229 Honorable Battle (1/2)
”I really don't like these types of tricks, you know?”
Dedrick's eyes flew past the nasty bog all around them. Although most of the land around Huetalan was arid, this small area a few hours north-west of the city sat in a basin near the largest river in the county. As a result, it collected the groundwater and turned the surroundings into a mess of muddy earth. Since the Chutwa in this area grew a lot of rice, it was a perfect environment for farming, so the whole basin had been turned into rice paddy fields, with elaborate canal systems for the water all throughout.
However, ever since the combined troops of Hueatlan and Saniya had arrived here, they had begun to construct their defenses. After Corco had reformed his army into a professional troop of commoners, he made all soldiers carry a small, extendable shovel with them. Equipped like that, they had no trouble adapting the surroundings to create an advantage for themselves.
As a result of their efforts over the past few days, the orderly rice paddy fields had been flooded and turned into an impassible swamp. Only a thin strip of elevated land between the former fields remained dry. Outside of this single east-west facing road, there was no other way for an army to reach their position, or the village behind them. However, that wasn't enough of a defense for their commander yet. Even now, their soldiers were still busy moving the earth from the fields onto the path close to their camp, where they had created a rampart of dirt, surrounded by a moat on three sides. Only the path north, into the camp and the village behind it, still remained untouched. It looked like a death trap, and Dedrick wasn't a fan.
”General, while I respect your opinion, we're only doing what we need to win,” Paec answered.
”I get that I have more of an overseer function here, and you were put in charge of the actual operations, but I can still speak my mind if I don't like something. And there isn't a thing you can do about it,” Dedrick complained. Even though he understood that Corco would need more than just one capable general in the future; even though he understood this was a good chance to get Paec some experience, he really didn't enjoy his role as guardian, especially since his ward had some nasty ideas about warfare.
”I see what you're trying to do here,” he continued. ”Your enemies are gonna struggle through the moat and up the rampart to make it to our troops. They won't be able to take advantage of their larger numbers, and as they either rush through up the defenses or through the bog and past them, they will get drained of their strength and get stuck. Many will die, as retreat won't be an option. They won't only die, they'll die humiliated and impotent, with their faces in the dirt.”
”Whatever it takes to defeat the enemy,” Paec replied in an unimpressed tone.
”You know, where I come from, we have rules for war. We're not just mindlessly killing each other. I don't mind fighting an army in the way you've set up here, cause soldiers know what they're getting into. But the guys we're about to fight aren't soldiers. They're cultivators, martial artists. And any proper cultivator lives by a code. I've fought battles in a lot of countries, the experts in every culture have proven honorable and principled. Just feels wrong to kill good knights like this. Feels cheap too. Any proper man of the battlefield, whether they call themselves warriors or knights or martial artists, deserves to be treated with honor and respect.”
”In that case, you should complain to King Corco, General Dedrick,” Paec answered as he looked around impatiently. ”After all, the setup for the battlefield has been inspired by King Corco's own strategies during the last war with the north.”
”Well, that does sound like Corco alright.” Dedrick sighed. ”I was never been the biggest fan of Corco's strategies, you know? Even back in Arcavia, our great king always relied on one-off tricks rather than solid strategy to win our battles. Sure, these tricks might work once or twice, but eventually his enemies will wizen up to his antics. As soon as that happened, he's screwed, and all of us with him. It's better to fight in a more honorable way, with proper strategy. That way, you can win even if your enemy knows your plans. It's also better on your conscience. We're no animals after all.”
”So long as victory can be guaranteed, I think everything would be fine,” Paec replied. ”Honor is for the warriors anyways, and not something a commoner like me should worry about. And as King Corco says, there is no limit to human ingenuity. Even if we rely on one-off tricks, they would last for an entire lifetime so long as we have enough of them.”
”Right, just do what you have to then.” Dedrick decided to not insist on his opinion. In the end, Paec was right. How could a commoner understand the values of a knight like himself?
”Rather than our defenses, I'm worried that the sects won't move like we expect,” Paec said, himself eager to change topics. ”What do we do if they fail to take the bait we have laid out? How likely is it we are wrong?”
As they talked, they began to scale the rampart towards their camp. With Paec's heavy breathing in his ears, a casual Dedrick explained.
”Well, that depends on the accuracy of the local lady's information. If what Lady Yasimi says is true and the other side's running out of food and money, they'll have to force a fight yesterday, if they can. We've set up an advanced camp in the village after all, and we've made sure the information spreads so the sects learn about it. Once they know, there's not really an option to sit still. The consequences are too severe. If they let us establish our outpost, we can use it to strike at their own homes. Then we can attack and plunder all the undefended sects and clans in the region however much we want. What if half their alliance runs back home in response? That'd be a real blow to their unity, something their leaders can't ever allow. On the other hand, our outpost is set up long-term, so they'd know it holds a lot of food and other supplies for our campaign. That's plenty of pretty plunder for them to take. If they really lack food, and if they really want a quick battle, they have every reason to show up here.”
”And what if... they do not?” Paec repeated with an uneven, breathy voice. After they had climbed the rampart, they took a short break for the mortal to regain his composure.
”Well, worst case, we can always just retreat and make a new plan.” Dedrick shrugged. ”Our scouting is much better than theirs, so I doubt they can hide the advancement of their giant army from us. That means no surprises. Also, we don't really have any reason to force a fight if things look bad. We can hold out a long time in Hueatlan. And if we run out of supplies, we can just get more from Saniya.”
”Let's hope you are right, General. However good our plans are, there are always things our enemies consider that we could never think of. Everyone knows something you do not. Those are the words of King Corco.”
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”Of course they are.” Dedrick rolled his eyes. ”Don't worry, I've been doing this for a while. Don't think I can't deal with some loose cultivators, no matter how honorable they are.”