“There are several tiers of tactics. The worst tactic is to react to the enemy’s movements as this gives the initiative over to the enemy and limits one’s own forces to reactive movements. The next worst tactic is to clash directly with the enemy, where the quality and quantity of one’s soldiers will determine the victor.
Better would be to force the enemy to react to one’s own tactics, keeping the initiative in hand and gaining an advantage in that manner. Further above that is to force the enemy to move according to one’s plans, using one’s own tactics to dictate the enemy’s response, often leading them to their inevitable demise.
Yet ever more skillful would be to have anticipated every move the enemy could possibly do, with a counter maneuver prepared and waiting for each of them, such that no matter what the enemy does, only failure awaits them.
That might seem like the pinnacle of tactics to many, and many praised me of such achievements in the past, but in my mind, there is yet another, more skillful use of tactics even above these displays and feats as outlined above.
To win a battle without even fighting. Such is the pinnacle of tactics and strategy.” - Liang Shi-Zu, famed tactician from the Huan Confederacy.
“Good, keep up that pace over there, and remember not to push too hard,” said Reinhardt to Erycea and the other platoon leaders on the company’s right flank over the artifact. The battle had been ongoing for a couple of hours and the Free Lances found the enemies they faced wanting in capability if not in numbers. “We do not want to accidentally trigger a pitched battle with ourselves in the thick of it. Too easy for units of our size to get washed off as collateral damage in such cases.”
As the signals for affirmation came in through the artifact Reinhardt nodded with satisfaction. The methods in which the holders of the receiving artifacts could reply to him was limited to a simple one-way signal, but it sufficed for their needs. Even with the limitation the holders of the receiving artifacts could still communicate various states by using an agreed upon rhythm and cadence when sending multiple signals in a row.
It would have taken far more effort to create an artifact network where each holder could freely speak to others over the distance. Even then, if the artifacts were setup to be able to freely communicate to one another selectively instead of the one-way connection Reinhardt had to the receivers like now, it would have meant a far more complicated enchantment that was likely beyond Erycea and Hogarth’s ability to create, or at least to keep in a practical size that could be carried around in a battlefield.
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With things as it stood, they settled for a setup that still allowed them to achieve their intention while keeping size and weight to a minimum at the same time, the results of which Reinhardt found most helpful as a commander. Despite the inherent limitations, the artifact had given the Free Lances another edge he found most helpful so far.
The commands Reinhardt sent out through the artifact just now was to keep the Free Lances from being too immersed in the fighting. The enemies they fought were easy enough to defeat, and indeed the coalition forces were making a noticeable push around the flanks that day, but pushing too far, too fast had its risks as well, and Reinhardt judged that it wasn’t worthwhile to push too much for the time being.
For one, few of the allied forces had the mobility or the offense to keep up with the company’s strike platoons. The dwarven heavies like Barnaby’s people to their left had the offense, but couldn’t keep up speedwise, while the more normal companies like the Eagles on their right could keep up just fine, but lacked the offensive prowess.
Instead, Reinhardt manipulated their flank into a slow, steady push where they didn’t go too far into the enemy formation, yet at the same time keeping the situation where the enemy commander likely found it troublesome. It was a rather delicate balance, and at the moment he was waiting for the enemy’s reaction to his flank’s pressure before he would respond in turn to counter the development.
He himself was right by the front line, far enough away that he wasn’t actually personally fighting – though he could leap in with his platoon to lend assistance should that be needed – but also close enough to get a good feel of the battle’s rhythm. It was something many armchair generals scoffed about, but as someone who fought on the frontlines himself on a regular basis, Reinhardt very much believed it.
That battles had a beat, a rhythm to them that could be felt by those attuned to the bloodshed.
It was not something decisive or crucial, he would admit, but at the same time, sometimes grasping that beat made him feel like he should pull some troops back, or make a push at different spots, generally before the battlefield situation made such a move look necessary to his eyes. He had learned to trust that feeling more as it had yet to do him wrong so far, and he applied it to the current battle as well.
Reinhardt felt some discomfort at the idea of pushing too far for some unknown reason, which was why he advocated for a slow and steady advance instead of the rapid assaults his company was known for. None of his platoon leaders questioned his command, though some did look a little surprised and bewildered at the unusual call. If they had any doubts, they kept it to themselves.
As it was, the left flank was pushing faster and further than the right flank where Reinhardt was, and he was content to let them do just that. If his bad feelings came true, better someone else face the brunt of the problem than his people.