The Extra Wants To Live-Chapter 247 No Retreat, No Surrender [1]

When Carl heard that the enemy was advancing south, he immediately sent a messenger to gather the scattered 10,000-man central army of the empire in one place.

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If everyone had acted according to the strategy Carl had planned, they would have been able to meet at the appointed time and place without any problems.

However, after sending the messenger, only 5,000 troops, led by Baduan himself, arrived in the wilderness that would become the battlefield after a few days.

Where did the remaining 5,000 troops disappear to?

"… So, you're saying that you got caught up in being greedy?"

"…yes."

Baduan asked the central army knight who had come to him instead of the messenger in a heavy voice, then snorted deeply and closed his eyes at the answer.

The Laurel Troops, led by Carl, and the 1st Central Army Troop, led directly by Baduan, steadily followed the planned strategy.

They ran rampant through the enemy territory, avoiding unnecessary battles, spreading fear and confusion, and completing a conceptual siege of the castle and city.

Although Baduan was unable to receive the surrender of a castle or city like Carl, he achieved a great victory in the field, defeating 8,000 enemies with only 5,000 men, and once again instilled fear in Hardion.

This was not simply because Baduan's tactics were superior or his troops were of a higher quality, but because he carefully chose battles he could win.

However, the 2nd division of the Central Army, which had to run north through the westernmost land, ended up being overly greedy for military achievements.

It was clear that Carl had told them not to try to surround or capture the castle in order to preserve their mobility, but they ended up besieging it and wasting time trying to capture it, only to be forced to retreat by enemy reinforcements.

When viewed on a strategic level, that small retreat had chillingly enormous ramifications on the course of the war.

Maintaining a conceptual siege of northwestern Tumaris required immense fear and anxiety.

To that end, Carl made the reckless decision to attack Hidan's force, which was nearly five times larger, and Baduan also carefully ran through the wilderness as if wandering through a maze in the darkness, choosing battles he could win.

It was in danger of being destroyed with just one retreat.

Even though the three units combined only had 13,000 men, it was burdensome to fight against an enemy force of 40,000, which was three times as many, so 5,000 men were lost.

That is, from now on, Carl and Baduan would have to fight a battle of wits with only 8,000 troops against 40,000 enemies in the vast wilderness.

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This was a terrible strategic blunder, enough to make even the generous and detached Baduan lose his words for a moment.

Now, they couldn't even back down. If they retreated again without fighting the enemy, having already retreated once, they would lose all influence in western Tumaris.

They would have no choice but to retreat until the second dispatch of the Imperial Central Army arrived, and they would have to return to Gabiha and waste time facing the enemy.

"… …"

Carl stared at the map for a moment, silent at the unexpected turn of events.

His conceptual encirclement strategy, based on grand maneuver warfare, was in danger of collapse due to a single mistake by an incompetent general.

If all had gone according to plan, they should have gathered 13,000 elite soldiers here and crushed the enemy's large army, which consisted of a high proportion of conscripts, with overwhelming training and armament.

To defeat an enemy that outnumbered 40,000 men by 8,000 on flat ground, let alone in a surprise attack at night, was something only the greatest tactician in history could achieve.

In war, in battle, victory must be achieved before the fight even begins. They must fight in greater numbers, with better weapons, with better soldiers, and on better battlefields.

Carl strategically isolated his enemies, ensuring he always had the upper hand. It made possible what was originally impossible.

But now, despite the overwhelmingly disadvantageous difference in forces, they must fight on an overwhelmingly disadvantageous battlefield.

Since he could not even retreat and change the battlefield, this one move put Carl's strategy in a state of ruin.

"Your Highness, we must retreat to Gabiha, occupy it as soon as possible, and strengthen our defenses."

While everyone remained silent in this dire situation, Baduan gave Carl cold advice. His judgment was correct. It would be better to retreat for safety before they got into a fight they couldn't win and ruined everything.

Carl had done everything he could and, in a short period of time, achieved an incredible feat that would be nothing short of legendary. He had done enough.

Even if he stepped down from here, he would still be praised for a long time.

"… …"

But Carl remained silent and just stared at the map. The sight of Carl, with his head bowed and his hands on the table, made everyone feel sorry. It felt like watching an eagle, flying powerfully through the sky, fall with its wings broken.

"Your Majesty, we must retreat as soon as possible."

Baduan spoke in a slightly firmer voice, as the young Archduke seemed to still be reeling from the unexpected setback.

But despite Baduan's words, Carl still just stared at the map.

Was it unfair? That the strategy had been ruined by a mistake that wasn't his? Was it unacceptable to admit defeat and step down?

"… What did you say the enemy forces were organized like?"

After a long silence, Carl spoke in a flat voice. At that voice, not only the other nobles, but also the infantry captain Baduan, and even Catherine and Billford, who were close to Carl, flinched.

Carl, who seemed to have lost his cool, was looking at the endless winds of war with a heart colder than anyone else present.

For Carl, it was impossible to lose his cool.

Because he had no passion.

"Look, we estimate 35,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry."

"Isn't the ratio of archers unknown?"

"I don't know the exact number, but I estimate it will be less than 5,000."

Now that smelting technology had developed sufficiently and plate armor had become commercially available, arrows were less likely to cause significant damage.

Archers were still good when it came to lowering morale, weakening enemies, or accumulating injuries. However, archers were not very effective against heavy infantry that were tightly lined up.

This was also the case in Tumaris, where, although daytime temperatures were high, the dryness had made metal armor more common and the proportion of archers had decreased significantly.

Even among the 8,000 troops currently under Carl's command, there were only 500 archers, and they were all well-armed and ready for close combat at any time.

The enemy's 40,000 troops consisted of 30,000 infantry, 5,000 archers, and 5,000 cavalry.

Carl's 8,000 troops consisted of 5,500 infantry, 500 archers, and 2,000 cavalry.

Even considering the fact that most of the enemy's forces are conscripts, the difference is so overwhelming that there is no chance of winning.