Cross the River, Cross the River

The final step of the three-step plan was still being debated, but the first two strategic steps had already been fully confirmed.

Now that Pinara City was brimming with supplies and the army had gathered in force, it was indeed time to take the first step.

So, after receiving His Majesty Jarvan IV's approval, the Demacian army began to mobilize. It officially departed Pinara City and advanced north toward Canal 102.

According to the plan drawn up in advance, the main force of the Imperial Capital Army deployed fully and continued until it reached the forest on the south bank of Canal 102. There it halted and made camp. The next morning, the army began cutting through the forest as it advanced north, finally reaching the river's south bank by dusk the following day.

Throughout the march, elite scouts from the Fearless Vanguard conducted frequent reconnaissance, while Dragon Riders were constantly in the sky. Every fifteen minutes, three Dragon Rider squads flew north over the battlefield, doing everything they could to avoid an enemy ambush.

The Plains Walkers had left a small force on the south bank to seize an opportunity to cause trouble for the Imperial Capital Army. In the end, however, they found no opening and could only retreat by boat to the north bank before the enemy reached the river.

Once the Imperial Capital Army had safely reached the south bank, they first set up camp, then began felling trees and bundling the timber into several floating bridges. At daybreak the following morning, with preparations complete, they began a large-scale river crossing.

As planned, the Imperial Capital Army established more than twenty crossing sites, all of them led by the Fearless Vanguard, Solar Warriors, or Lunar Warriors. Their formations spread out across the entire front.

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