socalfunplaces Chapter 81 Marcus: Where are the Mill people?
Chapter 81 Marcus: Where are the Mill people?
"Where are the Myrs?" Inside the Valantis military tent, Marcus Varos Villeleion, the Valantis' "war general," pointed to the map and moved a chess piece representing Valantis one step forward.
"Did they head towards the River of Bitter Tears as planned?"
"Reporting to the general, they have reached the north bank of the Bitter Weeping River, but they have not dismantled the pontoon bridge, nor have they prepared sufficient reserves to guard it," a man dressed in a civil official's robe replied.
"Our scouts report that although the Mir people seem invincible now, the distance between their vanguard and rearguard is too great, and they are clearly not carrying enough food and supplies. The morale of the soldiers has declined significantly due to the long march and poor supply, and discipline is beginning to slacken."
The generals inside the tent began to whisper among themselves.
Some believe this is a good opportunity; there's no doubt that the Mir are at their weakest now! If they act now, they can defeat the Mir, the most powerful force in the Three Kingdoms!
"No rush, let's wait a bit longer." Marcus thought for a moment, then pushed a chess piece carved into the shape of a warrior, along with a chariot, to the mouth of the River of Controversy downstream.
"Let him be smug for a bit."
"So, where are our arrogant, fearless noble riders and charioteers now, leading their legions of slave warriors? And where is the Reiss army?" Marcus asked.
"The Ries are even dumber than the Mils!" Another civilian official in charge of Ries army intelligence reported with a hint of contempt, "Their supplies depend entirely on the food from the fortresses and strongholds we abandoned. Although they do receive food replenishments, local merchants report that the Ries army's logistics officers and mercenaries are so audacious as to openly resell some of the delivered rations on the local black market for their own enrichment!"
The sergeant could not completely suppress his shock and incomprehension of the enemy's actions, and his tone carried a hint of contempt.
"Don't let your emotions get the better of you, strategist of the Tower Guard." Marcus raised a spearman chess piece representing the Mir and moved it to a position north of the Bitter River, looking calmly at his subordinate.
"Insulting the enemy's intelligence will not help us win this battle. What we need is accurate intelligence and calm analysis, not pointless emotions. Keep watching them; I need their next intelligence, after all..."
He looked up at the wall covered with the banners and badges of the Valantis Legion.
"I abandoned so many strongholds, letting them run rampant on the east side of the Controversial River, just to get them to take the bait. If we don't succeed in achieving our goal, then all our previous efforts will have been in vain. Our soldiers will think I'm just a simple coward, a fool."
He quickly pushed the chess piece, representing the Reissians and engraved with the image of a typical mercenary, from the location of Broken Sword Fortress along the River of Controversy towards the estuary.
"So, the Reissians, they're now racing along the disputed river towards the sea, what do they call this... uh, the Project to the Sea? What a poetic name."
He then placed a chess piece shaped like a flag on Stradahl's position.
"Arrogant Tyrosians, flamboyant Tyrosians, wealthy Tyrosians... what are they doing now? They're 'holding their ground' in the cities we abandoned. They're just unwilling to put in any more effort."
"Ultimately, their colonies are a million miles away. If something really happens, Mill and Rhys's colonies in the disputed territory are still there to protect him!"
Finally, his gaze returned to the lone spearman chess piece that had crossed the River of Bitter Tears, his eyes filled with a certainty, the instinct of a hunter to predict the next move of his prey.
"The Milians are too impatient. They are too eager to become the true rulers of the Three Daughters Kingdom, trying to transform this loose confederation into a great and powerful kingdom. So they dream of an undisputed victory on the battlefield... But they are too impatient, so their generals seem completely unaware of what they are doing," Marcus said to his advisor, glancing coldly at the map.
"No large-scale field battles, no fierce sieges, no high-ranking enemy prisoners... To be honest, if I were him, I would immediately stand still and start building fortifications, because this is a trap!"
[And Mitristar… that guy, a reckless brute, satiated by the illusion of victory yet starving and craning his neck.] Marcus mentally judged Mitristar. [Although, such a reckless advance is likely a consensus among the higher-ups in Mil, who demand he achieve results as quickly as possible.]
Faced with such an opponent, he doesn't need to rush to throw a heavy punch. Rather than confronting him head-on, he should take advantage of his opponent's mistakes.
His strategy was clear and ruthless: guide the troops' momentum and wait for them to falter.
He ordered the front-line troops to continue their planned, seemingly "weak" retreat, absolutely avoiding any strategic field battles with the Mir, and only abandoning some insignificant strongholds, like scattering bait one after another.
He wanted Mitrist to believe that victory was within his grasp, to lead him further and further down this seemingly unobstructed path, deeper and deeper into trouble. He wanted to stretch the Mil Army's lines to their limits, to make their supply lines as fragile as a thread, and to let the soldiers' fatigue and complacency accumulate to their peak.
He didn't even need to deliberately set up any complicated traps. The enemy's own chosen route of advance, and their flawed deployment, were the biggest traps in themselves.
All Marcus had to do was be like a patient fisherman, holding the fishing rod firmly, feeling the fish greedily swallowing the bait and struggling underwater until it was exhausted, and then calmly reeling in the line.
"So, we'll make him come. I'll be upset if he doesn't!" Marcus's finger gently pointed to a spot further north of the Bitter Weeping River, where there was an inland river city called Perfume Bay.
The city is located in the upper reaches of the Bitter Weeping River. The terrain is fragmented, with many gentle hills and streams, and the overall topography is constricted, like a natural pocket.
"Let him come in with his hungry and weary army. When that time comes..." Marcus surrounded the Milian spearmen with three pieces representing Valantis near Perfume Bay: a heavy cavalry, a war elephant, and a warrior.
They represent three of Valanthi's most formidable weapons: war elephants, super-heavy cavalry, and the well-trained Valanthi standing army, the Tiger Robe Army.
"If the Mir people do indeed enter the ambush zone as planned, then we will achieve an unimaginable victory!"
"Gentlemen, think about it! At that time, an army lacking supplies, isolated deep in enemy territory, and with incompetent generals will be forced to face the most elite legions of Valantis! Once they are defeated, any joy of victory, any optimism that goes to one's head, will turn into desperate panic!"
"So let them be smug for a while... consider it a deathbed consolation from Valantiste!" Marcus ended the report with an extremely cold-blooded joke.
He doesn't need to chase a bloody, earth-shattering battle; what he wants is a precise, efficient annihilation battle that can break the backbone of the Three Daughters' Alliance!
Marcus turned away, no longer looking at the map, and calmly ordered the generals in the tent: "Maintain surveillance and continue to 'guide' the Mir people deeper into the territory. Each legion shall slowly assemble in its designated area according to the pre-arranged plan. No one is to engage the enemy without my order; anyone who disobeys will be executed immediately."
He sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, as if conserving his energy. The tent was silent, save for the chess pieces on the map representing the Valantis Legion, which, like silent, closing teeth in the darkness, slowly moved toward the still-unsuspecting prey.
Victory lies not in the gains or losses of a particular time or place, but in who can better understand the essence of war and be more patient until the opponent willingly hands over victory.
Patience is an essential quality for all top-notch generals.
After all, they are open-minded and resilient.
In Marcus's view, Mitristar was deliberately turning himself and his army into a reckless wild boar. He only needed to wait, wait for the enemy to be lured by the bait and then walk step by step into the trap he had carefully prepared for them.
Then, it will be time to defeat them!