I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy

EP.247

Two months later, near Gryfino Castle, Grand Duchy of Warsaw.

“When I came here two months ago, the village was quite nice to see, but now it’s a mixture of houses that looked very shabby due to hasty reconstruction and houses that were not yet repaired, leaving only blackened skeletons. Isn’t it so vain? Isn’t that right, Ensign Vincent?”

After saying that, I looked around without waiting for Vincent’s answer.

Among the houses where the official residence and village officials live, the houses made of stone have some black scorch marks, but they are still standing in good shape, as if they have been properly restored. The fields that were burned by the fire must have already been plowed after giving up on harvesting, so all that is visible is dirt.

Meanwhile, the village’s serfs and citizens were trying to survive, and there were huts scattered around the area that they had roughly built out of straw and wood. In between, there were houses that were blackened and charred and had not been restored, leaving only skeletons. Looking at the scene, I felt a little sad. I felt pitiful.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I regret implementing tactics out of strategic necessity.

“Yes, Captain. “It has become a very poor town.”

“This is what war is all about, so it can’t be helped. So, what is the perimeter of the Griffino Castle Wall?”

“According to what the scouts reported, Gryfino Castle’s alert posture was extremely tight. In contrast, the morale of the soldiers on the walls and the citizens inside the walls seemed very low. Even in such a situation, the castle was heavily guarded, so it appears that the Archduke of Warsaw had received an order to defend the castle.”

…… Although Gryfino Castle is a fairly large trading city with a port, the number of troops stationed there is only about one division.

Even if refugees were added there, there would only be about 30,000 adult men with the power to defend the castle.

Gryffino Castle itself was not built with defense in mind, so it is clearly not enough to deal with our 100,000-strong army.

Are you ordering the citizens and soldiers of Grypino Castle to die here in order to trap us, the Grand Duke of Warsaw, bastard?

“Aide, what is our marching route? “I believe it passes through Gryfino Castle and then Swupsk.”

“We will pass by Ye Gryfino Słupsk and fight against a large enemy force on the nearby Lodz Plain. But if we get blocked like this at Gryfino Castle, the operation plan will go awry.”

“The Grand Duke of Warsaw used some tricks. “It was quite a pain in the ass.”

“Then, how about moving back a little from Gryffino Castle and fighting on the blood and plain side?”

If I mobilize an army of 100,000 men and launch a siege, Gryfino Castle will definitely fall into the hands of our Reich Imperial Army.

Therefore, it may have been a good strategic choice to drop the castle and open a port within the territory of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw that would serve as a port through which supplies could be supplied through ships of the imperial army.

No matter how low the walls are and how weak the defenses seem, a castle is a castle, so it must have some degree of defensive ability.

The citizens inside will be trembling with fear before we begin our attack, but once we begin the siege, they will fight to the death to avenge the burning of their village.

He couldn’t get out of the castle anyway, and even if he managed to survive by deserting, his hometown to which he would return to was devastated, so he was determined to at least die to avenge his grudge.

In this way, our troops will face fierce resistance at Gryffino Castle and suffer considerable damage.

In that situation, if you fight a large army sent by the Archduke of Warsaw, you may be severely defeated.

From that point of view, the aide seems to have suggested fighting on the blood and plains to increase the odds of victory… Before that, there’s something I’d like to check.

“Who is the mayor of Griffino City?”

“According to reports from internal spies, this is Baron Risch von Spiegelmann, and he has been holding the position of mayor since before our attack.”

“Strictly speaking, it wasn’t his fault, but the entire area around Gryffino Castle was robbed just a few months ago. And even then, you weren’t fired from your mayoral position? “If it were the Reich Empire, he would at least have been stripped of his mayoral position and forced to retire.”

“Two months ago, when Grand Duke Bathory of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw carried out a major purge to correct administrative discipline, he barely managed to keep his position because he was not involved in corruption. According to the spies, he has a good reputation from the past because he cares for his people and is honest.”

If I had been planning on waging a siege, I would have felt very uncomfortable when I heard that the castle lord was loved by the people.

This is because the difficulty of a castle battle, in which each soldier and citizen risk their lives to defend the castle, varies greatly depending on the evaluation of the commander who commands them.

An example of this is not the defense of the castle, but the Battle of Lichen…

If a near-perfect trust relationship had not been formed between me, the commander, and the soldiers of the 7th Division under my command, we would have fought in an advantageous terrain along a hill. The provincial defense would have been breached quickly…

I took the lead and fought to the death with my sword for the soldiers, and the soldiers responded and showed their ability to go beyond their limits.

The damn Duke of Switzerland couldn’t break through our defense until the end.

However, fortunately, looking at the current situation, it seems that the castle can be breached without a siege.

“Have you found out anything more about Baron Spiegelmann’s personality or career?”

“I don’t know exactly what his personality is, but according to spies, he is a talented person who has come this far by proving his abilities after passing the civil service exam for the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. “I don’t think I’ve ever served in the military.”

“To pass the administrator exam and rise to the rank of major general in the Reich Empire, you must have outstanding administrative skills. But I don’t think it’s very suitable for risking one’s life to protect a castle. “Isn’t that right?”

The aide didn’t quite understand what I meant, but he thought it was because I said that and nodded.

“If Deus helps us, we can easily take down this castle. Take 100,000 troops and surround the castle right now. Mobilize the soldiers to build simple catapults and siege towers.”

“Then can we prepare for a siege?”

“We will prepare for a siege, but we will not actually climb the walls. “I’m only planning to pretend to take over the castle, so please let me know and convey this to the commander of the division or higher.”

When Assistant Melchemheim left after receiving my order, I grabbed Vincent next to me and said,

“Vincent, the logic of so-called war is very simple.”

“What is that, sir?”

“The one who plays with the other person’s weaknesses wins. Therefore, the general of the army should act as if it is no problem even if the enemy’s weak point is attacked, and when he finds the enemy’s weak point, he should pour very salty salt on it and let it fester.”

Vincent, who had just graduated from the Academy, responded with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

“… It’s a little different from what I learned at the academy. “I learned that war must be won through honorable battles.”

“How to fight an honorable battle includes ‘how to insult the opponent to excite him’ and ‘method of analyzing the enemy’s weaknesses,’ right? However, I just expressed it a little more honestly. And as an imperial officer, the most important thing is to return at least one more imperial soldier to his family. “That is the greatest honor.”

“Then there is no need for any other process?”

After hearing those words, I patted my brother-in-law on the head and said,

“There’s really no need. You can tell when you look at me, right? “I had a higher rank and rose faster than the professors at the academy.”

**

And the next day.

The 100,000-strong army I led surrounded Gryffino Castle so completely that it was difficult for even an ant to pass through without any water leaks.

At the rear of the unit, they cut down trees near Gryfino Castle and began making siege weapons such as siege towers, battering rams, ladders and catapults.

“Why don’t you move the tree quickly, you bastards!”

“Yes boss! “I’m taking it now!”

“You idiots! If you make a siege tower out of wood or something like that, everything will be destroyed! “I told you to polish the surface well, right?”

If the situation was a bit urgent, I would have grabbed the hammer and participated directly, just like Captain Keitel did in the past.

Normally, in most situations, when high-ranking people intervene in the soldiers’ work, only the low-ranking soldiers end up getting hit by the officers’ backs and pooping blood.

So, I spent my time watching the soldiers working and watching for attacks like ballistas and catapults coming from the walls.

During the six days he worked hard to produce siege weapons, he went to the castle gate every day and urged them to surrender until he was hoarse, but Baron Spiegelmann did not surrender.

And a week later, the day when all other siege weapons except the siege tower were completed.

“Load the catapult with stones and have the siege equipment ready to be used at any time. Before that, please bring out only one oak barrel containing wine today. “I will make a final invitation to surrender.”

If my predictions are correct, there will probably be some response today.

A word from the author (author review)

Thank you, zakuti.

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