[Late spring. The Empire’s newly formed First Army began its push across the border, dismantling Dedolant piece by piece.]
It seemed that the War Ministry and the General Staff’s prediction of ending the war this year was fairly reasonable.
The First Army, spearheading with the Western Legion, charged forward like a battering ram.
[By the end of summer, Dedolant launched a massive counteroffensive.]
It was evidently a well-prepared trap. They had clearly been luring us in.
In fact, over the course of two months of fighting, they had sustained minimal losses to their main forces.
[As autumn set in, our Empire received the grim news of a crushing defeat.]
The Western Legion’s 9th and 14th Divisions were utterly annihilated. Only a tiny fraction managed to break through the encirclement and escape.
This was the moment when the balance that had tilted towards the Empire was suddenly restored.
[Without exaggeration, that moment marked a clear crisis for the Empire.]
The scales might have started tipping further towards Dedolant.
But clearly, God had no intention of abandoning our Empire.
[Fortunately, Kael Klauwitz, who had recently been appointed Chief of the Imperial Staff, was stationed near the border.]
With his cunning, he successfully deceived Dedolant’s prince and their elite forces.
As a result, our rear lines remained untouched, allowing us to safeguard the facilities and supplies needed for regrouping.
[In autumn, the Emperor officially granted Kael Klauwitz the authority of Chief of Staff for the First Army.]
The Chief of the Imperial Staff, who swore to present certain victory, immediately headed towards the First Army.
Upon his arrival, the morale of the First Army, which had been on the verge of collapse, soared like a flame catching wind.
[The Chief of the Imperial Staff preemptively dispatched the Novogorod Army to the north of Artria.]
Additionally, he used the Southern Kingdom’s forces as guides for the Empire’s 4th Division to pressure Benito.
The Eastern Allied Forces were stationed in the central front to serve as reserves.
[On the Dedolant front, the Eastern Divisions 7 and 12, along with the Southern Divisions 6 and 13, took the flanks.]
The Western Legion, having lost two divisions, reorganized only its remaining two divisions.
The Northern 2nd and 8th Divisions waited for orders between the Artria and Dedolant fronts.
[In late autumn, the Chief of the Imperial Staff named the fortress under siege “Setongrad.”]
When the commander of the First Army and other officers questioned the reason, he simply replied:
“All of the enemy’s resources must continue to be consumed right here.”
[Future historians would write:]
That winter, the western continent experienced an unusually intense and fiery season.
…
“It’s getting chilly.”
The war began in late spring, and suddenly the front lines are being swept by cold winds.
Two thoughts immediately came to mind as I felt the change in temperature:
Time flies faster than anything. Another year is coming to an end already.
“Aide.”
“Yes, Chief of Staff.”
“Is the winter supply and logistics preparation proceeding without a hitch?”
“We are maintaining constant contact with the War Ministry. Any small issue will be reported immediately.”
“Make sure even the tiniest problem is reported right away.”
In my past life, I learned that armies often collapse due to inadequate winter preparations.
Napoleon in France and someone with a squid mustache went through this.
Their common enemy? Russia… Clearly, there’s a reason they drink vodka like water. Without it, they’d surely turn into frozen statues.
Our Empire possesses top-tier logistics and supply capabilities, but usually for 2 to 4 divisions at most.
We haven’t had to sustain a force breaking 400,000 troops in quite some time.
Despite our best efforts, there’s a risk of problems due to lack of experience – things going where they shouldn’t, or not arriving on time.
And in the military, a mistake in winter preparations is particularly unforgivable…
“Really, it’d be a catastrophic blunder. I’ve gathered hundreds of thousands through recommendations – how could I possibly mismanage them? Even the Emperor would have no choice but to start choking me.”
It’s said that third-rate minds discuss tactics, second-rate minds discuss strategy, and first-rate minds discuss logistics.
Kongming didn’t earn his reputation solely by playing the role of a food cart – there’s a reason for that saying.
An army can fight as long as it can eat. Conversely, without supplies, it’s like a tank without oil – destined to stall.
That’s why I’ve decided to implement this crazy “Setongrad” plan.
Rather than sitting idle and waiting for supplies while wintering, launching daily attacks would be more exhausting.
After all, attackers are usually forced to suffer greater manpower and material losses than defenders.
“To the First Army Command.”
I headed to the First Army Command with my aide.
Inside the tent, the commander was as usual frantically analyzing the military situation.
“Commander.”
“Ah, welcome, Chief of Staff.”
“How is the Setongrad situation developing?”
“We’ve evacuated the entire surrounding area. Also, following your advice, we’ve withdrawn the forces guarding both sides of the fortress… But is this really safe? We might leave the fortress without any support.”
“Isolation without any support from elsewhere.”
Originally, the Imperial Western Legion was nearby, but we’ve withdrawn them as well.
The commander briefly expressed concern but quickly changed their mind with just one word.
“It’s winter soon. Commander.”
“…You’re suggesting that relying on a single tent in the battlefield will be difficult.”
“We’re creating this situation precisely to force that situation onto them, but there’s no need to impose it on our own forces, right?”
I was the one who suggested a protracted war, but I know we can’t continue indefinitely.
We’ve already reduced the use of our magic divisions to less than half with winter approaching.
While Dedolant’s movements have slowed, we need to start conserving our strength for the next big strike.
“I’ll be laying low this year. Gathering as much strength as possible, then unleashing it all at once – right here in the central front, ignoring the enemies scattered to the north and south.”
I hear some of our esteemed officials expect me to deliver a brilliant tactical or strategic blow against Dedolant in this situation.
But frankly, I feel there’s no need to force such brilliance. Why should we when we have three times the manpower and ten times the resources of our enemy?
Why obsess over tactics and strategy when we have such advantages? Materials and taxes replenish every year, but people take decades to replace!
“Having overwhelming resources available, the best strategy and tactic is to simply gather them and push forward.”
Think about it. In a game of rock-paper-scissors where I can use all three, wouldn’t it make sense to use all three?
Reading the enemy’s moves and carefully choosing one option at a time isn’t necessarily skillful.
The problem is that both our allies and enemies expect such clever tactics from me.
That’s why I prefer not being called a “genius” or “strategist.”
I was just diligently applying basic principles – somehow everything went right with a bit of luck.
How did both enemies and allies end up misunderstanding so completely?
“When spring comes after winter, the Western Legion will continue retreating while the Eastern and Southern Legions surround the flanks.”
“The enemy will―”
“The enemy, being no fools, will realize this resembles their own previous tactics. But just as our Empire once attacked despite numerous reasons not to, Dedolant will likely chant ‘one more attack and we’ll succeed!'”
Then I moved some of our rear supply depots forward.
“Establish an appropriate distance from Setongrad for our supply depot. The reason? Let’s say it’s to prepare for next year’s offensive.”
“Are you planning to deceive the enemy again?”
“No, this time we’ll actually set up real supply depots. Using deceit too often would raise suspicion among the enemy. By showing them real supplies, they’ll be more likely to fall for it this time.”
With the fortress regaining its name for honorable reasons, and realistically, the immense amount of supplies stocked in our Empire, two goals can be achieved: Dedolant must attack either way.
If they do, it allows our Empire to withdraw and regroup while weakening their forces.
“I foresee concerns from the War Ministry and General Staff. Even with maximum fortification, having supply depots only two days’ distance away from Setongrad might be risky.”
“We need more convincing bait. Something Dedolant can’t resist attacking.”
“I’m pointing to the map to continue our conversation.”
“Retreating the Western Legion naturally transforms Setongrad into our defensive high ground and Dedolant’s stepping stone for turning the tide. Capturing this place could turn the tables in their favor. Dedolant understands this.”
“Though they’ve proclaimed a great victory, nothing has really changed. Instead, their front lines have expanded, increasing their burdens. Dedolant’s internal atmosphere will likely start to change – that feeling of uncertainty after ‘victory.'”
“Just as our General Staff once did, now the enemy will feel the pressure to secure another victory. And we’ll be offering them the exact bait they used against us. The only difference is that our bait carries both righteous and practical value.”
“We need to consume as many of Dedolant’s reorganized forces as possible during this winter.”
“Make them realize the opportunity cost of retreating so they can’t bring themselves to abandon it. We’ll spread the name of Setongrad far and wide, driving them crazy.”
“We’ll make the people of Dedolant wish for Setongrad, not just their leadership. We’ll make it a popular cause.”
“At this point, I believe I can leave temporarily without any issues, Commander.”
“Don’t worry, Chief of Staff. There’s no way I’m repeating past mistakes. In fact, I’m more concerned about heading back to the capital to argue with the council about that ‘bill’ you’ve thought up.”
“Frankly, I agree. Fighting the parliament over financial matters is exhausting.”
“Especially with the treasury screaming every day because of me – it’s a real concern.”
“But what can we do? After this war, the Empire must become the strongest power – an undeniable, unshakable superpower.”
“The Empire is already the strongest currently – difficult to dispute.”
“What I want is a perfect superpower, one that can’t be challenged or questioned afterward, similar to the Celestial Dynasty from my past life.”
“The material support bill for Ross Tannika. Were you using that to draw the attention of Benito and Dedolant’s army to a single point?”
“We need to keep Benito too busy to look toward the sea, making it easier to send supplies to Ross Tannika through the southern kingdoms.”
“Sorry, Ross Tannika. We can’t do a huge D-Day style landing, but we’ll still support you well – like the island nation getting plenty of Landrice.”
“So don’t even think about surrendering or peace talks – fight to the bloody end, alright?”
