supreme Commander! You all just need to follow my orders! Immediately execute the crossing and surround Fairat!”
Count Weigert was completely enraged, his eyes bloodshot. He probably hadn’t anticipated such a situation and was panicking.
“Crossing in this situation would be suicidal! Even if the Imperial Army doesn’t attack, we can’t fight effectively with only unstable pontoon bridges as our retreat route.”
“I understand that there’s no escape route. In this situation, our soldiers will have no choice but to fight desperately. Consider it an increased chance of victory. No more discussion is needed!”
Although I tried to argue further, he refused to listen and left the command room.
“My apologies.”
All I could do was bow my head to the General.
“What do you intend to do, Count Caspar?”
Due to our shared frustration with Count Weigert, the General and I had become close and addressed each other by our first names.
“There’s nothing we can do but follow orders. We can’t abandon our comrades.”
“In that case, our army is the same. If our forces were to abandon them here, your army would face catastrophic destruction. Then there would surely be those who claim that our army bears responsibility for the defeat. This would certainly leave a lasting negative impact on our future alliance. While it would be nice if I could take full responsibility alone, considering the future, we have no choice but to follow orders. Sending our subordinates to their deaths is heartbreaking, but…”
Indeed, if the Republican Army didn’t move and our army was defeated, Marquess Markthoven would likely claim it was the Republic’s responsibility. For the Republic too, worsening relations with our country would affect not only its stance against the Empire but also its war with Lecht France, which needs to be avoided.
I felt deeply sorry for forcing such a decision.
However, I realized that if the Republican Army launched an offensive, there might be ways to increase survival rates.
“General Gerhard, I have a request. Could you have the Republican Army defend Viek, our crossing point?”
The General tilted his head at my request.
“It’s fine, but… wouldn’t it be better if your country did it?”
“If I suggest this, Count Weigert won’t approve. However, if the General, under his own judgment, assigns units under his command to defense, there’s no reason to refuse. The only concern is that it’s highly likely to become a rearguard position…”
If the allied forces failed and retreated, defending the pontoon bridges might prevent total annihilation. However, the defending unit would have to remain until the end, effectively becoming the rearguard with a high risk of being annihilated.
“Hmm. I hope it’s unnecessary worry, but everything bad that could happen has occurred until now. This scenario is quite possible too.”
Finally, he grinned fearlessly.
After parting with the General, I considered what I could do myself, remembering the concerns conveyed by Senior Magician Martin Netzer of Weisswache, Guardian of Wisdom, three months ago.
(Indeed worthy of the Great Sage. Underestimating intelligence and supplies, lack of flexibility in sticking to initial plans, selfishness in considering only personal position rather than the nation’s future… everything matches the Great Sage’s prophecy. Better late than never, but perhaps I should have thought more seriously about our response before coming here… well, time to do what I can to survive…)
I accepted the situation and started conveying worst-case scenarios to knights who seemed reasonable.
Still feeling uneasy, I decided to implement another strategy passed through Netzer by the Great Sage.
Past noon on September 16th, the crossing was completed as planned without issues.
The Imperial Army must have known our situation, yet they made no moves against us.
When I told General Kempfert about this, he laughed heartily.
“Gahaha! The Imperial Army intends not to let us return alive. Attacking during the crossing wouldn’t have annihilated us completely.”
The General apparently had come to terms with the situation like me.
After completing the crossing, Count Weigert gave orders.
“Surround Fairat! The enemy didn’t make a move during our crossing! Which means there aren’t many of them! We can capture it even without siege weapons! The Kingdom’s army will fiercely attack from the south and east gates, the Republic’s army from the north and west gates!”
Fairat is a fortified city surrounded by walls fifteen hundred meters long and five meters high.
The gates are not only on the east-west axis leading to the North Highway Norstraße, but also on the north-south axis. This seems to be a remnant from when the North Highway prospered as a trade route.
Compared to Vehtermünde Castle or Westecke Castle, the wall height is lower, and if Count Weigert is right about the small number of soldiers, guarding walls totaling six kilometers in length would indeed be difficult.
I was assigned to the east gate and ordered the attack.
“Fire arrows to immobilize the enemy! Use this opportunity to throw ropes over the walls and climb up! A reward of a hundred gold coins awaits the first person to reach the top of the wall! The enemy is few! Attack fiercely!”
Under my command were ten thousand soldiers. On the eastern wall, the enemy appeared to be only about a thousand strong. However, their movements were efficient, cutting every grappling hook rope we threw before our soldiers could grab hold.
We started the attack in the afternoon, and about five hours had passed.
The western sky was dyed crimson, and the shadows cast by the walls stretched long.
To induce fatigue among the enemy soldiers, we split our ten thousand men into two groups, rotating attacks while taking breaks.
“Continue the attack throughout the night! Light bonfires! Capture the gate by morning!”
Though the enemy showed no signs of tiring, gaps would appear at night. Continuing the attack until morning wouldn’t make capturing the gate impossible.
Even past midnight, we kept attacking, but the enemy resisted stubbornly, showing no signs of falling. Nonetheless, we continued the same tactics.
At this moment, I focused only on Fairat ahead, forgetting the basic task of watching our surroundings.
Of course, I was concerned about ambushes and suggested sending scouts to Count Weigert, confirming that scouts were sent out. Since there were no reports of nearby ambushes afterward, I assumed the enemy was only in Fairat.
As the eastern sky began to brighten, signs of fatigue appeared among the enemy soldiers, and I thought we could finally capture the gate when a messenger ran in.
“The enemy cavalry unit ambushed our main force! They’re shouting that they’ve killed Count Weigert, and some of our troops have started to flee!”
For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend what had happened, but quickly switched gears.
“Was Count Weigert really killed?”
“Due to the chaos, the Count’s condition is unclear! However, it’s confirmed that troops near the main camp are shouting ‘retreat’ and the Weigert family’s flag has fallen!”
There was no choice but to assume that Count Weigert was either dead or wounded and unable to command.
“How large is the enemy?”
“Unknown! But there’s no doubt it’s a large army mainly composed of cavalry!”
The cavalry attack must be the enemy’s main force. I’d heard that the Empire’s Third Legion had fifteen thousand cavalry.
“Cease attack! From now on, rescue the main force at the south gate!”
After giving this order, I sent a messenger to the Granztfruit Republican Army fighting at the north gate.
“Tell General Kempfert that the Republican Army should immediately retreat and secure the crossing point.”
The enemy had attacked the Kingdom’s army at the south gate where the supreme commander was, and would next assault the Republican Army at the west gate to cut off retreat before aiming for the crossing point.
Therefore, we had no choice but to attack from behind the enemy lines and buy time to secure our retreat route.
The soldiers under my command started moving toward the south gate.
The enemy hadn’t appeared yet, and it seemed to be unfolding as I expected.
However, the enemy was one or two steps ahead of me.
“The gate opened! Enemy soldiers are coming out!”
Having confirmed that our army moved south, the castle defenders pursued us.
“Our numbers are greater! Second Division, hold back the enemy! First Division, move south!”
Since we’d already divided into two groups, they exploited this fact.
However, due to our mixed formation, the command structure wasn’t perfect, and the Second Division fell into confusion between those trying to stop the enemy and those wanting to go south.
This reminded me that our country hadn’t conducted large-scale field battles with tens of thousands of troops for a long time.
(We’ve only done defensive battles on castle walls and small-scale field battles with single knight groups. I’m ashamed of my own incompetence… If I had my knight group, things might have worked out better…)
Feeling disheartened by this pathetic situation, I quickly issued an order.
“First, the entire army will meet the enemy from the rear! After eliminating the enemy, we’ll head to the south gate!”
At this point, dividing the army was impossible; I steeled myself to keep them under my command and move forward.
As dawn approached, the enemy became faintly visible. By appearance, they numbered around three thousand, only about a third of our force.
“The enemy is small in number! All units cooperate to encircle and crush them!”
However, the Imperial Army was cunning.
When we showed our intention to intercept, the castle defenders stopped their pursuit, formed ranks, and began resisting solidly. Our army struggled against their firm defenses.
Time passed relentlessly.
About thirty minutes later, I made a decision.
“Head to the crossing point with full force! Just counterattack the rear enemy as necessary!”
Fighting here any longer would only lead to being trampled by the enemy’s main force that would eventually arrive. Prioritizing the escape of the entire army, I turned a blind eye to minor losses.
Following orders, we headed towards the Schwahn River through Fairat’s southern side.
Attacked persistently from the rear, we were almost in a state of rout.
Entering Fairat’s southern side revealed the ground covered with the bodies of massacred Kingdom soldiers. Seeing how many soldiers fell filled me with despair.
Many uninjured soldiers stood dazed, while others cried out with arms or legs severed. Some still lay breathing, but steeling my heart, I abandoned rescue efforts and ordered continued movement.
“Our priority now is retreat! Those who can move, join my unit and run!”
I thought that I’d be criticized as a coward blown by the wind if I survived, but since I didn’t feel like I’d make it back alive, I wasn’t particularly concerned.
Past the south gate, an Imperial Army unit was waiting for us. Their number was about five thousand.
Combined with the enemy from the rear, my commanded troops still outnumbered them, but our command structure was in shambles, making organized attacks seem impossible.
Though it was hard to tell due to the distance, sounds of battle could be heard beyond the enemy in front, along with the cries of soldiers.
“Friendly forces are fighting! If we unite with them, we’ll have numerical superiority! Full army charge!”
I ordered a reckless charge.
Rather, I should say that charging was the only option left.
Ahead of us was the Imperial Army that destroyed our main force. Hesitating with orders here would only lead to scattered retreat and trampling.
“Unite with allies and head to the crossing point! Forward!”
I had no choice but to create an illusion of survival possibilities for the soldiers and send them into a reckless attack.
I myself charged into the Imperial Army’s ranks while swinging my sword.