Gerhardt, following Viktor's request, dispersed his forces while paying careful attention to concealment. Coupled with Viktor's thorough scouting restrictions and monitoring, the imperial army reported to Bébys Lefebvre, leading the forces toward Cheney, that their numbers were only around 20,000.

Confident in their numerical superiority, Bébys's forces continued their advance, but—

*Boom!*

“This doesn’t make sense!”

Contrary to the report, what the kingdom forces encountered near Lake Apitello was an imperial main force exceeding 30,000.

“Just looking at them, there are definitely more than 30,000! What was all this about 20,000? And Gerhardt himself came this way!”

“The enemy's ambushes have made it difficult for scouts to operate. So...” 

Mathieu Delong, the viscount in charge of reconnaissance, hurriedly made excuses, looking half-dazed.

He felt as if he had been possessed by a ghost. He had dispatched scouts as usual, but only 5% of them had returned.

Mathieu had ordered variations in their routes and timings during reconnaissance, prioritizing survival, but the results hadn’t changed. He even attempted to send small raiding parties to attack those ambushing his scouts, but it seemed the imperial army was well aware and never pursued deeply.

This was due to Viktor's actions, who, using the minimap, was able to track the scouts' positions and ambush them. However, the kingdom troops had no way of knowing this.

In the kingdom's army, which was small compared to the regular army, scouts were a precious asset, so Mathieu was nearly ready to give up on gathering intelligence through scouting. He managed to ascertain the enemy's numbers vaguely using a dwarf-made telescope he had painstakingly acquired, but it was impossible to observe all the enemy forces with just one telescope.

“Nonsense! When has the enemy just watched us?”  
“...I apologize.”

Mathieu bowed his head and apologized in the face of Bébys's scolding.

While it was frustrating that the imperial scouting capabilities had suddenly increased, it was true that he hadn’t fulfilled his duties.

“...The operation document was a lie. Send messengers to Count Étoile and Count Chartier! The document was fake, and more than 30,000 troops have been deployed here!”  
“Yes!”  
“Phew...” 

Bébys sent the messenger containing information about the enemy back to his forces and seriously considered a retreat shortly thereafter.

The kingdom’s forces, who had a qualitative disadvantage, had suffered great defeats whenever they engaged the imperial army of similar numbers, especially under the famous Gerhardt.

Moreover, the terrain where they encountered the imperial army was a wide plain, favorable for cavalry use. For the kingdom’s army, which only had a small number of cavalry, it was a nightmare of a battlefield.

However, the kingdom army’s marching speed was already slow, and retreating after meeting the enemy would be even harder than the usual march.

At present, the distance between the imperial and kingdom forces was only about 3 kilometers.

Even perfectly trained regular troops would find retreat challenging in this situation, and Bébys knew that a conscript-heavy army would greatly weaken its cohesion the moment it chose to retreat, leading to a high risk of collapse.

“What’s the enemy's deployment?” 

Instead of ordering a retreat, Bébys prepared for battle against the imperial army they had just encountered.

“About 7,000 on the left flank, 15,000 in the center, and around 10,000 on the right. The cavalry strength is primarily deployed on the right flank.”  
“Hmm.” 

It seemed that the imperial army had chosen a conventional troop deployment focused on the right flank, prompting the kingdom’s officers to deliberate on their response.

“Let’s concentrate our main forces on the left flank for defense!”  
“No. Rather, we should deploy troops where the enemy numbers are fewer, on the right flank, to exploit their vulnerabilities!”

Due to a lack of officers, the kingdom army could not execute detailed movements of small troop units and focused their discussion on the initial troop deployment.

“The enemy's central and right flanks bear Gerhardt's and Friedrich's flags, respectively, while the left flank has a flag we’ve never seen before. Their armament is said to be relatively weak, so how about concentrating our attacks on the enemy's left flank?”  
“Never seen that flag before... Yes, that sounds good.”

As information about the 1st Provisional Corps in charge of the imperial left flank arrived, opinions converged to make the relatively vulnerable left flank their main target for attack.

The conscripts could only maintain their morale when assured of a definite numerical advantage, so the only strategy available for the kingdom army was to face the enemy’s weakest left flank and crush it quickly.

“There are several small forests around the enemy’s left flank, making it easy to conceal troops. It’s highly likely the enemy is planning an ambush using the left flank as bait.”  
“Ambush...” 

When an officer mentioned the possibility of an imperial ambush, Bébys still believed that, even considering that, this method seemed the closest to achieving victory.

The imperial army was in a situation where they needed to defend Rochel, Cheney, and Triel with about 50,000 troops.

“Right now, the imperial army exposed before us exceeds 30,000. They might be setting up an ambush, but they also need to deploy forces at Rochel and Triel, and since the size of the forest isn’t large, they can’t have that many. If we utilize our cavalry, we can block the retreat of the enemy's left flank and annihilate the ambushed troops.” 

Bébys believed that the 32,000 troops were likely gathered to their limit, and if the scale of the ambush was large, they would lose anyway even without being ambushed.

Moreover, he doubted whether the soldiers would properly follow orders to attack Gerhardt's 15,000-strong center and the cavalry-heavy right flank.

“Viscount Mathieu Delong, send scouts to ascertain whether there are any enemy troops hiding in the forest. If you spot any, signal immediately.”  
“Yes.” 

Bébys commanded Mathieu to prepare a response.

“I will deploy 12,000, including reserves, on the right flank, 10,000 in the center, and 9,000 on the left. 2,000 cavalry will support the right flank, while another 2,000 will support the left and center.” 

He placed a bold bet by deploying about 14,000, including reserves and cavalry, on the right flank.

Typically, one would place reserves in the center, like the imperial deployment, to support a pressured frontline, but he believed it was essential to ensure that the forces on the right flank overwhelmed the imperial left for the soldiers' morale.

“...”

The kingdom's officers exchanged glances momentarily at the order.

“I will directly command the right flank. Baron Daniel Renault will take charge of the center, while Baron Georges Arto will handle the left flank.” 

Bébys made the bold decision to take the most dangerous role, commanding the right flank himself.

Given that retreat was impossible for him, it was a decision imbued with the resolve to inflict significant damage on the imperial army.

“Yes.”  
“Understood.” 

The officers found it hard to argue against Bébys, the highest-ranking officer present, as he expressed his willingness to take risks, and they complied with his orders.

“The cavalry on the right flank will be led by Baron Jean Farad to support my right flank and target the enemy left’s side. Baron Charles Becker will command the remaining cavalry to support our center and left flank.”  
“Yes!”  
“Understood.”  
“Baron Daniel Renault, make every effort to obstruct the enemy center’s left support.”  
“Confirmed!”  
“Baron Georges Arto, your role is also crucial. The enemy has concentrated their troops on the right flank, so you must withstand their attacks.”  
“Defense is more advantageous than attack! I will hold them off!”  
“...Alright.” 

Bébys suppressed his bitter feelings as he issued detailed orders to the officers.

The moment he realized that he had not properly grasped the enemy's size, he deemed the kingdom’s chances of victory to be slim.

While Georges claimed he could defend, it was impossible for the conscripted soldiers of the kingdom, who could barely wield spears, to withstand the elite imperial cavalry. It would also not be easy to contain the enemy center, consisting of 15,000 soldiers, with 10,000 troops whose individual skills were insufficient.

However, since the messengers from Gaston and August, containing news that they had halted their forces, had not yet arrived, Bébys held onto hope that they would easily achieve victory against the few imperial troops.

If they succeeded in reclaiming the banks of the Bildornu River, Bébys was more than willing to become a scapegoat.

“Let’s go. Let’s show those imperial bastards the power of the Brotan Kingdom!”  
“Yes!” 

With determination to minimize the imperial army's strength, Bébys encouraged the officers and moved to command the right flank.

---

“I will explain the situation.” 

I unfolded a map showing the surrounding terrain, as always, and began confidently.

“The Brotan Kingdom army has also divided its forces into three branches. The enemy commander is Count Bébys Lefebvre, who commands 15,000 on the right flank. Under him, Baron Daniel Renault commands 10,000 in the center, and Baron Georges Arto commands 10,000 on the left.”

Referencing the information displayed on the tactical map, I placed terms denoting the enemy and our forces on the map.

“The intent is quite obvious.”

As Gerhardt noted, the Brotan Kingdom

's army, lacking in officers and control, was unable to maneuver their troops flexibly like us, making their intent evident in their troop deployment.

“Exactly. According to our plan, the enemy will focus their assault on our left flank, where the 1st Provisional Corps and the 8th Corps' 7th Infantry Regiments are positioned.”  
“Hmm.” 

Since I had led troops primarily composed of conscripts in the Rus Kingdom, I could easily predict the responses of the predominantly conscripted Brotan Kingdom army.

“Your words are correct. They seem to intend to maximize their numerical advantage, even if just in part, to maintain morale, correct?”  
“Yes.” 

Conscripts would quickly collapse without assurances of rewards and numerical superiority, and this tendency would be especially pronounced during attacks.

To prevent this, the kingdom army would strive to maintain localized troop superiority as much as possible, and placing the lesser-known 1st Provisional Corps on the left flank was a tactic to lure the enemy's concentration of troops to the left.

“We can move according to our plan.”  
“Correct. After the battle begins on the left flank, they will feign defeat and retreat to lure the enemy's right flank. Then, if the enemy troops that advance deep are ambushed by the reinforcements from the center, the left flank's troops, and the cavalry regiments hidden behind the left flank, the Brotan army will collapse in an instant.”  
“...”  
“Can the 1st Provisional Corps pull it off?” 

Having the troops that would face the enemy's main force safely retreating and then counterattacking would be difficult for regular soldiers.

The officers of the 8th Corps doubted whether the 1st Provisional Corps could manage that.

“There is no one better than the 1st Provisional Corps to do this.”  
“...? Understood.” 

The doubts faded as the officers who had observed the training of the 1st Provisional Corps spoke up.

“Then our right flank will attack the enemy’s left flank, while the left flank will advance to strike the enemy's center's side?”  
“That’s right. They have deployed most of their cavalry on the right flank. With the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and the 3rd Cavalry Regiment from the 8th Corps, we should be able to sufficiently break their right flank. Isn’t that right?”  
“Of course!” 

Franz Oliver, the commander of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment of the 8th Corps, responded confidently.

“Good. We need not delay any longer.” 

Gerhardt rose from his seat, pulling out his rugged and worn sword instead of his command staff.

“It’s time to start the battle. Move to your positions!”  
“Yes!”  
“Understood, Commander!” 

At his command, the officers responded energetically and scattered, while I waited a moment before rising last.

“Deputy Commander Viktor. Please ensure everything is handled smoothly until the end.” 

Gerhardt spoke to me as I exited the barracks, his voice low.

“I will show you why I am called invincible.”  
“Ha ha.” 

I had no intention of casually commanding a battle in which everyone's lives were at stake, so I expressed my confidence without humility.