161 The Tomorrow War (1/2)

It was decided after our trip to the mana pool that Vernaia and her Moonlight Marauders would remain behind to manage the defenses of the oasis while she awaited reinforcements from Garm's troops who were on the way.

\”And I'm expected to mind this spot like some lowly watchman?\” she complained in protest.

\”Well… you did claim victory over it, right?\” I reminded her, a smile playing on my lips as I did.

\”Yeah, yeah… the responsibilities of the victor,\” Al said in a voice that dripped suppressed humor.

The truth, with the revelation of another war coming very soon, neither of us wanted the responsibility of babysitting the oasis while there were four to five more oases nearby that needed conquering.

For me and Al, the successful capture of more oases would allow us to increase our reputation and standing in the western army right before the war started. After all, just like in the Olympic games where only the best athletes get to compete, in a war between fairy clans, only the best units are called to the front.

\”See you later, Verania,\” I teased.

Now, despite Verania's prissy attitude, Al and I felt compelled to at least help her manage her prisoners who would outnumber her unit once we left. So, we each took seven hundred enemy troops with us when we marched away from this central oasis and its fairy fort—Al to the north and me to the south.

I let my prisoners loose outside Foolhardies territory without weapons or rations of any kind, hoping this would encourage them to run back to Dominion territory without thinking of reinforcing the oases I was planning to take over.

Also, you might be wondering why our three independent units were in charge of reclaiming such an important oasis with its high strategic value. That's because we weren't assigned to it by Garm who held the bulk of the western army under his control. In fact, those reinforcements heading toward Verania were supposed to be the ones conquering the oasis we'd just left behind. But as we were independent units under Grimthorn, we decided to steal this glory from the other army after we learned that the Dominion troops stationed in the oasis only numbered two thousand. In short, it was the enemy's fault for making it such an easy steal.

After marching to the south, my nearly five-hundred-man unit pitched tents on a location that was just north and between two of the Dominion-controlled oases previously mentioned. Both oases were currently under siege by Garm's troops but haven't been conquered yet.

Once the unit was settled for the rest of the night, I hung out at the command tent, sitting on my chair and browsing over the eastern desert map which was laid out on my war table. Azuma and Edo were there with me.

\”One week seems kind of rushing it,\” Edo commented.

\”We don't have a choice… the war might begin anytime and we need to solidify our position with the western army before it begins,\” I reminded him.

Azuma read from the unfurled scroll in his hand. \”Intel reports show both oasis carry roughly five-thousand enemy troops each… more than half the number of the central oasis in this region.\”

Edo's eyebrow rose at Azuma's words. \”Why did they leave fewer troops in the most important location on this region of the map?\”

For answer, I pointed to the other four oases surrounding the one we'd already taken over. All of them, including the two we were considering formed around the conquered oasis in a loose circle.

\”Common war tactics would assume these outlying oases would manage to protect the central one from invaders. That's why there were fewer troops there,\” I answered.

\”They moved the bulk of their forces to defend the others with the assumption it would shield the middle one,\” Azuma agreed.

I nodded.

\”However,\” I pointed at the larger space between the oases on the northeast and direct east where the gap between them was much larger than the others. \”They failed to take into account this space here.\”

\”And with these two oases already under assault from Garm's troops, it would leave them little room to maneuver and close the gap,\” Azuma continued.

\”Leaving a smaller unit like ours ease of access into the central area… It's the exact exploit we used,\” I finished.

I raised my hand to Azuma for a high-five but it took the much older man to recognize the gesture. Still, there was a satisfying slap at the end of the wait.

\”I fail to understand why the enemy didn't notice this tactic?\” Edo pressed as he glowered over the points in the map I showed him.

Azuma spared each other a knowing glance before I answered Edo's question. \”That's easy… the Dominion has no visere commanders on their roster.\”

\”And that's relevant?\” Edo asked, his eyebrow rising once more.

\”Possibly because of your longer lifespans, fairies are rigid in their thinking… they tend not to think outside the box and therefore can't come up with tactics that make use of revolving situations, and you rarely take the choice with obvious risks,\” Azuma explained.

\”Isn't that why Aura hired me in the first place?\” I added wryly.

\”Don't remind me,\” Edo sighed heavily. \”You're arrival was the beginning of my headaches…\”

I laughed.

\”That wasn't a joke, Dean,\” Edo growled.

\”It's still funny,\” I countered.

The last six months have made me immune to Edo's smoldering gaze. Plus, as tonight was my sixteenth birthday, I just feel manlier because of it.

\”We're getting off-topic here,\” Azuma reminded us.

He pointed to the two southern oases again.

\”Which one do we tackle first?\” he asked once more.

I picked up another roll of parchment from the makeshift war table and unfurled it. Then I read parts of its content out loud to my advisors.

\”Two three-thousand-man commanders from Garm's army are currently in siege operations in the right oasis,\” I read. \”General Red Bull, one of Garm's satyr aides, and four-thousand soldiers from his personal unit, the Bull's Barragers, have taken the task of conquering the left oasis.\”

\”I've met the Red Bull… nice guy. Easy to work with,\” Edo revealed. He scratched his head afterward. \”Don't know why he's working for a bastard like Garm though.\”