Plans and the Vanguard
At 4:50 p. m., Victor led his selected Cavalry out in single file to join the First Regiment, which had already assembled on the north side of the town. Soon, Battalion Commander Marvin also arrived with his men. The force numbered over a thousand, with nearly six thousand warhorses, but apart from the neighing of the horses, there was no sound. Victor was quite surprised by the elite status of the two forces, since most noble private armies rarely achieved such discipline.
Seeing that the troops were ready, Viscount Benjamin did not delay and immediately ordered the entire army to attack.
There is a valley road leading from here to Hot Water Fortress, which is only 60 kilometers away. If you don't take this route and go around in other directions, the distance will basically double. Therefore, Viscount Benjamin sent out two squadrons of Light Cavalry under his command to clear out the Barbarians Light Cavalry wandering in the valley road.
At this point, there's no need to worry about whether these roaming Barbarians Light Cavalry will send back information that leads to the Barbarians troops besieging the fortress discovering reinforcements.
Speed is of the essence in war, and given the speed at which the reinforcements marched, they spared no effort in using their horses, enough to reach the ambush position before the Barbarians could even react.
During the journey, Victor became curious about Captain Marvin and his troops. He approached them and learned that Captain Marvin and his troops were originally the garrison of Hot Water Fortress. They had withdrawn from Hot Water Fortress to the rear to carry out a plan to lure the enemy. As an elite battalion stationed on the border of Iron Birch Territory, they were highly skilled, which explained their performance. Although they were all infantry, riding horses was a basic requirement for them.
In order to travel light, Marvin and his troops were not equipped with armor and heavy weapons; most of them only carried one-handed swords.
Victor also expressed his doubts about this.
"Baron Victor, Hot Water Fortress is an important Border Fortress and it stores a lot of war supplies, including weapons and military rations. Our goal is to enter the fortress and strengthen its defenses, so everything else can be abandoned or even left out of the battle. Whether we can break into the fortress depends on Viscount Benjamin and you."
"Do your utmost, Captain Marvin. Please hold on and wait for the main force of the Second Legion to arrive."
Marvin nodded.
At that moment, Viscount Benjamin and his Personal Guard ran over.
"My scouts have brought back news again. The Barbarians, relying on their superior numbers, are able to divide their forces and take turns attacking the city at night. Fortunately, the defenders are capable, and the Barbarians are not good at sieges. So far, they have not been able to break through the city walls even once."
"Legion Commander, at our current marching speed, we should be able to reach the outskirts of Hot Water Fortress before 3 a. m. Should we proceed as planned?" After learning that Hot Water Fortress could still be held, Victor had some new ideas.
"Go ahead and tell me, Victor, what you're thinking. There's no need to be so careful."
Victor simply told everyone to stop for the time being, since their horses were better than those of the ordinary soldiers, and they could catch up later.
"I've seen the map of Hot Water Fortress before. It's located in the middle of the valley. The valley is over 230 meters wide. Because of the fortress, the valley is wider on the left and narrower on the right. The widest part on the left is over 90 meters, while the right side is only 50 meters. To make it easier for the Barbarians to set up camp, they didn't build camps on the left and right sides of the fortress, but only on the front and back sides of Hot Water Fortress." Victor paused, gesturing for the others to recall this fact.
"Tonight the moonlight is a bit dim, and there are shadows in the valley below the left side where the moonlight is blocked. We can send a detachment of elite Light Cavalry to cross from the shadows below the valley to the Barbarians camp. We can then directly attack the Barbarians camp from the rear, tear down Barbarians flags, and set fires everywhere to terrify the barbarian soldiers. After that, we can lead our troops to attack the barbarian camp, forcing the remaining soldiers to attack the barbarian camp on the other side from the right side of the fortress. Then, we can attack from the left side with our main force. This should be more reliable and have a higher success rate than directly attacking the camp." Victor explained his plan, which was nothing more than imitating the old tricks of the Marquis of Huaiyin of Huaiyin in his previous life.
Benjamin thought for a moment and said, "It's definitely worth a try. The barbarian camp on the north side is indeed more securely built, and a direct assault would result in heavy casualties. Let's try this plan."
"The units capable of flanking attacks will be under my command..."
Victor interrupted Viscount Benjamin abruptly.
"I will carry out the plan I proposed, Legion Commander. I will lead my 200 Light Cavalry to flank from the rear. That will be enough. There is no room for any more. The timing of the attack on the main battlefield will be determined by the Legion Commander."
"Victor, you don't need to take such a risk."
"Since we are confident of success, let's do it. It was my idea to propose it, and I have a deeper understanding of the plan. Besides, if it succeeds, I should be credited first, which is enough for a baron's honor."
"As the vanguard commander, you defeated 8,000 barbarian cavalry in one battle, relieved the siege of Hot Water Fortress, and promptly reversed the passive situation caused by the fall of Hot Water Fortress to our Second Legion. Not to mention a baron-level merit, defeating the right flank of the Barbarians army can earn you three baron-level merits. I will apply for two for you if you succeed in this battle."
Benjamin made a firm decision regarding the railway.
"Very well, that's enough, Legion Commander."
After the group finished their discussion, they quickly caught up with the troops. Victor went directly to Ron and Jack, taking control of their two squads of Light Cavalry. Ron was to lead Victor in the operation, while the Heavy Cavalry and Victor's guards would not participate in the flanking maneuver. Instead, they would join Viscount Benjamin's Heavy Cavalry in charging the barbarian front and dragging the fleeing barbarian soldiers into their own camp.
Several people wanted to take over Victor's command of the operation, but Victor suppressed them all in his capacity as Baron.
The troops continued their advance and finally arrived at a point a little after 2 a. m., about two kilometers from Hot Water Fortress, hiding behind a rocky hill, just over one kilometer from the Barbarians camp.
Benjamin immediately ordered the troops to rest on the spot, commanded everyone to feed the horses beans to replenish their strength, and ordered everyone to check the weapons, bows and crossbows, and weapons.
By four in the morning, everyone's fatigue had subsided, the horses had recovered their strength, and even the Barbarians siege of Hot Water Fortress had stopped. This was also the time when people were most exhausted, and Victor led the assault team to set off.
Victor ordered all his soldiers to move silently, their mouths and hooves wrapped in linen. They marched at great speed toward the left side of the valley, and using the shadows cast by the mountain walls, Victor and his troops quickly reached their designated positions.
Victor gestured for everyone to stay put, and then he moved forward to observe the entire Barbarians camp.
Perhaps because they weren't worried about a counterattack from Hot Water Fortress, several gates of the camp were left open. Victor identified two gates that would allow him to rush into the camp the fastest, and then called Ron over.