I Am Being Mistaken for a Genius Strategist - Chapter 11

At the time when Kael had returned as a rising star to the Empire, making a name for himself in the capital:  

“A fallen comet has risen again! We missed the perfect opportunity for victory! All because you weak and foolish moderates took control!”  

“Idiots! You only know how to run your mouths! This happened because the commanders and strategists you hardliners forced into position were such incompetent fools that even the gods of war turned their heads in dismay!”  

“You spineless cowards!”  

“You warmongering lunatics!”  

In the Norvogrod alliance, chaos erupted as harried insults flew back and forth between the factions.  

For the time being, the moderates had seized control of the council. The prominent leaders of the hardliners were forcibly retired.  

However, this did not mean that the hardliner faction within Norvogrod had been vanquished.  

Hardliners can never entirely vanish. As long as the Empire exists, they will persist.  

Even if the Empire were to fall, they would simply find a new target and rise again.  

Thus, when the army, which had advanced to the border, turned back and returned to the capital, Beogran:  

“Summon all commanders to the council immediately!”  

“To lose even in small skirmishes, and then to endure a humiliation worse than defeat upon returning! Every detail must be accounted for and testified before the council!”  

The moderates sought to pin the blame on the hardliners. The hardliners, in turn, sought to do the same to the moderates.  

Naturally, their method was to lay all responsibility for the army’s failures at the feet of the opposing faction.  

“Why did you not launch a night raid on the day the comet fell?”  

“Commander, answer immediately! Why did you not strike when the momentum was in our favor?”  

“Did you think a night raid would be dishonorable? Speak up at once!”  

The moderates relentlessly attacked the commander, who belonged to the hardliner faction.  

Their reasoning was clear: those at the top must bear responsibility when problems arise.  

And when the one at fault belongs to the opposing faction?  

The demonic council members unleashed verbal assaults with the ferocity of hunting dogs tearing into a wounded deer.  

“Th-this is…”  

“I… I did my best. The reason I did not initiate a night raid at the time was—”  

“The Imperial Army recovered too quickly. It was impossible to respond.”  

“Honestly! Who could have predicted that a fallen comet would rise again?!”  

“This is unjust! It was beyond anyone’s control!”  

Even a commander seasoned on the battlefield is no match for the political arena.  

And here he stood against monsters of the political world, honed by years in the council.  

A commander with only a rudimentary sense of politics could hardly stand his ground.  

“This situation cannot be entirely blamed on the commander alone!”  

Of course, the hardliners did not sit idly by as the moderates pressed their assault.  

Though they had lost many seats in the council, their influence still lingered.  

And given the unprecedented nature of the incident, the field commanders also had to be held accountable.  

Many of these field commanders were aligned with the moderates, so the hardliners saw this as an opportunity to retaliate.  

“According to reports, the field commanders consistently challenged the commander’s orders at the time! Constantly obstructing decisions would naturally delay judgment at the top!”  

“The main reason for this defeat lies with the commanders on the ground, who openly defied the higher-ups’ directives. This borders on insubordination, does it not?!”  

For over a week after the army’s return, the two factions continued their tedious and bitter disputes.  

The council had devolved into a chaotic marketplace of shouting and insults.  

The once-dignified demonic council members barked and snarled like rabid dogs, tearing each other apart.  

“…Sigh.”  

Observing all of this in silence, Charlotte could no longer suppress her weary sigh.  

In the end, this was Norvogrod’s defeat. That much had to be acknowledged.  

If blame was to be assigned, it should have been done swiftly so preparations for the next step could begin.  

And yet, the council members had spent an entire week locked in endless bickering.  

Not all hardliners were ruthless extremists, nor were all moderates virtuous saints.  

It was nothing more than a web of tangled interests. There was no absolute right or wrong.  

Disagreeing reflexively simply because the other side claimed to be correct had become second nature.  

“So this is why Father can never give up his cigars…”  

…No, that’s not right. Surely, giving up cigars would still be the healthier choice?  

She had heard once that cigars were a major cause of his declining health.  

Though, of course, the more significant factor was extreme stress.  

‘This cannot go on. If this drags out any longer, Norvogrod’s national strength will be drained beyond recovery.’  

Initially, she had no intention of stepping forward. Nor was it her place to do so.  

At the moment, the hardliners were targeting Kalande, the council chair and leader of the moderates.  

Not with assassination, of course.  

Instead, they sought to exploit the fact that his daughter, Charlotte, had participated in the recent campaign, using it as a pretext for a large-scale offensive.  

However, as the council chair’s daughter, she carried significant political weight.  

And since she held no formal authority, it was difficult to place the blame squarely on her shoulders, forcing them to bide their time.  

But if Charlotte were to step forward now, the situation could very well take a decisive turn.  

“Remaining silent would be the wiser choice.”  

At first, Kalande tried to dissuade his daughter, emphasizing that there was nothing to gain.  

Yet, after Charlotte’s persistent insistence, he finally relented with a resigned “Do as you wish.”  

The very next day, Charlotte appeared before the council.  

“Esteemed members of the council, let me begin by stating that I stand here not as the daughter of Council Chairman Kalande Estania, but as someone who briefly stood on the battlefield, clashing spears with the Imperial Army.”  

Her opening statement clarified that she was not here to serve the interests of either the moderates or the hardliners.  

The moderates tilted their heads in curiosity, while the hardliners decided to cautiously observe the situation for now.  

“Regarding the situation at the time, yes, it is true that there were frictions between the commander and the field officers. However, it never reached the level of disrupting the chain of command. On the contrary, it was merely the sort of tension that might arise in any healthy hierarchical relationship.”  

“Miss Charlotte, are you suggesting that friction is a sign of a healthy hierarchical relationship?”  

“Does that mean superiors must always make the right decisions, and subordinates must obey even the most foolish orders, Councilor?”  

At this, the hardliner councilors tried to raise their voices, accusing her of insolence.  

But the moderates growled in protest, silencing them into reluctant compliance.  

“Subordinates should obey their superiors, yes. But they must also have the right to voice their concerns about flawed orders. And superiors, while expected to make correct decisions, cannot always do so. That is why they must listen to their subordinates. That is what constitutes a healthy hierarchical relationship.”  

“So you are saying that this healthy relationship was successfully maintained during the campaign.”  

“Yes, that is correct.”  

A moderate noble, glancing at Kalande for confirmation, pressed her further.  

“Then how, despite such a healthy dynamic, did the situation devolve to this? From your account, it sounds as if our army had no issues whatsoever.”  

“Exactly, Councilor. There were no issues within our army.”  

Charlotte’s firm assertion stirred murmurs among the council members.  

Before the noise could grow, she quickly resumed speaking.  

“Our focus should not be on Norvogrod, but on the Empire. The Empire was the true issue.”  

“What do you mean by focusing on the Empire?”  

“The strategies employed by the Imperial Army far exceeded our expectations. They knew our every move, as if they were gazing at their open palm.”  

Even now, the memory of that moment sent chills down her spine.  

How long must they have refined those strategies, adjusting every detail to ensure no openings?  

To leave no room for a counterattack, to deny even the faintest foothold for resistance.  

“The unique environment of the battlefield, the sudden fog, the plummeting morale—all of it was calculated. They crafted a plan that left no justification for full-scale engagement. Even if we had different commanders or field officers, the outcome would have been the same. The same mistakes would have been made.”  

“But I heard that the field officers raised objections.”  

“They did not press their objections forcefully. Lacking conviction themselves, they deferred to the commander’s judgment. That is the reality, Councilor.”  

Further factional disputes were meaningless. This council session needed to conclude here.  

If Norvogrod continued to deplete its resources like this, it might expose fatal weaknesses.  

And if the Empire decided to revoke its agreements or neighboring countries began to stir?  

The moderates, who had just gained control, would inevitably lose their footing, allowing the hardliners to rise once more.  

“…Could there have been a leak of internal information?”  

Amidst this, a clueless moderate councilor clung to a final thread of suspicion.  

Could they not see her efforts to tie everything together?  

For a moment, curses lingered on the tip of Charlotte’s tongue, but she swallowed them with superhuman patience.  

“If there had been a leak, do you think the Imperial Army would have let us go so easily? Consuming an entire core force of Norvogrod would have been far more advantageous for them.”  

Despite the murderous glare in her eyes, Charlotte maintained a polite tone, prompting the councilor to back down with a flustered, “Y-you’re right!”  

“Phew.”  

A sigh escaped her lips. At last, matters seemed to be settling.  

What had they been doing for over a week?  

‘Perhaps even the Imperial strategist anticipated this outcome.’  

Yes, overwhelmingly likely. No, without a doubt.  

That mocking letter they had sent must have accounted for this chaos in its calculations.  

After leaving the council chamber, Charlotte headed to the Department of War.  

“Could you repeat that for me?”  

“I would like to know the command hierarchy of the Imperial Army that participated in this campaign. Is that possible?”  

“It may take some time, but…”  

“I’ll wait as long as necessary.”  

She believed that understanding the command structure would reveal the identity of the strategist behind their defeat.  

A few days later, Charlotte received the information she had requested and began reviewing it meticulously.  

“The corps commander… the subordinate strategists… the field officers….”  

Up until that moment, she had only considered older, more experienced figures.  

After all, only someone of that caliber could orchestrate such a strategy.  

Then came news from spies planted within the Empire.  

The tactician’s identity was revealed to be none other than a young noble, barely out of his youth.  

Hearing this, Charlotte was utterly shocked.