Ironvine Territory (6)

Inside a room, the senior officers of the Southern Marching Legion sat around a round conference table, pointing at the map of the Southern Four Counties behind the table.

Apart from James and Ron, who were not present, everyone else shared their thoughts.

Marvin said to Jackson and Foss beside him, "Taking the waterway is the fastest way for us now. I think we have plenty of time to get to Ironwire City. To win, we must be fully prepared. There's no need to rush. Let's find a place to rest before we reach Ironwire City, regroup the troops, and organize our supplies."

Jackson and Foss nodded in agreement, but Knight Jack on the other side raised a different opinion. "Regimental Commander Marvin, you also saw that intelligence. Time is of the essence. The Duchy is not only reinforcing its troops in the Southern Four Counties, but the East Sea Alliance is also sending troops to intervene. If we don't arrive in time to provide support, even if we help Ironwire City get out of the siege, how much fighting strength will the Iron Vine Family's army have left?"

"In the future, facing the border Noble Legions of Hampshire, and even the three legions of the East Sea Alliance, can we rely solely on our Southern Marching Legion?"

Others also expressed their opinions on this question, which were generally divided into two camps. One camp believed that this battle should not be taken lightly, and that in order to pursue victory, they should be more cautious. Rather than sending troops on a long expedition, it would be better to rest and recuperate before the battle to ensure that the Southern Marching Legion could perform at its best. The other camp believed that speed was of the essence in war. The sooner the Southern Marching Legion arrived at Ironwire City, the better it could help the Iron Vine Family's army, led by Count Lloyd, to resolve the crisis and preserve its strength for the subsequent battles.

The two sides clashed fiercely, each with its own logic, and neither could convince the other.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and Victor led Baron Brown into the room. It turned out that the conference room was located inside the ship's cabin.

All the senior officers stood up and saluted Victor as he entered. Victor nodded in return. Looking at the group of men arguing in front of the map, he quickly said, "Please sit down. It seems you've been having a heated discussion. What are your thoughts? The purpose of this meeting is to discuss a plan to lay the foundation for our future operations. Feel free to say whatever you want."

After saying that, Victor nodded directly to Marvin: "Marvin, you go first. James, Ron, and Santos aren't here, so just say what you're thinking."

"Yes, Your Excellency..."

Marvin stood directly in front of the map and began to explain. Marvin was a cautious man, and his plan was that after the fleet arrived at the ferry near Ironwire City, the army would first rest and establish a Main Camp.

After the Cavalry has ascertained the enemy situation around Ironwire City, they should find a suitable opportunity to enter the battlefield and repel the Duchy Army besieging Ironwire City.

After listening, Victor simply nodded and gestured for Marvin to sit down. "Does anyone have any other opinions?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Knight Jack stood up. "Your Excellency, I think Regimental Commander Marvin's approach is very inappropriate; he is underestimating the enemy."

According to intelligence, the Duchy Army besieging Ironwire City is mainly composed of the Duchy Fourth Legion, supplemented by some private troops drawn from the Duchy's noble forces, with a total strength of around 40,000 men.

As far as we know, the troops in Ironwire City were divided into two parts by Count Lloyd. One part was the army that had withdrawn from the Northern Defense Line of the Iron Vine Family territory, which is now the main force defending Ironwire City. The other part was the Southern Front Forces led by Count Lloyd, the eldest son of Earl Lenster, who should still be resisting the Allied Army of the southern nobles near Tyre City, close to Cornwall County.

According to the intelligence provided by the Northern Frontier Chamber of Commerce before our departure, the entire Iron Vine Family's army consisted of only 5 to 6 regiments, with a total strength of no more than 30,000 men.

With such a small force now divided into two parts, each part faces an enemy several times their size, putting them at a significant disadvantage in terms of troop strength.

Moreover, the Iron Vine Family's territory suffered heavy losses in last year's war, and I don't think it will recover much this year.

Moreover, it's currently the busy farming season. As you've all seen along the way, most of the farmland in the Ironvine Territory is in a state of disrepair. Compared to the lack of troops, the shortage of food and supplies may be even more distressing for the Ironvine Territory."

Victor interrupted Knight Jack: "Don't take this so far afield. Everyone can see it. Just tell me your plan."

"Yes, Your Excellency, I was being too long-winded."

My thinking is that the Duchy Army has a numerical advantage and sufficient troops to guard other directions. Under these circumstances, it will be difficult for us to get a chance to rest.

We might just arrive at the crossing, and before we can even set up camp, the Fourth Legion will appear before us.

Therefore, I believe that instead of passively facing the enemy, we should take advantage of our Cavalry advantage and launch a surprise attack.

Viscount, you see, the army besieging Ironwire City is only about 40,000 strong, and the Duchy Army is short of Cavalry. We can use the old method to cover the battlefield with our Cavalry advantage, so that the enemy cannot obtain our specific intelligence in a short period of time.

Afterwards, we will use our superior forces and light equipment to launch a surprise attack on the Duchy Army. They will definitely not be able to react in time, and we will be able to break through their encirclement.

"Then, by connecting with the Ironwire City and combining forces from both inside and outside, we can completely defeat the Duchy's siege forces in one fell swoop."

As soon as he finished speaking, Marvin stood up abruptly. "Ridiculous, Jack, you're the one who's making assumptions. The main force besieging the city is the Duchy's Fourth Legion. This army is an old legion that survived the Civil War. In terms of both equipment and manpower, it is the best army in the Duchy."

The Legion Commander of the Fourth Legion, Truso, was no mediocre man either; he held his own in numerous battles in the Southern Region and the East Sea Alliance.

The reason why Ironvine Territory was so passive this time, and was even forced to abandon the Northern Defense Line, was also because of Truso's actions.

Under his leadership, the Fourth Legion abandoned its southern offensive against Ironvine Territory and instead traversed the dense forests of Devon County, Dorset County, and Cornwall County, launching an attack directly from behind Ironvine Territory.

This has forced Count Lloyd to retreat to Ironwire City and relinquish a large portion of his territory to the north.

Faced with such an opponent, can you still hope to win by taking advantage of their carelessness and launching a surprise attack?

Such people and such an army can only be defeated by a grand, imposing battle. Our army is inherently strong; as long as we are well-prepared, we can win even if we are forced into a defensive formation and fight a dull battle."

"As for the time, Ironwire City has been besieged for so long, I don't think they can hold out for much longer."

It should be noted that on the Northern Defense Line, Count Lloyd personally commanded his troops to fight against the Duchy Army for several days. Count Lloyd only abandoned the Northern Defense Line when he saw that he could not withstand the attack.

Now that they've retreated to Ironwire City, even if Ironwire City walls are incredibly strong, how long can the Ironvine Territory Army hold out against an enemy they've already defeated?

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Victor rubbed his head in exasperation. He had overheard their argument at the door, but he never expected them to act like this in front of him.

Marvin and Knight Jack are both very cautious people and rarely show such intense emotions. Victor knows that this is probably a side effect of the intelligence they saw this time. The increasing number of enemies and the increasingly difficult battle are putting a lot of pressure on them.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Victor slammed his hand on the table, effectively ending the argument between the two.

"Listen to me, everyone. I was just thinking about this outside, and I realized that things are indeed very difficult right now. Marvin is right. As long as we are well-prepared, no enemy can stand against us. Only in this way can we achieve greater results in a better state."

But Knight Jack is right, time is indeed very tight. We have no idea what the situation is like in Ironwire City, or how long they can hold out. Even for the sake of the battles to come, preserving the military strength of Ironvine Territory as much as possible is definitely the right choice."

After Victor finished speaking, everyone looked at him, wanting to know what perfect solution the lord had come up with.

"My approach was simple: instead of taking the main force to Ironwire City, I went south to support the Southern Front Forces in Ironwire City."

I'm going to take a gamble. The Duchy Army besieging Ironwire City will be held back by the Cavalry led by Ron and James, since they're unlikely to be involved in the southern campaign anyway.

I will also try to send messages to the Ironwire City, letting them know that reinforcements have arrived and that as long as they hold on, victory will come.

"As long as we defeat the border Noble Legions on the southern front, we can at least retain half of the Ironvine Territory's army. The remaining half, commanded by Count Lloyd, and Ironwire City will depend on fate."