Chapter 9: War Commander (3)

“Then, I leave it to you……”

“……”

Zhuge Liang collapsed as if he had simply handed the matter to me. Without us being able to ask any further questions, he fell onto the bed, and the room was once again enveloped in silence.

…Perhaps because it was so unexpected, or perhaps because it was so sudden,
The long silence continued.

“……What?”

…In the end, it was Zhang Fei who broke the quiet atmosphere, frowning with displeasure.

“…Even if Jiang Taigong came, it wouldn’t be enough, yet are we supposed to follow a plan made by a young girl who hasn’t even lost her hair? Hmph, you have to say things that make sense!”

It seems she didn’t like the fact that the command of the army had been handed over to me, showing a face full of displeasure. Guan Yu, standing next to her, also nodded firmly.

“That’s right, we can’t leave such a heavy task to a mere child.”

“……”

They were speaking without any regard for my feelings, who was standing right in front of them.
Well, if we were to count it from the future, it was the same as giving a war commander to a second-year middle school student, so it was understandable that they had complaints, but since they were disregarding me so openly, I frowned.

“……”

And, Liu Bei was hesitating as well.
He had always praised me and even met Kongming thanks to me, but he seemed to be reluctant to leave the army to me, bowing his head and falling into deep thought.

“Haa……”

…And, seeing them, I sighed deeply.

When I looked at their reactions now,
Their level of trust in me was almost zero.

If I continued to be ignored like this, even if I proposed an important matter later, it would be rejected or brushed off.
Also, there were limits to proceeding with everything through Zhuge Liang.

…Yes, perhaps this was an opportunity.
Zhuge Liang was also looked down upon by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in the original history, but he succeeded in winning the battle at Bowangpo and building up his position.

If I accomplished something in this battle, my right to speak would also increase, just like him in history. Although there was a considerable amount of risk, it was definitely a good opportunity.

The biggest concern, the tactics, could just be applied to the strategy that Kongming had used, assuming that the Bowangpo battle had been brought forward, so there seemed to be no major problems.

‘Okay.’

I made a firm decision in my heart and then looked up at Liu Bei with a serious look.

“Lord.”

“Huh?”

When I called him, Liu Bei slowly turned his gaze to me and gave a question mark on his face. And towards him, I declared confidently.

“If you give me the army as my older brother said, I will be able to defeat the enemies.”

“……!!”

Perhaps because I spoke with so much confidence, Liu Bei, who had hesitated to answer, widened his eyes and began to look at me again.

“Hmph! What skill do you have? Brother, just leave it to us!”

…Zhang Fei was still frowning with doubt. Although the opponent was that Zhang Fei, I thought I shouldn’t lose the pride contest, and I asked her with a slightly mocking voice.

“…Then, does the General have a plan to defeat 20,000 soldiers with 3,000 soldiers?”

“What?”

“The difference in the number of soldiers is a difference, so even a passing dog knows that you can’t win with only bravery. Then, I asked if the General has a plan to make up for that.”

“……”

Zhang Fei only turned her face red, without giving any answer, I chuckled and then turned my gaze towards Liu Bei again.
Then, I bowed my head and, with sincerity, uttered word by word.

“But I have a plan to make up for the difference in the number of soldiers. Please believe in me once.”

“Um.”

At my determined pledge, Liu Bei also stood up from his seat, realizing something, and nodded firmly.

“I understand. The military advisor recommended you for a reason.”

Then, he spoke to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were showing a more sullen expression.

“Look here, I will make Lang the vice-military advisor, and you two must obey Lang’s orders.”

Liu Bei commanded firmly with charisma.
Her younger sisters could not dare to add comments, since her older brother was saying it in such a straight manner. In the end, they answered with an effort.

“A, alright….”
“…I understand.”

‘Okay.’

I nodded satisfactorily after hearing their answers.
A situation where I had broken the pride of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who could have been obstacles in giving orders.

“…Mr. Son Jongsa.”

Having confirmed that the only stumbling block had disappeared, I turned my head towards Son Gan, who was crouching in a corner without any presence.

“How long do you think it will take for the enemy to arrive?”

“U, um, I guess it will arrive around late afternoon tomorrow, or at the latest, at night.”

Son Gan answered in a hurry.
If they would arrive here in the afternoon tomorrow, the time was really short.
I had to move and give orders as soon as possible to meet them.

“……”

…I stood up from my seat and, with a serious look, gave my first order to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. A delicate yet sharp voice echoed through the room.

“Gather the entire army immediately.”

.
.
.
.
.
About half a day after that,
That is, at the point where dawn was about to break, the 3,000 soldiers, who were usually training, could all gather.

Not many, but still elite soldiers with a high quality.
I could expect better results than I thought.

“Everyone gathered, right?”

…Inside the tent where the generals were holding a strategy meeting, I held the feather fan that Kongming usually carried and said to the assembled generals.

Well, there were only three generals: Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Zilong.

“Yes, everyone is gathered, Military Advisor.”

“……”

Unlike Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were grumbling, Zhao Zilong answered respectfully, treating me respectfully. With an appearance like a dragon and a saint-like behavior. I could understand why Liu Bei cherished him so much.

“Heh, so what is that clever plan? Let’s hear it.”

“……”

When the headcount was roughly done, Zhang Fei yawned deeply as if the meeting didn’t suit her and asked me. Although it was not a very pleasing attitude, I looked at her and nodded.

“I’ll explain it to you now. Everyone, pay attention.”

Because it was an important matter of life and death,
I began to explain in a serious tone, different from usual.

“Currently, there is a 17,000 soldier difference in the number of troops, and there is not much we can do.”

The most commonly used strategies are surprise attacks, encirclement, and ambush.
But now, because the difference in the number of troops was so great, we couldn’t even try.
What effect would it have if 10 people attacked 100 people with a surprise attack?

“…So, I will use a different plan.”

I spoke to the generals in a dignified voice.
They also kept silent for the time being and listened to my voice.

“The Cao Cao army must pass by a place called Bowang City to get here.
That place has mountains and forests, so it’s good to ambush soldiers. Generals Guan and Zhang, please ambush there with 1,000 soldiers each.”

“……What?”

…At that moment, Zhang Fei interrupted my words as if she didn’t understand.
Frowning, she said.

“Ambush? Ambush? Didn’t you say just now that a surprise attack and ambush are useless?”

Zhang Fei said why the words were different.
I nodded at her words.

“Yes, I certainly did.”

That 10 people attacking 100 people with a surprise attack would be of no use due to the difference in their size.
……But you see,

“…What if those 10 people poured oil on 100 people and set them on fire?”

Bowang City was surrounded by forests and mountains.
What if we drove the enemy into such a place and burned them to death?

“……Fire attack.”

At my words, Zhao Zilong nodded as if he had understood something. I showed a satisfied expression and ordered him.

“That’s right. And General Zhao’s role is to lure the enemy there.”

Lure.
To fight in the best space, it would be much more efficient to lure them directly rather than relying on luck.

“The vanguard, Xiahou Dun, will be full of confidence right now. General Zhao should compete with him, but don’t win. You should lose little by little. That way, you must lure him to the center of Bowang City. Remember. Don’t run away without reason and tease them.”

“…I understand.”

Zhao Zilong, placing his hand on his chest as if he would do as he was asked.
I raised my head and looked at the generals gathered here again.

“Our plan is to lure the enemy to Bowang City and counterattack with a fire attack around sunset.
As the enemy is in disarray, if Generals Guan and Zhang strike from both sides, the enemy will collapse on their own.”

……Although it wasn’t exactly the same as the strategy Kongming had established in the original history, it was still a strategy that was not lacking. Since it was a strategy that had been able to defeat an army of 100,000 soldiers, what reason was there not to defeat an army of 20,000 soldiers, which was one-fifth of that?

“Well, then, I will command under the vice-military advisor’s order.”

I said to the generals with a serious expression.
“…The entire army, let’s go to battle.”