Rebirth in a Ruined Nation! The Life of a New Strategist Starting From Now - Chapter 92

Zetta Great War (7) – The Start of the War

With high morale, the soldiers took their positions.

4000 soldiers from the 4th Division led by the twin and 1000 soldiers of the Luzel Unit led by Hogg-san left the fortress. I chose to lend the Luzel Unit to Hogg-san instead of the Frein Unit because the Frein Unit was a newly formed cavalry unit, and I worried they might not be able to keep up with Hogg-san’s command.

Frein Unit was waiting for my instruction on the outer part of the fortress, while I, Wickharlt, and Diku were standing on the watchtower located at the outer wall of the fortress.

At first, I was ready to go to the battle too, but both Luzel and Frein stopped me, saying, ‘It’s not your turn yet’

The temporary Hogg Unit (Frein Unit) and the Yuimei Unit’s task were to check the enemy’s movement. Everyone else, excluding these two units, would likely return to the fortress without clashing with the enemy’s army. The siege would then commence, with the twin and Hogg-san disrupting the enemy from the outside. 

As for the Frein Unit, while they might attack if there was an opening in the enemy’s defense, the core strategy for this battle was to cooperate with the 4th Division for a defensive battle using the fortress.

The Gorber army began to create their formation. This was my first time seeing 20,000 soldiers on a real battlefield, and it made me a bit queasy, but I couldn’t throw up here.

From the watchtower I saw the Gorber army create a formation known in a certain foreign country as the crane wing formation*, spreading their soldiers to take advantage of their large numbers. They had four flags, which meant their army was composed of four smaller armies. If I consider each small army had about 5000 soldiers, the normal strategy in this battle would involve sending 15000 soldiers (excluding the main army) to attack us. However, given Gorber’s desire for a short, decisive battle, they might attack with their entire 20,000 soldiers.

(T/N: crane wing formation)

Among the 4 flags, the white one with three wild roses belonged to Gorber’s hero, Loderite Est, and the dark blue one with twin swords* and a star belonged to Zegabain, one of 3 Generals of Gorber.

(T/N: ??? lit: ‘different sword’)

There were four generals in the Gorber Kingdom to be cautious of, one of them being Loderite. Although he was popular among civilians due to his war achievements, those who knew him personally or had fought him had a divided opinion regarding him.

Some books I read even speculated his ‘genius’ was the handiwork of another person. However, every single book and record agreed that he was a strong adversary in a war.

There was no doubt he was one of the key people who allowed Gorber, the country with an inferior national power compared to Rudek, to be able to fight evenly with Rudek. His personal battle capability was also strong. He was one of the continent’s 10 Master of Bow. 

But it was said he preferred a spear because it was flashier. All in all, he was quite an eccentric.

Gorber’s other three famous generals, known as the 3 Generals of Gorber, were Zegabain, Faiz, and Buthst. These generals, along with Loderite, formed the pillars of the Gorber army.

Of the 3 Generals, General Faiz was seen at Eren Fortress, while General Zegabain was here. That meant General Buthst was most likely leading the army that attacked Schwaba Fortress in the south.

We couldn’t underestimate the army attacking the south then. Even Rays-sama wouldn’t be able to defeat General Buthst in a short time so we should give up on reinforcement from the 10th Division.

Unlike our kingdom, The Gorber Kingdom had no specialized cavalry unit. Their army comprised mounted commanders and infantry, highlighting the difference in economic strength between Gorber and Rudek.

In the meantime, the other side, perhaps also taking a wait-and-see attitude, left behind an army that seemed to be their main army and began to march forward.

Hm? So the one army that was left behind was General Zegabain’s army? I was surprised it wasn’t Loderite’s army.

I remember one time, Rays-sama told me that ‘Loderite is a troublesome opponent when leading a small army, but he’s an easy opponent when he’s the supreme commander’ It seemed like Loderite had no talent in becoming a Great General.

Leaving 1000 soldiers led by the twin and the Hogg Unit outside, we start retreating to the fortress. Taking on 15000 soldiers with 3000 soldiers head-on was not feasible.

Once inside the fortress, our soldiers took their positions in preparation for the upcoming war.

“They are attacking us with 15000 soldiers,” Boltras-sama remarked with a slightly amused expression.

I wondered when he had joined me on the watchtower while also feeling amazed at his calm expression,

“Wickharlt, why don’t you start the war?” Boltras-sama suggested.

“Is it okay for me to do it?” Wickharlt asked.

Starting the war meant launching the first attack, an honor typically given to the commander of the army’s main force. In our case, Boltras-sama, the 4th Division Commander should receive this honor.

“Of course, it’s fine. Isn’t this a good chance to shake our opponent’s morale with an arrow from the famous Blue Bow?”

“Well, if you insist.”

Accepting the role, Wickharlt descended from the watchtower, positioned himself on the fortress’s wall, and drew his bow.

“Ha!”

Wickharlt’s arrow sliced through the air, hitting one of the enemy’s commanders and immediately boosting the spirits of the Rudek soldiers. This arrow marked the beginning of the Zetta Great War.