Chapter 268: The Continental Summons
The temporary forward base on the western border of the Fourth Continent stood as a sprawling logistical hub of canvas and stone. It stretched across the craggy highlands to house the entire second half of the Vanguard’s global offensive.
Inside the central command pavilion, a massive topographical map of the Gildreath Empire dominated the war table. Jorath leaned over the parchment. He traced a finger across the fortified mountain passes guarding Gildreath’s interior.
"The topography ruins any chance for a direct march," Jorath said. "If we send the main force through the central pass, they will funnel us into a barrage of artillery."
Dravox crossed his muscular arms and stepped closer to the map. "We have five hundred thousand troops sitting in this camp waiting for an order. We can absorb the losses."
Odrin rested his hands on the edge of the table. "We have three hundred thousand human infantry. One hundred and twenty thousand belong to Ka-Lam-Tee directly. The remaining hundred and eighty thousand answer to the eighty vassal gods. We need to utilize their specific blessings instead of charging blindly."
Odrin tapped a series of small outposts plotted along the northern ridge of the Gildreath border. "The vassal infantry holds highly specialized blessings. We have units with localized terrain manipulation and thermal resistance. We send the vassal troops through the northern ridges.
The terrain is hostile, so their blessings will negate the environmental hazards. They can bypass the primary artillery emplacements and flank the mountain passes."
Jorath drew a line on the map with a piece of charcoal. "My core human infantry will hold the central line. We will act as the anvil. We will advance to draw the artillery fire and lock Gildreath’s main army into a defensive posture."
Dravox moved a cluster of wooden markers toward the southern valleys. "That leaves the beast battalions. Two hundred thousand total. One hundred thousand answer directly to The Spiral, and the rest follow the vassals. We do not need blessings for the environment.
Our stamina and mobility allow us to traverse the southern swamps undetected. While the humans hold the center and the north, the beasts will sweep up from the south and crush the Gildreath flanks."
Jorath studied the proposed pincer movement. The strategy utilized every specialized unit effectively while avoiding the fatal chokepoints of the main mountain pass.
"It relies on the vassal troops maintaining the northern ridge," Jorath noted. He looked at Odrin. "If they break, the beasts will be cut off in the south, and the central line will fall to the artillery."
"They will hold the ridge," Odrin assured him. "The vassal gods’ army knows the consequences of failing Lord Rubedo."
Dravox unhooked his weapon from his back. "Then the strategy is set. We march at dawn. We will break Gildreath’s border in three days and pave the road to Voranthar."
Jorath straightened up and looked at the other commanders. "Send the deployment orders to the battalion captains. Tell the vassal infantry to prepare for high-altitude combat. The siege begins tomorrow."
A few days later, Voranthar sat in the temporary war room within the Tarnstead capital.
He stared at the sprawling map of the eastern territories while Soros watched from the opposite side of the table. Suddenly, the wooden doors burst open, and a scout rushed inside.
The man dropped to his knees on the marble floor.
"Voranthar, we received urgent reports from the far western borders," the scout gasped.
"Report," Voranthar commanded.
"The Gildreath Empire is under attack," the scout explained. "A massive army breached their northern mountain passes and southern swamps simultaneously."
Voranthar stood up from his chair. Gildreath rested on the exact opposite side of the Fourth Continent.
"Who is attacking them?" Voranthar asked.
"They fly the banner of The Spiral," the scout answered. "Our spies counted five hundred thousand soldiers. Three hundred thousand humans and two hundred thousand beasts are slaughtering the Gildreath defenders as we speak."
Voranthar walked around the table and looked at the full continental map. He picked up a wooden marker and placed it on the eastern border where the first Vanguard army currently dismantled the Tarnstead coalition.
Then, he placed a second marker on the far western border over Gildreath.
’They bypassed the western route and crossed the Third Continent,’ Voranthar thought.
Soros stepped closer to the map. He pointed at the shrinking gap between the two markers.
"We lost the outer kingdoms of Tarnstead already," Soros stated. "The eastern army is days away from this capital. If Gildreath falls to the second army, the west is completely gone."
Voranthar realized the true scale of the invasion. He was completely surrounded by two massive Vanguard armies.
The pincer attack severed all his supply lines and eliminated his escape routes entirely. He could not retreat to the west or the east.
Voranthar stood at the war table inside the Tarnstead capital. He placed a wooden marker on the far western border of the Gildreath Empire and looked at the eastern borders of Tarnstead.
The scout knelt on the floor after delivering the news of the five hundred thousand Vanguard troops breaching the west.
Soros stepped closer to the map. He pointed at the shrinking gap between the two wooden markers.
"We lost the outer kingdoms of Tarnstead already," Soros stated. "The eastern army is days away from this capital. If Gildreath falls to the second army, the west is completely gone. We are surrounded."
Voranthar realized the true scale of the invasion. The pincer attack severed all supply lines and eliminated his escape routes. He could not retreat to the west or the east.
He initially considered sending the remaining ten Heralds directly to the outer walls to brace for a siege. He quickly discarded the idea because a scattered defense would fail against two massive armies.
"Do not deploy the Heralds yet," Voranthar ordered. He turned away from the map and looked at his scribes standing near the door. "We need a unified front to survive this. Draft an immediate summons."
The scribes quickly readied their parchment and ink.
"Bring the remaining ten Heralds to the central hall," Voranthar instructed. "Send riders to my commanders and generals. Summon the surviving Tarnstead kings and their military leaders. Dispatch urgent magical envoys to the western borders."
Voranthar placed his hands on the table and stared at the Gildreath territory on the map.
"Invite the bordering kings of Gildreath and the Emperor of the Gildreath Empire himself," Voranthar continued. "Contact the Morval Dynasty in the south. I want their main kings and commanders present at this summit."
Soros crossed his arms. "You want to pull the entire human leadership of the Fourth Continent into one room."
"We have no other choice," Voranthar replied. "The Spiral surrounds all of us. Deliver the invitations immediately and prepare the grand hall. We will hold the council as soon as they arrive."
