The Extra Wants To Live

Carl's force was not very large in number. The number of troops that the Laurel Alliance, which unites the eastern part of the empire, can mobilize is enormous. However, because the war broke out so suddenly, there was no conscription, and most of the troops were formed as standing forces.

Additionally, many troops had to be deployed along the border with the mountain range to stop the monsters that emerged from the Celle Mountains. Moreover, Carl could not withdraw too many troops when Goban's forces had to surround and blockade Jihan. It is also because of this background that the Laurel Union's forces could not be divided into three.

Carl even left behind some of his troops with supplies for the sake of mobility. Therefore, the total number of combat-ready soldiers in Carl's force was less than 3,000. Even though it was an empire, they couldn't gather troops only in the eastern part of the empire without conscription, without hiring many mercenaries, and without investing strength elsewhere, and then move around with tens of thousands of men.

Against this backdrop, Hardion's sudden invasion was originally a reckless act that could not even be attempted. But with Yusuf fighting fiercely in central and eastern Tumaria and actually committing such absurd acts, there wasn't much power in western Tumaria to counter him.

Even so, it is by no means true that the Tumari rebels moved without conscription like Carl. They invaded without even declaring war, but the number of Laurel Union troops that set foot on the land of Tumari was 10,000. It was impossible not to notice them moving. Naturally, conscription began as soon as the news was delivered, and the number of reinforcements dispatched to rescue Jihan reached 14,000.

In other words, Charles declared that even if he were to launch a surprise night attack with his entire standing army, he would be able to repel an enemy of 14,000 with a force of less than 3,000 men. Carl was the only one who knew the number of enemies, but everyone knew that it would not be a small number.

Everyone was pessimistic about this battle itself. Common sense told them that they were fighting at a time when they should not be fighting, with an opponent they should not be fighting. Here, they had already lost strategically.

But if you asked whether the morale had dropped, the answer was no, absolutely not. On the contrary, the soldiers' morale was sky-high. Only the commanding officers, agonizing over strategy and tactics, were full of worries.

"Look into the eyes of those who are ready to jump into battle following a reckless plan. I have never seen soldiers with such a firm belief in victory in my entire life."

One commander even exclaimed, either in amazement or a sigh, at his soldiers' unusually high morale. These soldiers were all standing troops, and they were soldiers that the commanders personally brought from each territory in the eastern part of the empire. But at some point, they started to act as if they were Carl's private soldiers, and their morale soared to the sky, so much so that one couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

"I feel like I'm possessed by the devil."

"Watch your words."

Someone muttered quietly at the sight of all the knowledge of military science and mercenary arts that had been studied and passed down for a long time becoming meaningless. Then, those who were frightened by the dangerous wordplay of comparing His Highness the Grand Duke to the devil warned him.

Every single one of those actions showed Carl's powerful charisma.

"The enemy is approaching. They will arrive shortly."

Tension rose as the scout's report was delivered.

"What are the enemy's numbers and armament levels?"

"I couldn't confirm their number, but I think there are at least 10,000."

"Hmm…!"

Despite that terrible news, no one said anything like, "We can't do it anymore," "Let's step back," or "Let's persuade Carl." Although the enemy was vastly outnumbered, the battle was ultimately won by Carl.

They ended up fighting where and when Carl wanted. How on earth did they know the exact time and place? Are you really a devil?

"… Prepare for battle. His Highness the Grand Duke… No, it's okay."

The commanders who led the infantry abandoned unnecessary concerns about Carl.

Now, he really didn't know what was going on. At the same time, he felt like Carl would truly know how to handle the situation. The fact that Carl was still a young man of only eighteen years old had already faded from his mind.

The infantry of Carl's force was hidden behind a rocky hill rising from the desert, located to the right, or north, of the Tumari rebels' position. A little to the west, opposite them, the cavalry led by Charles himself waited in hiding.

The tactics the infantry had to carry out were simple. They were to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's flank while the rebels were on a long march, causing confusion and tying up their movements. If possible, it would be ideal to split the enemy in two by having Master Jaren lead the way. Meanwhile, Carl would lead his cavalry and charge from the opposite side, attacking those who had turned their backs to the infantry.

The goal was not to kill them outright but to create confusion and fear so that the conscripts would flee. If the conscripts started running away in droves, the morale of the standing army would also begin to drop. The ranks would break down, and they would drive a wedge there to destroy the enemy.

In a war that started without a declaration of war, no one would cry out for honor when discussing a surprise night attack. After all, they were fighting against the Tumari rebels, who did not even consider their opponents as the regular army of a country.

"Master Jaren, I ask you to lead the way."

"Yes."

Jaren answered calmly, not seeming to be nervous at all, and strode forward, pushing through the soldiers. The soldiers felt their hearts strengthen as they looked at Jaren's cool and composed back.

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Soon, the sound of enemy footsteps marching could be heard. There must have been so many of them that even the sound of their footsteps was threatening.

"… … ."

Everyone held their breath and waited for their moment. Fortunately, the enemy did not send scouts. It was too far from the Goban unit, and Carl's unit was thought to be concentrating its efforts on conquering Gabiha, which was three to four days away.

For them, the surprise attack by Carl's unit was literally an 'impossible attack.' They could not even imagine that the soldiers who ran like crazy for that impossible attack would have their eyes wide open in this moment.

"Damn, pull a little harder."

Those at the end of the infantry formation hesitated, retreating inward.

As the waiting time grew longer and the moon rose overhead, the shadow of the rocky hill where they could hide grew shorter. One wrong move could lead to the enemy discovering them before the order was given. The soldiers slowly advanced up the rocky hill as if chased by the moonlight.

There was some noise, but fortunately, it wasn't detected. The noise made by the Tumari rebels themselves was loud, and they were too tired and annoyed from the night march to pay attention to such trivial matters.

The nobles in charge of the infantry climbed slightly behind the soldiers to higher ground and watched the enemy slowly revealing themselves. If they attacked too early, the enemy's rear would regain stability while they fought the enemy's vanguard. Conversely, if they were too late, they might be discovered or lose the enemy without being able to fight properly.

The important thing was precise timing. That moment when they created the pain of being stabbed in the side while their guard was down to inflict maximum confusion and fear on their enemy.

It was very difficult to get that timing right.

But surprisingly, everyone could feel the timing accurately.

"I, I, I… … ."

"… … This is crazy."

On the other side, slightly to the west, on top of a hill, a horse walked leisurely.

Neither the nobles nor the soldiers of the Laurel Union could recognize who the beautiful white horse shining in the moonlight belonged to.

No, how could they not recognize the sight of Carl sitting atop that steed, gleaming in full plate armor, with his red tassel and red cape fluttering!

"… … What is that?"

Hidan, the commander leading the reinforcements for the rescue of Jihan, looked around from his palanquin and suddenly saw an unidentified figure appearing on the hill to the southwest and asked.

Everyone turned their heads to look at Carl, but no one could tell what the lone figure was that had appeared alone in this empty wilderness.

Knock knock!

A sturdy man walking beside her, his body wrapped tightly in yellow cloth, beat his chest to get her attention and calmly moved his hands to convey his message.