第２７９堀：ｕｎｋｎｏｗｎ (Part2)
"Hmm. I'd say the skies are about half-checked, and the land routes are at maybe twenty percent. Well, the aerial check was just a quick glance, so I can't call it precise. It's easy enough if we're just sticking to the route, but the standard practice for this kind of thing is to place ambushes at a distance. The area we have to cover is just too vast."
"……I see. You're right, we can't just investigate our own path."
As the two of them noted, checking the route itself would be simple, but there is a high probability that the enemy is lying in wait, specifically targeting us.
Moreover, since they know we’re arriving by wyvern, simply watching the sky serves as surveillance for them.
There’s no need for them to keep a tight watch on the land routes.
Therefore, it’s unlikely we’ll find ourselves in the convenient situation of having the enemy right along our path.
"……Good grief. What a 'modern war' this has turned into."
"You can say that again."
"……? What do you mean by that?"
Jessica asked, looking puzzled.
Hm? Ah, right, Jessica wouldn't be familiar with the concept of modern warfare.
"Jessica, do you know what I mean when I say 'modern war'?"
"No, that is why I am asking…… Let me see, are you perhaps referring to that style of combat that utilizes overwhelming firepower?"
"Ah. Spot on. As expected of a soldier."
"Not at all. So, why would you call this a 'modern war'?"
"First off, the 'good grief' part is sarcasm. It’s because the enemy is likely on equal footing with us; it’s not going to be a one-sided slaughter, but a literal modern war. We were being sarcastic about it being a 'fine' modern war. Ah, in this case, 'fine' is meant ironically, like 'unexpected' or 'more than I bargained for'."
"What do you mean? Were the times we deployed weapons before not considered modern warfare?"
"No, it was completely different. Everything up until now was just a test run. We were unilaterally extracting the enemy's information while keeping our own trump cards hidden, and the enemy didn't even have the means to harm us. That’s why it was a test run. But this time, both sides have a certain amount of information on each other, and if we aren't careful, there’s a real possibility we could take each other out in a single strike. And even now, we are in the midst of an offensive and defensive struggle. No, perhaps I should say we are in the midst of a war."
"Right now?"
"Yes, right now. We are in a war. This is a world where information superiority is absolute. It’s completely different from the kind of battle you know, Jessica, where you don't know the outcome until you lead your army into a clash. Neither side knows the other's exact position. Until now, we’d find them easily and disperse them with a preemptive strike of overwhelming firepower, but this time, the enemy is hiding, too."
Jessica still looked like she didn't quite grasp it, so since we had some time, I decided to explain a bit further.
Even though Jessica has been in Weed longer than Cleena or Samantha, she hasn't even spent a full year here yet.
I’ve had her studying desperately to learn the common sense of Weed, but I haven't taught her our combat concepts yet.
Well, the only ones who truly understand the concept of modern warfare are my wives and Steve’s modern weapons unit.
If I tried to cram it all into Jessica, she’d probably explode.
Tori, Riel, and Kaya had steam coming out of their ears just trying to process it.
Even the wise ones like Eris, Ratz, and Milly were holding their heads in their hands at how brutal the reality of it was.
Seraria, being the head of an army, understood it immediately, but she was visibly shaken by the heartlessness of our modern warfare.
"Listen. Modern warfare is mainly classified into two types."
"Two types, you say?"
"Yeah. First, there’s the 'Blitzkrieg'—targeting the enemy’s weak points, like military bases or their capital, to neutralize them and seize control in one fell swoop."
"Is that even possible? Certainly, weapons like tanks have a wide range of attack, but to that extent……"
"It’s not impossible. We have means of flight like dragons, and in our world, there are machines that can even transport tanks through the air. Naturally, it’s also possible to attack directly from the sky. Because they are weapons. If you mass-produce those, you get an air force. Considering that, we can't be optimistic if we aren't prepared."
"I see, so you can launch a surprise attack on the enemy all at once."
"Well, we don't even need to go that far. There are weapons that will fly to a designated location and explode just by pressing a button."
"……That is……"
She turned pale upon hearing about such heartless weaponry.
Those who know, know.
I was talking about intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Nowadays, it’s rare for armies to clash head-on in modern war.
The most important thing is how to gather information, catch the enemy off guard, and annihilate them in one stroke.
That is why weapons like stealth technology, which cannot be detected by radar, are being developed.