As you can imagine, the guns were not very effective.
　The enemy forces had their sorcerers in front and were fully prepared for the guns.
　They put up a circular defensive wall to repel bullets.

　Also, shields and other objects were also slanted to deflect bullets and miss their power as much as possible.

''I knew it was being countered,''

　He says bitterly.

　A general who has gained an overwhelming advantage will experience the teething of it becoming untenable with time.

　Even in a previous life, there was a fighter plane called the Zero fighter that was fierce at first, but by the end of the war, it was reduced to a mere papier-mâché. That's how I feel.

Is that an exaggeration? After all, in this medieval-like world, guns are the most powerful weapons.

　If you look at the magic of 《Distant View》, the soldiers of the troops who couldn't put up a defensive wall are still covered with enormous damage, and the enemy troops were afraid of the second and third shots of the guns and couldn't move easily.

　Cephiro must have seen this too.
　He said.

'Hmm, it seems that it is a false rumor that the enemy forces have succeeded in developing guns too.

'I hope so. 'More importantly, Erdre will be gloating over this stalemate. As for the enemy army, it would be great if they could neutralize the guns. Magic power can be restored by giving them elixir, and it will return to normal after some time. But the gunpowder and bullets are expendable.

Is the enemy general trying to get us to run out of ammunition?

That's very likely.

"Then there is no need to follow the enemy's wishes. My Seventh Legion or the Fifth. Or the White Rose Guards of Alistair. Either way. We should divert and flank them.

Yes, of course I will. I've already contacted Lord Alistair.

You're very fast.

　Cephiro pays him that compliment, but that compliment quickly turns to bitterness.
　Giron reports.

'Alistair-dono's flanking attack on the White Rose Knights has failed. Apparently, the enemy forces anticipated this and shooed their troops into hiding.''

　The word "I knew it," came to mind before the disappointment. In addition, I wondered about Alistair's health.
　I ask.
　Jiron tells him exactly what Alistair would have told him.

'I have managed to stay in this world. The Petty Officer will persevere until Lord Ike brings peace to this world.

That's good to hear.

　I responded by ordering the Uruk to go to war.
　Cephiro asks me about it.

"Are you sure? You're sure?

That's why I'm throwing it in.

　Uruk, Commander of the 5th Legion, is a monocular demon and the leader of the Cyclops. There are many giants and trolls under his command, and it is a treasure trove of large demonic tribes and monsters.

　Although his mobility is the slowest of all the legions, his destructive power was one of the best among all the legions.

''At this time, I don't intend for Uruk-dono to fight a carefree war from the rear,''

　As I said this, the message arranged by Jiron ran through the battlefield.

　On the other hand, I had no intention of letting the 7th Legion, currently commanded by Kushana of Manticore, play with me either.

　They would charge in from the front, and in order to encircle and annihilate the one side of the enemy army that would be split in half, they would be asked to go around and charge the flank.

''Another flank. Since the right-hand turn failed earlier, should we go left this time?

Here's an idea. The ambushers to the right are already out there. So I'm going to attack the right side again.

There could be double ambushes.

Then we'll just shut up and get out of there again.

　Cephiro opens his mouth when I say that.
　Apparently, my plan is bold and fearless.

'In fact, it's better to be that bold. Right now, the battle lines are at a standstill. I'm sure you can do an unbeatable job even if you keep this up. What I want to do is not a battle to keep us from losing, but a battle to win. It's the kind of doctrine that helps us win.

Yeah, sure.

''It's most troubling if we are brought into a jittery war of attrition as it is. The number of the Demon King's army is limited, but the number of humans is far greater. At the moment, the center of the Alliance of the Lords is the remnants of Pharus, Ismas, and Rosalia, but there are many other countries in the west. Besides, if the Iuka itself stalemate continues, the great powers in the north might join the war. That great power might swallow the League of Lords and exterminate the Demon King's army as it is.

Ike, have you thought that far into this war?

　Cephiro says that with admiration, but that's too much of a buy-in.
　I'm not acting on the basis of such a deep and far-reaching conspiracy.

''We just want to minimize the damage to our allies as much as possible. It's not the first time that the Demon King's army is at a numerical disadvantage.

　As I said that, it seems that the 7th Legion's flanking attack was successful.
　At the same time, Uruk's frontal breakthrough was also successful.

　Uruk scattered the enemy sorcerer troops that had been deployed in front with his intimidation, and then he tore through the enemy lines as it was.

　Of course, the sorcerers fought back, but the giants had the toughness to hold off even a little magic.

　At the best of times, Uruk cut through the enemy lines, and at the best of times Kushana succeeded in flanking them.

　He was the best errand boy that could be in the tactical textbooks, but the enemy also used his trump card at the best time.

　The Kingdom of Pharus was traditionally a nation of military officers, but it was also well-developed in magic arts. They also possessed a large number of magical swordsmen, and their abilities were called one of the best in the west.

　If the Red Dragon Knights of E Ludre were the symbol of martial arts, then the symbol of magic in Pharus was the Magical Swordsmen Corps.

　It seems that when they cast the "Invisible" (Invisible) spell on themselves, they went directly to our rear.

　There were 2,000 troops there that had been waiting for the right time to deploy as a reserve force.
　They were being struck down one by one.

　The magic of the 《Invisible》 would be cancelled the moment the surgeon entered the attacking motion, but if you just walked around behind it, it would function without any problems.

　And an army was very vulnerable to not only flanking attacks, but also to hind attacks.

　Our troops were quickly being outnumbered.
　This dismay spread to the other units.

"Rear flank attacks are not your specialty, you know.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to find a way to get my hands on it, but I'm sure I want to spit on it too, seeing how poorly the demon king's army is doing.

　Overall, the Demon King's army still had the upper hand, but since the enemy army was behind us, we couldn't afford to relax.

If the supply line is blocked at this point, there will be no more food or ammunition coming in. If that happens, our army will surely lose.

Because no starving army has ever won a battle since the earliest times.

　Cephiro looks like she's bitten down on a bitter worm.

　The last time she had confronted E Ludre, she had fallen for his trickery and had been besieged by the town of Alesta. She remembered how badly she had been cut off from her supply at that time.

'Will the enemy forces cut off the supply route as it is?'

　I answer Cephiro's question. I take my time, slowly.
　The answer, drawn from my grandfather's military strategy, my experience, and my intuition, is no.

'Do you have a basis for this?'

'I have no reason to believe this, but if I were Erdre, I would attack as it is. Two reasons. 'E. Rudolais is a man who was put in prisoner's estate until recently. If he doesn't score a major military victory here, he could be imprisoned again in a heartbeat.

So you're saying that the enemy general knows it's better to cut off the supply routes and take the fight to the long haul, but he can't do it?

'Yes, sadly. Even though he knows he can win this way, he has to venture.

I see. But I don't see why I should let you succeed in this adventure. What about the Mage Squad?

'Anemone the Elf, and I will send extra troops to reinforce you. We won't be able to defeat them with that, but we just need to buy some time.

What's the use of stalling?

In the meantime, we have an artillery unit led by a dwarf to take over that hill.

　I pointed to a hill to the west.

　That hill was expected to be a fierce battleground from the start, and the two armies had been fighting over it since the beginning of the battle.

　There is an old saying that soldiers respect high ground. That's how important it is to hold the high ground.

　If you hold that place, the alliance will be able to fire as many projectiles and ballista as they want, and even if they don't, the terrain of a small mountain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It was also advantageous to be able to see the battlefield from a high vantage point.

''It is true that whoever controls that place will have the best chance of winning this battle, but the enemy army is thinking exactly the same thing. How do we take it?

I'm directing all of Eighth Army's forces to that side.

'What!　You're taking all the main forces off the front lines?　If this is not done well, the whole army could fall apart as it is.

'It's possible. But that terrain must be controlled. It's the only way we can beat this cruelty.

　As I said this, the self-confessed witch, who played the role of a military strategist, growled, "Mm..." "Yes, it's a gamble, but if you're going to take the place, you might as well take it.

It's a gamble, but if we can take that place, we'd better take it. Currently, the enemy's main force is held by Uruk and my army. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of this. If we're going to move, it's now or never.

　When I say that, it seems that the witch will follow my plan.
　I gave the order to the Crucible of Black Peril, the SS brought in from the 7th Legion.
　I also ordered the Eighth Legion's men, who were available, to head for the mountains to the west.
　A few moments later, the enemy army must have been thinking the same thing. They clashed with the enemy forces on the western hills.
　It seems that the wise men think the same thing after all.

''Is this a failed bet?''

　I thought so, but the god of fate was on my side.

　The banner of the enemy army that came was not that of the Phallus Kingdom. It belonged to some mercenary group and not a regular army.

　Then there were plenty of ways to deal with it.

　The mercenaries were a group of strong men, but their morale was low. The mercenaries were literally a group of men who worked for money.

　They weren't good-natured enough to fight for their lives.
　I order my men to lead the way.

''In this one battle, the Demon King's army is in decline. Fight to the last man, to the last man!

　I shouted and went to the front line to take command.
　A warlord and witch also appeared beside him, releasing magic.

　Two of the best wizards in the Demon King's army are fighting on the front line, releasing forbidden magic. There is no army that can't be pushed by their momentum.

　It's a good idea to have a good time with your friends.


''Oh, I can see Ike-sama's immortal robes!
That's Master Cephiro's battle flag.


　When I shouted that out of my mouth, they followed behind us as if they were our first.
　If that happened, the mercenary group, which was originally low in morale, would not be able to stay on the battlefield.
　No matter how much money they receive, they can't leave for the afterlife with gold coins in their arms.

　When Cephiro decided on the 《Meteorite Falling》 spell, the mercenary corps retreated at the same time, and the hill to the west was occupied by the Demon King's army.

　With that, I watch the battle situation from that hill.

　The front line, the battle between the Seventh Legion, the Fifth Legion and the main body of E Redre was dominated by Eldre. As expected of a great general. Even though he was torn through the camp and flanked, he was able to regroup and take the fight to more than five minutes as it was.

　His courageous commanding style was worthy of praise.
　On the other hand, our troops were also at a disadvantage in the rear.

　Originally, it was a newly established, ruling force unit organized around a raiding unit of the Demon King's Army that did not belong to any unit. If they were attacked from the hinterland by the enemy's elite soldiers, there was nothing they could do. The anemones sent to reinforcements are struggling, but they may be destroyed in a few hours.

　I looked at the scene and made a calm decision.
　First of all, I order the dwarf king.

''Lord Günther, how many cannons have you brought with you?''

　Günther returns instantly from between white beards.

'Ten gates,'
'Then put them in place and point them at the main body of the enemy's forces. "Then place it and point it at the main force of the enemy. Point them at the enemy forces as well.

Yes, sir.

　And Günther begins to prepare.

'It's not even a siege and you're going to use cannons?

　Sephiro asks.

'Even if it's not a siege, artillery is still useful.

　I assured him, and then explained to Cephiro.

'In my previous life, there was a great general named Napoleon Bonaparte. He always said that the strongest army is the one that walks well.

Certainly, mobility is an asset.

'Therefore, he did not give the infantry any heavy equipment. He made them sweep armor and other items out of the army, but that did not negate the old-fashioned weapons either. He made use of cavalry, even when the prevalence of guns was close to 100 percent, and he ripped off victories on many battlefields.

I don't know if this is what you're going to do now, you're going to copy that Napoleon guy.

We're just replicating his signature tactic.

　As he said this, he gave Giron an order.

''Place all the cavalry units you have gathered in one place. Alistair-dono, the White Rose Knights who were defeated earlier, also reorganize and bring in the White Rose Knights.

'That's possible, but you're going to make them charge again?　Alistair-dono's troops are demoralized after the defeat earlier. I didn't expect it to work out so well...

'Morale is a relative thing. It doesn't matter if the morale of the enemy army is lower than Lord Alistair's.

　I assured them and at the same time ordered Uruk and Kushana to fall back.

'Are you sure you're okay with that?　The momentum could cause our army to collapse.

　Giron said worriedly, but I'll be fine, he replied.

　At least on the surface, he was brimming with confidence, but deep down he didn't think so.

　If e-Redoré charged straight into our retreat, the Demon King's army might indeed fall apart.

　However, if he didn't know that this hill was in our hands, then E Redondole would not charge. He would first regroup his troops and give them a break.

　I bet on that.
　And as it turned out, I won that bet.

　Erdre did not charge, as I had hoped. On the contrary, he began to reorganize the formations that had been disrupted in the previous battles and give his soldiers a break.

　It was a natural strategy.

　The Alliance of the Various Kings was in an overwhelmingly favorable position, and if they set up their formation here and attacked the Demon King's army, the Article would be complete.

　I was thankful that E Ludre was a master general and that he didn't get the message that this hill was in our hands, and I ordered Günther to rain down the cannons.

　The moment we got into position, a storm of cannonballs rained down.
　The League of Lords was greatly confused.
　Sephiro also unleashed the magic of 《Meteorite Falling》 instead of a waste of money on his way.
　The enemy has been thrown into chaos by artillery, projectiles and falling meteorites.
　I quickly send in the cavalry here.

'Now!　Charge!

　A cavalry unit obeying my orders.
　The cavalry troops headed in single file formation to the enemy lines, where shells rained down on them.
　Seeing them, Cephiro asks me, "I see, that Napoleon is very good at this.

"I see, so this is the tactic that this Napoleon guy is so good at?

'Yes, he is. I studied artillery at the officer's school. When he joined the army, he knew how strong artillery was. First, he controlled the high ground, and from there, he fired with artillery, and then charged the cavalry when the enemy forces were in complete disarray. That must-win pattern won him several battles on the battlefield.
So you're a master at this.

I didn't think it would work out this well, though.

　The enemy forces were more confused than they had imagined. Even though they knew how to deal with guns, they may not have been used to the rain of cannons. In addition, the enemy forces, which were in a formation close to a dense formation, were hit by artillery bullets in an interesting way.

　In the midst of all this, they were attacked by the cavalry.
　The enemy was in a state of confusion, or worse, panic.

　The witch watched the scene from the top of the hill.　She fluttered her black hair in the wind and muttered.

''You won........''

　It was a thin voice, so only I could hear her, but her words weren't a prophecy or a wish, she was just pointing out the fact that she was.