Chapter 177 - Sitting Across from the Marshal
"Well then, Captain Fox, would you mind telling us why we have to go through this mess all over again?"
At Robert's question, Captain Fox, who had heard the details in this morning's battalion meeting, responded in a weary voice.
"The plains along the border are actually a series of shallow hillocks. If you manage to occupy even a single high point, you can establish a favorable frontline. So, with Belliang having surrendered and our Imperial Army yet to fully arrive, it looks like Konchanya quickly moved their forces in to seize the heights and dig trenches."
The advantages of holding the high ground in battle are hardly worth repeating.
Back in the days of close quarters combat, even a single step up could decide the outcome of a fight.
Now that guns dominate the battlefield, high ground still matters for things like visibility and range.
And if you can seize such heights simply by advancing without a fight, it's something you simply have to do.
That hillock region has been fought over by Belliang and Konchanya ever since before either kingdom existed.
Even in ancient times, thousands died in single battles just for control of those shallow hills.
It's a border region soaked in bloody battles, but once the Mihahil Empire revealed its ambitions for world conquest, Belliang and Konchanya joined forces as an Alliance Army and cleared out the area by treaty.
But now, with Belliang defeated and surrendered, unable to function as a state and reduced to a colony, that treaty has lost all meaning.
And there's no way Konchanya, which needs to block the Empire, can afford to leave that land empty any longer.
"So now they want us to charge into those hills, where the enemy has already set up their cannons in artillery formation and dug in trenches, and fight a trench war?"
Robert gave a bitter smile as he asked.
Even if Konchanya's army is considered second-rate, breaking through a well-fortified line is never easy.
And since Konchanya boasts a powerful navy, it stands to reason that they'd also have poured resources into artillery production and deployment.
There's no way Konchanya's artillerymen are weak.
"So, I've got one bit of good news and one bit of bad news—which do you want to hear first?"
Ernest asked in a weary voice.
As Robert raised his hand and shrugged, eyes wide as if to say, "What nonsense is this?" Bruno answered on behalf of the group.
"Let's hear the good news first."
No one voiced agreement or disagreement with Bruno's suggestion. Bruno looked awkwardly at Ernest, so Ernest began with the good news.
"We won't be taking part in the High Ground Battle."
"Oh!"
When Ernest gave the answer to Bruno, Bruno lit up with joy. The rest of them also looked clearly relieved.
"So what's the bad news, then?"
But Isaac couldn't feel the slightest bit of relief.
Somehow, he already had a bad feeling about what was coming.
Maybe it was because, except for Robert, he'd known Ernest the longest in the current 2nd Company.
In other words, maybe it was simply because he'd survived so long in the Bertagne Forest.
"The 13th Regiment has been ordered to attack and secure the forest that extends from the Bertebras Mountains."
"…You've got to be kidding!"
When Ernest spoke, looking utterly devastated, everyone stared at him in stunned silence.
Then, when Robert let out a scream that spoke for everyone's feelings, the others finally understood what Ernest had said and began clamoring in protest.
"The forest again? This is outrageous!"
"Yeah! Seriously! What on earth are the higher-ups thinking!"
"Get Ferdie in here! Someone needs to snap that brat out of it—whether he writes a letter to his Grandfather or pours on the charm, just do whatever it takes to stop this madness!"
"I hate the forest, I hate the forest, I hate the forest…"
"..."
Isaac and Bruno jumped to their feet, shaking with anger, while Robert desperately wished that their darling Ferdie would pull some strings with his Grandfather to put an end to this insanity. Billim panicked, remembering what had happened in the forest all thanks to Bailey, and Simon only clamped his mouth shut, though he clearly didn't look well.
"…Still, it has to be better than a High Ground Battle."
Watching them in silence, Ernest murmured in a gloomy tone.
"Isn't it at least a little better to have obstacles in a forest, rather than having to rush uphill over open ground while enemy shells rain down from above?"
"That…! …Well, you're not wrong…"
Robert started to rage at Ernest's words, but after a brief, intense inner struggle, he could only agree with a defeated sigh. At the very least, knowing they wouldn't have to charge headlong into artillery muzzles that the enemy had lined up beforehand made the situation a lot less dire If the terrain is complicated, it's hard to use cannons, and ordinary gunfire can be warded off well enough by Baltracher.
So, for all the complaints, fighting in the forest is still much better than a High Ground Battle.
"And, besides, we have Captain Fox on our side!"
Reassured by the thought that this was better than a High Ground Battle, Billim turned to Ernest and tried to sound energetic. Ernest found such high expectations burdensome.
And, truthfully, there were already two people who would step in to take control of the situation before he even needed to get involved.
"The Regimental Commander and the Battalion Commander will take care of things before it comes to us. So, try not to worry too much."
"Oh!"
Colonel Levin Ort, who operated with such pathological caution that he'd burn all of Avril Castle to the ground if that's what it took to protect his own men while carrying out orders.
And Lieutenant Colonel Soren Kaufmann, a man of absolute pragmatism who stayed quiet and just did his job, determined to survive the war and enjoy its spoils when it ended.
Honestly, weren't they the very definition of reassuring superiors—masters of self-preservation?
Of course, both Levin and Soren were reliable commanders who fulfilled their missions as soldiers.
They simply chose the safest and most prudent methods within their discretion.
Of course, if the higher-ups ordered an attack, they would attack.
But compared to the former 13th Regiment Commander, who gave a mindless charge order at the end of a battle and threw allied soldiers to the Belliang artillery, or Major Bailey Hoffman, who ordered a charge straight into the enemy's trap in the forest, Levin and Soren were a hundred times—no, a thousand times—more prudent and competent.
At the very least, they wouldn't send their soldiers to die like dogs with recklessly absurd orders.
The 5th Division and 6th Division kept moving forward, and soon reached the troublesome border region.
"Ugh..."
All the Imperial Army could do was sigh as they gazed at the hills occupied by Konchanya.
"There's no way we can break through that, right?"
"We probably could, if we really tried."
Even Robert, who graduated squarely in the middle of his class at the Imperial Military Academy, thought it looked impossible to breach Konchanya's defensive line.
But Ernest saw a way through.
"Of course, if we did, the entire Colonial Rule System in Belliang would collapse, and the Empire's internal affairs would completely fall apart afterward."
"So, in other words, you're saying it's impossible."
But even if they managed to break through that defensive line and seize the heights, there would be nothing waiting for them beyond that point.
High Ground Battles meant more casualties per hour than battles on the plains.
Every group of troops you sent in would just be killed, one after another.
Konchanya had dug trenches and positioned artillery first at the tactical choke points of this shallow hilly area, which was also a key strategic location.
The Konchanya army has a reputation for being mediocre at best, but here, they had researched the terrain so thoroughly that they were able to build a nearly perfect defensive line. No wonder—after all, historical records show that High Ground Battles have raged here for thousands of years, practically without interruption, until the rise of the Mihahil Empire.
If the Imperial Army tried to take just one of those hills, they'd be caught in crossfire from at least two directions.
The longer range of new guns and cannons made it easier than ever to create overlapping fields of fire.
"It's just a low hill you could walk up after lunch for a stroll, but now it feels as tall as a mountain range touching the sky."
To Robert, who was from the Central Region of the Empire, where towering mountains were common, those hills normally seemed like nothing at all.
People from the Empire often called the hills around Grimm plain land.
But once Konchanya dug trenches and lined up their artillery to fortify those gentle slopes, even Robert found them looming high, like a towering mountain.
"There's no way the Empire will launch a frontal charge against those lines."
Ernest stared quietly at the enemy's defensive line before speaking.
"Can't we just leave them alone?"
"That's not an option. We have to push them back at least a little, no matter what."
"Why?"
Robert, sounding more wronged than curious, asked with a frown, and Ernest, rubbing his face tiredly, explained the reason.
"As time goes on, their defenses will only get stronger. Maybe not now, but eventually, the Empire will have to break through this area. If we wait until then to push them back, we'll suffer ten times more losses than now. And if we let Konchanya take the initiative entirely, their navy will have too great an advantage. Ever since cannons were invented, naval battles have been ruled by artillery. Baltrachers can't really tip the scales either way. Konchanya's navy is strong. There's no way Konchanya just wants to leave their fleet idle. We can't see it from here, but I'm sure on the far western edge of the front line, they've formed up to receive naval support."
"..."
"But the Imperial Army isn't strong enough right now to launch an attack there. It's time for us to focus on internal affairs."
"So now, because we're the ones being sent into the forest, we have to take care of everything?"
"…Yes."
"Damn it."
Ernest had just spelled out why the Empire needed to push back Konchanya's defensive line now, and also why the Empire couldn't wage a battle for the heights.
Hearing this, Robert—an Imperial Military Academy graduate—immediately realized just how enormous a task had been placed on the 13th Regiment.
With a high ground battle off the table, the Empire had only two ways to break through Konchanya's defensive line.
One was for the navy to seize control of the western coast and land troops behind enemy lines for an attack.
But amphibious landings were guaranteed to cause massive casualties no matter how well executed, and it would be difficult to even break through Konchanya's powerful navy in the first place.
That left the other option: infiltrating the enemy's line through the dense forest stretching out from the Bertebras Mountains.
The forest's complicated terrain meant cannons would be useless.
If they could lead with Baltracher's power, force their way in, seize control of the forest, and penetrate deep enough to get behind Konchanya's defensive line, then Konchanya would be forced to pull back the eastern edge of their defenses, unable to ignore the threat at their flank.
Otherwise, they'd have to commit a massive number of troops to retake the forest, which would only weaken their defensive line even more.
In short, this critical forest battle—which could one day lay the groundwork for conquering Konchanya—now rested entirely in the hands of the 13th Regiment.
"We're screwed, aren't we?"
"Pretty much."
Robert realized they were completely doomed, and Ernest openly agreed.
It hadn't sunk in when he first heard the plan, but standing here and seeing the situation for himself, it felt as clear as if God Himself had sent a revelation.
"You know, this all feels weirdly familiar to me. Suddenly my head is spinning and my hands are shaking—should I be worried?"
When Robert said this, clutching his head with shaky hands, Ernest managed a bitter smile.
"At this point, it probably would've been better to be sent somewhere else."
Ernest spoke as he watched the other units, who were only preparing for the high ground battle and had no intention of actually fighting.
Robert tugged at his curly hair in frustration.
"This is playing out exactly like the Bertagne Forest all over again!"
Having experienced the Bertagne Forest battle himself, he felt as if he had come home.
It was as if, just half a year after the war broke out, hell itself had become their hometown.
The 5th and 6th Divisions set up their camps on the shallow heights in front of Konchanya's defensive line.
With the troops moving southward, the 5th Division was stationed on the eastern left wing and the 6th Division on the western right wing.
Anyone could see that attacking Konchanya's defensive line was a reckless endeavor for the Imperial Army—those two divisions simply didn't have enough manpower to launch an assault across such a broad front.
With the 7th Division pulled away to control Belliang, the lack of troops was even more severe.
The Empire had to push back Konchanya's defensive line no matter what, but they were short on troops.
Because of these shortages, they had to concentrate their strength at one point if they wanted to fight.
However, they couldn't just attempt a breakthrough at the center of the line to push the entire front back.
Doing so would only invite Konchanya to bring in reinforcements from other parts of the line and strike mercilessly at the Empire's exposed flanks and rear.
If the battlefield were a wide open plain, they might have been able to use the mobility of cavalry or cars, twisting and darting with every ounce of strength to control both the area of engagement and the timing.
But with stretches of rolling hills even if shallow, that too was no easy feat.
There was some relatively flat terrain out at the westernmost coastal edge, but the Empire had trouble launching any operations there, as Konchanya's navy was entrenched at the port, standing firm.
In the end, just as Ernest had predicted, the operation was set: The 5th Division would infiltrate through the forest extending from the Bertebras Mountains and put pressure on the enemy's flank, breaking through the defensive line.
However, it wasn't possible to commit too many troops to the forest for the same reason they couldn't attempt a central breakthrough—the front was simply too wide for the available forces.
As a result, the 13th and 14th Regiments were assigned the mission of entering the forest and pushing back the enemy.
To be more precise, the 13th Regiment would break through the enemy's ranks and push deep inside, while the 14th Regiment protected the western flank of the 13th as they advanced.
The 15th Regiment was tasked with attacking the enemy from outside the forest, preventing the enemy from targeting the 13th and 14th Regiments, and serving as a joint connecting link between the divisions fighting for the heights—the 6th and 5th Divisions.
The 6th Division's role was to keep poking at Konchanya's defensive line on the front so that their troops couldn't be sent into the eastern forest.
Their job was strictly to tie down enemy forces, so there wouldn't be any reckless attacks.
Still, if the enemy revealed a weakness, they would strike boldly.
"Overall, aside from the fact that we have to go into that damn forest and launch a hellish attack, the tactics themselves seem reasonable."
"Oh, Second Lieutenant Jitman. The fact that it's that damn forest and a hellish attack is exactly what makes this a nightmare for us."
"That's true. But it can't get any worse than this, right?"
Robert tried to regain his composure by chatting with Bruno, who was always on the same wavelength as him.
Unlike the Battle of the Bertagne Forest, where they had been forced to throw in troops recklessly to break through in a short period of time, this time, they would methodically secure the forest, even if it took a little longer, while also receiving support from outside the woods.
Except for the fact that the 13th Regiment, as the vanguard of the 2nd Corps, would bear the heaviest burden, from a broader perspective, the overall strategy and tactics were understandable and quite stable.
The 2nd Corps planned to carry out the operation steadily, without overextending itself. It couldn't possibly get any worse than this.
Or so they thought. But they were wrong. Maybe the moment Robert That Bastard Jimman dared to say it out loud, God decided to punish them.
"According to the reconnaissance, the enemy units in the forest were wearing Belliang military uniforms."
"…No way, right?"
Robert, his face gone pale, spoke up in a trembling voice on behalf of everyone else, who looked just as stricken, directing his question to Ernest Ernest, his face as gaunt as a withered tree, moved only his lips as he spoke.
"The Belliang Royal Flag has been spotted."
The Kingdom of Belliang had already fallen.
All that remained was the Belliang region, now an Imperial colony.
The Royal Flag of Belliang had been seized by the Empire as spoils of war, and even the former King of Belliang had taken his own life.
There was only one Belliang Royal Flag left in the world, existing outside the Empire's grasp.
With a dry, expressionless voice—yet laced with hatred—Ernest spoke the name that filled them with dread.
"Count Lafayette is defending the forest. Our mission is to break through his defenses and take control of the woods."
Even their fellow Allied Nation, Konchanya, had deemed the Battle of Bertagne Forest impossible and hadn't even attempted to send reinforcements—but Count Lafayette had held out for a staggering two months.
e had devised massive plans in Lanosel to drive the Empire out and restore the kingdom, only to fail thanks to Damn Ernest and Damn Krieger.
He had created opportunities to defeat the Empire time and again, but, unable to gain the necessary support from those around him, he had been forced to swallow the bitter taste of defeat that wasn't truly his own.
Now, the strategist Bertrand Belliang Lafayette—the nephew of the former King of Belliang, who had taken his own life—waited for them in the hellish place known as the forest, his gun aimed steadily at his enemies.
With Bertrand's mere presence, the Imperial Army's seemingly solid tactics now looked as precarious as an egg balanced on the tip of a needle.
Everyone in the 1st Battalion who had survived the last battle with Bertrand could feel all too well just how utterly screwed they were this time.