Mock Battle & Strategy
In Andreas' cabin, on the topmost floor of the Gimense barracks, at the dead of night.
Andreas and the 4 commanders are seen to be in a heated discussion, tabletop props being flung at each other, chaos engulfed the room. What happened?
A few hours ago...
Andreas leads his subordinates into his cabin. Jann, Natasha & Patrick sat down in their respective chairs, Andreas sat in his chair with a large desk in front of, Patreus, sat next to Andreas. Seeing everyone settle into their places, Andreas started the meeting.
"Apologies for holding a meeting so late, but I received a letter that requires immediate action!" Andreas said, his attention at everyone. He continued, "I have been reminded that our Mock battle with the Centauri Barracks is one week away!" before his subordinates could react he said, "And that's not all! One of the Cardinals will be coming to spectate the battle!" the commanders all had different expressions on their faces.
A Cardinal of the Church, was a step above bishops and paladins, they were a select group of priests who held true power within the church, an enclave of cardinals could upturn the authority of an Archbishop, their direct superiors! Regarded as the most powerful devotees of a God after the Pope and Archbishops. The appearance of a Cardinal to spectate a mock battle showed the promise both parties showed in the eyes of the Church.
Patreus had a grin that could only be described as greedy, imagining the value of the prizes he'll win by racking up wins, Jann had the same neutral expression he always kept, as if he was not tantalized by the riches and rewards, Patrick cursed his luck and the decisions he made that led to him being in this situation, Natasha had a solemn glint in her eyes, as if the mock battle was real, and the fall of her enemies would grant her access to more power.
The Centauri barracks was another old barracks, in these recent years they have been showing more and more potential with their improved performance, many, Andreas included, believed this was due to the arrival of the new leader of the Centauri barracks, Herab, The Desert Star. A swordmaster paladin who transferred over from another continent to Lughana, a decade ago; A man Andreas himself considered to be a rival.
"I called this meeting to discuss the tactics we'll use next week in our battle against the Centauri barracks. We have to win this year after last year's loss!" Andreas spoke "That conniving bastard Herab will be a pain my ass this time around too, what do all of you think, how will our opponents strategize? Any thoughts?" each commander spoke their opinions in turn.
Jann & Patrick were of the opinion that the Centauri will not engage them on an open field, after facing them head on due to the overwhelming strength the Gimensee soldiers had due to their strenuous training sessions.
The Centauri Barracks won last time precisely because they were able to change their strategy successfully and chip away at the Gimensee soldiers using guerrilla tactics, instead of facing the might of their opponent in an open field skirmish.
They suggested dispersing the army into smaller units and countering fire with fire.
Natasha suggested they stick to their usual formations, but instead of chasing them into an open field, they would booby trap and dig trenches around a certain radius of land around their camps and bait the enemy into an open field fight. Hence making use of the terrain and rendering it to their advantage.
Patreus on the other hand, the most experienced of the 4, strangely suggested a small flank unit to be comprised of elites march separately from the main army and make their way into the enemy camp, to capture Herab, and use him as a bargaining chip to get the Centauri Soldiers to surrender.
Andreas, truly shocked at Patreus' proposal quickly tossed it aside, "Bah! Patreus, what the hell are you thinking? Even if it weren't unethical, which it is, it would be downright cowardice! I'll beat that fucker black and blue myself, and wash off the shame of defeat."
Patreus shook his head, "Andy, not everyone will play by your rules. Even last year it was our rigidity, the wish to do the so called "right thing", was so stupid. That is what caused our defeat." he sighed.
"Oh okay, and let's say that we listen to you Patreus. How many men will I require to take down Herab? How many men will I have to lose to get through waves of enemies in case they are not stealthy enough and get spotted? Exactly how do you plan to recruit these many 'elites' into a squad and send them on a mission that coud only be described as a gambit?" Andreas retorted.
Before Andreas could say more, Natasha stood up to point holes in Jann and Patrick's suggestion, to show the merits of her strategy. The duo responded back by pointing out flaws in both Natasha's and Patreus' plans. Patreus, who was already sulking, snapped. He grabbed an apple ( the closest thing to his hand) and lobbed it at Patrick's head. Jann started yelling at Natasha, a rare scene of the Stoic losing his temper, accusing her of being an incessant know-it-all.
Watching this scene unfold, it did not take Andreas too long to lose his cool either. Who immediately started manhandling Patrick and Patreus to stop their kerfuffle.
After 10 odd minutes the infighting finally came to an end. With each of the four commanders sporting a head bump.
Andreas cleared his throat. He announced the strategy he was going to use to defeat the Centauri barracks.
The Battalion was going to be divided into 3 squads, A main body and two flanking squads, one headed by Natasha, another headed by Jann. the main body was to be arranged in an arrow formation with Andreas at the vanguard, leading with Patreus and Patrick at his sides, the former aiding his superior with a team of elites in the vanguard, while the latter buffs them.
After explaining the layout of the battalion, he discussed the strategies to be used during the mock battle, asking others of his plan, coming up with their shortcomings and fixing them. They stayed up the next few hours repeating this process and refining their battle plans, before heading off to their quarters to get whatever rest they could.
The next morning onwards they started drills to prepare for their mock battle. They started their day with exercise and heading out of Lughana for fomation drills. During the first break, as the commanders rested; Andreas approached Patreus.
"Hey Pat, can I talk to you for a second?" Andreas asked, to which Patreus nodded in response.
"After you proposed your idea yesterday; and what you said, got me thinking. What's going on with you man? Are you feeling fine?" Andreas asked.
"Of course I'm fine Andy, what are you even talking about?"Patreus snorted in disbelief, what was his friend even thinking?
"Come on Pat, think about it, it's not just the meeting yesterday, you proposed similiar cut throat ideas even at the church meeting a few months back. You suggested poisioning an entire town and then curing them, to make them faithful towards out God! This has to stem from somewhere right?" Andreas retorted, his face showing concern.
"Andy, it isn't like that! I was just thinking out of the box, and other churches use that tactic anyway, It's not like I cooked up an entirely novel concept!" Patreus exclaimed, a little offended by his friend's concern.
"Pat, you know how much I value your presence, especially after the fact that you stayed as my commander even after being promoted to a Paladin; but you've got to clear your head. Set your priorities straight." Andreas suggested.
"My priorities are already pretty straight Andy, I don't need to clear my head. You need to learn to listen, at least hear me out for Lugus' sake!" Patreus said exasperatedly.
Hearing Patreus' words Andreas could only shake his head in resignation. His friend was not willing to heed his words.
"Pat, how about this? After the mock battle, whether we win or lose, I'll go and talk to the Cardinals and recommend you to lead your own battalion? I mean to say, that I surely cannot risk myself and my reputation to execute your plans, but you can. Let me help you get to the next stage of your career."
Andreas' words shook Patreus to the core. His own battalion! He will be able to head his own barracks! It doesn't get much better for a Paladin.
Patreus accepted the offer, and went back to the grounds, Andreas soon followed. It was time to resume training.
Each squad was indivually placed into formation, and the rest of the battalion broke itself into small 10 to 15 man units. At times several units banded together to rush the squad, other times they enforced guerrilla tactics to whittle down the able members of the squad. Each squad led by their respective squad leaders, took turns to be on be on the defensive side while the other two squads broke into groups to attack them.
Even as the sun set, troops of the Gimense barracks showed no signs of tiring, in fact the practice grew even more intense. Whenever they got tired of formation practices they took a short rest and broke into small units to practice guerrilla warfare.
Each and every soldier of the battalion had steeled their resolve. They will become unbeatable, they will strive to be the best. Imagining the faces of their opponents as they crushed them like ants.