I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

After leading the prisoners to the divisional headquarters outpost, Daniel sent the injured soldiers to the medical unit and unpacked his belongings.

Letting out a sigh, Daniel had intended to have a glass of officer’s ration whiskey to relieve his accumulated fatigue, but the timing was inopportune.

“Captain Daniel Steiner? The Divisional Commander has summoned you.”

Without a chance to rest, Daniel nodded and followed the Divisional Commander’s aide to the temporary operations center.

While the exterior seemed intact, the interior corridors were littered with scattered rubble and wooden debris.

It was completely different from the splendid yet tidy corridors of the General Staff Headquarters, which evoked the image of a hotel.

‘Well, they did have to drive out the Kingdom forces and occupy this building…’

He couldn’t complain about the lack of cleanliness.

Demanding hygiene amid a battlefield rife with gunfire would be sheer madness.

With these observations of the temporary operations center, Daniel made his way to the third-floor command center.

The aide knocked to announce Daniel’s arrival, and a voice from within instructed him to enter.

With a nod, the aide opened the door, revealing Major General Felderaham seated at the head of the tactical table.

With a bulky physique that made the large table seem small, Felderaham regarded Daniel with raised, bushy brows that exuded an oppressive aura.

Moreover, seated around the table were numerous high-ranking officers.

The lowest-ranking officer present was a Major.

It was essentially a gathering of the divisional headquarters’ elite.

Daniel felt his breath catch in his throat.

Although Heinrich subtly waved to acknowledge their acquaintance, it only made Daniel more uncomfortable.

Inwardly sighing, Daniel stepped into the command center and saluted with poise.

“Divisional Commander, sir! I was informed you summoned me!”

With a low chuckle, Felderaham returned the salute.

“Yes, I called you to cross-verify the radio operator’s report. According to the report, you attacked an enemy supply battalion, killing 135 and capturing 192 prisoners. Is this true?”

Shifting to an at-ease stance while facing forward, Daniel replied.

“I was merely fortunate, sir.”
“Enough modesty. There are too many details that cannot be explained by mere luck. More importantly, Captain Daniel, have you identified the enemy’s supply route?”

The supply route? He had simply intercepted a supply battalion en route, without learning their actual route.

“I apologize, sir. I do not know their route.”
“Is there a possibility of learning it by interrogating the captured battalion commander?”
“From our conversation, he seems resolute. Even under intense interrogation, the likelihood of him divulging information appears low.”

Daniel’s response elicited murmurs from various corners.

In their desperation to uncover the enemy’s supply route, his answer was bound to disappoint.

However, no one present dared to criticize Daniel.

His achievements shone too brightly to be obscured by a few disappointing words.

“I appreciate your candor. Far better than other glib-tongued staff officers.”

After surveying the table’s occupants, Felderaham looked back at Daniel.

“In that case, Captain Daniel, if you have any speculation about the enemy’s supply route, please share it. Even a mere guess will suffice. I wish to consider all possibilities.”

All eyes turned towards Daniel.

Amid the heavy silence, Daniel pondered.

‘Wait a minute. If I spout nonsense here…’

He wouldn’t just disappoint the Divisional Commander but could also leave a negative impression on all the senior officers present.

Was this not the perfect opportunity to tank his performance evaluation?

Taking a deep breath, Daniel blurted out whatever came to mind.

“Underground tunnels… That is, a subterranean passageway.”

His words about the enemy’s supply route being underground tunnels caused a stir in the command center.

One colonel, appearing to be a regimental commander, furrowed his brow and spoke.

“Look here, Captain Daniel. Isn’t that joke taking it too far? The distance from where you attacked the supply battalion to Nordia is approximately 58 km. Are you suggesting the existence of a tunnel that long?”

It seemed they could not fathom the possibility of such an extensive underground tunnel network.

He wondered if they would be dumbfounded upon learning that Vietnamese soldiers had constructed tunnels spanning over 250 km.

However, for those unfamiliar with the Vietnam War, the idea of an ultra-long underground tunnel was not just unfamiliar but inconceivable.

“It’s hard to believe a 58 km underground tunnel could exist logically!”
“But the enemy is resupplying without any maritime or air support, breaching our solid encirclement! An underground tunnel would explain it all!”
“Even the most airtight encirclement has gaps. It’s more realistic that they’re passing through those.”

The officers around the table began debating heatedly.

Having inadvertently instigated the argument, Daniel could only remain silent in embarrassment.

As the voices grew louder, Felderaham raised his hand to halt them.

“Enough. Let’s hear more from Captain Daniel. Do you have a reason for being convinced the enemy’s supply route is through underground tunnels?”

He did not, but he could fabricate one if needed.

“The enemy soldiers were lightly armed, as if they did not expect to encounter any opposition. If they were breaching the encirclement to resupply, there should have been heavily armed soldiers present.”
“That’s not a valid reason.”
“You’re right. However, all the lightly armed enemy soldiers were carrying portable flashlights, as if intending to pass through dark areas more quickly.”

Portable flashlights? While it wasn’t unusual for soldiers to carry them, they were not part of the standard equipment for Kingdom supply units.

“Hmm.”

Perplexed, Felderaham tapped the table, prompting Daniel to continue.

“If the enemy is indeed using underground tunnels for resupplying, you should order a search operation immediately. This is a clear opportunity.”
“Why do you think so?”
“After subduing the supply battalion, we found they had radios but had removed all the batteries, likely to avoid being intercepted. The Imperial Intelligence Agency has successfully deciphered the Kingdom’s codes, which is why they avoid communications.”

Everyone present was well aware that the Imperial Intelligence Agency had gained control over the Kingdom’s communications network and could perfectly decode their encrypted messages, prompting the Kingdom to severely limit radio transmissions.

So why was this an opportunity? Felderaham pondered before realizing the implications.

‘The enemy’s supply route… could become our invasion route!’

On the battlefield, fluctuations in supply lines for a day or two were common occurrences.

Sometimes, resupplies could be delayed for over a week.

Since the supply battalion avoided communications, the armored division in Nordia would only know that ‘supplies have been dispatched’ from the logistics headquarters.

This meant they would be unaware that the supply battalion had been attacked by the enemy.

If they exploited this gap to locate the underground tunnels and send a brigade of arcane mobile troops through them, while the remaining division advanced on Nordia…

‘…It would be a conquest!’

He could vividly envision the formidable Nordia falling with ease, assaulted from within and without.

Exposed to enemy attacks from both sides, the Nordia armored division would undoubtedly be unable to put up any significant resistance before surrendering.

It was a truly devilish stratagem that sent shivers down Felderaham’s spine.

Overcome with excitement to the point of trembling hands, Felderaham soon regained his composure.

‘The strategy is flawless. But it all hinges on possibility.’

It would only be feasible if Captain Daniel Steiner’s statements were entirely accurate.

Frankly, he could not fully trust the mere words of a staff officer.

‘However…’

It was worth taking a chance.

“…Very well. Captain Daniel Steiner, I shall give your words some credence. I will order all available personnel, including a search battalion, to thoroughly comb the area where the enemy supply battalion was located.”
“I am honored to have earned your trust, sir.”

While speaking sincerely, Daniel inwardly smiled.

‘Underground tunnels? Ridiculous.’

To be honest, Daniel shared the opinion of most officers around the table.

The idea of resupplying through ultra-long underground tunnels defied common sense. It was blatant nonsense.

It was more plausible that there was a breach in the encirclement that the enemy was using to resupply overland.

‘Even if such tunnels existed…’

Unless the Kingdom forces were utter fools, they would have concealed them thoroughly, making them difficult to locate.

‘As a result, I will become the one who caused chaos within the Imperial forces…’

His performance evaluation would plummet, and he would easily incur the Divisional Commander’s enmity.

In that case, he could erase his ‘competence’ and replace it with ‘incompetence.’

At the prospect of potentially being able to shed his military uniform, Daniel subtly smiled.

Seeing this, Felderaham inhaled sharply.

‘He’s smiling? Does he have that much confidence in the operation he proposed?’

It was common for even capable staff officers to be apprehensive about their speculations being wrong, yet Daniel was smiling instead.

Moreover, he was smiling while discussing the potential slaughter of the enemy if the operation succeeded.

As a result, Felderaham felt his impression of Daniel had completely changed.

‘An elite staff officer from headquarters? The Empire’s hero?’

Such epithets were laughable.

Regarding Daniel with a grim smile, Felderaham saw an excellent warrior thirsting for blood.

○

Late at night.
Search Battalion under the Divisional Headquarters.

“Is there really an underground tunnel nearby?”
“Who knows? We dig because we’re ordered to. Honestly, I don’t believe it, but…”

The search party soldiers grumbled as they walked.

Having been abruptly ordered by headquarters to search the area where the enemy supply battalion had been captured, they had been scouring the vicinity for six hours.

However, they had yet to find even an animal burrow, let alone an underground tunnel.

Just as they wondered how long they would have to continue this foolishness…

Clang….

The sound of stepping on metal, not soil, caught their attention.

Looking down, they saw branches and numerous leaves obscuring whatever they had stepped on.

“What’s wrong? Why’d you stop?”
“Didn’t you hear that? I think I stepped on something. A m-mine, maybe?”
“What? Shit! Wait a second. Don’t move your feet!”

A soldier slid his rifle onto his back, knelt down, and cleared away the branches and leaves around his comrade’s feet.

What was revealed was not a mine but a massive iron door.

After a momentary daze, the soldiers exchanged glances before backing away.

“Could this be…?”

In the silence, the two deliberated before grabbing the protruding door handle and trying to open it.

The interior was pitch-black.

“Flashlight. Turn on your flashlight.”

With a nod, one soldier took out his flashlight and pressed the power button.

Click—

The cone of light illuminated a staircase leading underground.

Simultaneously, the soldiers froze in shock.

There was no room for doubt.

“This is…”

It was the Kingdom’s underground tunnel that the divisional headquarters had ordered them to find.