"Are you freaking kidding me?" The
But the Second Prince held back his anger and prepared to hear
Lorist didn't stand on ceremony. He pulled over the stand holding the front-line battlefield situation map and pointed. "Right now, all of us are blocked by this Weilongni Pass defensive position. Looking at its layout, it's actually quite similar to the one in the Forlundo Duchy—both rely mainly on trenches and earthen walls. The difference is the terrain here. The defensive position is set up at Weilongni Pass, on the hillside, giving the enemy the high ground. We can no longer use water attacks to flood the trenches and drive the enemy out.
If it were just trenches and earthen walls, they wouldn't pose much of a problem for us. After all, we've accumulated extensive experience dealing with trenches and earthen walls from our assault on the Forlundo Duchy's defenses. Even if the Handra Duchy has added numerous arrow towers at Weilongni Pass, they still can't stop our advance. The only real threat comes from the nearly hundred catapults deployed on the slopes above the pass. Because of the elevated terrain, they negate the advantage of our trebuchets and war chariots' steel crossbows at long range, connecting the entire defensive position into one cohesive unit—which is why our attacks have repeatedly failed.
Of course, if we were willing to disregard casualties, we could still take Weilongni Pass. We could dig connecting trenches upward toward the defensive position, and through relentless, nonstop assaults, use our manpower to wear down the enemy's garrison. Even with the most powerful catapults and arrow towers, the threat to soldiers safely inside trenches would be greatly diminished. The only concern would be how heavy a price in casualties we'd have to pay to capture Weilongni Pass."
That's right—why hadn't I thought of using connecting trenches to bypass the catapult threat on the slopes? The catapults weren't very accurate; if they could even hit something, that was good enough. Digging trenches on the hillside to launch an assault, out of a hundred catapult stones, hitting ten inside the trenches would count as good luck. And soldiers inside the trenches wouldn't have to see their comrades torn to pieces by catapult fire, so morale wouldn't plummet, and the assault wouldn't be abandoned halfway.
Wait—Lorist had just said this method would use manpower to wear down the enemy garrison, that the casualty cost was too high to be worthwhile. It probably didn't count among his three proposed methods. Although the Second Prince didn't particularly care about sacrificing soldiers' lives to achieve his goals—in his mind, these soldiers could die gloriously for the cause of unifying the empire—the White Lion Corps was a regular royal legion, and they'd already lost over ten thousand men. Reducing casualties would always be better.
"So, Locke, can all three of your methods spare our forces?" the Second Prince asked with a pleasant smile.
"Um…" Lorist was caught off guard. "Well, it's not that they won't cost us any troops, just that they'll reduce our casualties. The first method is rather risky…"
"Risky? How so? Tell us." The Second Prince glanced around the tent with a smile. "War is inherently dangerous. I don't think anyone here is afraid of a little risk…"
"My first method is a commando raid." Lorist tapped the position of the Weilongni Pass catapults on the battlefield map. "Since the greatest threat to our assault right now is these catapults arrayed on the slopes above the pass, we simply need to destroy them first."
"Heh, easy to say. It's not that we haven't thought about destroying the catapults first. The problem is how do we reach them? Without capturing the defensive positions on the slopes, we can't even get close enough to touch those catapults." This was spoken by one of the Second Prince's old subordinates—Lipired, the Golden Knight whom Lorist had encountered in the White Egret Lake swamps while rescuing Reidi years ago. He was now the commander of the White Lion Corps.
"I'm not suggesting we send soldiers to attack them head-on," Lorist said with a smile. "I'm talking about assembling a small, elite team. Say, Your Majesty, Grand Duke Fisablen, and Great Swordmaster Manst, plus myself and Reidi—that makes five Great Swordmasters. Then find ten Golden Knights to carry fire oil. Fifteen people total should suffice. I've studied the enemy's defensive deployments at the far end of the Yunduan Mountains—they're all oriented toward large armies. They're not well-prepared against a small team of around ten people slipping through their lines.
Break the Red Dragon Corps of Handra Duchy, capture Weilongni Pass…"
"I object!" As the Second Prince's personal bodyguard, Great Swordmaster Manst spoke up for the first time. "Grand Duke Norton, if you want to take the risk, I won't stop you, but His Majesty cannot go. His Majesty bears the safety of the kingdom and shoulders the great responsibility of unifying the empire. He absolutely cannot recklessly plunge behind enemy lines to attack some catapults. If anything were to happen to him, you would become the kingdom's greatest sinner. In times of war and danger, this is a risk His Majesty cannot take!"
Lorist shrugged. "Then pretend I said nothing."
Like I care! If the Second Prince won't go, will Grand Duke Fisablen go? Will you, the King's personal bodyguard Great Swordmaster, go? Having just me and Reidi charge in would be ridiculous. If none of you care, why should I be so enthusiastic? With nearly a hundred catapults spread across such a large area, could two Great Swordmasters handle it? That was what Lorist was thinking.
The Second Prince, however, was somewhat tempted. Lorist's commando raid idea was very much to his taste, though there was a problem with the personnel. Even though he had become a Great Swordmaster himself, the Second Prince had no desire to personally risk his life. Though he was renowned as a master tactician famous for surprise assaults, those operations had all been relatively calculated risks—nothing like Lorist's proposal, where he would charge at the very front, risking life and limb.
The ideal scenario would be for Lorist and Grand Duke Fisablen to volunteer for this mission while he commanded the army from headquarters in a coordinated pincer attack. But the Second Prince quickly understood why Lorist had suggested he personally join. As the King of Andinak Kingdom, if he didn't lead from the front, Grand Duke Fisablen and Lorist would simply refuse to carry out the mission. Neither of those Grand Dukes were the type to blindly follow orders. In their minds, his status as king wasn't all that much nobler than theirs…
"Let it go, Locke. Set the raid strategy aside for now and tell us about the other two methods." After much deliberation, the Second Prince decided to hear the remaining two methods before discussing anything further.
"Very well, Your Majesty. My second method is a flanking maneuver with divided forces." Lorist took a pen and drew an arc across the Nibaraku River on the map.
The Second Prince was greatly disappointed. "Locke, we've already tried flanking. Grand Duke Fisablen lost a great many troops doing exactly that. The Four Central Duchies are extremely vigilant about that river. We can't use this strategy to break through the enemy's defensive positions."
Lorist shook his head. "Your Majesty, my flanking maneuver is different from your plan to float downstream, strike behind the defensive positions, create chaos, and break through Weilongni Pass. My flanking force isn't heading to Westwood Province. It's going straight to Dramak Province of Handra Duchy. The goal isn't to coordinate an assault on the Red Dragon Corps defending Weilongni Pass—it's to tear Dramak Province, where the capital Hans City is located, completely apart, cutting off the enemy's ability to sustain their defense."
"How is this different from Grand Duke Fisablen's proposal?"
"Of course there's a difference." Lorist pointed at the battlefield map. "Your previous plan was for Grand Duke Fisablen's reserve corps to float downstream to the border between Dramak Province and Westwood Province, amass forces there, and counterattack from the rear—catching the enemy off guard and breaking through Weilongni Pass before they could react. But you forgot: if you could think of this plan, the Four Central Duchies' Grand Dukes are all veteran commanders with extensive battlefield experience. How could they leave such an obvious gap for us to exploit through the Nibaraku River? They'd certainly be on guard."
"But isn't your plan also about flanking through the same area?" The defiant tone belonged to the commander of Grand Duke Fisablen's reserve corps—a Golden Knight named Hausen, a rather rough and straightforward fellow.
Lorist answered with a smile. "The purpose of my flanking maneuver is entirely different. I'm not sending this force to attack Westwood Province. Instead, I'm having them push deeper into Dramak Province—raise absolute hell, destroy their farmland, raid their villages and towns, burn their granaries and weapons workshops, and turn all of Dramak Province into scorched earth. That way, Handra Duchy will have nothing left to sustain their defense. As for the garrison corps deployed on the front lines, once word reaches them of what's happening behind them, their soldiers will panic. Once morale collapses, they'll no longer be able to stand in our way."
"But how do you plan to break through the enemy's defenses on the Nibaraku River?" the Second Prince asked. "They've set up three iron chain barriers across the river at the bend, plus an entire corps stationed there, with catapults and city wall crossbows arrayed along the banks. How do you intend to break through that blockade?"
"Simple. I don't plan to float downstream along the Nibaraku River at all. Instead, we'll cross the river and then march east along the bank. The opposite shore is all primeval forest, swamps, and wild mountain terrain, but following the river means we won't lose our way. Once we bypass the enemy's defensive blockade at the river bend, the entire interior of Dramak Province opens up before us, and nothing can stop our advance…" Lorist explained.
The Second Prince was dumbfounded. "But… but won't the enemy detect our flanking force?"
"We can march openly along the opposite bank, and the enemy would have to station defensive troops along the river to counter us. The Nibaraku River basin is enormous—they'd need to deploy countless corps to defend it all, which is simply impossible. Meanwhile, our force can cross the river and launch raids at any time…"
Lorist said triumphantly: "No matter how the enemy responds, the moment our flanking force crosses the river and heads east, they'll be thrown into a panic like chickens and dogs scattering. Even if we never cross, they'll still be forced to divert two or three corps to shadow us along the opposite bank, guarding against a crossing. We could use just a single cavalry corps to keep them running endlessly. Don't forget—the Four Central Duchies don't have any decent cavalry. They can't catch us."
Now everyone in the tent finally understood. Lorist's flanking strategy wasn't about a surprise attack at all—it was deliberately designed to let the enemy discover their movements, tying down and drawing away the enemy's defensive forces. Once the enemy spotted one of our corps on the opposite bank, they wouldn't dare sit idle. They absolutely wouldn't want us crossing freely to raid their vulnerable interior, so the most likely response would be exactly as Lorist described—shadowing our movements along the river, going wherever we went. And Lorist was right: we were cavalry with superior mobility, while the enemy had infantry corps. Even if we simply marched back and forth along the river a couple of times, the enemy would be worn ragged. Then we could cross the river at our leisure and harvest their heads.
The Second Prince was greatly interested. "Locke, can we use a single light cavalry corps to execute this flanking maneuver?"
Lorist thought for a moment. "Your Majesty, it would be best to have our Norton Family's Flying Tiger Corps and Count
"Hmm… why?"
"A single light cavalry corps crossing the river wouldn't pose a significant threat to Dramak Province. The enemy could simply use scorched-earth tactics and fortify their towns, and the light cavalry would lose much of its effectiveness. Our Flying Tiger Corps, however, whether in open battle or assaulting towns, would be far more threatening. We might even coordinate to find opportunities to annihilate several enemy corps in the field."
The Second Prince nodded. Lorist made excellent points. But just as he was about to agree, his heart skipped a beat as he recalled the report he'd received early this year from the three provinces of the Faker Duchy. He remembered flying into a rage upon reading it, only barely suppressing his fury once he realized he'd been outmaneuvered by Lorist.
The report had been straightforward: it detailed what Lorist had done in relocating refugees across the three provinces the previous year. Although the exact number wasn't clear, the refugees relocated had at least doubled the original population. Then it was discovered that many noble estates had been completely stripped bare. A rough estimate showed that the three provinces' population had been reduced by nearly half.
The Second Prince remembered being consumed with rage reading that report, yet he'd had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill. It was already too late—once the people had been relocated, there was no getting Lorist to return them. Moreover, Lorist had actually shown him a modicum of face: he hadn't touched the registered subjects of Grand Duke Faker's own estates. Those relocated had all been subjects from the subordinate noble estates, people who weren't directly under the Second Prince's control. Even if he confronted him, Lorist could easily deny all responsibility.
So now, with Lorist volunteering so eagerly, what was he scheming? Could he be planning to do the same thing in Dramak Province? The Second Prince had been burned too badly and grew suspicious the more he thought about it. In wartime, a vassal lord kept all war spoils for himself. The Second Prince feared that after defeating Handra Duchy, he'd be left with nothing but empty land while Lorist captured every last resident of Dramak Province and claimed them as his war spoils…
No. Absolutely not. The Flying Tiger Corps could not be sent, no matter how perfectly suited they were for the flanking maneuver. That was the Second Prince's verdict, though his expression remained noncommittal. "Locke, you said you had three methods. What's the last one?"
…To be continued…