Chapter 568: Before Deploynt
A grand total of 150,000.
Until now, the Empire had been subjected to attacks by the Kingdom.
However, the Emperor had amassed his forces and thrown them into the fight, signaling an end to their passive stance.
Leading them was the heroic prince, Leonard.
At his side were the generals who had distinguished themselves in the civil war, Elna of the House of Amsberg, and Theodore, who led the Second Imperial Knights.
In addition, forr Kingdom soldiers who surrendered out of their affection for Leticia.
The majority of them were Gryphon Knights, a valuable aerial force.
Their strength was sufficient.
With such a large army, there was no way they could lose. That's what many people thought.
But...
"Hmm... I can't see a clear path to victory."
Leo, as the supre commander, was crossing his arms, looking at the map spread out on his desk.
The map displayed was of the Kingdom's interior. Multiple routes of advancent were proposed, but none of them were satisfactory to Leo.
"We're about to set out, and you're still mulling over this?"
"Elna... it's just that these planned routes of advancent are sohow..."
Elna, in her position as deputy general, spoke to the troubled Leo.
They had discussed the routes of advancent many tis. They had decided in the military council that this was the only way.
"If you don't like it, just say so."
"It's not that I don't like it. I think this is probably the only way. But the enemy's formation is too perfect. I don't feel like we can break through."
"So, you don't have any improvents to propose, you're just vaguely anxious. You're pretty pessimistic for a supre commander leading 150,000."
"I have a right to be pessimistic. I am responsible for the lives of 150,000 people, after all."
"That may seem harsh, but... if you're conscious of the weight of each life, you can't wage war, can you?"
At Elna's words, Leo gave a faint smile.
Seeing his smile, reminiscent of Al, Elna opened her eyes slightly.
"I know. You can't wage war decently. It's my job to tell soldiers to go die. But... It's also my job to create a situation where they don't have to die. Even if death is expected, it doesn't excuse from consideration. If we don't win, the sacrifices will only increase. So, I'll aim for victory. No matter the sacrifice. But, I won't neglect efforts to reduce the sacrifice. That's my pride as a commander."
"... I overstepped. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Thank you for your concern. But don't worry. I know the enemy isn't easy enough to beat with just wishful thinking."
With that, Leo once again lowered his gaze to the map.
The Empire's invasion plan was simple.
Invade with the main force of 150,000. Repel the Kingdom's army that ca to intercept them and force the enemy to retreat.
Once they retreated, the enemy would hole up in their proud fortress.
It was known as the Louvill Fortress.
It was a colossal fortress with an attached port, and in order to invade the Kingdom's royal capital, this fortress had to be penetrated.
Ignoring it was theoretically possible, but that would expose the supply lines. They would likely be ambushed en route to the capital.
It was difficult to block off supplies and starve them out, as they constantly received supplies from the sea.
Because the Gryphon Knights were always ready to sortie, they couldn't be held back with half-hearted forces.
The fortress was impregnable.
Once before, the Empire had challenged it, failed to conquer it, and found themselves mired in a quagmire.
The Empire's strategy was to force the Kingdom's army to hole up there.
It would be difficult to annihilate the Kingdom's army before they retreated. Retreating to the fortress was the Kingdom's basic tactic against the Empire's invasion.
In that case, they just needed to operate under the assumption that the enemy would hole up anyway.
Surround the Kingdom's main force with land and naval forces and annihilate them.
That was the strategy the Empire had co up with. It was simple, but it required deploying a massive amount of forces on both land and sea. Nurical superiority obviated the need for tricks. That was the Empire's invasion plan.
However, it was for this reason that Leo was troubled.
"The enemy general Ansem understands the Empire's strategy. That's why he's laying out an extensive defensive line. The Kingdom's defenses have been completely revamped. Every city is positioned so as not to be isolated, with new forts in between. There's always a position for reinforcents to arrive from, and there's no easy place to attack."
"But didn't we agree that our only option is to advance, anyway?"
"Indeed. That's the part I hate. We have no choice but to move forward. Ansem knows that too, which is why he's set up a formidable defensive line. If we're going to break through this, we're going to be worn down. If the main force of 150,000 can't make the Kingdom's army retreat, the Empire's basic strategy will collapse. Because I know this, I'm sure Ansem has no intention of engaging in a decisive battle."
"So, he's planning to gradually whittle down our forces."
Leo nodded at Elna's words.
The sa discussion had taken place during the military council. However, it was decided that the suitable routes of advancent were those where Ansem would eventually make a move, even if it ant being slowly worn down. This was because they had enough forces to withstand being worn down.
However, Leo did not believe that an opponent that Al was cautious of would engage in a decisive battle so easily.
However, there were no solutions either.
"Elna, what do you think Al would do?"
"You're asking ? Don't you know him better?"
"I want to hear what Elna thinks."
"Well... If he's dealing with an enemy who won't co out, I think Al would use a tactic that forces them to co out."
"If I could do that, I wouldn't be having trouble."
"If I had any ideas, I wouldn't be struggling either. But in Al's case... He always uses strategies that make you think, 'So that's how he does it.' He likes to attack from outside the opponent's consciousness."
Listening to Elna's answer, Leo folded his arms and fell into deep thought.
For a while, normal advancent wouldn't pose a problem, but eventually, they'd need to draw out Ansem.
He would have to co up with sothing by then.
A strategy like Al's.
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