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Kael Clausewitz, the Imperial Chief of Staff and First Army Chief of Staff.

Goodness. I couldn’t believe I had two titles that could make anyone gasp just hearing them.

I never imagined I would end up like this, not even in my wildest dreams.

Just two years ago, I was whining, “I don’t want to serve in the military! Waaaaah!”

And suddenly, I became a genius strategist and without warning, the hope of the Empire.

“I must be going insane.”

But I’m certainly not someone worthy of such titles.

I’m not one of the Great Emperors who founded the Empire or those early heroes.

Nor am I a figure like Admiral Yi Soon-shin or other great saviors from my past life.

I’m just someone who happened to mess around with memories from a past life and ended up here.

I’ve just been lucky. The circumstances lined up perfectly for me to be in this position.

Is that humility? Am I pretending not to enjoy it when I’m secretly having the time of my life?

Damn it. No matter what, this situation is such a heavy burden.

Managing the First Army that I used to oversee, along with reinforcements from other countries and reserve troops from the rear, a staggering 400,000 individuals would be moved based on my opinion.

And it’s not just moving; it’s war. Some will get hurt, and some will lose their lives.

If there’s anyone who could remain unfazed by that, they’re the real insane ones.

“Phew.”

I wash my face with both hands. I take a deep breath.

Yeah. I know. There’s no way to back out now.

And I, too, have no intention of retreating at this point.

For the sake of my beloved family. For my precious family and those around me.

Besides, as the princess said, for my own sake now too.

“Chief of Staff, the Commander is waiting for you.”

I still don’t think of myself as a genius or a strategist.

Everyone around me insists on calling me that, so I don’t deny it in front of them.

If I could, I’d still prefer to say I’m just someone relying on luck.

However, I won’t use that as an excuse to flee from the situation in front of me.

If there’s a job I need to do, I will make sure to do it to the best of my ability.

Because I am part of the Clausewitz Family. The eldest son of the Duke of Bertier Empire.

Moreover, I’m also the so-called genius strategist that you all keep talking about.

“You’ve arrived, Chief of Staff.”

As I step into the barracks, the First Army Commander greets me warmly.

I’ve seen him numerous times, especially at galas and parties held in the territory.

They said he was soon to take a key position in the military, and indeed that has happened.

Being the first commander of the First Army will be a notable spot in the Empire’s history.

If things go well, his family will shine with that pride forever.

The problem, however, is that in this history, there will also be the mention of one of the greatest defeats of the Empire’s First Army.

“It’s been a while, Commander.”

“I have so much to discuss, but let’s leave the small talk for later. Right now, there’s far too much for the Chief of Staff and me to handle.”

“I completely agree. Let’s get straight to the point.”

As the Commander gestures, the aides around quickly spread out a map.

The staff swiftly position the locations of the Imperial Army and the Dedorant Army on it.

“The current war situation is as follows.”

“We’ve been pushed back quite a bit.”

“Yes. While we intentionally gave up strategically unimportant locations, the Dedorant’s counterattack has been incredibly fierce, making it hard to hold on to critical points as well.”

The initial operation to push into the royal capital of Dedorant ended in catastrophic failure.

They rushed in all at once, breaking through the borders, and the resulting projections were utterly annihilated.

Especially the central area where the Western Legion was stationed is still quite precarious, even now.

“I’ve heard that Dedorant has been saving their elite troops and then deployed them all at once.”

“That is correct. According to what I’ve found, the troops we’ve faced so far from Dedorant were only its second-tier military forces and those taken down from Atria. They also utilized a significant number of those who surrendered from DeGale.”

“Did the various legions not catch on to that?”

“Since we hadn’t clashed directly with Dedorant before, they couldn’t be sure whether the forces they were fighting were the real Dedorant army or not. Plus, those second-tier forces showed decent combat power, which added to their uncertainty.”

What a mess. I completely fell for their trap. I bit down hard on their bait.

Although various discussions continued after that, they were to the level of mere post-event reporting.

The Western Legion has been left in such shambles that they’ll need time to regroup.

The Eastern Legion and Southern Legion have also sustained quite a bit of damage and will have to withdraw for a while.

The only ones that have managed to retain their full strength are the Northern Legion.

“The Chief of Staff has really done a great job.”

“Huh?”

“It’s incredibly difficult to fill the empty space of 40,000 troops with the Empire’s reserves still unprepared. In such a situation, being able to place the reinforcements from other countries under the Empire’s command is quite impressive.”

“Oh… you mean that.”

I hesitated briefly before ultimately mentioning the topic.

Originally, I had planned to wait until later, but given the circumstances, I had no choice.

“For now, the reinforcements sent from various countries will be kept waiting in the rear.”

“Chief of Staff? The rear?”

“We have separate tasks for them. I intend to keep the Western Legion under the Western Legion’s command.”

“But the damage to the Western Legion is too great. If another attack comes in this situation….”

“Precisely.”

My words prompted expressions of confusion among the Commander and the other commanders.

“What do you mean precisely? What is that supposed to imply?”

“Everyone here knows that I managed to hold the gate, right?”

“Ah. Yes, Chief of Staff. Everyone here has heard of your heroic deeds.”

“Indeed, that’s what the Commander has said. After hearing the news, everyone could only marvel.”

Cough. I didn’t throw that out there for such embarrassing accolades.

But still, since that felt nice, I’ll give my staff a point each.

“Subsequent information revealed that the one leading that special unit was none other than the Third Prince of Dedorant.”

“What a shame. If only we had been a bit faster, we could have captured him alive!”

No. Not at all. The Eastern Allied Forces just happened to arrive at that time by sheer luck.

If we actually clashed head-on, our allied troops would have been crushed on the spot.

“I was disappointed at first and surprised too. But when I thought about it more, I found it quite odd.”

“Odd how?”

“If he is the Third Prince, then he’s a critical figure for Dedorant. After the coup, he’s essentially the same as their king. Such a significant figure came personally leading troops right up to the Empire’s gate.”

“Right. But why…”

“Meanwhile, the Dedorant army has been quiet. They launched a massive counteroffensive, formed a siege, and after seemingly overwhelming our legion, they haven’t shown any other movements.”

Everyone momentarily lost their wits from Dedorant’s devastating blow.

They thought the enemy would rush in and push the remaining Imperial legions back to the borders.

It’s not entirely unexpected. I understand. Who can maintain their mind before such a terrifying counterattack?

I simply happened to be far enough away from it all, so I was the first to regain my composure.

“The enemy wouldn’t be able to sustain any further attacks. It’s certain they lack offensive capacity.”

“What do you mean by that….”

“Although we lost, the Imperial legions are undeniably the finest combat units. There’s no way the enemy who clashed directly with them could escape unscathed. I’ve heard from the legion commanders I’m acquainted with that they fought ferociously. That means the enemy also suffered considerable losses.”

Even though the situation leans in their favor, Dedorant hasn’t been pressing their advantage against the Empire.

The only ones who continued to act until the very end were the Third Prince and his elite guard.

Those Dedorant scoundrels. They successfully counterattacked, but they’re also bleeding heavily.

“Let’s keep our composure. If we panic and get flustered here, it’s highly likely that’s what they want for their secondary offensive.”

“But, Chief of Staff. If that’s a trap too, and while we’re off guard, they strike….”

“Instead of preparing such traps, it would be better to push the Imperial Army back in the current state. They surely know their morale is in their hands; why would they do something so reckless?”

I need to take a breath. We can’t let ourselves be paralyzed by fear.

I must rest my weary body quickly and loosen up my stiff muscles.

Dedorant is most likely waiting for us to bind ourselves tightly with the rope of fear.

“From now on, we must fully utilize the Empire’s advantages.”

“What do you mean by advantages?”

“This is Dedorant. Their land. Ultimately, they are the ones who should be in a hurry.”

Until now, the Empire’s grand strategy has been “end the war quickly.”

After all, we’ve openly proclaimed we would secure their surrender by the New Year’s greetings.

However, I think the opposite. This war is one I intend to see through over the long haul.

Dedorant is no easy enemy. If we think of the Eastern and Southern plans, we’ll be in trouble.

In reality, we have already faced such troubles, and no one will dare entertain such thoughts anymore.

Therefore, conversely, this time, we will draw them in.

Though two of our legions have been obliterated, we still have nine remaining.

In the midst of that, three additional legions are on their way here.

Not to mention, there’s already 70,000 reinforcements who have arrived and over 100,000 reserves as well.

“Our Empire may have lost, but that doesn’t mean the Empire is under threat. But for them, it’s different. If they realize that after all this, they’ve merely managed to inflict a single wound on the Empire, they will inevitably expose their vulnerabilities. If they make even one mistake, both the royal capital and their kingdom will be in jeopardy.”

We’ve exchanged blows. We both know we’re not easy opponents.

Each of us has felt who holds the stronger fist. From here on, it’s a battle of endurance.

 

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