I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy

Chapter 162: The Battle Of Richten Hill (5)

Chapter 162: The Battle Of Richten Hill (5)

After Colonel Chepelins division withdrew, the remaining Swiss Expeditionary Force of ours continued to hold and defend Richten Hill.

I continued to lead from the front every day, encouraging the soldiers and carrying on the battle.

As the days passed, my body grew heavier, and I started feeling like I might die of exhaustion rather than in battle.

Indeed, when the three divisions stationed here with us retreated all at once, I was so exhausted that I even thought of just dying.

It made sense because even when I was fully conscious, I was too weary to even lift a spoon or knife, let alone wear an armor weighing over 20kg and fight right after waking up.

But, fortunately, there was a silver lining

The 19th Division, led by Colonel Falken, who stayed until the end, has retreated three days ago, so now we can finally escape this hellish place.

Thus, even in my exhausted state, I could smile with a glimmer of hope.

Although it wouldnt be easy to escape since we had to fight the soldiers deployed by the Swiss Duke along the way through Ticino Canton, it would still be easier than continuing to fend off around 100,000 Swiss soldiers on this narrow hill as we are doing now.

Just then, Charlotte, in her maid outfit stained with the blood of wounded soldiers, came in and asked,

You havent smiled for days, but you are smiling today. Is there any good news? Or are you thinking about the lady and young master in Reichburg?

If Laura, my wife, had given birth earlier than expected, she might have already delivered the baby.

Then, by now, the Crown Prince, who is gathering soldiers at the border and waiting for me, might have sent a message about the current situation and the name of my newborn child.

Such thoughts brought a smile to my face, separate from the relief of finding an escape route.

No, its not that. Its just that we can finally start escaping from this hellish place. The thought of being able to return alive makes me smile.

Although she had never participated in a battle, she must have felt the same fear and dread of possibly dying on the battlefield.

So, hearing my words must have lightened her heart as well.

Charlotte, as I expected, shed tears of joy at the prospect of returning alive and said,

So, does this mean you no longer have to go out and fight in front of the soldiers, Master? And also the nights spent in anxiety before sleeping in the field bed, mourning the dead

I thought she would be happy to safely return to her family.

I never imagined she would consider my survival more important than her own return.

I was a bit startled, but I felt truly grateful for how much she cared for me.

So, with a grateful heart, without any ulterior motive, I stroked her head and said,

Thank you for genuinely worrying about me. Thanks to you, I feel I can definitely return alive.

And we will also retreat in two days. So, I want you to fight with me for just two more days, risking our lives together.

If another general had said this in this situation, soldiers would internally think it was nonsense.

But I have always aligned my words and actions to gain my soldiers trust until now.

If the Division Commander says so, we believe you! Two days, then. Well hang in there until the day after tomorrow. We will return alive.

Of course, just leave it to us!

Lets go home now!

The soldiers reaction was as I expected; if the words came from Peter Yaeger, the commander of the 7th Division, they were initially trustworthy.

Now, its time to start the actual preparation.

In exactly two days, we will leave this place. Even the Swiss Confederation Duke, who is no smarter than a fool, will notice this. So, he will want to behead me and all of you before we can escape.

Since the Duke was not a fool, he must already know that the Crown Prince had escaped.

He would try to annihilate our 7th Division and the other expeditionary force soldiers, thinking to make do with us instead of the Crown Prince.

Based on such an overwhelming victory, he would try to conduct post-war negotiations in their favor.

So, we will strengthen the defense of the hill tonight and pack our belongings for escape. All soldiers of the 7th Division will ride the horses left by another unit and escape together. Attach jerky, grain flour, and water containers to the saddles for several days consumption.

Carrying jerky, grain flour, and water containers to eat while fighting was something the Mongolians did on Earth when they waged war against the world, but here, it was the northern-style combat rations often eaten by the archer cavalry led by Anastasia.

I will also participate in the trench construction, so everyone, do your best to strengthen our defenses. Plant spears left by our fallen comrades into the ground and place supply wagons on top of them. If we only place wagons, the Swiss will easily knock them down and cross over. Load empty grain sacks with heavy things like unused tents or alcohol.

After saying this, even before giving the order to start working, I began carving the unattended long spears around me into stakes.

The officers issued instructions to each unit to carry out my orders.

We spent the night busily and productively, managing to construct a somewhat usable trench.

However, realistically speaking, if someone said theyd run away two days before in a disadvantageous situation and actually lasted two days, that person was a fool.

Because if the Swiss Duke heard it, he would thoroughly prepare, using his 100,000 soldiers, to prevent us from escaping.

So, to make him waste his efforts, I ordered my soldiers an hour before dawn,

Everyone in the 7th Division, mount the horses assigned to you right now and immediately leave this hellish place. Hurry! Every minute and second are crucial.

Thus, the entire division mounted their horses and began a great escape, and after watching them leave, I stayed behind to set fire to the wagons full of alcohol barrels and the entire camp before following.

I hoped that the items I left behind, which burned well, would hold back the enemy for at least an hour or two.