I Am Being Mistaken for a Genius Strategist

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Setongrad. A castle bearing the detestable name of that wretched man.

A disgrace etched into the once-glorious city of the Deo Ethnicity.

No one in Dedorant would remain unfazed by such a sight.

Especially those belonging to the Dedorant “army.”

For those who fought to earn their glory with their own blood and sweat, the name Seton had to be eradicated from that castle.

Thus, we attacked. Thus, our bodies collided, breaking apart.

On this cold winter day, instead of resting by the campfire, we faced the biting cold wind.

Only for the glory of Dedorant, believing we would win again this time.

Within Dedorant, a consensus arose that this castle must absolutely be reclaimed.

Nobles emptied all their possessions, whether rich or poor, to supply the war.

We had already reached the limit of conscription, conducting recruitment even for the appropriate age groups.

Every forge in the nation produced more and better weapons and armor.

Pouring everything acquired from Atria and pillaged from DeGale.

Only war. War. More war. That was all we focused on as we rushed to this point.

And now, two months—no, nearly three months—have passed.

Despite the countless forces attacking with all their might, that castle still stood unyielding.

No matter how hard we fought, the Imperial Army beyond desperately held the line.

Instead, the name Setongrad only grew more notorious in every corner.

Now, the Dedorant army facing Setongrad had split into two distinct factions.

“Cough, cough! Damn it. It’s freezing!”

“Ugh… Are we not even getting our rations anymore?”

“I wish we could just throw in the towel and go home.”

Those who were fed up with the seemingly endless siege that demanded the blood of our allies.

Though there was supposedly a strategic objective, it was fundamentally a battle started for the sake of Dedorant’s pride.

Sure, Seton’s name was shameful, but was it worth this?

Wouldn’t it be better to retreat and catch our breath rather than suffer more futile losses?

Finishing our reorganization through the winter and preparing for next year’s war seemed more appropriate.

We had fallen victim to the Empire’s schemes. We managed to keep a few lives alive, and now they were all dead.

Ironically, most of the forces assigned to the siege were the elite soldiers of Dedorant.

Even now, going back quickly to warm ourselves and fill our empty stomachs seemed like the wisest course of action.

“Just a little bit more! Just a little bit longer until we can bring it down! Just a bit more, and we can attack!”

“If we can just topple that castle, we can strike at the nearby Imperial supply depot.”

“We can use this place as a stronghold and push towards the Imperial heart, creating possibilities.”

On the flip side, there were those shouting that we must capture Setongrad at all costs.

Those who threatened that such talk of turning back should not even be entertained.

It was true that they were exhausted. But the enemies on the other side were even more weary.

The siege wasn’t just brutal on the attackers; the defenders suffered just as much.

Moreover, they had to conserve supplies, having endured a siege.

They must have weakened considerably by now. There could be no doubt.

If we could just bring that castle down, we could once again revive Dedorant’s morale.

Launching an attack from that point would come with numerous advantages.

And one more thing. The most crucial fact was that they were feeling uneasy inside.

‘Strange undercurrents are starting to emerge internally.’

‘Until now, our Dedorant had only continued waging war. As a result, internal unrest grew, but it was filled by victories in war. However…’

‘I never expected the war with the Empire to drag on like this. It’s been nearly a year, and we can see the bottom of our resources. We can’t take as we did with Atria, and we can’t pillage like in DeGale.’

This massive momentum of Dedorant, the fervent shout to recreate the glory of the Deo Ethnicity, was supported entirely by victories in war and the various benefits that came from them.

It was the first time we had experienced a situation where we were merely consuming our own resources, wandering aimlessly.

Moreover, we thought that soon, Ros Tanika would surrender, or at least enter into peace negotiations, but instead, they are fiercely resisting as if it were a life-or-death battle.

Meanwhile, DeGale, which could be considered a stable source of resources, is now experiencing daily large-scale uprisings.

No one anywhere was willing to provide what Dedorant desperately needed.

‘I must win. Absolutely. If we retreat now, we will leave empty-handed.’

‘After the tremendous victory we had against the Empire last time, we boasted a lot. Soon, the Empire would acknowledge their defeat and propose negotiations. From there, we could once again get something sweet in return.’

‘We invested all our resources for over a year, claiming we’ve won. We can win. We will win. But if we retreat without taking even one castle, fissures will start to emerge from within!’

There is no way to pull back. For if we do, it can only lead to death.

Simply put, it’s a matter of slowly dying off or dying quickly. That’s all there is to it.

However, if we move forward, we can at least retain half of our chances.

Be defeated and lose everything, or win and claim it all.

“Your Highness the Prince. The castle will surely fall soon. We cannot retreat in this manner.”

“That is not true. In fact, now is the perfect time to withdraw. The Empire is stretching their lines in all directions, and this area lacks the resources to respond. If we retreat now, they won’t dare to pursue us recklessly.”

And such debates could hardly be avoided, even among commanders.

Rather, the very fact that there were such discussions led to even more intense disagreements.

“Setongrad, Setongrad! Right before us stands a castle bearing Seton’s name, and you want to just turn back?!”

“I’m worried that our Dedorant army could lose all its strength at this rate!”

“Our Dedorant army is invincible! We’ve already wiped out two entire legions of the Imperial army! Are we truly running out of strength just to occupy a single castle?!”

“The internal situation is dire. Our existing stockpile is almost completely exhausted, and the amounts that must be produced are woefully insufficient. All the young people who should be producing are on the battlefield!”

Voices rose as arguing exchanged accusations of right and wrong.

Amidst it all, Prince Georg was holding his forehead and couldn’t dare to open his mouth.

‘Completely tied down.’

He felt a slight anxiety, but he still couldn’t believe it.

The Dedorant army had obliterated even the Imperial legions they were so proud of.

Could it really be that even elite soldiers numbering in the tens of thousands couldn’t bring down one castle?

But, it really did happen. Setongrad was still standing!

The Imperial army within was still resisting, and they had not succeeded in recapturing the castle.

What was more frustrating was that they weren’t even free to withdraw in this situation.

‘I should’ve just stayed away from the start.’

Not just any name, but Seton itself. That was where the decisive battle fell.

Prince Georg would say he had tried to stop it, but others would have urged for its assault.

Those now proposing a withdrawal were originally the ones calling for an attack, after all.

If the internal situation had been better, they might have rallied for a final push.

However, Dedorant was now at its limits, and Atria had been devastated by the Nobogord army.

Benito was preoccupied with the Empire advancing from the south and was receiving their support instead.

Those who had wanted negotiations for peace from Ros Tanika were now turning against them and launching an attack.

Lastly, even DeGale was now struggling just to conscript soldiers and gather supplies.

Gruber, who was dispatched to DeGale for troop procurement, had initially fared well.

Sometimes dangling the carrot, other times wielding the stick, he had managed them rather expertly.

As a result, he secured more troops than expected.

But then, at some point, anti-Dedorant sentiment surged in DeGale.

It was as if someone had cast a spell that turned everyone in DeGale against Dedorant.

Not knowing what happened, that fiery sentiment led to a large-scale uprising.

Gruber chose to respond with force, and tremendous blood was shed.

As a result, DeGale became somewhat stable, but peaceful conscription was no longer feasible.

From now on, they had to resort to coercion. Through violence. They had to forcibly take what they needed.

Fire surrounded them from all sides. Their goal was certainly the Empire.

On anything else, they had just intended to fight and subjugate, then take what they wanted.

But at some point, they found that only Dedorant remained in this vast world.

“Your Highness the Prince. Please make a decision swiftly. Otherwise, it will never end.”

The new aide watching the confrontations among the commanders spoke up.

To that, Prince Georg pounded the table, trying to quell the heated atmosphere.

“Everyone, calm down and let’s first assess the current situation. How much resources does our army have left?”

“We still have some surplus, but the amount being consumed has increased compared to before. If troop numbers are dropping and consumption is rising, there can only be one reasoning for that.”

“That means the soldiers have lost their restraint.”

We’re in a time where we don’t know when this siege will end. When we might die.

In such extreme situations, people tend to release their stress through other means.

A moment of abundance is one such method. That has resulted in excessive resource usage.

“What about the Imperial army’s movements?”

“They’re planning another large-scale attack using the northern and southern fronts. We’ve received reports of significant attacks looming from both areas.”

“A large-scale assault from diametrically opposed fronts.”

Prince Georg stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Other commanders believed the enemy was avoiding direct confrontations with them.

So they thought a new front was opened instead of the central region where they were stationed.

But was that man—Kael Clausewitz—really carrying out such actions with that intent?

If he has seen what he’d seen, he could easily create havoc in a direct conflict with Dedorant.

“Wait a moment, Your Highness the Prince. Urgent news has come in.”

“What happened?”

“We have intelligence that something unusual has happened inside Setongrad.”

“Unusual?”

At that piece of news, Prince Georg and the other commanders turned their heads.

“Yes. I’m not sure about the details, but flames have erupted within the castle. Moreover, a significant number of the Imperial soldiers on the battlements have vanished. It’s clear that something has transpired.”

“…”

With a sudden commotion erupting in the castle they had barely managed to hold on to.

Prince Georg and the commanders quickly began processing the information.

The likelihood of it being real or a trap. What they could gain or lose.

When weighing all of these factors, what would be more beneficial? How should they act?

“…Let’s make one last assault attempt.”

“Understood, Your Highness the Prince!”

“This time, we will definitely bring down that damned castle!!”

Having poured so much effort into this, turning back now would leave them too far along the path.

To change the increasingly bizarre war situation and internal atmosphere, Dedorant ultimately decided to take action.

*

[ The Chief of Staff sends a message to all commanders. ]
[ Operation Order No. 1. Initiating Uranus Operation. ]