ALL NOVEL Chapter 34
After the enemy commander Henry declared surrender, the battlefield was quickly organized.
The Royal Army soldiers, caught off guard by the unexpected surprise attack, lost their will to fight and knelt. Even the officers seemed resigned, as if they believed they could no longer turn the tide, willingly submitting to capture.
“Move quickly! You damn rats!”
“Normally, you would all be dead! Thank the generous Company Commander!”
As is typical of victorious soldiers, they shouted at the prisoners.
‘Why are they being so harsh…’
Just as Daniel, frowning, was about to say something, Lieutenant McCall approached.
“Company Commander! We’ve completed personnel accountability!”
“Good. What about our casualties?”
“There were 16 casualties out of a total of 207 personnel. Four were killed and the remaining 12 were only lightly injured.”
To have only four killed after overcoming a battalion-sized force was surprising.
Considering it was a successful operation, the casualty exchange ratio was astonishingly favorable.
It made him involuntarily chuckle.
“This is troublesome…”
He had gained a commendation while providing operational support, which was indeed troublesome.
If this continued, the General Staff Headquarters would appoint Daniel as the commander every time they organized operational support.
That was one of the least desired situations for Daniel.
So, while he was smiling wryly, Lieutenant McCall interpreted it differently.
‘Is he not satisfied even with such an impressive achievement…?’
Lieutenant McCall was struggling to comprehend such a high level of thinking.
It was not without reason that Daniel was called the ace of the General Staff Headquarters and the hero of the system.
While Lieutenant McCall gazed at him with awe, Daniel let out a low sigh.
“Let’s prepare to head to the Forward Operating Base. Relay to all troops that we will depart after a short rest.”
If it were up to him, he would have liked to circle around the area for a few more days before joining up, but now, having captured prisoners, there was no time to delay.
If they lagged and one of the prisoners managed to break their restraints and escape, it would be a major problem.
In the worst-case scenario, the Royal Army might send a mobile unit to rescue the Supply Brigade, so it was better to join the Forward Operating Base as quickly as possible to guarantee safety.
“Yes! I will relay the Company Commander’s orders!”
Lieutenant McCall shouted energetically and headed towards the area where the soldiers were gathered.
Thanks to that, Daniel was left alone and turned to look, spotting Prien, who was leading the Royal Army soldiers.
Prien was speaking softly with a smiling face, while the Royal Army soldiers breathed heavily, filled with fear.
‘What kind of abuse is she hurling at the prisoners…?’
He was worried that she might violate international law in wartime.
When they were planning the ambush operation the day before, Daniel had dismissed Prien’s suggestion that it would be easier to deceive the enemy if he approached dressed like a civilian.
By the way, attacking the enemy while disguised as a civilian was clearly a war crime.
When he explained this, Prien had innocently asked, “Since we partnered with the Allied Forces, how can we not be considered human anymore? How can this be a crime?” which sent chills down his spine.
‘At least she’s on our side.’
If the enemy had such nationalist psychotics, it would be very troublesome to deal with.
Shifting his gaze from Prien, Daniel looked at Lucy.
Lucy was leading the prisoners in a businesslike manner, as she had back at the General Staff Headquarters.
He wondered what she would say if she felt resentment for attacking the Royal Army, an ally of the Allied Nations, but to his surprise, Lucy wore an untroubled expression.
Even when one of the prisoners charged at her in rebellion, she knocked him out with the butt of her rifle.
He couldn’t tell if she was acting nonchalantly or genuinely didn’t care about the fall of the Royal Army, but he was relieved for now.
‘For the time being, I won’t have to worry about being shot by Lucy.’
The Allied Forces might consider the Royal Army almost a discarded piece and wouldn’t feel the need to strain to offer help.
Feeling a sense of relief, Daniel raised his head and noticed the world becoming brighter.
He could see the sun slowly lifting its head from the mountain ridge over there.
It was the dawn light announcing morning.
*
Forward Operating Base near the coastal city of Nordia.
Temporary Operations Headquarters of the Division Command Headquarters.
“It’s strange. The aerial reconnaissance reports no sign of a decrease in their supplies.”
“Indeed. At this point, they should be running low on resources…”
At the operations command post set up in the headquarters, three regimental commanders, one brigade commander, and several battalion commanders and staff officers were gathered.
The Division Commander, the highest authority of the Division Command Headquarters, had summoned them under the pretext of a tactical meeting.
【Commander of the 7th Magic Armored Division / Major General Feldelham】
Seated on the podium with a serious face, Feldelham listened to their discussions.
He pondered why they had not conquered the coastal city of Nordia.
‘The advance of the Northern Direction Army was smooth. They occupied nearly 30% of the Kingdom’s territory before a fortnight had even passed since the offensive began.’
It was a rapid advance by any measure.
Judging that they could push the Kingdom back like this, the military high command had spared no support, allowing the Imperial Army to repeatedly summon victory reports.
However, the Imperial Army now found itself in a predicament.
The Kingdom Army’s resistance had intensified, and they could no longer push the front line any further up.
As a result, the General Staff Headquarters of the Empire issued the order to conquer the coastal city of Nordia.
If they could capture Nordia, a strategic point, it would facilitate movement by sea, allowing them to strike at the Kingdom from both directions—this was the essence of the operation.
It was a brilliant plan. Since there were no objections, Feldelham successfully encircled Nordia with his division.
Having succeeded in encirclement, Feldelham focused all his efforts on cutting off the supply route of the Royal Army to Nordia.
The reason was simple.
Once the supplies to the besieged city were interrupted, it would be plunged into fear and fatigue.
This would demoralize both military and civilian populations, leading to a collapse of social order, and eventually triggering epidemics and diseases.
If things went well, he could even compel the enemy commander to surrender.
It was a method that would maximize victory while minimizing losses on the friendly side.
‘However…’
Things did not go as planned.
The Royal Army’s Ironclad Division stationed in the coastal city of Nordia had received supplies without issue.
This baffled Feldelham.
With the help of the Imperial Air Force, which had succeeded in gaining air superiority, they had already sunk enemy supply ships multiple times en route.
On the ground, his own armored division was thoroughly guarding the area, without allowing even an ant to pass through.
And yet, the Royal Army’s Ironclad Division continued to receive timely supplies.
Faced with this absurd ongoing situation, Feldelham turned to Brigade Commander Heinrich.
“Tell me, Heinrich. Do you have any idea how this situation came about?”
Sadly, Heinrich shook his head.
“I have no idea how the supplies are being delivered. However, it seems they sent staff from the headquarters to provide assistance, so it might be a good idea to wait and see.”
“…Staff to provide assistance? Ha! You don’t mean that Daniel Steiner, do you?”
Even Feldelham, who had spent years in the Northern Direction Army, knew of Daniel Steiner.
He had been through a ruckus in the system, so it would be strange if he didn’t know.
However, Feldelham didn’t trust Daniel at all.
After all, it was suspicious to accumulate so many achievements in just half a year.
‘Most likely, he’s just a manufactured hero for propaganda.’
It was highly probable that he was artificially created by the system to boost enlistment rates.
Of course, some of the events were indeed his own doing, but it was hard to believe that all of Daniel’s actions were not orchestrated in some way.
While he could understand the headquarters’ intention to secure more soldiers, it felt excessive to bestow so many accolades on him.
‘Furthermore…’
What they needed at the headquarters was not a flashy-talking staff officer but a competent warrior who could deliver results.
‘To send a mere rookie officer as operational support from the headquarters is disappointing.’
As Feldelham was about to sigh from disappointment, a soldier nearby who was on radio watch spoke up.
“What is it, Commander?”
Turning his head to see what was going on, the soldier had a bewildered expression on his face.
“Captain Daniel Steiner’s company has arrived here. However, there have been casualties reported—16 casualties, including 4 dead and 12 injured…”
Huh? A mere march led to 16 casualties, with 4 dead?
Even if they had marched rapidly, it was unfathomable to suffer 16 casualties after six days of delay on the original arrival date?!
‘What a pathetic commander!’
He was the kind of person who should never be deployed to the battlefield.
Daniel had planned to ask for some accountability and send him back to the rear when he heard—
“And…”
The radio operator swallowed hard, as if he couldn’t believe what he was about to say.
“Captain Daniel Steiner’s company engaged the Enemy Supply Brigade on their way to join the Division Command Headquarters. They killed 135 of the 327 enemy forces and captured 192, including the enemy commander…”
Silence fell upon the operations headquarters filled with various opinions.
‘…What?’
In the face of such absurdly excellent results, not only Feldelham but all the officers gathered in the operations headquarters were left dumbfounded.