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The term “encirclement and annihilation” literally means trapping the targets and completely wiping them out without leaving a single survivor.

At first glance, it seems like a simple and highly effective tactic, but in reality, it’s not that straightforward.

This encirclement and annihilation tactic, despite its intimidating name, is one of the most difficult strategies to execute due to its stringent conditions.

To carry out an encirclement and annihilation, the enemy must first be surrounded without any room for escape.

Encirclement is a tactic based on numerical superiority, aimed at forcing surrender or breaking the enemy’s morale.

This means that an overwhelming number of troops are required, and for the encirclement to succeed, the enemy must not detect the movement.

This already presents a contradiction. Moving a large enough force to encircle the enemy would inevitably alert them, as any competent enemy would set up scouts, and the sheer size of the moving army would quickly give them away.

Even if the encirclement is achieved, the problems don’t end there. Even if the enemy is successfully encircled and annihilation is prepared, if the enemy finds a weak point in the wide encirclement and breaks through, the entire operation fails.

In modern warfare, there are cases where highly mobile tank units exploit weak points in the encirclement to break through.

The wider the encirclement, the more likely it is to have weak spots, and if the enemy commander is skilled, there’s a good chance they can break through and escape.

In other words, encirclement and annihilation is a high-risk strategy that shouldn’t be used lightly unless multiple conditions are met.

Conversely, if the encirclement is broken, the scattered troops could be picked off one by one due to the time it takes to regroup.

However, Gilbert and Seraphina are preparing for an encirclement and annihilation for one reason: the battlefield is in the city, and not a single enemy can be allowed to escape.

Urban warfare limits the space for movement as buildings are used as barricades.

This means that if the escape routes are well-blocked, it’s possible to encircle the enemy even with a small number of troops.

Moreover, in a world where magic and magic engineering exist, even a single individual can wield firepower comparable to modern tanks.

Additionally, the presence of knights, whose combat abilities far exceed those of ordinary individuals, means that with the right geographical advantages, encirclement and annihilation isn’t impossible.

The academy’s personnel were selected as a special task force to prepare for any unforeseen situations.

This was in case they couldn’t achieve numerical superiority.

However, this also had its flaws. Urban warfare inherently puts civilians’ lives at risk.

Without knowing the exact strength of the enemy, if they were to carry out a large-scale explosive terror attack, the damage to the empire would be indescribable.

Yet, Seraphina was determined to proceed with the operation, even if it meant taking full responsibility if it failed. She didn’t waver in her decision.

This was partly because she trusted her subordinates, but also because she believed that leaving the empire’s parasitic elements unchecked would be even more dangerous.

In fact, during Tactical Combat, sparing them had allowed them to grow too powerful and join rebellions, so Seraphina’s choice wasn’t wrong.

Gilbert, who understood this better than anyone, had thought of this operation. Eliminating them before they grew stronger would help the main scenario in the long run.

Gilbert organized his thoughts and once again reviewed the personnel for the special task force.

The most important criterion for selecting the task force members was how tight-lipped they were.

If the information about the encirclement and annihilation leaked and the enemy caught wind of it, there would be no second chance.

Once they were sure the empire was targeting them, they would undoubtedly go deeper into hiding.

Therefore, Gilbert sought cadets who were both tight-lipped and highly skilled.

The first person that came to mind was Brynhild. She had no ties to the empire and, despite her young age, had earned the title of Grand Warrior of the Sigurd clan, making her more than capable.

The fact that she was a member of the Sigurd clan rather than the empire was a concern, but it would be a huge loss not to utilize her talents.

Moreover, Brynhild was a person of her word, making her trustworthy.

The next candidates were naturally Angelina and Hans.

Since enrolling at the Demia Empire Academy, the two had stuck together and were both talented and reliable.

Angelina, in particular, had superior military insight compared to Gilbert, so he was confident she could lead the task force well even in his absence, which is why he planned to appoint her as his deputy again.

Hans, who had been working hard to follow Gilbert, had recently shown a rapid improvement in skill, making him more than capable, so both were included in the task force.

The fourth member selected was Ilene, a commoner from the north who had competed in the tournament. She had faced Gilbert in the round of 32 and, unsurprisingly, lost.

Ilene had been deeply impressed by Gilbert during the tournament and immediately offered to serve under him, much like Hans.

For Gilbert, who had been considering bringing him into the fold as a comrade, this was a boon.

Moreover, northerners valued loyalty and honor, making her an ideal candidate for this mission.

The fifth member was Lily, whose relationship with Gilbert had dramatically improved during the Sigurd clan invasion scenario.

She was considered one of the top comrades in Tactical Combat.

Her skills consistently ranked high, so Gilbert decided to include her in the task force.

Her family, the Nobilitas Count Family, was a well-known imperial faction, so there was no worry about information leaking.

Lily herself wasn’t loose-lipped, making her a key figure in this operation.

After selecting five members, Gilbert was stuck on the sixth. His original plan was for a task force of seven, including himself.

Selecting too many members would draw too much attention, so he set the limit at seven. This number would allow him to justify it as a field training exercise with Briana’s approval.

Gilbert stared at the list for a long time, pondering over the final member.

He couldn’t find anyone who met his criteria among the remaining candidates.

Those who could keep secrets lacked the necessary skills, and those with the skills were too loose-lipped.

He considered settling for six members but felt that seven would be better for a reserve role.

Gilbert stroked his chin and thought of two candidates who somewhat met the criteria.

Ian and Camilla.

Ian, the protagonist of Tactical Combat, had some personality flaws, but with Fressia, he could play a significant role in the main scenario.

Though not yet up to Gilbert’s standards, with Fressia as the ultimate support, Ian could handle tasks better than anyone.

Fressia, as an artificial intelligence, could compensate for the user’s shortcomings.

However, Gilbert wasn’t confident he could control Ian’s chuunibyou tendencies. No matter how much Fressia guided him, she couldn’t completely override the contractor’s will.

If Ian acted out, the entire plan could be jeopardized.

For Gilbert, who would be responsible for them, the risk was too great.

Gilbert wrote “on hold” next to Ian’s name and then considered the next candidate, Camilla.

Camilla was lively and driven by curiosity, making her seem immature, but she was very tight-lipped.

If she found keeping a secret more interesting, she wouldn’t spill it even with a knife to her throat.

If told about this secret mission, her eyes would light up with interest, and she would definitely keep it under wraps.

The problem with Camilla, however, was her skill level.

After the Sigurd clan invasion scenario, she had started training harder, but her past laziness meant her skills hadn’t caught up yet.

Unless she had some kind of awakening, her skills were still lacking for the task force.

Gilbert wrote “on hold” next to Camilla’s name as well.

Faced with two difficult choices, Gilbert sighed deeply.

After much deliberation, Gilbert decided it was pointless to overthink.

– Rustle rustle

With elegant handwriting, Gilbert rewrote the task force list, checked it a few more times, then rolled it up and tucked it away.

– Creak

He quietly got up and headed to Seraphina’s office.

With the task force members selected, all that remained was the princess’s approval.

“You’re here, Gilbert.”

Seraphina, who seemed to have been waiting for him, greeted him with a straight back at the reception table.

Gilbert saluted her and handed over the paper.

“These are the candidates for the task force. If you approve, we’ll proceed as planned.”

“Familiar names indeed. It seems our eyes see alike. I too have had my eye on these cadets.”

Seraphina’s eyes sparkled.

As someone who valued talent, Seraphina knew well how bright the six cadets Gilbert had selected were.

The top names on her recruitment list matched those Gilbert had chosen for the task force.

“I selected those who are tight-lipped and highly skilled. I chose only cadets from our grade to avoid suspicion, as I have fewer connections with other grades.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve already taken care of it.”

Gilbert couldn’t shake the feeling that this was expected. He wondered why she had entrusted him with selecting the task force, but it seemed this clever princess had anticipated he would only choose first-year cadets.

Though her foresight was somewhat intimidating, Gilbert didn’t show it.

“Then I’ll proceed with these members for the task force.”

“Very well. But before that, I have a question.”

“Are you asking me, Your Highness?”

“Yes. Seeing this list, I can’t help but ask. I know you have a good eye, and I know you hold no prejudice against commoners. That’s why I’m curious.”

Seraphina smiled faintly at Gilbert, who was looking at her with a blank expression.

“Why didn’t you include Ian in the task force?”

Gilbert felt his throat tighten.

He couldn’t bring himself to say outright that Ian’s chuunibyou tendencies were the reason.

 

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