chsdbacks #556 - Military Discussion and Advance
#556 - Military Discussion and Advance
After a quick working meal in the meeting room, the military and political leaders returned without even leaving the Uffizi Palace to continue their military council.
With the war situation critical, there was no time to delay, so the council was to be held overnight.
With the fall of Stillwater Dock, Hotam County was wide open.
But the army couldn't just march out on a whim; various matters had to be arranged.
The first issues to resolve were why to fight, what to fight for, and how to fight.
White beeswax candles were lit in the black iron candelabras on either side of the pointed arch windows, illuminating the room along with the bright fluorite lamps on the ceiling.
Although Hoen still found it dim, it was quite bright in the eyes of others.
Unlike the previous briefing, besides the Papal Cardinals, only the legion commanders and commanding officers remained in the meeting room.
"I have urgently ordered Jeschka to send two more legions to reinforce Stillwater Dock, and ordered the front line at Buckhorn Township to halt their advance and slowly retreat."
Hoen, who had changed into a Savior Army uniform, placed his hands crossed on the sheepskin map in front of him: "Our goal in this battle is to expel the Thousand River Valley Church and encircle and annihilate Prince Condé, the representative of the Devil. Let's discuss it."
At the start of the meeting, Hoen set the tone, answering the question of why to fight.
This was no ordinary war, but the decisive battle of the Thousand River Valley.
If this battle was won, it would mark the victory of the first stage of the Thousand River Valley War, with the people of the Thousand River Valley initially seizing political power.
As for the second stage, that would be the war of independence.
But that was too far off to consider for now.
The officers and cardinals needed to solve the problems of how to fight and what to fight for.
"I think we should go around Prince Condé through Stillwater Dock and attack him from both sides with Moriarty," said Myura, the first to speak.
Many legion commanders and members of the Secret Party nodded in agreement, and even Jeanne expressed her approval.
This was the most straightforward tactic; they were originally supposed to attack Prince Condé together, but were blocked by Buckhorn Township and Stillwater Dock.
Now that Stillwater Dock had fallen, bypassing it to execute the original plan was almost a foregone conclusion.
But Hoen remained noncommittal and looked at Hakuto and Catherine, who were frowning on the other side.
"Hakuto, what do you think?"
"Your Majesty, I think we should sail south and attack Flyingwater Fortress."
"Why?"
"Attacking Prince Condé, winning is winning, and losing is losing, but if we attack Flyingwater Fortress, whether we win or lose, we win."
Hakuto's reasoning was simple.
The gate of Stillwater Dock was open and had been seized by the Savior Army; it was only three to five days from Stillwater Dock to Flyingwater Fortress.
From a tactical point of view, the optimal solution would be to bypass Buckhorn Township from Stillwater Dock and cut off Prince Condé's rear.
This was the plan unanimously agreed upon by the Black Serpent Bay Secret Party and the legion commanders—attack Prince Condé first, then take Flyingwater Fortress.
But in Hakuto's view, the optimal strategic solution would be to take Flyingwater Fortress first and then turn around and fight Prince Condé.
Because once Flyingwater Fortress was occupied by the Savior Army, it would cut off the Thousand River Valley's external access, and Prince Condé would have no foothold.
Then, when fighting Prince Condé again, they could retreat calmly if they lost, and annihilate him in one fell swoop if they won.
If they fought Prince Condé first, it would be fine if they won, but if they lost, it would be as if Stillwater Dock had been taken for nothing, and the nobles had rebelled in vain.
Why should the Savior Army gamble on this probability?
Taking Flyingwater Fortress determined the overall victory, while Prince Condé's battlefield only determined temporary success or failure.
And he didn't believe that Prince Condé wouldn't rush to intercept them when he saw the Savior Army attacking Flyingwater Fortress.
"What if Prince Condé grits his teeth and annihilates Moriarty?" A legion commander immediately raised an objection as soon as Hakuto finished speaking.
Catherine, who agreed with Hakuto, followed up with a rebuttal: "Even if Prince Condé can annihilate Moriarty, can he still take Upper River County as his foothold? Can Mountain County supply his army? Can the knights of Mountain County accept him?"
"I think we should ambush Prince Condé by the road after taking Stillwater Dock!"
"Since we're going to fight, why not cut off their supply line?"
"What if our attack on Flyingwater Fortress is unsuccessful and Prince Condé attacks Rapidwater City from the rear?"
After that, the legion commanders and cardinals argued back and forth, and soon became red-faced.
Chief Cardinal Madland, who was presiding over the meeting, was forced to shout hoarsely, "Order! Pay attention to order!"
In the heated arguments and speeches, some people even began to disregard the rules and frequently interrupt others or make personal attacks.
According to the rules of procedure, many people were silenced or expelled from the room to cool down.
The meeting even had to be adjourned for twenty minutes at one point.
The meeting went on from moonrise to mid-moon, and as proposals were adopted and rejected, the opinions of the people gradually converged, and the noise decreased, and two marching routes gradually emerged on the map.
The first was to start from Rapidwater City, go down the river to seize Flyingwater Fortress, and then turn back to meet Prince Condé who came to rescue.
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The second was to cut off Prince Condé's supply line after taking Stillwater Dock, and then attack him from both sides with Moriarty.
By this time, everyone was exhausted and parched, and they no longer spoke, but turned their eyes to the young Pope who was frowning and tracing the map.
But no matter how concentrated the decisions were, the final decision was still made by Hoen himself.
In the solemn atmosphere, Hoen spoke not about military strategy, but about unrelated content.
"It has been exactly a year and a half since I was commissioned by the Holy Lord in September 1444, and the Holy Father descended to this day.
At the beginning of the military councils, I was often the only one speaking, and the other cardinals were listening.
Today, not only can everyone speak, but they can also say something meaningful, which is a big difference from then."
In fact, when Hoen scanned the audience today, there were many new faces he didn't recognize.
Times had changed, and apart from those old faces, only the dog's head on the wall could make him feel a trace of the old Gulag.
I just don't know how many familiar faces will be left among the remaining people after this battle.
Taking a deep breath, Hoen's eyes were burning: "As for these two routes, they are both good strategies, but I would like to make some modifications."
Everyone held their breath and listened to Hoen's instructions.
"We will go down the river from Stillwater Dock, not enter Flyingwater Fortress, and land at Brokenrice Town, and then attack Prince Condé's Edict Company camp.
Without the Edict Company camp, Flyingwater Fortress's own defense forces, not to mention us, are vulnerable even in the eyes of the rebel nobles.
The Liah Kingdom cannot send reinforcements to Flyingwater Fortress at present. Flyingwater Fortress is a piece of fat, but there is no hurry to eat it. Just send a detachment to take it with the local nobles.
If Prince Condé attacks Rapidwater City, we will go up the river and fight Prince Condé in the familiar environment of Rapidwater City.
If Prince Condé rushes to rescue Flyingwater Fortress, we will take advantage of Flyingwater Fortress's supplies and superior terrain to wait for work, and fight Prince Condé near the river."
This was not Hoen's random talk, but the result of his, Bernardo's, and Pettier's staff's thinking.
"Why don't we take Flyingwater Fortress ourselves?" A legion commander couldn't help but ask.
"Surrounding a teacher must leave a gap, which means leaving one side of the siege wall for the enemy to escape, but it can also be interpreted as leaving hope for the enemy.
If we take Flyingwater Fortress, Prince Condé will completely lose heart and may escape to Gravelwaste Plain," Hoen looked at the red-marked route on the map, "But our goal is annihilation, not expulsion."
It is better to break one finger than to hurt ten fingers.
Only by destroying the core armed forces of the Empire in the Thousand River Valley region can we exchange for three to five years of peace.
If Prince Condé uses Gravelwaste Plain as a base and constantly invades south with the remnants, the Thousand River Valley will not be able to recuperate for a long time.
"As long as we haven't captured Flyingwater Fortress, Prince Condé will definitely come to take it, not even Lacunio or the Holy Lord can stop him, I said."