Mountain ranges, great rivers, plains, hills, plains, mountains, the White Heron Lake Swamp...
This was the terrain of the Ferrando Duchy and Falker Duchy laid before all the commanders of the Andinak Kingdom. Over the span of more than a month, they had nearly poked through this map, arguing themselves hoarse. Continuous military conferences, discussions, and several sleepless days trying to figure things out had left all the senior generals utterly exhausted. Yet, regrettably, whether through probing attacks or various reconnaissance efforts, they remained powerless against this defensive line.
The Four Central Duchies had long been renowned for producing elite infantry in the former Krisen Empire. Their people excelled at mountain warfare and defensive operations. Although they lacked powerful cavalry, as long as the battle dragged on, it would fall into their rhythm of attack and defense. Back then, Crown Prince Ridelis had led an army of two hundred thousand to attack the Four Central Duchies, only to be stalled for three years before ultimately suffering defeat and retreating. He was even counterattacked into the Magik Province of the Kingdom of Ridelis and forced to sign a peace agreement.
The
As for the great river within the Ferrando Duchy's borders, no one had a navy, so that idea was also out of the question. Small boats couldn't transport enough troops and horses, and large boats were likely to run aground and become targets for fire arrows. Even if they wanted to build a shipyard, there wasn't the time or the funds.
The Second Prince's original strategy for the Four Central Duchies had been to leverage cavalry mobility—sweeping across the plains of these duchies, seizing the initiative in the battle, then waiting for the heavy infantry corps to arrive and capture the besieged towns and fortresses, annihilating the Four Central Duchies in one stroke and seizing the four Grand Dukes who had betrayed the kingdom. This was also the primary reason the Second Prince had insisted on persuading the Fisablen Grand Duke to submit to him.
But who could have predicted that both the Ferrando Grand Duke and the Falker Grand Duke would adopt this strategy of digging trenches and building earthen walls across the plains, expanding the entire defensive depth? Now the plains had become impassable chasms, virtually neutralizing cavalry mobility while also eliminating the threat of the
The Second Prince was deeply unwilling. He made several probing feints—from the defense line at the Foliward Province of the Ferrando Duchy to the Samora Province border defense line of the Falker Duchy—the results were the same. What they faced was still an endless series of trenches and earthen walls. Even though
Especially when the Second Prince discovered that whenever he attacked a certain point on either defensive line, the enemy would mobilize sufficient forces through the interconnected trenches to secretly ambush ahead or resolutely resist—he finally lost heart, extinguishing the delusion of continuing the offensive. He withdrew his troops to camp and once again sat in the great tent, racking his brains, trying to find a way to break through the current deadlock.
The only somewhat viable method at the moment had been proposed by Duke Kemess. Inspired by the Second Prince's legendary feat years ago of crossing the Cloud-Breaking Mountains' Great Snow Ridge in winter to launch a surprise attack on the Ridelis Kingdom's Fedriga capital, he believed the same approach could be repeated. At the harshest point of winter, a strike force could cross the frozen-solid White Heron Lake Swamp. Once past the nameless mountains and hills beyond the swamp, they could quickly reach Falaimo City, the capital of the Falker Duchy. If they could capture Falaimo City, everything else would fall into place.
Duke Kemess's proposal earned him everyone's newfound respect. Who would have thought that Duke Kemess, widely recognized as a commercial genius, also possessed military talent? It was truly astonishing. But soon after, Lorist shot down the proposal.
It was simple. The remaining three duchies had already thoroughly studied the Second Prince. Whatever Duke Kemess could think of, they would certainly have considered as well. Besides, the Second Prince was famous for surprise attacks, and the enemies would undoubtedly be aware of the vulnerability the White Heron Lake Swamp presented to defenders during winter. Strengthening their defenses would be the least of it—the raiding force would at best return empty-handed. What was truly feared was that the enemy might set a trap and wipe out the raiding force entirely. That would not only cause a loss of troops but, more importantly, strengthen the defending enemy's confidence and resolve to resist.
Duke Kemess was somewhat unconvinced at first—what if the enemy was careless? But upon seeing the expressions of agreement on both the Second Prince's and the Fisablen Grand Duke's faces, he knew Lorist was right. Those who treat their enemies as fools are the real fools. Moreover, Grand Duke Handra, Grand Duke Ferrando, Grand Duke Falker, and Grand Duke Sabaji were all shrewd and capable nobles, veterans of many campaigns. They would obviously think further ahead than he had.
Even the fallen Grand Duke Sabaji had only been defeated so thoroughly because he had been caught off guard and never expected Lorist to launch a surprise attack ahead of schedule. Just thinking about how he had been decisive enough to abandon Fortress Meishan and flee to the Falker Duchy—and had even managed to escape under pursuit by the Flying Tiger Corps and Count Shahin's two light cavalry regiments—proved he was no ordinary man. Had he hesitated even a day or dithered at all, the outcome would have been different: either the fortress would have fallen and he would have died, or he would have been captured and become a prisoner.
The idea of crossing the White Heron Lake Swamp in winter to raid the Falker Duchy's capital Falaimo City was abandoned for the same reasons. Additionally, it was only the end of October now. To wait until winter when the White Heron Lake Swamp was frozen solid would require at least two more months of standoff here. Over such a long period, feeding an army of nearly three hundred thousand would be an astronomically expensive undertaking. The provisions seized from the Sabaji Duchy were nearly depleted, and all subsequent food and logistics would need to be transported from the rear over long distances—an enormously effortful and wasteful hassle for each family.
Wars were fought on logistics and economics. The provisions seized from the Sabaji Duchy had been enough to feed the three-hundred-thousand-strong army for over a month. But who could have predicted they would be blocked by these two defensive lines from the Ferrando and Falker Duchies? The original plan to live off the enemy and requisition supplies from occupied territory had fallen through. On top of that, the Sabaji Duchy had been ravaged by everyone to the point where there was nothing left to loot, and over two hundred thousand civilians reduced to destitution needed the Second Prince to allocate provisions for relief. After all, he was the king and couldn't simply ignore it—all of this further increased the consumption of military provisions and supplies.
Currently, Baron Kamora was stationed at Fortress Meishan, having turned it into the main logistics transfer hub. Supplies from each family were stored there. The provisions the Second Prince transported from the imperial capital no longer needed to take a long detour—they could go directly through the White Heron Lake Swamp and then through the Limad Province to reach Fortress Meishan. Lorist had it relatively easy; the supplies from Windsor City were still sufficient and could be shipped directly, still via the Southern Province, Limad Province, and then to Fortress Meishan. The Fisablen Grand Duke and Count Shahin were in the same situation. The distances were long, and with the consumption during transport, if six-tenths of ten parts of supplies arrived, that was already considered good. Everyone was constantly complaining.
The worst off was Count
The Fisablen Grand Duke proposed temporarily withdrawing their troops, waiting for the next opportunity to fight. But this didn't mean abandoning Qikeses Province. While withdrawing, they would leave one cavalry corps here—both to contain the enemy and to launch counterattacks. As he said this, the Fisablen Grand Duke specifically looked at Lorist. Obviously, the so-called corps to remain would best be the Flying Tiger Corps. If the Falker and Ferrando Duchies saw them withdraw and attempted to retake the Sabaji Duchy, then the powerful offensive capability of the Flying Tiger Corps could deliver a crushing blow.
Of course, given that the Flying Tiger Corps was not a light cavalry corps and might lack sufficient mobility, the Fisablen Grand Duke was willing to leave his family's reserve corps as well, entirely under Lorist's command. If there were any violations of military orders, Lorist was free to deal with them as he saw fit.
Although he didn't understand why the Fisablen Grand Duke made this proposal, Lorist's instinct told him there was something hidden in it. Before he could think it through carefully, he saw the Second Prince rise to his feet and declare that today's meeting would end here. He would carefully consider the Fisablen Grand Duke's proposal and give his answer in two days.
After leaving the great tent, Lorist went straight to the Fisablen Grand Duke to ask for clarification—why had he made such a suggestion, and why was he willing to hand over his reserve corps? The Fisablen Grand Duke wore a perfectly candid expression: "Nothing special—just acting in the public interest. We can't stay deadlocked like this forever. Withdraw the troops, set a trap to lure the snake from its hole. With your military abilities, I'm sure we'll be hearing good news soon. Even if they don't send out troops, it doesn't matter. Drag it out for three or four years, and these remaining three duchies certainly can't maintain such an enormous defensive cost. They might just collapse on their own..."
"You old fox..." Watching the Fisablen Grand Duke's retreating figure, Lorist finally saw through it. Public interest, my foot. The old fox wanted to keep him tied down here in Qikeses Province for a few years, so that after returning to the Northland, with nothing better to do, he wouldn't keep scheming to dig a pit for the Fisablen family. That was why he was being so generous as to hand over even his reserve corps.
No, wait—Lorist reconsidered. The reserve corps was entirely composed of Grassland barbarian cavalry. Even if Lorist ground them to nothing, it wouldn't pain the Fisablen Grand Duke in the slightest. A single reserve corps was insignificant. The real point was that this would make Lorist owe him a favor...
What none of them had anticipated, however, was that the Fisablen Grand Duke's proposal gave the Second Prince too much to think about. Although the Second Prince understood the current situation well—withdrawal was the optimal choice—and was deeply frustrated that this campaign had achieved nothing, unwilling as he was, the Fisablen Grand Duke's proposal made him extremely suspicious. What was going on? Had the Fisablen Grand Duke and Lorist reached some kind of reconciliation? Otherwise, why would he be willing to hand over his reserve corps to Lorist? The reserve corps was entirely Grassland barbarian cavalry, notoriously unruly and obedient to no one except the Fisablen Grand Duke. Now he wanted to hand them to Lorist—could the two families have reached some private agreement?
Were they plotting something regarding the territories of the Four Central Duchies? The Second Prince was purely a man who, once bitten by a snake, feared a well rope for ten years. Before his restoration to the throne, the Four Northland Families had conspired to strip him of Dremk Province, Westedge Province, Winston Province, and the Southern Province. The memory still cut him to the heart, and he had been made to sign an oath.
He didn't consider the destruction of the Madras Duchy and the Iblia Kingdom by the Four Northland Families as his glory—quite the opposite, those were two painful slaps across his heart.
Even though he inwardly admitted that Lorist was the most suitable choice to remain and tie down the remaining three Central Duchies, the Second Prince couldn't shake his unease. He couldn't figure out why the Fisablen Grand Duke had recommended Lorist—what was the scheme behind it? Until he figured it out, the Second Prince wouldn't be able to rest easy. Could they be eyeing the territories of the Four Central Duchies? Because of the Second Prince's paranoid suspicions, three days passed without a withdrawal resolution being announced.
Lorist had no intention of staying in Qikeses Province for years either. He decided that if the Second Prince truly wanted the Flying Tiger Corps to remain, he would delegate full authority to Fierce Tiger Ross. To that end, he brought Fierce Tiger Ross to a small hillock before the defense line to survey the enemy situation and give Ross a few strategies for dealing with enemy sorties after a withdrawal...
"Do you think there's a way to breach this kind of defense line?" Lorist asked.
Fierce Tiger Ross shook his head: "Your Highness, this is simply unassailable. I suspect this defense line was designed specifically to counter our Flying Tiger Corps' long-range attack capability and cavalry shock power. The infantry of these duchies are all field rats, scurrying through the trenches. With the cover of earthen walls, we have no knowledge of their troop movements, and they often achieve local superiority over the attacking force. We are cavalry, and the enemy are field rats in trenches. As long as they stay hidden in those trenches, we can do nothing against them."
Dores, the regiment commander of the War Chariot Steel Crossbow Corps who had accompanied them, said: "Your Highness, fighting in trenches like these renders all our war chariots and steel crossbows useless—they're not even as practical as those old-fashioned stone catapults the enemy carries. Although stone catapults don't have much range, they pack a powerful punch, and their compact size makes them very convenient to use in trenches. On a battlefield full of trenches and earthen walls, our war chariots and steel crossbows have nowhere to shine. The principle our family has always upheld—shoot farther, stronger, more accurately—seems to have been completely overturned. I've been troubled by this for a long time, wondering if our war chariot and steel crossbow development path has been a mistake... If in the future our family's enemies all adopt this kind of defensive method against us, we'll be in serious trouble."
Lorist smiled and patted his shoulder: "Don't worry—this is a special case. The Ferrando and Falker Duchies could deploy this kind of position because, first, we gave them the time to mobilize their entire national strength to complete this defensive line, and second, the Four Central Duchies naturally produce elite infantry, which is why they thrive in this kind of defensive position. If some other country or force tried to copy this defensive setup without having elite infantry, they'd be like a man who tries to paint a tiger but ends up with something that looks like a dog—they'd just be wasting manpower and resources."
"If Lord Bodfeng were here and we let the Rock Corps attack directly through the trenches, they might be able to break through this defense line," Fierce Tiger Ross said.
Lorist said nothing. The Rock Corps was stationed at the Southern Province border as a crucial force to guard against the Fisablen family, and Lorist would never redeploy them here. Besides, even if the Rock Corps came, breaking through this defense line would require staggering casualties. Lorist had no intention of causing devastating losses to his family's military forces for the sake of the Second Prince's campaign to destroy the Four Central Duchies.
"Your Highness, perhaps we could wait until winter, when the heavy snow fills these trenches. Then our family's forces could easily cross this defense line using skis and sleds..." Dores suggested.
"You idiot!" Fierce Tiger Ross cursed. "Will there be two meters of snow? These trenches are two to three meters deep—what kind of snowfall would bring them level with the ground!"
"Then... then how about waiting for the rainy season? When rainwater floods the trenches, those field rats won't be able to stay in them, and we can launch an attack..." Dores said defiantly.
"Then wouldn't we all be getting drenched in the rain..." Fierce Tiger Ross smacked the back of Dores's head.
"Wait—what did you say..." Lorist suddenly realized something, burst out laughing, and leaped onto his horse. "Back to camp immediately—I've found the way to break through this defense line!"
...