Chapter 58

"Please remember the reason we attacked this town."

The same words floated through the minds of the prominent figures of Zoan present in the room.

-- If we remain hidden in the plains, Zoan will eventually perish!

-- We have no choice but to venture out into the wider world!

These were the words Souma had spoken to the Zoans who had shown reluctance towards attacking Borinis.

"We cannot afford to lose this town of Borinis. We need to go out and meet the punitive force head-on."

A heavy silence fell.

After a while, Garam, who had etched the words from when they attacked Borinis into his heart, spoke with a fierce determination in his eyes.

"...I understand the reason. We can't run away now."

Zug, picking up from Garam's words, said:

"The question is, how do we fight?"

Garam and Zug exchanged glances for a moment, and without a word, a faint smile appeared on both their faces.

Then, Garam's smile faded, and with a serious expression, he said to Zug:

"What do you think about using our speed to launch a surprise attack?"

Zug shook his head.

"Our speed has its limits. In such an open plain, our charge can be seen from far away. By the time we reach the enemy, they will have lined up their spears to welcome us."

This time, Zug proposed a strategy to Garam.

"What about lying in wait somewhere and launching a surprise attack?"

"That's something the enemy would expect. Even if it works, we can't eliminate seven thousand enemies with just one surprise attack. If we lose the opportunity to retreat or take too long to retreat, it will be the end. It's too risky."

Inspired by their exchange, others began to speak up one after another.

"What about a night attack?"

"They've already anticipated that level of strategy, having seen through our river ambush."

"What about using our speed to launch repeated charges?"

"Against such a large army, we'll be exhausted before they retreat."

"What about setting a trap?"

"What kind of trap can we set against such a large army now? We're not hunting boars or deer."

Opinions flew from all directions, and a heated debate ensued, but no clear conclusion was reached. Gradually, the number of opinions decreased, and the voices of the debate grew quieter. When all the opinions were exhausted, everyone's gaze naturally turned to Souma.

Souma, aware of their gazes, stood up, slowly extended his right arm, and pointed to a spot on the map spread out on the table.

Shemul, who was standing beside Souma, let out a small exclamation.

It was undoubtedly the place he and Souma had just visited together.

"I plan to build our encampment here."

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"Marius, how would you meet us if you were in our position?"

Marius couldn't answer immediately.

Compared to the rebels, who numbered less than two thousand, their punitive force numbered over seven thousand. Even if they wanted to meet the rebels head-on, the entire route from here to Borinis was flat, leaving no opportunity for the outnumbered rebels to attack.

"Anything will do. Just say it."

Encouraged by Darius, and despite thinking it was a tall order, Marius proposed several strategies.

"Clashing head-on with an enemy several times our number would be foolish. We should avoid direct combat while retreating, using projectiles, javelins, and fire pots to wear down the enemy. Alternatively, we could use Zoan's mobility to attack from all directions, targeting their rear and flanks. How about that?"

"In that case, I would divide the army into two or three parts, entrusting one part to a trusted general to attack the rebels' rear and flanks."

If they had more than twice the number of rebels, this would be a natural strategy.

Whether using ranged weapons or exploiting mobility to engage the enemy directly, they would have to stop at some point. During that time, a separate force could be sent to cut off their retreat, leading to a pincer attack and annihilation.

Marius, in a desperate attempt, proposed another strategy.

"What about building an encampment?"

"That's quite interesting. I've heard there are many dwarves among the rebels. They could build a strong encampment in a short time. -- But where would you build it?"

"Blocking the road we must take?"

If losing the town of Borinis meant defeat, the first step would be to prevent the enemy from getting close. Building an encampment to block the road would be a natural choice.

"But just building an encampment won't be enough. We would be surrounded and slowly picked apart."

Marius, who understood this much without being told, had another idea. He revealed it as if waiting for the question.

"Leave the slow-moving dwarves and dinosauroids in the encampment and use the Zoans as guerrilla fighters. With the dwarves, who excel in siege warfare, and the dinosauroids, who are invincible in close combat, holding the fort, the encampment won't be easily taken. Furthermore, if we try to take the encampment, the Zoans will attack from behind."

Darius understood Marius's intention.

"Indeed. If we turn our attention to the Zoans, the dinosauroids will attack from the encampment. If we go after them, the Zoans will threaten our rear again..."

"Exactly. What do you think?"

Like a model student asking a respected teacher to check the answers to a test, Marius asked with a bright face.

Darius, stroking his beard while thinking, answered.

"In that case, it would be better to build the encampment not on the road but, for example, backed by a mountain to the north."

"Backed by a mountain?"

"Yes. Even a strong dwarven encampment can't withstand attacks from all sides. But by backing it with a mountain, we can prevent attacks from the rear. Moreover, by cutting off our own retreat, we can force our troops to fight to the death when they are at a disadvantage."

Being surrounded by the enemy would unsettle even experienced soldiers. In that case, cutting off their own retreat would make them more resolute.

Soldiers who have decided to die are strong.

"If the rebels do that, how would you attack, sir?"

Even if they were a small force, soldiers who had decided to die would not be easy to defeat, but the casualties would be high. Marius, with a keen interest, asked how Darius would attack such an enemy.

"I can't fight such a force head-on. Of course, I would ignore them and take Borinis first."

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"The location for the encampment is here. Backed by a mountain to the north and a protruding forest to the east, this will limit the enemy's attacks to the south and west."

Souma then turned to Dovarin.

"Can the dwarves build an encampment here that can withstand the punitive force's attacks, even if only for a short time?"

Dovarin sighed unhappily. If he was asked to do it with dwarven strength, he couldn't say it was impossible.

"Building an encampment strong enough to repel seven thousand enemies would take too long. -- But if it only needs to hold out for a short time, it can be done."

Souma nodded in satisfaction.

But Garam immediately raised a question.

"What if the punitive force ignores us and attacks the town first?"

This was something Souma had also considered.

"Of course, that's a possibility."

However, Souma had a secret plan.

"But I have a strategy. If it works, we can defend the town with just a pile of brushwood, without using a single soldier."

"A pile of brushwood to defend the town!?"

Everyone exclaimed in surprise.

"How can you defend the town with just a pile of brushwood!?"

"Defending the town from seven thousand enemies with just that is unbelievable!"

Souma, with a gesture to calm them down, said:

"Please calm down. I can't tell you now."

"But, Souma, how can you do it?"

"I can't tell you now. If the enemy finds out, it will be over. We can't be sure that there are no spies... or, what do you call them, informants? Spies? ...in the town. Keep it a secret until the last moment."

No one was satisfied with this answer, but Souma had a point. Garam, sighing deeply, had to force himself to accept it.

Changing his mindset, Garam asked another question.

"But even if we build the encampment, can we win with just that?"

Souma gave an unexpected answer.

"No, we can't win."

Everyone was stunned by Souma's answer, which was far from what they expected.

But Souma continued:

"That's why we will do this."

Souma moved his finger from the encampment location on the map to near the entrance of the Solviant Plain.

"We will hide a small group of Zoans here."

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"...Sir."

After building up so much expectation, the answer was to ignore the enemy, leaving Marius feeling let down. Looking up at Darius, as if to say, "That's not right," Darius laughed heartily, shaking his beard.

"I told you. If we take Borinis, the rebels will be finished. Whether on the road or near the mountains, if they fortify themselves, taking the now-empty Borinis will be an interesting challenge."

"That's true, but..."

Marius, his eyes shining, said:

"That's right! The leader of the rebels is known for unexpected strategies. They might come up with a plan to prevent us from taking Borinis! What would you do in that case?"

How to defeat the rebels who had fortified themselves. Marius, eager to learn, asked.

"I would still divide the army. One unit would prepare for Zoan's attacks, while the rest would attack the encampment. After that, we would deal with the Zoans."

Darius had already learned from the people who had fled the city how many subhuman slaves were in Borinis when the rebellion started.

According to that, the total number of dwarves was around three hundred. Even with the addition of dinosauroids, it didn't reach four hundred.

Even if two thousand soldiers were assigned to defend against Zoan's attacks, five thousand would remain in the main force. With a twenty-to-one numerical advantage, taking the encampment would be like taking a child's hand.

Once the encampment was taken, the remaining Zoans would either be wiped out in a futile battle or flee to a slow death.

"But if I were the leader of the rebels and had a plan to defend Borinis, I would take a different approach."

"What kind of approach?"

Marius, his eyes shining with curiosity, asked. Nodding, Darius answered:

"I would not use all the Zoans as guerrillas. Instead, I would entrust a small number of soldiers to a trusted general and have them lie in wait somewhere."

"A small number of soldiers as ambushers?"

"If most of the Zoans, along with the dwarves and dinosauroids, are in the encampment, we would have to attack with our entire army. Even then, it wouldn't be easy to take."

Darius paused, building up Marius's anticipation, before continuing:

"While we struggle to take the encampment, the ambushers would strike at our weak points."

Marius, holding his breath, asked:

"What do you mean by weak points?"

"The flanks or rear of the heavy spear infantry formation. Or—"

Darius slapped his neck with his palm.

"Directly for my head, perhaps."

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"While the main force of the enemy is attacking from the south, we will hold them off with the encampment and—"

Souma's finger danced rapidly on the map.

"—then, a unit of Zoan's elite will attack the enemy's flank!"

Everyone's faces, following his finger, showed shock.

Looking around at everyone's faces, Souma said:

"The heavy spear infantry formation is specialized for frontal attacks. If we strike at their flanks, we can break through, even if we are outnumbered!"

◆◇◆◇◆

"If the encampment is destroyed before the ambush, it will be useless. Also, if we allocate too many soldiers, the existence of the ambush unit might be detected. So, the maximum number of soldiers we can allocate as ambushers would be two to three hundred. In that case, I would use my direct command, plus two battalions led by Boggs, to form a brigade to handle it."

Darius, exuding a commanding presence that made Marius wonder if he was already in his twilight years, continued:

"If they come for my head directly, I can meet them head-on. If I need to defend until the heavy spear infantry break through the encampment, I can do that. If they try to attack the rear or flanks of the heavy spear infantry, I can counter by attacking their rear or flanks!"

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"I will defeat the punitive force with this ambush!" said Souma.

"I will defeat the rebels with a piecemeal attack!" said Darius.

Their words were spoken simultaneously, though they were far apart.

Souma and his companions, resolved to meet the enemy.

Not only the dwarves led by Dovarin, but also the Zoans and dinosauroids worked together to build the encampment.

When it was completed, the punitive force led by General Darius finally appeared on the horizon.

Next chapter: "The Encampment"