“Operation Headhunt starts now! Both helicopters, takeoff!”
This was war, but Mitsuha didn’t want more deaths than necessary. That went for both the ally side and the enemy. The empire’s leaders who chose to declare war may have been bad people. However, that wasn’t necessarily true of the soldiers who were forced to fight. Mitsuha and the mercenaries would have to fight for self-defense, but they didn’t need to go on a killing spree. Ending the match as quickly as possible would be for the best.
There were two methods of making an army retreat quickly: sparing the commanders’ lives and convincing them to withdraw or by destroying the entire command center, causing the soldiers to flee in confusion and terror.
This time, Mitsuha chose the latter.
A commander who’d been ordered to fight a war that his country couldn’t afford to lose wasn’t about to retreat that easily. They’d undoubtedly be hanged when they returned home. Their only option was to keep charging no matter how devastating the war grew and force their way into the city. Seizing the capital would mean victory, even if they lost ninety percent of their soldiers in the process. That was the kind of war this was.
The best way to minimize damage on both sides was to cut off the enemy’s head early in the battle so the foot soldiers would lose their will to carry on. Fleeing would equal less deaths on either side. Mitsuha’s plan was to eliminate the chief commander, the deputy commander, and their staff officers in one strike. She aimed to incite chaos so that the enemy no longer knew who was supposed to assume control.
Without a leader, even the strongest of armies devolved into a disorderly mob. The imperial army would be as harmless as a baby.
Destroying their command center using just the ground force was challenging. First of all, it was impossible to know where it was, and penetrating deep enough to reach the core would be a herculean effort. I guess if you’ve gotten that far, you almost certainly already won. With both sides having lost a lot of soldiers, too. There wouldn’t be much point to that.
But what if you attacked from above? Overlooking the enemy from the sky would make it easy to study the layout of its forces and instantly locate the command center. Then all you needed to do was let it rain bombs and bullets, which was exactly what the helicopter team was going to do. It wasn’t like the enemy would have anti-aircraft weapons. Aside from spears and arrows, of course.
Quashing the army’s leaders will hardly be a scuffle.
Raucous cheers were heard throughout the capital as the two utility helicopters lifted off. They headed for the imperial army’s campsite where the Wolf Fang mercenaries were standing by. For an infantry team lugging military supplies, it was about a day’s walking distance from Dalisson’s border. They had some ways to go before they reached the capital, but for a helicopter, it was a quick flight.
Letting the imperial army advance far enough into the country before engaging in battle was key. Dalisson being the victim of a surprise invasion would allow them to justify their attack. No one would be able to argue otherwise. No country wished to be invaded, of course, but there were advantages that came with it, such as knowing the terrain much better than your opponent and being able to call the shots for when and where to initiate. Once across the border, even a child could figure out the route to the capital. The army’s precise location could also be estimated from its marching speed.
Such calculations weren’t even necessary, as scouts and local volunteers were regularly delivering information about the enemy’s whereabouts and actions.
There was another important advantage to being invaded: you could prepare traps. The imperial army had crossed the state line in the morning. There were only so many places they could set up camp that same evening. Mitsuha chose the most likely location and had the Wolf Fang mercenaries find an elevated platform they could overlook it from and set up ten mortars. She’d been coordinating with Wolf Fang over the radio and received confirmation that they’d finished setting up.
Mitsuha also jumped there herself before bringing the helicopters over to make sure the enemy was pitching their tents. She planned on delaying the operation by a day if she incorrectly predicted their campsite, but she was relieved to see that it wouldn’t be necessary.
Ten mortars seemed excessive for six mercenaries to manage, but setting up that many and aiming them in slightly different directions was probably easier than each person only having one and needing to adjust their aim each time they fired.
The mortars they brought were rather compact and had a firing range of less than three miles. Wolf Fang couldn’t afford the latest equipment used by the armies of developed countries. But the cannons on these mortars were light and easy to fire. They were perfect for a mercenary group. Obtaining and maintaining large-caliber self-propelled howitzers would’ve been much more of a hassle.
In short, mortars were more than sufficient for this mission. The helicopter teams would be doing most of the work anyway. The artillery was just a party favor to add to the chaos.
The two helicopters were closing in on the enemy campsite.
“We’re approaching the target. Descend!” Mitsuha commanded into her headset.
“Yes, ma’am!” the two pilots responded.
The helicopters needed to stay low to delay detection from the enemy for as long as possible. Shortly after, she spotted a flash signal from ahead. Wolf Fang’s position wasn’t visible from the enemy camp, so their signal was only noticeable to the helicopters overhead.
Mitsuha pointed out, “That’s the signal from our guys. Proceed according to the plan. I’m heading down!”
“Helicopter 1, roger that!”
“Helicopter 2, roger that!”
There was no need to give orders at this point. The mercenaries knew what to do, and professionals didn’t waste their breath.
“Commence operation!” With that, Mitsuha jumped to Earth and then to Wolf Fang’s mortar station.
There’s no way I was gonna stay in that helicopter when it started rocking with the doors wide open! I could’ve fallen out, and I definitely would’ve gotten nauseous. It was cramped in there too, so I would’ve just been in the way.
If there’s any place an amateur doesn’t belong, it’s on the front line of a war.
“Ready the cannons!” shouted Mitsuha.
“They’re ready!”
The Wolf Fang mercenaries were way ahead of her. She just wanted to throw that line in for cool points.
The two helicopters that were hovering above them began to ascend. They were going to scan the enemy’s encampment to pinpoint its command center. They also needed to locate where the horse carriages and supply wagons were parked. The high altitude would also help to avoid any oncoming arrows and spears from the enemy.
Mitsuha had suggested launching an attack after the imperial army soldiers went to sleep because that would increase confusion. The darkness would’ve delayed their response too. But the mercenaries disagreed; poor visibility would make it difficult to find the headquarters and supplies. Spotting the targets was easiest during dinnertime because of the campfires. The command center was almost certainly in the middle area of the camp. The military supplies were likely by the side of the road. There was no reason to put them anywhere else. Fortunately, the campfires weren’t bright enough to illuminate anything up in the air.
A cacophony of turbine engines and rotors rumbled from the pitch-black sky. Was it lightning or some kind of natural disaster? The imperial soldiers panicked as they scoured above.
Mitsuha could see the enemy’s camp from the top of the hill where Wolf Fang set up their mortars. She couldn’t tell where the command center was because she didn’t have an aerial view like the helicopters, but she still got a sense of the soldiers’ panic. She’d brought Starlight night vision goggles for this purpose.
It’s about to get really bright, so I should put these away. The helicopter teams probably mapped out the camp’s layout by now…
BOOM! BOOM!
It started!
That was the sound of one of the helicopters dropping two rocket bombs onto what was believed to be the headquarters tent. The other helicopter was expected to do the same with the supplies and wagons.
BOOM! BOOM!
Right on cue!
The utility helicopters each had two M60 machine guns─one on each side─and two unguided rockets, none of which were the latest models. As was typical of mercenary groups, the helicopter’s arms were all nearly old enough to be considered antiques. Even so, they were the crew’s most prized weapons. They might’ve become a symbol for the group, just like Wolf Fang’s mounted 20mm autocannon that they called the “hand of God.”
That was it for the rockets. Next up was…
B-B-B-B-B-B-BANG!