Exploring Technology in a Wizard World-Chapter 1303 - 1301: The Advisor’s Concerns

"What do you mean?" Richard looked at Soron and asked.

"I know that Lord Richard’s health is not very good, so you don’t need to exert yourself too much or participate in the pre-war planning and subsequent command work. Just help me monitor part of the army’s order when the war starts," Soron explained in a soft voice, "Let me briefly describe the current situation.

Currently, after such a long period of combat, about four Alliance Army Corps structures are still intact, but three of them are fighting against the Sika Kingdom in other directions. While holding off the Sika Kingdom’s forces, they cannot return to support the vicinity of Kasha City in time. Therefore, the army we can use to attack Kasha City consists of only one corps, about 100,000 men. On the other hand, the Sika Kingdom has about 150,000 men."

"100,000 against 150,000?" Richard’s eyebrows slightly raised, "That’s not an advantage, is it?"

Encircle with ten, attack with five, divide with a double. The enemy has half more, and frontal assault in a siege is indeed unwise.

"Indeed," Soron did not deny, with a change in tone, "However, the situation is not as dire as imagined; otherwise, I wouldn’t plan to attack Kasha City so quickly.

I’m saying we have an army of 100,000, only referring to the front-line regular troops. Additionally, we have about 20,000 second-line troops, and... 50,000 temporary army formed of captives as cannon fodder, making a total of 170,000. We’re not losing to the Sika Kingdom."

"That’s still not very optimistic, right?" Richard maintained a rational analysis, "The combat effectiveness of second-line troops cannot compare with that of the front-line, and the cannon fodder units are even more unreliable. They might not only be useless but also disruptive."

"I acknowledge that. Truthfully, our theoretical strength is indeed inferior to the Sika Kingdom. However, it’s still winnable because the opponent’s 150,000 also contains a lot of fillers and is not entirely front-line troops. Moreover, due to continuous defeats, their morale is extremely low, vastly inferior to ours.

Most importantly, intelligence indicates that due to continuous defeats, the Sika Royal Family has ordered their commanders to take the initiative to win this battle and not merely defend passively. Therefore, the core of the Kasha City battle won’t be difficult sieges but rather field battles outside the city.

For this reason, I plan to distribute all elite forces on both wings during the battle, with the captives and second-line troops positioned in the Central Army. Once the battle starts, I will personally lead the left wing in the charge, and trusted aides will break through on the right wing. As long as the Central Army doesn’t collapse too quickly under sustained attacks, I have confidence in winning this battle."

"So, my task is to maintain the order of the Central Army?" Richard listened to Soron and understood.

"Yes." Soron nodded in affirmation, "What I want Lord Richard to do is maintain order and discipline in the Central Army. Rationally speaking, I can’t deny that an army composed of captives and second-line troops will easily collapse when attacked, the only difference being the speed of collapse. Thus, Lord Richard only needs to ensure the Central Army collapses slower than the enemy, giving both wings a chance to perform, and we can win.

At that time, I will arrange a sufficient supervisory team for Lord Richard. If anyone dares to retreat, the team will take action, essentially saving Lord Richard the trouble. All I need is your identity as a Command Consultant. Only with that identity can we keep the army from collapsing too quickly and ensure the dignity of the supervisory team isn’t too heavily resisted during discipline enforcement.

By my estimation, if the plan goes smoothly, it will take about half a day of your time at most; even if things don’t go well, one day would be the limit. What do you think, Lord Richard?"

After speaking, Soron looked intently.

Richard pondered.

It must be said, Soron came with considerable sincerity to ask for his help. Knowing he didn’t want the usual hassle, the request was simply to be present. Knowing he didn’t want to waste time, a time limit was provided.

If he still refused, it would indeed seem disrespectful.

Besides, he had been "idle" for almost two months; as a Command Consultant—second in command of the army—it was indeed hard to justify. Additionally, during this time, he had misused his power to let the army help gather materials, greatly speeding up his research progress, so helping out could be considered a token of gratitude.

Furthermore, if any unexpected events occurred on the battlefield requiring his intervention, he might even test the practical effects of his researched spells.

With this in mind, Richard made a decision, looked at Soron, and nodded, saying, "Since General Soron requests so, I’ll do my best, but please be lenient with any shortcomings."

"No worries." Soron stood up, "In any case, thank you very much, Lord Richard."

As he walked out, Soron reminded, "By the way, Lord Richard, the Command Room will be moving today, and it will set up temporarily in front of Kasha City in about three days. Unless a surprise occurs, the battle will begin the day after setting up, so be prepared." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Alright."

"Goodbye then."

"Goodbye."

Soron waved and walked out the door.

...

Upon exiting, Soron and the accompanying staff boarded the carriage and headed to the Command Room.

In the carriage, Soron closed his eyes, taking a rare moment to rest, but Command Consultant Kun Darsie voiced his concerns, "My lord, isn’t it too hasty to inform our Command Consultant of the battle plan so plainly? Moreover, I find that following the plan is too risky. Those temporary captive-formed troops may look numerous, but they will definitely be useless in combat. If our entire line collapses, no matter how fast our wings attack, it will be too late to save the situation."

"Whoosh—"

Soron exhaled, rubbed his temples, and opened his eyes to look at the aide.

"Mr. Kun, what you said is indeed problematic. I know the captive troops are unreliable, which is why I asked for help from our lazy Command Consultant, and why I’m prepared to risk myself in leading frontline charges. It’s to delay the Central Army’s collapse and enhance the wings’ attack power," Soron said, "

as long as the Sika people don’t understand our true situation on first contact and don’t launch a direct assault on our Central Army, we have a great chance of winning; it only varies by how many casualties we suffer."

"But..." The White Robed Staff hesitated, his face lined with deep worry, "But... what if we’re unlucky and the opponent figures it out? If they break our Central Army first and then divide our wings, the situation will be very unfavorable. I still feel that suddenly attacking Kasha City this time is too risky, and it would be more secure to wait a while and recall another Alliance Corps."