Volume 6 Chapter 77 Well, He's Airen's Brother and Rolf's Son. He's So Talented That the Enemy Even Tried to Crush Him Before the War Started.
That wasn't a battlefield.
It was a stage.
The audience was Waldner, the script was suspicion, and the actors were the Allied forces, including the Empire.
And the walls surrounding the stage were the curtains. When the actors realized they were on stage, their curtains had already fallen.
Source: 'Modern Military Strategy and Classics'
* * *
While Airen was calming herself at the west gate, the east side, where the main forces were deployed, had Irvin and a few Ice Wolf units leading the way, with cavalry, heavy infantry, and magic soldiers all holding their breath.
Even so, on top of the castle walls, the enemy probably noticed that many infantrymen were arranged to look like magicians.
The real magicians were waiting in front of the gate...
They were like scarecrows.
No matter how strong the Imperial army was, they wouldn't be able to win a head-on siege battle against this many magicians.
That's all they needed them to think.
If they got closer, they would definitely realize that they were just soldiers pretending to be magicians.
But that was fine.
No, they had to be noticed.
The reason they used infantry as scarecrows wasn't just to buy time until the Empire realized the castle walls were fake.
These scarecrows would be effective later on.
The 3-gate combined attack operation disguised as a siege battle was planned by Irvin, except for Rolf's solo charge.
The high-mobility artillery and fast-moving soldiers that Airen created.
And the original strong infantry, the Knight group.
Irvin's concept was to use them to strike the enemy all at once, it was all about 'harassment'.
They were teased for more than a day, or rather, they had special forces infiltrating for months, and Irvin and his mother, Isabella, were treated terribly.
There's no such thing as the Knights' code of conduct, and Irvin couldn't help but be angry at that kind of fighting.
That's why, in this operation, they decided to harass the enemy with a battle disguised as a siege.
As Irvin took a deep breath, the soldiers on the castle gate signaled 'South Gate Open'.
The main gate opened, and probably the empire soldiers on the other side of the wall were a little shaken. The quiet gate suddenly became noisy.
Still, the east gate doesn't open.
When Irvin managed to control his impatience, a signal for the 'West Gate Opening' was given from above the city gate.
Airen and the fast-moving troops are likely confusing the enemy now.
Still, the east gate doesn't open.
"Enemy is advancing a little. Looks like they are cautious of our magicians."
Since the south gate opened, the empire can't afford to delay anymore.
Opening the door so early in a siege means the enemy launched a sudden attack.
If the south is broken through, they might get trapped between the wall and the enemy.
They can't just stare and wait at the wall forever.
The empire is sending a confirmation messenger now, thinking if the enemy has come out from the south, they are still lightly defended, so they begin to advance.
Even with the slow defensive movements, the scarecrow on the wall is definitely making a difference.
To say more, Waldner's name, the legendary strategist from their ancestors, is also helping shape the situation.
They are skilled at fighting.
That's why their siege defense is just as good as the textbook.
Irvin is just biding his time, taking advantage of that preconception.
The imperial army is gradually getting closer.
But on top of the city gate, it's just foot soldiers.
They can't use magic to hold them back.
The real magicians are sporadically casting magic, and the archers are also keeping the enemy at bay.
It seems the empire soldiers have noticed the scarecrow's presence.
"No magic, just a dummy!"
The enemy has noticed the scarecrow.
"Enemy is charging straight into our formation!"
They are spreading out wide in a formation to avoid being targeted.
The attacking approach is as Irvin predicted... but,
(Damn... They're faster than I thought)
Because they can't see, and because it's his first battle, his feelings are running ahead of himself.
He calms himself, trusting only in his plan, his sister, and his strong soldiers.
(Trust. I can do this...)
In reality, it was a matter of seconds after the enemy started moving.
But for Irvin, the long, tense waiting, possibly a lifetime's worth, suddenly came to an end.
"...I see it!"
Irvin looked up at the voice coming down from the wall and called out to the few men nearby, "I'm counting on you."
As they charged into a group of Ice Wolf troops, Irvin exchanged glances with his ally magicians.
Taking a deep breath, Irvin prepared for the situation that lay ahead.
A scarecrow noticed by the Empire.
Imperial soldiers charging in.
──It seemed like a bad situation at first, but this was just the beginning.
"*Ice Wolf Magic Brigade*, here we come!"
Without delay, the area beyond the castle gate erupted in chaos.
"Enemy attack!"
"From the rear?"
"What happened to the messenger?"
"What is the Kingdom Knights doing?"
A few high-speed artillery units led by Airen slipped past the Duke's forces and appeared behind, rounding the Knights who were lost in one-on-one battles to the south.
They even took down the enemy messenger along the way.
A psychological barrier.
Thanks to that, they could launch a surprise attack without any coordination.
The Ice Wolf brigade that appeared behind the Imperial Army rushed the enemy magician brigade that was set up perfectly in the back.
They were completely caught off guard.
Magic rained down upon them.
The shattered rear guard threw the Imperial soldiers into confusion.
But it was not the end.
The main goal of the Ice Wolf brigade's surprise attack was not to crush the enemy rear guard.
Damage to the rear guard was just a bonus.
"Damn it, who betrayed us?"
"Could it be the Kingdom Knights?"
"No, we can't trust the Duke either."
They all voiced their doubts about the enemy appearing from behind.
With an already existing psychological barrier, suddenly being struck from behind would make them question even apparent allies.
"Don't panic! It doesn't mean someone betrayed us. Maybe the Kingdom was overwhelmed by the main force!"
The commander who shouted to calm the chaos was likely skilled.
A situation without coordination.
Scarecrows set up against the wall ahead.
A high-speed unit appearing from behind.
From this information, they reasoned that the main force that launched from the south gate had rushed in to support while tearing through allied forces.
That was the conclusion they arrived at.
And it was exactly what Irvin had predicted.
This decision tilted the scales completely.
"Defense from the back! Vanguard, break through that scarecrow now!"
The enemy heavy infantry turned around, and at the same time, agile foot soldiers and cavalry charged in.
They thought the walls were nothing to fear.
But the scarecrows on the walls had already been replaced with real magician troops.
Without proper defense, the enemies rushing straight in were just big targets.
Countless ice spears rained down, freezing the first wave of enemies in an instant.
"W-wait, are those magicians?!"
When the imperial army froze in shock from the unexpected magic attack,
"Open the gates!"
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