HBWnovel Chapter 164: Trickery And The Thirty-Six Stratagems, Strategic Retreat (2)
Chapter 164: Trickery And The Thirty-Six Stratagems, Strategic Retreat (2)
Chapter 164: Trickery And The Thirty-Six Stratagems, Strategic Retreat (2)
The entire 7th Division, including myself, was in a state of extreme exhaustion, to the point where collapsing right now wouldnt be surprising.
In such a situation, the soldiers, unaccustomed to riding horses they had not ridden before, had traveled for hours at quite a fast pacea situation that would normally dampen spirits.
Yet, the soldiers chatted and laughed refreshingly, as if they were celebrating a feast.
Look at those damned Swiss! Just like dogs chasing chickens!
They must have thought they had us all. Missing us will surely rot the guts of those Swiss fools! Lets drink to this when we get back home!
100,000 of them came and got beaten by not even a full division of us. Such imbeciles will be remembered in history.
I, too, wanted to join in their cheer and share the joy.
But I was too exhausted to raise my voice due to overexertion until now.
Thus, I was in a state where I couldnt even manage horseback riding, which subtly consumed a lot of energy.
So, without saying a word, I had no choice but to tightly hold onto the waist of Anya, who sat in front of me, guiding the horse.
Thanks for the help. Thanks to you, it seems I can somehow make it back alive. When I return safely to the empire, Ill buy you a drink.The most uptodate novels are published on n0velbj)n((.))co/m
If it werent for you, Lieutenant General, we would all be dead. So, its only natural for me to help you. And before that, you avenged our White Wolf Tribe and even gave us a place to live. Arent you my benefactor?
Still, gratitude is gratitude. Ill surely repay you, so bring all the archer cavalry soldiers. Ill treat them, even if it means breaking the bank.
The truth was, I was saying this to dilute my embarrassment a little.
That was because the place where I was now was still enemy territory, but it wasnt too dangerous, and Id relaxed a lot.
Though I was sober and behind leather armor, I was leaning against Anyas body while riding the horse.
Despite being a strong warrior, the softness typical of a woman could be felt.
Her body did not emit the stale odor of male soldiers crumpled socks but rather a pleasant scent of the skin.
Feeling an inexplicable comfort and warmth, I, as a married man, wondered if this was okay, feeling slightly odd nonetheless.
But it was clear what would happen if I were to hold the reins and move at a fast pace on the horse in my current state.
To return alive, I had no choice but to proceed with this plan.
Fortunately, setting fire to the military camp worked well, as it seemed to have significantly delayed the Swiss for quite some time.
Several days had passed since we started fleeing, and there were still no signs of the Swiss soldiers pursuing us.
However, it was too early to relax, as we had only just passed about half of the Ticino Canton.
The Swiss bandits are throwing arrows and stones from the side!
In this way, I vented my frustration at the Swiss while leaning against Anyas back.
Though we may have lost the battle, weve had a good look at your pathetic tradition! Switzerland mercenaries can only ambush from bushes and are completely useless in a direct fight!
I pity your parents who bore you! To give birth to such cowardly weaklings and still manage to sleep at night!
Its not too late. Go find a skirt to wear and put on some makeup! You spineless cowards, acting like frightened little girls!
Thus, I managed to escape the ambush in a situation where I was barely keeping my life, and through wise decisions during the retreat, I avoided the worst-case scenario of being encircled and annihilated.
And after pushing our horses at a fast pace for about an hour, we completely escaped the enemys ambush, but due to encountering an unexpected enemy in our already exhausted state, our division suffered more damage than expected, even though the enemy force was at most about a hundred men.
Mountain after mountain. I thought it would be tough, but I never imagined it would be this hard. Damn, Im never doing this again.
A week later.
Oh shit, I see the Reich Empires flag! Sir, theres our flag!
Everyones gaze, including mine, turned in the direction the soldier was pointing.
There, a sizable fortress was visible.
The fortress walls were adorned with flags representing different legions and divisions of the empires army, and unlike us, who were nearly dead from exhaustion, the men on the walls seemed very much alive.
Meaning, although we had somehow lost, this fortress marked the frontline where the empire bordered Switzerland.
There would be no loss of territory to the enemy, and the moment I realized my division had safely returned to the Reich Empire, tears were shed by both soldiers and officers at this beautiful sight.
Hurrah! Damn, weve made it back alive!
The commander was right! Weve returned alive!
Is this a dream or reality? Mom!
Due to the extreme exertion up until now, I felt the accumulated fatigue and tension release simultaneously
Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Anya.
And with that, I leaned against Anyas back and fell asleep as if collapsing.
And thus, the conquest of Switzerland came to an end.
The Swiss military casualties totaled 18,000 dead and 8,000 severely injured.
[Successful repulsion of the empires invasion, devastation of the Ticino Canton.]
Reich Empire military casualties totaled 10,000 dead and 145 severely injured (almost all died or went missing during the retreat).
[Due to a spy, the Switzerland expedition faced the brink of annihilation. Lieutenant General Peter Yeagers leadership in the defensive battle thwarted the enemys strategy. Out of the 8,000 troops of the 7th Division, 2,500 died.]