Chapter 512: Strategic Policy
Once the war order was given, Neverwinter City immediately began to operate efficiently.
Sacks of wheat plundered from the Fallen Dragon Ridge quickly filled the empty granaries, some of which would be husked, ground into flour, and made into dry rations for the soldiers participating in the war.
In addition, there were firearms and ammunition. The recruits expanded during Evil Moon had also completed basic training. Those who performed well would be mixed into the First Army's official ranks, receiving new weapons and uniforms. The ordinary ones would temporarily serve as reserve troops, assigned to the cities occupied by Roland, replacing the garrisoned veterans.
In this way, Neverwinter City's available force quickly expanded to five thousand men, theoretically not much different from the Church's Judgment Army, but due to the limitation of transportation capacity, the farther away from the Western Region, the fewer people could be put into the battlefield.
Considering that the task intensity of the Extraction Operation was not high, Roland finally set the expeditionary force at fifteen hundred men, led by Iron Axe. Moreover, in this operation, the General Staff was moved into the First Army's system. The main members were composed of nobles, knights, and ordinary people from the Longsong District, such as Sir Silte, father of Dawn, and Traff, the captain of the Honeysuckle family's guard. They had either experienced the baptism of artillery fire or served in the Second Army.
Although none of these people were from professional backgrounds, Roland still let them join the army, thinking of building and learning at the same time, and having more people to brainstorm ideas. It was just that they did not have actual command power, and whether the deductions and plans they made would be adopted in the end was up to Iron Axe to decide.
In addition, the Purified may be encountered in the Extraction Operation, so "Eyes of Magic" Sylvie and "Cage of Imprisonment" Iffy would also go out with the team. The former could detect magic and warn of the enemy's position, while the latter could capture the Purified when allowed. Moreover, Sylvie would also bring the Listening Sigil to contact Neverwinter City at any time. In this way, an army with modern military structure, firepower, and communication capabilities slowly took shape.
The Extraction Operation mainly targeted the three towns closest to the Western Region: Redwater City, Silverlight City, and Desperate Fortress. It would take about four days from preparation to departure. In addition to selecting reliable guards to go to the Old Holy City, Roland spent the rest of his time constantly discussing the details of fighting against the Church with the army commanders and the General Staff.
For example, the difficult-to-decide location for the counterattack.
On this issue, everyone had their own opinions, and it was difficult to persuade each other.
Bryan, the commander of the musket battalion, was a firm supporter of the Western Region counterattack, and the reason was sufficient. "If the battle is launched in the Western Region, the First Army can fully exert its firepower advantage. With a large number of paddle steamers as logistical support, ammunition and personnel can be replenished within a day. No matter how long we fight, we have the confidence to win. At the same time, this distance is extremely unfavorable to the Church. If they don't break through the defense line within a month, they probably won't even have food to eat."
Edith, on the other hand, was an advocate of overseas operations. "Won't even have food to eat? Do you know how many believers of the Church there are in Graycastle? Even if all the churches are burned down, as long as the Pope gives an order, these people will bring all kinds of food. Moreover, mid-July is the season when wheat matures. As long as the Judgment Army occupies one or two cities, they can get a steady stream of supplies. This is not the most terrible thing. Doesn't the Church have a Berserk Pill that can turn ordinary people into monsters? Once the battle is unfavorable, what should we do if they force the citizens of Graycastle to take this pill to consume the First Army's strength?"
"You don't understand firearm weapons at all," Verna also stood on Bryan's side. "Transporting artillery and ammunition is a hard work. They are not like swords, which can be used all the time after being worn. The materials consumed in a battle need several ships to supply. If we take the initiative to counterattack before the enemy enters Graycastle, as you said, what should we do when the ammunition is used up?"
"I don't understand the firearm weapons you mentioned, and I don't know how you fight specifically, but the most important thing in any war is the purpose—even if you win, it is a failure if you don't achieve the intended purpose." Edith did not give in. "His Majesty needs every citizen of Graycastle, but you let the Church enter the kingdom and wantonly consume the population?"
"If we can't win, everything is meaningless."
"Solving those seemingly unsolvable problems is what we should do."
The only ones on the scene who could make a final decision were Roland and Iron Axe, but as long as the Prince was present, Iron Axe would never say a word—no matter what order he gave, this Sand Race would execute it unconditionally. And these two viewpoints did have their own advantages and disadvantages, and it was difficult for Roland to make a decision for a while.
The most effective way to use firearm weapons is to establish a crossfire network, and then wait for the enemy to crash into it. The Western Region is undoubtedly the best place to set up defenses in advance. But if the Church really drove the people of Graycastle as the vanguard of the army, then his loss would be great—even if bullets can easily defeat the Berserkers, the lost population would be difficult to replenish in a short time.
Until the eve of the army's departure, Sir Silte's proposal broke the deadlock.
"Why don't we concentrate the army and supplies in the border cities in advance?" he said, stroking his chin. "This will greatly shorten the transportation distance."
Bryan shook his head without thinking. "Unless we can know in advance where the Church is attacking from."
"Sir, there are not enough rivers in the Northern Region. If we concentrate the army in the wrong place, we may not be able to keep up with the enemy's marching speed," Carter added. "The border between Graycastle and Dawn is so long that we can't take care of every passage."
"We don't know where the enemy will attack from, but we can persuade the enemy to attack from a certain point."
These words made everyone stunned. After a while, Bryan frowned. "I'm afraid only the Pope can do this kind of thing."
Edith, however, showed a thoughtful expression.
Sir Silte did not care about the other party's slightly sarcastic response, but frankly said, "In fact, I got the inspiration from Edith xiaojie—if we can judge the Church's invasion time through the transportation of food, then they should also be able to detect the approaching war from the changes in the surrounding cities."
"Coldwind Ridge!" Edith suddenly said.
"That's right," the knight smiled. "If we hoard a lot of materials in Coldwind Ridge and station the First Army in Hollow Valley Town, which is closest to it, wouldn't we have a great chance to help the other party guide the attack route?"
"Why?" Bryan asked puzzled.
"Because Coldwind Ridge is too close to the Holy City," Edith explained. "Instead of waiting for the Church to attack, it is better to take the initiative to pose an offensive posture and force them to shrink their forces here."
"I see," Roland quickly understood the problem. Hollow Valley Town was the only town connected to the central water network. Although the journey was long, the paddle steamer fleet could still transport a large number of materials to the town in the next month or two. After that, land transportation could be shortened to three days. It was not enough, but at least it could barely maintain the needs of large-scale operations... Of course, a better way was to directly set up a defense line under Coldwind Ridge and wait for the enemy to attack the bunkers, barbed wire, and trenches.
"What if they insist on not taking this road?" Verna asked.
"Then Hermes Holy City will be razed to the ground," Roland replied.
Ermu said
I originally wanted to call the chapter: Any Tactical Conversion House