Chapter 365 365-The Onslaught
Cotler argued, "What does it matter to us if Howard is defeated?"
Bismarck shook his head and replied, "Such sentiments should have been expressed before the war began. We, Phrus, are already committed to this fight. If Howard loses, are we to single-handedly withstand Manluk and Osland Kingdom? Though Phrus is capable in battle and might not necessarily lose, such a conflict would severely deplete our national strength. Cotler, you have two choices: lead a thousand men back, or stay here to command your troops and keep silent.
As time progressed, the siege of Constantinople Castle revealed its daunting challenge.
After a grueling two to three months, the fortress stood unyielding, its defenses seemingly impenetrable.
Alonso, assessing the situation, proposed to Howard a direct and forceful assault on the fortress.
The continuous siege was weakening Phrus's position, and he feared they might not hold much longer.
The situation was dire.
Phrus's eastern territories had fallen, lands they had previously wrested from Polen were now under Osland Kingdom's control.
If the current state persisted, the fall of Kenisburg loomed imminent.
The officers of Phrus, known for their stoic and reticent nature, remained stationed in a chilly silence on Howard's Balgen Peninsula.
Resarite had once suggested a plan to intensify the siege by including Phrus's troops in the encirclement of Constantinople Castle.
However, Bismarck, addressing the logistical limitations, pointed out that their supplies were inadequate for such a massive force.
Overcrowding the siege with troops would only lead to deaths not from combat but from a severe shortage of provisions – an unacceptable loss.
Howard, aware of these supply constraints, had Oungria Kingdom hastily form ten artillery units to join the siege, bombarding Constantinople Castle daily.
Yet, the fortress stood defiant against their relentless assaults.
Howard recognized the strategy of Frederick and Bismarck hinged on the fortress succumbing within a feasible timeframe.
Only if Constantinople Castle fell within a reasonable period would their prolonged siege bear fruit.
Should Phrus's territories nearly be completely overrun, Frederick would not deplete his nation's strength in a hopeless fight.
Conversely, Osland Kingdom would not allow Phrus to withdraw without significant repercussions.
They would surely reclaim the large expanse of territory previously seized by Phrus and additionally demand considerable territorial concessions from Phrus's eastern lands.
In the sweltering heat of the military camp, Howard stood, his hands braced against a table, sweat dripping from his forehead.
He masked his inner unease with the oppressive summer heat, his perspiration a cover for his growing anxiety.
Frederick and Bismarck were indeed extraordinary characters.
Their own territories were on the brink of complete occupation, yet they managed to endure, waiting idly on Balgen Peninsula.
The murmurs of discontent among the ordinary soldiers of Phrus, as well as the palpable tension among his own troops, were not lost on Howard.
In a meeting, Howard slammed his hands on the table in frustration and asked Neplon, "Why can't we take it down?"
Neplon placed his military cap on the table and replied, "The defenses of Constantinople Castle are formidable. I have ordered daily bombardments with cannons. Moreover, our allied navy is holding the coastline of Constantinople Castle. We are in the final stages of the offensive."
Grinding his teeth, Howard retorted, "Final stage? Didn't you say the same thing last month? Why then have we not succeeded yet? How many fortresses has Osland Kingdom taken in Phrus? And why haven't we captured even one?"
Neplon responded, "Constantinople Castle is renowned as the finest medieval fortress for a reason. Its unique defenses are unparalleled. Just a little longer – the castle's internal supplies of water and food are severely depleted. My scouts have seen numerous Osland Kingdom defenders attempting to escape under the cover of night. The end should be near."
Just then, the Governor of Milan entered the tent and addressed Howard, "My Milanese troops have occupied the surrounding areas since our landing. Yet, we have seen no sign of Osland Kingdom's forces. Could it be that the sixty thousand Osland Kingdom troops in Phrus are their entire army?"
Howard expressed his uncertainty, "For a nation as vast as Osland Kingdom, sixty thousand troops is far from their limit."
He continued, "But your Milanese forces number only a little over ten thousand, and with our main allied forces trapped at Constantinople Castle, unable to come to your aid, it's puzzling that Osland Kingdom hasn't seized the opportunity to attack you."
His expression turned somber.
"I'm unclear whether Osland Kingdom truly lacks additional forces, or if they're plotting something else."
Boshni suggested a plan that Howard found quite promising.
Finally, after five days, Howard succeeded in capturing Constantinople Castle.
The troops of Phrus and Oli Kingdom poured out smoothly, penetrating directly into the heartland of Osland Kingdom.
Caught off guard, the Osland Kingdom forces in Phrus were unsure how to react.
Driven by a fierce momentum, Phrus's army, undeterred by the potential for heavy losses, swiftly overran two of Osland Kingdom's fortresses, forcing their troops into a successful retreat.
Reflecting later, Howard considered the tactic of letting Phrus's troops merely wait in a province west of Constantinople Castle as perhaps somewhat tactically unsound.
However, the idea of his and Phrus's forces dying not from combat but from hunger and exhaustion due to insufficient supplies was unbearable to Howard.
Yet, from a strategic standpoint, the perspective was different.
Howard felt torn between the grim reality facing Phrus and the dreadful human tragedy of losing troops to inadequate provisions.
In this complex web of military strategy, neither option seemed favorable.
Howard resolved to delegate the command of the next battle entirely to Neplon.
The burden of issuing commands, coupled with the guilt, criticism, and complaints arising from any perceived misjudgments, was becoming unbearable.
Initially, Neplon had been given command, but due to poor coordination with Frederick, Howard had intervened, taking charge himself.
Yet, the prolonged struggle over just Constantinople Castle had starkly revealed the limits of Howard's military acumen.
While Howard's military prowess was commendable, it had not yet reached the level of a creator of military theory.
Faced with dilemmas, his heart lacked a clear predisposition, a forethought that could guide him through such quandaries.
Fortunately, the subsequent campaign in Osland Kingdom's mainland unfolded as smoothly as Howard had promised.
Osland Kingdom had spent considerable time maneuvering its forces around the sea, taking a long detour to reach Phrus.
Realizing the unstoppable momentum of the Oli Kingdom's allied forces and lacking confidence, they ordered their troops to retrace their steps, wasting precious time.
Osland Kingdom did have an additional force of over 37,000 troops, intended for a surprise attack on Milan.
Although outnumbering Milan's forces, they risked encirclement by Oli Kingdom and Phrus if they engaged in battle.
This contingent had remained on standby in their homeland, but why hadn't they attacked Milan's troops before Constantinople Castle fell? The reason lay in the limited military capabilities of the general commanding these Osland Kingdom forces.
Although war is often perceived as a theoretical concept, with military theories viewed as differing tendencies open to comparison, the reality is that the operational difficulty of warfare, and the process of implementing tactical execution, cannot always be guaranteed.
This was precisely the case with the general commanding the force of over 30000 troops.
In theory, the scenario seemed straightforward: over thirty thousand Osland Kingdom troops against a mere ten thousand from Milan – a sure victory, one would think.
Milan wasn't known for its military prowess and couldn't match Osland Kingdom's combat capabilities.
However, even on home ground, this general was plagued with uncertainty about potential reserves Milan might have.
It was a cascading effect.
Initially, the general had been confident that Osland Kingdom's coastal defenses would hold firm.
He believed their navy would not only block enemy naval forces but also secure the coastline of Constantinople Castle, facilitating the delivery of supplies to support the castle's prolonged resistance.
But now, shaken by the defeat of Osland Kingdom's navy, the general had succumbed to a sentiment that the enemy was invincibly powerful.
The prospect of his 30000 troops facing Milan's 10000 now seemed daunting.
Faced with dissatisfaction within his ranks, he used the possibility of enemy reinforcements as an excuse.
To the urging of several mid-level military officials, he responded, "Let's wait a bit longer. Perhaps our main force can overwhelm Phrus into withdrawing from the war. When that happens, we will make our move."
R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at freew𝒆(b)novel.c(o)m Only