Chapter 34
"Sentiment is the emotion furthest from understanding."
A maxim widely spread among the officers of the Former Northern Army, now the Revolutionary Army and Central Army. Usually used in reference to their lord and leader, Vice Chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction under Carolus.
Why did such a famous line, recognizable to anyone who enjoys hipster grim reaper manga, become so widespread? The reason was simple.
It's because the presence, the stature of Carolus von Roytel, a young man in his late 20s, is so immense among them, irreplaceable.
"Colonel Carolus? He's been here since I was a rookie. Thanks to him, our unit has the highest survival rate."
"When I was lost and stranded in a crevasse during reconnaissance, Lieutenant Roytel saved me. There are few officers as caring and considerate of their subordinates as he is."
"He's a fixture in the Northern Army. If anyone dares to speak ill of him, the entire division would immediately lynch them. No, beyond the division, the entire Corps would come after them."
From the newest Second Lieutenant to veteran Lieutenant Generals. Carolus has protected the Northern Region from the first day the war began.
Even as his fellow soldiers died all around him, even as his body became scarred and he suffered severe injuries. He persevered through bloody battles, never leaving the Front Line.
Even in the most unfavorable situations, he never gave up on his mission, standing shoulder to shoulder with his comrades against the Imperial Army. He defended the Kingdom's territory, amassing a mountain of corpses in countless battles.
While he doesn't yet have a glamorous record like a victory in a large-scale Battle, his long-accumulated career is unparalleled.
The fact that he achieved the rank of Lieutenant General, which usually takes 15 years even with the best connections, in less than 10 years speaks for itself.
"Honestly, if it weren't for General Carolus... I might have committed suicide due to hazing before even becoming an NCO. I'm telling you, he's saved so many lives."
"If he hadn't improved the unit culture, throwing rookies into a latrine would still be a 'rite of passage'."
Not only that, but Carolus was also highly regarded for his character as well as his achievements.
This is the age of medieval fantasy. An age where it's considered natural for superiors to assault subordinates and officers to treat soldiers like slaves.
But he was different. The most he would ask was for his orderly to handle some chores. He treated the soldiers under his command not as mere expendable resources, but as individuals, with respect.
Even when reprimanding for mistakes, he avoided violence, opting instead for mild cursing, rational explanations, and verbal warnings.
He wasn't exactly known for being gentle when he was a Captain in the Korean army, but in the Kingdom's Army, even this much made him practically an angel.
Therefore.
The Revolutionary Army admired Carolus. They respected and adored their great commander, who was skilled, had a legendary career, and was even kind.
How else could they have launched a Coup d'état and tried to install him as their leader?
Even with their deep mutual trust and faith in each other, the only one they could truly trust and follow as a leader was Carolus. Everyone believed so without a doubt.
.....However, today.
That faith was about to crack.
Because of the insane tactic that Carolus proposed.
"Excuse me? You want to set fires?"
"In the middle of enemy territory?"
"Yeah. We burn everything, the ground, the forts, everything. And we pick off the bastards who come running out one by one."
Admire...should we?
* * * * *
'Hmm.'
The military meeting held immediately after our Central Army arrived at the Western Front.
I called in everyone at the rank of Regimental Commander and above, and when I blurted out my suggestion, their expressions turned strange. It's like they were looking at a mental patient who escaped from a hospital.
I understand you're bewildered by the sudden proposal.
But isn't it a bit much to insult me so openly? After years of fighting together, are you serious?
"Everyone, calm down and listen. Do you know what month it is?"
"....It's September, isn't it?"
"Yes. Early September. It's just the end of summer and the beginning of autumn."
But I didn't just blurt it out without thinking.
It's a clever plan I devised after exploring the enemy's Dong-tae and the local environment, so really. It hurts that the reaction is so dismal.
"According to what I've seen on the way here, this Western Region has a warm climate. They say summer is the dry season and winter is the rainy season. Right?"
"Yes. That's why we always pay attention to water reserves during the summer. But what does that have to do with anything?"
The western part of the Kingdom has a Mediterranean climate by Earth standards.
Summer is dry and winter is wet, the opposite of Korea.
It's a blessed climate if you consider that it doesn't become a furnace in the summer, but that's not the point.
"Think about it the other way around. If it's so dry that water Supply is disrupted, what condition would the bushes and forests be in?"
"...Ah!"
Finally realizing what I was implying, an officer let out a sigh. Yes, that's right, you idiots, it's all dried up and ready to burn.
I remember seeing a news report once about Greece having wildfire warnings in the summer.
It means the environment is so susceptible to fire that it can ignite spontaneously. If someone deliberately sets a fire, it'll spread like crazy.
"And before we arrived, the Imperial bastards they reinforced their Defense Line like crazy. They piled up layers of Wooden Stakes and built a ton of gun emplacements and fortifications. 'Hastily,' that is."
Scared of me, it seems, they stopped their ongoing Offensive and holed up.
Like turtles hiding behind their shells.
Well, it's not a bad strategy.
If you're not sure you can win a direct confrontation, stalling for time is a classic tactic.
But the problem is the resources they used to dig in.
"Did they really use proper materials for fences and walls built in just a few days? There wasn't nearly enough time to process stone, was there?"
Bricks that need to be fired in a kiln, stones that need to be selected and cut, concrete that takes days to properly set.
They're all widely used, but they're not suitable for short-term construction. And there's no way they have enough materials stockpiled.
The only material the Imperial Army, pressed for time, could have used was one thing: wood.
Untreated, unseasoned wood, used straight after being felled.
Of course, wood can be a very useful material if used properly...but when our scouts went out, they saw it was just roughly cut and placed.
No paint or any kind of coating, naturally.
In other words, it’s dried out in the summer heat and perfect for kindling.
They've plastered their entire Defense Line with that stuff, so we won't have to bother targeting specific points.
"If I've explained this much, you should understand. Their fortress looks strong on the outside, but the inside is incredibly vulnerable. It'll crumble with just a little nudge from us."
"B-But a Fire Attack...are you sure it will go as planned? What if the wind blows towards us—"
"That's not a problem. We'll leave that to the Mage unit."
After all, this is a fantasy world. Magic that controls wind exists, of course.
Creating hurricanes and storms might be a stretch, but a gentle breeze is certainly possible.
We'll have the Mages create a wind blowing towards the enemy lines. With thousands of them working together, maintaining it for a few hours shouldn't be difficult. Roughly two to three hours?
More than enough time to burn everything down.
The turtles hiding in their shells will be forced out by the heat coming from all directions.
"Do you all understand?"
I looked at each officer in turn and gave the order.
"Gather all the Oil and Sugar you can find in the units. We’re going to show those cowardly Imperial asseㅇ...no, bastards, what playing with fire really means."
* * * * *
And now.
"Your Excellency, preparations are complete."
"Then let's begin."
The Calvary Unit, chosen for this glorious mission, charged towards the enemy lines with jars of Oil.
They kept a suitable distance between each other, and as the distance between friend and foe closed, they lit the Oil on their saddles with pre-prepared flints.
Then, swinging the ropes attached to the jars, they hurled them with all their might using centrifugal force.
--Whoosh!
"Fire!!"
"Aieeeee!!! Fire?! Fire, why?!"
"Don't panic and bring water, you idiots!!! Are you just going to stand there while the camp is on fire?!"
While Oil is the main ingredient, it's actually a makeshift Incendiary Bomb made by mixing Sugar, Sawdust, and other things. I applied some knowledge I read in books back on Earth.
Naturally, it won't be extinguished by dousing it with water. You’d need to pour mountains of sand on it to even slow it down. Or wait until all the incendiary agent burns out.
But the Imperial Army, lacking such knowledge, fumbled and missed the crucial moment, eventually facing the situation where most of their Defense Line was engulfed in flames.
"This is bad. Everyone, get out! Get out! We'll all be roasted alive if we stay here!!"
"Equipment, whatever, just grab what you can and escape! Saving your Life is the top priority!!"
Waiting for those who finally fled were the Kingdom's Army, lined up in perfect formation. And me, at the Vanguard, watching the fireworks display.
Looking down at them staring at us with bewildered expressions, I muttered quietly.
"Welcome. To my Fire Society."
I felt like I just had to say that line.