370 – Preparing for the next day’s fight (1)
After the first day’s battle, which is considered the most important in some ways, the atmosphere in Bastion Castle was friendly, as if something unexpected had happened. It’s done.
The officers, among themselves, and the soldiers, including the soldiers and civilians who fought together, banded together and boasted about their bravery by adding a little exaggeration to each other’s actions.
“So, what I am saying is that with my mace, I smashed at least five heads of those who called themselves the Allied Forces. “Isn’t this the best fight in the platoon?”
“I know you tried hard, but honestly, I probably hit more people’s heads by throwing stones than that.”
“I threw that too. “There were so many that I couldn’t even count them.”
“Then why don’t you go and ask the deputy commander? “There would have been a record anyway.”
Drinking was not allowed, as there might be a night raid, but since the first day’s battle, which had great significance, ended with victory, the atmosphere was almost like a party.
As someone who has to fend off a large army of nearly 400,000 people in this Bastion castle for at least another month, I feel relieved to see the morale of the soldiers have risen so much.
With this momentum, we will be able to defend against enemy attacks without any problems for about a week.
As he was inspecting the surroundings with a smile on his face, satisfied with his accomplishments today, Laura asked.
“Marshal, what do you think about the current situation? “Do you have any other operations?”
It is tempting to use a strategy to catch the enemy off guard, but this battle is not a siege where driving the opponent crazy will inevitably help you win.
As we are engaged in a defensive war that will take at least a month against an enemy force that is seven times more numerous than ours, it is not good to provoke the enemy more than necessary.
If they are overly stimulated and run at us like mad cows, there will be many victims among them.
Even though we are short in numbers, we will have to endure considerable damage.
“I don’t plan on using any special operations for the next few days. Isn’t this not a siege war, but a fortress battle to protect the castle? Since we need to take time, there is no need to provoke the enemy more than necessary.”
Laura nodded his head, and this time Anya asked.
“Marshal, wasn’t I the most helpful in helping our troops win the first day of battle today? Thanks to my plan, we were able to inflict enormous damage on the enemy without moving the 7th Guards Division. Also, our soldiers guarding the walls gained hope and determination that ‘we can do it.'”
Laura said, ‘Oh, I want to be praised by the enemy again. There is no way to just skip something. People are light.’ He looked at Anya with jealous eyes.
Filling the moat with water made the Archduke give unreasonable orders, causing the loss of too many soldiers, and by adjusting the speed of the enemy coming toward the castle wall, it was easier for the civilians and soldiers on our side on the castle wall to block it.
And if you count the ‘boosting of soldiers’ morale’, which is worth even more than that, it is true that Anya was the most active on the first day of battle.
So, I lightly stroked Anya’s head and praised her.
“If it weren’t for Anya’s plan, I wouldn’t have been in so much trouble right now after the first day’s battle. Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to catch the first battle, so I think the remaining battles will be worth it.”
When I complimented her with sincerity, Anya smiled brightly like an adolescent girl.
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Then, looking at Laura, he puffed out his chest in a slightly boastful way and gave a look like, ‘I won, right?’…
“I will be more active tomorrow and receive praise, no…”
“I plan to monopolize the admiral’s praise by performing the best in this battle. And as soon as the war is over, I plan to give birth to the daughter the enemy wants, sister.”
“Daughter? My daughter. “I can have as many people as the enemy wants…”
The atmosphere between the two became so intense that it felt like sparks were flying around me.
Of course, they respect each other as rivals, and they think that if they really fight, they might end up being hated by me, so they will never cross the line…
When I see two women fighting like this with me in the middle, I feel a bit strange.
Laura and Anya grabbed one of my arms and asked me while I was silent.
“I like you better, Marshal, right?”
“Not that, no. The Marshal says he relies on me the most since he was with me from the Czechavian front. How much you cherish your private time with me. “I know that better than anyone else.”
With those words, I took both of my arms out of their hands, placed them on their shoulders, and gently pulled them towards me and said,
“They are both so precious to me. So, let’s make sure to come back alive this time too. When we go back, let’s take the whole family and go to my father-in-law’s villa like last time. “I loved it the last time I went.”
When I said that Laura and Anya were both good, they silently protested by puffing out their cheeks and asking me what I meant when they saw me making a poor choice.
They soon relaxed their expressions, pledged to engage in friendly competition with each other, and dispersed to carry out their respective duties.
I also took that path and arrived at the field hospital in the castle where Charlotte was.
Inside, those dying from injuries sustained in this battle were gathered in one place, and those with severe injuries that had their arms and legs amputated or were bleeding profusely were gathered in another place.
Many of the positions were occupied by those who appeared to be able to return to battle after receiving treatment for a few days due to relatively minor injuries.
Charlotte was diligently directing the women and doctors who were assigned to nurse among them, based on the hygiene and health knowledge I had previously taught them.
“There! If you touch an injured person, wash your hands with lye water and then quickly clean them with the disinfectant water made by wizards! It is said that if the process is not followed properly, even those who can survive will die. So how will you take responsibility?”
“After removing the arrow, you must wash the injured area with clean water, or rather boiled and then cooled water. Otherwise, the wound may rot and the limb may have to be amputated!”
“Be sure to boil once-used knives or tools in water for at least 10 minutes before using them, and keep them clean!”
I only told her to supervise her hygiene thoroughly, but she never thought she would perform so well from her first day.
But on the other hand, I also understood why Charlotte’s work skills were so good.
When I was at home, the maids in the mansion seemed to follow her commands, so it seemed like she had a natural talent for manipulating people.
It seemed like the women and doctors were doing the best they could, moving and caring for all kinds of equipment, wounded soldiers, and corpses, so I thought about just going back like this…
‘If it is shown that even a marshal of the Reich Empire must follow the doctor’s instructions in a field hospital, Charlotte’s authority will increase, and the number of soldiers and people who can survive will increase. If I show that I actually care about the wounded soldiers, the morale of the military will probably go up.’
As I was standing there watching, a woman saw me and spoke loudly.
“Marshal? “You are the enemy!”
At those words, the medical staff and patients all stopped and tried to salute, but I stopped them with one hand and said,
“Move quickly. If you stop working just because I came, wouldn’t someone who could live lose their precious life because of that? And I’d like to help out here too. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Charlotte understood my intention and responded with a slightly stern expression.
“The uniform you came in was dirty with dust and blood. Please change into the clothes you wear here. Then, wash your hands thoroughly with lye and water, then go over to where the seriously injured soldiers are and bandage them according to the instructions.”
When she, who commanded a field hospital, said that to me, her enemy, everyone looked at me with puzzled expressions, but I nodded at her and quickly moved as instructed.
As I came dressed in the clothes I wear for caring for patients rather than for the flashy battle of conquering enemies, all the patients lying down looked at me with eyes full of emotion.
And following the doctors’ instructions, I bandaged the soldiers who had stab wounds on their arms.
“Thank you for believing in me and fighting without sacrificing yourself. “Thanks to you, I was able to safely protect this castle.”
The soldier began to cry after hearing my words.
“It is an honor.”
“No, it is an honor for me to be able to command someone like you. I will make sure that you and your family survive and return to your hometown to live a peaceful life. “I will do the best I can, so can you continue to trust me in the future?”
“Yes, Marshal. “I will definitely protect this castle…”
Many of the doctors around me, the women helping with the work, and the wounded soldiers shed tears of joy as I went around helping with treatment and comforting them.
After I finished treating the cold with what light bandages I could, I went to the place where the people who the doctors had judged to have no hope of survival were.
“I don’t want to die. “If I die, if I die…”
“Please help me, it hurts… It hurts so much…”
All I could do for those people was to let them know that self-sacrifice was worthwhile.
He approached those who were conscious, held their hands, and then saluted.
At that sight, the soldier who had been groaning as he died looked at me with surprised eyes.
“……Why does the enemy salute someone like me…?”
“Thanks to your noble sacrifice, the countless soldiers and civilians remaining in the castle, and by extension the people of the empire, were able to survive. “It is a salute filled with that heart.”
“……”
“I was not good enough to protect you. But, I promise. I will do whatever it takes to keep your family safe, as long as it doesn’t cost me my life. And do you have any will?”
The soldier whose hand I held carefully opened his mouth.
“I have a mother and younger siblings who raised me alone in my hometown. Please take care of my mother and younger brother.”
“I promise on my name.”
The soldier smiled slightly at those words, and as if he had no more regrets, he put pressure on his hands and closed his eyes. I took a note containing his information and special details about his family in the notebook I had brought with me. Recorded.
After comforting several people in their final moments, I, along with other support staff, carried out the entire bed that the soldier was lying on and buried him in the burial ground.
When burying the dead, wizards treated the corpses as if they were grinding them, instantly turning them into regular dirt.
When it was time to leave for bed, I gave orders to the wizards.
“Drain all the water from the moat, and do the same with all the corpses there. “If rotten water and corpses remain, an infectious disease will spread among our troops.”