Learning of the next two targets made Victor very eager to march at the head of his army and join in the assault. This would be an opportunity to prove himself and try to gain favour with Field Marshal Gai Mou. If Victor could secure the Field Marshal's allegiance, the entirety of the Southern Army would declare loyalty to the Kingdom of Luxenberg.
Although Victor was ready to go, he had to assess what forces he could use. Apart from the Royal Guard, General Lasalle's 14th Corps was still camped outside the city with General Bun Gen as adjutant since his infantry was assigned to the assault groups under General Rapp and Marshal Lefebvre.
Both of the assault groups were needed to secure the villages and turn them into defensive positions. If the Kislevian raiders returned, they would not have an easy time establishing a foothold in the region.
The garrison of Yanmen would not be able to spare any troops for Victor since they were only 25,000 strong. Beihai was a 7-week march away, so Victor could not rely on any assistance from his two Generals, Gaku Rai and Taku Kei. Jiuzhen was 3 and a half weeks away, but it would be hard to unite with any of the forces they would send as reinforcements; the two fishing villages under Kislevian control were right in the way.
The first fishing village was just over a one-week march away; it was known as Fushu. The village apparently housed over 50,000 Kislevian raiders and was used as a staging point for deeper incursions into the continent. Some of the raiders were also believed to be a part of the Tsardom of Mikhailovich's Army. The Tsar may internationally condemn the raiders, but he also had a vested interest in their success.
The second fishing village, which was closer to Jiuzhen, was a 2 and a half week journey away. The name of this village was Naka. Just like Fushu, it was infested with Kislevian raiders, 70,000 strong at least.
Naka was a strategic location for the Kislevian raiders; it was a place that held the forces of Jiuzhen in place. With such a large host of raiders, keeping the forces at Jiuzhen and Beihai at bay, the raiders could look to pillage the south-western coast while only facing a fraction of the Gu Southern Army.
Taking Naka would prove highly difficult for Victor, who only possessed half the number of soldiers. Victor contemplated using the system to try and see what he could buy with his Store Points. If Victor were focusing on buying any available troops, he could aim to buy 2,000 infantrymen to support his current forces, yet that would not be a productive way to use his Store Points.
In total, Victor's soldier composition was 31,000 infantrymen, 4,000 cavalrymen and 150 guns, as well as 2,500 Royal Guard infantrymen and 500 Royal Guard cavalrymen. This number of soldiers would potentially be able to take Fushu, given that the scales were slightly out of Luxenberg's favour, but taking Naka would be a tall task for this force.
Victor decided that taking Fushu would be a task that they could accomplish with relative ease, but he needed more men. He brainstormed ideas on how to bolster his ranks; even a division of infantry would be of great help. In the end, Victor was able to get an extra 12,000 soldiers to join his force for attacking Fushu.
They could pick up General Bun Gen's infantry division that was stationed with General Rapp on the way. Victor also managed to convince Lieutenant Bi Hei to lend him 2,000 soldiers from the Southern Army that were stationed in Yanmen. It may not have been a lot, but for what Victor had planned, it was plenty.
Two days later, Victor rode out to Fushu at the head of his army. It was smaller than he was used to, but it was still a formidable force, especially since the entirety of the Royal Guard would be actively participating in the battle.
For the next week, the soldiers under Victor's command marched in perfect unison. Their discipline and rhythmic footsteps impressed the Gu soldiers accompanying them. They were not accustomed to this level of discipline, even when serving under Field Marshal Gai Mou.
Fortunately for Victor's soldiers, the shade of tall trees provided excellent protection against the warm sun. The cool, refreshing shade was a luxury for them, although they could only enjoy it for a moment in passing.
With each day's passing, Victor's eagerness grew for multiple reasons. He had never encountered people from Kislev, so he was curious to see how similar they were to Slavic people. He was also itching for the chance to prove himself and garner the support of Field Marshal Gai Mou.
When Victor's army arrived at Fushu, they made sure to set a camp a fair bit away, out of the Kislevian raiders' vicinity. Night was soon to begin, and the tired soldiers were not fit for a fight right away. They needed to rest and assess the situation properly the next day.
When light began to shine on the land, Victor and half a dozen soldiers scouted the village.
The main entrance to the village was on the northern side of it. Trenches and stakes were laid out, creating a funnel effect using the road that led into the village. The eastern and western sides of the village were not as heavily defended, but it was adequate enough.
There were almost 70 ships near the harbour, 50 of them were transport ships, while the rest were warships that were similar to the Luxenberg third-rate ships. If the previous assaults were any indication, the enemy warships would not risk firing on their own men, so there was a good chance they did not need to worry about the warships.
As the report mentioned, there were around 55,000 Kislevian raiders. Many of them were lounging around the village. Victor decided that rushing into a battle may not be the best option, so he spent half a day just observing the habits of the invaders.
By midday, Victor noticed something interesting. A raiding party of at least 10,000 men were preparing to depart from the camp. They must have been looking to travel inland and raid more villages.
Seeing that the camp was about to lose a fifth of their garrison, Victor grinned and prepared to get his army ready for battle.