Became a Strategist With an Intelligence of 100 and an Accuracy Rate of 100%

37 – Episode 37. Battle in the North (1)

*

Departing from Kelstein Castle, we rode horses to the north.

The distance to the fortress was not very far.

It seemed like it had just been completed, and the fortress itself looked very strong – but I couldn’t help but face a fundamental question.

‘Why on earth did they build a fortress in a place like this?’

No matter how much I thought about it, it didn’t seem to have much strategic value.

Because the immediate surroundings were empty plains.

Of course, it can serve as a forward base. Because Kelstein Castle and Cherien Castle, located at the southernmost tip of Serpina County, were quite far away.

In that case, rather than spending so much time and resources building a fortress, I thought it would be better to build a simple camp or watchtower.

If a fortress was taken, it would become the enemy’s.

It was even more so when I thought about it being taken away.

Not from the Brans army’s point of view, but from the Serpina army’s point of view, it seemed like it would be very useful if this fortress was obtained.

Considering that a considerable amount of gold, labor, and time were consumed to build a fortress, there was a possibility that the Brans army would end up giving dogs to dogs.

‘I guess he has his own thoughts.’

If you think about it, when playing this game, the CPUs did not make any strategic arrangements and instead built forts and towers in the available empty spaces.

There was no need to think deeply.

After entering the fortress, we were able to easily meet Kalinz Brans, the younger brother of Lin Brans, the general and monarch in charge of this fortress.

A handsome man with blue hair and a refreshing look.

There was also a brown-haired middle-aged man standing next to me, but he didn’t recognize me.

“I, Irene, have just arrived with 10,000 soldiers under orders from my lord.”

Carlinz spoke quite warmly to Iren, who slightly bowed her head in greeting.

“Oh, General Irene. You’ve arrived. You came sooner than expected. And again…”

Carlinz looked at us standing behind Iren.

“This is Jack from Brans County.”

“This is Silin from the Brans Army.”

“This is Swen from Brans County.”

Jack, Silin, and Carlinz, who received my greeting, looked at my face for a long time.

“Hmm… Haven’t you met me before somewhere?”

Yes.

Kalintz was the first enemy general I met when I came to this world.

If the mercenaries hadn’t helped, Zeeland Castle would have already been taken over by this man.

But.

“It looks ordinary, so I think the general was confused.”

“Really? Hmm… I can’t agree with the statement that it’s normal, but I’m not sure about this either.”

How did you get through it so well?

There is no need to tell this man that he was a member of the Luna Lien Army.

From Noble mtl dot com

I could hear it from Rin later, but there was no need to tell me anyway.

“Okay. 10,000… What about the castle’s guards?”

“Without the National Guard, we could only bring additional soldiers dispatched by the lord.”

“Really? Rathion… Why are you hesitating? Who knew when an opportunity like this would come!”

Kalinz lightly pounded his fist on the desk as if he was annoyed.

The sound of banging filled this space little by little.

“By the way… 10,000? Lin- No, the lord dispatched 10,000 soldiers to Kelstein Castle?”

“Yes.”

“It’s good that you sent it at the right time, but… If you had sent more, we would have definitely been able to secure the victory, but it’s a shame.”

Calintz Brans was spending his time building this fortress instead of attending regular meetings.

What is communicated at regular meetings is only the matters decided at the meeting, not the meeting process.

So – it was different from the Racion I spoke to with Farfalle in the 1:1 discussion.

Kalinz does not know the situation itself.

So, I can’t help but think of it as ‘good timing.’

At that time, Irene carefully asked Kalinz.

“Mr. Kalinz. If you say that you were able to secure the victory…?”

“Ah. From now on, we are going to gather this army and immediately attack Ian’s just-raised Cherien Castle.”

“…!”

What?

The current fortress strength is 28,000, plus the 10,000 we brought, the number is 38,000.

Enemy troops number 40,000 according to the latest information. There was a possibility that it would increase further.

It would be difficult to win even if all of them were dragged along, but at least 3,000 people had to be left behind in the fortress for emergencies.

No matter how realistic the game on which this world is based is not very realistic in terms of strategy/tactics, and is a game that feels like a game where S-class weapons cut down a large number of soldiers, in order to wage a siege, you still need to bring about 70,000 men to win. You’ll see what you can do…… ?

‘Ah.’

At that time.

For some reason, I felt like I knew what Kalinz was aiming for.

Is this guy aiming for ‘the state of confusion when the rebels just raised an army’?

“Um, Kalintz. What is your lord’s family name…?”

In response to a question from a middle-aged man standing next to him, Kalinz spoke as if he was asking something like that.

“I am a person, along with my brother, who has been given the authority to independently carry out operational actions within the Brans Army without consulting the lord.”

“But when operating such a large force-“

“Besides, now is the time for a surprise attack. If you report them one by one and wait for an answer, you will miss the opportunity. Can you take responsibility for that?”

When Kalinz cut him off, the man said with an expression of regret, unable to say anything.

“…No. Excuse me.”

Kalintz tapped the man on the shoulder and said.

“Thank you for your concern. But trust me, I have my own thoughts.”

At that time.

Irene said, carefully raising her hand.

“General Kalintz. No matter how much I think about it, I think it would be impossible to go to war.”

“Huh? Why?”

Iren began to explain to Kalinz as politely as possible.

“Prior to a siege, the number of troops attacking must be greater than the number of troops defending. I think it would be very difficult to occupy a castle with fewer troops than the number of troops defending.”

Carlinz nodded at Iren’s words.

He then made an expression as if he didn’t know anything and spoke.

“Under normal circumstances, Irene, I think everything you said is correct. It would be close to impossible to attack a castle with more troops with fewer troops. However, the current situation is not normal.”

“What do you mean by no?”

“Because Ian’s army had just started a rebellion, the order within the castle must have been disrupted. The soldiers stationed in the castle and serving Serpina took a nap for a moment, but when they woke up, the lord they were serving had changed. Like this. In such a situation, morale is bound to drop. No matter how many troops there are, if a soldier has lost the will to fight, there is no need to be afraid even if the number doubles or triples. In a chaotic situation, you can quickly clear out an interceptor with low morale who has come out to capture a siege weapon. “If there is, I think there is a good chance of winning.”

‘As expected.’

In this game, if an existing castle is taken over through a rebellion and an army is raised, the soldiers’ morale drops drastically.

If you think about it with common sense, it would be strange if the lord you serve suddenly changed and you weren’t confused.

And the ‘morale’ value in this game really had a big impact on the battle.

A scene where 10,000 soldiers with high morale, with an SS-rank general at the forefront, defeat 30,000 soldiers with very low morale.

I also saw this quite often while playing this game for 10,000 hours.

But.

‘Unfortunately, that’s not the case this time.’

First, I judged that Ian’s morale at Cherien Castle had fallen.

There were two points here that suggested this would not be the case.

First, when you think about it from a world perspective.

Ian Rashphalt, who started the rebellion, was originally one of the monarchs with his own force called ‘Ian County’ that existed in the north in the in-game scenario.

From what I remember of his background, I remembered that he was a fanatical traitor to his older brother, Algot von Eingart, whom Serpina von Eyngart had killed.

Because it is a game where there are always variables, I don’t know why he is under Serpina-kun in this world line, but-

Anyway, it meant that there was a proper foundation, unlike what others said.

For the soldiers who served alongside him, it was surprisingly likely that their morale would not have fallen that much.

And second. When you just think systematically.

In the game on which this world is based, this is the only case where morale does not drop despite the uprising.

It was when the characters designated as monarchs rebelled.

That’s it, but seeing as my prediction of intelligence of 100 came true no matter what, I couldn’t ignore the fact that the ‘system’ could be applied here as well.

And, the fact that Ian was originally a monarch is information that Kalintz cannot know.

Because he was just a person who would live in this world line.

Of course, whether I think this way or not-

Carlinz was excited and spoke as if he was almost sure of his prediction.

“If you think that way, the difference in troops of about 5,000 can be overcome. I wouldn’t have overdone it if I had only about 28,000, but it’s worth a try with 38,000. With a minimum of 3,000 left, “Then we attack immediately with a large force of 35,000 men. We attack Serpina quickly before they can even understand the situation.”

‘So that’s what happened.’

If they had not sent troops at all, Kalinz would not have gone into a fight they were sure to lose.

Because Rin sent troops ambiguously, she seemed to have made him think that it was worth a try.

Of course, in a game based on this world, it was not impossible for 35,000 soldiers to occupy a castle with 40,000 people.

If you recruit the ‘Jerome Mercenary Group’, a mercenary group specializing in sieges, and somehow gather three or more generals who have siege specialties, which are few on the continent, and then load up the SS-level generals with high leadership skills with siege weapons, it’s like cake. It would have been easy to take over.

But that wasn’t the case now.

“Moreover, fortunately, you, known as a siege warfare specialist, happened to be here.”

Kalintz spoke as if praising Iren.

It is true that she had her siege skills, but she could not turn the tide of the war on her own.

“But…”

“Don’t argue. I have no intention of changing my mind. This is an opportunity! A chance to invade Cherien Castle and make a mark!”

I sighed as I watched Kalinz giving an impassioned speech.

‘It seems like you’re obsessed with getting credit.’

Thinking like that, I was able to naturally guess why a fortress was built in such a place.

Literally, did you want to show yourself doing something?

Kalinz Brans. The second of the three Brans children, between Lin Brans, who became the successor to the Brans family, and Chell Brans, known as the first sword of Brans.

He was an S-class general with a calm personality who had the advantage of being easier to deal with compared to his more aggressive brother-

Looking at it objectively, he was surpassed by his older brother as a general, and in terms of his leadership ability, he was surpassed by his younger brother, who was a monarch.

Although he was certainly outstanding, he was relatively the most ordinary general among his three siblings.

He was strong in his own way and didn’t get caught easily by tricks, so he was a reliable character like rice soup for game players, but seeing him so anxious made me realize that, according to the in-game explanation, he was not a character that exists in this world, but a human being. It was like realizing once again that everything can never be explained.

Is it inevitable that even ‘calm’ people will end up like that when they are backed into a corner?

Furthermore, he failed to lead 8,000 men to attack Zeeland Castle, which had only about 3,000 men.

I thought maybe I was making him nervous.

But, you have to overcome it on your own.

In this situation, it was not a good idea to set up a confrontation with him by saying, ‘It’s dangerous, so you shouldn’t go to battle.’

If I had incurred unnecessary hatred, my life could have been in danger in an unexpected place.

Unless it was someone like Luna who trusted me unconditionally, the safest course was to not express an opinion as much as possible.

“We must move before the Serpina army moves. An opportunity like this will not come again. I will give you 10,000 soldiers, so prepare to go quickly. I will follow soon.”

Looking at her attitude in Kalinz, it seemed like she was trying to make her her vanguard.

It’s not my job to give in a hundred times and end up defeating the soldiers, so I don’t care, but I can’t stand to see Irene as the vanguard in a battle that is tantamount to guaranteed defeat.

If anything goes wrong, she will end up on the receiving end of everything.

Now was the time for me to step forward.

“Hey, General Kalinz.”

“What is it?”

“If it’s okay, I’d like to briefly express my opinion.”

“Tell me.”

“I don’t think it is the right choice to send troops to General Irene to fight now.”

Kalinz, who heard what I said, twitched his eyebrows and asked.

A strange day stood out in those words.

“Ho? Hey, what was your name?”

“It’s called Swen.”

“Yes, Swen. Are you saying this now? That my plan to attack Calinz Brans’ Cherien Castle was the wrong choice?”

If it were normal, I would have wondered why I got scratched by myself, but at this moment, I was extremely grateful.

‘Is attacking Cherien Castle the wrong choice?’

[Yes.]

‘That’s right.’

You can’t say that, so let’s look very sorry here.

“It is not reasonable. However, as it is a very difficult battle, it is more efficient for General Kalinz, who has continued to fight in the north and is familiar with the situation in the north, to take the lead rather than General Airen, who has stayed in the rear for a long time and lacks experience. “I just think.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

“Yes. Since I also live off the rust of Brans’ army, I keep hearing news from Kalintz in the north. If you want to make a contribution, I think now would be a good opportunity.”

Carlinz must have really liked what I said, so he spoke without any of the sharp attitude he had felt just now.

“Then, since it is an important battle, I will take the lead.”

As expected, it works.

His younger sister, Lynn Brans, was certainly talented, but somewhat arrogant and indecisive. She also had a very dark inferiority complex.

His older brother, Chell Brans, was a general with very strong abilities, but due to his arrogant personality, he acted somewhat recklessly and sometimes got things wrong.

What these two people have in common is arrogance.

It was not difficult to guess that a person who shared the same blood would be somewhat arrogant no matter how calm he was.

It was very easy to deal with a person like that.

All you have to do is give it a little boost.

Besides, he was currently in a state of nervousness. As he has a high level of pride in himself, he probably wants to quickly show that he is not pushed aside by his older and younger siblings.

“Did you say you were Swen? Are you interested in doing a feat with me?”

“No. As you can see, I have a weak constitution… So I don’t think it will be of much help in battle.”

“I see.”

Kalinz turned his head away without asking me any more questions.

“Then we will prepare for departure immediately. In the meantime, I will leave this fortress to Parc.”

“I understand!”

The brown-haired man finally opened his mouth.

He was a general called Parque.

Even though I hear the name, I don’t really understand it. He doesn’t seem to be that important.

“I think those of you who followed Iren should also protect the fortress. And Irene, I’m sorry, but I would like you to take charge of the rear this time. Please assist General Miguel, who will be marching out with me.”

“”Old!””

Why don’t you drag me, Cylin, and Jack along?

After Kalinz left the fortress, I whispered into Irene’s ear as she prepared to go out after him.

“Iren. Please secure a retreat route by somehow deploying at least 5,000 troops to the rear. If possible, it is okay to deploy more.”

“Swen…”

After hearing what I said, Irene looked around for a moment and then asked me carefully.

“You… Do you think we can’t win?”

“Yes.”

Actually, I was more confident than I thought. Because I made a prediction.

Irene must have been as skeptical as me. She slowly nodded her head without asking why.

“Then, the story about being at the forefront-“

She tried to ask me if there was anything, but-

Soon, he slowly closed and opened his eyes and answered my words.

“…I understand. I will try to persuade General Miguel to make a suggestion. If I tell General Carlintz directly, he will not listen.”

“Please, please. Oh, and one more thing. It’s even more important than what I said before.”

I spoke in a more serious tone than ever.

“No matter what happens, please make sure to come back alive, Irene.”

“…!”

Whether the Brans army suffered consecutive defeats or the other generals died, that was a burden that had to be borne by Lin, not me.

What I want to protect in this country is not the unattainable dream of Lord Lyn Brans-

Everything that made her up to herself was Irene’s will to stand firm despite denying herself.

After hearing what I said, Irene froze for a moment and said nothing, and then-

Soon, she nodded slowly.

“I promise.”

“I believe it, Irene.”

She didn’t say anything at my words, but turned her head and walked away.

She didn’t say anything – but I could definitely see it.

Although it was faint, she was smiling.