“Hmm. We still need to win any field battles we get into, though…” I muttered. “And if we thin the enemy’s numbers enough, does it matter if we can’t take a castle afterward? We can leave that to King Couran after he leads the rest of the Missian army here.”
Couran’s army numbered a little less than a hundred thousand─fewer soldiers than the current army of Seitz. He’d left a considerable number of troops at Castle Lund to ensure it didn’t fall right back into Paradille’s hands. When you combined that army with the troops we had available in Purledo, though, we would have a force that far exceeded that of Seitz in size. Advancing into the enemy’s territory and wearing down their numbers in field battles could indeed give us a significant advantage down the line, and I was ready to believe that not being able to take a castle wouldn’t be a problem.
“One way or another, we can’t make any detailed plans until we’ve seen how the enemy reacts to our invasion. We can sort out our strategy after they’ve made their first move,” Rosell concluded.
If the enemy bunkered in for a siege, we’d send our airship out to Fort Sokan and take it for ourselves. If they seemed more inclined to engage us in the open, we’d harry them with the airship over the course of the battle, dealing as much damage to their army as we could. We would also have to take care to minimize our own losses as much as possible, in that scenario. Our goal, in short, was to reduce their fighting capability. That was easier said than done, of course, but we had a whole roster of exceptional commanding officers who I knew were up to the task.
Once our preliminary strategy was decided upon, I called the meeting to a close and ordered my retainers to begin the invasion of Kuat County.
○
The moment it was decided that the Seitzan army would withdraw from Castle Lund, Ashude, the Duke of Seitz, set off for his homeland at a rapid pace. It wasn’t long before he found himself stepping into Castle Kuat, prepared to direct the reclamation of Purledo County.
“How large is the enemy army?” Ashude asked one of his counselors, a man named Lacan. The two were meeting in one of Castle Kuat’s chambers.
“They numbered roughly twenty thousand at the start, but many of the soldiers in Purledo have surrendered and joined forces with Canarre’s army, rendering their numbers greater than before. Furthermore, it seems they’ve received reinforcements. We can expect a force of nearly fifty thousand now.”
“Fifty thousand…” Ashude muttered as he sank into thought.
Overwhelming the Missian army through force of numbers didn’t seem impossible, but he also couldn’t say with complete certainty that such an attempt would end in victory. If he lost, and a large portion of his troops were wiped out, Missian would surely stage a counterattack and claim his whole duchy in one fell swoop. That was a situation that he could not allow to come to pass. He would have to decide whether or not it was wise to go on the attack.
“What of Fort Purledo itself?” asked Ashude.
“It was in quite poor shape following Canarre’s conquest, but their repairs have proceeded apace and it’s nearly back to its former state. The mage’s towers in particular have reportedly been restored,” said Lacan.
“Hmm… Considering that, and the airship they have at their disposal, it seems reclaiming the fort would be a challenge…and even if we were to succeed, our losses would be devastating. If Couran were to invade afterward, our defeat would be assured,” said Ashude. “And the battle for Castle Lund? How does it fare?” he asked. If it seemed Couran would not be able to take Castle Lund, then swooping in to claim Fort Purledo seemed a worthwhile venture in his mind.
“A weapon created by the Paradillean commander, Bamba, has proven quite effective, and they’ve managed to hold the castle for some time, but as you know, it was hardly the most defensible stronghold to begin with and their numbers were few. The situation, in short, is very precarious,” Lacan summarized.
“I see. Send word to Boroths that if the situation seems hopeless, he is to abandon the castle immediately.”
“Will there not be repercussions to abandoning the castle, Your Lordship? Given its significance to Paradille, that is,” asked Lacan.
“If our defeat is assured, then they would have no reasonable basis to criticize us for withdrawing. And more importantly, I expect that their commander─this ‘Bamba’─will withdraw of his own accord before Boroths. He did not strike me as the sort of fool to would allow his men to die in vain.”
“I suppose so. I’ve heard rumors of a remarkably capable man who’s come to be known in Paradille. Perhaps he will have swift judgment in this matter.”
“He did seem like a sharp one─the strange manner in which he conducted himself aside,” Ashude added. Bamba had let his eccentric side slip out often enough around him for Ashude to have reached the conclusion he was a rather odd character. “In any case, I expect that Castle Lund will fall before long─and when it does, Couran’s next target will be here. We must ensure that Kuat County is prepared to repel his attack,” he concluded. A picture of how he expected events to play out was beginning to form in Ashude’s mind.
“Yes, Your Lordship… But if I may ask, what do you intend to do about the airship?”
“There is a way we could neutralize it, if we only had enough time…but under the current circumstances, that’s one thing that’s in short supply. I presume that adjusting our castle’s magical defenses to protect from overhead bombardment would not be a simple task?”
“Indeed, Your Lordship. It would not be impossible, to be clear…but doing so would render our frontal defenses much weaker. Bolstering our defenses across the board, meanwhile, would be an undertaking so massive we would need at least a year to complete it.”
“Hmph! Well, ensure that we’re prepared to turn our defenses to the sky at a moment’s notice, at least. If our enemy’s most powerful mage is aboard their airship, it will be better to have our strongest defenses pointed in their direction.”
“Understood. I’ll give the order at once,” Lacan replied. “That said, knowing the capabilities of Missian’s strongest mage─a woman named Charlotte─I believe that even our full magical defenses won’t be enough to stop her. She’ll blow through them from above. It will, of course, ensure that the barrier will withstand a greater number of spells before breaking, which will be valuable. An airship that can assail us one-sidedly is a tremendous threat to us.”
“A one-sided assault… Perhaps we could construct higher towers? No, that may not be realistic,” Ashude muttered.