Chapter 220

Third Person POV–

Vandolea . Vandolea’s Second Invasion of Malt . Malt Invasion Second Division Army Corps .

「Fellow commander Bejček, I guess I should first congratulate you on returning safely . 」

「……I am grateful for your consideration, fellow commander Bulzark . 」

Bejček’s head remains hanging down as he answers with a sullen expression on his face .

Nobody could blame him as the other person’s tone, facial expression, and atmosphere are clearly criticizing him .

「No really, how brave of you to return unharmed while the invading army lost half its forces! ……oh right, you surrendered to the enemy, didn’t you . 」

「If we continued to fight at that point, we would only get decimated! We still have to fight with Altair! Making sure to get even one more soldier home is-……」

「You’re exactly right! The conquering of Malt Kingdom is nothing more than a secondary operation . In spite of that, you lost a large amount of our precious men, moreover you were routed and now intend to add yourself to our Third Division Army Corps…… you should be ashamed of yourself!」

Vandolea’s army is separated into division corps 1 to 3 .

There are other temporarily-formed armies like the Malt Invasion Army, but the main force consists of the three divisions .

Learning that the Malt Invasion Army suffered a defeat, one of only three divisions of the main force didn’t have much choice but to make a move .

With the country currently staring off against Altair, they could not overlook the danger of being counter-invaded from the north borders .

Bulzark yells as he slams the table and Bejček responds by shouting back .

「The information was different! We easily defeated the Malt soldiers as planned . Goldonia…… Hardlett dispatched his army!! This isn’t just a military problem anymore, it’s political!」

「Only a single feudal lord of some remote region joined the battle! ……enough, your inquiry is not my duty . Save your explanation for the People’s Assembly . Have fellow commander Bejček get on a carriage to the capital . Assign guards…… no, an escort, got it?」

Bejček took his leave as Bulzark’s subordinate stares coldly at him .

「Hmph, that incompetent fool . He should be hung . 」

「I hear the Representative is also extremely enraged at the defeat . I doubt that guy will ever see the light of day again . 」

Bulzark smiles happily at his adjutant who comments obsequiously .

The young female adjutant returns the smile but quickly hardens her expression .

「The enemy before us is the pseudo military volunteers that Bejček mentioned…… they’re believed to be an army of Goldonia . 」

The expressions of Bulzark and the other staff officers change to match the serious expression of the adjutant .

「Without a doubt . It’s not rare for the army of another nation to disguise as military volunteers . ……but do they know how to disguise themselves? I’ve never seen military volunteers with a unified set of equipment or orderly lines . 」

Some of the subordinates chuckle .

「They have approximately 10 000 soldiers and it appears a high percentage of them are cavalry . Currently, it looks like they are slowly retreating . 」

A staff officer tells Bulzark the information he received from a scout .

Since the border zone is a plains as far as the eye can see, it is impossible to conceal forces . Unless they are a great distance away, the strength of the entire enemy force can be grasped .

「So they’re trying to lure us into the plains, a natural plan for an army with lots of cavalry . 」

「Should we shift the battlefield and lead them to a wetland or forest?」

Bulzark shakes his head at the adjutant’s words .

「No, I don’t want to take too much time . We can’t stay here for too long . I want to finish this in one battle, compel Malt to surrender and them return home . 」

「I see, if we create a situation where it is hard to attack, then it will be troublesome for us if they withdraw while trying to preserve their forces . 」

Bulzark nods .

「For that reason, we’ll challenge them in a decisive fight on the plains where they believe they have the advantage, then annihilate them . We’ll need to do it as fast as possible too . 」

The adjutant steps forward again .

「Then shall we begin the battle right away? Preparations are……」

The woman looks at one of the commanders, who then steps forward with a straight posture .

「Battle preparations are complete, we are ready to sortie at any time!」

「……fumu . No, let’s do it tomorrow . It’s already way past afternoon . It will get dark in about two hours, and there is a high chance the enemy escapes after it turns into night time . We’ll start early in the morning and make the most of the entire day to crush them . No objections, I assume!?」

「「「No sir!」」」

After proper salutes, everyone disperses .

Night . Vandolea Camp .

In order to prepare for the start of battle the next day, Vandolea sets up camp for the night .

The only arable land which had an unobstructed view was the wheat straw fields after being harvested, but despite being 30 000 strong, they had no trouble spreading out their camps .

Since they will be setting up camp next to the enemy, they naturally have countermeasures prepared for a night time ambush .

Watchtowers were built and look outs were station