It was clear that the fort wasn’t going to be completed by the time that Micky ‘left office’. He just couldn’t dedicate the manpower. Even with the high tier builders what they had set out to build was a true monstrosity. Or maybe Micky should call it monster city, Ha!... Hmm, just didn’t hold the same ring to it when he had been to a monster city. Micky felt something tingle up his spine and he shivered. Yeah, maybe he shouldn’t have gone there, both meanings of the uephamism.

The biggest problem to ‘the project’ was that he just couldn’t dedicate the manpower to it. Sure, he could dedicate a lot, especially now that the new-ish army had been flooded. Even with the massive casualties there were more recruits being sent over than could reasonably be dealt with and assembled into appropriate task groups. But even then, he would have to dedicate at least 10 to 1 on defensive duty for every construction worker. And that’s assuming that he can even convince these ‘hardened soldiers’ (Ha! Fresh meet, don’t give me that!) to reduce themselves to mere construction workers. No, they are here for the ‘rewards’. All these fresh nobles are thinking that they are going to be the heroes that will stick it to the enemies of Aene. This is in spite of Amelia only being able to break the tides just before the burnt out husks of the ‘prizes’ can be seen.

If there is any consolation, then it’s that they have to rebuild the entire way here. By burning their own villages, not to mention dumping their villagers onto Aene, they have broken their own supply lines. This means they will have to rework everything in the same way that Aene had to build things. Honestly, the legate still infuriates Micky, but he can’t even speak out against the man. The grand duke behind the legate would have Micky’s head, and the listeners last memories.

Letting the powers that be, rest at be, Micky picked himself back up. He was in command now. It may be a small expeditionary force that isn’t worth mentioning. Not even a fraction of the defending duke’s standing army for patrolling the roads, let alone the private army, or defensive army. Those, while the least of the true armies were still just shy of five billion strong and ten times better equipped. That isn’t even bothering to mention the rankers that make Amelia look like a freshly divined mage letting loose her first [Spark]. And they were the least rated army that lost in every exhibition and war game!

Again, Micky shook his head, and maybe shivered a little. Nothing for him to think about, it’s pointless. Focus on the things he can figure out. That is getting the resources, and likely building this fort in stages. He also needed to make a gag order on the fact that they were actually going to turtle up and it wasn’t going to be another defensive skirmish. Finally, he needed to coral all of the centurions, junior and senior. If he was going to make any strategy work, he had to make sure they were not only on board, but aware that they had to actively participate. Micky was well aware about slipping past and skirting the rules and letter of the order. He could not have a single soldier out of position. While he couldn’t command them all directly, they couldn’t go against the prevailing strategy. Fortunately or unfortunately the legates had been ‘Charge!’ Micky thought with chagrin.

Now, the prevailing strategy would be to turtle up on defenses and supplies for the eventual counter offensive, and land grab. He would need to revamp the supply outposts as the current supply line would never be able to handle a conquering army. It had been a long time since Aene had actually been the conqueror and not a defender or simple skirmish like the one that Micky had been a part of. Not since the goblin hordes had passed through and collapsed the previous kingdoms.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

What Aene was good at was defense. And Micky planned to capitalize on that. There were many quarries of stone amongst the field reports, all part of his new system. Not the reports, the organization. This was on top of the old system, which was… honestly? Nothing. It’s hilarious, but nothing was organized except vaguely chronologically in a ‘put it in a pile and we will sort it latter’ kind of way. The reports were a mess, just another thing that the legate, and really all of these fresh commanders had utterly failed at. It was obvious in hindsight, something that the senior centurions should have known. Unfortunately, these were not the cream of the crop, at least not withstanding the legate’s advisors, who for the most part simply left with the legate. Luckily, most of the standing armies didn’t leave with them aside from their… well trained and well equipped bodyguards…

And this was what Micky planned to capitalize on. Aene’s defensive measures to creep up through the enemy line. Honestly this 10 mile stretch was a true nightmare. It was practically wilderness and was hardly tamed enough to create a road between the two kingdoms that facilitated trade. Good trade on the merchant roads, but barely facilitated non the less.

Micky would change that. There were far too many dungeons, dragons, and dangers to allow for anything less. Micky lost almost more soldiers to attrition with the monsters and tribes than to the actual enemies of Aene. This couldn’t continue. So the fort would simply be the keystone to a greater defensive strategy. The entire pathway would be fortified against anything that tried to interrupt or intercept. That didn’t mean that there would be no way fo the monsters to cross. He would build gateways, giant bridges that would allow the monsters to pass under them inside of giant monster infested ravines. Easy enough to accomplish with siege class magic.

The entire path would be fortified with towering walls a mile tall. That isn’t even comparing the five mile tall and mile wide walls that would have ten mile tall towers complete with built in copper siege spell circles nearly span across the fort’s walls in a tiered system allowing multiple mages to perform individual siege spells or combine them into super workings that would wow the history books. Micky had placed all the required mines and resources into the strategic planning for the colossal project that would ensure that Aene ruled the area for ages to come.

This would be a beast of engineering. A true monster that would leave even the greatest empires awed. Micky couldn’t wait to get started. He placed the names upon the blueprints. Pepperoni road, Squishy casims, and last Magnaera fort, to round out the trifecta. Prin would likely complain but fuck her, she’s been pulling her wieght more and has changed significantly from when they had first met. However, she was still fairly unreliable on a personal level. Kux has been pulling her own weight more and she is only a recent addition. Speaking of, the woman should receive a reward for her hard work. He supposed he could reward Prin and his other retainers for all the hard work they’ve put in, he’ll figure something out.

Now, he just needed to schedule a meeting with the centurions. Nothing concrete, only that they will be turtling up for the foreseeable future. It’ll rankle some feathers, ha! But they were the ones that put him in this position. They have literally no right to complain, to the letter of the law. And for those that do… well he has to enforce the law now, doesn’t he?

Micky put the plans away. The builders would have to be segregated. In particular they wouldn’t be allowed to go to the pub. It was just a simple tent where the various races got inebriated on whatever poison of preference they drank, but it was called ‘the pub’ and practically every encampment had one, or several. Micky’s own compound had at least five to ten spring up in his own compounds when his entire centuri was encamped. But he couldn’t have the builders spilling the ‘good news’ too soon. They would have to be gagged and bagged for the foreseeable future. He was only in charge for a week, they could tough it. Besides, he would supply them for the ‘good stuff’, they should actually thank him!