I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 149 Hymns and Guerrilla Warfare

"Tap, tap!"

In the city lord's conference room of Horseshoe City, Martha, behind him, used a magic amplifier to create a telepathic spell that resonated with the functional magic soldiers he had scattered among 180 guerrilla units of 40 men each. Under Lunebo's precise calculations, a real-time three-dimensional strategic map representing his side was formed.

John, sitting at the conference table, gently tapped a black chess piece representing his own soldier on the edge of the table.

His eyes constantly scanned the black dots representing his own soldiers, waiting for the red dots representing the enemy forces to appear on the map.

Under his command, these 180 special guerrilla teams, each equipped with one functional mage and one mage scout, two sets of portable mortars, and three offensive mages, are currently stationed in groups of three, forming a triangular formation, each guarding the vicinity of Horseshoe Territory.

Once he discovers the enemy's whereabouts, he can issue orders to attack or retreat to each guerrilla squad in real time through real-time command.

In addition to these 180 guerrilla units, John also set up 10 artillery squads of 80 men each, each equipped with 10 medium-sized magic cannons and 15 mortars. They are currently scattered in concealed terrain such as caves or jungles where they are not easily discovered and are on standby.

Once the enemy forces arrive and engage in firefight with the guerrillas, these ten artillery squads can, at John's command, bombard the enemy, either to kill them or to cover the safe withdrawal of their own guerrilla squads.

After removing the aforementioned troop deployments, the remaining 2582 people, of whom 224 are members of the magic soldier unit, are currently under John's care in Horseshoe City. This includes the assault company led by Igonila and 24 members of the original 14th Squad. John is currently placing them in Horseshoe City for future tactical deployments and to guard against any possible assassinations.

The remaining 152 members of the magic soldier squad and ground support force were divided by John into two assassination squads of 64 people each, led by Leia and Wendy respectively.

Under his command, Wendy is currently flying around the battlefield ahead, attempting to search for enemy magical technology facilities, strike key targets, and locate the enemy command post for a decapitation strike.

Leia's ground support forces, meanwhile, operate on the fringes of the main battlefield, searching for the enemy's core forces. They use Leia's "All Things Strip Away" attack and Siegfried's "Wild Hunt Shot" to destroy high-threat enemy offensive devices.

The last 2,200 men were organized by John into a temporary armored regiment, consisting of 11 beam magic cannon vehicles, 100 heavy magic cannon vehicles, 100 light magic cannon vehicles, 100 heavy machine gun armored vehicles, and 50 light armored vehicles, forming a main force with high mobility and heavy firepower.

Along with the special magician on board, and the 400 members of the sniper and demolition companies led by Miles and Barnabo, they are on standby in the upcoming combat zone.

This armored regiment, far exceeding its specifications, is currently the main force of the 1st Division and is key to John's attempt to turn the tide of the war.

To win this war, John must use the guerrilla squads to harass the enemy, and at a suitable moment, deploy his strongest force, along with the pre-assembled guerrilla squads' firepower, to eliminate isolated enemy units and complete a timely withdrawal.

In his calculations, he needed to complete at least ten such ambush strikes to completely turn the tide of the war.

Furthermore, there can be no misjudgment during this period. If the main force fails to eliminate the isolated enemy troops in time and instead falls into the enemy's bait trap, then defeat will be the only outcome for John.

After all, the enemy commander was not a fool, but the famous tactical mastermind Frank Francis in the game's lore.

His military command capabilities are no less than those of the One-Eyed Owl.

Faced with John's main force's ambush operation, even if it succeeds only once, let alone three times, John felt that when attempting a second attempt to replicate it, he had to be extremely careful to consider whether the enemy was indeed bait before deciding whether to defeat them.

Therefore, this level of difficulty is akin to continuously rolling dice randomly, where you must get a six every time.

Furthermore, the number of dice will increase with each round, but the final goal remains unchanged.

With this calculation of one-sixth to the power of ten, the resulting probability is enough to make anyone despair.

In this situation, there is almost no other possibility of winning except to pray for divine mercy and a miraculous influence on the matter!
"But the hymn of humanity is the hymn of courage!"

"What makes the human spirit great is its unwavering courage to challenge any adversity!"

"Only actions that bring hope in dire straits through fearless courage combined with one's own talent can be called miracles that even the gods would marvel at!"

"And the fact that I am able to stand here now and dictate the course of this war is itself a miracle!"

"The opportune moment, the advantageous location, and the support of the people are all in my favor. Therefore, without a doubt, this battle will end in my victory!"

John murmured to himself. The moment he saw the dense red dots representing the enemy appear in his field of vision, his gaze sharpened, and he stopped his subconscious tapping on the table.

He then gripped the black piece representing the soldier tightly and slowly but firmly pressed it onto the sand table on the table, which represented the area where the battle was about to begin.

Without hesitation, he used the telepathic connection in his mind to issue an order to Martha, who was wearing a magic amplifier and was responsible for communicating combat orders to the various squad members:

"Marda, notify all guerrilla squads to immediately deploy in a three-three formation and begin guerrilla harassment. All members of Heavy Artillery Group 10, prepare to move to new positions and await orders to bombard!"

"Yes, battalion commander!"

……

As soon as John issued the guerrilla order, the Imperial guerrilla squads, under John's command, began to engage the enemy almost simultaneously in the rain, each taking advantage of the terrain.

However, faced with the sudden attack, the three divisions of the Seventh Army Corps, which seemed to have been prepared for the sneak attack, did not experience the expected chaos as they were advancing in the rain. Instead, after a brief commotion, they regrouped and, relying on the defense of their armored vehicles, continued to advance or counterattack towards their respective targets.

For a moment, the roar of artillery and gunfire almost drowned out the continuous downpour.

Both sides began to experience varying degrees of manpower losses.

As time passed, the Allied divisional forces, which were slowly advancing in three, two, and two wedge formations under this guerrilla tactic, were also constantly harassed by attacks on their various units.

Driven by anger and an attempt to launch a counterattack, they began to uncontrollably become separated from the main force to varying degrees.

"Wow!"

Night, 8:13 PM, Horseshoe Ridge Western Front, near Spear Forest Peak.

Listening to the sounds of continuous rain and the roar of cannons, Barnabo, dressed in a black raincoat and holding an Imperial-issue magic gun, stood on a hillside, staring expressionlessly at the pitch-black scene ahead, shrouded in dark clouds.

His azure eyes appeared somewhat unfocused in the darkness, as if he were deep in thought.

He only slowly came back to his senses when he heard the solemn voice of the scouts in his company through the communication device.

"Reporting to the company commander, enemy forces have been spotted three kilometers to the east. The enemy force is estimated to number no less than 1000 men, all of whom are highly mobile armored units, and they have 100 medium armored gun vehicles."

"Currently, according to the battalion commander's orders, our 13th, 14th, and 15th guerrilla squads are engaged in guerrilla warfare against them, and are guiding them towards our position along the predetermined route. They are expected to arrive at the ambush site in twenty minutes. The battalion commander has instructed the 1st Demolition Company to immediately proceed to location 412 at Maolin Peak and await orders, and to arrive within ten minutes." Light armored unit?

This number of people should be the light dragoon regiment of the Seventh Legion, right?

Upon hearing the scout's report, a look of understanding flashed in Barnapo's eyes.

However, John was somewhat puzzled and confused by John's decision to have him lead the 1st Demolition Company away from the armored forces and head to Spear Forest Peak alone.

After all, the enemy has deployed anti-magic devices and can use ethereal spells to neutralize explosive magic at any time.

Normally, when faced with an enemy light dragoon regiment that is about to fall into a trap due to a break in formation, the most correct decision would be to order one's own armored units to move to the ambush site and engage in combat.

But this time, the battalion commander specifically asked him to lead the 1st Demolition Company to carry out the ambush. To be honest, Barnapo really couldn't understand it.

So, this ambush was just bait?
Or is the battalion commander's target not this light dragoon unit, but rather an attempt to send armored forces to attack the remaining isolated enemy troops?

Barnapo pondered for a moment, but trusting in the battalion commander's terrifying command abilities, he did not raise any questions.

Instead, after notifying Samuel, who was in charge of his own armored regiment, through the communication device, he immediately led the demolition company away from the armored regiment and quickly flew to the target location.

Almost the instant he arrived at the ambush point, John's voice reached his ears via a temporary long-distance telepathic connection.

This is……

That's it, that's it.

They actually thought of using explosive magic like that!
As expected of a battalion commander!
Seemingly never having considered this method of combat, Barnapo froze on the spot upon hearing the battle plan, his azure eyes widening uncontrollably in shock.

The initial doubts vanished instantly.

Instead, there was unprecedented admiration.

A resolute glint flashed in his eyes, and without hesitation, he followed John's instructions, ordering the members of the 1st Demolition Company to deploy within the ambush point.

Then his eyes were fixed on the enemy light dragoon regiment that was slowly approaching the place that was about to become a graveyard for the enemy, accompanied by roars and flames.

Unconsciously, I began to silently calculate the time it would take for the other person to arrive.

At this moment, even before it began, Barnabo clearly foresaw that this first probing clash between the two sides' commanders would inevitably end in an imperial victory!

"Wow!"

……

"Buzz!"

Near Maolin Peak, within the 2nd Light Dragoon Regiment of the 1st Brigade of the Allied 1st Division.

Looking at the three Imperial guerrilla units fighting and retreating in the rain ahead, Colonel Sek Ben, the commander of the Light Dragoon Regiment, was not enraged by the ambush. Instead, a smile slowly curved his lips and a confident smile appeared on his face.

In fact, ever since he was ambushed by these three guerrilla units, he knew that these three units were definitely bait set up by the enemy commander. The purpose was to lure him away from the main force of the 1st Division in the midst of fighting and lead him to the predetermined ambush location.

Thus, under the command of the enemy's main force, they were surrounded and became the first unit on this front to be wiped out by the enemy's ambush plan.

The reason he still chose to walk into the trap, even though he knew this, was actually quite simple: the 2nd Light Dragoon Regiment he led was itself bait that General Frank had deliberately thrown to the enemy.

Unnoticed by the enemy, the 1st Functional Magic Technology Regiment of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division, by deploying camouflage spells and in conjunction with the 1st Heavy Armored Regiment of the 2nd Brigade, was advancing along the flanks to avoid the observation of the Imperial Magic Scouts and was now in position less than 2 kilometers away from the 2nd Light Dragon Cavalry Regiment.

Once the enemy's main force appears and attempts to unite with the surrounding guerrilla groups, they will try to launch an attack on him as bait.

Then the enemy's dream of consuming the bait will be completely shattered.

What awaits the enemy is an attack by three full regimental-level units!

Given the current dispersal of the enemy's forces, General Frank calculated that the enemy's main force could not possibly exceed 2,500 men.

On the other hand, the combined number of personnel in their three regimental-level units is at least 4,500.

Furthermore, thanks to the Void Spell's ability to negate explosive magic, and the magical enhancement provided to soldiers by the Functional Group's magical technology.

Without a doubt, this ambush will end in their victory!
As the one who took the initiative to act as bait and defeated the enemy's main force in a head-on confrontation, he will thus win the greatest military merit in this war!

Furthermore, as someone who helped Major General Leon wash away the shame of his previous defeat, he himself could earn the other party's gratitude, and might even be appreciated by General Frank, thus coming into the sights of the higher-ups!
"Truly, what an honor!"

The thought of this possibility made Sek Ben's heart begin to race uncontrollably.

But he also knew that he could not let his guard down until the enemy's main force truly appeared and was completely wiped out by the combined attack of his own troops.

Otherwise, what awaits him will not be victory and glory, but the darkness called death.

"Calm down, Sek Ben. The closer you get to victory, the more you need to stay calm!"

After all, success or failure often happens in the blink of an eye. I have long kept this in mind during my years of military service, haven't I?
Thinking of this, Saike Ben immediately took a deep breath, then slowly suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and ordered four reconnaissance vehicles to pursue the enemy guerrillas in the direction they had retreated, at a distance of five meters.

Only then did he issue a solemn order to his own troops via communicator:
"All personnel, advance immediately! Gunners, prepare to fire! Observers, be on high alert, watch out for enemy flank attacks! Everyone, be on your best, understand?!"

"Yes, leader!"

"Wow!"

……

(End of this chapter)