I Became the illegitimate son of a duke

14 – War of the Burgon Succession (4)

“Neverda soon! Everyone, prepare for your chance to rise!”

“””Yes!!”””

Count Marsch, who leads a part of the Carolingian kingdom army, which is a punitive force in name only, shouts at the soldiers on the march to cheer them up.

It can be said that aristocrats who speak harshly and speak directly like Count Marche are rare.

For Count Marche, who has lived casually with knights and soldiers since childhood, such things do not even fall within the scope of violating his dignity.

‘Burgon… Bourgon.’

On the outside, he smiles broadly and has a laid-back attitude, but on the inside he’s not at all like that.

For Count Marche, the Duchy of Burgon is the family’s nightmare and the source of all incidents.

He became Count Marche at the age of 10. This is because his grandfather and father were literally annihilated by the former Duke of Burgon, Philippe de Burgon.

Nobles do not kill each other no matter how hostile they may be.

Since the number of nobles is so small, they are all related to each other across several villages, and it is more profitable to ransom them alive than to kill them. Good for before and after treatment.

‘…A name to be cursed.’

But that madman was not a match for common sense.

After he became a count at the age of 10, his mother became the regent for 15 years, and he was unable to do anything because his mother took away all her power.

Earl Marche’s tone was also created at this time, because he was excluded from politics and all he could do was play soldier games with soldiers and knights.

‘Finally.’

Five years ago, after purging his mother for showing sincerity, I finally ascended the throne as a true count.

Since then, I’ve been sharpening my sword while waiting for my revenge… I never thought the opportunity to pay it back would come so soon.

I’ll do it the same as back then.

…………

“…What?”

Shortly after crossing the river into Burgon Territory, the sent scouts returned. With information that would make you doubt your ears.

“You came out to fight in the castle?”

“Yes… I saw about 3,000 men stationed on the plains to the south. The level of armament was all light, and there were no obstacles around, so the view was clear and there were no ambushes.”

What kind of confidence?

Yes, definitely Burgon has a very high military tradition for his weight class. Those who ran rampant during the war 20-30 years ago must still be alive.

But… But isn’t this a bit off? This side has 40,000 men, and 7,000 of them are heavily armed.

“Three thousand… Three thousand…”

The army of the Count of Nevers, obtained through intelligence in advance, is about 5,000. Two thousand is not enough.

In addition, since the Count of Nevers rejected our offer, he must have made some deal with the illegitimate son of Dijon.

I figured out in advance that the Duke of Burgon’s army would be about 15,000 when summoned at its maximum… Assuming that the Count of Nevers and his illegitimate son joined forces, the reserve corps would be 1 except for the 3,000 in the south. Seven thousand.

It’s bitter… That’s why I told you to be gentle because if you treat it too harshly, it might stick to that side, but idiots.

“Shouldn’t Nevers go east?”

“Yes.”

Just ignoring it may be a good option.

It might tickle the back of the head, but the chances of them fighting squarely are not very high. If we turn the direction of our march southward, those bastards will of course jump out.

It is very difficult to pursue 3,000 people with a large army of 40,000. Is it best to separate the military a little and block it from entering?

“And if you keep going south, isn’t it a swamp?”

“Yes, it says so on the map.”

Who falls for this obvious trap?

To be honest, I feel a little bit offended that you seem to be ignoring me so much.

“It seems good to select 4,000 men with a 6:1:2 ratio of light infantry, light cavalry, and archers to face them.”

“Hmm… Marche’s opinion seems better.”

But just in case you don’t know, you shouldn’t deploy heavily armed soldiers.

Cavalry is essential in the army, so it can’t be helped, but light infantry can maintain combat power even in mud.

Fortunately, the great general agrees with me.

…………

“…Continue to increase?”

What are you thinking?

Those who were 3,000 just a few hours ago have swelled to 10,000. The detached unit, which had been separated earlier, was defeated by the surprise attack of the Burgon army and retreated to the extent that it could be seen with the naked eye.

“I’m starting a fight, shouldn’t I just take it back?”

“Yes, this is ignoring us!”

“mmm…”

The army of the Count of Nevers is only 5,000, but 5,000 more have increased. This must be the work of the illegitimate son of Dijon.

I thought we had an agreement, but seeing it in person like this… It’s funny.

“10,000… That would be quite unsuitable for hit-and-run tactics.”

The cause of reluctance to fight has been resolved.

It’s okay if it goes all the way to the swamp. Even if we take out the vulnerable heavy armed forces to the rear, we are far more numerous than there.

No, rather…

“…I can push them into the swamp.”

If you take a big detour to the west and east after the north and block it, the only place to retreat for them is the swampy area to the south.

If you drive enemies who retreat in disorder into a swamp… Good.

“Your Excellency, the enemy is probably trying to lure us into the swamp.”

“I guess so.”

“How about using it in reverse?”

His Excellency General looked at me as if demanding an explanation, and I explained the strategy I had in mind in front of everyone.

The strategy is to divide the army into 3 groups and drive them from the west, north and east at the same time, forcing the enemy to retreat to the swampy area in the south and sweeping away the enemies struggling in the mud.

Even the aristocrats who wanted to rise in the world, who disliked highlighting others, put on a puzzled expression when they heard about my strategy. If you think about it, it must be because it is so good.

“But if you divide the army into three, wouldn’t there be a risk of defeating each one?”

As an old man, the great general was very timid. It’s true, really.

“However, there are 10,000 enemy troops stationed in the south, and even if there are many enemy reserves left, 10,000 will be the limit. Our number of people is greater, and because it is an open area, we have an advantage in securing visibility, so it is easy to respond to surprise attacks.”

“mmm… That’s right.”

In the end, when I explained more, the great general agreed with my opinion.

Ahead of the battle, the Carolingian army was divided into three branches like a trident. Now, it’s time to tear Bourgon to shreds with this trident.

…………

“…What are those bastards doing?”

It is good that the manning succeeded and diverted the direction of his advance to the south. But… Why the hell did you split it into three?

No way, just to control the direction of our retreat?

If the 10,000 who were stationed jumped out and joined the reserve, the number would be 20,000. Then you would lose your numerical superiority, right?

“Huh… 30 Years ago, I don’t think they were so stupid… Did Philippe kill them all, so the younger ones couldn’t inherit their knowledge?”

“Huh? You killed them all?”

Beside me who was dumbfounded after hearing the scout’s report from the far away command room, General Arras uttered a name that I couldn’t help but overhear.

Philippe, that’s my grandfather’s name.

“Yes, it is. The previous Duke Philip executed all the able-bodied nobles captured during the war with Carolingian.”

“…What?”

“You said that it would be more beneficial for the future to kill these guys than to keep them alive and get paid… My head was pounding at the time, but now I can understand what Duke Philip meant.”

…He really didn’t care about diplomacy.

Only commoners shed blood in war, and nobles who were commanders literally played human chess using soldiers as horses. This form continued until nuclear weapons appeared.

My grandfather seemed displeased with that.

How embarrassed and angry the opponent must have been to kill him after losing only at chess?

But…

“…As expected, he’s a gem.”

“I think so too.”

Thanks to that, I feel more comfortable.

Thank you, Grandpa!

“Shall we change the strategy? For example, attack one by one first.”

“No, the details of the operation will change a bit, but the big picture should not be changed.”

“Really?”

“No matter how stupid the commander is, they probably don’t know the importance of scouting. Once the 10,000 soldiers stationed in the garrison start moving north, they’ll report right away, and then the enemies will unite again. Before they merge, at least one can be completely swallowed up. However, there will be damage on this side as well, and it will be difficult for the damaged army to deal with the two perfectly combined.”

It must be true, since Arras said that he has played a lot on the battlefield. But…

“Still, the enemy split into three, but if you think about it a little more…”

At my words, Arras gently closed his eyes and slightly shook his head from side to side.

“The 40,000 should have been changed to 13,000, and since we know the level of the enemy, we have already benefited enough.”

“That’s right… It doesn’t.”

Aras is right. Make sure you only take what you can get.

Because if you try to pack more here and make a mistake, you may lose what you already have in your hands.

“Okay, let’s go to the mission. Tell 10,000 to pretend that they failed to retreat east and turned south. And tell my uncle that it doesn’t matter if they roll in the mud as long as they make new dukes’ uniforms.”

The little uncle who wanted to become a duke had even tried on clothes, so wouldn’t he be dying of joy by now?

…What, why are you looking at me like that?

“Whew.”

Arras sighed lightly, and excluding the back words, he relayed only the first words to the messenger.

Are you blatantly missing an order in front of the superior? This is the bottom line – I’m sorry.

Aras glared at me even more as if I was arching.

“Then, I’ll be back, so Lady Chloe, please hold on to Her Highness.”

“Yes, thank you. You must come back alive.”

Compared to that, Chloe is giving Chloe a benevolent smile.

Gender discrimination is sad.