Plan (1)
After he finished speaking, his gaze finally fell on Karl, and he bowed slightly. "My lord, I am not cowardly, nor am I against this operation. On the contrary, I believe that with relatively clear intelligence and sufficient preparation, this battle is inevitable, and the benefits outweigh the drawbacks."
"I only hope that while we retain our anger and hatred towards the atrocities committed by the Sauron and our determination to fight, we must never forget the cruelty and complexity of war itself."
"We must remain absolutely calm, fully assess the difficulties, and formulate more meticulous plans. Underestimating the enemy is the fastest path to defeat."
Brendan's clear and incisive words were like a bucket of ice water poured over the hot-blooded mind, quickly shifting the atmosphere in the Council Chamber from excitement to calm and deep thought.
The young officers put away their eagerness and began to seriously consider the question raised by Brendan.
Edgar nodded, his indignation replaced by a deeper solemnity.
He understood that the success of logistical support was also based on the success of military operations, and the success of military operations depended on a clear understanding of the difficulties.
Karl listened quietly, a look of approval on his face.
Brendan's caution was exactly what he needed.
As Lord, he can set strategies and make decisions, but the specific tactical execution and risk assessment must rely on experienced and clear-headed generals like Brendan.
"Brendan is absolutely right," Karl said at the opportune moment, acknowledging Brendan's cautious approach and setting the tone for the discussion to follow.
"These Sauron tribes in the mountains are mostly primitive, barbarian tribes, not the elite regular army of Harald's eight legions."
"There might be valiant warriors inside, whose fierceness and brute strength, honed through years of hunting in the mountains and forests, would allow them to unleash considerable destructive power in close combat."
"But they lack unified command, tight organization, and sophisticated standard equipment. They are more like tribal militia, hunters and woodcutters in peacetime, who only hastily take up arms in wartime, and they can hardly maintain even the most basic formation coordination."
"We must have faith in our newly trained and relatively well-equipped army. We have even defeated Harald's regular troops, those heavily armored and battle-hardened iron armies. We should be confident in our overall combat effectiveness against these more loosely organized barbarians."
However, Karl suddenly changed the subject. "But Brendan's reminder is crucial; we must not let our guard down just because our opponents are 'barbarians' or 'tribal people'."
"They are familiar with the mountains and forests, and their fighting methods may be more flexible and ruthless, adept at ambushes, traps, and utilizing the terrain."
"Strategically, we can despise them and firmly believe that victory belongs to us; but at the tactical level, we must pay close attention to every detail, prepare for the worst, and make the most thorough preparations."
Karl's words were both an encouragement to morale and a clear-headed understanding of reality, striking a good balance between Brendan's caution and Edgar's and others' indignation.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The atmosphere in the Council Chamber had now truly shifted to a pragmatic and calm operational planning phase.
"Alright, now that we've reached a consensus, let me explain my initial tactical plan and arrangements." Karl picked up his quill, tapped some paper on the parchment in front of him, and began to make specific arrangements.
"First, regarding the size of the troops to be deployed," Karl said, his gaze sweeping over the officers present. "My opinion is that the required troop strength is not suitable for deployment."
"The core of this operation is 'fast, accurate, and ruthless.' Too many troops would be cumbersome, affecting mobility and concealment, and putting more pressure on logistics. Most importantly, it might be interpreted by Harald and other Sauron Army nobles as a sign of a general offensive, which would give Harald a convenient excuse to launch an attack on us, something we don't want to see."
"But the force can't be too small either. We need to ensure overwhelming superiority over the target and be able to handle any unforeseen circumstances. I think seven hundred men is a fairly ideal number."
He explained, "Seven hundred men is exactly the size of two full-strength battalions in our new army, plus a hundred-man cavalry unit to mop up the remaining enemy forces."
"Such a force is easy to command and deploy, and can maintain a relatively intact formation and combat effectiveness even in rugged mountainous and forested areas."
"Faced with the Sauron Tribe typically consists of only a few dozen to a couple hundred warriors, seven hundred well-trained and fully equipped soldiers are more than enough to create an absolute advantage, allowing us to execute tactics such as splitting forces for a combined attack and flanking maneuvers."
"Even if we face two or three tribes that are not far apart at the same time, we have enough troops to deal with them."
Karl looked at the officers. "Brendan, Roland, Lyon, Thorsten, and you all, what are your opinions on this troop strength figure?"
Brendan, Roland, Lyon, and several key battalion and company-level officers exchanged glances and whispered a few words to each other.
Brendan, speaking as the representative, said, "Sir, seven hundred men, two battalions, is a suitable size. It ensures sufficient assault force without being overly conspicuous, and command and logistics can keep up. We have no objections."
"Alright, then the army size will be tentatively set at seven hundred men." Karl wrote it down on the parchment.
"Secondly, and one of the keys to the success or failure of this battle—logistics." Karl's gaze shifted to Edgar and the engineer, Morr.
"Compared to the fighting on the battlefield, whether these 700 men can be fed, clothed, have arrows, and receive timely medical treatment in the mountains far from the base often determines the final outcome of a battle."
"Edgar, Morr, I need a clear answer from you: with our current supplies and transportation capabilities, can you guarantee that we can support a force of seven hundred men for a short, short-duration operation lasting about a week to two weeks?"
All eyes were on Edgar and Morr. Edgar did not answer immediately, but instead opened his little booklet again, his fingers quickly tracing some items, his brows furrowed, clearly doing mental arithmetic.
He would occasionally turn his head and whisper a few words to the engineer beside him, Morr.
Morr was primarily responsible for the workshop, construction, and some of the machinery, and also had knowledge of material consumption and transportation.
After a while, Edgar raised his head, a confident look in his eyes. "Sir, Morr and I have estimated that we can provide enough food for seven hundred men, even with a high monthly ration."