After leaving the skirmish’s newest supply outpost Micky and his 30,000 ragtag friends didn’t have any more problems. Who knew there were only so many imbeciles in their traveling path? He wondered if any more of the reinforcements had any luck with their travels at encountering imbeciles?

But really even most monsters that are barely more than physical vessels for rage didn’t actually attack a well supplied army of 30,000 soldiers. Oppting to run away from the new recruits. Which unfortunately, meant that Micky and the other centurion’s had to organize hunts as the nobility figured that they could reduce the training of the levi’s by forcing them to fight monsters on the way.

Micky made it to the front in record time. He was now at the northwest corridor guarding the passage between the two nations. Normally there was actually no need for a guard as the Nation of Krious was a giant trade nation. They crossed the borders with their two neighbors creating a pathway for trade. However trade had significantly dried up after one of their neighbors launched an attack. With Eronus attacking Krious the international trade corridor was closed off and new trade routes had to be formed. This lead to Krious now attacking Aene to cripple them in a surprise assault. It didn’t work, but it did piss them off.

Now Micky was here amongst the legions. A total of 3,000,000 soldiers under the legate a leader of a thousand thousands. But that wasn’t all. If the camp followers that were following the soldiers in a kind of nomadic town were added in that number would jump to more than ten times that amount. However, that was a method of last last resort. A legate had done the same thing once winning the battle only to lose the entire war in protest. He had his head sliced off for it and his entire family were forced into slavery. It was considered a light measure.

So there was a small overpriced town built up behind the army. There were even merchants that would make the rounds between the army if you needed something, though be prepared to pay an arm and a leg, literally. The joke lost it’s philosophical flare after Solicles famously paid an arm and a leg he had chopped off for more rations, preventing timely healing which permanently crippled him. All part of the enemies plan, but with the supplies, the general was able to trounce them in the battle and then in the war, so jokes still on them.

Micky and his three hundred fellows flowed into the giant tent that held the cenate, presided over by the legate. This was the war room. There was a table with the most important, experienced, and powerful centurions surrounding it. Micky received a report from the surrounding centurions on the current situation. The enemy army was a hundred leagues out and had 6,000,000 soldiers. However, they had 80% levi’s to Micky’s armies 50%. The rankers were also about the same amount and they brought up centurions from within the levi’s instead of from outside. They were also fighting on two fronts, though effectively all front since the two largest stretches were beast forests. They were currently building siege engines while Micky’s army brought a thousand scorpions and one hundred ballistae. However, the siege weapons were not being deployed or prepped by the legate. The legate’s motto was that this would be fought by man and won by man and that the siege equipment was unnecessary.

Speaking of the legate’s tactics. The legate was a young man fresh out of the academy. He was the 5th generation from the great duke, a nonhereditary title granted to the sore loser of the succession for the throne. He had strong ideas and his record in the academy was top notch, however he was only here to gain experience. The command felt that this would be an easy victory and a quick retaliatory skirmish. Unfortunately, the enemy had time to amass an army to defend their territory as a counter to the Aene army. The twenty or so experienced men and women around the table were the real leaders of the army who would inspire confidence in the soldiers that they will win the day.

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These individuals sent by command as ‘advisors’ but mostly baby sitters to make sure that the war is won. This included about three of the advisors that were from the main house of the duke and ten percent of the army. This was far more than any other individual had contributed, though some individuals were more invested than others. For example, the baron had already invested almost sixty thousand soldiers. The count had technically only invested Micky but also granted the power to rally the other nobles under his banner. The investiture of command was not a small favor from the count and could make or break a few other schemes for them. However, Micky was a clear part of the baron’s chain of command. While the baron was the lowest of the low his investment into this enterprise was middling, though massive for his station. All of this only to get back his honor for being assaulted and the untold lives that were taken in his territory.

As for the actual tactics? It was pretty simple and standard, make a line, melee in the front, ranged in the back, with the mounted launching skirmishes. The mounted combatants weren’t even going to see much action unless the line broke anyway. With millions of soldiers fighting that was basically a guarantee. And with the levi’s of the enemy the line was unlikely to be broken on the allied side. The allied and enemy army had already made an agreement on the battlefield and it was only a race to secure it. Fielding millions of soldiers was not an easy or small endeavor and the battlefield had to be made clear through observation early on. Not to mention the fortifications for the soldiers.

Micky thought the tactics might be a little too simple, flawed even. Sure it sounded good, but there was no countermeasures, now trump cards, nothing. Just throw the soldiers at each other and see who wins. On paper the allied army was better, but a fight was never about who was ‘better’ but better prepared, tricky, and a major asshole. It was usually the one that was the most depraved and desperate that won. This was why fighters had to counter desperation with equipment, training, and positioning.

Soon the tactics were settled. There was no vote from the cenate and only the advisors were given a voice. A voice that was shouted down by the legate. Admittedly salting the earth was probably not a tactic they should consider right now as this was only a skirmish. However, the advisors seemed to be letting the legate make his own mistakes for now.

Micky walked to camp and received his orders. They were to break camp, however Micky’s centuri of a hundred hundreds was to be on the right flanks flank. He was all the way at the edge and should make camp with this in mind. Also, should the enemy army assault them before they made the battlefield this was where he was to sortie. Micky got back to camp and gave his commands to his commanders and the rest down the line. His honor guard came up to him and his second Prin, as well as his other main group leaders came to follow him. He gave orders as needed and brought them in to know the plan and make plans and countermeasures for the mission.

Micky also met with the other centurions from the baron’s and other surrounding territories. Altogether they made up twelve percent of the army. This was the largest of the lower noble factions. With all said and done, this was not a small and negligent faction within the military to ignore. The second largest lower nobility faction had actually been rallied by the viscount themselves and made up another eight percent of the army. However this eight percent was what had been devastated by the ants and was also eager for revenge. Micky didn’t know what was said to them, however while two separate factions the two were united in spirit and close in ideals. In other words, they were no going to attack each other here and mess up their chances at revenge.

There were many other factions as well. The legate’s faction made up a total of thirty percent of the army. This was not actually the largest faction though. One of the princesses had devoted thirty three percent of the army from their faction to the cause. She was not chosen as the legate however, because she did not donate the army herself… and maybe because she was a girl and some people thought a bloodied general was not a good look when looking for a spouse. The rest of the factions were drawn from all over with a mere six percent of the army being donated from other lower nobility.

Micky’s head spun from the numbers. All of those numbers were just small things and he didn’t need to deal with the massive numbers of supplies. In fact, he just needed to sign paperwork that stated he had indeed received the luffa sticks for but washing and that nobody had wandered off with all of the barrels of rum to be used in making grog. Oddly enough, there were indeed plenty of enterprising individuals that had tried to wander off with the rum. Including on delivery merchant that had tried to keep it on his wagon as he left. That had not gone over well. Yes, there were plenty of missing supplies. There were also a lot of misdelivered supplies and a few supplies, for some unknown reason, showed up out of nowhere. Micky could never get a strait answer of were that last bit of supplies came from, especially considering some of those supplies were straight out contraband.