chapter 43
043 degrees (1)
I could see the flames rising into the bushes along the Zekicignonya River.
As Lee Hwan thought, he succeeded in starting a fire.
The only problem is that this fire alone didn’t cause 500 pirates to rush through.
“Two spies from the enemy line came out to reconnaissance.”
“advance guard point?”
“Yes, it is. The rest of the troops are rushing to the entrance of the forest where we and the main unit are now.”
When I saw only 500 people rushing around, I thought they were just a bunch of mischief, but that was a mistake.
Lee Hwan felt that they knew how to manage the omnipresence of the army in a structured way.
Even when the concept of tactics is recognized, it is not easy to be able to move quickly and calmly like this.
‘The fact that he can be so calm on a battlefield where life comes and goes means that he is quite a veteran. I didn’t go through a battle for a day or two.’
You might think that sending two guards to a place where the flames are soaring is such a big deal, but what surprised Lee Hwan was his composure to make such a judgment.
He thought that it would be dangerous just like this.
“The enemy is too cautious.”
“Sir, wouldn’t it be wise to run away from here with all your might?”
“I can’t run away anyway. Because we burned the ship.”
“Then it means that the enemy has to come up with a trick that they can’t even imagine.”
“A graveyard?”
In an instant, something flashed through Lee Hwan’s mind.
That’s the grandson’s law.
“If you are tired, you will win a hundred battles… … .”
“Yes… … ? What do you mean?”
“It means that if you know your enemy and know yourself, you will fight a hundred times and win a hundred times. Our enemies know very little about us. Even about weapons. But at least we got a lot of information on our way here. That’s the difference between them and us.”
If Lee Hwan is right, the pirates here have fought Lee Hwan twice so far.
However, they knew nothing about Lee Hwan.
In the first battle, only the power of Yi Hwan was experienced, and in the second battle, only the slaves were freed and the pirates were annihilated.
“We know us well and we know them well. It means we have the upper hand, at least strategically.”
“Ugh!”
“Therefore, even with this force, we can win enough battles.”
“But now we only have 20 men left. I don’t know if I join the main unit. We cannot win with this force.”
Lee Hwan, who used to be black-eyed when it comes to warfare, now inherited the strategy and wit of someone unknown.
At this moment, Lee Hwan was able to come up with a strategy based on his grandson’s method.
Lee Hwan shook his head at the lieutenant’s words.
“Winning or losing in a war is not always about annihilating the enemy. Terrorizing the enemy and forcing us to surrender while standing at our vantage point are also shortcuts to victory. We don’t need to see each other’s blood.”
“iced coffee!”
A good commander is not a warrior who bravely jumps into the enemy line and gets praise from those around him, but one who wins the battle without as much damage as possible.
It means that a coercive victory that is barely obtained by forcing the sacrifice of the soldiers is meaningless.
Therefore, Lee Hwan was planning to win by deceiving the enemy. Besides, now all the plates were flowing in Lee Hwan’s favor.
“It was said that the most important things in strategy are the first Tao, the second is the sky, the third is the earth, the fourth is the longevity, and the fifth is the law. We’ve already gotten used to the terrain and have guides who are sensitive to changes in the weather in the area. There is no reason not to win if you build a cause for the soldiers and take full advantage of my reputation.”
“Aha! okay! We have staff and talented hunters who created a miracle in the last naval battle.”
“It’s a fight worth fighting for.”
“Ugh!”
“Gather the troops.”
“Yes!”
“And before that, I have some work to do. It’s about capturing and killing the enemy’s spearhead.”
It would be difficult if the enemy took even a single bit of information about Lee Hwan’s squad.
He slowly approached the enemies with two men.
Enemies who did not know that Yi Hwan was in this area could not feel a presence even though he was attacked from behind and strangled with a snare.
Whirrik!
“Kwe eh… … !”
After subduing the opponent with force, Lee Hwan confirmed and killed them once again.
I felt guilty for severing the ties of life with both hands, but I didn’t have time to be caught up in those emotions right now.
Eventually, Lee Hwan decided to gather the soldiers who had fled to the rear in one place again.
If you count the troops that had already left the forest, there would have been a total of 20 soldiers left, but it didn’t matter to him.
After a while, the soldiers who had gathered in accordance with Yi Hwan’s orders listened to his voice, holding their breath.
He looked at the faces of the soldiers first.
Taken from NovelNext.com
Most of them came from black slaves, and they were all terrified.
Lee Hwan decided to imprint the ‘do’ on them.
“Are you mostly from Africa?”
“Yes, it is. Some are exiles who have sinned abroad and have fled to the Netherlands.”
“Yeah, you guys are the ones who were lower than anyone else. But what about now? You became part of a fleet powerful enough to terrorize your enemies. In a nutshell, it means that you have achieved an elevation of status.”
“Uh… … .”
“I was also the lowest in the world. But now he has been given the title of baron, and has become an army commander and businessman. Is there any law that says you shouldn’t be like this?”
“… … !”
“Do you not want to be rich?”
“… … I want to be.”
“How long will you live as the lowest in the world? Shouldn’t our children, at least, live without suffering like that?”
“But racism still exists in the Netherlands. No matter how hard we try, the stigma of slavery cannot be erased.”
Lee Hwan delivered a message of hope to the pessimistic, self-help, and extremely passive soldiers.
“I gained the right to establish a new foundation in the New World and establish an arbitrary territory. in the British and Dutch royal families. If you only want to be victorious in this war, I will let you live in the new continent.”
“… … New continent!”
“There is no noble class, and there is no racial discrimination. At least in the territory I am running.”
The soldiers, who were influenced by Lee Hwan’s persuasion, had already changed their eyes.
They have turned into warriors with a strong will to victory that will never be defeated no matter where they are put.
“If we are together, they are nothing. With my shooting skills and excellent strategic tactics, you will be able to make a mark in history.”
“… … Yep!”
“Do you believe me?”
“I will give my life for Nari!”
Lee Hwan shook his head.
“No, don’t risk your life for me. They risk their lives for their own future.”
“… … !”
“For your future and nothing else.”
“I will risk my life for our future in this battle!”
“great… … !”
Fraud has skyrocketed.
He was somewhat familiar with the terrain, and the hunters informed him that the weather would soon change again.
Victory was nothing short of Lee Hwan’s.
He began to give the soldiers a detailed outline of the operation.
It was not difficult to understand the strategy by drawing a picture by already lighting a fire nearby.
Lee Hwan, who drew a map of the area by collecting as much information as possible from searching and reconnaissance around him, marked his location with a small dot.
He described the surroundings in great detail, including the surrounding mountains, slopes, and huge rocks, so it was easier to understand.
“We are now at the western end. The main force is advancing to the north, and the enemy is advancing from the south to the north. I don’t know how they ever heard that we were coming, but the important thing is that they too will be terrified. So, if we take advantage of the darkness to shoot from the enemy’s rear as if covering all directions, there is a possibility that the enemy will realize that they are surrounded and surrender.”
“What if I don’t surrender?”
“You have to make me surrender. With a bit of directing.”
“Directing?”
***
It was a dark night, and the forest was still burning.
The men of ‘Paul’, who ruled the pirate forest, waited for the command of the boss.
“Captain, what should I do?”
“Hasn’t the guards returned yet?”
“Yes, it is. If it was the way it was, it’s time to come back and still have time. I guess I’m obsessed.”
“Two nimble people have gone to the other world in vain.”
“Now is the time to make a decision.”
Paul, nicknamed ‘The Ice Captain’, has always led his subordinates with cool and accurate judgment.
He maintained his composure despite the sudden commotion in the night.
“More troops than at least two must have set fire to the forest. But there is a high probability that the main force is waiting for us to come out from afar.”
“You mean the army is divided?”
“It’s like that.”
“Then, shouldn’t we also divide the army into two and subdue them?”
“It’s not that simple. If you split up your troops and each of them is defeated, you will be disappointed.”
“iced coffee… … .”
“Rumors say they have a new weapon. To what extent is its power known?”
“It is said that it can sharpen bullets in distant places beyond the horizon.”
“You mean the range is that long?”
“Yes, it is. And Blackmaul’s staff is a marksman. It is said that he can kill hundreds of people in one sitting with his shooting skills.”
Paul laughed.
This is because no shooter can shoot and kill hundreds of people in one sitting, no matter how good his skills are.
“No matter how good you are at reloading, it would be absurd to get hundreds of kills among line infantry. It seems a bit exaggerated.”
“Is that so? Rumor has it… … .”
“stop. Relying on rumors was enough. You just need to understand that there are staff in the enemy line who can shoot fairly well.”
From what he’s been through so far, most of the pseudonyms were bubbly and utterly absurd.
I thought that maybe the staff member was also full of bubbles.
“We do not send troops to the place where the fire is set. We don’t do stupid things to divide the army.”
“Then are you planning to go out to the open field as planned?”
“of course.”
Paul knew all too well the advantages and disadvantages of encountering enemies in the forest.
When the enemy fights in the open land and the allies fight in the forest, the enemy’s accuracy may decrease slightly. However, if your allies also fight at a distance enough to receive the protection of the forest, you must be prepared to obstruct your view.
So, rather than fighting in the forest, he would use the superiority of his forces to overwhelm the enemy in the open.
He firmly believed that in battles between infantrymen in the line, the superiority of firepower would determine victory or defeat, and he would win.
“If we go only to the open ground, we win.”
“Yes, boss!”
“let’s go.”
Paul’s gait, confident of victory, was full of confidence.
He even had a grand ambition to become rich by robbing the royal sailors. But something happened that exceeded his expectations.
Taang!
“Wow!”
A bullet flew in from somewhere and wounded the nape of the soldier who was right next to him.
An artery was cut and blood spurted out like a fountain and wet Paul’s face.
Pu ha ha ha!
In an instant, Paul’s eyes fluttered.