In other words, if there was a clash between the Federation and the Kingdom in equal numbers, the Kingdom would inevitably lose. In addition, in the current situation where they are outnumbered by more than double, it was as if they were walking into a slaughterhouse. That’s why any sane person would challenge the strategy of fighting on the field, almost as if they were naked, and suggest instead to hold defensively in their fortress.
(Now, how would you reply to that?)
Elisha stood out like a sore thumb as she smiled intently at Tullius. You can’t possibly claim that defending the fortress city would allow the reinforcements later to claim credit and thus, hurt your position, could you? So how would he assert his position then?
"No. In this case, it would be foolish to stay in the fortress."
Tullius was full of confidence.
"Huh? Is that what you think, my lord?"
"Yes. The reason for this, though, is that the enemy's main objective is the wheat and other grains that are left in the western part of the province. They would either want to steal or burn them. Capturing a base is second in their priorities."
Of course Tullius did not mention that he was the one who burned the supplies in the east before the enemy could get them.
"If we choose to hold in the city of Volden, the St. Gallen army will surround the castle walls outside, right? And if they start to destabilise due to lack of supplies, they will lift their encirclement and move to the surrounding villages to rob them. We will be forced to choose between pursuing them outside the fortress city, or to ignore the damage to the neighbouring villages."
"I see."
Elisha, who understood most of what Tullius was trying to say, nodded her head in agreement.
"So here's the thing, Count. If we pursue the enemy as they go to take their supplies, we will be brought into a field battle in an uncontrolled manner. The enemy force outnumbering us will have an overwhelming advantage. We want to avoid that. However, if we decide to stay in the fortress and hide, the enemy will be able to replenish their supplies after looting and resume their siege in better conditions. In that case, holding in the fortress or not, we will still be in danger, right?"
"That is correct, Lady Balbastre. That's why we need to get a head start in this basin, the choke point to the west, before the enemy forces arrive in the west...... Besides, it's not clear when our reinforcements will actually arrive."
As Elisha listened, she glanced over and saw Margrave Doldran giving a small affirmative. It was probably a suggestion he made. He was the man who had single-handedly maintained the stability of the west. For Tullius, who was probably an amateur in military affairs, he was a good source of wisdom.
But Tullius was still a smooth talker. If he had been in a lot of scheming battles with Lavallee, he would have understood the old man's plan and would have known that reinforcements were coming soon. But he took advantage of the fact that there was no official statement from the royal capital and insisted that he could not rely on reinforcements arriving on time. This way, even if he were to be accused of arbitrarily commiting to a risky decision, he could simply argue that, "We were not told about it, so it can't be helped."
But this would only be possible if we have a chance of victory, that is.
"But that doesn't change the fact that we're being challenged to a disadvantageous field battle!"
The one who raised his voice was a knight who was an old member of the Count family — and thus a newcomer under Tullius. Their chances of victory were already slim if they relied on the walls of the provincial capital. Challenging the enemy to a field battle was basically suicidal. A ten percent or even a one percent chance is better than no chance at all.
However, when the question was posed, Tullius blinked his eyes in surprise.
"Speaking of which, I thought I was hearing wrong earlier—"
Then he glanced at Alfred and the knight who had just spoken up.
"—Why do you all think that I'm 'planning to fight in the field'?"
"Huh.....?"
"......eh?"
Most of the people in the room rolled their eyes. The only exceptions were those who must have known about his plan from the beginning, and Elisha, whose eyes were shining with curiosity.
There was an indescribable feeling in the atmosphere.
※ ※ ※
"How have the enemies prepared themselves?"
The St. Gallen army arrived at the Basin of Clavicule, the soon-to-be battlefield. General Bauer surveyed the enemy forces on his horse and remarked quizzically.
He had never seen anything like this in his entire military career. There were no similar situations in his knowledge of internal conflicts between the member states of the Federation, nor were there any examples from the past war lessons he had learned during his officer training. Of course, such a strategy was also unheard of from the war with the Kingdom of Arquell fifty years ago.
"You don't think they're going to use those earthen walls to keep us out, do you?"
A wall of earth piled high in front of them. It was a primitive and simple barrier.
The wall was about the height of his chest. There were multiple layers of these walls on the western slope of the basin. Looking closely at the slopes, he could tell that there were former peasants that hardly appeared like soldiers huddling together in their small groups.
This felt more like stamping out a revolt than a war.
It was not impossible to feel that way.
"......What do you think?"
When I asked the grimacing staff officer, he replied with a stunned expression on his face.
"I doubt the sanity of the enemy commander. I can't believe they would use such impromptu defences with such impromptu soldiers."
He followed on with, "Well, the enemy commander was already insane when he decided to use a scorched earth strategy."
Bauer felt the same way. If the soldiers charged into those weak defences directly, that would be the end. Climb over the earthen walls and slay the trembling militia behind it. That's all they had to do. They might lose some soldiers if they counterattack by shooting arrows or slinging rocks, but the enemy soldiers were not skilled, so this was not a big issue. St. Gallen's army has experience fighting against inhumane monsters and would be able to approach them without being intimidated by the poorly aimed arrows and thrown stones. Despite their soldiers' hunger. No, in fact, they might fight more bravely than usual because they were starving and desperate.
"General. I think it would be better to use the power of our mages to break the walls down."
The man who is acting as the leader of the mage squad interrupted and proposed his plan.
"Hmm. Explain further......."
"Yes, sir. Even though the walls are weak like sandcastles, defences are still defences. It would be foolish to wear out our troops by attacking too hard. I think we should use magic from afar to flatten the walls."
"I see...... but—"
Bauer hesitated. Bauer was obviously capable of coming up with such a plan. But considering the future of the operation, he did not want to unnecessarily wear out the mages.
The capital city of Volden is just beyond this basin. Their army was designed to be light enough to cross the mountains, and has few bulky siege weapons. Their firepower was further weakened after battling with the Knights in the fortress, the arson incident at their stores, and the missing corps that were sent to retrieve supplies — most probably dead. Considering that a siege was inevitable later, it would be better to preserve the strength of their mages who would be substituting for siege weapons. Even if they had to sacrifice a few of their foot soldiers to do so.
However, a new report from a scout changed his mind.
"I spotted a flag of the Count Oubeniel in the enemy lines! It's the flag of Lord of Volden! The enemy forces are directly under the control of the lord!"
"—What?"
The lord himself has appeared with his own troops.
Then, if we defeat the enemy army here and capture the lord alive, or at least split his army into four or five parts, it would be as good as taking the provincial capital.
Bauer made up his mind.
"Mage Corps, use all your strength to crush the enemy defences...... This battle is the decisive battle! Don't think about the future, use all your strength even if you have to die!"
"Y-Yes sir."
The leader of the mages bowed his head and accepted the order. He hurriedly ran off to join his men.
