“Sometimes, fate conspires to ensure the greatest damned mess possible. Probably for shits and giggles.” - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.
“Thank you for the quick reaction today, Captain Edelstein. We’d have probably lost more off the left flank had you not countered their strategy so promptly,” said Nestor later that evening when the leaders of the Coalition – including many captains from the various mercenary companies – gathered to discuss strategy for the battle.
“Just doing my job, Your Grace,” said Reinhardt with a humble nod. His company just got a sizable bonus for their performance while several other companies were lamenting their losses so he saw no reason to rub salt into their open wounds. “Had a bad feeling about the enemy today, I just didn’t think that it turned out real in the end.”
“None of us saw it coming either,” said Nestor with a shake of his head. His group at the back might not have a convenient bird’s eye view of the battlefield but they all saw what happened clearly enough and failed to detect the trap until it was sprung all the same. “We’re definitely not facing the same sort of commander as we had so far.”
“I cannot be sure without seeing the man myself, but it is possible that Long Jiangjun Leung Hua-Jeong himself might be in command of the army you face,” volunteered Kang Lu-Shih, who was brought to the meeting as a possible information source since he was cooperative after his capture. His niece was also present as she was helping him to walk, Lu-Shih still limping since his broken leg had yet to completely heal.
“I believe you have mentioned the name before, but I do not remember the details,” noted Angus Harscape who was present along with his daughter the Grafin and the other dwarven commanders. Several others nodded in affirmation at his words. Lu-Shih had once given a brief overview on the Empire’s important personages, but that was when he was recently captured, around two weeks past.
“He would be one of the Empire’s four greatest generals. His title translates to the ‘Dragon General’, one of the four given to the individuals granted such honors,” said Lu-Shih without preamble. “He is known to be a keen strategist as well as an unparalleled archer. In fact, I remember someone mentioning that your side had lost a commander to an arrow in the south before. That is likely to be General Leung’s handiwork.”
“Make a note and ensure that each of you bring more shield soldiers with you at all times if you go near the frontlines,” said Nestor addressing the crowd. “If this man is accurate enough to pick off Duke Bostvan during a chaotic battle with a single arrow from well out of sight, he could likely do the same to any of us here as well, so take your precautions.”
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“In the homeland it is rumored that the General can strike down birds in flight and never misses within five hundred paces,” added Lu-Shih helpfully, though if he thought the statement would shock the gathered crowd, he was in for a disappointment as most of them merely nodded sagely.
“Would not surprise me to see that level of archery. We have one such archer ourselves in Captain Edelstein’s company, so the enemy also having one is not that much of a surprise,” commented the old Duke Banitu.
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“Are we going to commit to battle tomorrow, Long Jiangjun?” asked Xiao Jiangjun Ishak mil Sharif with a bit of consternation on his features. The younger general had been the one to execute the trap they had set in the battle earlier that day, and together with Zahira Al-Nairi were the two Imperial generals in the current force that had fought against the Coalition army so far.
“We are. They are likely to do the same very soon even if we do not, so the choice is out of our hands anyway,” said Hua-Jeong with a shake of his head. He had wanted to test the enemies for longer, to find out as much as he could first before engaging, but from the way his enemies made decisive actions at the drop of a hat he knew that they wouldn’t sit still now that he exposed the quality of the elite soldiers under his leadership. “Better that we prepare for it and maybe even take the initiative if they did not respond as we predicted.”
“Any preparations we should make tonight, sir?” asked Xiao Jiangjun Xingl Liat. The tribe she hailed from was a minority that lived in one of the most isolated islands in the archipelago and were only assimilated into the Empire after the unification war, with neither the Confederacy nor the Sultanate being aware of their existence before then. They still kept many of their old customs even after the integration, but were rarely seen in high positions, with the general being a notable exception.
The woman herself was a former wandering warrior who rose to fame through her bravery and feats of arms during the succession war, leading to her current posting as a general, despite her lacking grasp of military tactics.
“Good of you to ask, Xiao Jiangjun Liat. I want you to take command of your five thousand gatebreakers and wait for my command before you and yours go wild on the enemies before you. Until then, keep yourselves inconspicuous around the middle of our infantry formation,” said Hua-Jeong with a nod. Xingl Liat’s gatebreakers were hardened veteran infantry who specialized in forcing their way through enemy formations.
“Zhong Jiangjun Liu, you will be in general command of our main infantry force tomorrow. Musir, you will be responsible for the left flank. Sharif, you have the right flank. Al-Nairi, you will be in command of our cavalry forces. I will command from the reserve and move as needed depending on the situation. Keep watch for my signals,” added the old general as he listed out positions to all the generals under his command, mostly people he brought with him from the south.
“As you command!”