Translator: Cinder Translations
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The meeting at the Lord's Manor made the decision to send troops to assist Princess Catherine in repelling the orc army. However, when it came time to implement the plan, Paul realized that his army could not depart immediately.
The army of Alden had never prepared for military operations beyond the Northwestern Bay. When the army was first established, its purpose was solely to protect the people and assets within the territory and to guard against neighboring lords with ill intentions.
After the Usurper War, the army had established deterrence and suppression over the internal territories of the Northwestern Bay, but there had been no new demand to expand its activities beyond this region.
The situation was better for the navy, as they had an important task—maintaining the stability of the long maritime route from Northwestern Bay to Horns Bay.
Years of training had granted the Alden Navy certain long-range operational capabilities, allowing it to still carry out tasks far from the Northwestern Bay.
This long-range operational ability was not merely about sending fleets out to sea, relying on the sailors' navigational and combat skills, but included multiple aspects. For instance, collecting hydrological, climatic, and other data along the maritime routes helped to estimate sailing times, select battlefields, and avoid extreme weather conditions. Furthermore, the goodwill of various cities and ports along the route allowed fleets to rest, resupply, treat the sick or injured, and even replace sailors.
Alden's navy had even maintained a degree of friendship with the ports controlled by the Greedy Wolf, Duke Giles, after peace was established between Giles and the royal family.
However, the orcs came from the inland, and the navy could not be used to intercept them. It was up to the army to handle the situation.
Compared to the navy, Alden's army was somewhat underdeveloped.
Fortunately, countries of this era had yet to fully establish the concept of naval power, allowing Alden's navy to navigate the seas with little hindrance. However, the situation on land was different.
The lands covered by civilization had been divided among humans, or rather, it was the establishment of territorial consciousness that led to the creation of civilization. In addition to natural factors such as mountains and rivers, countless fortresses and checkpoints had become significant obstacles to movement.
Alden's army couldn't adapt to the terrain, geography, and customs of regions outside the Northwestern Bay in the same way the navy could. It could only send troops to assist when the local lords needed help, like now in the Blackstone Plains where orc forces were threatening. In cases like these, local lords who couldn't defend against the orcs would naturally welcome aid from friendly foreign forces. But without an external enemy, sending troops was a very sensitive matter.
Another issue was logistics. Alden's army could rely on the royal flag to request supplies from local lords, but Paul doubted whether these lords could adequately support an army that was advanced for its time.
Similarly, during peacetime, establishing clear war-time supply depots in other territories would still be a sensitive issue for the local lords.
While local lords might tolerate or even welcome Alden's warships visiting their ports—since the ships couldn't move inland, and Alden's naval officers were quite wealthy—they would never welcome the Alden army coming to stay in their territories.
After the departmental meeting at the Lord's Manor, Paul convened a separate military meeting with the officers to discuss the details of the deployment.
"How long will it take for us to deploy the troops?" Paul asked anxiously.
The answer from Chief of Staff Schroeder confirmed his concerns.
"At least half a month, Lord Grayman, roughly two weeks."
Paul felt disheartened. "Can't it be done any faster?"
The response left him somewhat defeated.
Two weeks? This pace was far from the "rapid-response" army he had always wanted to build!
Wouldn't this make the royal family or even Catherine think he was deliberately delaying?
Schroeder replied helplessly, "Although we are going to friendly territory, as you know, the supplies we carry—cannons, ammunition, and gunpowder—are extremely heavy. The roads that others can travel might not be suitable for us. We need to send scouts to survey and choose the best route. Additionally, we need enough wagons to transport the supplies, along with a sufficient number of draft animals, and consider the fodder and consumption of these animals. A plague could wipe them all out."
"Two weeks is already quite an ambitious plan. The supplies I mentioned are just the weapons and ammunition. The strength of our army relies heavily on these, and we can't get them in other territories, so we must prioritize securing the ammunition. As for the soldiers' rations, we can only gather enough for a month. If the battle drags on, we hope the local economy and crop yields can support continued operations. May the heavens bless us."
"That makes sense!" Paul said, still frowning.
Schroeder seemed to sense Paul's concerns and reassured him, "Princess Catherine will understand. In fact, compared to other territories, we will be able to send more than 2,000 men within two weeks, and we will also have a month's worth of supplies. This is already quite fast."
"Alright, my dear Schroeder, let's follow your schedule."
Paul nodded. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me!"
Paul lived by the military principle of never fighting an unprepared battle. He would never let his soldiers risk their lives just to save face in front of his fiancée.
The old knight said seriously, "I will speak up if anything comes up, Lord Grayman!"
Paul added, "I've made a new decision—once you depart, I will immediately begin preparing another expeditionary force and personally lead them to support you, of course, with more thorough preparations."
"I will establish a solid and efficient supply line between you and your troops and Alden to provide all the necessary materials for the war."
The old knight's face flushed with gratitude. "Thank you, Lord Grayman. You will become a hero in the history of Alden!"
Paul smiled steadily. "All for keeping the enemy at our borders. Promise me, Schroeder—never let the orcs enter the Northwestern Bay!"
"I will do everything I can!" Schroeder raised his voice.
(End of the Chapter)
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