My Platoon is F**king Hopeless

“Thank you, Corporal Bella.”

“For what? I just brought you some water.”

I struggled to get up from the bed.

The military doctor said that I had fainted due to overexerting my already weak body. I also heard a terrifying warning that if I continued like this, I might suffer severe brain damage.

Of course, no bones were broken or serious spinal injuries sustained, but I would still be relying on the medical unit for at least a few days.

– How did you even graduate from the officer academy?

The person who examined me also seemed confused and the slightly dazed voice of the medical officer kept ringing in my ears.

After drinking the cold water Bella brought, I looked over at Lumina lying on the adjacent bed.

She was sound asleep.

Lumina, who had been unable to sleep all night due to pain, finally managed to fall asleep this morning after receiving a painkiller.

“At least it’s fortunate. There will be no fatal consequences.”

“If it had been slightly off, it would have been a big problem.”

Because I injured my back while trying to rescue her, I was left unattended for quite some time. Even after being rescued, we spent a considerable amount of time moving a distance of about 4 km.

If the bullet fragment had hit an artery, Lumina would have lost her life.

“So, how are the follow-up measures going?”

“The fortress is scheduled for repair work by the Corps Engineering Team. All the remnants were executed.”

Just a bunch of bandits.

Since they weren’t regular troops subject to the rules of war and had wiped out the garrison after capturing the fortress, their execution was inevitable.

However, the problem wasn’t the bandits.

The group that had injured Lumina and briefly confronted me must surely have been behind this incident.

“Have you found anything about those guys?”

“The military police are investigating, but they haven’t told me much.”

“Is there really no evidence?”

“It seems they interrogated the captured remnants…but…”

True, they fled immediately upon judging that it might cause a delay, with their robes flipped up. It was natural that their identities couldn’t be easily discovered.

In other words, this meant they had meticulously prepared for the fortress assault.

Even if I had killed or captured one of them at the time, they would have ensured there were no repercussions.

‘100% agents.’

I know this field well. Those fanatics who carry cyanide capsules in their mouths.

I recalled the situation at that time.

One of them called the leader ‘Comrade.’ And as far as I know, only three countries use the term ‘Comrade’: the Polania Republic, the Valoran Autonomous Region, and the Soviev Empire.

Polania was an ally of Okhraine, so there was no reason for them to undertake such an extreme operation.

And Valoran, though not an ally, why would such a small country similar to Okhraine take such a gamble?

By the process of elimination, the only conclusion was the Eastern superpower capable of doing something like this: the Soviev Empire.

A nation that, along with the Rhinehardt Empire, forms the backbone of the Imperial Alliance forces in terms of military power. Especially since they were constantly in conflict with the Duchy over territorial issues.

There was no need to think too deeply; it was clearly the work of the Soviev Empire.

After all, the first country to crush Okhraine at the start of World War simultaneously was the Soviev Empire. Capturing a remote fortress would be as easy as eating cold porridge.

‘But isn’t it too early…?’

Certainly, skirmishes and local battles along the border before the full-scale war are common.

But typically, these occur when there are about 1-2 years left until the war begins.

War doesn’t happen suddenly.

Local battles, provocations, spy deployments, repositioning of corps, diplomatic pressure, etc., gradually pile up like dry firewood and kindling in the hearth. Then, when the time is right, a spark is thrown to ignite the fire.

That’s war.

Therefore, there are always premonitory signs before a war. Everything has a cause and effect.

However, the current situation is so abrupt that it hardly qualifies as having a clear cause and effect.

Not even when I played as the Soviev Empire in Hearts of General would I have made such a move. If I unnecessarily provoked other countries early on, I’d likely face all sorts of countermeasures before the war even began.

It could lead to revolution overturning the national system instead of victory. Why engage in such inefficient actions with little return compared to the risks?

I fell into thought.

No matter how reckless the Soviev Empire may be, ignoring the gaze of neighboring countries, it was certain they wouldn’t act this brazenly.

Since my reincarnation into Hearts of General, I had been tirelessly moving between the operations department and intelligence department.

Partly to familiarize myself with the key officers as the newly appointed platoon leader, but more importantly, to understand the current situation of Okhraine.

After listening to the conversations of staff officers, reviewing the weekly newspapers delivered each month, and examining the daily newspapers abandoned in the library corner…

I confirmed that Okhraine was on the ‘canonical path to destruction.’

The Okhraine Duchy, amidst the escalating war climate across the continent, wavered between the Free Allied Forces and the Imperial Alliance without choosing sides, ultimately meeting its demise.

Strategically advantageous due to its location as a crossroads allowing deployment of troops in any direction, sharing borders with numerous countries.

Geographically beneficial with most of its territory being fertile plains, facilitating smooth food supply.

Yet, despite claiming neutrality, it exposed its fatal weakness: woefully insufficient military power to maintain its status, and loose alliances with neighboring countries.

As a result, both factions swiftly divided the country.

For the absurd reason of “not being able to hand over such a strategic point to the enemy.”

Occasionally, things got worse with the southern Rhinehardt Empire joining in, resulting in a tripartite division. Truly a nation with a tragic fate.

But this is a story for five years from now?

The sudden acceleration of the Soviev Empire definitely had another motive beyond merely provoking Okhraine.

Perhaps the reason they specifically chose ‘Belgorod Fortress’ among many border fortresses lies there.

“Corporal Bella.”

I called Bella Meyer, who was quietly sitting beside me.

Ideally, I should go myself, but given my immobility, it can’t be helped.

“Could you check at the operations department what was stored in Belgorod Fortress?”

“Eh? The fortress storage items? Why suddenly…?”

Though she wore a puzzled expression, I replied casually.

“If we know that, we might understand the purpose of the attackers who assaulted me and Lumina.”

*

Headquarters of the 18th Infantry Regiment under the Army’s 8th Division responsible for the northeastern border of Okhraine.

In the spacious conference room set up there, a chilling silence hung in the air.

A total of 28 casualties occurred during this operation. 12 deaths and 16 wounded, with more than half of the wounded sustaining serious injuries.

Including the wiped-out fortress garrison, the death toll rose to a total of 40.

Although the infiltrating bandits were completely annihilated, tactically it was close to a disastrous failure.

“Colonel of the 18th Infantry Regiment, have something to say.”

“I apologize, Division Commander.”

The highest commander of the 8th Division, Lieutenant General Novgorod, spoke in a deep voice. His words dominated the room, freezing the atmosphere.

Alvin, the colonel criticized, could only bow his head deeply.

“All my fault. I underestimated the enemy’s strength.”

“Just a bunch of bandits driven away from the border area. Why did we suffer such losses!!”

Novgorod shouted angrily and slammed his fist on the table. KAANG!! The strong vibration made the table shake momentarily.

“I apologize.”

The gathered officers for the post-operation review and follow-up measures shrank back at the sight of the enraged division commander.

You’d be lucky to escape with your bones intact.

Since he held the full authority of the division, at least for this moment, he was higher than even the king of the duchy.

“Has the military police uncovered anything yet?”

“No, sir. Aside from the speculation that the bandits fled immediately after fully occupying the fortress, there hasn’t been much progress.”

The adjutant answered calmly. In his hands were numerous documents submitted by various departments regarding the Belgorod Fortress attack.

“Had it not been for the support from the Magic Brigade, we might not have noticed the bandits until they reached the end of our encirclement.”

Lieutenant Colonel Rockhart Cromwell, seated in the corner, caught Novgorod’s gaze.

The anger in the division commander’s eyes softened somewhat.

Rockhart Cromwell.

An officer of a unit operating independently from the division and the commander of the unique Magic Brigade.

Thus, Rockhart alone maintained a relatively relaxed attitude amid the tense atmosphere.

Also, because it was one of his subordinate magic officers who identified and revealed the approaching bandits, establishing a solid achievement.

“If it hadn’t been for Lieutenant Colonel Rockhart’s unit, the regiment’s encirclement would have been inevitably breached. You’ve done great work.”

“Our battalion simply did what needed to be done.”

Rockhart bowed his head in response.

In reality, Rockhart didn’t contribute much during this operation, but since the division commander was personally praising him, there was no reason to refuse.

“Yes, I heard that one platoon leader handled the emergency situation very appropriately. Not only that, but he was injured while repelling a group of unidentified mages who tried to infiltrate during the chaos, right?”

Strictly speaking, the injury wasn’t from the repelling process but rather from exhaustion while caring for his subordinates.

‘Seems like the regiment polished the story nicely.’

The regrettable party here wasn’t me but the regiment.

Having lost nearly 40 soldiers against the bandits, they needed to elevate the enemy’s level somehow.

Only then could the division commander maintain some dignity when reporting to higher-ups.

“Could you tell me the name of that brave and intelligent second lieutenant?”

“Second Lieutenant Enok Revendale, sir.”

At that moment,

BANG!!

The tightly closed door to the conference room burst open with a loud noise, drawing everyone’s attention to the entrance.

“What’s the officer’s name!?”

A woman wearing a slightly askew army cap stormed into the room shouting.

This was a critical post-mortem review of the attack on the duchy’s defense fortress, attended by Division Commander Novgorod and mostly senior colonels.

Such rude behavior would be unthinkable unless someone had extreme audacity, yet none of the gathered personnel dared to utter a word.

Her hair had a distinctive light purple hue.

Though her short bob barely reached her neck, her soft curved eyes and bright skin created an intriguing impression.

Three chrysanthemums adorned her insignia.

She was a colonel.

In fact, rank was irrelevant here.

She was the superstar currently drawing attention within the Okhraine Army.

The sole Grand Mage possessed by Okhraine among the twelve Grand Mages and the head of the newly established Special Response Brigade within the army, enjoying absolute trust from the current duke.

Grand Mage of the Sky, Sony Chepelin.

“Hmm, what? Colonel Novgorod? You arrived earlier than expected?”

She asked the pale-faced division commander with a sly smile.

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