War Plans

That evening, after a hasty dinner and a brief greeting to his mother and wife, Karl went straight to his study on the third floor of the castle's main building.

The heavy oak door closed gently behind him with a dull "click," as if separating two worlds.

The study was lit by only a dim oil lamp, its wick carefully trimmed, burning steadily and emitting a slight hissing sound.

Newly added dry firewood lit the fireplace, the flames leaping and dispelling the chill of the northern night seeping into the stone walls, while also casting flickering light and shadow in the room.

He sat down behind a large desk made of heavy logs, its broad surface piled with maps, documents, ledgers, and several military or historical books with worn spines.

He pushed aside the other clutter and laid out a parchment map depicting Carnford and the surrounding area in the center of the table, securing the four corners with a copper paperweight.

This is a rough map made by Richter based on the mountain people and hunters. It is distorted in scale and many places are marked with words such as "it is said", "rumored", and "the terrain is unknown". Especially in the vast area north and east of Carnford, which goes deep into the traditional activity area of Sauron, there are large blank areas or only simple wavy lines and mountain symbols.

This is the reality he faces: his foundation is just being established, but his vision is limited.

He pulled out a relatively clean piece of parchment, picked up a quill pen, dipped it in the inkwell, pondered for a moment, and began to write the first word, "Summer Purge".

The objective was clear: it was neither a large-scale war of conquest nor a decisive battle.

That's too extravagant and too dangerous.

What he needs is a "counterinsurgency war," or rather, a limited offensive under active defense.

The objective was to eliminate the small, festering Sauron outposts and seasonal camps that sprang up around Carnford, particularly to the east and north, adjacent to the Sauron activity area.

These places are small, ranging from a few dozen to a couple of hundred people. They are usually gatherings of Sauron warriors ' families, dependent herders, and scattered tribal members who come to trade or seek shelter from the cold.

They acted like tentacles, outposts, and fleas, constantly harassing Carnford's border patrols, robbing lone merchants or logging teams, and continuously relaying Carnford's intelligence back to the rear.

Without removing these obstacles, Carnford will never have peace, the border will be meaningless, and the sense of security among its residents will be impossible to establish.

"Training troops" is an equally important objective.

The two newly formed Main Corps are sweating profusely on the plains, but they need more direct and bloody tempering.

Small-scale combat, with controllable risks and a clearly defined enemy, is the best way to test training results and help new recruits quickly transition from the "training ground" to the "battlefield."

Only an army that has seen blood and killed can truly possess a soul, even a cruel one.

At the same time, this also allows officers at all levels to hone their command skills in practice and allows different branches of the armed forces to test their coordination in real combat.

"Robbery" may sound vulgar, but it reflects the most realistic economic considerations.

Wars are fought over money and supplies. Although these Sauron strongholds were small, they often had accumulated some food, livestock, and furs for the winter, and may even have had some loot from previous raids that they had not had time to transport.

The way to sustain expansion is to use war to sustain war, reduce logistical pressure, and even generate a slight surplus.

With these purposes in mind, Karl listed several core principles on paper:

"It should be small-scale," he wrote down these words heavily.

The number of troops deployed must be strictly limited, ideally between five hundred and one thousand.

This is enough to provide an overwhelming advantage over smaller outposts without being overly bloated.

Mobilizing a large army may seem impressive, but it actually has many drawbacks.

First, there was the logistical nightmare. A force of thousands of people was deep in enemy territory, even on the edge. The daily food and fodder consumption for the men and horses was an astonishing figure.

Organizing transport teams, setting up supply depots, and guarding against enemy attacks on supply lines... all of these require enormous effort and bring additional risks.

It is highly likely that the spoils earned in the war will not even cover the food expenses incurred on the way, resulting in a net loss.

The deeper concerns are at the political and strategic level. What Carnford needs now is to develop quietly and consolidate its foundation, rather than making a big fuss and provoking the Sauron.

If he were to frequently assemble thousands of troops to conduct large-scale sweeping operations in the southern Northern Territory, capturing cities and strongholds and causing a great uproar, he would very likely attract the attention of Harald and several Sauron nobles.

Harald currently shows no signs of launching a military attack on Carnford; his main focus may still be on internal consolidation, and he may not immediately devote all his efforts to dealing with Carnford, this "minor ailment."

However, if Carnford plays too "active" and aggressively, it could prompt Harald to decide to gather the main force ahead of time for a thorough "sweep."

That would be a catastrophic disaster that Carnford cannot afford at present. Small-scale, high-frequency harassment can be kept below a certain "threshold" to achieve tactical objectives without triggering a strategic backlash.

Secondly, speed is important; the quill pen must move quickly across the paper.

This is neither a grand battle between two armies, nor a long siege.

The target is fragile and indefensible; the battle must be concluded in an extremely short time. Ideally, it should be a swift and decisive victory, achieved in a single, decisive battle.

An operation, from leaving Carnford to returning, including marching, fighting, and clearing the battlefield, should ideally be completed within two or three days, with the core combat process compressed to a few hours or even less.

Quick in and quick out, strike and leave without hesitation, catching the enemy off guard and minimizing the time your forces are exposed to the risks of the open field.

This also places high demands on the troops' mobility, endurance, and ability to achieve a decisive victory.

Finally, one must be ruthless. When Karl wrote this down, his pen paused slightly, and a small blot of ink spread out, but his eyes were cold, and he did not hesitate at all.

This is not the time to be soft-hearted, nor is it an occasion to be chivalrous or treat prisoners well.

These border outposts must be annihilated.

It's not just about defeating or dispersing them, but about striving for complete annihilation.

Sauron soldier in battle were naturally killed without exception.

But what about the common people, women, children, and the elderly? In Karl's current mindset, there are no "innocent people."

These families, who were dependent on the Sauron soldier, provided logistical support to the Sauron army, even if it was just mending clothes, making rations, increasing the population, and occupying land resources.

Their existence was itself part of the Sauron invasion system and one of the foundations that enabled them to continuously raid southwards.

To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to one's own people.