chapter_0195

194 – It’s a Trap by Daniel Steiner

194 – It’s a Trap by Daniel Steiner

The mechanized infantry brigade directly under the headquarters deviated from its route and entered a nearby forest.

The sight of approximately 4,000 soldiers leading tanks and half-tracks into the woods was truly magnificent.

The tanks, which had been trampling over small trees fallen by the roadside, gradually slowed down and came to a complete stop at one point.

This was because the order from Brigade Commander Daniel Steiner had been issued.

“Today, we will camp here! I repeat! Today, we will camp here!”

As an officer shouted after receiving the radio transmission, the soldiers echoed the command, ensuring it was communicated effectively.

The soldiers, who had set down their gear, began to pitch tents and take up guard duty under the officers’ instructions.

While they busily moved about, Daniel got out of the military vehicle and stretched his stiff body.

‘Has it already been a week since we started marching? I feel exhausted even though we haven’t done anything yet.’

If he felt this fatigued just from riding in a vehicle, he could only imagine how the soldiers must feel.

That was why he had ordered them to prepare camp earlier than usual today.

To allow the soldiers to relieve even a little bit of their fatigue.

‘Also…’

Daniel had no intention of arriving at Penbarch quickly.

‘What I told the Chief of Staff about capturing Penbarch helping to prevent the war from spreading was sincere, but that doesn’t mean I wanted to do it.’

He did not want to repeat the horrific battle he had experienced while serving as the Chief of Staff of the 7th Armored Division.

He had no desire to twist his body to survive on a battlefield where his life could be taken at any moment.

‘So, I will delay the battle as much as possible.’

Daniel Steiner’s plan was simple.

‘By now, they must know we are coming…’

The Penbarch Defense Forces would naturally request support from the Allied Nations upon hearing the news.

Thus, Daniel’s greatest wish was for the Allied support to arrive before the brigade captured Penbarch.

‘If the enemy responds quickly, I can also request support while in a standoff, allowing me to rest.’

If things went well, the headquarters would give up on capturing Penbarch and issue a return order.

If that happened, Daniel could naturally express to the Chief of Staff that he was “not a competent frontline commander.”

‘If the Chief of Staff is disappointed in me, that would be the icing on the cake. He would realize I was unnecessary as a frontline commander and would never send me to the battlefield again.’

It was a perfect plan.

However, for this perfect plan to hold, certain conditions were necessary.

‘The Chief of Staff must judge that I did not disobey orders.’

It was only natural, but the moment he forcibly held the army back, there was a possibility of being summoned to a court-martial.

Even if it wasn’t a court-martial, if the perceptive officers or soldiers thought, “The brigade commander is intentionally blocking the advance,” a mutiny could occur.

He had no intention of risking such dangers to delay the battle.

So, the scheme Daniel devised was to “move in a way that allows the enemy to respond.”

What this meant was that from the moment Daniel led the brigade out of the Imperial City, he had moved along a set path, except when camping.

As if the destination were the same place.

‘Any commander in Penbarch who isn’t a fool would know that the Imperial brigade is moving toward the bridge in the middle reaches of the river.’

Unless they intended to completely halt the city’s functions and engage in urban warfare, the commander of the Penbarch Defense Forces would conduct a delaying action until reinforcements arrived.

The key to a delaying action was to obstruct the enemy’s movement route, so they would either try to destroy the bridge or set up ambush operations nearby.

Both options were not bad for Daniel.

If the Penbarch Defense Forces destroyed the bridge and left, it would mean the route was blocked.

Then, they would have to find a crossing point, buying time by moving down to the shallow areas of the river downstream.

On the other hand, if the bridge remained intact, they would suspect something was amiss and conduct reconnaissance in all directions.

If they discovered the enemy during that process, they could order a temporary retreat under the pretext of being in a disadvantageous position and move downstream, buying more time.

‘Well then. What will you do, Chief of Staff? If you hear the report, I’m just an incompetent general, so you can’t possibly convene a court-martial.’

Make it so that I can serve quietly in the rear.

With that meaning behind his smile, the intelligence officer Pelf approached.

“Brigade Commander. May I have a moment to talk?”

Having decided not to return to the 7th Armored Division but to become Daniel Steiner’s aide, he was still working under Daniel thanks to approval from higher-ups.

Although it was a bit awkward for Daniel, he couldn’t dismiss him, so he nodded.

“What is it? Major Pelf.”

“Ah, it’s just that…”

Pelf spoke with a somewhat troubled expression.

“I understand that the brigade commander is advancing toward the bridge in the middle reaches of the river. Securing a solid bridge would facilitate rapid advancement and make resupply easier. Therefore, securing the bridge can be considered crucial for this battle.”

“And?”

“The problem is that the enemy will likely know this as well. Our army is steadily moving toward the bridge in the middle reaches of the river, so even if they want to ignore it, they can’t. They will surely be lying in ambush or trying to blow up the bridge, won’t they?”

Daniel secretly broke out in a cold sweat.

Pelf’s words were all correct.

“It would be better to move downstream and have the engineers create a temporary crossing point in the solid and shallow areas.”

While it wasn’t incorrect, moving downstream this early would shorten the time.

From Daniel’s perspective, who wanted to delay as much as possible, it was advice he could never accept.

If he said, “I don’t want to fight, so I need to buy time,” Pelf’s respect for him might turn into disgust, and he could pull out his pistol.

As Daniel pondered how to respond, he looked at the soldiers pitching tents.

“Major Pelf.”

His eyes were tinged with melancholy.

“Your words are textbook accurate. If you truly don’t want to take risks, it would be wise to heed your advice. However, I think you are overlooking one thing.”

Daniel closed his eyes and opened them, looking seriously at Pelf.

“The battlefield never flows according to the textbook. It is humans, not textbooks, who command battles. Do you understand what this means?”

What it meant, Daniel himself did not know.

He was just pretending to look impressive.

However, that pretense gave Pelf some kind of realization.

“…Are you perhaps trying to exploit the enemy’s psychology?”

It was unlikely, but Daniel nodded gravely.

“Because tactics and strategy ultimately involve dealing with humans.”

To someone who didn’t know Daniel’s true intentions, he appeared to be an exceptionally competent general.

–

Meanwhile, in the command and control room of the Penbarch Defense Command.

“Sir! All troops have been assembled! Please give your orders!”

At the words of the regimental deputy commander, Defense Commander Dolbap let out a sigh.

The burden of having to face Daniel Steiner felt immense.

Yet, he couldn’t just sit idle, so he maintained his composure and spoke.

“…What is the current movement route of the enemy brigade?”

“They are moving toward the bridge in the middle reaches of the Ebrand River. It seems they intend to secure the bridge. Given their speed, we may reach the bridge first.”

An operations officer, who had been listening, chimed in.

“Sir, we must move before they secure the bridge. How about leading the troops and setting up an ambush?”

That was sound reasoning.

Leading the troops to ambush near the bridge would likely result in a high probability of victory.

‘But…’

Dolbap couldn’t shake off a sense of foreboding.

After a moment of silence with his mouth closed, Dolbap slowly raised his gaze.

“Is that really the case? Can we truly say that sending troops to the bridge to ambush is the right course of action?”

The staff, who didn’t understand what Dolbap was saying, looked at each other.

Watching the staff, Dolbap quietly continued.

“If the enemy commander were incompetent, he would have accepted the staff’s opinions and ordered an ambush at the bridge. But we are dealing with Daniel Steiner. Everyone here knows he is as cunning as a fox.”

Only then did the staff realize what Dolbap was saying, and they each tensed up.

“Did Daniel Steiner use straightforward tactics during the Nordia invasion? When he captured the Crown Prince of the Belmore Kingdom in the border area? Even when he fought against the Allied 12th Armored Division, he used Etherium for spatial movement in a way that seemed like a counter.”

Dolbap closed his eyes as if he were horrified.

“Daniel Steiner always sets traps in his den and waits for the enemy to come. In that regard, look back at the current situation. Does this seem normal?”

Dolbap pointed to the enemy’s movement route on the operational map laid out on the table.

“Daniel Steiner is exposing his movement route to us in an unusually blatant manner. It’s as if he’s saying, ‘We will secure the bridge, so come and stop us!’ I will ask the staff once more! Does this seem normal to you?”

The staff had no choice but to remain silent.

Dolbap’s words were correct.

If Daniel was preparing some kind of trap and waiting, the defense forces would inevitably suffer significant losses.

Having convinced the staff, Dolbap exhaled deeply.

“We will not send troops to the bridge. Losing the bridge is unfortunate, but…”

Dolbap’s eyes trembled as he looked around at the staff.

Clenching his teeth, Dolbap continued with difficulty.

“Avoiding being played in Daniel Steiner’s hands is the priority.”

And with that, Dolbap thought.

‘Daniel Steiner. I will not play along with your wishes.’

No matter what happens, he would not fall into Daniel Steiner’s trap.