Section 3: Strategy

"This is Drake City. In the middle of the Casilos Realm, it is a very rare large fortress. Perhaps Cassilos had this idea when the castle was first built. In the unlikely event that the Paros break through the border and the royal city cannot be defended, retreat to Drake and build a second line of defense here. But now, the Paros have conquered all of Cassilos, so it is meaningless, and the defense is very weak, with only a few mercenaries. And once we conquer here, then we will directly cut Paro's army in half. These armies of their garrison in the border castle have become lonely, and we don't even need to surround them, we only need a large army to guard and contain them. Try to attack when you have the opportunity, otherwise wait patiently, and wait for the enemy's food reserves to run out, and naturally surrender without a fight. ”

Thomas pointed out everything on the map and carefully laid out his strategy. With the help of the fleet, raid and take the city of Drake, thus cutting the Paro army in half.

However, even a girl like Irina, who has no understanding of military affairs, can see that this is actually throwing a lone army under the siege of the Paro people on all sides. This is an extremely dangerous move.

Every time Landwin would contradict Thomas, constantly hinting that he would do better than Thomas, but this time he actually knew how to keep silent.

Although the whole tactic is not impossible, at least it is also an extremely dangerous operation. Victory would have cut the Paros in half, and would render the castle defenses painstakingly managed by the Paros meaningless and reclaim part of Cassilos. But once it fails......

Well, it is more appropriate to use "rats trapped in a cage" to describe the fate of failure, where there is no way to enter the heavens and no way to the earth.

"The key to everything is to stay here for three months......"

While Thomas was talking about his battle ideas at the Imperial Council, in the barracks outside the city, the uncle and nephew were also sitting together to discuss.

“...... The whole strategy is as simple as that. The use of river flotillas to transport troops to the enemy's weak center and drive a wedge. Of course, the reason why no one has ever conceived it is because it's not a good strategy at all, it's a terrible strategy. Rook explained to his nephew with a smile.

"Because the fleet has a limited carrying capacity, on the basis of carrying combat materials, it can only be up to seven thousand people at a time. The entry of such troops into the enemy's core area is no different from sending them to death. However, now with the addition of three additional points, this otherwise stupid strategy is viable. First, the use of the newly invented detachable siege towers, which made it possible to conquer enemy castles in a short time - this thing was not something I came up with, it was a militia under your father's command. Second, winter is approaching, which will greatly increase the difficulty of the enemy's mobilization of troops. Thirdly, the southeastern territory of Casilos was not touched by the Paro. The Paro troops who were originally going to occupy this area have been transferred to strengthen the border defense line, and there is no time to manage this area for the time being. Therefore, if you send an emissary to summon these lords in the name of Princess Irina, then you will immediately get reinforcements and a lot of room for manoeuvre. ”

"Well, then, my dear nephew, if you are to gather the lords, who in the army of Thomas is better suited for this task than you, for your mother's line also belongs to the royal family of Cassilos. ......" Rook stopped talking as he heard footsteps walking outside.

William Daly paused outside the tent and saw the two men who were discussing the topic. The two men stared at him as if he were some kind of monster.

Since the other party is so unfriendly, there is no need for him to stay. William Daly shrugged and continued to tour the barracks.

It wasn't until William Daly walked away that the uncle and nephew gasped.

"Dear nephew, from now on we are strangers to each other. Unless someone points it out, you don't know me at all. Do you know the way?"

Ryan nodded. So Thomas's clerk moved his naturally slightly disabled leg and disappeared into the distance of the barracks.

When General Thomas returned to the barracks, it was already afternoon. As soon as he arrived at the Great Tent, he summoned all the mid-ranking officers in the barracks and announced to them that he was going on a dangerous expedition. And he only needs to take seven thousand soldiers.

"This expedition is dangerous, so I don't force you to join it. Tell the soldiers the news, I will lead only the volunteers. You don't have to rush to answer me, everyone has a night to think carefully and give me an answer tomorrow morning. ”

After the mid-ranking officers left, the four lieutenants remained.

"As you probably know, I'm going to launch an expedition. The specific content is to take advantage of the opportunity of winter to raid Drake City by boat. Use a detachable siege tower to take down the castle with lightning speed. And then hold it firmly and spend the whole winter. At the same time, he sent people to the southeast of Casilos and asked the lords to join in the name of Her Royal Highness the Princess. When spring comes, we will gather an army of about 30,000 men and fight the Paros for a decisive battle. In case of victory, we can drive the Paros out of Casilos in one fell swoop. If that fails, retreat to the area southeast of Casilos and continue playing hide-and-seek with the Paro. During this time, because we are stuck in the main road, the Paro border fortress defense line will not be able to get any rear supplies. As long as they can control inland waterway shipping and ensure that they cannot use the river for supplies, then this line of defense will collapse without a fight. ”

Thomas's voice grew stern.

"It's a very dangerous process, and if we don't do it in place, we're all going to be wiped out. First of all, we didn't have enough time to prepare, because the castles would be replenished with winter supplies before the first snowfall. We must jam this supply so that these castles will run out of food in the winter and the soldiers will starve in the spring. Secondly, we must meet the siege of the main army of the Paros in the city of Drake, and we must hold out for at least three months, and then wait for reinforcements at the end of winter!

He is open to all. "If someone were to quit, I would never laugh at his cowardice. Because this is a near-suicidal expedition, although I am a general, I have no right to ask my subordinates to sacrifice their lives at will. ”

"I'll be sure to follow Master Thomas!" Ryan was the first to speak.

"Me too!" William Daley straightened his chest.

Then, Leo and Ashrufat said the same.

"Ashrufat. As the others walked out of the rue, Thomas stopped Ashrufat, who was walking behind the most luke. "Wait a minute. ”

Ashrufat stopped.

"Actually, Ashorufat, you've done a good job. Thomas's words sounded very inconsequential, clueless, and made Ashrufat feel inexplicable.

"If you can, I hope you don't take part in this expedition. It took a while for Thomas to make up his mind.

"Master Thomas......"

"A long time ago, when I was a young man like you. The teacher who taught me about war, my general, once told me that it doesn't matter who your opponent is, but remember what you're fighting for. Then you will have the courage to face everything. The militiamen fought for their salaries, because if they were soldiers they received much more than as serfs. Even if they are killed in battle, their wives and children can receive generous pensions. Knights fought for honor and wealth. If they refuse to fight, then they are deprived of their territory and driven away like a vagabond. Ashrufat, what are you fighting for?"

"I ...... I'm also a knight, and I swore to ...... ...... to Princess Irina"

"Ashrufat, when I was younger, I once loved a girl. Thomas looked up and looked thoughtfully at the tent's roof. "But before I could talk to her about getting married, the war took me away. I thought she would wait for me, or at least not give up until she saw my grave. But when I came back, she was already a mother. ”

Thomas whispered. He said it very briefly and did not go into any details. But there seemed to be an infectious force in his voice, which made Ashrufat's heart feel it.

"I don't hate her. Because when she was most lonely and needed comfort, the person who was with her was not me. Although I brought back the glory of victory, as well as fame and wealth. But all this is not as good for a girl as a lover who can be with her day and night. You know what I mean? When Princess Irina was a child, I used to sit on my lap. But I can't do that with her anymore. There are a lot of rumors in the city that Princess Irina and her grandfather don't get along well, and I think it's very likely. Because His Majesty Gil is not a forgiving person. It's not appropriate to say that as a courtier, but in fact, I've always seen Irina as my own child. ”

Ashrufat was eager to speak, but Thomas stopped him.

"I respect your choice, so don't answer just yet. Tell me tomorrow morning. Now go back and rest. ”

Ashrufat turned back and walked to the tent again, but stopped at the last step.

"Master Thomas, you once said that I have the potential to command an army. May I ask, what exactly is this potential?"

"You're a really courageous person, and you're more sensible. It's as simple as that. Thomas replied, and as he spoke, he picked up the lyre in the corner again. With the plucking of his fingers, a beautiful and mournful rhythm resounded on the strings. Admittedly, from a bard's point of view, Thomas is not very good at playing. But there is a simple and sincere mood in his melodies. He only plays his own songs.

Ashrufat stepped out of the tent, and behind him came Thomas's muffled singing.

“...... In the past, he went out to the flag exhibition, accompanied by the beautiful woman in his dreams...... The proud young man left his homeland, and the horse carried me to a distant place......

Dozens of spring and autumn have passed since then...... I have never forgotten the oath I made back then...... The sword mountain and sword forest are fearless, and the journey of iron and blood is long......"

Not far from the Big Tent, several militiamen on duty were talking to each other and whispering. And the knight in charge of commanding the sentinels was also bowing his head in contemplation.

Everyone seems to be thinking about the question that Thomas raised.