I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

While Crown Prince Bleff’s troops were realizing they were surrounded and panicking, Daniel, who had unexpectedly ended up surrounding the enemy, was equally flustered.

‘No. Why here…’

Daniel couldn’t understand what strategic value this outpost in the basin had that would warrant a surprise attack.

‘Could it be to capture me? If the enemy forces knew my location…’

That would explain the reason for the surprise attack.

Daniel Steiner was a figure with the symbolism of being the “Hero of the Empire.”

If they could make that symbol a prisoner, not only could they greatly lower the Empire’s morale, but they could also gain the upper hand in negotiations with the Empire.

‘However…’

The information about Daniel Steiner receiving a mission and setting out for operational support was top-secret.

The fact that the enemy knew this top-secret information meant one thing.

‘It means there’s someone within the Empire communicating with the enemy.’

It wasn’t an unusual thing.

Anyone in the upper class who had access to information about the military consolidation of the Republic and Federation would know that the current Empire was in a precarious position.

In the current era, it was natural for some to seek self-preservation by providing secrets to the enemy.

However, it was unsettling that someone with access to top-secret information was in communication with the enemy.

‘To think their goal was to hand me over to the Allied Nations…’

Once the situation was resolved, there would be a need to investigate this slowly.

“Battalion Commander! We’ve completely blocked their retreat routes! Please give us your next order!”

Daniel turned to the side.

The company commander, Bernhard, was looking at him with eyes full of loyalty, which felt quite burdensome.

‘It seems he thinks I predicted everything and ordered this operation under the guise of training…’

It was just a coincidence that they had caught the enemy while Daniel was forcing training to kill time.

However, as he couldn’t tell the truth in his position, Daniel took a deep breath before speaking.

“We’ll wait here until the enemy takes action. Radio operator.”

The radio operator following Daniel’s side responded energetically.

“Yes, Battalion Commander!”
“They should know by now that they’re surrounded. They’ll be looking for a way to contact us from their communications center for negotiations, so switch to the public frequency and send a transmission.”
“Understood. What message should I convey?”

In this situation, there was only one message to convey.

“Advise them to surrender immediately. Add that if their response is delayed or if any suspicious movements are seen, they’ll experience hell.”
“Understood!”

The radio operator who responded promptly knelt down, set down the military radio, and began communicating.

Daniel, who had been watching this for a moment, let out a low sigh.

‘This is maddening…’

Daniel had just planned to kill time here doing nothing, but out of nowhere, an enemy unit came in on their own and ended up being surrounded.

It was so much like seeing fish caught in a trap that he couldn’t help but let out a dejected laugh.

Bernhard, watching Daniel from the side, swallowed hard.

‘He’s finally smiling now that things are going according to plan. As expected of a genius staff officer.’

If Daniel Steiner had been the enemy, it would have been Bernhard himself who was surrounded now, not Bleff’s unit.

Thinking this, Bernhard found Daniel’s chilling laughter somewhat frightening.

While other soldiers were also looking at Daniel with eyes of reverence, the radio operator who had finished communicating looked up at Daniel.

“Battalion Commander! Communication has been established and we’ve confirmed there’s a receiver, but they’re deliberately not responding to the surrender recommendation.”

Are they conflicted?

Well, even though they were surrounded, the enemy troops slightly outnumbered them.

The superior officers would surely bet on escaping even at the cost of losing troops.

‘If that’s the case, we need to crush that hope.’

They could only get the enemy to surrender by showing them there was no hope.

“They’re trying to buy time by delaying their response. The more time the enemy has, the more disadvantageous it is for us, so we can’t just sit still.”
“Then…”
“Switch to the operation frequency and order the snipers to open fire. The targets are the officers excluding the Crown Prince. Once the officers are killed and the chain of command collapses, there will surely be massive confusion among them.”

A unit with disrupted orders is no different from a disorganized rabble.

“As soon as the officer elimination is complete, order the support company to commence high-angle shelling. The target is the outpost occupied by the enemy.”

With their command structure lost and the surroundings turned into a hellscape by the shelling, the enemy troops would have no choice but to raise the white flag.

“Since they asked for it, we should show them.”

Daniel narrowed his eyes sharply as he looked towards the outpost.

“A hell they’ll never want to experience again.”

At the same time, confusion was intensifying among Crown Prince Bleff’s troops.

“Your Highness! We must surrender! It’s nearly impossible to defeat the enemy in the current situation!”
“Are you telling me to not only accept defeat but also be captured as the enemy’s prisoner? Talk sense! Who would support me if I’m captured as a prisoner after bringing the kingdom’s elite troops?”

Colonel Gallevalt was trying his best to persuade Bleff, but it wasn’t easy.

Even though he knew they were surrounded, Bleff was only considering his political position and ordering an escape rather than surrender.

As Bleff was being stubborn, the battalion commander had ordered one company to secure a retreat route, but to Gallevalt, it seemed meaningless.

This place was a basin surrounded by mountainous terrain with only one retreat route.

If the enemy was determined to block the retreat route, they would be helpless.

That’s why he was recommending surrender, but Bleff wouldn’t listen.

“Your Highness! Now is not the time to think about the future, but to look at the present-”

In the middle of speaking, a ‘pop’ sound of something bursting was heard.

Simultaneously, blood and flesh flew up before their eyes.

Gallevalt, who quickly turned his body towards the sound, could see that the head of the battalion commander, who had been giving orders to his subordinates just a moment ago, had exploded.

The silence was brief, and the action was quick.

“Damn it! Sniper! The enemy has started attacking! Everyone protect His Highness!”

Immediately after giving the order, Gallevalt grabbed Bleff’s hand and started running.

“Into the building! Everyone into the building!”

Gallevalt, shouting at the top of his lungs, created a magical barrier in all directions.

The soldiers in charge of the escort also ran after the Crown Prince, holding their bulletproof shields high.

“Advisor? What’s going on…”

Just as Bleff, who didn’t know the cruelty of war, opened his mouth in a daze, it happened.

BOOM─

A high-explosive shell fell not far away, and a pillar of fire rose.

The ground shook and vision flickered.

As Bleff was struggling to keep his balance, feeling like he might collapse at any moment, Gallevalt shouted.

“We must go! Quickly!”

Finally coming to his senses, Bleff forcibly moved his feet and entered a nearby building.

After all the guards had entered, Gallevalt quickly closed the iron door.

BOOM! BOOM─

Outside the iron door, the sound of high-explosive shells hitting the ground and exploding continued to ring out.

That terrible sound caused a ringing in their ears.

“…Your Highness! Crown Prince!”

Thanks to Gallevalt grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, Bleff barely regained his senses.

“Advisor? What on earth is…”
“It’s not too late even now! If we continue like this, it’s a dog’s death!”
“A dog’s death? When the company sent to secure the retreat route returns…”

Gallevalt frowned, gritting his teeth tightly.

It was an expression Bleff had never seen on Gallevalt before.

“How can a single company secure a retreat route! If the enemy is fully prepared to block the retreat, it would be difficult to secure a route even if the entire battalion moved!”

At this rate, everyone will die.

Gallevalt was repeating such words.

Sweating cold, Bleff finally had no choice but to nod.

“T-tell them we surrender. So tell them to stop the shelling! Please…!”

If a shell fell on his head, even Bleff couldn’t escape death.

As Bleff, overwhelmed by the fear of death, declared surrender, Gallevalt nodded.

He approached the soldier carrying the Imperial radio and picked up the transceiver.

Gallevalt, pressing the transmit button, said after taking a deep breath.

“This is Colonel Gallevalt, the direct staff of His Highness Bleff of the Kingdom of Velmore. I speak on behalf of His Highness’s intentions.”

After a brief silence, Gallevalt spoke with difficulty.

“…We surrender.”

As soon as Gallevalt conveyed the intention to surrender, the shelling stopped.

Daniel ordered disarmament through the radio, and Bleff’s troops complied by throwing all their weapons into the warehouse and raising white flags.

After confirming through cross-verification that the enemy had indeed surrendered, Daniel finally revealed himself.

Bleff, standing dazed in his uniform covered in dust, could see it.

Over there, Imperial soldiers in black uniforms were walking towards them.

The one leading them was none other than Daniel Steiner.

Thinking that he had been played by that man, Bleff gritted his teeth.

While Bleff was suppressing his anger, the sound of numerous military boots gradually approached.

Daniel, leading the army, stopped about ten paces away from Bleff.

Daniel greeted Bleff, who was glaring at him, by placing one hand on his chest and bowing politely.

“Crown Prince. As you know, I am Daniel Steiner. I truly regret that things have come to this.”
“Regret? You dare attack royalty and say you regret it?”

Daniel let out a low laugh and shook his head.

“I think there’s a slight misunderstanding in those words. I respected the Crown Prince and recommended surrender from the very beginning.”

That nonchalant face felt disgusting.

Bleff clenched his fists, but Daniel continued in a flat tone.

“It was the Crown Prince who rejected the peaceful resolution. So-”
“Will you shut that mouth!”

In a fit of anger, Bleff pulled out a pistol from his chest.

Simultaneously, the Imperial soldiers raised their rifles in unison.

A heavy silence fell in the tense situation.

Everyone was flustered, but only Daniel was quietly glaring at Bleff with his hands behind his back.

After a long silence, Daniel raised his hand.

It was a signal to lower the gun barrels, so the Imperial soldiers complied without a word.

However, Bleff was still aiming his pistol at Daniel.

“Making an attack after surrendering.”

Daniel, who had blinked a few times in the silence, suddenly laughed.

“That one shot would go down in history. It would be a direct violation of international laws of war. Wouldn’t it?”

Bleff didn’t answer.

But his hand could be seen trembling slightly.

“Ah. Of course, this would only remain in Imperial history.”

Daniel, dropping his smile, narrowed his eyes as he looked at Bleff.

“Because in the future I imagine, the Kingdom of Velmore does not exist.”

Would the Allied Nations take responsibility to the end for a small country that violated international law?

Moreover, if the subject was the Crown Prince, the country would inevitably face a crisis of existence.

Daniel’s words seemed reasonable, and Bleff ended up taking his finger off the trigger.

As he relaxed his hand, the pistol fell and hit the ground.

“Damn it. Damn…”

Thinking that everything was over now, Bleff hung his head and sobbed quietly.

Daniel approached Bleff, grabbed his shoulder, and said benevolently.

“You made the right choice.”

Bleff shuddered at that insidious tongue.

‘This guy…’

He felt to his bones that this was a being who would use even his own life for the benefit of the Empire.