Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Although the southern region is currently under Giles's control, this land has long been part of the Kingdom of Aldor. Before Giles launched his rebellion and seized the southern territory, many lords loyal to the royal family were scattered across the region. During this southern campaign, a large number of former southern natives served as guides for the kingdom's army, making the basic geographical environment familiar to the royal forces.
On the other hand, as a crucial part of the kingdom's government support, Alden once dispatched numerous surveyors disguised as merchants, adventurers, and travelers to survey the southern geography. They produced many professional maps, far surpassing the accuracy of traditional maps drawn based on the cartographers' intuition. These maps became an essential basis for the kingdom's army to formulate marching and combat plans.
Now, the Aldor royal army has pursued Giles into a mountainous area known as the Devil's Belly. The terrain here resembles the earth being squeezed into folds. Although the southern mountains are not as majestic as the Rocky Mountains in the north, traversing them is still rugged and challenging. There are only a handful of paths that can support the passage of a sizable army.
In the command center, Alden advisor Claude pointed at the map, proposing his flanking strategy to the royal army commander, Harrison.
"It's clear that Giles intends to hold the Eagle's Beak Pass in the Raleigh Woodlands. We are confident in capturing this pass, but a frontal assault alone won't stop him from continuing to flee south."
"From the map, there's a mountain path to the east that can bypass the Eagle's Beak Pass. By taking this route, we can flank the rear of the pass, cutting off southern support for Giles and blocking his further escape."
Claude's plan was essentially a flanking maneuver, as Giles was unlikely to set up defenses at multiple points. It was almost certain that his forces would be concentrated at the Eagle's Beak Pass, so bypassing it would suffice.
Harrison turned to the guide beside him, "Is the path mentioned by Lord Claude feasible?"
The guide frowned in thought for a moment before replying, "That path does exist. In the past, many merchants used it to bypass checkpoints and smuggle goods. However, the path is extremely difficult to traverse. I'm not sure if it can support the passage of a sizable army. Along the way, there are hardly any towns, let alone villages, making it difficult to ensure timely access to food and water."
"How many days would it take to reach the rear of the Eagle's Beak Pass?"
"If all goes well, about five days."
Harrison looked at Claude confidently and said, "That shouldn't be a problem. Our soldiers can carry their own rations and march for five days without issue."
Claude nodded, "It's best to travel light. Weapons, ammunition, and such should be kept to a minimum."
Harrison glanced around at the officers, "Does anyone else have any opinions?"
Someone raised their hand, "I think..."
...
After a detailed discussion, the royal army's high command reached a consensus on splitting forces to block Giles's retreat. The staff officers began working on the details of the operation.
The royal army's flanking maneuver would face numerous challenges, the most difficult being how the two separated forces would coordinate.
Without reliable long-distance communication methods, they could only agree on specific timing for each step of the operation.
Since this was the first time executing a flanking strategy, only one timing checkpoint was set: the time when the flanking force would reach the target position and the main force would launch its attack.
Once the agreed time arrived, the main force would attack the Eagle's Beak Pass head-on, regardless of whether the flanking force had reached its designated position. If the flanking force was still on the way and the frontal assault succeeded, Giles would likely escape. Not yet pushed to his last resort, the ambitious Duke was unlikely to fight to the death at the pass.
Additionally, the royal army had to consider the risk of the frontal assault being weakened due to the split forces, potentially allowing Giles to counterattack. The force inserted behind enemy lines would face an extremely perilous situation—they would, in effect, be surrounded by the enemy.
But isn't war a gamble?
Of the six infantry regiments heading south, the Royal Second Infantry Regiment was chosen to carry out the flanking mission.
During the meeting, all six regimental commanders requested that Harrison assign the task to their respective units. They were all young, passionate, competitive, and adventurous, eager to earn glory for their families and secretly vying to outdo one another in this campaign against the rebellion.
The commander of the Second Regiment, Viscount Ed Chambers, was particularly excited. He swore to Harrison that he would reach the rear of the Eagle's Beak Pass on time and deliver a crushing blow to the traitor Giles.
After the staff officers finalized the plan, each soldier of the Royal Second Infantry Regiment carried five days' worth of rations and, guided by locals, ventured into the folds of the Devil's Belly.
Their rations included hardtack, dried meat, fried flour, canned goods, and other long-lasting foods. The fried flour and canned goods from the Northwest Bay were particularly popular. Since the invention of canned goods, their manufacturing process had undergone multiple upgrades, with packaging shifting from clay pots to glass, and their shelf life extended to a year.
Although they were traveling on rarely used paths, they had to remain cautious. There was no guarantee that Giles hadn't set up checkpoints along these trails.
Regiment Commander Chambers, fully aware of the gravity of his responsibility, left nothing to chance. He strictly followed the infantry manual's guidelines, deploying scouts in all directions during the march to stay informed about the surroundings.
However, luck wasn't always on the side of the royal army. As the Second Regiment struggled through the mountain valleys, a sudden rainstorm significantly increased their difficulties.
The muddy ground made the mountain paths even harder to traverse, with the added danger of mudslides and landslides. The Second Regiment had to stretch their formation, passing through hazardous sections one company at a time.
Some soldiers fell ill from marching in the rain. Fortunately, the royal army's new recruits, well-nourished and trained, were generally in good health, preventing a large-scale outbreak. Chambers formed a special team to care for and accommodate soldiers who fell behind due to illness, while the main force pressed on.
But an even greater challenge arose when some sections of the path were altered by the heavy rain. What might seem like a minor adjustment to nature could mean a significant detour for humans. A blocked valley could force them to take a much longer route or even carve out a new path themselves. Even with local guides, the journey remained fraught with difficulties.
This was the true test of the royal army's field combat capabilities. If they deviated from their course at any point, they would fail to reach the rear of the Eagle's Beak Pass by the scheduled time.
Author's Note: Sorry, I've been quite busy with work this week.
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (FF) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c871. [+2]
🔑Early Access at $5.
✍Translated (5) Series, (2.8K+) Chapters, (3.9M+) Words.