The meeting was silent as a graveyard.
"Release logs into the river? What an idea you’ve come up with!" Colonel Robert suppressed his anger, "We might as well each hug a log and jump into the river, tossing our weapons, armor, and warhorses all to the Herders!"
"If not logs, what about building boats?" someone retorted, unconvinced.
"Boats! What boats?" Colonel Robert finally lost control, "Don’t we have Venetians in the army? Call them over and ask how many boats it would take to carry twenty thousand men! And don’t forget the warhorses! Even with the largest boats from the Inner Sea, to transport twenty thousand men, you would need an entire fleet!"
Both generals remained silent.
The atmosphere inside the tent became extremely oppressive.
Robert was not usually the type to get easily agitated; on the contrary, he was very rational.
But the more rational a person is, the more likely they are to break down in the face of absolute despair.
"What if we hold our ground here and send people to Kingsfort to find boats?" Colonel Haugwitz pondered, "There are certainly plenty of boats at Kingsfort. Isn’t the wool shipped there annually by boat before being floated down the river to The Federated Provinces and Vineta?"
[Note: The river referred to by the Paratu People is the Ashen Stream River, which is the Torrent River to the United Provincials and Venetians.]
A glimmer of hope kindled in everyone’s eyes.
"That’s right! Kingsfort has boats! Of all sizes!"
"The Styx leads to the great river, all the rivers of the wilderness flow through! Let the boats come to save us."
"Gentlemen!" Colonel Robert could not help but shout, "We are upstream! Kingsfort is downstream! Haven’t you ever heard of ’buying a boat to go downstream’? Venetian merchants buy boats in Paratu, load them with wool to the Inner Sea, then dismantle the boats to sell the timber, and finally return to Kingsfort on horseback!"
Colonel Bod calmed down Colonel Robert and explained to the others, "From Kingsfort to here it’s upstream. Venetians would rather buy boats and go downstream than row against the current precisely because it’s too difficult.
Rowing against the current relies on three things: oars, sails, and trackers. It’s winter now, with west winds blowing, so we can’t use sails and have no one to pull the barge lines. To gather enough oar-powered warships, we’d need the Inner Sea fleets of Vineta or The Federated Provinces."
"Don’t count on boats!" Colonel Bod concluded heavily, he paused, saying, "The only feasible strategy is for us to hold here and send people back to Kingsfort for reinforcements. As long as the reinforcements can crush the barbarians across the river, we can build a floating bridge."
A floating bridge, having no fixed piers, requires cables and anchors to be arranged on both banks and upstream and downstream to maintain its axial position from drifting off course.
The Herd Raiders poised on the opposite bank of the river were essentially strangling the Paratu army’s throat.
Without defeating them, the floating bridge could not be built.
"I think it’s feasible!" a staff officer agreed loudly.
A concerned staff officer asked, "Hold out? Do we have enough provisions?"
Colonel Bod answered resolutely, "If not enough, we ration! If still not enough, we slaughter horses! We must hold until the reinforcements arrive."
"What if the reinforcements can’t break the siege?"
"Just on the Newly Reclaimed Land alone, we can muster thousands of Dusacks and militia. How could we possibly lose to the few thousand Herders across the river?" Colonel Bod spoke with confidence, "The barbarians have invaded, and the militias from all places must have begun assembling. The Legion headquarters just needs to send them over."
Colonel Haugwitz crossed his arms, asking, "Relying on reinforcements for relief is too passive; we should find a way to send some men across the river, and eliminate the barbarians on the other side. There are about three or four thousand barbarians across the river; just fifteen squadrons should suffice."
[Note: Fifteen squadrons at full strength total about three thousand cavalry; in actual combat, due to difficulties in replenishing troops, there are only about one thousand seven hundred.]
Colonel Robert countered, "How do you propose to send them across?"
"By boat?"
"Where are you going to find boats that can carry two thousand cavalry!"
"Go upstream, and use small boats to transport them little by little."
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"Colonel Haugwitz! Haven’t you thought about the issue of morale?" Colonel Robert glared as he rebutted, "If the Herders can hold the opposite bank, can’t they keep watch on the upstream and downstream? If it fails, the loss wouldn’t just be fifteen squadrons of cavalry, but also fifteen squadrons of warhorses.
I won’t even address whether you can cross the river. Given the army’s current state, we will collapse here before you even reach the opposite bank! The soldiers will think you’re trying to flee!"
Haugwitz sneered, "You’re underestimating the people of Paratu!"
Colonel Robert flew into a rage, "We’re the ones doing the hard labor, what right do you have to say that?"
Both sides were on edge, ready to explode at any moment.
"Sit down, all of you!" Alpad banged on the table fiercely, "Want to duel? Take it outside. Don’t get blood on me."
General Sekler sighed, "Holding tight for reinforcements is not a good strategy, but it seems we can only choose the best of the worst options. We need to think of a contingency plan. What if the reinforcements don’t come? Or if they come but can’t relieve the siege?"
The tent fell silent again.
If the reinforcements don’t come or can’t relieve the siege.
Then the only fate awaiting the Fifth and Sixth Legions would be—annihilation.
"One of my Centurions has an idea." The one-eyed Colonel, who had been silent until now, broke the silence; his voice was not loud, but it captured everyone’s attention, "The young man is quite inventive, I think it’s worth a try."
"Skip the nonsense," General Sekler looked at Colonel Jeska with dissatisfaction, "Speak!"
"Build a bridge!" Colonel Jeska took out the blueprints, "Not a floating bridge, but a real bridge."
Colonel Robert raised an eyebrow, "A real bridge? How will you build it?"