Youjo Senki - Volume 12 - Chapter 3.6

THE SAME DAY, THE ILDOAN ROYAL CAPITAL/ILDOAN ARMY GENERAL STAFF OFFICE

The commander charged with overseeing the capital’s defense had a clear understanding of the largest problem at hand.

“They chose the wrong man for the job.”

The commander—General Gassman—mumbled to himself. The general was well aware of how unsuitable he was to defend his nation’s capital. He knew himself well and would be the first to admit that he was more suited for military administration. The first thing he did when he was put up to the task was acknowledge that he belonged in the rear, and a strategist belonged in his position—something he even tried to relinquish. Sadly for him, however…General Gassman was too skilled a military administrator for his own good.

Perhaps it should be said that the heavens abandoned him, in a sense. Namely, over the course of his career, he had successfully gained the trust of his nation, its government, the palace, and the people, almost too well. The politicians saw him as an honorable general, the palace a general that knew the ropes, and among Ildoans, there was a general consensus that he seemed like a trustworthy man.

It didn’t help that General Gassman looked good in his suit as well. The outfit he wore to acquire funds and make political arrangements during a time of peace offered an easily understandable sense of security in Ildoa’s time of need.

So what happened when he tried to transfer this power to somebody more capable than himself? His letters of resignation and recommendation were both seen as a form of modesty, and the position of high command was more or less forced onto him.

Which brought him to his current predicament—being worn down by a never-ending chain of decision making he just wasn’t used to.

The worst part was that he had absolutely no clue what the enemy was thinking. Every strange turn the Empire took amounted to a terrifying fog that only grew thicker with time.

“I have no idea what they’re doing…”

General Gassman, alone in his office, moaned to himself.

“My usual strategies just aren’t going to cut it.”

He’d asked his staff their opinions and reviewed countless reference documents on the war front, finding several different assessments, each correct in their own way, which he compiled into one…like he always did. Somehow, however, this didn’t translate into a clear strategy.

What he was doing was administrating. A process that was taking far too long for somebody who needed to make immediate decisions. Gassman was good at coordination and administration, but it was clear to him that he had no talent when it came to being decisive. He knew this better than anyone else, but knowing this didn’t help him—it wasn’t as if he could ask someone else to make the decisions for him. He was the leader, and he needed to make the decisions on his own accord.

That was exactly why Gassman was conflicted. Were he up against a more regular enemy, this much wouldn’t have been a problem for him. In this regard, his biggest mistake was trying to learn about his enemy. He tried to understand what made the crafty Zettour tick, thinking from the perspective of the Empire…but he had absolutely zero clue as to what they were trying to gain from all of this.

“Do they really intend to attack our capital? Or is it merely a threat to obtain more leverage in negotiations, just like the cease-fire? Or perhaps…they’re after something else?”

The general wasn’t convinced by what he saw. He stared at the map, but his opponent’s attacks made less and less sense as the reports came flooding in from the front lines.

There were two powerful panzer units that were making their way toward the capital. These two units were powerful, but only in the sense of individual strength.

“This alone won’t be enough to truly threaten the capital. The Empire knows better than any of us how poorly tanks fare in urban warfare.”

These units were a threat out in the open and certainly had the potential to break the Ildoan defensive line, but…two units operating independently could be handled.

Gassman took into account the comparative weakness of his own army, and considering the multiple, in-depth warnings his subordinate, Colonel Calandro, had provided him with, he had no intention of underestimating the military threat of the Imperial Army.

Even after taking all this into account, military logic brought him to the same conclusion every time.

“It feels fair to say we shouldn’t be in too much danger.”

They were fighting a defensive war, after all. Between their intricate contingency plan, posing counterattacks when appropriate, and initiative within their camps, things seemed to be going according to their plan. At least, enough for them to keep the Empire at bay.

“They’ve learned their lesson on the Rhine and in the east. A frontal assault against a fortified position requires numbers, and always comes with great sacrifice.”

Going on the defensive gave the attacker the initiative, but the defender a positional advantage. In other words, a defensive war was a difficult war to lose. This reality was something the general knew from countless analyses of the reports on the Empire’s war in the Rhine…or at least this is what the general told himself.

“Calandro’s concern seems fairly ungrounded. He’s an excellent soldier, but his time in the east must have clouded his judgment.”

The general felt regret for having subjected his subordinate to the Empire’s vicious onslaught in the east while going over the numbers in his head.

The Empire had been engaging in total war for a long time. It was facing severe shortages due to chronic losses of blood and iron. The Empire had fought the world for far too long. Even if it was a military powerhouse, it was surely on its last legs as a country.

Going over this in his mind brought up a new question. After using what felt like an unlimited amount of their resources in the east…what could the Empire possibly gain from shedding even more blood in Ildoa?

“Colonel Calandro’s concern for a frontal assault is likely a red herring, a trick they’re trying to pull, knowing how we operate. Which may mean…that the US experts are correct in that the Empire will bypass the capital and attack the field troops.”

Bypass, surround, and destroy with mobile warfare. They will go around Ildoa’s bases, cut the base off from the rear, then attack the isolated base. This was a tactic the vicious Empire, and General Zettour in particular, had employed frequently in the east.

“It all depends on what their target is… Are they after Ildoan and Unified States troops? Or are they trying to bottle up our field armies in the royal capital?”

What would happen to the troops when they had no place to run?

“For the Empire, who’s desperate, having an enemy army trapped in a city could make for a good bargaining chip.”

They could kill all the troops or use them for negotiations. Their fate would be in the Empire’s hands, and with General Zettour in the picture, General Gassman was almost certain that he could think of several ways to use their lives for political purposes.

General Gassman, murmuring this all to himself, finally let out a wry chuckle.

General Zettour… It was the first time in a long time he’d recognized an Imperial general who could think politically, if at all, when it came to anything unrelated to war.

“And if Colonel Calandro’s concerns prove legitimate…”

The capital would fall, and confusion on a grand scale would ensue. This much the general wanted to avoid at all costs. The odds, however, favored heavily that this threat was nothing more than a diversion.

“The fog of war, eh…? You hear about it all the time, but it’s an eerie feeling to be unsure what the enemy is trying to do based on the map.”

What exactly was their primary target?

“The capital? The field troops? If they’re bloodthirsty warriors, then they will turn the capital into rubble. But would that sly con artist really charge a matador’s red cape so simply?”

What if he was trying to trick Ildoa into believing that he was? Or what if they were going for both? General Gassman let out a large sigh.

“I haven’t the slightest idea what they’re thinking over there. What could they be after?”

The general folded his arms and thought about the problem once more.

“What is General Zettour doing right now?”

What was the enemy general focusing on? The general had a timeline of what he had done so far and was fairly certain he knew what his end goal was.

According to Colonel Calandro, defeat wasn’t even on the man’s mind. The colonel was just letting the enemy’s intimidation get to him, though. But that said, it was likely the case that General Zettour had no interest in occupying all of Ildoa at the very least. So there must have been something else he was after.

Gassman’s thoughts were collected up until this point.

“What on the surface looks like a violent tirade may actually be him occupying the north…? It’s hard to imagine he would want to take the entire country.”

Ildoa was neutral. That is, until they formed one too many alliances, tipping the Empire into aggression and creating a desire for a buffer in the north. It was an irrational notion, but consequential in that the Empire had actually attacked Ildoa.

From General Gassman’s perspective, though it was a heavy blow…it was nothing more than to keep their nation in check. A jab to scare them, not knock them out of the picture completely. Although the general did believe that when the enemy stopped their advance, they would’ve hunkered down in the north.

“Which means…they’ll attack the capital to cause fear. Or maybe it is to draw in our field troops and take them out there?”

It wasn’t clear what Zettour was going to do, but it was logically one of these two. It was likely a jab to contain Ildoan forces near the capital and away from the north, and it would be foolish for them to take the jab head-on. For the Ildoan Army had already suffered tremendous losses, and they simply hadn’t enough divisions left to fight back.

Were they to lose what was left of their forces, Ildoa would be left defenseless and at the mercy of the Empire.

And then… General Gassman mulled over concerns for a problem unique to the capital.

“We still have the royal family to worry about. Should I have the king evacuate the capital? Or would it be better for him to stand his ground…?”

Argh. The general grabbed his head as he continued to think about the far too many problems that were happening all at once.