199 Final Preparations (1/2)
Corco had never noticed just how loud snow could be. The snow beneath his feet crunched and joined the noise of all other steps around him, as well as those of the construction work. Atop this little hill, his warriors busily moved snow from one place to another, compressed it and gave it shape. From Sumaci's fleet in the hidden village, they had picked up various durable saws, hammers and shovels built for use in the field.
Although the training regimen devised for Corco's new breed of soldier had a heavy focus on discipline as well as physical strength and endurance, he had also made sure to include lessons on the correct use of various tools. Out in the field, the ability to construct all kinds fortifications in a haste could often make the difference between life and death. This was even more the case since the southern army had more modern weapons and thus an advantage in ranged combat. Although Corco's soldiers could hardly be considered engineers, at least they would know how to construct a proper wall, which was what he was looking at this very moment.
After some searching, the scouts had found an easily defensible position close to the Narrows, right in Pacha's path. Here, they had deep woods on either side of their position, while the only way to the east was a steep incline, at least as steep as they would find this far away from the mountains.
Now that they had their location for the decisive battle, they began to build a waist-high wall right on the crest of the incline. Although a higher – or thicker – wall would have been nice, they were short on time. Even with their training, some additional cover for his muskets and a barrier to break an initial charge was the best Corco's men could do.
All around the king, his warriors were cutting down trees and forming them up in a long row, driving them into the ground and surrounding them with snow which had been pressed into large blocks. Although the snow by itself wouldn't make for a great wall, it was hardened with cold water, which would promptly freeze the entire block over.
Once put together, the mixture of hardened snow and wooden palisade was more sturdy than one would expect, even more so when Corco considered their lack of materials. In the first place, the snow was only there to make sure the wood wouldn't splinter under the impact of cannon fire, just in case Herak had brought some of his own heavy calibers from his ships.
Although Corco – guided by his otherworldly knowledge of history – didn't expect their enemies to use serious artillery fire outside of siege combat any time soon, he had already been wrong about their technological progress before, so he couldn't take any more chances.
To further impede their enemy's path, the warriors would also sharpen the logs into wooden stakes and then drive them into the ground at a slant to create a forest of over-sized spears right in front of the wall.
Whoever wanted to storm their position from the front would either have to break their charge and slalom through the stakes or risk turning themselves into skewers with their own inertia. Of course, Pacha could always send his men through the flanks to attack their sides, but then he would have to try his luck inside the woods on either side of the incline. Corco's men already had a few surprises prepared within the darkness of the forests, so he was quite confident that this wall would be where most of the battle would take place.
Although he would have liked to inspect the construction in more detail, the soldiers around him kept on saluting him every time he came near. Rather than a stroked ego, Corco preferred a finished wall, so he sped up and soon stepped up to the highest part of the incline. Here, with the best view of the future battlefield, Tama and Corco's improvised staff of commanders had already awaited him to plan the details of their defense.
*Command staff, another problem.*
When their supply fleet had been cut in half by Arnao's blockade, they had been left with not only fewer warriors than they would have liked, all the lords had also been stuck on the southern peninsula. At first, Corco had thought it would be a great advantage, since none of the lords could cause any more trouble like they had done ever since the start of the campaign. However, he had soon realized his mistake.
Although everyone listened to his orders and there were no more petty delays, he was also short on any officers to lead his men. In Medala, most lords commanded their armies personally. They would lead their men in battle, often from the front. In fact, most estates wouldn't even train any of their warriors in tactics for fear of an organized uprising.
At least his new troop training had somewhat helped out in this regard. His mercenaries had early taken the most talented and obedient Saniya soldiers from within the drilled regiments and given them some basic education to prepare them for an officer's career. Many of the southern warriors had also gone through war before and had at least a practical understanding of tactics.
Thus, he had been able to take some of the more experienced warriors from the southern lords as well as some of his best recruits to create this impromptu military staff. Still, it was a patchwork solution, so the best they could do was follow the orders of their king to the best of their abilities. In the end, they were lucky that their only engagement in an open field had been an easy win against a useless opponent. Apart form their fight against Rupilo, all their battles had them on the defensive, hidden behind walls. Leadership on the micro level played a much smaller role in these defensive sieges, compared to the absolute chaos that could ensue on an open field.
As he approached, the staff interrupted their conversation and stood at attention. The warriors and Tama bowed in deference while the commoners saluted their high commander like they had been taught.
”Okay, everyone be at ease. We don't have much time to waste on etiquette, so we'd better focus on essentials,” a laconic Corco said while he stepped up to the high table the officers had scattered various notes on. His hands pressed down on the wooden surface and his voice turned sharper.
”We will soon face the last battle of this war, but don't think just because the previous fights were easy, this one will be as well. Pacha's desperate, and he's not as incompetent as the last commander, so this will be a struggle to the very end. If we want to get back home alive, we all will need to pull our weight.”
”Understood, King Corco.”
All people at the table raised their heads, solemn expressions on their faces. Even though the warriors were subordinate of other lords rather than Corco, they had become a great deal more cooperative throughout their campaign. After all, the king's military record so far was short, but spotless; and the Medalans always admired strength.
Now that everyone was on the same page, Corco nodded and turned to Tama first. Even though the girl had stood with the others before his arrival, it was more accurate to say that she was present during their conversation. She had positioned herself a bit aside from the officers, to make clear she was not a part of the group. The others no doubt felt the same and never tried to include her.
Ever since the rumors about her had spread, Tama had been treated with suspicion by everyone but the ghost warriors. Only Corco's express order had forced the others in the staff to endure her presence. Still, when she met her master's gaze, the girl's smile was as radiant as always. To Corco, it felt as if the entire issue was beneath her, but her master still allowed himself to be annoyed by it. Now was not the time to tread old ground though; now they had a job to do.
”Tama, tell everyone about the enemy troops and their movements.”
”As you wish, King Corco.” She took out her usual notes from within her robes and began to read off the information her ghosts had collected. ”Our scouts have managed to get vision on King Pacha's army. Thus, we now have a more realistic count of their numbers. Though I will first say that these numbers are only estimates, since their marching formation is spread out quite thin and from a distance. Further, the large distance and relative chaos made it difficult to distinguish their army from their convoy. As far as we can tell, Pacha has recombined his troops with those previously led by Lord Herak. Further, he has regrouped several thousand of the scattered warriors under Lord Rupilo. Overall, their total number should not exceed thirty-five thousand.”
No one spoke, but the other members of the staff shared looks of discomfort. Corco's army in the north only totaled about twelve thousand. Even though they had taken out an army bigger than their own only days earlier, no one among them had the confidence to take on an enemy almost thrice their number.
”Fuck me, didn't I just say that this next battle would be tough? What, you thought I was fucking around? Where's your confidence?” Corco asked the silent warriors. They still didn't answer, but at least they didn't look like deer in headlights anymore.