Chapter 180: Twentieth Episode: Chapter 8 (2/2)

Alan was somewhat surprised that he hadn't thought of his late wife for a long time. He even already forgot his wife's appearance. The land in front of him was the hometown of his wife, but his memories were interrupted from here, because he was then promoted to Lieutenant General. He soon left the local army and entered the complicated center of power of the empire. Then... he settled down in Dulin, like many of his ancestors of the Hewitt House.

His family background, his mind, and his means to deal with the enemy's offense helped him to move on the ladder quickly. When the empire ushered in a new emperor, he was already the leader of the military. He was at the highest point of his life, and stood there alone for more than 30 years.

Now... Alan looked around and was glad to see this small, simple room, perfectly in line with his preferences. There was a soft cot, of which the old man took care of personally. There was also a small square table nearby. The old man was accustomed to positioning various documents on the left side of the table, and his personal belongings on the right. He didn't have many personal belongings, but they were scattered over his desk messily. In fact, he had only a drawing tool, a pocket watch made in Riel, several fine quilt pens produced in Faran, and then the seal of Imperial Guards' Marshal, and some postcards, worn over the years.

It seemed that these things were all of his personal belongings! Alan picked up a postcard, and it was one that was sent by his grandson from the north. On it was scribbled, ”Happy birthday to my commander!”

Alan thought of the glass of wine and then glanced around the empty little room. It seemed like...

This was indeed his everything.

When the sound of the bell echoed in the fortress as it stroked twelve at midnight, Alan's holiday had also come to an end. By then he was already all dressed up. Over the years, the Marshal's ribbon attached to his medal had changed from the original golden gleam to dull yellow. The medals and badges that symbolized the rank of the Marshal no longer held their shine. Alan carefully wiped the metal on his body with a cotton cloth soaked in alcohol. When a guard knocked on the oak door to the small room, he placed his marshal's sword, which handle had already lost its color, back on his waist.

”Lord Marshal! It's nearly time!”

Alan nodded at the reminder. At the last regular military meeting before the final battle, he wanted to convey his fighting spirit and intention to every field commander who was about to head for the battlefield.

Every space in the sturdy Jebron Fortress was filled with stone pillars and posts, hence it was not easy to find a spacious and bright room. Out of desperation, the Combat Department set the meeting place underneath the fortress. It was a building site left behind when the underground water system was irrigated to the fortress, but it was enough to accommodate nearly a thousand officers.

The meticulous Titans attached great importance to this pre-war military discussion. They placed all the barn lanterns in the underground space and spent some time decorating the venue. In fact, this venue was still an abandoned site when they first discovered, but then the service personnel of the Combat Department covered the ugly corners with countless banners and managed to create an impressive atmosphere.

Alan's footsteps arrived at the venue on the last second before scheduled time.

The nearby officers quickly made way for their commander, simultaneously paid tribute to the old Marshal. With a smile on his face, Alan inspected these unfamiliar faces one after another.

However, out of these nearly thousands of men, some faces were still familiar to Alan. When he passed by those valiant generals, the Marshal always stopped to make a small talk, to shake their hands, and to pat on the other person's shoulder.

General Bencil Donnis was also invited to the meeting, but the general stood on the outermost part of the crowd. Alan still noticed him nonetheless. The old Marshal understood the general's complaints and knew about the awkwardness for a commander without an army to attend in the pre-war regular meeting. However, he still greeted General Bencil with an ardent gaze. The other party only nodded as if he couldn't care less, even deliberately omitting the military rites.

Alan smiled helplessly at the response. He knew it would be like this.

There were more than 40 candles lit on the crystal chandelier, and the shimmering light cast on a huge tactical map through a fan-shaped brass flap. Alan looked at the various markers positioned on the map, but at last he turned around and faced his soldiers, ”Let's leave this aside first and have some supper!”

This was probably the simplest supper the soldiers had ever had. Everyone was given a piece of walnut cake, and then a group of soldiers also brought in several large wine barrels, and filled a cup for each of the officers.

The soldiers looked at the cake in their hands and then again at the face of their marshal. They were all somewhat confused at the sight. Only one old officer from the Combat Department who had been following Marshal for many years suddenly realized. He raised his glass at the Marshal, ”Happy birthday! My marshal!”

The rest of the soldiers suddenly realized and various kind words and blessings flooded the scene one after another, but Alan only waved his hand at these battlefield commanders gathered in front of him, ”This is not important! This wine is for you who are heading for the battlefield, as for this slice of cake, it shall tell you why we had to participate this war.”

Alan walked down the steps where the map was placed, and put a small piece of the cake into his mouth, ”Well, I must say... we need to replace Jebron's baker!”

Officers broke out into laughter, and some couldn't wait to taste a few mouthfuls.

The commander of Imperial Guards then took a sip of wine, ”Sweet and fragrant, this wine is a treasure!”

The soldiers followed suit and tasted the wine.

”What I want to tell everyone is,” Alan spread out his hand, ”this is exactly why we're fighting! It's for this piece of cake. Although it doesn't taste very good, and there aren't many walnuts inside, but... it fulfills our basic need for survival. Without it, we would be hungry, and when we are hungry, we must endure slavery and oppression by others. Because those who enslave us and oppress us have this piece of cake. If we want to survive, we must bend down to our master.

Alan swallowed the tasteless cake in one gulp, but then at then licked at the corner of his mouth with the tip of his lips. ”Now, do you understand? This cake symbolizes freedom! No one can steal it from us! If someone tries to… you...”

Alan swept the audience with the edge of Marshal's sword, ”You, the soldiers of the Empire, must rush to the battlefield and fight against the enemies that wish to steal it! Even if… finally, in the end, what you obtain was just this glass of wine!”

Alan suddenly lifted the glass and the dark red liquid fell on his chin into the neckline of the uniform. The intense alcohol ignited the pupil of the silver-haired old man like raging fire. He rushed onto the steps where the tactical map was placed like an angry male lion, and desperately struck at a zone marked black with the handle of his sword.

”We begin! Each officer will report in the order of the battle sequence!”

”The Eleventh Infantry Corps of Imperial Guards reports to you... The Twenty-Fifth Cavalry Corps of Imperial Guards reports to you... The Eighteenth Infantry Corps of Imperial Guards reports to you... The Ninth Cavalry Corps if Imperial Army reports to you... Steinberger Independent Infantry Corps reports to you...”

The underground cavern rang aloud with the cries of the military men. Their voices were transformed into heroic relief of defined structures under the influence of fire.

On Alan's tactical map, there were two places which stood out. One was Jebron Fortress, the traditional line of defense that Alan held on to. Another one was, to be honest, a place that people who had not been would not know about;Titan Imperial castle, hidden in Agurito primeval forest, situated at the western part Damorel Province.

One could trace past history of Hebhopp Castle based on its name. Hebhopp was one of the imperial surnames of the Morisette dynasty. The emperor with this surname was the former ruler before Alfa Morisette Imperial Family.

It was rumored that Hebhopp I His Late Majesty built this extremely feminine castle to hide his mistress. That was the reason the castle was located in a secluded area where the branches and leaves of the primeval forest could totally obstruct the view of the castle in summer. On the other hand, the gray exterior of the castle would completely blend in with the snow during winter.

The commander of the Imperial Guards organized a unified battle sequence for Titan Imperial Guards positioned in Hebhopp Castle, with those who stationed at Jebron Fortress. According to the instructions issued by the Imperial Army, the seven integrated corps near Hebhopp Castle were to assembled as Offensive Army Group Two, which was put under direct command of His Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette, Marshal of Imperial Guards.

”If Alan really intends to do it this way… in my opinion, we wouldn't have much to do when the time comes!” Major General of Artillerymen, Viscount Tove Van Sukhoi, always looked as if he couldn't be more bothered during the pre-war meeting organized by His Highness the Prince. As he voiced out his opinion, he picked up a muffin from a cookie plate placed on the long table and began savoring it like nobody's business.

”Isn't your artillery already on board? What are you still doing here?” Oscar glared at Torry impatiently.

Torry lifted his right hand, of which four of his fingers had been removed, and replied, ”To rehabilitate! This thing tickles, especially during the summer!”

”Oh yeah...” a young man seated around the table snorted coldly, ”I bet his paw itches because he hadn't touched a woman for about a month now!”

Oscar took the lead and laughed out loud. He liked this young man, named Lustone. It was said several years ago, Viscount Lustone of Titan's Second Region was only a mere First Lieutenant. However, in year 800 of the Church Calendar, or today to be more precise, Lustone had become the most favored combat staff member to the commander of the Second Region. The reason Oscar had kept him around was because he hoped that the tricky mind of Lustone could bring good luck to himself.

Torry grew excited when anyone mentioned anything about women, and he spread out his arms in a threatening gesture. ”What else can I do? I can't solve my problem without my right fingers, and that leaves me with no alternative but to use my left hand. However, I still can't get used to it!”

”Hahahahahaha...” the officers of Offensive Army Group Two laughed even louder.

Oscar was still laughing happily. He would not complain about the chaos and disorder of the meeting, because more than half a month of getting along has made him fully understand the nature of these officers. No wonder Marshal Robin had asked him to be cautious of these men before he left. He figured many of these people from the First and Second Region who were supposedly defending the capital were actually only idlers with false titles. These noblemen received their salary from the military, but had never actually done any remarkable contributions that come with the title of their posts. Oscar even suspected that most of them had not even seen a sharp sword before. Whenever these guys gathered, they would only talk about women, brag, play cards, or when it got too boring, they would even start to gamble! Once, His Highness the Prince witnessed an unlucky Lieutenant Colonel lost two thousand golden Tis to Torry.

Two thousand golden Tis! That was about the income of an ordinary citizen for ten years!

”Anyway, haven't we digressed from the topic a little?” Oscar mentioned to these scum.

Out of fear for His Highness the Prince, who had demonstrated his authority before in the past, the army ruffians of the First and Second Regions finally calmed down, although some were still whispering behind the seats.

With a glass of wine in his hand, Oscar leaned against the soft couch and rolled up his sleeves. He had also loosened himself up in front of these guys. It was too stuffy indoors. He tossed his army boots aside, leaving his bare feet hanging like a rogue. As he tried to recall, Oscar felt that he was a natural when it comes to acting like a rascal.

”Lustone...” The imperial prince, who was the leader of Offensive Army Group Two, called out to his Chief of Staff in an almost inaudible whisper, ”By the grace of the God of Light, hurry up and report the silver-haired old man's offensive deployment before I fall asleep…”

***************

Alan nodded to the soldiers at the scene, and then pointed at the black area on the tactical map, which was the location of the geographic center between the jetty crossing of Shawob River and Jebron fortress. There was an exceptionally superior pasture where the herdsmen on both sides let their horses run free.

”This is our scheduled battlefield!” the commander of Imperial Guards glanced across the room, and what he witnessed was the longing for battle in the soldiers' eyes.

”Without accidents... take note that I'm talking about contingencies for two scenarios, first...” the tip of Alan's sword was still pointing at the position of invading army on the other side of the river, ”the king of Hoilland suddenly change his mind! To give up the ferry crossing and turn into defense! If that's the case... we should take the chance to launch an offensive. The Combat Department has mapped out a similar plan, however, the offensive effect is not quite significant.”

”Second...” Alan moved the tip of the blade to the western part of the province of Damorel, ”After the enemy conquers Shawob River, the Army Group led by His Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette does not arrive at the battlefield on schedule. If His Highness the Prince is unable to seize Buzaberg Jetty and cut off the route retreat of the Western Alliance, then the enemy would have a chance to break free from our trap.”

”We can't count on Army Group Two!” a voice suddenly shouted among the crowd of officers.

”Yeah! Army Group Two is useless!”

”We should let His Highness the Prince lead the Southern Army...”

”That's enough!” Alan suddenly shouted and the officers immediately calmed down. The silver-haired Marshal waved his hand again and again. It was not as if he had not doubted the combat capability of the Empire's First and Second Region, ”But... the Southern Army Group has to deal with the Kingdom of Farans, and Northen Army Group has to be prepared to guard against the regular visitors from Deiss. Hence... we can only draw troops from the Central Military Region, whether or not the battlefield commanders in the First and Second Regions are men or not. We can only hope that His Highness Prince O'Neil's offensive action can successfully surround the enemy.”

The commissioned officers of Titans' Offensive Army Group One could not hold themselves back any longer. They began to whisper, and there were even disputes that broke out in certain corners. These officers would not be obedient to orders blindly. They were commanders who have had actual combat experience on the front-line. In their opinions, the prospect of success for this huge battle was not optimistic at all.

First of all, regarding what Alan said about the first scenario! In all honesty, this was highly likely to happen! The Western Alliance was not blind or deaf, they would not turn a blind eye at the huge group of more than 300,000 soldiers assembled together. Even if the king of Hoilland had a mind of a pig, he would definitely realize there was no point to cross the river to attack the enemies that were well-prepared waiting for him?

If the attack failed, the river behind him would become a death trap.

Next, regarding the second pitfall mentioned by Alan. The officers could not help but shake their heads as they spoke about this. Those soldiers who came from the capital's noble circle had always regarded the Imperial Guard as ”the cradle of growth.” Those were the people who were born with respectable noble titles, some even had titles adopted from both side of their parents. These lofty honorable masters would never go to work like ordinary staff, therefore they disdained becoming government workers and shown more interests in the uniforms of the Imperial Guards. Besides, the salary for military officers were higher and they did not really have to do much when it was peaceful and quiet.

Hence, the First and Second Regions closest to the capital became the cradle, the cradle which fostered military scoundrels and spoiled soldiers. Or perhaps, these two Regions that were overstaffed all year long could be considered the kindergarten of the capital nobles circle.

Just the thought of it made one worried. To send these spoilt brats from the kindergarten to the battlefield? Perhaps even the God of Light would not be able to guess what those guys would do!

In the end, the soldiers finally casted the issue that worried them the most. Throughout the history of the Titan Imperial Guards, they had never encountered a rival main force Army Group consisting of more than 200,000 people on a single battlefield! Marshal Alan had to deploy more than 300,000 people to annihilate the enemy's 200,000 soldiers. There was no precedent for this throughout the Westland, no matter in theory or reality.

Alan regarded everything into account. He knew that the Imperial Guards still lacked the belief that they would win the coming war.

On the other hand, the present situation did not even raise any hope for Oscar! His organization was weak and lacked morale. The high-ranking military officers mostly cravenly cling to life instead of braving death, even the soldiers had the unfortunate appearance on their faces. No one knew what the Prince of Empire had in mind, because he didn't bother much about the day-to-day work of Offensive Army Group Two. He only hurried on road along the lines of the battle instructions.

After the lengthy tactical explanations were over, most of the capital officers who participated in the military regular meetings fell asleep, and the rest wandered along between semi-conscious and reality. Oscar looked around, but fortunately he still had Murat and Luke Citel, otherwise he really didn't know what to do with this battle.

***************

”Exactly! What should we do with this battle?” Alan grinned proudly. He asked his battlefield commanders, ”I don't know if any of you have read His Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette's thesis paper which he completed during his time in the Imperial Military Academy?”

”Marshal O'Neil had conducted a meticulous analysis on the team formation and strategy tactics for large troop formation warfare, and he concluded an extremely insightful proposal!”

Together, several soldiers hung a huge tactical map onto the wall.

Alan pointed to the giant shadow on the map which looked like a beehive.

”According to the vision of Marshal O'Neil concerning battle against large formation warfare, we must reorganize the thirty-four troops that participated in this battle. Three Corps into a single column! Under each column would be two infantry corps and one cavalry corps, in other words, according to the cellular model of the beehive, we have to line up eleven columns on the scheduled battlefield, and launch a group assault in the order of the battle sequence instead of putting phalanxes of thousands of people into the battlefield like before!”

***************

”So... is there any other problem?” Oscar knocked on the table, and added, ”Wake up! Everybody”

The officers seated forced themselves to be awake, and vowed to the Marshal that they who had not touch a sword ever since birth would all turn into superheroes for the battle.

Oscar shrugged indifferently. This was completely different from his previous vision of a great patriotic war. Looking at these food buckets in front of him, the commander of the Offensive Army Group Two could only say -

”Meeting dismissed... you lazy bunch! See you tomorrow!”