20 – more garbage than you imagined
“In other words, the enemy is currently encamped to the west of this place, and will probably march to take it again soon. The number is around 13,000, and it is estimated that Bagoin, one of the three generals of the British Empire, is also included.”
Franklin sat down after reporting on the situation so far and the current situation of the enemies.
Regarding this, General Gates showed a casual attitude and spoke in a voice full of boredom.
“Is it that the number of enemies is slightly less than twice ours? Well, then there is nothing to worry about, since the defense side has an advantage in battles, so if you keep your seat here and block the attacking enemies while sitting down, you will be able to bring victory without difficulty.”
“… ”
The words of General Gates, which seemed to crush colic from the start.
In response, Franklin sighed inwardly and looked at the commander-in-chief, who gave him a very ominous feeling, and said.
“General, the defending side can certainly enjoy many advantages in fighting battles, but our current situation cannot be so vaguely interpreted.”
“What do you mean? Could it be that he was already scared before the fight? I’m sure you don’t know the basics of strategy, which is that you can enjoy a 4x or more military advantage over the enemy when it comes to defense, right?”
“That is true, but… ”
General Gates is talking about textbook stories without restraining the surrounding situation.
Franklin felt frustrated about this and tried to talk in detail, but
Instead of her, the manager of Gates, who was worse than that, spoke first.
“But General, it is unreasonable to view the current situation so fragmentarily. Right now, while most of our forces are militia, our enemies are well-trained and elite with a high ratio of wizards and warriors. This means that you cannot simply compare power on a 1:1 basis.”
“Even if you say elite soldiers, excluding those who handle magical powers, isn’t that where they die when they get shot! Besides, we rebels, unlike the Imperial Army, are firmly united under the cause of freedom. Even if their fighting power is a little lower, their bravery will be superior to them. This means that there is no reason to fall behind in terms of power.”
“But… ”
“Uh-huh, making a sound to exalt the enemy before battle. That doesn’t answer you. Was my manager really such a coward?”
“… ”
The general manager was silenced by Gates, who spoke with feelings of annoyance.
However, while watching this, Franklin opened his mouth again.
“A troop is a troop, but the bigger problem is the terrain. Although the defense of Fort Stanwick here is not bad. It’s too narrow to fight against a large army right now. If you don’t find the right terrain, you risk getting in the way of combat.”
A fortress that can be of great help in a fight between thousands of troops.
However, not only the enemies right now, but even the friendly troops are close to 10,000, so fighting here wasn’t a very good choice.
There were obstacles to troop movement, and since the surroundings were plain except for the fortress, it was better to greet the enemies in a slightly more advantageous terrain in the current situation.
But,
In response to Franklin’s remarks, General Gates said with an expression of madness.
“What are you talking about again? Does that mean that we should now give up this fort we have been defending?”
“I don’t mean to give up, it means to focus on destroying the enemies for now. Rather than defending this place and fighting, it is better to devise a strategy to give this place to the enemies and use it to give them a decisive blow… ”
“If you are defeated by the enemies then, doesn’t that mean that the whole area will be taken over! To give up safe defense and take that risk? I will never do that! Rather than take such a risk, I would rather stay here and get a safe and sure victory!”
The attitude of General Gates, who excitedly downplayed Franklin’s achievements in defending this place, but is now tied to it and unable to make strategic decisions.
Seeing this, Franklin felt energized and insisted strongly again.
“General! Otherwise, there is a risk of being surrounded by enemies and getting caught without really doing anything!”
“That’s right! At a time when the militia are joining the ranks of the surroundings, it would be better to confront the enemy on the plains than to stay here and let the enemy run wild!”
Gates said that he was doing nothing by being stuck in this narrow fortress with a large army approaching 10,000.
Seeking only safety…
At the same time, Franklin and Gates’ chiefs continued to vehemently protest his conclusions, based on the narrow-minded notion that enemies would come here to fight.
But,
“Noisy! The commander-in-chief here is Nile! As long as I dare to make that decision, you guys are fine with it!”
“ruler… General!”
“Otherwise, we could lose the whole area except this one, let alone win! Please reconsider!”
They try to prevent the worst decisions no matter what.
However, General Gates bluntly blunted this.
“Shut up! No matter how much you talk nonsense, my thoughts do not change! From now on, anyone who recklessly disobeys my orders and behaves recklessly will be severely punished for disobeying orders!”
“… ”
“Kuh… ”
General Gates puts the authority of the commander-in-chief at the forefront and silences others.
At this, Franklin and the manager couldn’t help but frown as they felt deep anger while keeping their mouths shut.
‘Such a dog… ‘
‘I expected it, but I never thought I’d be a person with no answers like this… ‘
Franklin was deeply disappointed by his superior’s decision to rot inside people even before the battle began… No, considering what would happen after this, I couldn’t help but curse at the guy who felt like I was going to write something close to despair.
‘At this point, it would have been better if that person hadn’t come… If I had been able to freely use even a small number of troops by relying on Captain Cromwell, I might have seen the possibility… ‘
Feeling so frustrated, Franklin looked straight into Cromwell’s face.
His figure, which had been quietly observing the situation since earlier.
His attitude did not show any agitation, but rather seemed to feel calm.
Franklin wondered if it was simply because he had given up on the situation.
‘but… In a situation like this, even if it was him, there would be no way… damn. If only Captain Cromwell could take over the overall command of this force, the Imperial Army would have been able to chew it lightly… ‘
Franklin bites his lip, feeling deep pity.
On the other hand, apart from her who is thinking that way at this moment.
Cromwell began to smile quietly inwardly as he saw General Gates bluffing his men in front of him.
‘Good. If it’s this severe, it’ll be easier to move.’
*
Late night in the dark.
While his men, who had marched a long way, were taking a break, General Gates was sitting alone in the command room, thinking over and over again.
‘Pitiful guys, anyway, these days, young people are careless in everything, so it’s a mask. what? Abandon the fort and go somewhere else? Then, if I lose, do I say such a thing because I don’t know who will be responsible for it?’
Based on his years of service as a soldier, General Gates rose to the position of second in command of the rebels.
For him, the most important mottos of life were two things: self-confidence and success.
Taking only the fruits of victory while avoiding risky acts as much as possible.
Thanks to living such a life, he has been able to safely rise to the position of second-in-command in the rebels, independent of his personal capabilities, and has firmly held in his mind the idea that only his way of life is the truth.
For such General Gates, the reckless plan that Franklin and the department manager talked about is not even worth considering.
In this way, General Gates firmly believed that he was right in his choice to deal with the enemy as stably as possible while defending the fortress, and at this moment he was trying to ignore the minor damage expected in his head.
at that time…
– “General. Someone is asking to see the general.”
“…At this hour? If it’s Franklin or the manager… ”
-“No, the person who came is Edward Cromwell.”
“what?”
When the unexpected name popped up, General Gates looked slightly startled.
A rare master who has led impossible battles to victory with abilities close to divine.
Even General Gates was familiar with his great reputation.
The fact that he had personally visited him made General Gates wary and a little curious.
‘Why is he here?… What… It’s highly likely that he was sent by Franklin, who is supposed to be his superior, but maybe there’s something else.’
First of all, General Gates gave the impression that he did not vaguely support Franklin in that he remained silent throughout the meeting.
In response, he said to his subordinate, thinking that it would be okay to meet at least once.
“Let them in at once. I’ll have to find out where you came from and for what purpose.”
The door to the room carefully opened at the same time that permission was given.
Next, in front of General Gates, a young man with a calm expression.
The figure of Egward Cromwell began to appear.
“Excuse me, General. Thank you for giving me the time to meet you like this… ”
“Stop talking nonsense, talk about business.”
General Gates gesturing lightly while sternly interrupting Cromwell’s greetings.
In response, Cromwell quietly sat down in the seat in front of him and began to speak in a small but clear voice.