Bypass Operation

Although the Southern Territory was now under Giles's control, the land had long been part of the Auldo Kingdom. Before Giles launched his rebellion and swallowed up the Southern Territory, many lords loyal to the Royal Family had been scattered across it. During this southern campaign, many natives of the former Southern Territory served as guides in the Kingdom Army, so its basic geography was not unfamiliar to the Kingdom Army.

As another important part of Arda's support for the kingdom's government, it had once sent large numbers of surveyors south disguised as merchants, adventurers, travelers, and the like to survey the terrain. They had drawn many professional maps whose accuracy far surpassed that of the traditional maps drawn according to the cartographers' instincts. These maps had become an important basis for the Kingdom Army's marching and battle plans.

The Auldo Royal Army had now pursued Giles into a mountainous region known as Devil's Belly. Its terrain resembled wrinkles formed when the earth was squeezed together. Although the mountains in the Southern Territory were not as majestic as the Rocky Mountains stretching across the north, crossing them was still rugged and difficult. The roads capable of supporting the passage of a sizable army could be counted on one hand.

Inside the command headquarters, Arda's adviser Claude pointed at various locations on the map and proposed his bypass strategy to Royal Army commander Harrison.

"It's obvious that Giles intends to hold Eagle Beak Pass in Raleigh Woodland. We're confident we can take the pass, but a frontal assault alone won't stop him from continuing south."

"According to the map, there's a mountain road to the east that can bypass Eagle Beak Pass. We can use it to circle around to the rear of the pass. That would both cut off the