Lao Lao Wang's Works The Butterfly that Crossed Time and Space Volume 1: The Most Absurd War Chapter 19: Military Council
Nineteenth: Military Plans
A cool autumn breeze blows across the vast Xinye Nuo grassland, and the short summer in the north is already making people feel a hint of coolness by mid-September. Originally, this was the best time for herders to shear sheep, but unfortunately, the grassland in front of them was too quiet, without any signs of cattle or sheep. Within sight, except for the distant camp, there were only the yellowing pastures, which made people feel uncomfortable with their silence.
Fili made one last observation of the enemy camp in the distance, put away his binoculars and was about to leave the watchtower when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, Charlotte, dressed in a brand new military uniform, slowly came up, with the three silver stars on her shoulder representing Colonel shining brightly under the sunlight.
In the great battle outside Glorious City in August, the elven fleet that tried to break through was almost completely annihilated. Ludwig managed to reverse his plummeting popularity and kept his position as Speaker of Parliament. Charlotte became a war hero overnight, with his desk soon buried under an avalanche of congratulatory letters and love letters from girls, while all sorts of precious gifts filled the entire barracks. The southern states also sent many supplies under pressure from the central government's orders and public opinion, greatly alleviating the supply shortage at the front lines.
Now, Charlotte has also received formal recognition from the Imperial Military Committee and was promoted to Colonel Regimental Commander. The Giant Bear Regiment was also upgraded to a Three-State United Volunteer Regiment under the joint recognition of North State, New Enuoak State and New Mosobley State, nominally commanding all military forces on the front line, and its actual troops also surged to nearly 10,000 people. Charlotte Sutton, who had just been freshly baked as Colonel, was so excited that she wore her new uniform all day, with a command knife that only Colonels and above were qualified to wear, swaggering around the military camp and Glory City, looking like a nouveau riche.
In the new United Volunteer Corps, Fili was appointed as a lieutenant colonel and chief of staff. The position of deputy corps commander, which he had previously held concurrently, was given to Mr. Vini, the great Druid. Fili didn't know about this ridiculously funny name until his promotion order arrived. This gigantic "Little Bear Vini" really left people speechless.
"What's this, strutting around like a peacock again?" Phil said with a smirk. "How many love letters from ignorant girls did you get today?"
"What's the point of getting more, being stuck in this broken place?" Charlotte said with a look of regret. "Does that old scoundrel Idriel have any intention of leaving today?" He glanced at the distant camp with disdain.
"Not at all," Phiri replied.
Charlotte shrugged her shoulders. "I really don't get it. The Blue River waterway was completely destroyed after the last battle, why hasn't he fled north yet?"
"Heaven knows, he actually dismantled the ship to repair the camp, and even repaired it in the forbidden magic area, completely giving up his own magical advantage." Fili glanced casually in the direction of the enemy camp, "But we can't use any reconnaissance magic either, what a headache."
"Alright, I'm not here to chat with you. The Governor has arrived, please return to the camp immediately for a military meeting." Charlotte observed the enemy camp slightly and put down her binoculars, "Governor Norm brought new news from the rear..."
Sauron-Nom, the Governor of New Mordor State, is almost 300 years old this year. Although it's just middle-aged for a long-lived elf, the ups and downs of his official career over the past two centuries and the tense situation in recent days have obviously taken a toll on his health. His dark face is covered with wrinkles, his white hair on top of his head is sparse, clearly heading towards "baldness", his long ears droop weakly, looking listless. However, there is always a smile on his face, as if he has encountered something delightful.
He is now sitting in a spacious tent, with a sandbox model of the surrounding area of Glory City on the table in front of him. Several officers are seated around the table, their eyes fixed intently on Governor Nohm's small stick moving on the sandbox, occasionally whispering to each other. A big bear is lazily sitting on the ground, playing games with little girl Grina Zhul, with a lieutenant colonel's shoulder badge still hanging from its neck.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting." Phil and Charlotte pushed aside the curtain and walked in.
"No need to worry, everyone has just arrived." Governor Norm smiled kindly. "So, let's start the meeting now. Before we begin formally, I'd like to introduce this new colleague of ours." He gave a nod, and a tall, thin stranger who had been sitting beside him immediately stood up. "He is Major Rick Torini, commander of the New Samar volunteer army and former head of the guard, he has brought one thousand men here under the orders of the Governor of New Samar to join the Great Bear Army in battle."
"Welcome to the Great Bear Legion, I am Colonel Charlotte-Sutton, in command below."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Fili-Teir, Chief of Staff for the Great Bear Legion, delighted to be working with you."
"Wah wah wah wah, wah wah wah wah wah......"
"Mr. Vinnie said he's delighted to meet you and would like to give you this little gift."
……
Major Rick Torin seemed a bit ill at ease with small talk, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, he fell silent again. He was a tall half-elf with neatly trimmed light brown hair, wearing somewhat outdated but still immaculate gray military attire. His arrival clearly indicated that Saorn Nom had already made some sort of political deal with the Governor of New Samar, binding this largest state in New Thay to his chariot and bringing him one step closer to the position of War Zone Commander. No wonder he was so cheerful despite being exhausted.
Governor Nohm saw that everyone had quieted down, so he gave Charlotte a wink. Charlotte immediately understood and began to introduce the battlefield situation in front of the sand table.
"...At present, Eidril is still stationed on the south bank about ten miles upstream from Glory City, with a force of around 3,000 and possessing about 200 guns. Except for four two-masted ships, all other vessels have been dismantled to reinforce the camp. No other enemy forces have been found in the surrounding area..."
Our main force is stationed on the south bank, about three miles away from the enemy camp, with a total of about 7,000 troops and nearly 300 artillery pieces. In addition, there are also 1,000 cavalrymen stationed on the north bank, and another 1,000 garrison troops inside the Glorious City.
"That's all for now about the current situation."
"It seems that our army is about three times the size of the enemy's, shouldn't it be easy to win?" Major Rick-Torini looked puzzled after hearing the report. "Why haven't we launched an attack even once until now?"
Ferris and Charlotte exchanged a glance, both of them involuntarily revealing a bitter smile.
"Major Torini, you overestimate the quality of the Giant Bear Legion's troops. In our current state, we can barely manage to exchange fire with the enemy from behind fortifications. If we were to launch a strong attack or engage in close combat, I'm afraid we wouldn't even be a match for the Earthworms..." Charlotte revealed their weakness nonchalantly, and Governor Norma's face suddenly turned unpleasant.
"So I plan to use a war of attrition, scorch the earth, and leave Idriel with nowhere to plunder. At the same time, closely monitor the enemy's movements, once they are forced to move in any direction due to pressure from supplies, we can take advantage of our numerous cavalry to harass them along the way, and then look for opportunities to defeat them. Enemies on the march are always easier to deal with." Charlotte finished her plan.
Governor Nohm's expression softened slightly, but he still shook his head. "The attrition tactic is fine, but we don't have time to wait any longer."
Seeing the puzzled faces of everyone, Governor Norm continued to explain: "Not long ago, the time for the Continental Congress was finally set, on October 10th! We must end the war here before the meeting is convened, otherwise it will be very unfavorable politically. I know this makes you difficult, but we must attack!"
"But our army's current strength..." Charlotte still insisted on arguing back.
"So I've called in Major Torini," Governor Norm interrupted, "Trust me, this will not be a death sentence but a glorious victory!"
