278 – Skirmish (2)
I heard a sound that should not have been heard in my ears.
From Noble mtl dot com
“I can’t believe things are going so smoothly…”
That guy is a knight that Maria lent me, so I don’t really know what kind of guy he is, but there’s actually nothing wrong with what he said.
Currently, the number of villages that the hundred people I lead successfully looted is 8, and if you include the number of villages that other guys looted, the number of villages that we robbed is 70.
We succeeded in burning down the living quarters of approximately 27,000 people.
Besides, there are no enemy forces pursuing us yet, so we can relax and enjoy the success and peace we have had so far, even if only for a little while.
Wherever you go, fires start from carelessness and defeats start from unexpected places.
So I warned the guy who said that.
“The operation is not completed yet. “One moment of inattention can end everything.”
After listening to me, the driver realized his mistake and froze.
“I’m sorry.”
“I just need to know. Never let your guard down before returning to where Her Majesty the First Princess is. “This is an enemy camp where you never know when and where the enemy will come out.”
The place where we are currently stationed is in the plains, so there is no castle nearby to station a large army…
There will be no chance of an enemy coming out of nowhere and shouting ‘It’s a surprise attack!’ And leaving our allies with both hands down.
Unless they suddenly dig a tunnel like the North Koreans and emerge from under the ground.
But in comics and novels, after the captain tells you not to let down your guard because you never know when the enemy will come, a report comes out of nowhere that the enemy has been discovered…
At that time, I saw a soldier riding a horse in the distance, rushing towards me.
“They say everything happens as you say and as you think… Why does it happen like this?”
The soldier on horseback quickly approached me and reported while panting.
“M, Baron. “This is urgent news, huh, huh.”
“Just take a breath and report.”
Hearing those words, the soldier took a moment to catch his breath and reported again.
“An enemy elite unit numbering 1,500 is pursuing us. They’re all on horseback, and at that speed, I guess they’ll make contact with our troops within a few hours. “You must urgently prepare to meet and fight your enemies.”
A typical elite unit of 1,500 men can march approximately 2-3 km in an hour.
It may seem strange that an elite unit can only march 2-3 km per hour when we can only walk 5 km per hour, but…
The reason they are so slow is because they have to move with the cart containing the supplies, so their steps have to match the speed of the cart.
‘The elite use horse-drawn carts for all their luggage, but in normal cases, they also use human-drawn carts, which are slower.’
However, if the horseback infantry, including the infantry, chases after them on horseback, and the entire army is on horseback, they can move about 13 to 15 kilometers in an hour.
So I don’t know exactly when we’ll face each other, so what should I do?
Should I wait here and fight back, or should I be the bait and spin them around, creating more distance between them and going to a better place for an ambush? What should I do?
As I was lost in thought for a moment, the soldier who reported to me waited in an immobile position until I finished speaking.
“First of all, it’s not up to me to decide on my own, so please bring the commanders here. “As soon as possible.”
“Yes, I understand!”
**
Our unit commanders who were in the same military camp came to where I was within 20 minutes.
“I don’t know if everyone knows, but right now our troops are being chased by the enemy, just as I initially expected.”
Of course being chased by the enemy is a bad situation, but the smiles on the faces of everyone gathered here still did not disappear.
The fact that we were being chased by the enemy was proof that the war was moving as originally intended.
“According to what the scout just reported, the enemy and friendly forces will engage in combat within 7 hours. “If you have any thoughts, let me know.”
As soon as I finished speaking, everyone started chattering.
“If it’s 7 hours, wouldn’t it be better to just fight here? “I think it would be enough just to cut down enough trees, build a fence, and wait.”
“Because they must have been running for a long time. Why not just beat them up as soon as they arrive?”
“Isn’t our number too small for that? “There are only a thousand people.”
I was a little worried too, so I asked to talk about it.
Of course, policies will inevitably diverge like that.
But we don’t have time, so we have to make a decision as quickly as possible.
Will you shut up and charge, or will you widen the distance?
While he was pondering this, Karin smiled and took out a wad of paper from her arms.
She unfolded the wad of paper, and inside it was a drawing of a path leading from here to a dense forest about 15km away.
Just by looking at this, I think we can understand what Karin wants to say to us.
“Martin, there is a dense forest about 5km away from here. On her way back from looting, she did a little scouting around the forest just in case. “This is the perfect place for an ambush.”
It seemed like they were going to suggest setting an ambush in this forest.
“Is that so?”
“The forest was dense, and the trees grew densely, so it was good for ambushing archers. “Your field of vision will become very narrow.”
After hearing her words, she imagined the sight of our allies ambushed as Karin had claimed.
If you fire a barrage of arrows and magic from both sides at the enemy army passing through a narrow path in the forest, the enemy will quickly panic…
The enemy troops riding in a row on horseback will quickly fall into confusion.
At that time, if you send in the soldiers who had been ambushed in the forest and attack them from all directions…
‘This is a great restaurant.’
“It’s definitely good because it’s hard to see in front of you in a forest with narrow visibility.”
Since the friendly forces did not bring a supply unit for plunder, they can reach the area within an hour by traveling about 5km.
And if you spend a few hours preparing to satisfy them when they come, you should be able to beat up an army of 1,500 men.
However, if there is a problem…
While I was thinking, Hilde raised an objection.
“The enemies are not fools either. So, obviously, if your team goes into the forest, they will be reluctant to follow you. Then the ambush operation itself will not be established.”
Yes, this is the problem.
A forest is clearly a good terrain for an ambush… Why would you go in there?
They are not idiot investors who put their souls into investing in a coin that no one can see will fail.
“There is no one I can use as bait right now except you, my lord, but I can’t make you take that kind of risk. Our troops are also elite, so it would be better to prepare by building a fence and immediately attack the exhausted enemy.”
Hilde’s operation is close to standard, but the reason we are fighting now is to lower the enemy’s morale before a full-scale war begins.
In that sense, it is much better to fight by surprise in the forest than to fight from the front.
Why? If I were a noble of the Matthias faction, it would be a bigger blow to hear that I was ambushed and defeated in my own territory by stupid friendly bastards than to hear that I lost in a head-to-head fight with the invading enemy army.
Besides, I have to act as bait? There’s nothing you can’t do.
“Okay, then I’ll take the bait.”
Hilde’s expression hardened at those words.
“Master, there is no need to take unnecessary risks.”
“I’m not taking unnecessary risks. “It is a risk that must be taken in order to lead Her Majesty Maria to victory.”
If you are going to shake it off, you have to shake it off thoroughly and thoroughly so that not a single speck of dust remains.
If we do that, they will start shaking at the sight of us and won’t dare to attack us.
‘If you’re going to do it, you have to do it clearly.’
“I will lead 50 knights and cavalry and pretend to be a decoy. In the meantime, you guys should prepare for the ambush in the forest.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Except for the 50 members of the unit, including me, who posed as bait, the rest of the soldiers immediately moved to the forest for an ambush.
**
“Viscount, I see the enemy over there!”
After hearing those words, I turned my gaze towards the direction the soldier spoke.
The enemy must be very angry and upset at what was done to us… How will they react?
“That bastard, Viscount Cologne, is over there!”
“That bastard robbed my territory!”
“Kill it!! “That guy is not worth capturing alive!”
I think everyone’s eyes are wide open because the fiefdom they invested their money in has been robbed.
If I act a little more at this time, do you think they will chase us even if we go into the forest?
“All troops flee! Maintain formation and jump to where your allies are!! If you don’t want to die, jump! “Throw away everything, including flags and other heavy items, except armor and weapons!”
With those words, the soldiers even threw away the flag that symbolized me.
Nobles value honor as much as their own lives, and the flag is as important on the battlefield, but to throw it away…
To them, it will look like we’re in real trouble, right?
Yes, please ask.
“Turn your head and jump!”