I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy - Chapter 164: Trickery And The Thirty-Six Stratagems, Strategic Retreat (2)

The entire 7th Division, including myself, was in a state of extreme exhaustion, to the point where collapsing right now wouldn’t be surprising.

In such a situation, the soldiers, unaccustomed to riding horses they had not ridden before, had traveled for hours at quite a fast pace—a situation that would normally dampen spirits.

Yet, the soldiers chatted and laughed refreshingly, as if they were celebrating a feast.

“Look at those damned Swiss! Just like dogs chasing chickens!”

“They must have thought they had us all. Missing us will surely rot the guts of those Swiss fools! Let’s drink to this when we get back home!”

“100,000 of them came and got beaten by not even a full division of us. Such imbeciles will be remembered in history.”

I, too, wanted to join in their cheer and share the joy.

But I was too exhausted to raise my voice due to overexertion until now.

Thus, I was in a state where I couldn’t even manage horseback riding, which subtly consumed a lot of energy.

So, without saying a word, I had no choice but to tightly hold onto the waist of Anya, who sat in front of me, guiding the horse.

“Thanks for the help. Thanks to you, it seems I can somehow make it back alive. When I return safely to the empire, I’ll buy you a drink.”

“If it weren’t for you, Lieutenant General, we would all be dead. So, it’s only natural for me to help you. And before that, you avenged our White Wolf Tribe and even gave us a place to live. Aren’t you my benefactor?”

“Still, gratitude is gratitude. I’ll surely repay you, so bring all the archer cavalry soldiers. I’ll treat them, even if it means breaking the bank.”

The truth was, I was saying this to dilute my embarrassment a little.

That was because the place where I was now was still enemy territory, but it wasn’t too dangerous, and I’d relaxed a lot.

Though I was sober and behind leather armor, I was leaning against Anya’s body while riding the horse.

Despite being a strong warrior, the softness typical of a woman could be felt.

Her body did not emit the stale odor of male soldiers’ crumpled socks but rather a pleasant scent of the skin.

Feeling an inexplicable comfort and warmth, I, as a married man, wondered if this was okay, feeling slightly odd nonetheless.

But it was clear what would happen if I were to hold the reins and move at a fast pace on the horse in my current state.

To return alive, I had no choice but to proceed with this plan.

Fortunately, setting fire to the military camp worked well, as it seemed to have significantly delayed the Swiss for quite some time.

Several days had passed since we started fleeing, and there were still no signs of the Swiss soldiers pursuing us.

However, it was too early to relax, as we had only just passed about half of the Ticino Canton.

“The Swiss bandits are throwing arrows and stones from the side!”

“Those scums worse than dogs to attack cowardly from the side…!”

“Identify the enemy’s position! Everyone, prepare your weapons for counteraction! Get ready to intercept!”

Upon hearing this, the soldiers dismounted and took out their weapons to form a battle line.

Despite the surprise attack, there were non-commissioned officers who quickly calmed the soldiers and promptly followed the commanders’ and officers’ orders. Even in their exhausted state, the soldiers responded swiftly.

I was truly proud of them all, but unfortunately, stopping like this in the current situation was a bad choice.

This was because, thanks to being on horseback, we were marching at a rapid pace of about 50km per day.

The enemy we were facing had combat power at the level of non-commissioned officers, even among their lowest ranks, and those who were around a 10-year veteran had the strength of knights.

They were likely furiously marching under the orders of the enraged Duke of Switzerland, ready to leave stragglers behind to catch up with us.

What would happen if we wasted time responding to these kinds of attacks?

“Anya, tell the soldiers not to prepare for a response but to keep moving straight ahead. Even if we lose some men to arrows and stones from the side, we won’t respond.”

“The enemies, knowing we’re too exhausted to fight properly, are not even coming out of the woods but just shooting arrows, which suggests they number only a few dozen to at most a few hundred.”

“Their goal isn’t to harm us but to buy time for the Duke of Switzerland’s army to catch up with the 7th Division. So, unless the enemy directly blocks our way, we must not dismount except for the designated minimum rest times separate from sleep, just as the White Wolf Tribe does during their marches.”

As I mentioned, during Anya’s time leading the White Wolf Tribe, they did not dismount except for sleep and minimal rest, consuming only the bare minimum of water and food on horseback, allowing only one break a day for the horses to graze and for sleep.

Despite the biological differences between humans and horses, it was a wonder how the horses could endure such forced marches.

As I was lost in thought, Anya and the division’s commanders relayed my orders throughout the unit.

“It’s the commander’s order. We must not be hindered by these petty bandits! March on, even if it means being struck by arrows and stones!”

“If we keep going, those bastards will tire and won’t be able to follow us!”

“Mount up! We need to hurry. Let’s return home.”

Hearing this, the soldiers ignored the Switzerland peasants cowardly launching arrows and stones from the forest.

They remounted their horses and gradually increased their pace.

Though they couldn’t go very fast, reaching about 10 km/h, it was roughly twice the speed of a division marching at about 5 km/h.

Naturally, by continuously riding, they could easily leave the footbound mercenaries behind.

A choice made for survival is a choice, and resentment is resentment.

So, to vent my frustration even slightly, I mustered what little energy I had left and shouted.

“You Switzerland bandit bastards! You’re even worse than a dog chasing chickens on the roof! Seeing the same expression on your beloved Duke’s face, is this the extent of the proud Swiss tradition you boast about? Your ancestors would wail in hell seeing your state!”

In this way, I vented my frustration at the Swiss while leaning against Anya’s back.

“Though we may have lost the battle, we’ve had a good look at your pathetic tradition! Switzerland mercenaries can only ambush from bushes and are completely useless in a direct fight!”

“I pity your parents who bore you! To give birth to such cowardly weaklings and still manage to sleep at night!”

“It’s not too late. Go find a skirt to wear and put on some makeup! You spineless cowards, acting like frightened little girls!”

Thus, I managed to escape the ambush in a situation where I was barely keeping my life, and through wise decisions during the retreat, I avoided the worst-case scenario of being encircled and annihilated.

And after pushing our horses at a fast pace for about an hour, we completely escaped the enemy’s ambush, but due to encountering an unexpected enemy in our already exhausted state, our division suffered more damage than expected, even though the enemy force was at most about a hundred men.

“Mountain after mountain. I thought it would be tough, but I never imagined it would be this hard. Damn, I’m never doing this again.”

A week later.

“Oh shit, I see the Reich Empire’s flag! Sir, there’s our flag!”

Everyone’s gaze, including mine, turned in the direction the soldier was pointing.

There, a sizable fortress was visible.

The fortress walls were adorned with flags representing different legions and divisions of the empire’s army, and unlike us, who were nearly dead from exhaustion, the men on the walls seemed very much alive.

Meaning, although we had somehow lost, this fortress marked the frontline where the empire bordered Switzerland.

There would be no loss of territory to the enemy, and the moment I realized my division had safely returned to the Reich Empire, tears were shed by both soldiers and officers at this beautiful sight.

“Hurrah! Damn, we’ve made it back alive!”

“The commander was right! We’ve returned alive!”

“Is this a dream or reality? Mom!”

Due to the extreme exertion up until now, I felt the accumulated fatigue and tension release simultaneously…

“Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Anya.”

And with that, I leaned against Anya’s back and fell asleep as if collapsing.

And thus, the conquest of Switzerland came to an end.

The Swiss military casualties totaled 18,000 dead and 8,000 severely injured.

[Successful repulsion of the empire’s invasion, devastation of the Ticino Canton.]

Reich Empire military casualties totaled 10,000 dead and 145 severely injured (almost all died or went missing during the retreat).

[Due to a spy, the Switzerland expedition faced the brink of annihilation. Lieutenant General Peter Yeager’s leadership in the defensive battle thwarted the enemy’s strategy. Out of the 8,000 troops of the 7th Division, 2,500 died.]