Rebirth in a Ruined Nation! The Life of a New Strategist Starting From Now - Chapter 23

The Battle of Hakusha Plain (6) – Trap

“Are all the preparations finished?” Wickharlt asked Scuderia quietly in the late night, when even the insects were sleeping.

“Certainly, general. The preparations are complete.”

500 people and their horses followed Scuderia. Wickharlt could sense their fervent desire for vengeance despite their silence.

The people who were here were all the individuals who cried blood three years ago.

They were all people who survived despite their lord’s death. People who, three years ago, thought of accompanying General Nisol to the afterworld.

They all decided to make Wickharlt the new general of the 6th Division after being persuaded by Scuderia. But it didn’t mean their rage and grief over General Nisol’s death had subsided.

At the moment, all the night guards were supporters of Scuderia’s surprise attack strategy. The plan was for these guards to follow the surprise attack troop afterward.

“If the surprise attack is successful, we will retreat immediately. Don’t be stubborn in trying to get Frankurlt’s head. Understood?”

Wickharlt reminded them of this. They nodded, but Wickharlt knew there were still soldiers who felt they might acquire Frankurlt’s head. Perhaps even some soldiers saw this battle as an opportunity to finally follow their lord to the afterlife with a magnificent death.

Wickharlt was aware of their thoughts, but he also understood that he couldn’t stop them. Wickharlt’s only option now was to let them proceed to the surprise attack and ensure that they all returned safely.

Wickharlt had realized it was all Frankurlt’s trap. Wickharlt was also enraged at first, but after that man advised him to wait for one day… Roa was his name? He had calmed down and realized that everything was too perfect to be a coincidence.

That frail-looking man’s remarks helped Wickharlt to calm down, but there were still others who were angry and unable to think clearly. Wickharlt couldn’t forsake them, which was why he decided to launch the surprise attack. There was nothing more or less.

Wickharlt’s youth was both his strength and his weakness.

A weakness that Frankurlt had chosen to exploit.

I’m going to be troubling those two from the 10th Division.

Wickharlt thought, while feeling slightly guilty. Of course, because Wickharlt had decided to launch the surprise attack, he planned to come back victorious.

But even if the surprise strike was successful, Rays-sama would almost certainly blame the two who failed to persuade him.

“Let’s go.”

Wickharlt gave the command, and the surprise attack troop moved stealthily to the river.

The river, which had been clear throughout the day, had become slightly muddy, but Wickharlt had missed it due to the darkness of the night.

?

“…So you finally decided to make a move, but you are extremely unlucky.”

With a smirk, Frankurlt said.

Wickharlt could still return alive if he made his move during the day, but for him to make his move in the middle of the night and when Frankurlt’s army was ready to be attacked? Wickharlt would undoubtedly die tonight.

To think that everything will go according to his words, how terrifying

Frankurlt thought while remembering Sakuri’s words.

He will likely move in the middle of the night when the young commanders fail to suppress the old commanders. There will be heavy rain upstream tonight, causing the river to overflow and preventing them from retreating.

Frankurlt was still skeptical at that time, but everything turned out just as Sakuri predicted. The river was still peaceful, but he began to wonder if Sakuri’s prediction would come true again.

Can strategists all control the weather?

When Frankurlt asked Sakuri, the latter responded with a chuckle.

We don’t control the weather, we simply predicted it.

That was Sakuri’s answer?.

“Instruct the soldiers to gather near the river. We’ll destroy them when the river overflows, but until then, tell the soldiers to go on the defensive and buy some time.”

Frankurlt spun his arm after giving his instruction.

“Let’s get started on the hunt.”

?

“It was a trap, as I suspected. But…”

Wickharlt knew this was a trap, so he was prepared.

When Wickharlt and his troops arrived at Frankurlt army’s camp, their campfire had been out and the entire camp was dead quiet.

Normally, at this hour, the campfire would still be burning and many soldiers would be stationed around the camp. The fact that the camp was so calm indicated that the Frankurlt army had prepared for his arrival.

Wickharlt contemplated retreating for a moment, but if he led the troops back now, Frankurlt’s army might attack them from behind.

That left Wickharlt with only a single choice.

“Make a cone formation, and then we’ll cut through this camp and return to our camp as soon as we succeed. Understood?”

Wickharlt believed that this would inflict the least amount of harm on his troops.

The surprise attack troop began to cut through the Frankurlt camp under Wickharlt’s orders, but everyone sensed something was up. Because of the darkness, it was difficult to determine, but the opponent did not put up much of a fight. Their opponent didn’t appear shocked by their arrival, and thus there was little question that the enemy had anticipated their arrival, but that wasn’t all. Wickharlt had a feeling that he was dancing to someone else’s tune.

“Wickharlt-sama, look!”

Even without Scuderia’s remarks, Wickharlt noticed the sole campfire in the distance, as if announcing to his troops that location was the enemy’s headquarters.

“We’re already in the middle of the enemy’s poison, so let us drown them in their own poison and make a victorious return.”

Wickharlt and his men rode their horses toward the fire. When they arrived, they found a single helmet.

“That’s Nisol-sama’s!”

Scuderia jumped from his horse and dashed toward the helmet.

The troops were about to erupt in rage when they saw the helmet, but Wickharlt shouted, “We’re in the center of the enemy camp! Don’t relax your guard! This is enough. Let’s return!”

The earth trembled as they turned to retreat, and the horses got agitated.

“What happened?”

Wickharlt had a bad premonition.

Something that could cause the ground to tremble happened…something like…yes, like the river…

“Let’s get out of here! Hurry!”

The river had already begun to overflow by the time Wickharlt yelled those words.