Section 12 Strategy

This medium-sized battle in the mountains is often considered to have far more political significance than military significance. The battle declared the bankruptcy of the Paro people's plan for a quick victory. The main force of the Greyhound Knights was almost completely annihilated, and the remaining troops began to shrink and could only wait for reinforcements. And Princess Irina quickly expanded her power. Now she is no longer the bounty target who fled to the remote mountains pursued by the greyhounds, but rises like a new star. Now it's the turn of the Greyhound Knights to get scared.

On a military level, the battle was still a clear demonstration of the veteran Thomas's outstanding ability. The legendary veteran has yet to grow old, and once again he has come out of the mountain to win a big victory, drawing another remarkable stroke on his invincible record.

His enemy (the name of the hapless Greyhound Commander is not recorded in any way) is considered by many to be a model of stupidity and arrogance, but a closer look at his past reveals that he is anything but incompetent. The ability to combine such a chaotic and loosely organized force as the Greyhound Knights in pursuit of Princess Irina all the way (and almost succeeded) is unquestionable. The reason why he is not even known by name is simply due to a deep-seated prejudice.

If analyzed from an objective point of view, the lack of heavy troops in this battle, the lack of heavy troops of the Greyhounds was the real reason for the rout. They simply had no hoplites to fight against the knights of St. Jean. As soon as the musketeers could not be in place in time to inflict a major blow on the knights, this immediately became a fatal wound.

After winning this battle, Thomas pursued the defeated Greyhound all the way. But in reality what followed was just an armed parade, and there was no outbreak of fighting worth mentioning. Because the greyhounds have neither the confidence nor the strength to confront Thomas head-on. On the contrary, many knights of St. Jean answered the princess's call to join Thomas. After sweeping away the remnants of the Greyhounds, Thomas quickly made his way to Sedin Castle. This is the heavily guarded stronghold of the Greyhounds, and it is also their last chance to stop Thomas's advance. Due to the losses of the previous battle, the main force of the greyhounds has also become the Paro people at this moment.

Located at the junction of mountains and plains, Sedin Castle has a rugged terrain and a strong castle. If this place is lost, it will be impossible to suppress St. Jean. Relatively speaking, if Sedin is captured, then Thomas opens up the passage between the mountains and the plains. And Princess Irina will truly gain a stronghold of the plains and establish her own court.

With Sedin as the center, lords from all over the world will gather under the banner of the princess......

—Excerpt from "History of the Styghian Wars"

There are also endless hills ahead.

It is located at the junction of plains and mountains, and the undulating hills make up the main topographical features of the area. Countless stone dots of various sizes are scattered on these hills, which are not very high, and the green meadows are dotted with white patterns.

"Let's go back, Ashrufat. Leo suggested. The latter just said "um", his eyes still looking into the distance.

The team consisted of fifty men and three horses. This number of people in this wild and endless hill is like an inconspicuous little speck. An eagle swept across the sky, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

"There are no roads at all. Leo complained. "In addition to climbing mountains, it is still climbing mountains. ”

For solo travelers or small groups, this terrain is troublesome, but not impassable. But the real army is completely inadequate. It is impossible for a heavy vehicle to pass through this terrain. Valuable horses can also pay heavy casualties in this terrain.

"I'll go over there and take another look. Duncan suggested. As he spoke, he led the two men to the highest hill.

He was one of the two militiamen who had recently been knighted and remained in charge of the position of militia captain for the time being. He and his men were rewarded for their bravery in encircling and annihilating the most stubborn enemy on the battlefield. The vast majority of knights were dismissive of these two newly promoted "dirt buns", and were not even willing to treat them as knights.

More than one knight has publicly threatened to challenge Thomas's decision in the Court of Honor. Of course, even the most stubborn knights privately admitted that the canonization was very effective in boosting the morale of the militia.

The promotion of a militiaman from humble origins to the rank of knight was not unprecedented. But if anyone had gone through the annals and listed the names of the lucky ones, he would have found that the list was nowhere near as long as one might expect. Lineage and origin, although not crucial in the eyes of some philosophers and great men, occupy a deep-rooted mainstream position in the prejudices of the world.

A midshipman being promoted to a knight, a militiaman being promoted to a captain, are all small things that not many people will care about. But from a militia captain to a knight, to take a step almost apart from the abyss. A commoner was thus included in the category of nobles and lords, and a serf, who was originally only worthy of kneeling at his feet, could suddenly be on an equal footing with the lord. There could not be a greater ambition for the militia.

Even if he is not accepted by the mainstream, this knight who has just been promoted is already satisfied, and there is no more luxury. He may be discriminated against, but it doesn't matter, he has still entered the world of nobility and can enjoy all the rights of a knight. His children and grandchildren will also enjoy the inheritance and benefits he has earned.

In fact, under normal circumstances, only the lucky generals who kill the enemy alone, or kill the behemoths (and more than once) have the extraordinary feats that make it possible for the militia to take this abyss. And that's just "possible". Not every general can oppose the descent theory as Thomas does.

Leo waited a short time as he watched Duncan come back dejected. There is simply no traversal of terrain in the vicinity.

"Master Thomas will be disappointed. There's no way to cross here, and we can't cross this area unless we conquer Seydin. Leo said in a joking tone, trying his best to cheer up his frustrated companions. His efforts didn't work, though. Duncan was frustrated because he desperately needed merit to prove himself. Eshurufat's frustration seemed to be nothing more than his failure to complete the task assigned to him by Thomas.

Thomas's task is for them to try to find a path that can be passed. It had been four full days since they left the camp, but nothing had been found. I can only go back empty-handed like this.

By dusk, they could already see the castle of Sedin, and even the cannons erected on top of the castle were faintly discerning. The location of this fortress was so important that it completely choked the main road to the plain for St. Jean's army. Unless it is conquered, even Thomas will not be able to advance an inch.

The Greyhound Knights gathered all the forces they could muster here, including the remnants of the last battle. There are more than two thousand people. Thomas was twice as strong as the enemy. But conquering a fortified city is always a bloody battle, and even victory can be costly. This is also the reason why Thomas will not do it for the time being, and will look forward to finding a detour.

The greyhounds no longer have the courage and strength to fight with Thomas in the field, but they can't shrink back, and Thomas can't help each other for a while.

"I see, there's no trail or anything like that. ”

Thomas did not sigh or remain silent as expected. I don't know if it's an illusion, but Ashrufat felt that Thomas was in a good mood, and even a little happy.

"Leo, Ryan, Ashrufat, you three happen to be here. Now I'm going to test you with a question. Thomas inexplicably changed the subject. "Let's say we're fighting in the jungle, it's hot, and our soldiers can only fight for two hours before they run out. Now I was proposed to divide the army into several parts and attack in batches. Although the first few waves of troops will be annihilated by the enemy, they will also deplete the enemy's stamina. When the enemy's stamina is exhausted, we will launch the last attack. If you were a general, what would you choose? Leo, you speak first. ”

"It's brutal, but it's a good strategy, and if it were me, I think I would have agreed with it. Leo spoke. "Although it is unfair to those soldiers who are sent to their deaths, war is inherently merciless. ”

"If it's me," Ryan replied. "I would try to avoid this option as much as possible. Because even if this situation is won, it will be a major blow to our morale. It should be understood as a medicine with strong side effects and should not be taken unless it is forced to do so. ”

Thomas's gaze turned to Ashrufat.

"I want to ...... I wouldn't use this tactic. Because if the enemy annihilates the first wave of our troops and immediately withdraws his troops, then I have no means of countermeasures. Ashrufat replied cautiously.

Thomas laughed.

"That's right. A bad idea is a bad idea because it looks like a good idea until it's practiced. So remember, unless it's a small cost, try not to try those wild 'tactics'. Let's get back to the topic, now that Sedin Castle is in our way, what are we going to do?"

The three of them looked at each other, and the answer was simple, but no one spoke.

"Siege. In the end, Leo answered.

"Is it possible for them to leave on their own if they don't attack the city?" Thomas asked.

"Unless we triple our forces, the greyhounds will never leave. ”

"That's right, if the disparity in strength between the two sides is so great that even a fortified city will not be enough to offset it. Then trapping a lonely city becomes a dead end. In this case, the only option is to break out and retreat. Unless there was another reason not to retreat, even the bravest knights would make this choice. Thomas said with a smile.

"But...... But...... Mistress Thomas, where are the armies you are talking about?" asked Leo.

As in all other parts of the world, the population of the mountains is always much smaller than that of the plains. Because there is not so much farmland available for cultivation in the mountains. And now, almost all the battleable soldiers have been assembled under the banner of Thomas. If Thomas can successfully conquer Sedin Castle and enter the plains and gain the support of the lords, then three times the number of troops will not be a problem. However, the premise of all this is to conquer Sedin.

"I've gathered some craftsmen and I'll start building siege machines tomorrow. Thomas replied in response. His gaze rested on the three young men in front of him.

"You all have beautiful coats of arms. Thomas said with a smile. "Pretty and eye-catching. ”