Of course, the word ‘nearby’ did not refer to physical distance. Any operation in which Hyang showed even the slightest interest—most of it negative—would almost invariably run into an unforeseen counter by the enemy and suffer an unexpected struggle. This was how such a saying came to be. It wasn’t just in actual combat. Hyang, who had a reputation as a ‘crazy otaku,’ had mobilized his full ‘nerd power’ to create a war game. Named Myosan¹, after the concept from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, the game was immediately incorporated into the training curriculum for military officers.

Furthermore, Hyang issued a command disguised as a recommendation that it be used not only in training but also in the actual planning process for operations to predict possibilities. The military’s reaction to this was not negative.

*”There is the historical precedent of The Defense of Mo Di[1]…”*

During times of peace, Hyang would also frequently participate in these war games himself. From his perspective, it was an ‘analog RTS game’ where people took the place of computers. For Hyang, it was half for amusement, but for his opponents, it was hell.

-Winning is a pain, and losing is a world of pain!

If one managed to win against Hyang, there was a high probability of being subjected to gossip or slander for ‘achieving victory over the Emperor.’ Conversely, if one lost, they were fiercely criticized for ‘lacking the qualities of a military officer.’

“You have to consider His Majesty’s military genius!” they would protest.

But the response to such arguments was always more criticism. “Even so, a military officer who studies strategy all year round should not lose! Don’t make excuses!”

The war games Hyang attended were varied. Many were small-scale engagements between the army and navy, while others were large-scale simulations with surrounding nations as the hypothetical enemy. In these large-scale war games, Hyang always played the role of the Empire’s enemy. And in most cases, Hyang won.

Afterward, during the debriefing discussions, Hyang would always say the same thing. “Remember that the enemy also knows their own strengths and weaknesses! And do not forget that the enemy is also growing stronger! Do not presume that the enemy will always move as we think they will!”

The generals present would all respond in one voice. “We will engrave it upon our bones, Your Majesty!”

Watching them, Hyang would mutter to himself. ‘Didn’t the general who said not to make presumptions get his promotion blocked?’

After World War I, Japan’s greatest enemy became the United States. At that time, the Japanese Navy frequently conducted war games against the U.S. In one such game, the Japanese admiral playing the role of the United States won victory after victory. His method was simple. He thoroughly exploited the ‘Decisive Fleet Battle’ and ‘Attrition Interception Strategy’³ doctrines that the Japanese Navy fanatically believed in—in other words, he properly understood and utilized America’s capabilities. To his colleagues who accused him of being a coward, the admiral retorted, “Abandon the thought that the American military will move according to our plans!”

After that, the admiral’s career stalled. And the Japanese Navy, unable to abandon its doctrines, suffered a far more tragic result.

***

Son Il-won, who had been bested by Hyang several times, stared at the map and began to rethink everything from the beginning.

-The enemy fleet is very large.

-For such a fleet to conduct proper mobile operations, a wide sea area is necessary.

-The strength of our navy’s warships is their superior performance. Firepower, defense, and mobility are all superior.

-In such a wide sea area, the situation would be one we would welcome.

‘Wait! They couldn’t possibly be ignorant of this, could they?’

Just as Hyang had taught him, Son Il-won began to think in reverse.

-If I were the enemy, I would try to neutralize at least one of the Empire’s strengths. That would increase the probability of victory.

-Among firepower, defense, and mobility, the easiest to neutralize is mobility.

‘To tie down our fleet’s movement…’

Son Il-won’s gaze, which was fixed on the map as if to devour it, stopped at Corsica.

‘If it’s there…’

By blockading the strait between Corsica and the Tuscan Archipelago with a large fleet, they could tie down the Imperial fleet. Of course, the Turtle Assault Ships would have no problem breaking through. The Challenger-class warships would struggle but could likely break through as well. The problem was the escort fleets for the supply convoys running between Suez and Livorno, and the Florentine navy’s warships. The qualitative core of the current fleet was the Turtle Assault Ships and Challenger-class warships sent from the New Frontier, but the numerical bulk consisted of the escort fleet and the Florentine fleet.

The escort fleet’s mobility and defense, leaving aside their firepower, were more or less the same as European ships, and the Florentine fleet was exactly the same. If the escort and Florentine fleets were caught in the strait by the enemy and drawn into a melee, they would certainly suffer serious damage. And if they suffered serious damage, there would be problems with the supply lines.

‘Our Imperial army’s vaunted firepower is only possible if proper supply is maintained. In that case…’

“It’s not the Tyrrhenian Sea. The enemy’s destination is Corsica. The strait between Corsica and the Tuscan Archipelago.”

At Son Il-won’s conclusion, his staff officers all looked as if they didn’t understand.

“Corsica, you say, my lord?”

“That strait is too narrow for a large fleet to conduct mobile warfare. All the warships that enter will get tangled up and bogged down.”

Son Il-won immediately replied to his staff’s point. “And would we not be bogged down as well?”

Even after his explanation, the staff still looked half-convinced.

“Do you really think they are capable of such a scheme?”

“They’re the ones who insist on ‘chivalry’ or whatever and stupidly prefer frontal assaults. Are they really that smart?”

“Tsk!” Son Il-won clicked his tongue without thinking at the staff’s distrustful replies, and they immediately shrank back. With a look of exasperation, he asked them, “What was it we always chanted before starting the Myosan?”

“The enemy does not move according to our thoughts… ah!” The staff officers, who had answered out of reflex, looked as though they’d been struck.

Son Il-won spoke to them with a sharp expression. “The ones we’re facing are not landlubbers; they’re sailors. They’re men who have risked their lives daily fighting pirates who know nothing of chivalry. Don’t forget that point, and think it over again.”

At Son Il-won’s command, the staff once again sifted through the data and analyzed the situation. After some time, they let out long sighs.

“Hoo~. It seems the Lord Admiral is right.”

“If it’s Corsica, there’s a high chance we’ll be hit hard.”

“In that case, revise the operation to match. Ah! And take into account that the Portuguese fleet is coming.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Don’t forget that even as we speak, the enemy fleet is heading this way. You won’t disappoint me, will you?”

“We will do our best!”

Under Son Il-won’s subtle threat, the staff planned the operation through the night. Two days later, Son Il-won reviewed the operational plan submitted by the exhausted staff and nodded. “This is good. I will request to proceed with this. And are the reconnaissance ships and agents being properly dispatched?”

“Yes, my lord.”

***

The operational report submitted by Son Il-won went directly to Yu Eung-bu.

‘The most likely enemy tactic is to drive a large fleet into that narrow strait?’

Yu Eung-bu looked at the report several times with a puzzled expression. “No matter how I look at it, I can’t understand it. But it’s possible I’m misjudging. I’m an army man, after all.”

Well aware of his own limitations, Yu Eung-bu immediately gathered the documents and rose from his seat. “It will be faster to ask His Majesty.”

Hyang took the naval operation plan submitted by Yu Eung-bu and began his analysis, looking back and forth between the map and the plan.

“Hmm… there is certainly a basis for the enemy to act this way.”

“But from a military strategy perspective, it is not a good plan, is it not?”

Hyang shook his head at Yu Eung-bu’s words. “No, I think it is a good plan.”

Hyang’s subsequent explanation was largely the same as Son Il-won’s.

“…Indeed, if you look at it that way, it can be called a good plan.”

Once Yu Eung-bu was convinced, Hyang added more as he wrote out an order on a blank sheet of paper. “They’re not just thinking of tying down our fleet and beating us with numerical superiority. This will be the perfect stage to use the very time-honored tactic known as ‘hammer and anvil’.”

As he finished speaking, Hyang handed the written order to Yu Eung-bu.

-Proceed as planned, but adjust the fleet deployment with the possibility of an enemy flanking attack in mind.

-Also, remember that a fleet is of greater value when it is at sea than when it is sitting in port.

Based on the orders sent by Hyang, the combined Imperial and Florentine fleet revised its operations and began to move busily. While countless reconnaissance ships patrolled the waters around the Ligurian Sea, Corsica, and Sardinia, the Imperial escort fleet, the Florentine fleet, and one Turtle Assault Ship departed Livorno and relocated to Genoa.

Meanwhile, the two remaining Turtle Assault Ships and the Challenger-class warships in Livorno re-checked the status of their gunpowder and shells and prepared for battle. The Turtle Assault Ships were especially busy. Having moved to the open sea in front of the port to be ready to sortie at any time, smoke billowed from their funnels day and night.

As they were fully prepared and waiting for the enemy, the scout ships that had gone out toward Sardinia began to rush back to Livorno.

-Large enemy fleet sighted!

-Enemy fleet continuing north! At least 120 ships!

-Correction! At least 150 ships!

-Spanish, Venetian, and Habsburg flags confirmed!

-Multiple unidentified warships sighted! Believed to be pirates based on size and scale!

Son Il-won and his staff analyzed the reports from the scout ships, trying to discern the enemy’s intent.

“Over 150 ships… In that case, a simple line connecting Bastia and Tuscany is out of the question.”

“That is correct, sir. It is highly likely they will form a sack-like formation connecting a point further south with Tuscany.”

Son Il-won nodded at his senior staff officer’s words. To tie down the Imperial fleet even more securely, they had to lure them deeper inside. Once the Imperial fleet entered, they would close the mouth of the sack and pound them from all sides.

“…Either that, or as His Majesty said, they intend to act as the anvil and hold their ground. In that case, a Crane Wing formation would be more fitting than a sack.”

“A Crane Wing formation[2]? Are there any among them skilled enough for that?”

“The world is wide, and there are many skilled sailors.”

Even while talking with his staff, Son Il-won’s eyes were fixed on the map.

‘The question is the existence of a flanking fleet. If there is one, it’s a Crane Wing. If not, it’s a sack.’

Two days later, the reconnaissance ships that had advanced toward Corsica returned with urgent news.

-Another large fleet confirmed moving west of Sardinia and Corsica!

At the scouts’ report, Son Il-won smiled bitterly and muttered.

“I’ve lost to His Majesty again…”