27 Tavorhel. The sixth day of the ninth month.
‘The Foresters are encamped in the forests southeast of the city, Commander-General,’ a scout reported. ‘The team has confirmed Crown Prince Amovishel is still alive and held somewhere near the centre of the camp, though his condition is unknown. After the battle before, those who are still able to fight number roughly between five hundred to a thousand. There are also many women and children in the camp, most likely gathered from the villages in the forests.’
‘Hmm…’ Esiel looked down at the scout from his elevated seat, pondering his options. His lieutenants sat to the sides of the tent, each deep in their own thoughts as they heard the report.
As reward for the victory, the troops had been rested for a whole day with the city quickly organising an impromptu festival to raise morale. While the people and the troops mingled in the markets yesterday, he had negotiated a proposal of remunerations with the governor which he would bring back to the capital to compensate for the damages done to the city over the course of the battle. It wasn’t too much of a hassle, the governor being more than happy to see the Forester threat being severely reduced in a single day, even if it came with a few destroyed buildings and property inside the city.
With a day of rest now behind them, they could now enter into the next phase of the campaign: the rescue of Crown Prince Amovishel.
As the scout finished his report and exited the tent, a picture began to formulate inside Esiel’s mind. Victory would be inevitable with their forces heavily outnumbering the rebels. Their leader, however powerful she was, couldn’t possibly stop the tide of nearly twenty thousand soldiers upon her meagre force of a few hundred. In a pure matchup of force, even a completely incompetent commander would easily defeat the enemy.
However, to annihilate the Foresters was not his main priority, no matter how much he wished to personally see to their demise. Amovishel was still held in their hands. A military victory would mean nothing if the crown prince was killed, whether through accident or desperation from the enemy. As much as he hated the crown prince, this was a duty he needed to do.
There was also the problem of conserving the strength of the troops, though that’d be a lower priority. With the conflict with Rhinn still raging on in Prentdor, there was a need to have as many reserves available as possible. The troops he sacrificed as part of his tactics would already be questionable in the royal court’s general opinion, even if he did gain a resounding victory from it.
He sighed. He really had no need to be this cautious and delicate with his troops without such factors.
‘Are the troops mobilised and prepared for battle?’ he asked.
‘They’ve all returned to their stations,’ a lieutenant answered. ‘If we depart for the new Forester camp now, we should be able to return by night.’
‘They should know they can’t stay near the city for long,’ another lieutenant said. ‘If I were their leader, I’d be fleeing away from the city, which would either be towards the Irrenl Mountains to the east or to the lands southeast. I propose we prepare ourselves for a longer campaign as we pursue the enemies.’
‘Remember what we’re here for,’ a third added. ‘We’re not here mainly to destroy the rebellion, though that is our ultimate goal. The safety of the crown prince is paramount, and we should revise our strategy based on our current aim. I suggest we raid their camp with a squad of cavalry and take the crown prince by force since they are unwilling to give him up willingly, whatever the reason they have.’
Esiel nodded approvingly at his lieutenants. These were the people that thought like him, that followed him from the royal capital to execute his plans on a more grounded scale.
However, there was a group that hadn’t spoken up yet.
‘Former lieutenants of General Arael, what are your thoughts on this matter?’ Esiel asked as he directed his gaze towards them, particularly onto Teraiil.
‘I… I agree with whatever will be decided,’ Teraiil answered. ‘It’s not as if we have any true decision-making power now anyways.’
‘Good, good,’ Esiel nodded.
Since Esiel took control of the armies in Maerila, Teraiil and the other original lieutenants had simply been relocated to other roles. They still had a seat in Esiel’s council, but the title of ‘lieutenant’ had been reduced to just a name for them.
It wasn’t hard, really. Those weak, defence-minded lieutenants protested little after he promised them certain rewards.
‘Taking into all the factors, the best course of action is not really anything proposed thus far, but rather a combination of the three,’ Esiel decided. ‘We’ve already displayed our military superiority through the previous battle. The enemy morale is low. We have no need to confront them with military strength again, even if that’s usually my preferred method. I propose that we bring out half our army to their camp and demand the return of the crown prince. By intimidating them into submission, we wouldn’t need to suffer further casualties to attain our goal.’
‘What if they refuse?’ the first lieutenant asked.
‘If they still foolishly refuse… then we kill them all.’
‘Wouldn’t that leave us in the open without any tricks or deception?’ the third lieutenant added.
‘That’s where the squad of cavalry come in. The main army will announce its presence as an intimidation tactic, but the cavalry will be hidden to the side. If combat becomes unavoidable, they will swoop in while the army is engaged with the Foresters.’
‘Would it be possible to goad them into a battle, rescue the prince, then annihilate them?’ the second suggested. ‘By being particularly provocative, we force them to make the first move and engage with us in battle, then the cavalry swoop in. Once the prince is rescued, we destroy the rebellion once and for all.’
‘Be patient,’ Esiel said. ‘There’s no need to go to such lengths if we end in battle anyway. The cavalry is there as a contingency plan if the Foresters really are stupid in their stubbornness.’
‘I see…’
‘Any further objections?’
The three lieutenants nodded in approval. The luxury of time was on their side. With proper discussion and calculation, a proper plan was finally laid out for execution. This was far better than the hasty decision he made shortly after his arrival in the city to establish his authority. It was relatively simple to execute and possessed the least risk to his armies. Of course, it did hurt him a little that his own plan would involve suppressing the temptation to preemptively attack the Foresters, but for the sake of his duty, there was really no better plan.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
He could always kill them after Amovishel was rescued.
‘It’s decided, then,’ Esiel announced. ‘Mobilise half our forces immediately and gather a squad of ten riders. We’re setting off towards the southeast.’
He stood up, satisfied with the conclusion. It was really a simple matter. After Amovishel would be rescued, he’d file a request to be sent towards the front in Prentdor where the real battles were. The threat of the Forester rebellion was nothing compared to the massive campaign in the south. Of course, there was the matter of further negotiation with the Guild as well for the future of mercenary troops in Trelven, but the diplomats would handle that, not him.
So complicated. He never really understood the necessity of hiring such animals beyond being a shield for the Trelvenese.
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‘Everything’s almost ready, Commander-General.’
It was barely midday. In the time it took for Esiel to eat a meal with the governor, his lieutenants had already organised the troops and began sending them outside the city, the soldiers being received with cheers from the populace. He had to remind himself that these were reserves, not regulars in the army for how efficient they had become.
He sat on his horse at the front as his lieutenants gathered after inspecting the last batch of troops that exited the city. It was a new mount gifted to him by the governor to replace the one he lost in battle. He wasn’t particularly used to it yet nor was he completely satisfied with its size and strength, but at least it was obedient to his commands.
‘The weapons are well-cleaned and their appearances are satisfactory,’ a lieutenant reported. ‘We are ready to head out.’
‘And the cavalry?’ Esiel asked.
‘They’ve been sent out earlier already. I gave them the approximate location of their positions.’
‘Hopefully they won’t be needed.’
As he began counting the lieutenants, he realised one was still missing from the ranks.
‘Where’s Teraiil?’
Just as he finished his sentence, the man came riding out of the gate in full gallop. Instead of joining in with the rest of the group, he went directly to Esiel, being clearly out of breath.
‘You’re late,’ Esiel said.
‘The governor called for me earlier,’ he explained. ‘There’s something he needs you for, Commander-General.’
‘I just ate a meal with him. Did something urgent happen after?’
‘Yes… He needs you at his office now.’
‘Send a messenger and tell him we have already set off towards the enemy camp. If it’s not anything more important, there’s no need for me to be there.’
‘It’s a message from the royal palace. There’s an entourage of people that entered the northern gate earlier as well.’
‘What? No, this is ridiculous.’
‘Just come.’ Teraiil confidently took an object out of his pocket. It was a badge from the capital.
The timing could not be worse.
‘Have the troops on standby,’ Esiel ordered his lieutenants. ‘I’ll be back.’
The two rode back into the city, past the confused crowds, and reached the city hall where a large entourage of carriages and troops stood just outside the entrance. Dismounting and handing them to the stables, they rushed into the building before being guided to the office.
Teraiil had a smile on his face.
‘Tch.’
The doors opened. Besides the president and his secretaries, there was a small group of people standing before his desk. At the front was a representative from the royal palace itself, his clothing resembling that of a lesser noble. Behind him were several guards fully covered in plate armour, a rarity even in the battlefields. And further behind… was a Forester, his hands and legs tied together.
Esiel recognised that person from Amovishel’s palace.
Just what was happening?
‘Ah, welcome back, Commander General,’ the governor greeted. ‘We’ve been waiting for you.’
The fancily-dressed representative approached him. In his hand was a letter from the palace, sealed with a perfumed stamp, the envelope being coated with a thin waterproof glaze.
‘Commander-General, a letter from the royal court,’ he said as he took a light bow.
‘Huh…’ It was very strange. It wasn’t an urgent message, but rather a correspondence that the court as a collective seemed to just want to tell him about. The leisure of sending that letter was almost an insulting luxury to the military.
Still, Esiel opened it. Inside was a single sheet of paper with the smell of expensive ink wafting to his nose. The edges were decorated with patterns, nearly overpowering the contents of the letter itself.
‘Stupid formal correspondences,’ he commented as he began reading.
To the esteemed Commander-General Esiel,
This is written on behalf of the advisors on the royal court. We hope you are currently doing well.
While you hastily set off towards the city of Maerila, we have received reports of a Forester by the name of Tarigen serving under Crown Prince Amovishel, who incidentally, also is in close contact with the leader of the rebels. Turning him in was Barheila, the aide of the crown prince. Due to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the situation of the prince and the rebellion, a trial has not been organised for the Forester. Instead, he is to be immediately delivered to Maerila where he will be used in negotiations for the return of the prince.
Under no circumstances are you permitted to kill this Forester, nor are you allowed to torture him for information. Due to his special nature, we believe the Foresters will be much more receptive to negotiations with him as a bargaining chip. As the life and safety of Crown Prince Amovishel is paramount to us, you must ensure the best course of action is used to achieve our goals.
When you receive this letter, you will likely have already fought against the rebels in battle. Whatever the result, these will be your next steps to achieve the goal. You must offer him as part of a deal—
Esiel tossed the letter to the side. ‘Does the court take me for an idiot? Offer the Foresters a trade deal? Have they gone mad?’
‘Look at the bottom of the letter,’ the representative reminded him. ‘The king has signed his name, officially approving the validity and authority of this letter.’
The explanation was simple. They wanted some sort of credit in defeating the rebellion. To have Esiel or any single military commander claim all the rewards was dangerous for the power of the royal court. The people would begin to look toward their generals, diminishing the importance of the administrators and scholars. If that were to happen, the balance of power would become brittle, and even the authority of the king himself would become threatened.
It was a bunch of nonsense in Esiel’s eyes. To preserve the so-called ‘balance’, the court was willing to look weaker, engaging in an equal trade deal with the Foresters. It might as well be admitting the legitimacy of the rebellion. He didn’t care about the Forester before him. He didn’t need a prisoner. Everything he needed was already here.
The court was just slowing progress down.
‘We’re going back—’
‘Look at the signature.’ The representative picked up the letter and shoved it in front of Esiel.
Reluctantly, he read the bottom of the letter. Sure enough, the signature was legitimate.
His own king was a passive idiot.
‘I have no need to do this,’ he stated.
‘You must initiate a trade deal with the Foresters,’ the representative stressed. ‘Or are you suggesting you are arrogantly disobeying the commands of the king?’
For how much Esiel argued with the king, even he knew the seriousness of blatant disobedience.
‘Until you have successfully negotiated the return of Crown Prince Amovishel, we will stay in this city and observe your progress.’
His hands were tied.
‘Let me at least return to my troops,’ he requested. ‘I will incorporate this new piece into my plans later.’
‘Of course,’ the representative replied. ‘I do understand this may come as a surprise for you, and you already have your own strategy.’
That sentence was enough. He turned away, dragging Teraiil with him. ‘We’re heading back.’
‘Consider this an attempt to curb your overconfidence in the presence of the king, Commander-General,’ the representative said as Esiel walked towards the door. ‘The royal court dislikes those who have disrespect towards the ultimate authority.’
‘I don’t need to hear that from a mouthpiece.’