"Our strategic objectives require us to first analyze our enemies clearly."
"Trolls, Quillboar, and Centaur," one of the centurions replied.
"Good. Then who is our primary enemy?"
Another centurion reacted quickly and answered at once. "The trolls! The trolls gathered in Feralas."
"Why are the Quillboar and Centaur getting involved?"
Azar liked this question-and-answer style of teaching. He wanted to guide his generals into thinking for themselves. With luck, one of them might even become a future commander of the empire. So far, everyone seemed eager to participate. The final question might have been a little difficult, though; no one answered, and the tent fell quiet for a moment.
"Interests? Or perhaps their living conditions?" Daphne asked softly beside Azar.
Azar gave her an approving look. The girl truly had a gift. To have become a centurion at such a young age made her a promising talent, skilled in both letters and arms. She deserved careful cultivation.
"Exactly! That's it. Take a look, everyone. This line marks the boundary between the Quillboar and Centaur lands." Azar pointed to the map as he addressed his subordinates.
"You've all seen the conditions in Desolace. It's like refuse abandoned by the heavens. Resources are scarce, and it's difficult to support the needs of both races. They share a long border, and both are warlike. It would be strange if they didn't fight."
"If we make good use of that, we can get them to fight among themselves, leaving us free to focus all our strength on the trolls in Feralas!" Daphne said excitedly, like a child who had just gotten her favorite toy.
"Then what do you think we should do?" Azar asked, intent on testing her.
"Have the Quillboar send out a force and put it on the front line! That way, we'll suffer far fewer casualties." Getting this far was already quite good—a fine start. Azar smiled at Daphne in encouragement, then turned back to the others. "My plan is to make the Quillboar the main force in this battle, luring them with the promise of all the spoils. Once we've drawn the Centaur near Maraudon, we'll build permanent fortifications and trap them inside! Understood?"
"Understood!"
"Good. Everyone, return to your posts. Get your troops in order and await further orders!"
"Yes, sir!"
Once everyone had left the tent, Azar stood up, stretched with a broad yawn, and smiled at Daphne. "You're very capable. You're the best among these officers, but don't let it go to your head. You're still young, and there's a lot left to learn. Today, I'll teach you your first lesson: war and politics are inseparable. Strictly speaking, war is a continuation of politics. To become an excellent commander, you need to understand politics and see the bigger picture." She seemed to understand only part of it and fell into thought. Azar didn't hurry her, simply waiting for her to figure it out. After a long while, Daphne looked up and said reverently, "My lord, I want to learn." Azar nodded with satisfaction and explained his strategic thinking to Daphne in detail.
"Take this battle, for example. On the surface, we're going to provide relief. In reality, our minimum requirement is to secure the interests we've already gained. What I've conquered is mine; don't expect me to give it back. So, we'll rescue the surrounded troops if we can, but it won't matter much if we can't. The trolls are using them to lure us into a trap. I'm using that time to break apart their wartime alliance. That's why we went around them to attack the Quillboar first. Now, let's look at the fighting on the Quillboar side. Why did I only clear out the outlying tribes? And why did I have us fight and rest in turns, taking three months to reach Desolace? With our strength, if we didn't care about casualties, we could have swept all the way here in a month at most. I was giving the Quillboar time to gather their troops. In the face of war, a loose tribal alliance like theirs can't be relied upon. So, if you were the Quillboar's high chieftain, what would you do?"
"Keep the tribes loyal to you and the strongest troops! Let the rest fend for themselves!" Daphne answered quickly.
"Exactly. That's what a clever person would do. It would strengthen his rule and ease the pressure on his people. Clearly, the Quillboar's high chieftain is a clever man. Don't be fooled by his loud slogans—he'd be happy if the war ended right now."
Azar paused to take a drink of water, then continued. "The Quillboar gained nothing this time, so conflict will surely break out among them. For now, we need them united, so I'm going to give their high chieftain a chance to restore his authority!"
"Will the Quillboar really do as we say?"
"They will. Look at what he's done. He first tried to cooperate with us. When that failed, he turned to the trolls. For the sake of profit, he was even willing to set aside his people's ancient feud and ally with the Centaur. Now that he's been beaten, he's surrendered outright. That's the thinking of a typical politician: he sees nothing but profit."
"Muru, take the remaining cart of gifts and deliver them to the tribal chiefs. Get them to support our plan!"
"And you, Daphne, go discuss sending troops with their high chieftain. This is your first assignment!"
"Yes, my lord."
"Understood, teacher."
Everything went according to plan—better, even, than Azar had expected. When the chiefs heard they would be cooperating with us to fight the Centaur, they were all strongly in favor. With a powerful ally to help them, they were confident they could give their old enemies a proper fight. The high chieftain was even more excited. It was just what he needed, right when he needed it. Before long, a force of more than ten thousand had gathered, its spearhead aimed straight at the Centaur holy site of Maraudon!
"The Centaur won't be easy to defeat. Actually, both the Centaur and the Quillboar have powerful backing. The Quillboar's ancestor is the Wild God Agamaggan. The Centaur are said to be the descendants of Cenarius, a Wild God, and an elemental princess. Both have deep roots. I'm afraid that if we hurt the younger ones too badly, the elders behind them will come out, and then we'll be in trouble. We'll have to handle this carefully. That's why we need the Quillboar to fight the Centaur. Once the battle's over, we'll let them wear each other down. As long as neither side has the strength to bother us, that's enough. We mustn't overdo it!" Along the way, Azar continued teaching his new student.
"My lord, the battle ahead is over. We've cleared out the outlying tribes around Maraudon. The Quillboar suffered two thousand casualties. Our troops provided support; three hundred of our melee fighters were wounded, and the ranged troops and mage squad suffered no casualties. The Quillboar are clearing the battlefield and gathering spoils. What are your next orders?"
"Pass down the order to rest here. Daphne, inform the Quillboar high chieftain that he's to send out his elite troops to attack the Centaur reinforcements. We'll send a mage squad and Elf Hunters to support them. They must wipe them out completely. As for the rest of the troops, surround Maraudon without attacking, but make it look as if we're about to storm it. Now, we'll get some rest and recover our strength. Tomorrow, we'll meet Maraudon's Earth Princess!"
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