To create confusion within the Brotan Kingdom's forces, Viktor proposed several strategies.

First, to disrupt the kingdom's reconnaissance, he ordered additional scouts and reconnaissance troops from the 1st Provisional Corps to be deployed, starting with sending a messenger carrying the intention of proposing a ceasefire to the advancing enemy.

“The Empire hopes for a ceasefire!”

The selected elite scouts, carrying white flags, stealthily approached the advancing kingdom troops and shouted loudly for a ceasefire.

“Turn back! There will be no ceasefire as long as the imperial army does not retreat beyond the Bildornu River!”

The commanders of the kingdom’s army, knowing they could not sustain such a large force for long, flatly refused and chased away the messengers. However, the soldiers who heard the cries began to think that the Empire was considering a ceasefire.

The soldiers of the kingdom, who had hoped that a battle might not occur, saw their commander reject the ceasefire and their morale plummeted.

“I’m scared, I’m scared... Mom...”  
“Hey, get a grip!”

Especially among the recently conscripted soldiers, the panic was severe, making normal marching difficult.

“This is disinformation. There’s no reason for the Empire, which has recently dispatched reinforcements, to suddenly propose a ceasefire!”  
“...”

The commanders tried to persuade the soldiers, but rallying the already spread skepticism proved difficult. Moreover, the kingdom’s army, which had suddenly increased in size, still had nearly the same number of officers, weakening their control.

“We will stop for today.”

Ultimately, they chose to slow their advance to maintain overall morale. With time, morale could recover, but the kingdom's forces had to settle for covering only about 15 kilometers a day.

“We’ve secured a letter dropped by the enemy’s messenger while chasing him!”  
“Bring it here! 20,000 troops in Rochel, 25,000 in Cheney? Are they focusing their forces on the defensible Rochel and Cheney?”

Furthermore, Viktor intentionally leaked a fake operation plan to mislead the kingdom about troop deployments.

“This is suspicious. A mistake in such a critical situation?” 

Count Gaston Chartier, leading the forces from Montfieu, suspected the authenticity of the operation document, as did the other commanders.

“The enemy troops are flying Gerhardt’s corps flag!”  
“Gerhardt? Of all people…”

News that Gerhardt Weisschild was leading the reinforcements confirmed Gaston's suspicions.

“There must be a plot at play. Increase the scouts!”

Gaston attempted to gather more information, but the kingdom’s scouts often faced attacks from the scouts of the 1st Provisional Corps, receiving Viktor’s remote commands, resulting in their deaths or rout.

Ultimately, Gaston received a report that he had failed to understand the situation correctly.

“...Advance with caution, keeping an eye out for traps and ambushes!”

Concerned about Gerhardt's stratagem, which he had built over decades in the Empire, he chose to conserve his elite scouts rather than expend them, further slowing the already sluggish pace of their march to thoroughly prepare for enemy ambushes.

As a result, Gaston’s advance noticeably slowed compared to the beginning. After approximately two days since their departure, the imperial army was able to establish its position at the planned location.

This was just as Viktor intended.

“Prepare! We will establish our position here!”  
“Yes!”

The 10,000 soldiers of the 2nd Corps, led by Friedrich, quickly completed their preparations before the kingdom troops arrived. 

According to the plan, they actively employed deceptive tactics to hold back Gaston Chartier's 25,000 troops for about two days.

Following Viktor's advice, Friedrich set up about twice as many barracks as usual and increased the number of temporary cooking stoves by more than double. He then placed the flags of the 10th Corps and the 1st Provisional Corps in various areas to disguise their forces as reinforcements, continually changing the appearances of the same soldiers.

Not stopping there, he deployed a small number of cavalry to keep moving, always making it seem like they were ready to launch an attack at any moment.

“Count Chartier! We’ve spotted about 20,000 enemy troops ahead!”

When Viktor deemed Friedrich's preparations complete, he deliberately created a gap in the scouts' placement. The kingdom’s scouts, unable to conduct thorough reconnaissance, fell for the deception.

“...Was the operation document real? Did they truly leak it by mistake?”  
“And Gerhardt’s general flag is planted in their camp! It seems Gerhardt has come here in person!”

Both sides understood that the imperial army had superior troop quality.

Hearing that the enemy commander was the seasoned Gerhardt, Gaston ordered,  
“Send messengers to Count Étoile and Count Lefebvre! We will halt here!”  
“Understood!”  
“Prepare for a thorough defense! We don’t know when the enemy will attack!”

Count Gaston Chartier chose to hold his ground and establish a position rather than attack the seemingly equal imperial forces.

The kingdom’s forces had roughly gauged that the total size of the imperial army was around 50,000. In a situation where their total forces were nearly half that, Gaston believed that merely keeping Gerhardt's qualitatively superior forces occupied with a similar number of soldiers would be beneficial.

If Gerhardt was here, it would be challenging for him to exert influence on other battlefields located several dozen kilometers away.

If he heard news that the main imperial force of 35,000 had been stationed in Cheney, he might discern the empire's deception, but it would take several more days for Gaston to learn this, as he couldn’t immediately communicate with the troops heading toward Cheney.

“The enemy is stopping about 2 kilometers away and forming a position!”  
“...We’ve succeeded.”  
“Even if we were in a disadvantageous position, we might have deceived them for about two days.”

“Indeed. Commander Viktor, how thorough you are, how thorough.”

As Gaston’s troops halted as planned by Viktor, the officers of the 8th Corps couldn’t help but be amazed.

Each instance of deceiving the enemy was something learned by the imperial army’s officers, but they also knew that clumsy attempts at deception could lead to greater risks.

For a deception to succeed, it must be prepared and align perfectly with the enemy’s situation, and Viktor’s scheme, which had only recently arrived at Rochel, fit perfectly.

“Are we going to have our names recorded in the textbooks?”  
“...If we win the battle, that might be possible.”

Some officers were even excited about the prospect that their participation in the battle could become a model case in tactical manuals.

“Inform the 1st Army of the success of the deceptive tactics, and send additional scouts.”  
“Yes!”

Friedrich calmly prepared for any eventualities and, after identifying a retreat route, awaited news from the 1st Army.

Meanwhile,

“They’re blocking the Arde Gorge!”  
“Ha. How bothersome.”

Count August Étoile’s troops, having set out from Anyak, had advanced a day further than Gaston and encountered the imperial forces led by Triel, who had established defensive positions in the Arde Gorge.

“What’s the number?”  
“About 10,000.”  
“...Huh.”

Despite the overwhelming numerical disadvantage, the Arde Gorge was narrow, preventing troops from being pushed through all at once.

The disciplined and high-morale imperial army, utilizing fallen trees to create defensive lines, appeared threatening even to August, who had brought 30,000 troops.

“From Count Gaston Chartier! It is reported that near Lake Apitello, an imperial army of about 20,000 led by Friedrich and Gerhardt has encountered us, and we are on standby!”

Additionally, as time passed, news reached August that Gaston’s troops, advancing toward Rochel, had met intercepting forces and halted.

“Gerhardt?”  
“Yes! They confirmed the flag of the 10th Corps he leads!”  
“Hmm.”

With the news that the renowned Gerhardt’s reinforcements, well-known even in the enemy Brotan Kingdom, had joined, August felt a sense of tension and carefully assessed the situation. Those who had grown careless against Gerhardt faced inevitable defeat.

“It will be difficult to head directly toward Triel.”

He had been assigned the mission to attack Triel, but it seemed realistically difficult. If he attacked the imperial forces occupying the narrow area, it would turn into a drawn-out battle, which wouldn’t be favorable for the kingdom forces, whose individual troop quality had declined.

Moreover, since the hastily assembled troops were primarily composed of conscripts, their true value as a fighting force could only be demonstrated in a numerically superior battlefield, where they could push their advantage.

The decline in morale due to numerous casualties could lead to the disintegration of the army.

“...Defeat is not good.”

He did not want to bear the responsibility for any possible defeat.

“While we find it difficult to break through them, they’ll also struggle to come out of the Arde Gorge. Gaspar Perrin.”  
“Yes.”  
“Send 10,000 troops to join General Gaston Chartier.”

August, considering that the imperial forces in the gorge, outnumbered, would not easily launch an attack, chose to strengthen the forces directed toward Rochel instead of making a reckless attack on the imperial army.

If Gaston could capture Rochel, it would open up another route toward Triel, and they could surround the enemies guarding the Arde Gorge from behind.

“How should we coordinate the meeting location?”  
“Hmm.”

In response to Gaspar’s question, August pondered various possibilities.

Although he had yet to ascertain the whereabouts of the remaining 20,000 imperial troops, given that the imperial army’s goal

 was the defense of the stronghold, their movements would likely not exceed the predictable range.

“They are probably aiming to defend Cheney...” 

While they might have opted to divide their forces into 10,000, 20,000, and 20,000 to defend as per Gaston’s message, the thought of Gerhardt’s reputation weighed heavily on August’s mind.

“If it’s Gerhardt, he might be plotting something. Move to the rear for a safe rendezvous.”  
“Understood!”

August ordered Gaspar’s troops to proceed to join Gaston through a safe rear position.

It might take a day or two longer to rendezvous, but he believed that it was better than losing troops to Gerhardt’s schemes.

“Send a messenger to Count Chartier! The troops from General Gaspar will join, so instruct them to initiate the offensive with those forces!”  
“Yes!”

Though Gerhardt was leading, if Gaspar’s troops joined, the kingdom’s forces would total 35,000.

In August’s mind, with such numerical superiority, they could defeat the imperial forces without needing any elaborate strategy.

While supplies were tight, dividing the troops eased the burden somewhat.

“...That’s good.”

By sending reinforcements, if the other commanders achieved victory, August could claim credit, and if they suffered defeat, he could deflect responsibility by saying they lost despite the reinforcements sent.

August congratulated himself on his decision.

“We will also establish a position.”  
“Yes!”

He decided to fortify defenses in the gorge, just like the imperial army, to eliminate even the smallest variables of a counterattack.

---

All troops began their march.

In the march of the infantry, he believed that Gerhardt's authority and the soldiers' trust in him were more important than his meticulous commands, so he entrusted the overall march to him.

“Deputy Commander. What’s the matter?”  
“The enemy is hiding over there. Let’s go take a look.”  
“Yes!”

To facilitate detailed coordination, I began to move ahead with a small cavalry unit instead of the relatively slower infantry. 

With the minimap ensuring safety, I led the cavalry at the front, donning only minimal armor as a show of initiative.

“How did you know?”  
“I saw the glint of light from their weapons. They seemed to have made a mistake out of fear of our approach.”  
“...”

While I tried to shorten the response time by moving as quickly as possible, it was best to keep our army's size concealed to lure the enemy troops that had set out from Saint-Touar.

Spreading false information and driving away enemy scouts attempting to verify facts was all part of that strategy.

I primarily used the minimap to flush out hidden enemy scouts and circled around enemy troop positions to threaten them with ambushes, regulating their speed.

The longer they took to arrive, the less burden they would have from the forced march, but if the battle were delayed too much, Friedrich, who was confronting the enemy with a small force, could be in danger.

As always, perfect timing was essential.

“It’s time to join up.”  
“Understood.”

After spending about a day with the cavalry, I joined the main force led by Gerhardt at what I deemed an appropriate moment.

“...You personally handled the scouts.”  
“Yes. According to our scouts' information, the enemy is advancing at a speed of about 18 to 13 kilometers a day. At this pace, they will meet our army here.”  
“Hmm...”

After joining, I adjusted the marching speed to ensure we would meet the enemy at the most suitable location, considering the appropriate rendezvous point and our forces' condition.

About two days had passed since the 1st Army began their march.

“Enemy!”  
“...They’ve come.”

The 35,000 kingdom troops led by Count Bébys Lefebvre met the 35,000 imperial troops led by Gerhardt and Viktor.

A massive force totaling 70,000 encountered each other in the plains beside Lake Apitello.

 

 

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