The Kingdom Army was massing in great numbers, and the beastfolk were not idle either.
The various races sent troops to suppress internal unrest while assembling large armies to meet the enemy.
To improve their odds, the Orc Empire adopted a strategic contraction. Rather than holding the border directly, it relocated the tribes from the border regions inland.
More precisely, once the situation began to grow tense, the tribes in the border regions had started migrating of their own accord.
The tribes massacred by the Human Alliance forces earlier had simply reacted too slowly.
Inside the command headquarters.
Studying the simulated sand table, Count Guren, the chief of staff, pointed at a small flag and calmly explained:
"The enemy's main force is assembling eight hundred li away. Their intentions are obvious: they want to stretch our supply lines.
"And this is only the beginning. As the war begins, they may continue withdrawing.
"It is a classic strategy of trading space for time. The last time the alliance besieged the Orc Empire, they escaped disaster by relying on this very tactic.
"The enemy's decision to repeat the same trick means they have no better option left. This is their last choice.
"In the coming war, we must not only destroy the enemy's main force, but also ensure our supply routes remain open.
"Our strategic objective is simple: drive the enemy out of the Great Plains, then trap and starve them to death in the impoverished lands of the east!
"..."
Tactics required flashy maneuvers, but strategy was laid out in the open.
The beastfolk's strategic plans and the Kingdom's strategic objectives were no secrets.
A clear strategic objective gave everyone a direction to strive toward. As for the final result, it was merely an aspiration.
Starving and trapping the enemy