Vanu Runa Lysha carefully studies the enemy army. They have a small army, about four thousand soldiers. They have been busy crafting their leviathan materials into weapons and armor, and if they can win this battle, chances are Lysha can get her hands on some of them.
The Forron Kingdom probably wants to push for an early victory which is why they are attacking now rather than waiting until they have a legion outfitted with Leviathan armor.
Vocana hasn't been idle. With slightly over five thousand soldiers, they outnumber the enemy but not by much; they'd have more, but three armies are being made, and it's still early in recruitment. They know Alysara can't supply weapons and armor fast enough, which is why their own best craftsmen have been making armor and weapons too. From the start, Alysara's armor and weapons have been made a secret; the fact they can be summoned from their belts makes it easy, which may have led the Forren Kingdom into thinking that they have more armor made and gave them the courage to attack now.
To prevent the secret armor from being leaked, they even kept them a secret from their own soldiers and instead used Vocana made armor to boost morale.
"They're set up for a classic Kulon Pincher attack," Kineto Lova Borala says, pointing out the signs, so Lysha knows what to look for. "They have their Forron Knights on the side."
The Forrons are the namesake of the Forren Kingdom, so it's expected their elite warriors will be mounted on them. Lysha spots several white Forrons, something only their Nobles can legally have; they will be a primary target for capture and ransom.
"They will expect us to counter with either our own leviathan warriors to protect the flank of our footmen or use redirect pikemen; what do you think is the best choice to make?"
Naturally, Borala is testing her, Lysha needs to answer correctly, or she will be replaced with a new War Marshal.
Lysha studies the battlefield; two hills, a valley between with a river flowing between. They can use the river defensively, slow down the charge, but chances are they will have a caster that will allow them to simply run on the surface of the water.
"We wait for them to attack and use the river and hill to exhaust their soldiers while we attack from range," Lysha answers.
"A textbook answer," Borala says, "But not a bad one. However, we'll meet them in the river that will force them to enter the water rather than go over it; we'll then use the river to conceal stakes using the Order of Earth's mages to protect the foot soldiers' flanks."
"But what about scryers? They'll see the traps," Lysha asks
"Not soon enough," Borala answers before explaining, "The mages shouldn't conjure the stakes until the Forron Knights are close enough; by then, it'll be too late to warn them. We'll place our Power Knights on our flanks so once the Forron Knights are trapped, they can meet them and take advantage of surprise."
"That's a good plan; it utilizes the environment to our advantage!" Lysha exclaims
"There are some things you need to be wary of." Borala says, "Fighting in a river is usually a bad idea several spells can take advantage of it, so we'll have to counterspell. It'll work in this case but do not think it will go well every time; there are reasons why it is almost always avoided."
Borala gives orders to several mind mages who relay telepathically down the chain.
"Normally, the best choice would be to wait and let them come to us while we attack them with arrows and spells, which is why I am confident your plan might work; it goes completely against expectations and any contingencies they have planned for. Do not rely on surprise tactics all the time; they generally do not work, but this time I feel that the enemy is overconfident and will see us entering the river as a poor move to capitalize on, not realizing that is what we want."
They return to the command tent to continue making plans and discuss details with other high-ranking members of the military.
"I don't like this plan," Teyala, the general of the fourth battalion, voices her opinion. "It's better to let them come to us and keep attacking with arrow and spell."
"Forren won't attack unless they are sure they have a chance at winning," Beniord points to the map. "The river will slow them down, but they can shield arrows and spells; they won't be trying the Kulon pincher attack without some plan to ensure it works. Plus, look at the positioning."
Beniord moves the figures in position, so they meet in the river.
"In order to carry out the pincer attack, they must enter the river and run along it; this will delay them more than them simply crossing it. That will give our mages time to react and set up stakes."
"The Forron Knights can circle around and attack our backs; that's a very bad plan!" Teyala crosses her arms and remains adamant in her position.
"You afraid to get a little wet?" Beniord taunts her.
"Enough!" Borala cuts the argument off before it can start. "The Knights won't circle around us since that will open them up to fire from our reserves; it's suicide for them. This is a crucial battle we need to win, but more than that, we need to get their Leviathan Armor. A normal battle will have a greater chance of them retreating should they start losing; we need to trap them to get as many as we can as they will help arm our army even more for future battles."
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Lysha feels her scrying retaliation warm-up and looks to the mind mages nearby. They look like they are deep in concentration, battling against the enemy scryer and their mind mages. This goes on for several minutes before one of the mind mages announces their success.
"We fought them off; our information is safe."
The war council continues for several more minutes after that before everyone agrees to the plan, although some, like Teyala, are reluctant to do so. Lysha walks outside with borala to take another look at the enemy army to see if there is any movement. The two armies stand on opposite hills, outside the normal range of arrows.
"They are waiting for the winds to shift," Borala says. "Most battles start with the arrows and spells; it is the only time to use them without hitting your own soldiers."
"Didn't the weather seer say the winds will shift in their favor?" Lysha asks, "Shouldn't we fall back a little to get out of their range?"
"Do you ever play cards?" Borala asks.
"No, father says it's a common man's game," Lysha replies.
"There's a card called the 'The Missive' It's a very important card since it forces your opponent to act. The game doesn't force anyone to play a card, so often times people will wait and keep drawing cards until they have a good hand; the Missive forces them to act before they are ready. What we are doing is something similar. This battle won't go anywhere unless someone acts. We have our soldiers protected with strong shields, and our casters have barrier spells ready; our casualties will be very low."
The enemy soldiers start moving, a battalion of archers and mages ready their weapons waiting for the right time.
"The battle will start momentarily," Borala says before turning toward her telepathic relayer. "Keep me informed on the scryer's updates."
"Yes, Grand Mashal Borala!" the Man salutes.
A few minutes later, Lysha feels the winds start blowing against her, and a moment later, hundreds of arrows fly through the air, arching high before slamming down on the shields of their men. Spells of all kinds, from beams of light and massive boulders to bolts of lightning and huge balls of fire, zip through the air before smashing against spell barriers.
"Whichever mage battalion has more mana usually wins this exchange," Borala says over the deafening sounds of metal against metal and explosions. "Which is why we invest a lot into mana batteries."
The barrage lasts for almost a quarter-hour before it dies down.
"Fifty-one casualties and wounded," The telepath reports.
"Better than I thought," Borala remarks, "How do our mana reserves look?"
"They are low, my Lady, but there's enough for a little retaliation."
"Don't bother; I'd be surprised if the enemy is dumb enough to completely deplete their mana" Borala turns toward Lysha. "Remember, never use more than eighty percent of your army's mana reserves unless it's for defense. If you attack with all of the mana and the enemy still has some, they can launch spells at you, and you'll have no way to defend against them."
Lysha nods; that was in the books she read.
"Signal for the forward march; stop at the river," Borala tells the Telepath.
He nods and concentrates.
"Now we wait for them to initiate their pincer attack, right?" Lysha asks.
"Yes," Borala nods; her yellow eyes are kept trained on the enemy army.
"What if they don't do that?"
"They will," Borala says, her black hair fluttering in the wind.
"How do you know that?"
"Because it's the best choice to make in this situation. Look there," Borala points to their army. "Notice how we have three distinct battalions?"
Each battalion, about one thousand soldiers, are arranged in rows, but they have a gap between other battalions. There are several reasons why each battalion is kept distinct, namely for command and so soldiers don't get lost in another battalion, but also if the enemy tries to aim for the gaps, they'll be caught between two battalions. The fourth battalion, Teyala's battalion, is in reserve to reinforce or give a break to any which needs it.
"They can attack our flanks and try to route our forces; if one company breaks ranks and routes, they can then turn their attention to another company and take apart the battalion; if that happens, the battle is won or lost, rarely does a battle last until the last man, it usually ends in a route which is why when that happens you must call for a retreat immediately if they don't their forces will ignore the routing enemy and focus on other forces that are still fighting."
"So you bait them into taking the most logical course of action and use that as a trap!" Lysha is surprised by Borala's strategy.
"Yes, and you'll notice I put Teyala in reserve; this is something those books of yours won't teach you about. When you have a general that disagrees with you, don't force them into your plans unless you have to. Put them in reserve, and if you win, that will show them not to doubt you. Remember, they worked their way up from recruits, and they are loyal to their soldiers; they will look out for them, and if you lose, then at least you put their soldiers in a safer place. They might have the right to say 'I told you so' but at least you don't have their resentment."
Once the two armies meet at the river, there is another stand-off; neither side is willing to take the first step into the waters.
"They are being cautious; they are confused about our actions," Borala remarks and turns toward her Telepath. "Signal the advance, don't let the enemy get the chance to think."
A few moments later, the hornblower makes the signal, and their forces advance into the waters; soon after, the enemy does the same.
"By taking action while they are confused, you make them panic and make mistakes," Borala says with a satisfied grin. "This battle might as well be already won."
The enemy makes another signal, and the Forron Knights charge down the hill on their four-eared, blind mounts.
"And now we wait," Borala says, crossing her arms.
Lysha watches as the calvary closes in on the flanks of their soldiers, splashing into the river. They get to just a few meters of their army before their Forrons howl in pain. That's when the hidden Power knights materialize their armor around them and leap into the fray, dozens tackling the Leviathan armored Forron knights in a surprise attack.
The battle on the flanks descends into chaos with two Forron knights against one Power Knight, but the power armor's thick protection holds strong, with no visible weakness. The rest of the is emboldened by the sudden appearance of the Power Knights and rally, surrounding the Forron knights and overwhelming them. Eventually, one of the enemy's lines breaks formation and starts fleeing; as more soldiers start running, others begin to too, leading into a full route.
"The battle is won" Borala smiles.
Lysha watches as their soldiers rally behind the Power Knights, charge, and surround the next enemy battalion before the enemy calls for a retreat.