Plus Ultra

by Carlo Zen

  “They must have better luck with water there, though. This is the firing line,” Tanya murmured, staring sadly into her butchered coffee, oozing a bit of helplessness. Even the taste of these luxury items wasn’t the same on the front. They were in another world, removed from daily civilian life. It would be no easy task to throw in new recruits with only accelerated training and get them acclimated.

  “You’re saying we should give them a taste of this experience in the rear?”

  “If possible, they should be informed of the realities of the trenches so as to shatter their illusions about war. The numbskulls who want to be heroes end up killing not only themselves but their fellow soldiers.”

  The newbies who try to pull off heroics in the trenches really are numbskulls. If one of them succumbs to the rush of adrenaline and does something reckless or makes a futile charge, at least the damage can be minimized to affect just him, but oftentimes they have the nerve to involve others.

  On top of that, though you can’t really blame them for a physiological phenomenon, I’m also really sick of them polluting the trenches with all varieties of incontinence and creating hotbeds for every type of infectious disease.

  “That’s why, with these young ones, I just…” Tanya groaned, burying her head in her hands. “…Hmm? What was that, sir?”

  “Oh, I just thought it was strange, given how young you are, Major.”

  “The one with infant military careers are useless. Of course, I’m sure it’s a different story if they can manage to survive two months on the Rhine.”

  “Ahh, no…uh, forget I said anything. Let’s get back to the topic at hand.”

  I wasn’t really sure why the colonel was mincing words. The whims of superior officers don’t always make sense. Tanya politely did as she was told and switched to their main topic without asking anything further.

  Tanya’s age might be strange from an objective perspective, but subjectively, she could only think of years of service, similar to the way someone would say how long they’d been working at a company.

  “Yes, sir. At present, we can’t hope for large-scale mobile battles. All we can have them do is hole up in the trenches and maybe shoot their guns.”

  Anyhow, Tanya’s idea about the loss rates, that they would improve a bit once the soldiers acclimated, was a violently realistic one—i.e., that’s just how it goes in total war, where you’re in a competition to literally grind up human resources. Even if it made sense to be concerned about high losses, she thinks they’re overly worried about the effect such losses might have on the lines. To Tanya, you can afford to overlook losses that aren’t big enough to affect the ability of the organization to continue fighting.

  To put it another way, if they were dropping as fast as they were in All Quiet on the Western Front, things would be pretty much like the title of the movie—all quiet.

  Even if divisions attacked by night, like in the Russo-Japanese War, it would be a cinch to repel them with machine guns and mage support. Well, we would have to be practical and expect casualties within some permissible range, since the newbies would still be learning the ropes.

  After all, I wasn’t the one who’d be dying. Not that I wanted them to die if we could help it.

  “Indeed. It is difficult to imagine a large-scale mobile battle breaking out. You’re probably correct that we should focus our instruction on other areas, but…”

  Ultimately, the colonel didn’t say anything that negated what Tanya had said.

  What came through in his anguished reply were the emotions he couldn’t shake, the feeling of wrongness and hatred for this way of fighting that involved sending so many young to die.

  “…neither can we ignore the damage being done in these smaller engagements. The problem is that even if the losses are small, they pile up. Worst of all, morale will start to flag.”

  “But if an engagement is small, it shouldn’t be resulting in too many losses.”

  Wait a minute. Tanya seemed to be the only one present who thought those losses were within the permissible range. Compared to the rate of casualties in World War I, these little scuffles were adorable. But a normal person wouldn’t usually use deaths in World War I as the yardstick even if they were aware of it, and if they weren’t, they would undoubtedly shiver at the inconceivable numbers.

  “At most, a harassing raid would only kill the ones who would die anyhow, so that doesn’t seem like such a big deal.”

  A serious raid would be too high risk, so the most the enemy can do is take a company of infantry for a sneak attack. The limit for mages would be a battalion-sized harassing attack. If that’s all, the casualties the imperial side could expect wouldn’t be unsuitably high.

  Speaking in extremes, of course. With that thought, Tanya drained her awful coffee and reached for a mint candy as a palate cleanser.

  The large gap in experience between veterans and newbies can only be explained by how much actual combat they’ve been through. My unit’s rate of loss was far and away the lowest, but the replacements from other units were starting to get injured, albeit gradually. The soldiers who got their first taste of combat in the easy Dacian War were lucky. If your first time is this rough, it must take a long time to get used to it.

  “Major von Degurechaff, don’t you think with your instruction and direction the loss rate could be lowered?”

  “If you order me to do it, I’ll do my utmost, but ultimately our only option for these first-time combatants is to teach them step-by-step.”

  On a battlefield with snipers, pointing at a moron who got shot is far more persuasive than telling them, Don’t stick your head out! While trenches diminish the effectiveness of field guns, concentrated fire from large-caliber heavy artillery reduces even reinforced concrete to rubble, so don’t all hide in the same place! They’ll understand well enough if you make them recover the bodies of the poor radio operators who suffocated when they were buried alive in a pillbox.

  Take writing the alphabet, for example. If you don’t go A-B-C step-by-step and actually teach how to write it, there’s no point. When that occurred to her, Tanya realized her battalion still hadn’t experienced some things on the Rhine, either.

  The obstacle of trenches certainly changed the way night battles were fought. They changed the way guard duty was performed as well, and the replacement troops were definitely not used to it. Newbies and veterans alike had to deal with warnings being given at the drop of a hat. And maybe this was compounded by the mages not having much opportunity to be in the trenches during the day.

  “That said, it seems to be as you say. From what I’ve seen, I agree that we should be able to improve a bit more,” said Tanya upon reflection.

  In other words, she needed to educate the fresh recruits under the assumption they were unfamiliar with the trenches. The change in environment and premises requires retraining.

  “Yes, that’s right. Their combat in environments where they can’t rely on magic is particularly unbearable to watch.”

  Tanya nodded in response to the colonel’s observation. The mages were trained under the assumption they’d be deploying both protective films and defensive shells, so they really did suck at stealth combat. The shameful sight of newbies unconsciously protecting themselves and then getting targeted by the enemy annoyed her.

  “It’s true that even though they’re under strict orders not to use magic in the trenches, there are too many examples of people leaking signals without realizing and getting picked up by the enemy.”

  Having said that, it really started to hit home. Oh, right, there was also an incident where a whole unit got blown away because some numbskull gave away their position while they were getting ready…

  There had been an inquiry, but did anyone attempt to reevaluate replacement training as a result? Aha, it really is an issue when one person’s mistake multiplies the damage. Having jumped to that conclusion through logic incomprehensible to others, she was touched, thinking it was good t
hat the higher-ups cared about improving the situation.

  “You’re worried about even the small-scale battles with recruits this under-trained?”

  Right, Heinrich’s Law. There is always the risk that letting small errors go will lead to getting majorly burned. And Murphy’s Law teaches us about the dangers of ignoring the possibility of failure. Humans are numbskulls. If there is a way to fail, someone will figure out how to do it at some point.

  In that case… Tanya, shocked at her own pride, felt her heart stop. The higher-ups must be apprehensive about the shaky new recruits not for some baseless reason but because they’ve discovered some risk that officers across the front have been carelessly overlooking.

  How perceptive. I need to hand it to them, from an HR perspective. There’s no guarantee that these issues won’t worsen if things develop into a massive battle, so if there are even small ways to improve, we have to work at them.

  “That’s exactly the issue. Large-scale engagements notwithstanding, these smaller skirmishes…”

  Even if the current assumption is that a large-scale battle won’t break out… The Operations staffer emphasized that even the present human losses couldn’t be ignored and felt (as a decent person would) that this level of harm, this mass production of corpses, was wrong somehow.

  Meanwhile, Tanya nodded—quite right—at everything the colonel said but nevertheless took no particular issue with the losses as such. Rather, she thought the biggest problem was that many of their units were inferior due to being formed mainly with replacements.

  Certainly, even if the chance of a large-scale fight was negligible, they were currently leaving open the possibility of failure and piling up small errors.

  Actually, after having this pointed out to her, her most serious concern was the very real (if sporadic) instances where one person’s error had caused catastrophic damage—too much. She worried that newbies who couldn’t function without relying on magic could be a major component of failure on a high-risk mission.

  “You were on an operation in Norden where you couldn’t rely on magic, right? I imagine you have a handle on the gist of it.”

  “As you say, sir. I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t been thinking about it, but I’ll keep it in mind when I’m teaching.”

  The idea of requesting error-prevention measures indicates, in a way, healthy operation of the organization. In civilian life, trouble can usually be dealt with by firing the person who made the mistake. In the army, however, one person’s mistake can mean everyone dies. One for all. All for one. It’s a truly wise saying. If one person fails, everyone dies, and if everyone else messes up, one person’s fierce fight won’t be enough to win in the end.

  “About that…”

  I appreciate that instruction is happening, but it’s far from enough. The issue really is lack of actual combat experience. The colonel was enthusiastic, thinking that he’d gotten her to understand his opinion. Thus, he and Tanya entered a strange misunderstanding without realizing the incongruity of their views because they saw only their agreement that something needed to be done.

  “Yes, what is it, sir?”

  “Can you give them some experience?”

  What they needed more than protected experience in a large operation was thorough repetition and review in small-scale battles. That is what Tanya believed, so although she didn’t want to, she resolved to go on a non-magic raid.

  Yes, combat experience should be gained alongside a well-trained unit with extraordinarily low loss rates. Experience trumps schooling.

  “Sir! Experience, yes.”

  There was no point in training corpses. There was no telling on the ground when the chance would arise to do a large-scale mobile battle or breakthrough or difficult operation like an infiltration attack. As long as that was the case, troops should be kept trained up so they could respond to orders at any time; Tanya kicked herself for her careless neglect.

  I didn’t want losses in my unit, and I figured if I put the newbies out to pasture, the battlefield would turn them into master soldiers, but that was the wrong way to go about it.

  “Yeah, if there’s a chance to train them in the trenches for a while, I’d like to have them fight with your troops.”

  It was true that having her battalion go to the trenches with the new recruits as an instructor unit would reinforce the front. The Empire sure gets all they can out of their people. The shocking truth had just started dawning on Tanya that in the abnormality of war she had lapsed into irrationality and laziness. This is why war is bad, she thought. War numbs humanity and reason and drives you crazy with rotten fantasies.

  When that thought crossed her mind, she had been on the verge of resisting, saying, You’re telling me to leave the rear and throw myself into the trenches? And not only that but take a bunch of deadweight with me and train them? She was terrified to see how tainted her own thoughts were. Even though I know that being hasty and shortsighted is most likely to cause a failure, once I experienced it, I got a good taste of how easy it is to fall into that trap.

  “Understood! I’ll do my best to instruct the unit.”

  “Great. I’ll prepare the written orders immediately. Sorry for the pressure, but we’re counting on you.”

  “Yes, sir. Leave it to me! I’ll have results to show in no time.”

  And so, neither of them realized there was a definite contradiction in their views, and Tanya moved ahead with carrying out her orders.

  Taking her time to enjoy her dinner, she has the company commanders under her prepare for a night battle and confer with the leader of the recruits. She also points out to her batman that the potatoes are inexcusably old. When he replies that the supply unit is bringing canned goods as a top priority, she is forced to reluctantly back down…because she senses her superiors are focused on logistics network maintenance and efficiency.

  The light railway is handling about as much traffic as it can take, so they’re probably prioritizing canned goods since those keep for a long time and can be transported according to a preset plan. In other words, I shouldn’t expect raw vegetables or fresh meat or fish anytime soon. The calories, at least, should be up to regulations. Still… When she hits upon that prospect, she has to accept the reality that her already simple table will become even drearier.

  Well, I guess the only ones who get to expect decent meals at war are the navy. Or maybe just the submarine squads—I’ve heard they get treated well. Of course, everything else about their situation is the worst…

  Basically, they’re beginning to prioritize ease of transport, and that makes sense to her. She certainly can’t argue against it, so with nothing else to do, she lays down her sword on the food issue and continues her meeting.

  That’s how essential close cooperation and maintaining leadership will be in the upcoming operation. After all, discipline in a normal mage battalion night battle would be managed via magic. But if they were to cast interference formulas in the middle of no-man’s-land, they’d be detected; no individual radios will be distributed, either. Fighting a night battle under these conditions with fresh recruits is incredibly reckless.

  Operation Eagle Claw heading for Iran probably had a higher chance of succeeding.

  So should we split into autonomous platoons for the raid? Just one imperial mage platoon is said to have firepower equal to a company of regular infantry. Well, practically speaking, an infantry company and a mage platoon really can probably deliver the same amount of damage.

  Plus, it’s a night battle. If we hit them with that much firepower under the veil of darkness, we can probably expect widespread confusion. But then to continue fighting, we’ll have to rely on magic. That means the second we cast interference formulas, it’s possible that the enemy retreats and the whole area gets bombarded indiscriminately.

  Well, or we could just take checking machine-gun fire.

  So should we infiltrate as companies? It’s realistic but on a whole new scale of difficulty. It’s
not a bad idea to have each group perform a feint and then attack from four totally different locations. But sending in all four companies would mean that even as an augmented battalion, we wouldn’t have any muscle in reserve. I want to stay in the rear under the pretext of commanding the reserves, so I can’t accept that plan.

  I will take the most highly trained First Company. Having all the other companies perform the raid would be best for me, but my subordinates are advocating for a plan where First Company is the main attacking force. They want to go without reserves and have the others feint.

  The objective of our night battle is the abduction of enemy soldiers, which is relatively less difficult. Basically, we’ll invite enemy sentries from a warning trench to be friends for Intelligence to chat with.

  “In other words, you all want to avoid engaging as much as possible.”

  “Yes, Commander. Honestly, it’ll be impossible to fight with those recruits along.”

  …I suppose it is important to avoid combat. My orders are simple. “Give them night battle experience.” Period.

  If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Or endeavor to understand one another in an advanced, civilized manner. To that end, a bit of nocturnal hiking to invite enemy soldiers over isn’t so bad.

  No, it’s not bad. Well, it’s not good, either. I guess things can’t be declared simply good or bad.

  “I’m concerned about speed. More than anything, this’ll demand a swift withdrawal.” Without thinking, I’ve already voiced a worry. Well, as the one in charge, I have to consider and prepare for all eventualities.

  I can’t get away with saying, Oops, I didn’t think about that.

  If I say it’s possible and fail, I’ll be laughed at. If I say it’s impossible, I’ll be reprimanded as inept.

  I’m compelled to raise concerns; we need to think seriously about this. Any resisting enemy soldiers won’t be killed but knocked out. Well, that’s easy for a mage to do. We get a lot of practical experience on how to leave people neither dead nor alive in the military academy and basic training. The venerable Daigongen and Zusho come in surprisingly handy.