Calming the Heart

After hearing Sean's words, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel immediately seemed to catch on and probed, "Sean, you mean... using that previous attack..." As he spoke, he saw the smile on Sean's face, pondered briefly, and then said, "Tell me your thoughts?"

"Sir, you're right. We can indeed make use of the Water Bandits' attack to create an opportunity..." Sean affirmed Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's words with a smile, then looked at Merkel and the others with a confident grin. He followed up by asking, "Sir, suppose their attack succeeded. What would the Water Bandit Leader do next?"

"Drag things out..." Sean said, almost as if talking to himself, with great certainty. Then, as if to elaborate on his earlier point, he added, "Drag it out until the Garrison's supplies run out, forcing them to retreat..."

Lieutenant Colonel Merkel and Major Sunny couldn't help but nod in agreement with Sean's reasoning. Sean continued, "We now know the Water Bandit Group still has over 400 bandits. With that strength, a direct confrontation with the Garrison—whether in numbers, equipment, or actual combat power—offers them no chance of victory. Their only reliance is their familiarity with the swamp's complex terrain, using it along with constant harassment to wear down the so-called starving Garrison."

After hearing Sean's words, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's eyes gradually brightened, and he hesitated before saying, "You mean..."

"Yes, sir. We need to actively split their forces. This will create favorable conditions for a surprise attack on their camp and the rescue of the trapped Noble Cadets." Sean interrupted Merkel with a smile, affirming his line of thought.

"Hmm... Tell me the specific action plan." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel felt a slight awkwardness but naturally covered it up.

"Alright, sir. First, we need to do everything possible to prevent the Water Bandits who escaped in the previous attack from returning to their camp." Sean nodded to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel with a smile and began. Then he added, "At the very least, we need to delay their return by at least three days. Otherwise, no matter how convincingly we pretend to be short on supplies, the Water Bandit Leader will immediately know that his supply raid failed."

"To achieve this, I suggest sealing off the swamp area between the attack site and the Water Bandit camp. Intensify patrols—even if we can't capture the escaped bandits, we'll force them to take a long detour, costing them several extra days to get back." Sean proposed directly, without waiting for Merkel and the others to ask.

Lieutenant Colonel Merkel and the others nodded in approval after hearing Sean's words, then stared at him expectantly.

"As for how to make the Water Bandit Leader know... no... believe that we're short on food?" Sean said, choosing his words carefully. He looked at Merkel and the others and saw a hint of uncertainty in their eyes. So he hesitated and said, "Besides putting on an urgent front, we can also stage a few acts for the Water Bandit scouts to see. As for..."

"Acts? How?" Lieutenant Colonel Merkel interrupted, pressing for details.

"Sir, we already know the locations of the Water Bandit camp's outer lookout points. We can deliberately let our searching soldiers approach those points and loudly complain about things like 'not getting enough to eat' or 'we'll be heading back to the city in a few days,' combined with our obvious blockade of the attack site." Sean gestured as he spoke, mixing imitation with deduction.

After seeing Merkel and the others lost in thought, Sean continued, "If we do this alongside the anxious posture I mentioned earlier, it will make the Water Bandit Leader half-believe it. Even if it doesn't fully convince him, it'll buy us a few days—at least he won't immediately flee recklessly into the swamp's depths... As for using double agents... I'm afraid Vinson might slip up... and ruin things..." Sean analyzed in a calm tone, his face showing hesitation when he mentioned espionage.

The four present all understood that if the Water Bandit Group abandoned their camp, taking their supplies and hostages into the vast swamp, then with only 1,200 soldiers, trying to find them again in the Southern Wilderness Great Swamp—spanning over 3,000 square kilometers—would be like searching for a needle in a haystack...

If things went that way, they would have to accept the judgment of incompetence for failing to rescue the hostages or eliminate the Water Bandit Group.

The Water Bandit Group had existed in the Southern Wilderness Great Swamp for years, knowing the swamp far better than the Garrison soldiers. Unless surrounded in a dead-end, even sending multiple trackers would result in them being easily shaken off.

"Hmm... Do as you say. As for double agents... we do need to think carefully." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel weighed the options in his mind and finally agreed with Sean's suggestion. Then he immediately pressed Sean for his thoughts on how to split the enemy's forces.

"Sir, since we know the exact location of the Water Bandit camp, we can pretend to send troops to slowly search toward their area. Guess what choice the Water Bandit Leader will make when he learns that troops are slowly approaching his camp?" Sean analyzed with a smile, then posed the question to everyone.

"If the force sent is too large, they might flee immediately. Too small, and they'll be..." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel muttered to himself after hearing Sean's question. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he looked at Sean, and he said with a grin, "Sean, you mean just right—not enough for them to swallow, but not enough to scare them into running."

"Sir is truly wise..." Sean flattered with a grin. Then, under Merkel's exasperated gaze, he continued, "Sir, my personal suggestion... one company, 100 soldiers, is enough."

Lieutenant Colonel Merkel let out an "Mm" of approval, and Sean went on, "One company of soldiers isn't something the entire Water Bandit Group can wipe out in a few quick moves. So, to keep their camp location from being exposed, I think the Water Bandit Leader will have no choice but to find a way to lure the searching soldiers away. How many bandits would he send to draw off that one company?"

Without waiting for an answer, Sean immediately said with a smile, "To reliably lure away a company, the bandits sent must also be just right. I think at least 60 or 70."

After getting nods from Merkel and the others, Sean continued, "Do this two or three times, and we can greatly reduce the number of bandits in the camp. After accounting for those on duty, shift changes, and external reconnaissance, there'll probably be around a hundred bandits left. That's the best time to organize elite soldiers for a surprise attack on the camp and rescue the kidnapped nobles."

"Sir, why not start luring the bandits to split their forces from the beginning?" Sergeant Jason, who had been listening on the side, suddenly asked. He quickly felt Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's gaze turn harsh, as if calling him an idiot, making him very nervous...

"Jason, what we've been discussing all along is how to dispel the Water Bandit Group's idea of fleeing without a fight. Only when they see hope of victory will they actively move in the direction we want." Sean summarized his earlier points with a smile, also helping Jason out of his awkward situation.

After a pause, Sean continued with a smile, "Without those initial steps, the Water Bandit Group would turn and run the moment a search party got close."

"Ah... I oversimplified it. Thank you, sir..." Sergeant Jason, though not very sharp, was savvy about social niceties. He realized he'd said something foolish and was worrying about how to smooth it over when Sean stepped in to help. He immediately put on a humble, teachable expression and thanked Sean respectfully.

Sean smiled at Jason, then turned back to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel and said, "Sir, we can set up an encirclement in advance, waiting to launch the attack on the Water Bandit camp. According to Vinson, the hostages are held at the edge of the camp, far from the bandits' food storage. We can send people to secretly hide near the camp's perimeter. When it's late and quiet, we'll set fire to the granary first to cause chaos, drawing the attention of most bandits still in the camp. That'll make it easier for us to directly rescue the hostages and then quickly withdraw..."

"Haha, good, very well said, Sean." As soon as Sean finished, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel immediately realized the plan had a strong chance of success and couldn't help but laugh and praise him.

"Sir, the granary fire at night can also serve as the signal for the general assault..." Sean humbly demurred, then added with a smile. His words made Lieutenant Colonel Merkel and Major Sunny laugh heartily.

The three then discussed further, refining some details based on Sean's plan, and agreed that the plan should be executed within three to four days if possible. This would prevent complications from dragging on—the longer it took, the more likely the Water Bandits would spot flaws, leading to the plan's failure.

Finally, they discussed the selection of the elite squad for the rescue and chaos-making missions. After repeated deliberation, the squad size was set at 20 to 30 people, drawn from the best soldiers in the entire force.

When it came to who would lead, Sean, after careful thought and under Merkel's expectant gaze, volunteered to take command himself.

With everything settled, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel immediately ordered Sergeant Jason to relay the command to blockade the area from the attack site to the Water Bandit camp. He then had Major Sunny select reliable soldiers to subtly leak news of the Garrison's food shortage to the Water Bandit Group.

Sean, with Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's approval, was allowed to conduct a brief training session for the soldiers participating in the covert mission. After taking his leave from Merkel and Sunny, Sean left the Command Tent and returned to his own.

Watching Sean leave, Major Sunny remarked to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel with emotion, "What an impressive young man. I thought this would be a real headache, but after hearing his simple analysis, everything became clear."

After savoring Sean's demeanor and tone from earlier, he continued with a sigh and a smile, "Old friend, when you first told me he had terrifying knight talent, I believed you. Now he's shown such meticulous thinking... Congratulations."

Lieutenant Colonel Merkel didn't reply to his old friend Sunny's words. Even he had to admit that after fully grasping Sean's design, the first thoughts that crossed his mind were jealousy and fear—just as Sunny had said, terrifying knight talent and a chillingly meticulous mind.

He had to admit, Sean was a genius that made others despair. Fortunately, their age and experience gap was vast, making them no rivals. Besides, whether it was the big shots in the Imperial Capital or himself, they had all interacted with him with the intent to support and build goodwill early on. Thinking this, Merkel couldn't help but smile happily.

Of course, hinting for Sean to take on the infiltration mission was just a final test. After all, in any world, there are those who talk like they're invincible but fall apart in execution, ending up with nothing.

Lieutenant Colonel Merkel was very satisfied with his arrangements and waited to see what kind of answer Sean would deliver.