Novel All
Chapter 571
Chapter 571
Chapter 571: The Siege of the City
"They're persistent."
"Yes, they are."
Harnish, leading a vanguard force of thirty thousand, was besieging a small city.
Behind him was the main force of sixty thousand led by Leonard.
The Imperial Army was also attacking two other cities with squadrons of thirty thousand each.
The three-pronged assault on the cities was because the Kingdom Army of one hundred thousand, who had set off, was waiting in the rear, and there was a need to rapidly conquer the cities up to there.
Leonard's main force was watching the movements of the Kingdom's army to be ready for them.
Therefore, the skill of the generals leading each force was being tested.
If they spent too much time capturing a city, it would give the enemy's main force time. A swift conquest was necessary, but the city's defenses were perfect when the Imperial Army headed to capture the city.
As soon as the Imperial Army's invasion route was known, garrison troops had quickly moved from the cities not targeted for capture.
There were more troops entrenched in the city than expected.
Capturing it would take time.
Harnish admired the enemy's movements.
Such smooth troop movement could not be achieved without thorough training.
"Shall I send a message to the main force? With the troops moved, the other cities should be vulnerable. If the main force moves, we could easily take the other cities."
"Let it be. It would expose our incompetence."
"How so?"
At his adjutant's words, Harnish sighed.
Just as his adjutant said, the other cities should be vulnerable now that the troops had been moved.
However, it was a trap.
"Suppose we hold the garrison troops here, and the main force captures the vulnerable places. The enemy's main force will target there. The vulnerable cities are bait. If we take the bait, a counterattack from the enemy awaits."
"I see. So, shall we break the siege and move? If the main force doesn't move."
"Then the distance between us and the main force becomes too wide. Combined with the troops in this city, the enemy's main force could launch an attack on our main force. Besides, if we retreat even once, the enemy will boast that they've driven back the Imperial Army. It would only boost their morale. We can't afford to make our troublesome enemy, who is putting their all into defending their country, any more troublesome."
While explaining, Harnish closed his eyes.
The troublesome part of this situation was that there was no solution.
They had no choice but to endure the enemy's persistent defense.
They still had plenty of provisions. However, it's also true there were limits. It decreases just by maintaining one hundred and fifty thousand.
No matter how it turns, it's just as the enemy wishes.
Even knowing that, once they attacked, they had no choice but to steadily capture the city.
"A troublesome situation with troublesome enemies."
"These are the times when ingenious plans come into play, but would Prince Leonard use such a plan?"
"Half-baked ingenious plans won't work against an opponent who comes up with such thorough defensive measures. The most effective is a direct approach. Prince Leonard must understand that too."
"But during the decisive battle in the north, he had the armies of the northern lords flank..."
"Don't misunderstand. That was something Prince Arnold did on his own. He gathered the northern lords without being noticed by the enemy and flanked the enemy. There was absolutely no message. Of course, it was quite something that Prince Leonard expected him to come, but it's just a crazy story about Prince Arnold coordinating with Prince Leonard from afar based on very little information. Only those two could do something like that, and originally, it was a successful pincer attack because Prince Arnold was not in the enemy's calculations. The enemy army is closely monitoring our one hundred and fifty thousand movements and keeping an eye on Prince Arnold in the Duchy. It's impossible to flank in such a cautious state."
"So... are we just to continue the siege...?"
"That's right. But it's not so easy. If we take the cities, we will get closer to the enemy. Their aim is probably to wear us down, but it is impossible to overturn a difference of fifty thousand troops. And there is a time limit for them too."
"A time limit for them too?"
Harnish nodded at his adjutant's words.
"Before we attacked, Prince Leonard mentioned this. If a force of one hundred thousand continues to wait in the rear, it will eventually arouse the suspicion of the Crown Prince. This isn't a battlefield issue, it's a political one. Prince Leonardo believes that the enemy will have to move sooner or later. In fact, it is said that the enemy general, the Third Prince, has a strained relationship with the Crown Prince. There are rumors that the Crown Prince was the one who poisoned the Third Prince. A man like that wouldn't leave an abundant military power in the hands of his talented younger brother indefinitely."
The enemy also has vulnerabilities.
But those vulnerabilities are uncertain. If the Crown Prince is more patient than expected, the Empire will be forced into a tough fight.
The only way to break this stalemate is to catch the enemy off guard.
The enemy is fully prepared to confront the one hundred and fifty thousand Imperial troops.
Their defenses are perfect. It's exceedingly difficult to break them.
But a wall that's strong in one direction can be weak to impacts from another direction.
Even knowing it's impossible, one can't help but hope for a clever strategy, especially after witnessing the brilliant pincer attack in the north.
"That's the problem with those from Adler..."
You end up hoping they'll do something, but it's shameful for a military man to expect something from the royal family.
The military men are the ones who should exhibit their strength, treating the royals as a palanquin.
"Notify all troops. Divide into several teams and keep attacking day and night. It doesn't matter if it takes time. We just need to keep the siege going until the enemy is worn down."
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