Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 35
Tell Me Your Opinion

After arriving at the division headquarters of the outpost with the prisoners, Daniel sent the wounded soldiers to the infirmary and unpacked his belongings.

Relieved, he wanted to have a glass of officer’s supply whiskey to relieve his fatigue, but the timing wasn’t right.

“Captain Daniel Steiner? The Division Commander has summoned you.”

Without a moment’s rest, Daniel nodded and followed the Division Commander’s adjutant to the temporary operations base.

The exterior of the building looked fine, but inside, broken stones and wood chips were scattered across the hallway.

It was a stark contrast to the luxurious and tidy hallways of the General Staff Headquarters, which were reminiscent of a hotel.

‘Well, they did drive out the Kingdom Army that was originally stationed here and occupied the building…’

He couldn’t complain about the lack of cleanliness.

In the first place, demanding cleanliness on a battlefield where bullets were flying was madness.

As Daniel walked towards the temporary operations base with these thoughts in mind, he arrived at the operations room on the third floor.

The adjutant knocked and announced Daniel’s arrival, and a voice from inside called him in.

The adjutant nodded and opened the door, and Daniel saw Major General Feldelahm sitting at the head of the map table.

Feldelahm, whose large physique made the wide table seem small, was staring at Daniel with raised eyebrows.

His presence alone was intimidating, and besides Feldelahm, numerous high-ranking officers were lined up at the table.

The lowest-ranking officer in the room was a Major.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all the prominent figures within the division headquarters were gathered here.

Daniel felt a sense of suffocation.

Heinrich, catching his eye, subtly raised his hand in greeting, but Daniel only felt uncomfortable.

Sighing inwardly, Daniel walked into the operations room and saluted smartly.

“Division Commander! I heard you summoned me!”

Feldelahm chuckled softly and returned the salute.

“Indeed. I called you to cross-check the radio operator’s report. According to the report, you attacked an enemy supply battalion, killing 135 and capturing 192 as prisoners. Is this true?”

Daniel changed to the at-ease position and said, looking straight ahead,

“We were just lucky.”

“Enough with the modesty. There are many aspects that cannot be explained by luck alone. More importantly, Captain Daniel Steiner, have you discovered the enemy’s supply route?”

Supply route? He had only captured the supply battalion; he didn’t know their route.

“I apologize, Commander. I don’t know their route.”

“What about the possibility of interrogating the battalion commander you captured to find out?”

“I spoke with him, and he seems to be a man of strong character. Even with intense torture, the chances of him divulging information seem low.”

Groans arose from around the table.

Everyone was eager to uncover the enemy’s supply route, and Daniel’s answer was disappointing.

However, no one here dared to criticize him.

The merit he had achieved shone too brightly to be overshadowed by a few disappointing words.

“I like your honesty. It’s much better than those other staff officers who are all talk.”

Feldelahm glanced at the officers around the table, then looked back at Daniel.

“Then, Captain Daniel, if you have any thoughts on the enemy’s supply route, please tell us. Even speculation is fine. I want to keep all possibilities open.”

All eyes focused on Daniel.

In that heavy silence, Daniel thought,

‘Wait a minute. If I spout nonsense here…’

He could not only disappoint the Division Commander but also leave a bad impression on all the field officers present.

Wasn’t this a golden opportunity to send his evaluation plummeting?

He couldn’t miss this chance. Taking a deep breath, Daniel spoke without thinking,

“An underground tunnel.”

The operations room buzzed with chatter at the mention of an underground tunnel as the enemy’s supply route.

A Colonel, who seemed to be a regimental commander, frowned and said,

“Look here, Captain Daniel. Isn’t this a bit of an absurd joke? The distance from where you attacked the supply battalion to Nordia is about 58 kilometers. Are you suggesting that such a long tunnel exists?”

It seemed they couldn’t imagine such a long tunnel existing, even if they acknowledged the possibility of underground tunnels.

If they knew that the Vietnamese soldiers had built a 250-kilometer long tunnel, they would probably faint.

However, for those who hadn’t experienced the Vietnam War, the concept of an ultra-long underground tunnel was beyond unfamiliar; it was uncharted territory.

“Realistically, it’s hard to believe that a 58-kilometer long underground tunnel exists!”

“But the enemy is receiving supplies without any naval or air support, despite our tight encirclement! An underground tunnel would explain everything!”

“No matter how tight the encirclement, there are bound to be gaps. It’s more realistic that they’re using those gaps for transportation.”

The officers at the table began to argue amongst themselves.

Daniel, who had unintentionally fueled the argument, remained awkwardly silent.

As their voices grew louder, Feldelahm raised his hand to stop them.

“Enough. Let’s hear more from Captain Daniel. Do you have any reason to believe that the enemy’s supply route is an underground tunnel?”

There wasn’t one. But he could make something up if he had to.

“The enemies were all lightly armed, as if they didn’t expect to encounter any resistance. If they were trying to break through the encirclement and deliver supplies, they should have heavily armed soldiers.”

“That’s not a valid reason.”

“Indeed. However, all the lightly armed enemies were carrying flashlights, as if they wanted to quickly pass through a dark place.”

Flashlights? It wasn’t strange for soldiers to carry flashlights, but they weren’t part of the standard equipment for the Kingdom Army’s supply units.

“Hmm.”

Feldelahm, intrigued, tapped the table, and Daniel continued,

“If the enemy is indeed using an underground tunnel for supply delivery, you must order a search operation immediately. This is a golden opportunity.”

“Why do you think so?”

“After subduing the supply battalion, I examined their equipment and found that although they had radios, they had removed all the batteries. It seems they were trying to avoid being intercepted.”

Everyone here knew that the Imperial Intelligence Agency had control over the Kingdom Army’s communications.

They had also succeeded in completely deciphering the Kingdom Army’s codes, so the Kingdom Army was currently extremely reluctant to use any form of communication.

Then why was this an opportunity? Feldelahm pondered and had a sudden realization.

‘The enemy’s supply route… could become our invasion route!’

There were all sorts of variables on the battlefield, so delays in supply delivery for a day or two were common.

There were even cases where supplies were delayed for as long as a week.

Since the supply battalion had disabled their communication, the Ironclad Division in Nordia would only know that “supplies have been dispatched” from the logistics headquarters.

This meant they wouldn’t know that the supply battalion had been attacked.

If they used this gap to find the underground tunnel and send in the Magic Mobile Brigade, while the rest of the division marched towards Nordia…

‘…It’s a guaranteed victory!’

He could almost see the formidable Nordia falling with ease.

The Ironclad Division, exposed to enemy attacks from both inside and outside, would surely surrender without much resistance.

Feldelahm shuddered at the devilish tactic.

His hands trembled with excitement, but he quickly regained his composure.

‘The tactic is perfect. But it’s a matter of possibility.’

It was a tactic that could only be realized if everything Daniel Steiner said was true.

Honestly, he couldn’t fully trust the words of a mere Captain.

‘But…’

It was a gamble worth taking.

“…Alright. Captain Daniel Steiner, I’ll trust you this time. I’ll order all available personnel, including the search battalion, to thoroughly search the area around where the enemy supply battalion was captured.”

“It’s an honor to earn your trust, sir.”

Daniel spoke sincerely, but he was smiling inwardly.

‘An underground tunnel? That’s absurd.’

To be honest, Daniel agreed with most of the officers at the table.

It wasn’t logical to use an ultra-long underground tunnel for supply delivery. It was downright nonsensical.

It was more realistic that there was a hole somewhere in the encirclement, and the enemy was using it to transport supplies by land.

‘Even if there is an underground tunnel…’

Unless the Kingdom Army was foolish, they would have hidden it thoroughly, making it difficult to find.

‘Ultimately, I’ll be the one who caused confusion in the Imperial Army…’

His evaluation would plummet, and he would easily earn the Division Commander’s disapproval.

Then he could cover up the ‘competence’ he had inadvertently gained with ‘incompetence.’

Daniel smiled faintly at the thought that he might even be discharged if he was lucky.

Feldelahm, seeing this, gasped.

‘He’s smiling? Is he that confident in the operation he proposed?’

Even competent staff officers were usually anxious about their predictions being wrong, but Daniel was smiling.

And he was doing so while discussing the massacre of the enemy that would unfold if the operation succeeded.

Feldelahm felt his impression of Daniel completely change.

‘An elite staff officer from headquarters? The hero of the capital?’

What a ridiculous title.

Feldelahm stared at Daniel and gave a ferocious smile.

In his eyes, Daniel Steiner was an excellent warrior, hungry for blood.

***

Late at night.

Search Battalion under the Division Headquarters.

“Are you sure there’s an underground tunnel around here?”

“I don’t know. We just do as we’re told. Honestly, I don’t believe it, but…”

The search battalion soldiers grumbled as they marched.

They had been wandering around for six hours already because the headquarters suddenly ordered them to search the area where the enemy supply battalion was captured.

But they couldn’t find even an animal burrow, let alone an underground tunnel.

Just as they were wondering how long they had to continue this pointless task,

Thud…

A sound that wasn’t made by stepping on soil, but on a metal plate, tickled their ears.
Wondering what it was, he looked down, but with the branches and leaves covering the ground, he couldn’t tell what he had stepped on.

“What? Why did you stop?”

“Didn’t you hear that? I think I stepped on something. I-Is it a mine?”

“What? Shit! Wait, don’t move your foot!”

The soldier with his rifle slung on his back knelt and removed the branches and leaves around his comrade’s feet.

Revealed was not a mine, but a large metal door.

The soldiers stared at it for a moment, then exchanged glances and stepped back.

“Could this be…?”

Silently reaching a consensus, the two grabbed the handle protruding from the metal door and pulled it open.

A pitch-black interior was revealed.

“Flashlight. Turn on the flashlight.”

The soldier nodded, took out his flashlight, and pressed the power button.

Click—

The light spread out in a fan shape, illuminating the stairs leading underground.

The soldiers froze in surprise.

There was no doubt.

“This is…”

It was the Kingdom Army’s underground tunnel that the Division Headquarters had ordered them to find.

—————

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