Western Continent Calendar 2812, early October, early dawn [Eastern Invasion], Part 3:


　General Belhareth's words made the faces of his lieutenants turn pale.
　Who would have expected that the supreme commander would say something like that, admitting defeat on this occasion.

''Ka........Your Excellency......''

　The second-in-command's voice trembled with too much shock at the mention of General Belhareth's name.
　It's not a bad idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.
　And in order to maintain that morale, trust in the commander is more important than anything else.
　The soldiers are willing to risk their lives because they believe that their commander will win. Conversely, there are far fewer men who would risk their lives for a commander who could not win.

　Besides, General Belhareth is also the chief executive of the Zaruda Kingdom Army in this battle.
　That means that victory or defeat will depend on his way of thinking.
　It doesn't matter how many men you lose, as long as your commander doesn't admit defeat, you will not win the battle. It's not a matter of how many men he loses or how much he loses, as long as he doesn't admit defeat.
　But at the same time, if you lose the will to fight, you will lose, no matter how many men you have left.
　In other words, the best quality required of a military commander is indomitable spirit.
　The talent for military strategy can be supplemented by selecting subordinates. However, one person's mind and mental strength cannot be supplemented by the power of others.
　In this sense, General Berhares must have been the best commander indeed.
　The Oltmere Empire and the Kingdom of Ernest Gura. Because he was the one who had prevented these two countries from invading the eastern region for many years.
　He is a great general who has allied with the eastern kingdoms of Roselia and Mist and has thwarted the ambitions of the great powers on many occasions.
　Hearing the words of defeat from the mouth of this great general, the hearts of his lieutenants can only be described as despair. From their minds, the desire to care about Joshua's arrogant and wordless attitude had vanished.

''My lord that's not too much to say!　There are still many knights in the front line who believe in victory and are still dying and yet, here and now, your Excellency is admitting defeat!

　One of his lieutenants, his face flushed red, crowded up to General Belhareth.
　It was an outrage that would never have been allowed by nature, but there was no one to stop him.
　Because they all felt the same way. However, General Berhares slowly raised his right hand to stop him, and then turned his sharp gaze to the surroundings.

'Who admitted to losing the battle?'

　His voice is low and calm.
　The pride and dignity of a warrior who has won many battles can be heard in General Belhareth's voice.
　There is no fear or wavering in his words. Only a firm will existed.

'Huh?　But earlier, His Excellency...

I never said anything about losing a battle. And Joshua.

　None of his lieutenants could understand the meaning of the general's words.
　Indeed, they had heard the general's words of defeat with their ears.
　It could not be a misunderstanding.

It's just that we were defeated by strategy.... Well, if the defeat was largely determined by strategy, the outcome of the game would be almost decided.

　Sighing heavily at this point, General Belhareth, with a dark, somewhat self-deprecating smile on his face, began to speak quietly.

''Oltmere has been using various moves on a strategic level to limit our actions in this war... does anyone know what that means?

　No one opens their mouths. Everyone remained silent and waited for the rest of the words.
　What they don't understand is, in a way, inevitable.
　It's absurd to ask a knight whose job it is to lay down his life on the battlefield to have a strategic-level view of the state.
　General Berhares began to speak a little at a time so that his lieutenants could understand.

'Why did we choose to fight a decisive battle in the field in the first place?'

''That's because ... Oltmere's mobilized forces weren't as large as we thought, and if we mobilized all the Knights under His Majesty's direct control, we had a chance of winning.

Yes, that's true, but have we ever fought a single Oltmere before?

　In the past, Zaruda had never fought the Oltomere alone. It was always in coalition with reinforcements from the neighboring countries.
　It was a fact that appeared in the minds of his lieutenants. It was then combined with the general's words, and they arrived at a conclusion.

""Ah!"

'I didn't think ... Roselia's civil war was ...'

　One of his lieutenants gave a searching look to General Belhareth.

You're right of course I don't have any proof of that. But this invasion is too much for Oltomere's side and probably a plan that they have been preparing for years to keep from sending reinforcements to our country.

　Land, population, and economic power. In all respects, the Kingdom of Zaruda is inferior to the Oltmere Empire.
　Even so, the Kingdom of Zaruda has been able to maintain its independence because of its allies in the Eastern Region. Roselia, Mist, and both kingdoms have always been able to provide reinforcements in case of an emergency. That's why the Kingdom of Zaruda has been able to survive until now.
　Of course it wasn't out of good intentions.
　The destruction of the Kingdom of Zaruda means that the territory of the great powers will expand into the eastern region.
　And this means that the evil hand of invasion will also reach out to both Roselia and Mist.

The fact is that Roselia can't afford to send reinforcements to other countries this time due to the aftereffects of the civil war... even if she wanted to, it's physically impossible to do so. I'm not sure who has the idea, but by plunging Roselia alone into civil war, he's able to contain the actions of the other two countries. ...just a great guy.

　His lieutenants were well aware that no reinforcements from the two countries would be able to come. But if it was all the result of a conspiracy by the Altomere Empire....
　The lieutenants gulped at the general's explanation. If he explained this much to them, they could understand how dangerous a position they were in.

The second-in-command of the team is the same as the first.

　He must have realized that there was a possibility of truth in the words of the man he had despised as his parents' seventh son. His voice was faint.

'Do you think the enemy, who has prepared so well, is going to retreat so easily?　First of all, I have no doubt they'll be laying down their troops to hold their breath over here.

　The lieutenants could not object to General Belhareth's words.
　Hearing the retreat of the Oltmere side, they lost sight of their own unexpected opportunity for victory, but once they regained their composure, they were not so stupid that they could not understand that this series of moves was a trap.

''So... are you saying that the battle is no longer won or lost... that this war is useless... is that what you mean?''

　It's a word tinged with tragedy and despair.
　You can fight because you think you can win. We risk our lives because we think we can protect those we care about. For those of us who had fought with the belief that General Belhareth would win, the reality that the General and Joshua had confronted was harsh.
　The second-in-command who had whispered these words must have been uttered with a sense of desperation. But General Belhareth denied those words with a quiet shake of his head.

''That's not true. What we've been talking about so far is just a matter of advantage and disadvantage. Well, we're at a desperate disadvantage, but we still have a chance to win...

'Really? What kind of thing is that!

　The more desperate a person is, the more vulnerable he is to the sweet temptation of hope.
　A hope that was suddenly offered after being made aware of the reality that there was no chance of victory. Who can blame the deputies if they jumped at it?
　But the path presented before them was too harsh a path to death.

'I will aim for the head of the supreme commander of the enemy army, Shardina Eisenheit...'

　The air in the tent froze at General Belhareth's words.
　It was too unlikely, an almost suicidal measure.
　Indeed, if they could take out the enemy's supreme commander, the victory would be Zaruda's.
　A strategic defeat can be overturned by a tactical victory to take out Shardina's head.
　Certainly, in theory, the general's words are not wrong.

''But my lord it would be too reckless...

　The elderly second-in-command asked the general, with the intention of
　He reversed the enemy's trap and went for the enemy commander's head.
　It would be very easy to put into words, but when it came to execution, it was a possibility so slight as to pass through a needle.
　However, the lieutenants felt the determination that drifted from General Belhareth's body and fell silent.

We know that we are going to bite through the enemy's traps with force and we too must be prepared to be annihilated, but we are not going to let this country, however briefly, be destroyed.

　The Kingdom of Zaruda is a natural stronghold protected by steep mountains.
　The steepness of the terrain prevents the invasion from the enemy country.
　If you let the enemy country build a base of operations within the country, the steepness of the terrain will make it difficult for Zaruda to retake the territory.
　In addition, the national power of the Oltmere Empire is greater than the Kingdom of Zaruda.　If a large number of troops were mobilized in the stronghold as defenders, the Zaruda side would have no way to beat them.
　It is common knowledge in military law that the number of troops needed to attack a fort is said to be three times greater than the defenders.
　But Zaruda's kingdom, which is inferior to the Oltmere Empire in terms of national strength itself, doesn't have that many troops.

I'm not sure I'm going to be the only one. I've been following their strategy so far. I'm sure you are confident of victory no matter how cautious you are. We'll catch them off guard.

　No other option already existed.
　They had no choice but to cling to the only remaining hope.

''Your Excellency ... you've already made your decision, haven't you?

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you're all going to have to die...

　General Belhareth's words were ruthless.
　He had chosen and ordered a tactic that had little or no chance of returning alive. But no one showed any fear when they heard the general's order.
　In the beginning, the hearts of their lieutenants were filled with despair. No one would risk their lives in a battle that they were sure to lose.
　That's how well General Belhareth manipulated the situation.
　There is nothing more powerful and frightening than a man who is prepared to die.

Very well ... we will now launch a chase with all remaining units in the main camp. There will be no retreat!　Nice!

""Ha!"

　A tragic fighting spirit erupted from their bodies like fire. It is an expression of the will of a man who, having realized his own predicament, is prepared to lay down his life for his country rather than simply die in vain.

　Zaruda and Oltmere. The war between the two countries has now entered its final phase.