Chapter 259 – End of the War (2) [Battle of Lake Simenotra (1)]
End of war (2)
As soon as Mayer heard her report, she jumped up from her seat as if she couldn’t believe it.
Kwaang!!
“What? Did the enemy succeed in escaping? It was only a few hours ago that we received a report that Claudia’s 7th Legion had completely taken control of the escape route and was maintaining a siege. How did they escape?”
The desk swayed as if it would break, but Mayer paid it no heed and glared at the collar of the adviser who brought the news as if he were going to kill him, demanding an explanation.
“Well, that is… It is said that 2,000 suicide commandos led directly by the enemy commander-in-chief, Duke Tiruen, broke through the encirclement while escorting the enemy main force…”
“Are you saying the siege was broken in just 2,000? And what was the 5th Corps doing? Didn’t they clearly say they were closely pursuing the enemy? How much damage was done?”
“Blood, it seems like there was almost no damage. But I didn’t see it myself… Not in that much detail…”
“Then, in detail!! Whoa… It’s done. Go and establish communication with the 5th and 7th Corps commanders. I will personally listen to the report and judge the situation.”
Mayer sighed heavily to calm his excitement and was able to receive a detailed report on the situation once the communication between Arnim and Claudia was connected, and only then was his doubt answered.
“Hmm… As expected, it’s amazing. Duke Tiruen… I never thought he would use such a tactic…”
The Tesseito army’s breakthrough strategy explained by Arnim and Claudia was simpler than expected.
Tiruen divided the 2,000 troops who volunteered as sacrifices into four units of 500 each. And every time he encountered Claudia’s defenders who were setting up a defensive position in the area where the main army was moving, he gave them one unit at a time to buy time, and while they were throwing away their lives and tying the enemy’s feet, he succeeded in leading the main army to break through the encirclement. .
Then, in pursuit of the 5th Legion’s light infantry and Viscount Amin, who were chasing after them, they put on one knight his own armor, cloak, and helmet and led the last remaining 500 troops to charge in a different direction from the main force, making them chase him.
It may be a one-on-one duel, but Viscount Amin, who is not familiar with tactics, and Arnim, who is not yet very experienced, were caught up in Tiruen’s tactics and wasted time, so Tesseito’s army was able to save two legions at the cost of 2,000 troops. After tying them up, they were able to successfully return to their home country.
“Save the main force of 20,000 with the sacrifice of 2,000. The idea is easy, but it is not a simple tactic. To implement such a tactic, strong military discipline is basic, and the commander’s high reputation is an indispensable condition. As expected, Tesseito Kingdom Army. . It is not an easy opponent.”
Meyer looked at his map, lost in thought for a moment, and then gave an order to his staff waiting next to him to connect all corps commanders under him by communication.
After a while, when all the corps commanders of the Guard, Western Army, and Northern Army were summoned, Mayer opened his mouth.
“I’m sure each corps commander has heard of the situation by now, right? Due to a mistake made by the 5th and 7th corps, the Tesseito army escaped from Zenon. But it’s okay. It would have been a little more convenient if the 5th and 7th corps had blockaded the Tesseito army. … The situation where we have an absolute advantage does not change!!”
Arnim and Claudia blushed and asked him to punish them for falling for the enemy’s trick, but Mayer ignored their requests as if nothing had happened and went to see Baron Hart, the commander of the 2nd corps, and Baron Heist, the commander of the 6th corps.
“What are the current positions of the Guard Corps and the Western Army?”
“Yes! I think we’ll be able to cross the Tesseito border tomorrow!”
“It is expected that it will take about two more days for our Western Army to recover the troops consumed in the Enakan Plain and advance, but the distance from the Royal Guard Corps is not far away!! We can definitely reach it within the set time. We will do it!!”
Mayer smiled at the reports of the 2nd and 6th Corps commanders.
“Good!! It may take a little more time, so the Western Army must adjust the soldiers’ condition and move!! In one week! Our Balkans will pass the Streve!!”
“I will follow your orders!!”
“And the 5th and 7th corps commanders should pursue the retreating enemy, but do not engage in unreasonable fighting. We must not forget that the enemy has now entered Tesseito’s territory, not our Balkan territory!!”
“Okay!”
After the victory in the Enakan Plain, Mayer secretly marched a total of 4 corps, including the 5th and 7th corps pursuing the Tesseito army, as well as the guard corps and the western army, to the southwest.
‘We must retake Streve when the enemy’s sight is confined to the northwest, where the Plain of Zenon lies. And that place will become a bridgehead for the future occupation of Tesseito…’
Mayer did not miss the opportunity when Tesseito’s strength was greatly reduced in the Enakan Plain and all the reinforcements were concentrated in the north.
Streb’s army, as determined by the scouts, was reduced to almost half of its usual size, and there was no commander who could be considered a master general of Mercury like the former Count Le Delmo, so Mayer believed that he could easily occupy Streb with the strength of four corps. I was confident in that.
However, there was one thing that Mayer, who had thoroughly planned, was missing, and that was that the two boiling young corps commanders were gritting their teeth out of shame and burning a desire for revenge on Tiruen.
As if to prove himself, Tiruen, who had finally returned to his home country, was replenishing the hunger of his soldiers and horses, and was taking a breather himself, was chatting with Count Mula.
“Phew~ I can finally take a breather now that I’ve received supplies.”
“You were overdoing it, Your Excellency. It was an operation that could have been dangerous if any country were surrounded by the enemy.”
“Don’t worry. Don’t I have this treasure that Your Majesty gave me? If Viscount Amin hadn’t been caught, I would have used this treasure one more time… But the enemy moved according to my thoughts, so I was able to escape with some ease.”
“Still, you must not forget that Your Excellency is the mainstay of our Tesseito. Even though I said I would take on this role as well… Why should I take on such a dangerous role…”
“No. Because I took the lead, I jumped into the battlefield where the soldiers were almost certain to die… Would you say that the highest commander must avoid a dangerous place?”
“Your Excellency…”
Thiruen avoided Count Mula’s gaze, which looked at him with reverence, as if he were embarrassed.
“Anyway, what about the Marquis of Grace? He was evacuated to the capital as soon as he came here, so the results must have come out soon?”
“Ah! I forgot to tell you. Although the internal injuries are serious, they say that if you recuperate for a few months, your body will return to its original state.”
Tiruen breathed a sigh of relief that his extremely precious master power had been preserved intact.
“Thank goodness. The military doctor’s original reading was similar, but… I was worried that Seo-seok would get worse because he didn’t receive proper healing on the battlefield… But I’m really grateful that he held up well. I’ll give you the royal elixir. I’ll ask you to take it down.”
“I’m sure the Marquis Grace is also grateful for your kind words.”
The peace of the two people who were chatting like that was shattered by Esgran who suddenly entered the barracks.
“Your Excellency! This is urgent news!! The Balkan pursuit force has crossed our border and entered our country’s territory!”
“Chasers? Surely the enemy 5th and 7th Corps that were chasing us didn’t just cross the border?”
“Yes, that’s right! The enemy has broken through the border with fearsome momentum and has taken up position on the shore of Lake Simenotra!”
As soon as Esgran finished reporting, Tiruen opened the map and checked the location of the imperial army that he had given.
“Spreading out the garrison… Does that mean that they are going to stick with us properly? No matter how much we say we are a defeated army and are being chased away, it seems like they are looking at us too lightly. Hehe”
“It certainly seems like the enemy corps commanders lack experience. They don’t seem to know what it means to go on an expedition across the border. Haha.”
Tiruen smiled in remorse at the sight of Count Mula agreeing with his words.
“You’re right. Then… I guess I’ll have to properly educate these cute little corps commanders on what it means. Of course, I’ll definitely have to pay for the education, right?”
“It will have to be very expensive. Shouldn’t we repay the Vulcans for our last defeat with interest? Including that, the annihilation of two corps seems like a reasonable price.”
“Good! You will be at the forefront. This time, show the power of the Teseito cavalry led by you!! Let the enemy know how much power a cavalry that is familiar with the geography can produce. Haha,”
“I understand! I will make it so that the Vulcans will urinate just by hearing the sound of their hooves! Haha,”
Duke Tiruen and Count Mulla burst into laughter, confident of victory, and the two countries that fought a decisive battle on the Enakan Plain began preparing for another fierce war on each front in the south and north.
