The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Chapter 585: Two Fronts

"Report!! The kingdom's army has been divided into two! Fifty thousand soldiers are rapidly advancing towards the north!!"

"Divided their forces...?"

Upon hearing the report, Leo briefly doubted it was some sort of mistake. This was a completely different battle strategy from what the kingdom's army had employed up until now.

The kingdom's forces fought stubbornly, looking to secure their advantage. That's why Leo had had no choice but to match their approach. It was unthinkable that they would suddenly decide to split their forces. Still, the reports kept coming in.

"Report!! The fifty thousand soldiers of the kingdom's army, currently deployed in front of us, have gradually started to retreat!"

"They're retreating now...?"

If they retreated, they would distance themselves from the allies heading north. Their forces would undoubtedly be divided. Leo couldn't help but question the surprising report.

"Has the enemy general changed?"

"I see..."

If the kingdom had changed their commander, some sort of movement should be detected. If there were no such signs, it meant that the commander hadn't changed. That meant these strange tactics were being ordered by Ansem himself.

"Vin! Your thoughts!"

"It's pretty clear that one group is a decoy, and the other is the real threat. For some reason, they're pushing for a decisive battle. Ansem must be with one of the groups, aiming for our rear. If we pursue the northern force, our backs would be exposed to the retreating force. If we go after the retreating force, we risk being flanked by the northern force. The problem is figuring out where Ansem is. It's not just about getting outflanked by the enemy forces. We can't afford to let Ansem get behind us."

A forced choice between two options. Doing nothing wasn't an option. We had to choose. In return, if the kingdom lost this gamble, they'd essentially be out of chances.

As long as Ansem was in command, the kingdom's forces were a threat. If any other general was in charge, it wouldn't matter much even if we were outflanked.

"Do you think they'd risk it all at this point?"

"If they were going to make a move, it would've been when we were reorganizing. There's no point doing it now. But that's from our perspective on the battlefield. They must have had some other reason. Maybe the Crown Prince is finally getting involved?"

"Even so, it seems too abrupt. The Crown Prince has been letting Ansem handle things for a long time now. He's been invading small nations to rebuild the kingdom and preparing defenses against the Empire. Of course, Ansem has been the one doing all this, but the one giving orders was the Crown Prince. Why would he suddenly intervene now?"

"Even if he intervened... what's the reason?"

"If he doesn't win, the Crown Prince will die. That's why he's been using Ansem... but if he sees a chance to win elsewhere, he doesn't need to let Ansem do whatever he wants. Once the Imperial army is repelled, Ansem will undoubtedly aim for the throne."

Leo nodded at Vin's words. It was the only explanation that made sense.

Rather than letting Ansem do as he pleases, they might force him into conflict with the Imperial army and strike when they're weakened. Or maybe they plan to strike at a weakened Ansem.

Only such motives made sense. However, in either case, they must have a plan to defeat either a weakened Imperial army or Ansem.

Where is such a force?

Of course, there would be forces stationed in each city and at the border, but gathering them would be difficult and moving them could cause complications. That's why Ansem only had one hundred thousand under him.

Even after contemplating, no answer was apparent. However...

"If we stand by, we won't be able to catch up with the forces heading north, you know?"

"I'm aware."

A decision had to be made.

But there was too little information to make a choice. He couldn't risk the entire Imperial army on a gamble.

As he pondered without reaching a conclusion, Leo finally spoke.

"Summon General Harnish here."

The Kingdom's army had been divided into two.

If the Imperial army threw their full force at either one, the potential threat to their rear would be immense.

Hence, Leo did not gamble.

He chose the safest strategy - dividing his own army into two as well.

"Goodness... war really is unpredictable, isn't it, Strategist?"

"I couldn't agree more. With an army of 150,000, I didn't think I'd have a role to play..."

Harnish and Vin sighed deeply.

Leo's decision had been completely unexpected to both of them.

Leo led 60,000 soldiers to pursue the retreating Kingdom's army, leaving the remaining 70,000 under Harnish's command, who was ordered to pursue the Kingdom's army heading north.

Being given command of the 30,000-strong vanguard was a major responsibility for Harnish.

And now, he was entrusted with more than double that force.

"I'm counting on your support, Strategist."

"I'll do what I can. But if Ansem is with the other army, give up. I'm not extraordinary. I can't compete against someone like that."

"I'm in the same boat. I acknowledge that I am somewhat competent... but I understand our differences."

Despite having other generals at his disposal, Leo granted Harnish full authority and appointed Vin as his aide.

This was done to avoid chaos in the chain of command.

If the command was shared among generals of the same rank, problems would inevitably arise.

Hence, full authority was given to Harnish.

However...

"Well, don't worry. Our role is to capture the Kingdom's army heading north. We have the numerical advantage. Once we get a bit closer, they won't be able to ignore us and just keep marching forward."

"The way you're talking... it sounds like Ansem isn't there?"

"I don't think he is. Adler's intuition tends to be accurate. If Leo chose to pursue the retreating Kingdom's army, it must mean something. We can't do much anymore. It's finally time for the commanders of both armies to have their decisive battle."

"So that's what the enemy is aiming for."

"Even if we know, we have no choice but to take the bait. If we choose wrong, Ansem will attack us from behind. Remember, he's the guy who defeated a 30,000-strong force with just 10,000? After witnessing that kind of damage, no one would have the guts to make such a decision. I wouldn't want a head-on battle, either."

Harnish agreed with Vin's words.

However, he still couldn't completely rule out the possibility of Ansem being in the Kingdom's army that they were chasing.

Taming the fear within him, Harnish gave the order.

"All forces advance!!"

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