I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy - Chapter 188: Invasion Of Austria (4)

Humans could adapt and survive in almost any environment, as long as it wasn’t entirely uninhabitable.

In nature, such as deserts, jungles, snowfields, plains, and riverbanks, as well as in the strict discipline of the military and the deadly battlegrounds, familiarity breeds survival.

Though it was somewhat difficult the first time I killed on the battlefield, now, if necessary, I could kill hundreds of enemies without hesitation.

Despite this, the one thing I haven’t been able to adapt to was the pressure of devising strategies on the battlefield as a commander.

Especially taking on the role of deputy commander, or rather, the de facto supreme commander, the weight of responsibility on my shoulders and back was no joke.

“Let’s start with the reconnaissance team’s report. Report everything, no matter how trivial, including the enemy’s size and morale, and anything unusual.”

Upon hearing this, the captain of the reconnaissance team cautiously began to speak.

“The Grand Duke of Ostarica has personally joined this war. Their size is as previously reported, totaling 180,000. The enemy’s morale is very high, possibly because the Grand Duke himself is leading the troops.”

Their size was about 30,000 more than we estimated before the expedition started, but this was within the margin of error, so it wasn’t considered a significant issue.

However, since the Grand Duke of Ostarica, the ruler himself, had come out, the enemy’s morale would remain high, making them not easy to face.

But if the commander showed any sign of agitation or tension, the subordinate officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers would fall into endless fear.

“The fact that the Grand Duke himself has come out is somewhat concerning, but since it’s within the margin of error, it won’t shake our victory. Continue with the report.”

The Crown Prince nodded in agreement upon hearing my words, and the generals and officers participating in the meeting showed signs of relief.

“With the Grand Duke’s march, the Grand Duke’s personal knight order has also marched. Additionally, one of our staff officers, Lieutenant Colonel Benner, has defected and surrendered, likely leaking information such as our exact size and organization. Therefore, in terms of information warfare, the Reich Empire is likely at a disadvantage.”

My brother was probably having a good time right now with the idiot Matthias and four other majors who betrayed the Reich Empire.

“Imperial infantry or Ostarica infantry, they’re all the same. They’re no match for knights. Well, maybe we just need to be a bit cautious around the 7th Division…”

Also, logically speaking, unless it was that crazy elite mercenary unit from Switzerland, they’d think there were no infantry capable of facing knights.

We must use this point to target the enemy’s weakness.

“Is there anything else?”

“None, Deputy Commander. There is nothing else according to our reconnaissance.”

“Understood. Then, let’s proceed with the operation.”

As soon as I said that, all eyes and attention were immediately on me.

“First off, there’s no need to worry about our forces being outnumbered by the enemy. Because all our soldiers have been completely reborn. Previously, running 5km in full gear was challenging, but now, as a result of training, they can run about 15km in full gear.”

Upon hearing this, the generals, who were at least in their 50s, nodded and showed pride in how strong their subordinate soldiers had become.

The colonels and lieutenant colonels, who were in their mid-40s or younger and had participated in the training, shook their heads, displaying expressions of not wanting to recall those memories.

However, it was clear that due to repeatedly undergoing strenuous training such as mock battles and formal drills, which drained all physical strength through guerrilla exercises, the physical fitness of soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers had explosively increased compared to before, making it more advantageous for our side the longer the actual combat would last.

“The enemy has more soldiers than we do, so they will gladly accept a war of attrition. And our forces will engage in a frontal confrontation from the start.”

Typically, when forces were outnumbered, they would prefer quick, decisive battles or surprise attacks, as these could yield outcomes in a short moment.

This was because, in strategies that involved holding out over a long period, the side with greater numbers was much more advantageous.

“Honestly, unless it’s the Swiss Confederation, they know that soldiers, especially infantry, are much stronger in combat, so the numerically superior Ostaricans will definitely fall for our provocation. We’ll drag out the time as much as possible.”

The fact that our soldiers had much better physical fitness compared to the enemy meant we could fight in good condition for a longer period of time.

So, by the time we would start to get winded, the enemy infantry would be on the verge of exhaustion, unable to properly counterattack.

At this point, if we muster all our remaining strength to push forward all at once, it would be a one-sided victory for the Reich Empire’s army, regardless of how numerous the enemy was.

After I mentioned only the infantry, a division commander asked,

“Deputy Commander, how do you plan to utilize the knights and cavalry, including the knights? Since the Ostarica side has brought their personal knight order, there will be about 20,000 armored knights, and our side, including Colonel Kerzhit’s archer cavalry, totals approximately 13,000. So, while infantry can fight infantry, what about the battles between knights…?”

Infantry could endure with stamina, but knights couldn’t last long in a fight of numbers and the impact of their weight against each other.

However, since the main actors in the battle were not knights but infantry, the countermeasure was surprisingly simple.

“Aren’t there two important roles that knights play? To shake the enemy’s formation while infantry are engaged, or to chase down those who flee after victory.”

In the former case, we would fight while forming the knights’ unique wedge formation, and in the latter, we would disband the formation and pursue the enemy recklessly.

“Yes, that’s right. But I was asking when and how you plan to use the knights, and now you’re talking about something else.”

“Like when I faced the enemy’s knights on the Chekovian front in Bisochea, the infantry would form spear phalanxes to intercept the knights. Many sacrifices will occur, but soldiers under strict military discipline will be prepared to die, spear in hand, fighting the knights.”

It might be hard to understand logically how soldiers standing with mere spears could stop nearly 1-ton masses of metal, albeit with a bit of exaggeration.

The training method I introduced was used to train soldiers during the era of line infantry, and its effectiveness was outstanding.

How effective must it be for soldiers to march forward in rows and columns directly towards the enemy on a battlefield where thousands of bullets would fly without any cover.

“Of course, there’s a countermeasure. During the enemy knights’ charge, we’ll deploy the archer cavalry to kill the enemy’s momentum in various ways. Additionally, when the enemy knights attack, we plan to use our 10,000 knights like hammers.”

“Then, do you plan to receive the charge like last time and strike the flanks of the enemy knights?”

“That’s a good idea, but my plan is different this time. After receiving the enemy knights’ attack, the neighboring infantry units on both sides will create a semi-encirclement of the enemy, and our knights will stab from the rear. It would be best if we could eliminate the enemy knights in such a surrounded state.”

Even if they would try the most orthodox method of attacking the flanks of the infantry units placed on the left or right wings, we had a countermeasure.

“If they attack the flanks of the left or right-wing units instead, the plan would go awry. In that case, we’ll use the same strategy as the enemy. However, I think the enemy knights will definitely target the 7th Division placed in the center.”

Upon hearing this, the division commanders looked puzzled, and I signaled to His Highness.

Receiving the signal, the Crown Prince opened his mouth.

“While it’s common for royals to take the safest position in the main camp when entering the battlefield, I will never let you fight alone on the front lines. As a commander, I will lead my personal guard and fight alongside the 7th Guard Division.”

Even though His Highness said he would fight alongside the 7th Division, he wouldn’t actually be on the front lines.

The fact that he was fighting with them on the front lines, not just in the main camp, would provide great psychological comfort and courage to the soldiers.

Moreover, detailed plans were prepared depending on what actions the enemies would take, so all I needed to do now was bury them.