Battle of Cir (1)

Brig. Gen. Damien Renzellern. Drissian Encampment February 1731 City of Cir, Province of Ciresia, Osterian Empire.

Standing atop this hill gave me a more magnificent sight than I ever could imagine, a content smile etched in my expression as I inspect each and every detail of the view before me.

After all, the view before me was magnificent. With the sun rising across the treeline stretching across the plains, a humbling sight. Meanwhile, the villages stood abandoned, a sight that would have spoken of a peaceful, provincial life.

The rural beauty it held was breathtaking.

I breathe in at such a thought. The last few days of marching and thinking have taken its toll. After all, there was only so much pressure a man has to contend with, especially with the recent revelations. I needed a rest and this view could give me some of that.

With a shake of my head, I turn, burning away such thoughts. The next few days would need my utmost attention if I ever hope to win.

"Sir!" a man shouts beside my ear, and I wince in irritation. The upright captain has become more or less my adjutant, an irritation to be sure, but one I welcome from the competence he has shown.

My expression of irritation then changes into a forced smile. "Captain Solecki! Is there a problem?"

"Nothing of the sort, sir. I merely came to inform you that the man you have asked is here. He seems to have finished your task." The captain replies with a salute.

"I see. Have my three subordinates come to my tent. Tell them it is of utmost urgency, one related to the battle ahead."

The man salutes, "Yes, sir!"

I enter the tent, whereupon a man waited. His eyes shift timidly before looking at me, his back straightening in fear, a welcoming sight as I enter with a smile.

"Lieutenant Dutko! I'm going to assume what I asked for is done?"

Dutko salutes, "General! It has an honor to be of your service." He takes out documents and plans with a satisfied smile. "This hill you had me survey is more than adequate for your plans."

He fixes his glasses, "Though I would advise you against adding another level of defenses. Based on your specifications, the hill's stability would weaken if you do so."

"I see. How many mages would it take for the hill to collapse?"

Dutko pulls back, "Sir? I don't think there are enough mages to do such a thing."

"Answer me, Liutenant."

He audibly gulps as he lowers his head, seemingly deep in calculations.

He raises his eyes, "Three thousand, sir. If you insist on six levels of entrenchment. There's a possibility of failure. But with five, that possibility lowers down drastically to the decimals."

His words make me stop. As it stands, the latest reports show an Osterian Army is almost twice that of our size, sixty thousand against our forty thousand.

I alone am enough to gather their attention and with this hill overlooking the entire battlefield along with the mages on my General Weissman was sure that they'll concentrate their forces on me.

Therefore, they have tasked me with protecting it.

Protecting it I shall, but with the days dragging on, the reports increase in accuracy. Their mages outnumber us by two thousand, an amount filled with those barely trained mages.

But something that still holds a significant amount, one that would leave us in heavy pressure.

Hopefully, those trenches would help in protecting ourselves against that.

"General! Col. Forst reporting for duty!"

The shout outside the tent shakes me up from my thoughts. My eyes turn to Dutko and nodded. "You may leave, but inform me of any complications. As things stand, I'll be needing your expertise in this battle."

"Of course, General. Victory and Glory!" He shouts with a salute before leaving. Forst then enters with Schneider and Meyer saluting as they stood.

They then take a seat, their eyes locking on to the reports and documents scattered all over my table, their expressions filled with questions.

With a simple magic, the documents before me land on their laps.

"The current situation has called for drastic measures. The General believes our brigade is where most of the battle will happen."

The three men look at the document in question.

Meyer spoke up, "But, sir. Can't they just ignore us? A hill such as our wouldn't be much of help if there aren't much we can do."

I nod. "I understand your concern. It would be remiss of us not to think of such a possibility. That's why a significant amount of mages are to be diverted from both General Klein and Warner."

Forst looks up, "How much, sir?"

"Five hundred."

"But that isn't enough to turn the tide, is it?" Schneider asks.

"It shouldn't be." I turn to him, "So that's why I'll be asking you and your men to gather something for me."

He salutes, "Of course, sir, anything."

"I'll send you the specific instructions later. Make sure you follow it to the letter."

"Yes, sir." He nods in affirmation.

I then lean back in my chair. "With that done, let us focus on the battle instead."

With a sway of hand and with little effort, a soft wind blows the documents to the side, revealing the maps sent to me by Lieutenant Dutko.

"I'm sure you have been hesitant to send your men up on this hill. The easy target we pose against the Osterian mages will leave us bloodied. That's why I propose these defenses."

They look down at it before Meyer spoke up, "But, sir. The Osterians are already five hours away. As things stand, doing something like this would greatly exhaust our forces."

Forst taps his finger on the table. "But the risk alone is better than taking the hits of the enemy mages, and they'll be forced in a melee if they ever want to make ground."

"That wouldn't be enough to justify its existence." He gestures to the plans, "We'll be thinning our already thin lines and our enemies would easily crush any resistance the moment a melee starts."

"But we could fire?" Schneider asks, "Fire with the muskets on all our defensive lines, since the risk of injuring an allied soldier will be minimal. We could thin out a charging infantry before they make contact."

Meyer stops in thought, nodding to himself. "I see, but-"

"Meyer. The men will not be exhausted." I turn to him before I gesture to myself, "I will be personally creating these defenses."

The three men widen their eyes, and I acknowledge the question present in their expressions.

"I will use magic to create our trenches."