The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Chapter 581: Ansem's Surprise Attack

Chapter 581: Ansem's Surprise Attack

For Ansem, who commanded the main force of one hundred thousand, the collapse of the defense network meant the collapse of the initial strategy.

The plan to wear down the Imperial Army by using the cities everywhere would eventually cease to function.

The enemy was one hundred and fifty thousand strong. Gradually whittling them down and wearing them out was necessary before facing a decisive battle. It would have been a dangerous gamble otherwise.

So he had patiently waited in the rear, waiting for the enemy to show an opening.

However, it was the Kingdom's Army that exposed a vulnerability.

For Ansem, a scorched-earth strategy was not an option. If he was going to do it, he would have done it from the beginning. There was no point in doing it once he chose not to at the outset.

The kingdom was united, challenging the Imperial Army. He had judged that this situation was optimal.

However, what Ansem had miscalculated was that some things would not be understood unless they were thoroughly explained.

At least, he thought it should have been perceived that way.

However, the front line had burnt the supplies.

That was contrary to Ansem's intention.

Why did such a thing happen?

The reason was simple. People are not as wise as Ansem.

He had thoroughly explained the basic strategy and advocated fighting together with the people. But that was not enough.

In addition to what should be done, he should have explained what should not be done. Ansem had neglected that point.

"The same mistake again... I'm not growing."

Ansem muttered on horseback.

When he was working undercover as Marcel in the Duchy.

After Marcel had put Duke Pastore on the throne, he did not act as Marcel had hoped.

People are more foolish than you think, and they can't always do the right thing.

There are things that you understand but others do not.

He thought he had given instructions with full knowledge of this.

However, he had slightly overlooked the fact that what is common to him is not common to others.

Although it's a tall order to be so careful as the commander-in-chief of an army, perhaps this situation could have been avoided if he had been.

"It's the field's arbitrary judgment. It's not Your Highness's fault..."

Lizette, his adjutant who was standing by, defended Ansem just as she had before.

However,

"I'm the commander-in-chief in charge of the entire army. Even the arbitrary judgments on the ground are my responsibility. This is war. No one will forgive me if I make such excuses after losing. The Empire won't accept such words and admit defeat. Unexpected things happen on the battlefield, and a true great general is one who can still seize victory in such circumstances. The collapse of the defense network is my responsibility. That's why I must rectify this blunder."

He considered everything his responsibility. That's why Ansem never gave up.

Most people cannot think that far. If they carry such a burden of responsibility, their minds would blow out.

However, Ansem was exceptionally capable. Therefore, he could get away with such reckless actions.

If only he had done his part properly, he could have won. For most people, that would be nothing but arrogance. There's a limit to what one person can do. But Ansem was different. His abilities were so high that this was actually the case.

Even the rampage of the soldiers on the front lines should have been predictable if he had tried to predict it. Therefore, it was his fault for not being able to predict it. That was the kind of man Ansem was, who could accept such self-reflection.

That's why he moved quickly.

There was no time to blame others or look for what went wrong.

He immediately pulled himself together, and while escaping the enemy's watchful eye, Ansem had ten thousand elites sneak around to his left.

That ten thousand elites could move unnoticed was unique to the Kingdom's army, which had the advantage of terrain, but even so, ten thousand was the limit.

He couldn't move more than that.

But that was enough for Ansem.

When he was working undercover as Marcel in the Duchy, Ansem had many restrictions. In particular, the need to move a figurehead was a significant one.

But now, it was different.

The banner was Ansem himself.

Ansem could manipulate the situation to his liking.

"We aim for the enemy's right-wing unit. Their eyes are on the city in front of them. We will destroy the enemy's main camp with one strike."

With that, Ansem began to advance, sneaking through the enemy's surveillance network.

The enemy's right-wing unit that had come to the front line was concentrated on the city.

The distance from the main force was also considerable, and they were ideal for defeat in detail.

However, the Imperial Army was not stupid.

They carefully monitored the Kingdom's main force, laying a surveillance network to receive notifications as soon as there was any movement.

The only force that could move covertly through this surveillance network was Ansem's ten thousand. On the other hand, the enemy numbered thirty thousand.

The difference in strength was three times.

The Imperial Army chose not to further disperse the city conquest unit at the front line because they judged that a force of thirty thousand would not be defeated in detail.

However, the careful surveillance caused the front line units to let their guard down.

They were thirty thousand strong. The Imperial Army had superiority. There was no movement from the enemy's main force.

Above all, the enemy army was in a situation where they could only retreat.

Under these circumstances, it was unthinkable to attack with a smaller force.

Ansem didn't miss this opportunity and pierced through the enemy's right-wing unit.

"The enemy has been routed, Your Highness."

"What about the enemy general?"

"We were able to successfully take him down. He didn't run but tried to counterattack, which was admirable... but there's nothing to be done when caught by such a surprise."

"He was probably buying time to send a messenger. That Leonardo, he knows how to choose a good general."

Ansem and his side were fighting with limited resources and manpower, while the other side had abundant resources and a pool of personnel to choose from.

Even for Ansem, it was a situation where he wanted to express his dissatisfaction with the unfairness.@@novelbin@@

However, the surprise attack was successful.

Of the three units, one was routed.

The general was taken down, and the troops scattered.

There would be soldiers merging with other units, but many would likely be wandering around enemy territory.

It was an excellent achievement, but Ansem was not satisfied.

"We retreat immediately. We will disappear and probe whether we can surprise attack another unit."

"Understood."

Ansem's group was now in enemy territory with just ten thousand men, isolated and unsupported.

If they stayed for long, they would be surrounded by the enemy.

Even then, Ansem was looking at the next prey.

The frontline unit was thirty thousand strong. If he could take down two, it would deal a blow of sixty thousand to the Empire.

There would be soldiers merging with other units, so it won't necessarily decrease by sixty thousand, but they could still get close to a balanced situation.

However, at most, one more surprise attack could work.

And it would be harder to succeed than this time.

The reason he did not choose a surprise attack until now was that it was not necessary according to the basic strategy and because the main force was positioned at a distance where they could rush in at any time.

It was a surprise attack because the situation was just right.

However, there was a drawback to this.

"Cough, cough..."

Coughing, Ansem swallowed his medicine.

Being active on the frontline put a significant strain on Ansem's body.

Still, Ansem adopted this strategy.

Because there was no other plan to catch the enemy off guard.

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