Strategic Choices
"From the information we've gathered, the front has most likely suffered a defeat."
"Commander Sutton went and never returned, and we've lost contact with corps headquarters. From now on, we're on our own.
"Outpost No. 3 is deep in the Golden Horde Khanate. We must decide as soon as possible whether to hold out for reinforcements or make a strategic withdrawal.
"Let's hear what everyone thinks!"
Victor spoke slowly.
As soon as he finished distributing the weapons and equipment, he had called a military meeting.
With the Command skill to fall back on, he had grown much bolder.
He had now brought the sensitive subject of defeat at the front out into the open.
"Commander, the empire's military discipline is strict.
"Without orders to retreat, even if we lead the troops back into the country, we'll be treated as deserters.
"Besides, three of our battalions are away transporting grain. If we retreat now, it will be hard to notify them in time.
"The situation at the front is unclear. We might as well wait and see. The retreat order might arrive tomorrow."
The older Jasper was the first to answer.
He understood Victor's intentions perfectly. Outpost No. 3 was well stocked, and with only the seven thousand-odd men in camp, holding out for six months or a year would be no problem at all.
If Victor didn't want to run, he wouldn't have called this military meeting in the first place.
If possible, Jasper didn't want to object either, but the punishment for desertion was too severe!
After a defeat, someone always had to take responsibility.
No one knew whether Duke Alvin would be in trouble, but minor nobles like them, who had no connections or backing and had retreated without orders, would most likely be singled out and punished as an example to others.
"What if the retreat order still doesn't arrive tomorrow?"
"Captain Jasper, surely you don't think our handful of troops can hold the outpost against a siege by a massive enemy force!"
Wyatt immediately objected from the side.
The outpost wasn't a fortress. It had no sturdy walls and no powerful magic crystal cannons.
The soldiers of the Third Reinforcement Army had been farmers just a few months ago and had received only some basic military training.
Taking troops like these against the enemy's main force would be sending them to their deaths.
If they didn't run while the enemy was too busy to deal with them, it would only be a matter of time before they were wiped out once the Golden Horde Khanate noticed them.
Their lives were already in danger. Who had time to worry about being held accountable by the empire?
"Even if we can't hold it, we have to!"
"The enemy has to weigh the costs and benefits too. We're only a supply outpost, not some strategically important position.
"Even if we can't hold the camp, we can burn all the supplies before the enemy breaks in.
"The Tuwu People aren't united. Each tribe has its own interests.
"After months of war, the enemy has used up a considerable amount of supplies.
"If they can't raid enough supplies in the south, I'm afraid many people will starve to death this winter.
"The northern provinces are at their weakest right now. Can the enemy really resist entering through the pass to raid them?"
Reginald spoke firmly.
In his view, retreating now was the most dangerous choice.
The enemy was currently approaching Dragon Spine Pass. If they retreated now, they might run straight into the main Tuwu force.
Even if their luck held and they made it back into the country without being held accountable for desertion, they would still have to fight in the defense of the northern frontier.
Reinforcements from within the country would take at least a month or two to arrive.
Until then, the only way to stop the enemy would be to sacrifice lives.
Rather than go back and serve as cannon fodder, they might as well stay where they were and take a gamble.
"Reginald, that's all guesswork. No one can say for sure what the enemy will decide.
"Even if the enemy's main force doesn't come for us, a detachment would be enough to give us trouble.
"How could the enemy dare head south without worrying until they've dealt with the threat to their rear?"
Wyatt shook his head as he spoke.
It was true that the reinforcement armies were weak, but even the most useless army could still take up blades and kill.
They might be no match for the Golden Horde Khanate's main force, but they could still deal with the elderly and weak left behind in the tribes.
More than twenty reinforcement armies were scattered across the grasslands, with a total strength of over two hundred thousand.
Once they took action, the damage they could do would be considerable.
Seeing the generals fall into an argument, Victor was not annoyed. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief.
From their analyses, he could tell that most of the generals knew something about military affairs.
Although nothing had been confirmed, everyone had assumed that the front had suffered a crushing defeat.
Most of the opinions they put forward were based on that assumption; they weren't objecting merely for the sake of it.
"Silence!"
"You've all made good points, and these are all real difficulties we face.
"Without a retreat order, we certainly can't withdraw straight back into the country, but we can't ignore the threat before us either.
"The lives of more than seven thousand men are at stake. We can't pin our hopes on the enemy overlooking us.
"You all know how efficient mobilization within the country is.
"The Pannosia Continent is troubled, and the Tuwu People aren't the empire's only enemy. Even if the empire wants to send troops, it has many factors to weigh.
"It's true that the outpost has grain, but its charcoal reserves are very limited, and conditions nearby don't allow us to gather large amounts of firewood.
"Holding out here for reinforcements is a dead end.
"My view is that, before the enemy reacts, we should move the troops to a relatively safe area and get out of the enemy's path."
As he spoke, Victor pointed to a location marked on the map.
Without a retreat order, running back into the country would be desertion, while roaming around inside the Golden Horde Khanate would be a strategic withdrawal.
Both were running away, but the destination changed their nature.
"Commander, the Dragonbone Mountains are a famously dangerous place on the continent. Countless powerful people perish there every year.
"Even if we stay on the outskirts, we could still be attacked by magical beasts.
"Besides, we're more than six hundred li from the Dragonbone Mountains. How can we guarantee the enemy won't discover us during such a long march?"
Jasper immediately objected.
He agreed that they should avoid the enemy's main thrust, and the Dragonbone Mountains were indeed remote enough to keep them out of the Golden Horde Khanate's path.
But magical beasts roamed the mountains, and they were too far away.
"We can't guarantee it!"
"We have no better choice now. We can only take a gamble."
"Before the enemy turns its attention to us, we'll abandon all unnecessary baggage and supplies and reach the outskirts of the Dragonbone Mountains as quickly as possible."
Victor answered expressionlessly.
War was a game of probabilities, and every decision involved risk.
A general's role was to choose the route with the best balance of risk and reward from among the many dangerous options.
As for the magical beasts, he ignored them outright.
Magical beasts usually stayed within their own territories. As long as they didn't venture deep into the mountains, they generally wouldn't provoke any high-level magical beasts.
"Commander, if we abandon the baggage, how will we supply the army?"
Reginald asked.
Feeding more than seven thousand people and meeting their daily needs consumed no small amount of supplies.
They had all been to school and wouldn't foolishly think they could solve the problem by hunting.
"Naturally, we'll get them from the Tuwu People!"
"The enemy's main force is concentrated at the front, so their rear is at its weakest.
"Raid a small tribe or two, and we'll have both military merit and supplies."
Victor answered expressionlessly.