第１９３掘：合流と説明 (Part1)
**Dig 193: Rendezvous and Briefing**
**Rendezvous and Briefing**
The Holy Kingdom of Enaria.
It is a nation that has been locked in a territorial struggle with the Zilba Empire for about five years.
In terms of national scale, it possesses military strength and territory comparable to the Zilba Empire.
Until five years ago, both nations were occupied with smaller neighboring countries, and by tacit agreement, they refrained from interfering with one another. This was because engaging each other would have required a massive expenditure of manpower and funds to contend with a major power.
However, that is a thing of the past. Once their respective conflicts with the smaller nations were settled, they declared war on each other, leading to the current state of affairs.
Yet, neither side can afford to commit their entire military force. As a nation grows, its enemies do not disappear; rather, the weak are culled, leaving only the strong nations to survive the chaos of war, where even more intense battles are waged by the powerful.
Their method of warfare involves forming ranks and battle lines. Unlike the other continent, magic-capable humans in the New Continent are few in number. Furthermore, because they treat demi-humans as slaves and utilize them as mere fodder units, one could say they possess specialized long-range attack capabilities.
Their primary weapons are swords, spears, and bows. While maces and axes exist, they are categorized as melee weapons. It appears they also possess specialized siege weaponry, such as battering rams and catapults.
And then, there is the unique weapon known as the Magic Sword.
Though it has the inconvenience of being usable only by women, it acts as a trump card that allows the user to unleash magic without consuming their own mana—or rather, by supplementing it. It seems the opposing side also possesses Magic Sword users.
Now, Marly, who serves as the commander of the Enaria invasion force, has returned from being summoned by the home country.
With this, the army, which had temporarily halted its invasion of Enaria, will begin to move once again.
***
**Side: Yuki**
"That, for the most part, covers the history of the outbreak of war between Zilba and Enaria, as well as the basic information regarding their combat."
I set the pen down from the whiteboard and turn around.
I am currently briefing my subordinates. When it comes to attacking the Holy Kingdom of Enaria, I must ensure that the necessary information is firmly lodged in their heads.
Well, this is just the background history, not the tactical details of the battlefield, but having this knowledge never hurts.
"Any mistakes, corrections, or issues?"
I cast my gaze toward Marly, the commander and Wind Magic Sword user who had finished handling the administrative tasks like coordinating with the joined forces, as well as Olive and Melta, the reinforcements and Fire and Water Magic Sword users.
"……No, nothing in particular."
"……Yes, it is exactly as you said, Yuki."
"However, is there really a need to drill this into the common soldiers?"
Only Mist voiced a doubt, looking at the goblins lounging on the makeshift chairs before her.
"That's right, Commander. The information hasn't changed from before. That's why I'm sleepy."
When Britt said that, the other goblins nodded in agreement.
Even though my wives are listening intently, you guys—Britt, especially—are veterans on par with Steve.
Show a little more motivation.
"We're goblins, so it's impossible. No, I mean, it's impossible, sir."
"You don't have to force yourself to imitate Steve."
Exchanging words like that, I turn back to Mist.
"Well, as Britt said, this information is already known to them. Now, regarding Mist's question: why is there a need to drill this into the common soldiers? Britt, wake yourself up and answer her."
"Yes, yes... First of all, by providing them with a correct understanding, it prevents them from hesitating due to enemy pleas or the voices of civilians during tactical operations."
"Exactly. It would be ideal if they could just perform their duties mechanically, but since they actually possess emotions, they will try to think and derive their own answers if they are left without information. That is fatal during tactical operations—both in terms of their own lives and the success of the mission. While the ideal is for soldiers to discard personal feelings and focus on the mission, that is difficult to achieve. That’s why we explain the history and the objectives; to prevent panic, encourage the execution of the mission, and ensure they don't lose their lives unnecessarily."
"……Moving on. Second, by having them listen to, report, and confirm the same information multiple times, we can verify if there are any false reports or issues."
"……What’s this? You knew that, yet you were complaining about being sleepy? As Britt said, repeating the same reports allows us to judge whether it’s an enemy trap or information being leaked intentionally. There are only Zilba and Enaria as powers here, but there is a possibility that other nations are plotting to have them destroy each other to drain their national strength."
In fact, the situations in Roschur and Gartz were orchestrated by Lirea.
The Demon Lord took advantage of that as well, and it took quite a bit of effort for us to put out those fires.
Well, there isn't much need to do that here in the New Continent, and I’m not exactly in charge of a nation or territory.
However, there is no harm in gathering information.
"……Third, it’s to ensure they fully understand their own position, avoid friction with the inhabitants of the invaded territory, build friendly relations, and gain their cooperation to advance future operations more favorably... that’s the last point for now, I suppose."
"That’s right. We’ll go into more detailed explanations once the target of the attack is decided."
"So, that’s that. We’ll be on standby until the invasion site is decided. Alright, dismissed. Don't lower your guard."
" " "Roger!" " "
With that, under Britt's instruction, the goblins dispersed with zero motivation.
Meanwhile, the generals of the invasion force who had listened to the briefing were left stunned.
"There is certainly logic to it……"
"Yes."
"However, at our scale……"
Incidentally, we mercenary units are positioned separately from the main body of the invasion force.
This is to avoid unnecessary trouble, as we are unfamiliar with anyone other than the 2,500 troops Marly brought and the 1,000 led by Olive and the others.
For the record, the total number of the Enaria invasion force is 25,000.
Honestly, that is not a number intended to do anything about the Holy Kingdom of Enaria; it is only enough to carve out a single region at most.
Furthermore, when Marly left this invasion force, she entrusted the command to a deputy who has followed orders perfectly and guarded the fort well until now.
If we were to act too high and mighty, the majority of the invasion force, who don't know us, wouldn't take kindly to it.
And so, since we had time to kill while waiting for orders, we were doing a review when Marly and the others arrived.
"Well, I’ll leave it to you to decide whether or not to adopt these methods, but what was the state of the army you left behind?"