141 – Operation to conquer Switzerland (4)
In that way, the Swiss Expeditionary Force advanced towards their respective areas, and our 7th Division also gradually invaded the Ticino Canton as instructed. We took over and marched.
What I see now is the beautiful scenery of Switzerland that seems to have been copied exactly from the picture.
On the right, there are tall trees standing thickly, and on the left, there are mountains with beautiful lines that stand high and sheer, showing off the majesty of the ice caps. There is a mysterious azure lake that appears from time to time, and a clear stream flowing along the valley.
Personally, it was so beautiful that I would like to go on a family trip here with Laura and my soon-to-be-born baby if I ever take a long-term vacation.
Maybe that’s why the soldiers and officers opened their hearts to this peaceful and leisurely beautiful scenery, relaxed a little and started chatting.
“Boss, when I earn a lot of money and am discharged from the military, I want to set up a newlywed home here with Maria.”
“I, too, will be discharged in two years, and I feel like I should bring my damn wife, get married, and take her on a trip I’ve never been able to do before. “The water is clear and the air is good.”
“I really envy the Swiss people who live in places like this. “The air is nice and the mountains are nice.”
When I heard that, two thoughts came to my mind.
The first is that throughout history, whether in the modern era or the Middle Ages, if you live in a place with nice mountains and clear water, you will suffer terribly.
Because the good mountains mean that transportation is inconvenient, and for the people of the Europa continent who mainly live by farming, it means that there is a severe lack of farmland for cultivation, which is directly connected to the problem of difficulty in making a living.
The second is that, no matter what, there is always a very high possibility that something will happen when tension is released like this.
Well, contrary to expectations, nothing may happen.
Wherever you look, you can often see forests or rough terrain suitable for ambushing at least 100 troops in the Ticino canton of the Principality of Switzerland.
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Count Ticino, who rules such a place, will naturally try to carry out a surprise operation using geographical features to tie us up.
As I was driving the horse, lost in thought, Anya, who had taken on the role of adjutant next to me in place of Laura, came up to me and asked.
“Director, do you have any concerns? “If there is anything I can do to help, I will do my best.”
I answered those words with a serious expression.
“No, it’s not that big of a deal. “I just started thinking a little more.”
“Director, you are Anastasia Kergit’s benefactor and hero. So, I am happy to answer any question, even if it is a personal question.”
“Then, this may be a little rude, but can I ask you something?”
Instead of answering that question by saying no, I nodded my head in agreement.
“The White Wolf tribe also often attacked the upper reaches of Sweden, right? “Like other northerners.”
Asking Anya, who was a lieutenant colonel of the empire and even received a knighthood, about her time as a northern barbarian may be a bit of a remark that has crossed the line.
In particular, the story of attacking an intact merchant is considered a crime in the empire, even though it may not be known among nomadic peoples.
Although it is rude in itself to ask her this.
“It used to be like that. “I had no choice but to make a living.”
“I see, then it would be nice if you could answer my question based on your experience at the time.”
“Yes, Director.”
And after hesitating for a moment, I asked.
“It looks like Count Ticino of Switzerland is going to attack our division. “Based on your past experience, does it seem like a surprise attack on our division could be successful?”
“It’s about half, half. Aren’t you avoiding the rough roads as much as possible and only going back to the ones that are difficult to attack? However, I can see places here and there that look good for ambushes.”
“If that is true, it would mean that the enemy will attempt a surprise attack when the 7th Division appears to be relaxed and inflict a heavy blow.”
Moreover, the reason our division was so relaxed and tolerated noise during the march was because they strategically judged that there would only be one large-scale battle in the County of Ticino.
On the route we are taking, we dispatch archery cavalry and other scouts to places such as forests and mountains to search as much as possible, but we have not yet been able to detect any evidence of the enemy hiding a large number of troops.
So, in this situation, if you think about it with common sense, you can say that there is still no element of surprise.
Conversely, it is common sense that unpredictable variables always occur on the battlefield.
Furthermore, our empire has not sent troops to Switzerland for nearly 200 years, so no matter how much we send scouts to find out in detail.
It is difficult to identify all the side roads that only the people of the Principality of Switzerland know about, as well as good places to set up an ambush for soldiers.
All of these circumstances tell us only one thing.
“Considering Count Ticino’s tendencies and the situation we are in, he will definitely come to surprise our 7th Division in the next few days. “I need to prepare.”
Of course, when I was fighting on the Rhineland front, I successfully launched a surprise attack in an unexpected place.
As a result, there was a time when a division was overturned with only about 100 soldiers.
Furthermore, no group movements have been detected around here yet, but it seems quite possible for Count Ticino to ambush us if he wants to.
In addition, the Principality of Switzerland even has a record of winning a complete victory by surprising the imperial army in the Battle of Morgen, which took place over 200 years ago.
It is certain that it will not forget the taste it had before and will definitely come to attack us.
With that thought in mind, I called the messengers nearby and gave an order.
“As of the present time, all knights are to dismount from their horses, wear breastplates, foot and shin shields, and carry halberds carried by infantrymen. In addition, soldiers wear armor and march ready to fight the enemy at any time.”
It may seem awkward for a soldier on the battlefield to march fully unarmed, but the majority of medieval armies originally rarely marched fully armed.
Because the armor worn by knights alone weighs 20kg, and the armor worn by soldiers usually weighs over 10kg, making it extremely heavy.
I had to wear that kind of armor and walk 30km every day for days, maybe even months.
Even if they manage to hold out for up to a week or two, if it goes on longer than that, there are cases where the soldiers collapse from exhaustion.
Usually, when marching, they often put their armor on a wagon, wore only their combat uniform, and marched with their weapons in hand.
“In addition, all soldiers are asked to wear capes to protect themselves from the cold as it is cold.”
The reason for doing this is to protect the soldiers from the cold.
But the real purpose is to hide even the slightest appearance that we are properly armed.
Then they are likely to think like this before ambushing us.
‘Those kids are walking comfortably without even thinking that the soldiers of the Principality of Switzerland are nearby.’
“Also, in order to maintain the soldiers’ physical strength, we exclude three major breaks during breakfast, lunch, and dinner and a 10-minute break every two hours. Considering that I will be moving around wearing armor, I will take another large break before lunch and dinner. At this time, soldiers who are not on guard will be ordered to stop marching and take a nap on the road.”
If you increase the rest time like this, the distance you can march will decrease, but the amount of physical strength consumed will also decrease accordingly.
In addition, the enemy will lower their level of alert by saying that there are crazy people who even take a nap while marching because they cannot be seen.
They will probably try to carry out surprise operations more actively.
“Finally, today we will march in the normal formation like this, but starting tomorrow, we will reorganize and march with one cavalry platoon and one infantry platoon. Disseminate the order to all units, and as soon as the delivery is complete, stop marching and put on your armor first. Then immediately spread the order throughout the division.”
If you mix knights and infantry into platoons, there are approximately 37 people, and with this number, the smallest group can gather and defend even if attacked from any direction.
In other words, we will be able to take advantage of the Swiss bastards’ plan to throw our division into chaos through a surprise attack.
And the messenger immediately began to convey my orders to the commanders of each unit, and I immediately put on my armor.
“As soon as all the armor is worn, march at the normal marching speed! “March for two hours, eat dinner, and set up camp!”
If I keep doing this for a few days, I think it will come quickly.
I wonder if I can catch it properly.