I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

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Leading the prisoners and arriving at the division command headquarters of the forward base, Daniel sent the injured soldiers to the medical unit and unpacked his things.

Taking a deep breath to relieve the accumulated fatigue in his body, Daniel intended to have a drink of whiskey meant for officers, but the timing wasn’t right.

“Captain Daniel Steiner? The division commander is calling for you.”

With no time for rest, Daniel nodded and followed the aide-de-camp to the temporary operations headquarters.

While the exterior appeared intact, as soon as he entered, debris and twigs were strewn about in the corridor.

It was completely different from the lavish yet tidy corridors of the general staff headquarters which resembled a hotel.

“Well, they did push out the royal army that originally occupied this place and took over…”

He couldn’t complain about the lack of cleaning.

Expecting cleanliness amidst the bullets flying in the battlefield would be on par with insanity.

So, as Daniel moved through the temporary operations headquarters, he was able to reach the command post on the third floor.

As the aide-de-camp knocked to announce Daniel’s arrival, a voice from inside invited him in.

With a nod, the aide opened the door, and Daniel could see Major General Filderahm seated at the head of the round table.

Filderahm, possessing a build so large that it made the wide table seem small, raised his thick eyebrows and fixed his gaze on Daniel.

The very sight emanated an intimidating presence, and beside Filderahm were several high-ranking officers lined up.

Among those present, the lowest-ranking officer was a major.

It was safe to say that the most illustrious figures within the division command headquarters were gathered together.

Daniel felt a tightening in his chest for no apparent reason.

Heinrich, whose eyes met his, subtly raised a hand in acknowledgment, but for Daniel, it was merely uncomfortable.

With a mental sigh, he stepped into the command post and saluted sharply.

“Your Excellency, the Commander of the Division! I heard you called for me!”

Filderahm chuckled softly as he returned the salute.

“Yes. I summoned you to verify the accuracy of the radioman’s report. According to the report, you attacked the enemy supply brigade, killing 135 and capturing 192 prisoners. Is that true?”

Changing to a attention position, Daniel looked straight ahead and responded.

“I was merely lucky.”

“Spare me the humility. There are many aspects that cannot simply be explained by luck. More importantly, Captain Daniel Steiner, have you uncovered the enemy’s supply route?”

Supply route? He had merely ambushed the supply brigade; he had no knowledge of the route.

“I’m sorry, Your Excellency. I don’t know the route.”

“What’s the possibility of extracting that information from the commander of the captured supply brigade through interrogation?”

“From what I gathered during our conversation, he’s a steadfast individual. It seems unlikely he would divulge anything, even under intense torture.”

Daniel’s response elicited murmurs from various corners of the room.

In a time when everyone was desperate to find out the enemy’s supply route, Daniel’s answer was perfectly disappointing.

However, none present dared to blame Daniel.

The achievements he had made were far too brilliant to be overshadowed by a few disappointing words.

“I appreciate your honesty. It’s far better than the other staff officers who only talk a big game.”

Filderahm glanced around the table before his gaze returned to Daniel.

“Then, Captain Daniel, if you have any assumptions about the enemy’s supply route, I would like you to share them. Even if it’s just a guess. We want to keep all possibilities open.”

All eyes in the room focused intently on Daniel.

In that heavy silence, Daniel thought.

“Wait a minute. If I make a fool of myself here…”

It wouldn’t just disappoint the commander; he could mar the impressions of all the senior officers present.

This was truly a golden opportunity to plunge his evaluation into oblivion, wasn’t it?

Such an opportunity was rare. Taking a deep breath, Daniel spoke haphazardly.

“Underground tunnels… I mean, burrows.”

Upon hearing that the enemy’s supply route could be underground tunnels, the command post buzzed with activity.

Among them, a colonel who appeared to be a regiment commander furrowed one eyebrow and spoke.

“Excuse me, Captain Daniel. Isn’t that a bit of a stretch? The distance from where you attacked the supply brigade to Nordia is about 58km. Are you suggesting such a long tunnel exists?”

While it was possible that underground tunnels existed, he couldn’t fathom the idea of one extending that far.

If they knew that Vietnamese soldiers had created a network of tunnels spanning 250km, they might just faint.

However, to those who had never experienced the Vietnam War, the concept of a long-distance underground tunnel was beyond the realm of common sense.

“It’s hard to believe that an underground tunnel spanning 58km exists!”

“Yet, the enemy is managing to supply their goods without any naval or air support, breaking through our solid encirclement! Underground tunnels would explain everything!”

“No matter how solid the encirclement, there will be gaps. It seems much more realistic that they are using some alternative route to move supplies back and forth.”

The officers around the table began to engage in a heated debate.

Unintentionally igniting a brawl, Daniel could only awkwardly remain silent.

As the voices grew louder, Filderahm raised a hand to interject.

“Enough. Let’s hear more from Captain Daniel. Are you confident that the enemy’s supply route is through underground tunnels?”

He wasn’t. But if he had to fabricate something, he could create a convincing story.

“The enemy was all lightly armed. It was as if they thought they would not encounter any combat. If they were breaching our encirclement to supply goods, they should have had heavily armed soldiers.”

“That’s not a strong enough reason.”

“True. But the lightly armed enemy soldiers were uniformly carrying portable flashlights, as if they were eager to pass through dark places quickly.”

Flashlights? It wasn’t unusual for soldiers to carry portable flashlights, but in the basic attire of the royal army’s supply units, portable flashlights were not included.

“Hmmm.”

Filderahm, having found it curious, tapped the table lightly, prompting Daniel to continue.

“If the enemy was indeed using underground tunnels for resupply, you must issue a search operation immediately. This is a clear opportunity.”

“Why do you say so?”

“After neutralizing the supply brigade, I noticed that they had radios, but the batteries had all been removed. It seems they were trying to avoid being monitored.”

Everyone present knew that the imperial intelligence had gained control of communications from the royal army.

They had also successfully interpreted the royal army’s encrypted messages, which meant the royal army was currently in a state of extreme caution regarding communication.

So why was this an opportunity? As Filderahm pondered, a subtle realization dawned upon him.

“The enemy’s supply route could become our invasion route!”

In the chaotic battlefield, various variables existed, making it common for supply delays to occur over a day or two.

It was not unusual for supply delays to stretch as long as a week.

Given that the supply brigade was avoiding communication, the Ironclad Division in Nordia would only know that “supply support has been dispatched.”

This meant they were likely unaware that the supply brigade had been attacked.

If he could leverage this gap, find the underground tunnels, dispatch the Magic Mobile Army brigade, and march the rest of the division’s forces toward Nordia…?

“…It’s a takeover!”

The scene of the solid Nordia being captured so easily flashed before his eyes.

The Ironclad Division, exposed to enemy fire from both sides, would undoubtedly raise the white flag without putting up much of a resistance.

Filderahm trembled at the truly devilish tactics.

Excited, he began to tremble but quickly regained his composure.

“The tactics are perfect. But this is a matter of probabilities.”

It meant that for Daniel Steiner’s words to perfectly align, they had to transpire without flaw.

Honestly, as just a captain, he couldn’t put absolute trust in the words of a mere aide.

“But…”

It was indeed something worth betting on.

“…Very well. Captain Daniel Steiner, I will place my trust in your words. I will order all available personnel, including the search force, to thoroughly search the vicinity of the last known location of the enemy’s supply brigade.”

“It is an honor to gain your trust, Your Excellency.”

While Daniel spoke earnestly, inside he was smiling.

“Underground tunnels? Nonsense.”

To be frank, Daniel shared similar opinions with most of the officers at the table.

Using underground tunnels for resupply was not pragmatic; it was decidedly absurd.

It was far more realistic that there was a hole in the encirclement somewhere, and the enemy was using that to bring in supplies.

“Even if, by chance, there were underground tunnels…”

The royal army wouldn’t be foolish enough to leave them unguarded, making them difficult to locate.

“As a result, I would become the culprit that caused chaos within the imperial army…”

His evaluation would plummet, and he’d easily earn the enmity of the division commander.

In that case, the ‘capability’ he had stumbled upon could be eclipsed by his ‘incompetence.’

Thinking that maybe he could take off his uniform if luck was on his side, Daniel smiled slightly.

Filderahm, seeing that smile, felt a sigh escape him.

“He’s smiling? Does he possess such confidence in the operation he proposed?”

Even capable staff officers typically fretted over their conjectures failing, yet Daniel was wearing a smile.

Especially while discussing the potential slaughter of the enemy should the operation succeed.

As a result, Filderahm sensed that his perception of Daniel had entirely altered.

“An elite staff member from headquarters? The hero of the institution?”

Such titles were utterly ridiculous.

Filderahm stared at Daniel, wearing a fierce grin.

In Filderahm’s eyes, Daniel Steiner was a warrior starving for blood.

*

Late at night.
Search Brigade under the division headquarters.

“Is there actually an underground tunnel nearby?”

“I don’t know. If you’re told to search, you search. Honestly, it’s hard to believe…”

The search soldiers grumbled as they walked.

After being ordered to search the area where the enemy supply brigade had been captured, they had already been wandering for six hours.

However, not only were there no underground tunnels, but it was also becoming difficult to find even animal burrows.

It was at the moment they wondered how much longer this foolishness would have to continue.

Thud…

Hearing the sound of stepping on metal rather than earth tickled their ears.

Curious, they looked down, but it was covered by branches and numerous leaves, making it impossible to determine what they had stepped on.

“What? Why are we stopping?”

“No. Didn’t you just hear that? I think I stepped on something. It’s… a mine, isn’t it?”

“What? Damn! Wait a minute. Don’t move!”

A soldier, who had slung his weapon over his back, knelt down to clear the sticks and leaves around his comrade’s feet.

What was revealed was not a mine, but a massive metal door.

Momentarily staring blankly, the soldiers exchanged glances and stepped back.

“Could this be…?”

In the silence, the two men came to a consensus and grabbed the handle protruding from the iron door to open it.

As they did, a dark interior unfolded before them.

“Flashlight. Turn on the flashlight.”

The soldier who nodded raised his flashlight and pressed the power button.

Click—

The light fanned out and illuminated the stairs leading down.

At the same time, the soldiers froze in surprise.

There was no doubt about it.

“This is….”

The underground tunnel belonging to the royal army, which the division headquarters had directed them to find.