On the evening of the battle between the 1st Army and the Kingdom forces.

Friedrich, commanding the deception operation of the 2nd Army in the direction of Montpieu, convened an emergency meeting, gathering the officers.

“What’s going on here?”  
“Emergency? What the hell...?”

Next to Friedrich stood a scout who was still catching his breath.

The tension on Friedrich’s face was palpable, and the Imperial Army officers realized that something was seriously amiss.

“There’s a report that enemy reinforcements have been spotted. Please explain in detail.”  
“Understood.”  
“!”  
“Reinforcements?!”  
“Quiet. Let the scout finish his explanation before speaking.”

As Friedrich mentioned the enemy reinforcements, the officers were taken aback and murmured among themselves. After calming them down, the scout cautiously began to speak.

“This morning, we confirmed that a troop of about 10,000 enemy soldiers, who had advanced towards Triel, has separated and is moving to the rear.”  
“10,000?”  
“Such numbers...”  
“Based on their direction and confirmed marching speed, they are likely to join forces with Gaston Chartier by tomorrow noon.”

The news that the enemy reinforcements would arrive the next day plunged the Imperial Army officers into deep thought.

“If they join, it’s only a matter of time before the enemy moves!” 

As one officer stood up, echoing the scout's warning, they understood that the enemy was currently hesitant to act, as their numbers were comparable to their own.

The moment the Kingdom forces regained their numerical advantage, they would likely act without delay.

“The 1st Army contacted us earlier.”  
“Yes, they reported encountering forces led by Bébys Lefebvre.”

Moreover, it was not long since they had received word of the encounter with the enemy.

“Is there any way to prevent their joining forces?”  
“The size of their reinforcements is significant, and they are taking a safe route to the rear. Blocking their union is difficult.”  
“What about the possibility of our side sending reinforcements at the right time?”  
“While the Kingdom forces are not to be compared to the Imperial Army, an enemy with numbers equal to ours cannot be underestimated.”  
“Indeed. Bébys Lefebvre is a seasoned figure in the Kingdom. I’m sure General Gerhardt will lead us to victory, but sending reinforcements is a different matter.”  
“Hmm…”

The prospect of quickly joining forces with the 1st Army before the enemy showed movement and executing the original plan to attack the Kingdom forces at Gaston seemed increasingly challenging.

“...” 

The officers hesitated, glancing at Friedrich in silence before one finally spoke.

“...General Viktor also instructed that if the enemy moves faster than expected, we should retreat to Rochelle immediately.”  
“That’s right. We must conserve our strength to be ready for a counterattack with the 1st Army.”  
“...”

One of the staff officers from the 8th Corps cautiously mentioned the retreat. Bolstered by this, the other officers began to explain the reasons for the retreat to Friedrich.

“The role of the 2nd Army was to hold back the 25,000 enemy troops so that Bébys’s forces could not support them. Since the 1st Army has engaged the enemy yet they remain still, our objective has already been achieved.”  
“...Alright. The 2nd Army will retreat to Rochelle.”

With a furrowed brow, Friedrich sighed deeply and decided on the retreat, but,

“However, we cannot simply withdraw without taking action.”

His idea of retreat was slightly different from that of the other officers.

“The news of the 1st Army’s victory will surely reach the Kingdom forces. While they may desire battle, if the troops are demoralized by news of a defeat, it changes the situation. And during such a time, we suddenly retreat?”

Seeing this situation akin to the crossing of the Vildorn River, he stood up and raised his voice.

“General Viktor’s plan is to annihilate most of the enemy’s expeditionary force. While the enemy might realize our actual numbers and turn to offense, if we retreat quickly and safely, they might hesitate to pursue us out of fear of ambush, counterattack, or deception.”  
“...”

Friedrich found himself drawn to Viktor’s plan, which involved a significant risk in striking down the enemy forces rapidly.

“If we fail to strike now and simply let them go, they will regroup and return stronger. Now is the chance while the enemy is in a precarious situation. We will maintain our formation, and when the enemy begins to move, we will initiate a retreat to draw them in.” 

He boldly proposed the strategy of effectively using the 2nd Army as bait to keep the Kingdom forces firmly engaged.

“That’s dangerous! The enemy’s numbers are three times ours; we cannot predict what might happen during the retreat!”  
“We still do not know when the 1st Army can join us. If their arrival is delayed, Rochelle will be at risk!”  
“Danger? To achieve a great reward, one must take risks.”

The officers, aware that retreating in the face of the enemy was incomparably more challenging than a typical retreat, voiced their concerns, but Friedrich, who had previously pressed on with the crossing of the Vildorn River operation, was unwilling to yield this time.

“But...”

The staff officers attempted to explain how risky Friedrich’s proposed strategy might be, but then—

*Rustle.*

“General! General Friedrich! Urgent news!”  
“Hmm?”  
“Victory! Under General Viktor’s command, the Imperial Army’s 1st Army has completely annihilated Bébys’s forces!” 

The messenger who rushed in first delivered the news of the 1st Army’s victory.

“They also sent word that they will organize reinforcements as soon as possible and set off by tomorrow morning!”  
“...A complete victory?”  
“To send reinforcements the very next day...”  
“General Viktor commanded? Wasn’t the 1st Army led by Gerhardt?” 

The 8th Corps officers murmured in surprise at the news of a complete victory against an enemy of similar size, led by Viktor instead of Gerhardt. However, to Friedrich, who had some knowledge of Viktor’s abilities due to the success of the strategic meeting and the deception operation, the most important fact was that reinforcements would be dispatched the following day.

“Then, we must revise our plan.”

Instead of being surprised like the other officers, he looked around them with a confident expression.

“We will aim not for retreat but for deception. We will lure the enemy near Apitelo Lake and crush them together with the reinforcements from the 1st Army!”

No officer dared to oppose Friedrich’s assertion, brimming with confidence after the 1st Army had engaged in battle.

“First...” 

They began to contemplate how to lure the Kingdom forces into their trap.

---

**The Next Morning.**

“Bébys, Auguste... you useless fools...!” 

Gaston Chartier ground his teeth, recalling the information relayed by Bébys and Auguste’s messenger who had arrived the previous day.

Despite leading 30,000 men, Auguste had given up the attack against a mere 10,000 soldiers, and Bébys had suffered a complete defeat against an enemy of similar size.

The fact that Bébys had lost against the Imperial Army, which amounted to 35,000, was particularly shocking to Gaston.

The scouts under Viktor’s orders had intercepted Bébys’s messenger just before the engagement, so Gaston only learned that the enemy numbers exceeded 30,000 upon receiving news of Bébys’s defeat.

It wasn’t until he heard that it was Gerhardt leading those Imperial troops that he realized the enemy had employed deception tactics. However, it was far too late for him to move his forces by the time the messenger arrived.

Engaging in a night battle with a conscript-heavy army was nearly suicidal, so he had to resign himself to awaiting the next day, even knowing that the Imperial Army he faced likely numbered only around 10,000.

Gaston had no way of knowing that Viktor had intercepted Bébys’s messenger, and upon encountering the enemy, he felt resentment towards Bébys for not sending a messenger with information immediately.

“What will we do?”  
“Hmm...”  

Gaston, who had been pulling his hair in frustration, was questioned by Gaspar Perrin, who had joined him with reinforcements that morning.

“Count Matthieu Delon. What is the status of the Imperial Army?”  

Gaston, half-giving up, asked Matthieu about the enemy’s movements.

In his mind, it wouldn’t be surprising if he received an answer that their camps were already empty.

The Imperial Army, having fulfilled its role of holding back 25,000 men, had no reason to remain here.

If they retreated without giving him any leeway, Gaston would be forced to prepare for punishment for failing to achieve results.

Originally, the goal was to reclaim the Vildorn River area, but given that Bébys’s forces were shattered, if Gaston lost his army too, it would become difficult for the Brotan Kingdom to fend off the Imperial onslaught.

To him, protecting the Kingdom was more important than any punishment.

However,

“There’s been no significant movement.”  
“...What?”  

At Matthieu’s report that the Imperial Army was still in place, Gaston sprang up from his seat.

With 35,000 men fighting against Bébys and 10,000 holding back Auguste, the Imperial Army before him could only amount to about 10,000 at most.

If they remained still, Gast

on thought, there was still hope for the Kingdom forces.

“Are you sure about that?”  
“Yes. They are maintaining their defensive posture, just as they were yesterday.”  
“Hmm...”  

Already contemplating the intentions of the Imperial Army maintaining their deception even after completing their mission, he recalled the report of Gerhardt leading the battle against Bébys.

“...Gerhardt commanded the battle against Bébys, you say?”  
“That’s right.”  

A small smile crept onto Gaston’s face as he remembered the report of Gerhardt showing himself in the Sheyne area.

“Ha ha. Ha ha ha...”  
“...General?”  
“For now, keep monitoring their movements. Report anything unusual immediately.”  
“Understood.”  
“I’ll be waiting.”  

After giving Matthieu his orders, Gaston awaited his report.

Not long after,

“The Imperial Army is moving supplies to the rear and calling back scouts. They’re hastily dismantling their camps and reorganizing some of their troops.”  

It was confirmed that the Imperial Army was preparing to retreat.

“A chance! This is an opportunity!”  

Gaston assessed the situation as a gap created by the Imperial Army acting on Gerhardt’s orders from afar.

The Imperial Army, which moved only by the command of their general, had previously made such mistakes; feeling the frustration of their own side’s inadequate performance, he decided to seize this slender chance instead of remaining quietly in retreat.

“Prepare to march at once! We must attack before they complete their preparations for retreat!”  

Gaston was convinced that striking now and annihilating the enemy was the only opportunity for the Kingdom forces to maintain their numerical advantage and urged the officers to prepare for the assault.

“The enemy could send reinforcements...”  
“Reinforcements? Bébys’s location is at least 30 km from here. Unless he surrendered immediately upon encountering the enemy, there’s no way reinforcements could arrive today!”  

Gaspar, feeling inexplicable anxiety, brought up the possibility of reinforcements, but Gaston firmly dismissed it.

Having endured years of war, he understood that it was impossible for a troop that had just engaged in fierce combat to cover a distance of 30 km the very next day.

“The sudden revealing of such a gap seems suspicious.”  
“The enemy is the Imperial Army led by Gerhardt. This could be a trap!”  
“Gerhardt is not here! A trap? Our forces outnumber theirs by more than three times. We could easily break through even a substantial trap!”  

Gaston, losing his composure in his desperation, refused to yield to the other officers' warnings.

“...Understood.”  

The officers of the Kingdom Army, seeing Gaston in such a frenzied state, no longer opposed him and complied with his orders.

“Are you anxious? Matthieu! Use every scout available to uncover the enemy’s intentions! This is our last chance!”  
“Yes!”  

Gaston commanded to utilize even the scouts he had been saving for emergencies, and as soon as the troops were ready to set off, he mounted his horse.

“Let’s go! Let’s crush those Imperial bastards!”  

Around 1 PM, he charged with his sword drawn at the Imperial Army, which still appeared to be preparing for retreat.