"What a bunch of ungrateful b * stards..." Fatty Shi muttered unhappily as he watched Krisya and the 26 old trainees and knights who had sought refuge with him leave.
Laurist smiled and patted Fatty Shi's shoulder. "Let's go back. We still have many things to discuss tonight. Time is tight …"
"Ah?" Fatty Shi was stunned for a moment. He hurriedly chased after Lorist and walked beside him. "Wait, Locke, what are you planning? There's still more than a month before winter, and there's still another two to three months before Egret Lake freezes. There's plenty of time. Why do you say that time is tight? "
Lorist stopped and turned to look at Fatty Shi, "Do you really think I'll let the caravan wait until Egret Lake freezes?"
"Huh?" Seeing Lorist turn around and leave, Fatty Shi became anxious. "Say it clearly …"
"There are too many people. Let's talk about it when we get back."
When they arrived at a side tent, Laurist ordered Redi, "Go get Boddfinger, Rod Wales and Freya. Get Malek, El, Padt, Terman, Yuri, and Dolus here. Have Ingelek gather the guards. "
Although Erik was a Gold-ranked Swordsman, he was only Laurist's personal servant. It was because he was afraid of death that he surrendered to Laurist and signed a ten-year slave contract. This time, Laurist wanted him to become a family knight as well, but he was unwilling. He said that he was old and did not like fighting and killing. His granddaughter, Jasmine, was already pregnant from Fatty Shi's hard work. He only wanted to wait for his grandchild to be born.
The older Malek was very open-minded. He did not feel ashamed that he, a Gold-tier Swordsman, had become Lorist's servant. On the contrary, he felt that it was better this way, and he had more freedom. Even Boddfinger and the others looked up to him because he was Lollister's personal servant. They even greeted him warmly and respectfully when they met. Especially when Loriste was not in the team, Yingjie Lek was even more free and unrestrained. He felt that it was better to live like this.
The few family knights that Laurist had summoned arrived one after another. Only Rod Wales drank a little too much, but he was still sober. After everyone sat down, Loriste asked Redi to serve everyone a cup of tea and explained the reason for the meeting.
"Fifteen or twenty days later, I plan to let the carriages and the refugees enter the Madras Principality, and return to the north as soon as possible …"
Everyone in the tent was shocked. Fatty Shi was the first to shout, "Sir, how do we pass the test? The Iron Guards have blocked the border. It's impossible for us to defeat them if we attack Lejida Fortress with armed vehicles … "
"Who said we're going to attack Lejidana Fortress?" Laurist retorted.
"But, but if we don't conquer this fortress, we won't be able to pass through …" Fatty Shi and the people in the tent looked at Laurist strangely.
"Hehe …" Laurist laughed, shook his head, and said, "What are you guys thinking? What is our goal? Wasn't it just bringing the convoy and the refugees back to the Northern Lands? What are we going to do with the fortress of Liechtenstein? Occupy that place to herd sheep? You've all forgotten that we're not going to occupy the Madras Principality. We're just passing through, so we don't need to consider a path of retreat. It doesn't matter to us whether we can occupy this fortress or not. "
Laurist moved the rack that held the map over. There was now an enlarged map of Liechtenstein Fortress and its surroundings.
Using a thin wooden stick to point at the map, Laurist said, "Look, this fortress and the barracks on Bread Hill are connected to each other. They've sealed off the five hundred meter open space and the main road. If we take over Bread Hill, how will the Iron Guards react? They'll definitely think that this is a sign that we're going to launch a large-scale attack. They won't dare to act rashly unless they defend the fortress.
Let's take a look after we take over Bread Hill. The ballistae in the fortress have a range of three hundred meters, and cover the main road at the bottom of the hill. But do we need to take the main road? We only need a hundred meters to allow the convoy and refugees to pass through the two hundred meter open space next to Bread Hill. The Iron Guards claim to be the best in the world in terms of defense, but we won't fight them in siege battles. If he comes out, I'd like to know how good he is at fighting in the field … "
"My lord is right!" Bofinger slapped his forehead and came to a sudden realization. "Yes, it's fine for the convoy and refugees to pass through. If it's the second prince's army, he'll have to occupy the fortress to allow the army to move forward and ensure the smooth flow of supplies. We're just passing through and don't need to think about what's behind us. If there's a road block in front, we can just go around it. "
"It's all that treacherous second prince's fault. He led us into the ditch. He kept saying that we have to take over the fortress to allow the convoy and refugees to enter the Madras Principality. We all followed his train of thought." Fatty Shi stood up in front of the map and looked at it carefully. He laughed. "Haha, that Duke Madras also thinks of us as an army. That's why he made this arrangement. If we go around the Liechtenstein Fortress like My Lord said, the road ahead will be flat. "
The atmosphere in the tent became lively. So it was possible to do this. Everyone was asking for it in the past. They never thought of this.
Lollister waved his hand to calm everyone down. He pointed at the map with a thin wooden stick. "This Bread Hill is our target. If we take over Bread Hill, the convoy and refugees can set off. What we know is that there's a large group of Iron Guards stationed on Bread Hill. There's also a camp set up below. According to the information we've gathered, there are close to eight thousand Iron Guards in the camp. All they need to do is rotate with the soldiers stationed on the hill.
Topographically speaking, this Bread Hill isn't suitable for a garrison because there's a lack of water. If we take over the camp below, it'll be equivalent to blocking off the road. In less than two or three days, the large group of Iron Guards stationed there will collapse from thirst. They can either surrender to us or risk their lives to attack the camp below.
Therefore, the real key point is the barracks below the Bread Mound. If we attack from the front, we must brave the crossbow bolts on the Bread Mound and charge to the front. We must first conquer the Bread Mound before we can attack the barracks behind. However, it won't be easy to conquer the Bread Mound because the barracks behind will constantly provide reinforcements to the front. Therefore, attacking from the front is not a good idea. We can't afford to suffer casualties.
Everyone still remembers the fishing method I mentioned. Actually, my goal isn't to fish, but to use the fishing boats to build a pontoon bridge. The family's armed forces will cross Egret Lake overnight, then follow this small path to attack the camp behind Bread Hill. As long as we take over the camp, we'll be halfway to success.
Next, we will follow this blocked road from Lejidana Fortress to the city of Vanades. We will go all the way north, catch them off guard, and capture Vanades. Even if we can't capture it, it doesn't matter. The main point is Sith Castle on the road to the province of Sydgerad. As long as we occupy this castle, we will be able to seal the Madras Army's Seamount Legion in his nest, and we will be able to come and go freely in the two provinces outside. "
After Laurist finished explaining his strategy, everyone became excited. This was a plan with a high chance of success. As long as the plan went smoothly, the Madras Principality would be a smooth path for the convoy and refugees to travel north.
"The first important point of this battle is to sneak across Egret Lake. The second is to be fast. We have to beat the slow ones with speed. We have to decide the outcome of the battle before the enemy can react. As long as we have the initiative in our hands, we can fight however we want." Lorist reminded everyone of the key points of their strategy.
Fatty Shi calculated for a while and said, "Sir, we may not have enough soldiers. The Iron Guards have a total of 28,000 soldiers, 18,000 in the Lejidana Fortress, and 10,000 in the Bread Hill. Our convoy only has a little more than 20,000 soldiers. Even if we take over Bread Hill, we still have to escort the convoy and refugees across the border and guard against the Guardian Legion in the fortress. We don't have any extra soldiers to take over Vanades City … "
"That's fine. Next, I'll reorganize the army and expand the family's armed forces. We can also borrow soldiers from the second prince." Laurist signaled for everyone to stop discussing. "Everyone, calm down. Next, we'll reorganize the current convoy. First, all the squads will be the same, a full 100 people. Five squads will form a platoon, five platoons will form a battalion, and five battalions will form a corps. In the future, five corps will form a legion.
Yuri, you'll be in charge and see how many platoons you can form. I'll have Jim help you. You'll be the captain of the first light cavalry scout. Jim will be in charge of the remaining platoons. Also, pick out the light cavalry who are good with bows and arrows and give them to Peter who came with me this time. Have him lead a cavalry archer squadron. " “
Yuri stood up and said, "Yes, Sir. I understand."
"The key to this battle plan is still on you, Yuri. You have a heavy burden. You must have your light cavalry scout cover the entire battlefield. The enemy will not know what's going on and become blind and deaf." Laurist said.
"Sir, please rest assured. Our light cavalry scout troop will not let you down." Yuri patted his chest and promised.
Laurist nodded and waved his hand for him to sit. Then he said to Terman, "How many platoons do your knights have now?"
"Sir, with the servants and grooms, it's close to two platoons." Terman replied.
Laurist thought for a moment and said, "Your knights are different from the other families' armed forces. You can do as you see fit. A knight with two attendants, a servant and a groom will remain the same. A platoon of five hundred Silver-tier knights can bring along a thousand squires to charge into battle. The servants and coachmen will be in charge of logistics and supplies. "
"Yes, Sir."
"Bogue, your cavalry now has two and a half platoons?" Laurist asked.
"Sir, minus the people in charge of logistics, there should be two brigades. If we reorganize them according to what you said just now, we can make two more platoons. Our original arrangement was 120 people per squad," Bodefinger replied.
"Then let's do it this way. You'll leave the cavalry to Ross. All the logistics personnel will return to the main camp. Ross, expand the cavalry into three platoons of 7500 people. I'll give you five days to complete it. This time, the cavalry will be the main force of the assault. "
He stood up and bowed solemnly, "Don't worry, Sir. I'll definitely complete this mission."
"Freya, you now have four platoons of ten thousand people?" Laurist looked at Freya.
"Eleven thousand three hundred and fifty-eight, my lord." Freya reported the exact number.
Laurist nodded in approval, "Leave the spearmen to Bogue. Bogue, you'll be in charge of the heavy cavalry. Five platoons of twelve thousand five hundred people. Complete it in five days."
"Yes, my lord," Freya and Bodelfinger replied in unison.
"Oh, right. Change all the troops I mentioned to the White Lion Legion's standard equipment. There's no need to transport the good stuff back to the family territory. Equip those that can be used as soon as possible. This will reduce the casualties of our armed forces. As for the equipment, leave it to Freya and Malek. The two of you will be in charge of recruiting twenty-five thousand soldiers from the refugees and forming a garrison. Temporarily split into two platoons. Freya will be the commander of the first platoon. Malek will be the commander and vice-commander of the second platoon. Complete the formation in fifteen days.
Follow the usual procedures. Prioritize the young refugees with family members. Your main task is to maintain order and security when the convoy and refugees travel north. Do you understand? "Laurist looked at Freya and Malek.
"Yes, Sir."
"Yes, my lord." Freya and Malek stood up.
Laurist turned to Dolles, "What's the situation with your caravan? Dolles. "
Dolles hurriedly saluted, "Sir, the total number of people in the caravan is six hundred and twenty-seven. Apart from the original twelve ballistae, there are twenty-seven ballistae we obtained. I've already modified all of them for use on the chariots. However, these ballistae are a little cumbersome and not as flexible as the twelve ballistae. They also fire slowly, so we need more people to operate them.
"The White Lion Legion still has seventy-eight ballistae in good condition. You can modify them for use on the chariots and expand your caravan into a platoon."
The only difference between ballistae and ballistae was that the ballistae could be raised at a higher angle, allowing the ballistae to fire bolts from below the walls. The White Lion Legion had a total of two hundred and forty ballistae, but many had been damaged during the Empire's civil war and could not be replenished. It was fortunate enough to have seventy-eight ballistae in good condition.
Dolles was overjoyed. His greatest worry had been the lack of ballistae, which prevented him from expanding his caravan. Now, this problem was solved.
"How many craftsmen in the main camp know how to build ships?" Laurist asked Fatty Shi.
Fatty Shi was distressed, "One or two thousand can do carpentry, but I don't know who can build ships."
"Don't worry, we're building small boats. It shouldn't be too difficult. Just get the carpenters to nail a long box with wood. If there's any leakage, scrape a thick layer of green clay in the middle. We're only going to use it for fishing and building pontoons. It doesn't need to be durable or beautiful. Oh right, Shredder, you need to get the families of the caravan and the women of the refugees to weave a fishing net. We need to put on a good show to prevent the enemy from getting suspicious. Strengthen the defenses along the shore. "Laurist comforted Fatty Shi.
"I understand. I'll get people to cut wood to make boats and weave fishing nets tomorrow."
… …
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