Chapter 120
Following Gerhart's instructions, the imperial officers gathered in the imperial tent, waiting for Viktor and Gerhart.
"We have to fight with other races, but I wonder if he really knows them."
"...I watched him draft the operation earlier, and he doesn't seem completely ignorant."
"I don't know. He might understand elves and dwarves, but he doesn't seem to know what's going on in the heads of those here now."
"Well... that's true."
Although the news that Viktor would be taking charge of the imperial forces had already been conveyed, he had only been officially introduced.
Most of these officers, who had been active in the south, only knew about Viktor from rumors.
So, they talked among themselves, centered around the officers who had observed the conversation in the central tent.
"His Excellency Weissilt has mentioned him a few times. He's excellent in military strategy, but especially outstanding in battlefield command and handling variables..."
"I did see him rejoice greatly when he heard the news of his arrival. Personally, I'm not expecting much."
Although opinions were divided, many officers didn't trust Viktor much, who had no experience of war in the south.
"Did you see earlier? He pushed Vittorio without even blinking... Phew."
"I found it refreshing. I wanted to say something, and it worked out well."
His firm attitude towards the elves and dwarves was completely different from what Gerhart had been doing until now, so they were divided between those who worried about the aftermath and those who welcomed the confident attitude.
As they were engaged in heated conversation,
"What on earth is... Hup."
They quickly shut their mouths as soon as Viktor and Gerhart appeared together.
Regardless of whether they liked him or not, there was little room to deny that Viktor seemed to have quite a temper, so they turned their heads and secretly glanced at Viktor.
"..."
At this, Viktor slightly placed his hand on the sword of office at his waist, but quietly followed behind Gerhart as if unaware of the officers' strange reactions.
"It seems everyone knows, so I'll introduce him right away."
Gerhart stopped beside a place where a large map was hanging.
Not knowing how Viktor would act, the officers swallowed their saliva and watched him, but.
"This is General Viktor Steilberg, who will oversee the activities of the imperial forces, including the 7th Corps, and external diplomacy from now on."
"I'm Viktor Steilberg. Nice to meet you."
Unlike when dealing with the elves, he greeted them in a moderate tone and slightly bowed his waist.
"...?"
This attitude was completely outside the officers' expectations.
The surprised officers stared at him blankly.
"I know that your concerns about me are great."
Viktor began slowly after confirming that their attention was focused on him.
Several officers opened their mouths to say something, but,
"My hometown is in the north of the continent, and all the achievements I've made so far were against humans. It's natural to worry about me overseeing this place with unfamiliar terrain full of dense forests, where there are no humans except for the imperial forces."
As Viktor's words continued without hesitation, they couldn't find a chance to interject.
"I also know that the situation is not favorable. The support forces from the Este Kingdom and the Ecrini Kingdom are strong, but they are of different races from us and their tactics are vastly different. Moreover, their cooperation is poor... Well. The most fitting expression would be that they are not exemplary allies."
As Viktor had already said what they were going to point out, the officers naturally closed their mouths and focused on Viktor's words.
"So, I promise."
Viktor paused for a moment, and,
"I'm not going to talk about unrealistic goals like annihilating the enemy right away or getting an immediate surrender from the Labria Republic."
He said with a faint smile.
"I don't know how long it will take, and I can't be certain about the process. But I will conclude this war with the ultimate victory of the Dragonian Empire."
Some of the younger officers already looked impressed by his determination, but the experienced officers furrowed their brows.
They were not satisfied with replacing Gerhart, an already proven general, with a much younger and less proven general.
To persuade them, Viktor's declaration was still vague.
"I could explain a hundred times that I know the enemies and the terrain well, that I'm confident, but I won't bother explaining it in words."
Viktor, who stopped those who were about to step forward by raising his hand, picked up the command baton placed in front of the map.
"I will show you only through process and results."
"...General Viktor came on my recommendation and was sent directly by Her Majesty. If you give him a chance, you won't regret it."
"..."
With Gerhart's endorsement added to this, the officers, while still doubting Viktor, changed their attitude to wait and see for now.
Although Viktor had come with the Empress' will, he was the one who showed confidence first.
They thought it wouldn't be too late to point out his shortcomings after he showed them.
Gerhart, who had no intention of stepping forward further, quietly took a step back.
"As it happens, the strategy I designed is drawn here, so I'll explain based on this."
Viktor hung a map of Adige with markers drawn according to his strategy beside him.
He explained the detailed strategy he had discussed with the dwarves, and,
"To summarize, this strategy involves Blake's forces marching on the central main road to draw the enemy's attention, Vittorio's forces using the forests on both sides to strike the enemy, and us waiting at the midpoint to support where the enemy's forces are concentrated."
"..."
The explanation that lasted for a few minutes ended with a brief summary.
Viktor's strategy was orthodox, but considering the situation of the allied forces, it was a strategy that would be difficult to fit.
Although they didn't openly show it out of consideration for Gerhart, the officers couldn't hide their disappointment, but,
"This is the official operation plan, but,"
Viktor dipped the pen placed beside him in the inkwell, and,
-Swish.
"This is not important."
He drew a long diagonal line across the map.
The officers were surprised by this unexpected action, but became interested in what the person Gerhart had acknowledged would say.
"The dwarves will be lucky if they march even half of what's planned, and the elves will absolutely not come out of the forest until we encounter the enemy and draw their attention. You've seen this a lot until now, haven't you?"
"..."
Although the aspects varied for each battle, in the end, it always proceeded as Viktor said.
The officers nodded reflexively.
"What we need to do is simple."
Viktor, who had drawn an X over the existing markers, quickly drew new markers for the allied forces on the map.
"We will maintain this position at all times. In front of the dwarves, behind the elves. We just need to guide the enemy to the appropriate side depending on how they come out."
The map Viktor redrew was similar in overall shape to the original operation plan, but the points where each force stayed differed greatly.
Gerhart secretly grinned as he watched Viktor continue speaking confidently, just like during the eastern expedition.
"Up to here, the forest is less dense, and the terrain is relatively flat. If we prepare in advance and move quickly, we should be able to fight efficiently without much difficulty."
"..."
As Viktor finished speaking, one middle-aged officer standing at the front of the officers raised his hand.
"Please introduce yourself."
"I'm Hannes Gröben, commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the 7th Corps."
After stating his rank and name, he walked forward about three steps.
The surrounding officers looked at Hannes, who had stepped forward, with worried eyes.
Although Hannes was also afraid of the sword of office at Viktor's waist,
"I understand General Steilberg's intention. However, to implement this, we need to move faster than the elves, and there are many things to consider, such as the timing, speed, and direction of movement."
"..."
He couldn't stay silent as an officer of the imperial army.
"His Excellency Weissilt also attempted a similar strategy, but... I'm sorry to say, I think it failed. The elves were terribly cunning, and the dwarves were horribly lazy. In the end, we had to suffer greater losses compared to others."
Hannes paused for a moment, then,
"I heard that tomorrow is the operation start date. Do you think it's possible to proceed as you said, considering all this, having just arrived at the unit today?"
After uttering words that could sound disrespectful, he gritted his teeth and prepared for Viktor's reaction.
"It's possible."
"...?"
Contrary to the expectation that he would fly into a rage after being directly pointed out, Viktor simply answered lightly.
"If you trust me and just follow my instructions. We can accomplish anything."
"...Is that confidence?"
"It's certainty."
"..."
At Viktor's confidence that seemed almost arrogant, Hannes looked at Gerhart standing beside him.
Gerhart maintained his smile and nodded once to him.
"Tell the soldiers, so that everyone knows. That I, Viktor Steilberg, will command this battle."
"...Understood."
Hannes agreed to Viktor's instruction and stepped back.
"If you have any questions, feel free to speak up."
"..."
As he stepped back, the officers who had been looking at each other didn't raise their hands.
"I'll take it that everyone has understood. So please,"
-Click.
Viktor tapped the sword of office to make a sound.
"I hope you will carry out my instructions well."
The officers silently nodded.
"Good. Then, please introduce yourselves."
Only after confirming that everyone had agreed did Viktor begin the introductions.
Gerhart watched him with a faint smile, seeing Viktor already dominating the officers with his momentum.