I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy

Chapter 38: Before The War: Inner Reflection (2)

Having received the order from the Crown Prince to act as an advanced reconnaissance battalion, three days later, the Yaeger battalion I was leading arrived at the border between the Reich Empire and Chekovia. I commanded a night’s rest for the troops to rejuvenate their strength and morale.

The soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and junior officers were able to enjoy food and drinks in the village thanks to my directive, but I called a meeting with the company commanders and Laura to discuss the strategy once we crossed the border.

“Let’s proceed to implement His Highness, the Crown Prince’s command. Everyone here knows it already, but I’ll reiterate. Our role is advanced reconnaissance. We need to understand the terrain of the Bisochea region, where the main force of over 40,000 will engage, and assess the enemy’s locations and numbers.”

This was basic knowledge for every member of the Yaeger battalion, so I was merely reiterating it to gain their attention before delving into the main topic.

“The Crown Prince has granted us discretion to do as we see fit, barring full-frontal assaults or the slaughtering of civilians. I have plans to actively use this discretion to gain merit before the main battle begins. Anyone interested?”

Upon raising this proposition, the company commanders gleamed with joy.

“We trust and follow you, Battalion Commander! Just give us the order!”

“Should we not seize the opportunity when it arises?”

“We will jump into fire if you command it!”

Whether in the Reich Empire or in Korea, the desire of military personnel to gain merit seemed universal. And with my subordinates actively supporting my proposition, any operation I would attempt was already guaranteed to be half successful.

I outlined the formal operation plans, dividing the force into two: one exclusively composed of cavalry, the special detachment, and the rest forming the main body, performing advanced reconnaissance roles.

The news of me, the Battalion Commander, directly leading the special detachment seemed unusual to the officers since, in most cases, another officer under the commander’s command would lead such a detachment.

Then, the Executive Officer of the Yaeger battalion, the 1st Company Commander, representing everyone, asked,

“Why would you, Commander, take such a risk? If we form a special detachment for operations, isn’t it better to appoint me or another company commander as the leader?”

I continued, emphasizing that the operation of our special detachment was not to engage in battlefield combat with enemy soldiers but to cause disruption among the enemy troops.

“My operation is based on guerrilla tactics developed for the weak to face the strong. Without a deep understanding of such tactics, assigning them to others could lead to potential failure, or in the worst case, the annihilation of the special detachment.”

I turned to the slightly disappointed 1st Company Commander and continued,

“So, in my absence, you, as the 1st Company Commander, will act in my stead to lead the troops well and fulfill the mission of the advanced reconnaissance battalion. If not, the enemy may suspect the absence of our advanced reconnaissance troops, risking not only the special detachment but also me, its Commander.”

Strictly speaking, the role of the advanced reconnaissance battalion and the lives of the special detachment were not hugely correlated, but…

When people feel entrusted with significant responsibilities, the thought that someone superior believes in them tends to invoke a desire within them to meet those expectations with even more passion.

The 1st Company Commander seemed like someone who could lead a company well or even a battalion, so I expected he would bring back favorable results if he performed the reconnaissance task with zeal.

In my role in the special detachment, I could simultaneously disrupt the enemy and perform advanced reconnaissance, leaving a mark as a versatile commander.

“Finally, each infantry company will select two good rider soldiers or sergeants, and the mage company will select one good rider mage. We depart the day after tomorrow, so be thoroughly prepared. Also, Lieutenant Laura will come with me.”

With that, the meeting concluded, and that night we finalized the special detachment’s formation with members skilled in horseback riding from each company.

About a week after the formation of the special detachment.

The special detachment I led had successfully reached almost the end of the Bisochea region, guided by the crude map provided by the Crown Prince.

Even though we wanted to record detailed terrain information on our journey, we had to conserve even our sleeping time to perform our tasks, so we marked only the significant features like rivers, mountains, hills, villages, and forts on the map.

Luckily, there hadn’t been any unexpected problems, and when I was taking a brief rest, Velcro, a private in the detachment, reported seeing smoke about 300 meters away.

“They must be either scouts or hunters making a fire in the mountains. What should we do?”

Hearing that, I was secretly pleased, thinking the smoke-makers might be scouts, as I hadn’t seen any signs of wildlife around.

“Let’s go check it out immediately.”

We rushed to the suspected location and found three individuals who looked like scouts resting without any lookout.

I approached them, revealing my presence.

“Greetings. I’m Lieutenant Sand Bauman from the 7th Regiment of the Paltz Division of the Chekovia Republic Army. I lost my way while scouting. Could you help me get back to my unit?”

One of the scouts replied, asking for a password, but I pretended to be annoyed.

“How would I know today’s password when I’ve been lost? I’ll make sure to report this from your squad leader downwards once I return.”

The scout reluctantly complied, offering me food. The moment he turned around, I silenced him and had my men immobilize the others.

Now, all that was left was to extract information from them.