Chapter 259: Four Steps to Victory
Forced conscription... It was, of course, the only choice available.
With no allies to make up the larger numbers, and the soldiers already in the army not being enough, the only place to get more men was from the people themselves.
"Then forced conscription it is."
White decided.
"But... some of them have never even held a weapon before. They’re farmers, blacksmiths... boys. We don’t have time to train them into warriors."
Juntar replied reluctantly.
"Draft them."
White said, his tone unchanging.
"Make sure fifty thousand people are ready to face the barbarian army. They don’t need to know how to fight. Just make sure they can hold a spear properly."
"Remember, we’re preparing to fight only half the Hellwraiths, and even they must think that’s overkill. We’ll outnumber them, and some of those drafted may not even need to fight at all."
He said.
"But still... we’ll lose quite a number."
Juntar mumbled.
"Fathers... sons... gone."
He appeared shaken, but White grabbed his shoulder, shaking him out of it.
"If we don’t fight... we all die. Fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, infants. We’re sacrificing a little to save a lot, Juntar."
"A bad choice, but... it’s the only one we’ve got."
"Make sure that wall is fortified to its absolute limit. Arrows. Catapults."
"Equip them with the best weapons and arm them to the teeth."
"Use everything we’ve got, as if we’ll never fight another war again. For very well, we may not."
"Begin the preparations tonight."
White said before waving him off, and Juntar bowed, turning to leave, only to pause.
"It must be a hard decision for someone like you, my Lord."
He said before leaving through the door.
White remained, looking at the moon in the sky.
Of course, it was a hard decision.
Burning crops was one thing. Crops would always grow again eventually.
But forcibly conscripting civilians?
Lives would definitely be lost, and life wasn’t something that could be regained.
His command was a blade through the necks of many, a choice even White found hard to bear.
But the question wasn’t the choice.
It was what would happen if he didn’t make it.
Certain death.
This wasn’t about good or evil.
It was a fight against a certain fate of death.
"And by the devil... we shall succeed."
The door to the throne room was just as he remembered it, yet standing before it, it appeared beyond monumental.
Still, his hands reached out, and he pushed against the doors, stepping in to find a room waiting for him.
The King sat upon his throne, visibly troubled yet hopeful, and the same was true for the chiefs, who all immediately turned their eyes toward him.
Some smiled. Others looked hopeful.
A positive change from yesterday.
But White knew all of it was still ephemeral.
"Your Majesty."
He greeted with a bow.
"Commander Mallory!"
The man called out.
"By your prompt appearance, I trust you must have come with a way out of our precarious situation, no?"
He asked, and White stood upright, his face hardening.
"Of course, my Lord. I have come with a plan. One that will have us undoubtedly prevail against the Hellwraith army coming for us."
"A hundred percent chance..."
One chief said.
"...with no buts?"
Another completed.
"The only ’but’ will be in your hands, my King. Whether you choose to pass such a decision or not."
"Very well then."
The King said.
"Let’s hear it."
"The decisions are only four steps."
White began as pin-drop silence covered the room.
He stepped forward, dragging a large table to his side before ripping off the map used as decoration in the throne room and laying it upon the table.
That way, every single chief and the King could see it.
"Firstly..."
He pointed toward the outer regions of the kingdom.
"The Hellwraiths are coming from a distant territory. The journey to our kingdom takes four days, which means they cannot possibly carry enough food and water to sustain a large invading force indefinitely."
"They will arrive expecting to replenish themselves from the crops, livestock, and wells outside our walls before beginning their assault."
He paused, making sure they all understood. Their nods confirmed it.
"We will deny them that."
White finished, and the nods stopped.
"Every civilian living in the outer settlements will be brought inside the capital walls, and afterward, every crop outside the walls will be burned, and every well poisoned."
Several of the chiefs stiffened upon hearing that, and even the King’s eyes narrowed.
"When the Hellwraiths arrive, they will find nothing waiting for them. No food, no water, no means of replenishing their army."
"They will be forced to begin the war hungry, thirsty, and desperate."
"Secondly."
He continued before anyone could voice an opinion.
"Our current military strength is insufficient. It takes approximately five of our warriors to reliably kill a single Hellwraith barbarian."
"If even half of their army arrives, we will be severely outnumbered for that reason."
He swept his gaze across the room.
"Every able-bodied civilian capable of holding a weapon will be drafted."
A sharp intake of breath echoed from one chief as the others turned to look at him, as though they couldn’t process White’s words.
None of it stopped him from continuing.
"We do not have time to create soldiers. We only need to create numbers."
"Every man capable of standing will be given a spear, and every boy capable of holding one properly will be given one as well."
"Our objective is simple: make fifty thousand defenders stand upon those walls."
"Thirdly."
He continued.
"The walls..."
He pointed to the massive wall surrounding the kingdom on the map.
"...will become our greatest weapon."
"The Hellwraiths are superior warriors who possess superior strength and superior experience. Therefore, we will not meet them on open ground."
His finger tapped the capital on the map.
"We will force them into a siege."
"Every catapult and every arrow in the kingdom will be moved to the walls."
"Every blacksmith will cease civilian work and focus entirely upon weapons and armor, such that if a single piece of iron exists within this kingdom, it will be used for war."
"Fourthly."
"The kingdom will enter complete wartime rationing."
At that point, the chiefs’ expressions fully darkened.
"The crops outside the walls will be destroyed, and the civilians of the outer circles will be brought in."
"Our food reserves will not last if consumption continues normally. Hence, from this moment onward, food will be distributed equally and under military supervision."
"There will be no distinction between a noble, a merchant, or a civilian. Everyone eats the same."
"These..."
White said with an exhale, taking a step back and folding his hands behind his back.
"...are the four steps to our victory."
