Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 294 Weakening
Twenty-six years ago, on a sweltering afternoon.

In the auditorium of the Army Officer Academy, an old soldier is giving a lecture.

The auditorium, which could theoretically accommodate all officers, students, and faculty, was packed to capacity. Not only were the entire Army Academy gathered together, but many commissioned officers also came to listen to the lecture.

The veteran's identity was self-evident; he was none other than Ned Smith—a Union Field Marshal, the founder of the Union Army, and the superintendent of the Army Officer School.

“...Modern people consider eleventh-degree levies to be barbaric military law. But in ancient empires, levies were merely harsh, not barbaric.” Principal Ned paused for a moment: “Different eras and different societies have different moral standards for war. We cannot use today’s standards to judge the past, much less use the moral standards of the past to excuse today’s behavior.”

To the disappointment of some who meet him for the first time, Ned Smith does not have the so-called "superstar demeanor".

On the contrary, he looked more like an old blacksmith in a dimly lit shop: his knuckles were thick, his palms were rough and dark, and he was a little hunchbacked. Because his eyesight was failing, he always unconsciously leaned back slightly.

Principal Ned looked at the group of young faces: "War has its morals, but it is also unfair. It seeks to use the strong to bully the weak, the many to defeat the few, and the numerous to win..."

In the silent auditorium, a young man suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with the rebelliousness and stubbornness typical of his age, and asked loudly and defiantly, "Then what if we can't bully the weak?"

The faculty and staff sitting in the front row all turned around to see which audacious guy it was.

The questioner's friend—another tall, thin young man with big eyes—pulled hard at him, trying to get him to sit down.

But he refused to sit down, his neck stiff, staring intently at the Allied Marshal on the platform.

“If the enemy is strong and we are weak,” Principal Ned reassured the faculty and staff not to be nervous, and answered sincerely, “then we must weaken the enemy, accumulate strength, and fight when we are able to use our strength to bully the weak.”

Years later, some people still remember this scene in the auditorium, some have forgotten it, and some have mistakenly remembered the questioner as someone else.

We bring this up because, twenty-six years later, that young man's son faced a critical situation where "the enemy was strong and we were weak, yet we had no choice but to fight."

……

What strategy should be adopted when the enemy is strong and we are weak? Winters didn't know, because the Army Officer School didn't teach strategy.

When Field Marshal Ned designed the curriculum for the Allied Army Officer School, he divided all courses into two main categories: "Military Science" and "General Science".

If we say that the class time for general education subjects such as mathematics and grammar is [ten], then the class time for tactics is [six], the content on war history is only [one], and the course time for strategy-related subjects is [zero].

The Army Academy originally had a "Strategy" course, but it was conducted in the form of a "President's Lecture." After Field Marshal Ned's death, this "course" was naturally removed from the curriculum.

To be precise, because of the limited scale of the war, no one has been able to clearly define "strategy," "tactics," and "grand tactics" to date.

When a single battle can determine the outcome of a war, it becomes difficult to distinguish the subtle differences between strategy, tactics, and grand tactics.

Winters' understanding of strategy was incomplete, and therefore he had no strategy to speak of.

However, facing the Teldenans, who were all cavalry, Winters formulated basic operational principles.

He distilled it into three words: [weaken, restrict, eliminate]—that is, "storm".

Turn the clock hands back to when Winters had just learned that the Teldon tribe was coming to raid his territory.

"I recalled all the battles I knew." He explained the Stormy Battle to his company commanders in this way: "There is no way to defeat a large number of enemies with a small force without relying on the terrain."

“We also have the advantage of terrain. The Dajiao River is a natural city wall, while the waterways of Xia Tiefeng County are like a sieve. The Dajiao River, Langzhen River, Heishui River, Baishui River, and Pangtuo River—the strength of the Teldun tribe will be weakened every time they cross a river. Every kilometer they travel, the Teldun tribe will have to divide their forces to seize territory.”

"Whether we can defend Tiefeng County or even annihilate the main force of Teldun depends on whether we can force the Teldun to change their direction of attack, force them to follow the route we have drawn for them, and force them to enter the battlefield we have chosen for them."

"Weaken, restrict, annihilate—that's the Storm Operation."

……

The hourglass turned for the twenty-sixth time, and Charles woke Winters by the fire.

"The Seventh Company has arrived too," Charles said softly.

"time."

"1:15 a.m.

……

Time, time, every second is incredibly precious.

If the road conditions are suitable, infantry can march 24 kilometers per day. If they abandon all supplies and force a march, they can double that distance.

At first glance, 24 kilometers seems close, and 48 kilometers doesn't seem far either.

However, countless victorious generals have died on this short journey, resulting in the loss of their army, the disgrace of their country, and the ruin of their reputation.

The battle that took place in Zhongtiefeng County was essentially a race against time.

Teldun's grand flanking maneuver was intended to take advantage of the defenders being drawn along the Great Horn River, and then attack Winters from both sides from behind.

This led to the emergence of fighter jets.

Winters seized the opportunity and thrust his sword into the chest of the fire-breasted man as he threw a right hook, repelling the scattered Teldonians, who numbered around twenty hundred riders.

Although it was not a complete rout, much less an annihilation, it temporarily removed the threat from the western flank and gave the troops a chance to regroup.

The day after Winters repelled the enemy who had been holding him back, at noon, Teldun Vanguard launched his first attack on Tushe Field.

At that time, eight of the twelve companies of the Iron Peak County Infantry Regiment were deployed along the Great Horn River. These eight companies were generally understaffed, exhausted, and in the process of regrouping.

A company was stationed in Xiaoshi Town, and its combat strength was relatively complete.

The remaining three companies, as the general reserve force, were originally stationed in Saint-Claude Town and are now on their way to Little Stone Town and Tushechang.

The musketeers were also organized into a separate company, directly under Winters' command.

The Teldun people were like an arrow, its tip already pressed against the heart of Zhongtiefeng County, with their reinforcements rushing to the scene.

If Winters' two crossings of the Great Horn are breached, then all his efforts will have been in vain.

His scattered companies would be defeated one by one by the Teldenans, just as he had repelled the scattered Teldenans. The difference was that the Teldenans could escape on horseback, while Winters' men wouldn't even have a chance to escape.

It was Bud who led the refugee camp to withstand the first and second waves of enemy attacks, buying Winters another day.

The twelve companies of the Iron Peak County Regiment, along with all the militia from Niu Ti Valley, Xiao Shi Town, and Sheng Ke Town, were assembling towards Tu She Field.

……

The soldiers of the Fifth Company marched in silence, in a single column, without drumbeats or slogans, and even their military flag was rolled up.

The one riding at the very front was the fifth company commander, [Lannis].

Tonight's full moon makes it an auspicious day for both sides to engage in fierce battle.

The faint sound of hooves could be heard ahead, indicating that cavalry were approaching the fifth company's column.

Lannis raised his hand to signal, the standard-bearer unfurled the military flag, and the military police immediately took out an arrow, turned around, and handed it to their comrade behind them.

After receiving the arrow, each soldier would immediately pass it to the person behind him, while discarding all unnecessary items and heading towards the military flag with only his weapons and armor.

Without any commands, the fifth company silently formed a square formation.

Lannis listened intently, and as the hoofbeats grew closer, he became certain that the enemy was heading straight for the Fifth Company.

"Beat the drum!" Lannis broke the silence.

The sudden burst of small drumbeats signaled to the soldiers of the Fifth Company that their position had been exposed and they were to prepare for battle immediately.

The newcomers halted their horses at the front of the formation, numbering only a dozen or so.

"Who goes there?" Lannis demanded.

“It’s me,” Winters replied.

Lannis rode out of formation and calmly saluted Winters.

"Can we still fight?" Winters asked.

"It would be best to get two hours of rest," Lannis replied truthfully.

“Change course and head to Bullshoe Valley.” Winters didn’t need to be polite with his old subordinates: “Tamas is building a third line of defense, and you will be under his command for the time being.”

"Yes." Lannis raised his hand in salute again.

Winters assigned a guide to Lannis, took one last look at his old subordinate, and rode away.

The Fifth Company returned to marching formation and headed southwest.

……

If it were a direct confrontation, a five-kilometer by five-kilometer open space would be enough to accommodate a massive battle involving 100,000 people.

The troublesome thing about the Teldun people, and indeed all nomadic tribes, is that they can use their mobility to turn five kilometers into fifty kilometers, or even one hundred and fifty kilometers.

Advance when it is advantageous, retreat when it is disadvantageous, do not be ashamed to flee, and only strike when you are certain of victory. This is the great tactical advantage brought by high mobility.

For example, the Telden's large detour this time involved a straight-line distance of over 150 kilometers on the map.

If it's a 2,000-kilometer journey, humans might be able to compete with horses in terms of endurance; but if it's a 200-kilometer run, they simply can't outrun a horse.

Winters chose the Central Peak County as the battlefield from the beginning because it was small enough.

The Teldenans had to travel 150 kilometers, while the Iron Peak County troops operating on the inside only needed to travel 50 kilometers, using their distance advantage to compensate for their speed disadvantage.

For this reason, Winters abandoned Wolftown, Blackwater, and Five Mastiffs.

This decision may sound simple, but it is actually heavier than a mountain of rocks weighing millions of tons.

Now, the Telden people have traveled 150 kilometers and crossed five rivers to finally reach Chung Tie Feng County.

The first step in the storm operation, "weakening," has been achieved.

……

Unlike in the past when the Heds avoided war while the Platuts sought it, at this moment, the Telduns were the ones most eager for a fair fight.

Taichi was driven mad by his desire to fight the two-legged man with knives and guns.

A wall blocked his way—or rather, two walls.

A short wall blocks the mountain road between Tushechang and Xiaoshizhen.

Another wall was very long, preventing the Teldenans from entering Cowhoof Valley.

Both walls were quite low, about the height of a person, and an adult man could climb over them without much effort.

The problem is, if a person can climb over, what about a horse?

The people of Tiefeng County call the long walls "Shield Walls" and the short walls "Dagger Walls".

The people of Teldun simply called them horse-stopping walls, because these two walls were not used to stop people at all, but to stop horses.

The chieftains of the Teldun tribe gathered in their tent for a military discussion and determined that there were only three solutions: break through the wall, fill the hole with earth, or take a detour.

The detour was immediately rejected; the only option was to continue south, passing through Xiaoshi Town and crossing the river.

Not to mention the time wasted, the bridge in Xiaoshi Town has already been demolished. Are we going to have to rebuild the bridge when we get there?
"Stop hiding anything! Hand over your armor and sheepskin bags!" Taichi spat viciously. "How can we get marrow without breaking bones?"

[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
[Currently, I'm only posting what I write before midnight, and I'm not staying up all night. So this chapter is only 3,000 words, sorry.]
[Also, as mentioned in my previous leave request, I will be temporarily updating every two days starting today. See you on Tuesday, April 5th.]
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(End of this chapter)