I Am Being Mistaken for a Genius Strategist

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The Empire’s gigantic weapons are demolishing the defensive strongholds and castles.

Both physically and psychologically. With no means to stop them, everything crumbles into pieces.

Given the dire situation, the last gambit of those cornered has begun.

“We’re going to leak information subtly while we execute a rotation. If we gather our forces nearby afterwards, the Empire and Nobogord will believe it’s real and regroup their troops.”

“From their perspective, if a rotation occurs here, they will likely decide that they should occupy the Erden Forest area first.”

“If we simultaneously unleash all our troops from Atria and break through, even those fools will be thrown into confusion. If we’re lucky, we might even damage that cursed weapon known as the Warwolf.”

To be honest, sending the troops into siege warfare makes more sense.

After already suffering several defeats, the morale is at its lowest and the supply situation is dire.

Doesn’t it seem unreasonable to expect them to fight the enemy in the field, coming out of the castle?

But upon reconsideration, it becomes clear why Atria has made such a judgment.

The various castles and strongholds are being overwhelmed by the Empire’s suddenly appeared massive weaponry.

Every time that gigantic trebuchet hurls a house-sized rock, everything shatters.

The castle walls may hold somehow, but the facilities beyond them disappear without a trace.

Even if one were to throw small pebbles or gravel, they could easily burst people apart.

Furthermore, now that they want to sit tight inside the castle, they have almost no resources left.

It’s literally over. They’ve run out. Now, even the desire to defend has become impossible.

They need to gather supplies from anywhere, yet all they find behind them are empty storages.

All these conditions have combined, making it impossible for commanders and soldiers alike to fight from the castle.

Even if they want to hold on, they cannot, and even if they do hold on, it’s uncertain when they might surrender.

It’s like a sandcastle that seems ready to collapse with just a light touch. That is the current situation of Atria.

In this turn of events, the Atria command proposed one last desperate gamble.

If by chance this counterattack succeeds and the Empire’s supplies come into our hands, even a fraction would allow them to last a season.

“…So, Atria is planning this counterattack. What do the Dedorant Brothers think?”

In essence, the King of Atria is Cassius II of Dedorant.

However, the overall issues are left to the noble council of Atria.

So they sought permission from Dedorant after wrapping up discussions on all matters.

And soon after, a response arrived from them.

[ Operation commencement approved. Additionally, some support is possible. ]

This was a reply not from Cassius II, but from the Dedorant Command.

Isn’t such permission usually granted by the king? The nobles of Atria briefly questioned this.

Yet they decided it must be that the situation elsewhere was not favorable, causing the oversight.

“Wait, just a moment. Let’s all think this over once more. Is this really the right call? If we mess this up, we could very well cut our own lifelines.”

A few commanding officers and nobles expressed their concerns about the operation.

Faced with the immediate difficulty of holding on, launching an offensive made no sense.

Nevertheless, preparations for the operation continued. Everything was falling into place.

“When the situation is absolutely unfavorable, isn’t it worth taking a gamble by putting everything on a single card?”

—Such opinions predominated among the nobles of Atria.

*

While Atria was huddled within its castle, it was preparing for a rotation.

This news soon reached the Northern Legion of the Empire and Nobogord, and they moved swiftly.

Of course, they weren’t mindlessly rushing into a rotation.

What could’ve prompted those who had only been focused on siege warfare to suddenly behave this way?

Had they realized that relying on the castle walls in the face of the Warwolf was akin to committing suicide?

But even so, wouldn’t they still be subject to the same fate if they crawl out to execute a rotation?

“There’s something going on.”
“There is indeed something.”

Charlua of Nobogord and the commanders of the Northern Legion of the Empire were all convinced that Atria had a different goal in mind.

What kind of sane army would abandon their crumbling defenses to attempt a rotation?

Yet, what exactly that goal was remained a mystery. They could not fathom what Atria was trying to do.

In this overwhelmingly unfavorable situation, the very notion of abandoning the defense negated all reason.

Seeing this nonsensical scenario unfold, they were even more confused, making predictions difficult.

In hindsight, it became evident. They were rational, whereas the opponents were not.

With differing frames of reference, they couldn’t help but surpass the realm of expectation.

As the situation progressed, all commanders would inevitably reach the same conclusion.

They would play their best card and wield it freely.

Charlua presented the strongest champion who had been at her side to the forefront.

“Lady Kaya! Have you arrived?”
“Hey! What are you all doing? Lady Kaya is here! Hurry and greet her!”
“Lady Kaya is here! Atria’s days are numbered!!”

The combined forces of the Empire and Nobogord, initially deployed for the rotation.

As Kaya arrived at their ranks, everyone welcomed her.

In this Atria frontline, if the Warwolf was in the siege warfare, then Kaya was in the field.
Wherever she went, she would crush the enemies and deliver victory alike.

While the two armies were getting ready systematically,

sudden reports of enemy ambush started pouring in from the front units.

[ Atria forces in movement. ]

[ This isn’t just a simple movement for a rotation. Attacks on each temporary base have begun. ]

[ It appears to be a deception against our forces. Atria’s main army is charging head-on. ]

At first, both armies were perplexed; what was going on?

It was already strange enough that they had abandoned their defenses,

but they were not pulling themselves into a more advantageous position.

Instead, was Atria actually launching a massive offensive?

Stripped of the advantage of surprise, was this not a foolish act?

“…It seems that they’ve all collectively lost their minds.”
“I heard their supplies are low; I wonder how long such an offensive can last.”
“If we just hold our defense well enough, they’ll collapse under their own weight, won’t they?”

The opinions of the Empire’s commanders echoed, and Charlua agreed as well.

No matter how one looked at it, this is not something that could be decided rationally.

This was an impulsive offensive with no strategic meaning.

“It seems like they think they can crush the front ranks and charge through to provide for their rear supply.”

“Is that really feasible? From a military and operational capacity standpoint, the Empire and Nobogord are clearly superior.”

“It’s impossible. But they’re deluding themselves into thinking it’s possible. They’ve completely lost touch with rationality. They’re fighting based solely on the slim chance that it might work out in their favor. They’re truly at the end of their rope.”

To rely on seizing supplies from the enemy.

They’d better be prepared for just how horrific the consequences of that choice might be.

Charlua smiled as she contacted Kaya at the forefront.

The orders were simple. For the Empire, for the Chief of Staff.
Bring about an overwhelming and perfect victory like never before.

“Phew.”

And upon receiving that welcome news, Kaya mounted her steed.
She advanced towards the demon tribe soldiers and Empire legionaries awaiting the attack orders.

“Proud beasts of the North!”

Initially, Kaya hadn’t stood out much except for her fighting skills.
But she had also received numerous pieces of advice from Kael, and Charlua stood by her side.
She wasn’t particularly dim-witted, so she quickly learned from the two and made it her own.

And this was the result. Whether from the Northern Legion or Nobogord, it didn’t matter.
She referred to them collectively as the beasts of the North, temporarily binding those two groups together in camaraderie.
Thus, she could fully direct their animosity towards Atria!

“The cowards who were leaning against the castle have crawled out. To the cold, to hunger, and to their fear of us! They’ve certainly lost their senses!”

—Woooh!!!

“Let’s show those foolish bastards who expect us to retreat in the face of an ambush that we’re ready! No matter how hard the flock charges, sheep are sheep, and beasts are beasts!”

A gigantic roar followed. Both the Empire legionaries and demon tribe soldiers.
They all clutched their weapons tight, pouring their fury towards the singular foe: Atria.
Their only goal was to obliterate the enemy. To slaughter. To annihilate. Nothing else mattered.

Not long after Kaya joined the fray, she confronted Atria’s main forces trying to break through the frontlines.
Numerically, Atria had the advantage, but this battle was beyond mere numbers.
The knights and nobles of Atria, standing bravely, found themselves split in two.
The soldiers who tried to charge with their huge shields faced the same murderous future.

“All we need to do is throw them off their horses! No matter what it takes, we must!!”

Now they understood; all it took was to unseat that knight from the Empire.
Even more so since she was the Chief of Staff’s younger sister, making her worth a ton in negotiations.
If the tide turned even once, they could rout the enemy’s forces.
The Atria command thought like this as they desperately tried to maintain this gamble.

“Help Lady Kaya! Let’s go!!”
“Leave no cowardly sheep alive! Slaughter them all!”

But as all gambles go, the end was only ruin.
Unlike the southern Benito, they fell even more miserably. The northern Atria crumbled.