Free Web NovelChapter 351: Chapter 348: Mentoring a Junior
The soldiers from Valois still clung to the belief in a swift victory they had held since setting out. At the start of the battle, they had indeed routed the army of the exiled Nobility. Therefore, when the order to retreat reached every company and every soldier, their reactions were a mix of confusion and shock.
Many believed that retreating at this moment was a mistake, an act of weakness. Yet, the comrades beside and behind them were indeed falling back. If they didn’t abandon their temporary positions, they would be left alone, exposed to the enemy onslaught.
As a result, the retreat was sluggish, and it turned into a rout once they came under attack.
On the battlefield, the shallow trenches were filled with the bodies of Valois soldiers. When the commander of the Empire Army appeared on horseback, he was there to inspect the fruits of their victory. The Empire’s infantry had already slowed their charge. Under the watchful guard of their own cavalry, they were breaking through the enemy’s obstacles and securing the cannons and ammunition that had been left behind...
"Tell me, why are we not pressing our advantage and pursuing them?" The Empire Army commander, Major General Carl, reined in his horse and asked his adjutant, a tall and handsome young man.
According to the Empire Army’s standard practice, a major general’s adjutant should be a field officer, yet this young man was only a captain. However, his prominent family background, along with the special Caster nameplate on his left breast, indicated that this young man would soon receive an unconventional promotion.
But Carl did not dislike this "well-connected" subordinate. He was intelligent and decisive, and despite being the son of a Great Noble, he possessed sufficient humility and discipline. Thus, as his "mentor" on the battlefield, Major General Carl would not pass up an opportunity to test the young man.
Middle Level Caster Richard quickly formulated his answer. "Our current victory is based on our tactics: letting the Exile army exhaust the enemy’s pre-loaded ammunition. Our army then assaulted them during the reloading gap, breaking through with a lower density of fire.
"The enemy has not suffered massive casualties. Furthermore, from my observation, this Valois Army lacks cavalry, so their commander positioned what cavalry they have behind the infantry line, rather than on the flanks, in order to best utilize their rapid mobility.
"When they organized their retreat, although their infantry’s discipline was poor and we achieved a significant victory on the front, their cavalry, which was originally in the rear, is now covering the retreat as a rearguard. Their formation is intact and their combat effectiveness has not been weakened. Therefore, our infantry squares should not continue the pursuit."
Richard’s answer wasn’t wrong, but Carl felt it was still too academic. After giving his orders, he explained, "You’re not wrong, but that’s only from a tactical perspective.
"And it’s a tactical perspective that doesn’t consider all the factors. For instance, our army has a rather powerful Military Mage in you, and we also have a cavalry vanguard. Couldn’t we commit them to battle against the enemy’s cavalry?" Carl was deeply impressed by the [Fireball Skill] Richard had unleashed. Regardless of its actual effect, the mere appearance of Magic on the battlefield had caused immense panic among the enemy and boosted his own troops’ morale.
He continued, "But war is not just a battle. All military actions should be guided by strategic objectives. Under normal circumstances, for a frontline commander, the strategic objective is the directives from the General Staff at headquarters."
Richard knew that his division was part of the Northern Empire Army’s vanguard, but their mission was not to deal with the invaders. Instead, it was to reorganize the formations of the Southern Army and, in coordination with a military tribunal from the heart of the Empire, purge the Southern Army’s commanders who had been passively avoiding battle.
"A competent commander should recognize the delay between orders from the General Staff and the situation on the front line. Therefore, they can go a step beyond their specific orders at the right moment to advance the larger strategic goal. That’s why we had this battle in the first place.
"But if we continue to advance rashly and take that second step—a long-range pursuit—we would lose the support of other units and risk being isolated without flank cover. At the same time, don’t expect the current Southern Army to react in time to any trouble we might find ourselves in."
Originally, the first step in reorganizing the Southern Army was to incorporate the remnants of the Holy Kingdom’s Exiles. But Carl looked down on those thousand or so stragglers. After scouting the enemy’s salient, he boldly devised a battle plan that directly dealt with the Exiles’ Servant Army, while treating the exiled Nobility with courtesy, waiting for them to lose their power and cry, "Sir, this way!"
In Carl’s view, his objective was already achieved. The Valois Army’s salient had been dealt a heavy blow, buying his side the time and space to reorganize the Sallo Kingdom’s forces. He just needed to wait for the other legions of the Northern Empire Army to continue their push south, and the front line would be irresistibly pushed back to the border.
Richard, however, knew something else. The Empire’s north-south military railway was about to open. When it did, massive numbers of personnel and secret weapons "designed to counter the Holy Kingdom Church’s forces" would be deployed to the battlefield. The Chief Military Mage and the General Staff were planning to destroy the Valois Kingdom’s greatest pillar of support in one fell swoop—the Holy Knight Order. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
The Major General made his final arrangements. "Briefly take stock of the situation and our casualties. Focus on counting and securing the artillery pieces that weren’t spiked. The vanguard cavalry will harass the enemy’s rearguard to keep the pressure on. The rest of the main force will move to the Sallo garrison.
"Richard, you will be the one to issue these orders." He didn’t pass up the chance to train his subordinate.
"Yes, sir!"
Major General Carl glanced over the battlefield, now clear of smoke, then turned his mount around without a backward glance.
...
「At noon.」 The enemy cavalry, nipping at their heels like sheepdogs, finally gave up the chase. The routed soldiers had a chance to breathe. Although they were not far from the other units of the Second Legion, Dillon once again gave the order to rest and build fortifications.
It seemed he was a general who preferred fighting static battles, yet he had been made the vanguard commander.
It wasn’t until dusk that the terrified soldiers stopped their work and had a mouthful of hot grain porridge.
Having survived the ordeal, the common soldiers began to mull things over.
The proud Valois people couldn’t understand why their side had collapsed at the first touch. Later, during the retreat, they figured it out: the root of the problem was the commander’s order to retreat!
"We’ve been sold out by a traitor! Someone’s heart is with the exiled Nobility!" This sentiment spread explosively among the routed soldiers, like a virus. They didn’t name the traitor, but they all unanimously settled on the same answer in their hearts—their commander, Dillon!
Completely unaware of the approaching danger, he was still drafting his battle report: "Our forces shattered the Exile army, then encountered a large contingent of the Empire Army. Our forces executed a timely strategic withdrawal, preserving our effective strength to the greatest extent possible..."
He blew on the wet ink, thinking to himself, ’This way, I’ll have something to report to the Marshal and the National Assembly.’
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside his makeshift tent. He started, instantly grabbing for his sword and reaching for his Short Gun.
But a few gunshots rang out. The bullets tore effortlessly through the tent’s canvas, meeting little resistance until they lodged themselves in Dillon’s body.
As the sun began to sink below the horizon, the head of the former commander—the "great traitor, protector of the exiled Nobility, the enemy lurking within the Kingdom Army"—was paraded on a bayonet, just like the former Governor of Valuva.
The people of Valuva and the National Assembly had not anticipated this defeat. But what shocked the representatives and the authorities even more than the "execution of Dillon by his routed troops" was that all the generals and commanders on the front line had chosen to retreat, intending to hole up in the fortresses within the Kingdom’s borders. The plan for a swift victory over the Empire’s Southern States was in complete ruins.
The National Assembly had lost control of the Second Legion. So whose orders were these soldiers following?
They were waiting for His Majesty, Charles XVI. And Charles XVI was waiting for the Empire’s army to march into Valuva and dissolve the National Assembly, just as the Emperor had promised in his secret letters and public declarations.
