I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy

Chapter 12: The Onset Of Crisis (3)

It might sound so sudden, but in situations like this, the news that our reserve forces had joined the battle was seen as a welcome and positive phenomenon for both our allies and enemies.

It might seem nonsensical to say this, but…

For our allies, who were continuously being pushed back by the enemy, the appearance of the reserves was like a ray of hope.

To the Francois Republic army, it meant that they were seeing the last line of defense of our battalion, which could be interpreted as our unit nearing its end.

Perhaps it was because of this? As soon as we arrived to support our beleaguered 1st company, we were more warmly welcomed by the enemy than by our allies.

“Look at these bastards, living with things as tiny as the sausages they eat! Those guys are dead now!”

“The forces of the Reich Empire are almost destroyed! Kill all of these guys in front of us and get promoted before being discharged!”

I understood their excitement because they recognized the battle situation was in their favor.

But seeing those frail soldiers of the Francois Republic, who were defeated by our company just a few days ago, acting this way made my blood boil.

Perhaps the company commander felt the same, for he signaled the entire army to march forward and shouted loudly.

“Those bastards who munch on small talk a lot about trying to outnumber us! Show them the spirit of the true Imperial men instead of chattering like women!”

Simultaneously, our company and the enemy vanguard moved towards each other.

Just before our squad’s spears clashed with the enemy’s, gripping my spear tightly, I commanded,

“When the spearheads clash, crossbowmen, take out a few of the enemies blocking our squad and signal the mage deputy commander to bombard their front lines!”

In a situation where we were mixed with other allied troops, casting magic might risk hitting our own men, which could lead to a military trial.

However, right now, only enemies are in front of our company, so there’s no risk of unleashing magic.

Not long after my command, the soldiers in my squad shot down several enemy soldiers with their crossbows, dampening their momentum.

Moreover, including the mage deputy commander, four mages moved through the gaps in our defense line and aimed their staffs at the enemy.

Seeing this, the enemy soldiers and their commanders looked at our unit with horrified eyes.

They had never faced mages in such a situation during their previous battles, so they had no idea how to counteract.

“Damn, why are there mages here?!”

“These guys truly know how to fight fiercely. Those empire bastards, always bragging about their little ‘sausages’!”

However, they reciprocated my sentiment with the finest insults they had.

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Following that, the mage deputy commander and the other mages launched ‘Stone Bullets’, granting a swift end to those who just cursed at us.

The enemy soldiers, upon witnessing their allies being freed from life’s torment, began to panic, their faces contorted in terror.

Who would believe that just moments ago, these were the same men mocking our ‘sausages’ for being thumb-sized?

Their pitiful sight was truly satisfying.

“Keep pressing the bastards! Don’t give them a chance to regroup! They’ve tormented our battalion members for so long! Let’s finish them off!”

Hearing this, our platoon members responded loudly. The enemy, caught off guard by this unexpected assault, was thrown into confusion.

“Hey, idiot! They’re charging at us! No more magic is coming, you know!”

“They’re humans too! Just because some of our allies died from a few spells doesn’t mean we should retreat!”

“Platoon leader, if you’re saying that, why don’t you face those bastards directly? How are we supposed to win against their momentum?”

Seeing their hesitation and lack of a proper response, our battalion soldiers must’ve seen this as an opportunity.

Following my command, they charged fiercely, slaughtering the enemy.

“If I take down just four more of those bastards, my promotion to senior private is confirmed! Damn it!”

“Flora, I’ll be promoted to sergeant within a month, and then I’ll be discharged to hold our wedding!”

“Discharge! Shut up, and let’s get promoted to sergeant and then discharge!”

Although there had been hundreds of years of technological, societal, and cultural differences between the Reich Empire and Korea, indeed, in any era, for soldiers, the most important thing was discharge from the military.

Without that motivation, even if they had the momentum in war, it would be hard to risk their lives in such a frenzy.

And as their commander, I must live up to their expectations.

“Platoon, listen up! If we achieve great feats in today’s battle, excluding me and the deputy platoon leader, whoever takes down the most enemies will be recommended for a promotion by the battalion commander. If you want to get discharged even a day earlier, fight without holding back!”

Upon hearing this, the soldiers cheered ecstatically. With renewed vigor, they charged, pushing the enemies back in what almost seemed like a massacre.

Continuing this intense combat for about 10 minutes, our unit naturally managed to defeat half of the opposing battalion.

Even the battalion commander was determined to seize this opportunity to establish a significant achievement so that he could be promoted to the rank of major. With this fervent resolve, he led at the forefront of the battalion and shouted,

“This battle, I, the battalion commander, will lead from the front! If other company commanders feel slighted, aim for a promotion!! Haha!”

For a moment, I felt uneasy.

Because until now, the Francois Republic forces we faced weren’t this weak.

But if I were to analyze this situation, it could be that our unit, having been through numerous real battles, has become stronger. Additionally, the unit we’re facing now may have exhausted its energy fighting another allied unit beforehand.

But in reality, when you’re faced with two options—one good and one bad—things tend to go in the wrong direction.

As I held onto this anxiety, we tried to push through the enemy’s battalion to break through their regiment…

And just as I had suspected, the Francois Republic troops didn’t move their reserves.

The soldiers, following the battalion commander leading at the front, enjoyed the adrenaline-fueled moment, doing their best to defeat the enemy.

“Wipe them all out!”

“Follow the battalion commander! He’s at the front!”

“Show mercy to those pathetic ones who can’t even raise a hand!”

Experienced officers like myself anticipated getting caught in a bait tactic. The entire battalion, including the battalion commander, waved the flag, signaling to the regiment commander for a reorganization.

“We might fall into an enemy trap if we proceed further! The entire army should retreat and reorganize! They might counterattack.”

“The Regiment Commander has acknowledged the request for reorganization! To avoid the enemy’s counterattack, we will reorganize our lines 200 steps back!”

The soldiers seemed discontented as their chance to seize the initiative in battle was stopped, but they began preparations to retreat for reorganization.

Then, a tremendous number of spells and arrows should have attacked us from the enemy.

But contrary to expectations, the frequency of magic and arrows coming our way was far less than anticipated.

They likely realized we hadn’t fallen for their bait tactic and decided to focus their long-range attacks on another unit.

Any military commander above the rank of battalion commander with ample combat experience wouldn’t easily be baited unless they were utterly foolish.

So, attempting such a transparent baiting tactic would only result in a loss for the Francois ary.

And so, our battalion safely retreated and rejoined the other battalions.

The battalion commander, patting my shoulder as he always did, said,

“I’ve said it many times, but who would think of such an excellent officer as a student? Honestly, now I feel like Lieutenant Yaeger isn’t a student but a staff officer who’s sometimes dispatched to lower-ranking units. Isn’t he actually a 40-year-old man with the rank of a lieutenant colonel?”

Laughing at his ridiculous statement, I replied,

“Commander, how can a commoner orphan be a staff officer? Aren’t those positions reserved for certain high-ranking individuals?”

“I just can’t believe it otherwise. Nobody would believe the tales of the achievements of a student company commander unless they saw them. I bet the other student company commanders are just acting somewhat decently now.”

“Ha, well..”

In the middle of this banter, I found the clues to all the puzzles I had been pondering.

Even if it were such an obvious baiting tactic, once trapped, one wouldn’t just struggle a bit. It would be total devastation.

Veteran commanders above the rank of battalion commander would instinctively know it and retreat, while company commanders would orderly retreat under orders.

But what about a student company consisting of noble sons whose future promotions depended on their evaluations here?

After being treated like less than humans for a month, they’d likely be tempted by the prospect of huge achievements and act independently.

Although acting independently without significant achievements would lead to execution under military law, maybe 1-3 out of 10 student company commanders might fall for the bait.

But the battalion and regiment commanders they belong to would lose their formations due to one reckless company commander, missing their chance to respond.

Absentmindedly, I murmured my conclusion,

“…Damn it, battalions with these student company commanders will be split in half and obliterated. If we’re unlucky, the entire division could be wiped out.”

It’s a terrible situation, but this is the reality facing our allies now.

As I scouted around with permission from the battalion commander, I noticed that banners representing student company commanders were conspicuously displayed in other battalions.

It was the worst moment when the anticipated scenario became a reality.

I wanted to advise the division commander right away to withdraw the student units.

Direct reporting wasn’t within my authority, so if I acted impulsively, I’d face disciplinary action, and the report might not even get through properly.

Thus, there’s only one thing I can do now.

With that decision, I asked the company commander for permission and approached the battalion commander.

“Sir Battalion Commander, I, Lieutenant Peter Yaeger, have something I would like to report to you directly.”

Even if I had asked the company commander for permission, it would have been audacious to approach the battalion commander, who was like a real noble and highly regarded.

It was comparable to barging into a department head’s office in a company setting without being called or even knocking.

However, instead of getting angry, the battalion commander seemed willing to listen to what I had to say, stopping a subordinate who looked like he was about to scold me and asked,

“What on earth made you come like this? I know how competent you are, hence I did not stop you. If you had been properly trained at the academy, you should be able to discern the right time and situation.”

“I apologize. However, I deemed the current situation critical. With the company commander’s permission, I did reconnaissance, and it seemed the adjacent battalion had fallen right into the enemy’s bait operation. The exact reason isn’t clear, but I suspect it’s due to the unilateral decisions of the student platoon leaders.”

Upon hearing this, the battalion commander, with a stunned expression, asked,

“Even if they are student platoon leaders, they learned tactics at the academy. It’s unbelievable that they’d fall for such a bait operation to the point of causing great harm. Is this really true?”

Normally, I would’ve been upset to see the battalion commander doubt my words.

But now, I truly understand how he feels.

Because, just like him, I also wanted to escape from this reality, wishing all of this was just a dream.

“According to military law, false reports, deliberate omissions, or exaggerations due to negligence are at least punishable by death. Also, I’m not a fool to fabricate such an implausible scenario.”

“…Going on a reconnaissance mission as an officer during combat and even checking on another battalion is remarkable. Understood, we will respond immediately.”

With that, the battalion commander signaled for me to leave.

“Additionally, Sir Battalion Commander, I would like to suggest a strategy.”