pappabearbooks Chapter 403 403: A Plan to Smash Them
Chapter 403 403: A Plan to Smash Them
The nobles of this world might have more experience in commanding armies than he did, but he came from the modern era. The amount of military theory and knowledge he could easily look up was vast. He had once been a devoted fan of warfare in the cold steel age and had, out of interest, read widely on the subject.
Of course, he knew that understanding military theory was one thing, and actually commanding an army was quite another. Reality wasn't a real-time strategy game; no matter how much an electronic game claimed to simulate the battlefield, it could never truly capture the reality of the situation.
Still, he had no intention of actually commanding the army.
Lynn walked to the map, his gaze settling on the pieces representing the opposing forces. The black pieces representing the Hengfors League Army significantly outnumbered the red pieces of the Kovir Restoration Army. Three black pieces were also positioned around the nearby Ironwood City.
"The Hengfors League Army has greater numbers and possesses a numerical advantage. If we engage them head-on, even a victory for us would be a pyrrhic one."
Istrad remained silent, merely nodding grimly. He naturally understood the likely outcome of a frontal confrontation. He had initially placed his hopes on the combat power of Lynn and his witchers. But it now seemed Lynn had a better idea. He was eager to hear it.
Lynn picked up a red piece, moved it past the black pieces on the front line, and placed it next to the black pieces surrounding Ironwood City. He explained:
"My Lord, my companions and I can use the cover of night to bypass the main enemy force and launch a surprise attack on the League troops besieging Ironwood City."
"The League forces left near Ironwood City won't be numerous, and being in the rear, they'll surely be complacent. They'll only be watching for an attack from Ironwood City itself, never expecting us to strike from another direction."
As Lynn spoke, he used the red piece to sweep away the black pieces surrounding Ironwood City. He then placed the red piece directly behind the main League force that was currently facing the Restoration Army.
"Once we rout that siege unit, the line of retreat for the main League army facing us will be cut. At that point, we witchers and the defenders of Ironwood City can join your army in a two-pronged pincer attack on the enemy."
"The enemy will be utterly crushed!"
A cold steel army's soldier quality and command structure couldn't compare to a modern army, especially the Northern armies, which were composed of knights, standing troops, and conscripted peasants. While the knights and standing troops might hold, the peasant conscripts would inevitably descend into chaos and suffer a massive defeat when caught in a pincer. Even in Lynn's home world, historical battles in the cold steel age proved this: holding the high ground, shooting arrows down on the enemy, or executing a pincer attack—few cold steel armies could withstand such pressure without collapsing.
After this battle, regardless of whether King Nedamir lived or died, and regardless of how many men he still commanded, he would be forced to withdraw in bitter defeat.
Furthermore, Istrad wouldn't have to worry about King Nedamir returning for a long time. Yes, King Nedamir had built the Hengfors League in just a few years. However, his individual strength was still within the realm of a normal human, meaning he could not defy the laws of nature.
What were those laws?
The inevitable defeat he suffered in the Marquisate of Targo would undoubtedly shake his rule. Excluding Cangorn (his home territory), the nobles in the other annexed or united countries would certainly start to stir. For the next few years, perhaps even longer, King Nedamir would be preoccupied battling the intrigues of his own domestic nobles. He wouldn't be able to spare the resources to covet Targo again.
Istrad listened, carefully considering Lynn's proposal. He realized that it was not only feasible, but perhaps even more viable than his own plans. Istrad had met Lynn's men previously; every witcher gave off a powerful aura—they were certainly no ordinary witchers, though Istrad was smart enough not to ask.
While they were few in number, a surprise attack by these witchers to rout three thousand men would not be an issue. After all, Istrad had witnessed Lynn and Geralt alone throw an entire mercenary camp of dozens of men into chaos; this plan was merely a larger-scale replica of that feat.
Once the Hengfors League's retreat was cut off, King Nedamir would be in far greater distress than the Restoration Army. The League's morale would plummet, likely leading to daily desertions. The best possible outcome would be King Nedamir voluntarily retreating, allowing the Restoration Army to solve the Targo crisis without a single casualty.
The second-best outcome would be King Nedamir being foolish enough to hold his ground, leading exactly to Lynn's vision: the encircling witchers and Ironwood City defenders attacking the Hengfors League from both sides. In Istrad's mind, King Nedamir truly had no other choice.
He agreed.
That very night, Lynn led the witchers away from their defensive positions. To avoid detection, they didn't even alert their own sentries. Since witchers moved without sound, and with the cover of darkness, this was easily accomplished.
Leaving the formation, Lynn oriented himself, then took the lead, guiding the witchers toward Ironwood City, but along a path that bypassed the enemy's main force.
Just as the Restoration Army had intelligence on the Hengfors League's movements, there might be League spies within their own ranks. For this reason, they hadn't brought horses. Taking horses would inevitably cause a disturbance.
This posed no problem, however.
Ancient human legends spoke of chasing wounded prey until the animal bled out and collapsed from exhaustion; human endurance was astonishing. A witcher's endurance—especially one who had undergone the second mutation—was even more terrifying. Their running speed was already faster than a warhorse, and combined with this incredible stamina, they sighted the walls of Ironwood City within two or three hours, guided by the moonlight.
They could also see the enemy camps surrounding the city.
The three thousand enemy soldiers left to besiege Ironwood City had established two major camps, one to the north and one to the south of the city.
"Everyone, take a break."
Even with their phenomenal witcher physique, the fighting ahead would be high-intensity. A short rest was better than none. Lynn, however, did not stop. Having undergone the second mutation, he was far more powerful than the average witcher; two or three hours of full-speed running had only left him slightly winded.
After arranging for the others to rest, he decided to sneak out alone to scout the perimeter of the two enemy camps.
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