I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy - Chapter 14
EP.14
The situation the Reich Army is facing is not only the worst, but the situation unfolding in front of our company right now is not that good either.
Although the number of enemy troops we will face head-on is slightly smaller than ours, the stamina of our troops is already greatly reduced.
To put it mildly, I, the platoon leader responsible for leading the soldiers, wish I could just leave everything behind and go back to the barracks, take a nap, and come out again.
However, in this battle, I am holding on with vicious force, thinking only of the reward I will receive when the plan I devised succeeds.
Ordinary soldiers, who could not expect great rewards even if they fought, would have been even more exhausted as they had little motivation to go into battle.
And the company commander, who understood this situation well, pushed me and our platoon back, snatched the spear from the soldier holding the polearm, and shouted loudly.
“The company commander knows very well that you are all exhausted and having a hard time. “I am very proud of all the soldiers for holding on and following along until now!”
Usually, when difficult situations arise, it would be right to encourage them by saying that you can still do more.
Saying that you can do more even when you are exhausted and exhausted feels like you are endlessly pushing people into a corner and makes you want to give up.
“So, I, the company commander, will personally stand at the front to fulfill my responsibility of leading you. So just watch my back and follow me. Then we can return alive, just like we did before. “Let us win the war and return home to our children and wives.”
When the company commander mentioned his wife and children and said that he would be at the forefront, the soldiers realized anew that they would not be able to return to their hometowns unless they fought here and won.
I could see some fighting spirit coming back to my eyes.
At the same time, the friendly battalion and the enemy battalion slowly began to approach each other.
The company commander led his soldiers forward with majesty, as if he were confident that the enemy’s arrows and magic would avoid him.
The soldiers were so impressed by the sight that they forgot their fatigue and slowly advanced, aiming their spears at the enemy.
And when the company commander’s spear, which was slightly protruding from the leader, and the Francois Republic soldier’s long spear came into contact with each other.
The company commander removed the enemy soldier’s spear to the left and then stabbed him in the neck as quickly as light.
At the same time, he put down his spear and started digging into the enemy lines, holding a two-handed sword like I did, or rather a short sword with a blade about 50cm long.
Seeing this, the vice company commander also charged towards the enemy in a similar manner.
In normal times, high-ranking people such as company commanders and vice-commanders would have cursed, asking what the hell
they were doing… but if you are prepared to throw your life away, when fighting a crowded group of spearmen, it is best to fight with a dagger that can be wielded without restrictions in the narrow space inside the spear stand. It is an effective countermeasure.
Thanks to that, I, who was the highest ranking person in the company except for those two, implicitly assumed overall command of the company…
“Those near the company commander in the first and second rows put down their spears and followed the company commander with one-handed weapons. Pick it up and get inside the square! It is safer to go inside the window without giving them a chance to come to their senses! Also, the crossbowmen assigned to the Jaeger platoon must cover the company commander!”
This is the best order to support those two in the current situation.
At the same time, he issued an order to the company commander to mobilize soldiers from the 1st and 2nd platoons to support the company commander.
He sent a flag signal to the battalion commander and ordered him to end the battle in a short period of time and to extend the columns to both sides to attack the enemy as if he were surrounding them.
As soon as I gave the order to support those two, our company was already deep inside the enemy lines.
It got to a point where I, acting as the company commander, had to engage in direct combat with a spear.
Then the enemy’s voice of astonishment came clearly to my ears.
“You crazy bastards. “He must have lost all his strength trying to save his entire battalion of soldiers who were dying just now. Why are you fighting so well?”
“Those bastards, the company commander is at the forefront and killing them all!”
“Those people who wouldn’t be satisfied if you dug out their hearts and made them into skewers. “Do we really have to do this?”
Normally, I would have dismissed everything the enemy said as bullshit.
To some extent, I agree with the question of whether it should be done this way.
This is because the fact that a person who is not a platoon leader but a company commander as a commander takes the lead means that he is attacking the enemy with evil, knowing that the war situation is unfavorable.
However, whether you go to the river or the sea, once you reach your destination, you are done.
A commander who leads soldiers into battle is 90% successful if he wins unconditionally, so he must be good enough.
Also, if you look around, our company is roughly breaking through 1/4 of the enemy line, so fighting with a spear is meaningless.
“Everyone in the company puts down their spears and switches to their secondary weapons! “Everyone prepare to attack at once!”
As soon as my order was given, the soldiers simultaneously took out short weapons that could be held with one hand, such as a sword, a mace, or a hammer.
“charge!”
When they changed their weapons and charged, the enemy soldiers, who were slow to respond because they were holding long spears, died helplessly.
At the same time, some of those whose morale had fallen to the ground gave up resistance and even sat down on the ground to urinate or even tried to run away.
At other times, I would have chased after those guys and tried to catch and kill them one by one, but doing that now would be foolish.
“Do not chase a fleeing soldier or officer! Anyone who goes in pursuit will be dealt with severely, regardless of their rank! Just killing the ones in front of you is enough!”
At the same time, like the soldiers, I drew my sword and cut down the enemies in front of me as quickly as possible.
Normally, if there was a good looking guy among the guys I killed, I would have tried to at least roughly check their rank or affiliation.
There is absolutely no time for that now.
Instead, even in the chaotic battlefield, he continued the fight, somehow trying not to lose sight of the company commander and deputy company commander.
When the enemy forces were almost completely defeated, we found two wounded people who had collapsed in their armor.
Thanks to their armor, neither of them seemed to have suffered fatal injuries, but their wounds and severe bleeding made them look pale.
Although they were engaged in combat, if those two were killed, the morale of not only the company but also the entire battalion would plummet.
I requested the battalion commander to escort those two people to the rear as quickly as possible.
And a little later, the sound of trumpets was finally sounded from both the Francois Republic Army and the Reich Empire Army, announcing a retreat.
I didn’t realize it during the hectic fight, but I could see that the Reich Imperial Army’s numbers, including my platoon, had been greatly reduced.
When I saw that, I felt despair, but I did not show that feeling in front of the soldiers.
Instead, I just thought about the best plan I could in my position.
I thought that was the attitude and habit of commanders called masters or geniuses, so I did the same and tried to find a way for myself and our military to survive.
**
The battalion I belonged to and the battalion next door that we supported at the right time did not suffer much casualties.
Other units of our division that participated in this battle suffered serious damage, as I expected.
Of the approximately 8,000 soldiers in the division, 1,000 were wounded and 500 were receiving treatment.
The 1st regiment commander was seriously injured. The battalion commanders of the 2nd and 12th battalions were killed, and about 30 officers below the rank of second lieutenant were killed or seriously injured, so the unit commanders were replaced.
The sad reality is that among these, our company commander and deputy company commander were seriously injured.
And according to rumors circulating in the unit, more than half of the casualties were caused by the Black Lion mercenaries, which numbered only about 1,000 people.
I was able to feel how majestic it was.
Even during this time, I was officially promoted to lieutenant for my exploits in defeating three companies of the Francois Republic and saving the battalion next to me from almost being annihilated.
I am currently attending a meeting hosted by the division commander as an acting company commander on behalf of the company commander who was evacuated to the rear due to an injury.
That’s right, I’m just a lieutenant, so instead of sitting at the long table used by the division commander, I’m just standing in the corner of the barracks in a resting posture.
“I mean, anyone can express their opinion! Lieutenant Colonel Cornwell, Acting Commander of the 1st Regiment! “Are you thinking about anything?”
“Lieutenant Colonel Cornwell, Acting Regimental Commander! “I don’t know either.”
“Did you just throw the concept into a slot? “Why are you making such a fuss because you don’t know what to do?”
The division commander continued to express his frustration in a battlefield situation where there was no answer by urging his subordinates to come up with a solution.
Even though I loudly urged other battalion commanders to come up with an appropriate alternative in this situation, just like I did to Lt. Col. Cornwell, no one could come up with an answer and just kept their eyes downcast.
This was inevitable in a situation where more than 20% of the division’s troops were lost in a single battle and suffered damage that was close to annihilation.
It was very difficult to come up with a plan to save the army in this situation, and the division commander was extremely angry.
Even if you have a plan in mind, if you speak carelessly, you can get caught and get robbed, so who can say anything?
When there was still no answer, the division commander sighed heavily, as if he had sensed the mood, relaxed his face, and asked again.
“Is it really that no one has an opinion? Okay then let’s do it like this. I won’t criticize any strategy you suggest, except ridiculous tactics like shut up and charge. Does anyone on the regiment commander or battalion commander’s staff have an opinion?”
This time, the division commander asked how much of his anger had subsided, but perhaps everyone had lost their spirit due to the crushing defeat in the last battle.
There was no officer higher than a battalion commander who confidently said that he had a solution.
Then the division commander sighed as if there was nothing he could do and turned his eyes toward the company commanders.
The meaning of those eyes was very obvious.
A strategy developed by an inexperienced officer at the level of a company commander would naturally be no better than a strategy developed by a veteran officer at the rank of warrant officer or higher.
I think he was planning to put them at ease by listening to the sloppy plan we announced until the end and praising them to change the mood…
And the division commander, with a friendly expression on his face, pointed at me with his baton and said,
“Oh, Ensign Peter Yeager. No, he was a lieutenant now. So, what is your opinion? “What do you think it will take to beat those damn Francois?”
In most cases, just presenting an average operation at the level of a high-ranking officer would be enough to receive praise from the division commander.
The reason I applied here wasn’t just to get promoted to lieutenant.
I answered with enthusiasm, choosing a sentence that would grab the other person’s interest.
“I think the best strategy is to surprise the enemy in a way they cannot expect.”
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