“And as it happens, the Atúr have already raided the enemy’s supply lines multiple times,” Balthazar finished. “If we can successfully mislead them regarding our objective, it just might work. At least, in my humble opinion.”
“Would I be correct in presuming you are a former retainer of Viscount Denoy’s?” Viscount Cédolin asked.
“That’s correct, my lord,” Balthazar answered.
Viscount Denoy had been one of the Twin Champions of Crown Prince Jean. Although he’d since passed away, he’d been famous in his military days for his frequent exploitation of his enemies’ weaknesses and adroit maneuvering in battle. Apparently, defeat had been a rare thing for him indeed.
“Mislead them regarding our objective...” I muttered, consideringly. “But will an attack on their provisions spur enough of them into action?”
In the examples set by Viscount Denoy, the persistent attacks on enemy supply lines must have damaged their provisions stores to the point where the enemy had been desperate and afraid of starving. However, the Atúr hadn’t taken their raids beyond the level of harassment. They’d hurt the Raul army’s supplies, sure, but it was still just a drop in the bucket.
“Your Majesty, what if we used them?” Salomon suggested.
“Them?” I repeated.
“Fortunately, we still have a number left over which we haven’t activated.”
“The mana-sealing wards!” I exclaimed, despite myself.
Of course. We could use the wards in the way they were actually intended, and render the enemy mages ineffective! Naturally, they could simply leave the area or destroy the wards, so it didn’t completely remove them from the equation, but it would almost certainly be enough to convince them that they were the objective of our raid!
Just as I’d begun to feel hopeful about the plan, Count Palatine Vodedt turned away from the agent who had just finished whispering in his ear. “I’ve just received new information,” he reported. “It seems the enemy unit of three thousand is in fact a force from the Imperium.”
“The Imperium?!” I shouted. I wasn’t the only one; my lords had raised their voices too.
Granted, the eastern superpower had plenty of reason to interfere in an imperial civil war, as well as the resources to do it. The relationship between our countries was, after all, one of continuous mutual sabotage. However, I had thought their meddling would be on a smaller scale. I hadn’t even expected it to be military in nature, but economic or political, supporting Raul like the Golden Sheep Trading Company were supporting us.
The fact that the Imperium was intervening in such a brazen manner was a major problem. The untraversable Heavensreach Mountains that separated our countries only had a single thoroughfare through which an army—albeit only a small one—could pass through, and it was currently controlled by the Imperium. If they had committed to a full-scale military intervention, it didn’t matter that the amount of force they could project would be bottlenecked; it would still tank our chances of defeating the Raul army.
But wasn’t this too risky of an endeavor for the Imperium to undertake? Their objective was to weaken the Empire—the neighboring superpower—as much as they were able. Yet, if they lent too much support to Raul, they could very well hoist themselves by their own petard by giving rise to a powerful Raul Empire.
Oh. No, that was wrong. The Imperium must have realized Raul’s true intent too! Declaring independence as the Grand Duchy of Raul was only a power play to benefit its eventual position at the bargaining table. What the Chancellor’s son actually wanted was to twist my arm to ensure he could safely inherit his father’s titles and stabilize his holdings.
Yes, the Imperium had to have realized. That, or they’d come to some sort of secret agreement with the self-proclaimed Duke Raul. Either way, it increased the odds of a full-blown Imperium military intervention. But in that case, three thousand seemed like too small a number.
“You’re certain they aren’t mercenaries of Imperium heritage?” I asked. Come to think of it, I recalled hearing that the Raul army had hired Imperium mercenaries. Was this a simple misunderstanding?
“This is partly conjecture, but we suspect it is an Imperium noble acting under a mercenary contract,” the Count Palatine explained. “The individual in question is named Robert von Ménard, and rather than his house’s standard, he is employing his personal coat of arms.”
Ah. So it was like their version of Salomon. A foreign volunteer force.
“Ménard?” someone said. “They are quite influential in the Imperium’s western regions.”
“How does this affect the likelihood of the Imperium intervening with their main forces in the future?” I asked. It was hard for me to come to a conclusion. On one hand, the fact was that there were Imperium soldiers working with the enemy. On the other, the Imperium seemed to be trying to maintain plausible deniability by emphasizing that it was one noble acting of his own accord.
“We believe it is exceedingly low,” the Count Palatine said. “Nevertheless, we will pay the possibility due caution.”
Deputy General Bourgault-Ducoudray chimed in, a hint of relish in his voice. “Your Majesty! While this might be cause for concern politically, tactically, we can use this to our advantage!”
“Can we now?”
“Would the Imperium be able to ignore an attack on a unit Raul values so highly?” he posited. “One containing noble offspring, no less?”
So that’s what he was getting at. He believed the Imperium unit would be forced to act for political reasons. That made a degree of sense. “But does the opposite not also hold water?” I countered. “An unofficial Imperium force could very well ignore any Raul cries for aid and get away with it due to the power disparity.”
“I cannot deny that possibility,” the deputy general conceded. “However, House Ménard once lost a conflict with a neighboring house, only achieving peace with the mediation and assistance of the former Duke Raul. And to my knowledge, it is reliant economically on its connections to the Empire.”
That was quite revealing. So our resident expert on Imperium military affairs thought this Robert von Ménard had come to pay back a debt? And that, politically speaking, he was reliant on the self-proclaimed Duke Raul? In that case, it seemed highly likely that the Imperium force would rush to the aid of the Raul mages.
With so many favorable factors in place, it seemed we’d have to commit. And while we were at it, why not take a three-pronged approach?
I turned to Péter Pál. “Chieftain. Will your riders be effective without mage support?”
“It won’t be an issue,” he assured. “I’m more concerned by our ability to employ the wards.”
Right, not everyone had the know-how to operate magical equipment. The agents who guarded the imperial demesne, however, would. “Count Palatine Vodedt,” I said. “You’re accustomed to fighting under the wards, correct? What of your agents?”
“Some are not magically capable in the first place, and some specialize in acting under the wards,” he revealed. “But the number I can call upon on such short notice is limited.”
That wouldn’t be a problem; all we needed them for was to deploy the wards. Though, on second thought, they could do more for us as well. “We understand,” I said. “But their numbers should still be sufficient to act as communications and overwatch.”
That only left... “Lord Salomon,” I continued. “Send those without mounts and the unskilled riders among the Belvérian mages toward Reydra to distract the enemy vanguard. Viscount Cédolin, you and your men are to see to their protection. Withdraw as soon as the enemy reacts. The command is yours.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
Given the amount we’d harassed the enemy vanguard at Reydra already, they’d see this as nothing more than a routine raid.
“Meanwhile, Count Palatine Vodedt will accompany two thousand Atúr cavalry and utilize the mana-sealing wards to attack the enemy’s mages. Your objective is to reduce their numbers, but prioritize minimizing losses. Note that if the enemy realizes this is a distraction, the entire operation will fail. Péter Pál will take command.”
Distraction or not, it was still a valuable chance to wipe out some enemy mages. The cavalry would need to attack fiercely enough to convince the Raul side that this was our primary objective.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
That only left our true primary objective. “The rest of the Belvérian mage unit will destroy the enemy cannons, assisted by the imperial guard,” I finished. “To all—we have high hopes for your success. Fight well.”
The imperial guard were both cavalry and few enough in number to avoid being discovered by the enemy. They were decently skilled too. By my reckoning, they’d be perfect for the job.
A chorus of acknowledgments went up from my lords.
“Count Palatine Vodedt, Lord Salomon, remain,” I ordered. “Balthazar, prepare the imperial guard for departure. That is all. Dismissed.”