In Muxi Town: Huggins and his 12 subordinates, forming the "Inheritors" knight squad; Alfonso and his three squires; Cumberland and his 200 sergeants and a dozen subordinates; and 290 hastily trained militiamen.
On the enemy's side: a Silver Ring army of 1,200 men, composed of the Southern Legion, the Northern Legion, and noble private soldiers, plus 200 pirates and 300 barbarian warriors.
In terms of troop strength, with 500 men against 1700, Muxi Town needed one man to fight three enemies, resulting in a complete defeat.
In terms of troop types, Muxi Town has 25 heavy cavalry, 15 light cavalry, 15 horse archers, and 180 soldiers, but the enemy's troop types would only be more, not less. Their remaining forces consist only of some militia newly arrived on the battlefield; if they were to face the enemy's pirates, warriors, and private soldiers, they would likely be routed in a single encounter.
The disadvantages in this battle are simply too great...
Todd, standing on the pulpit, rubbed his temples: "Does anyone here have anything to add?"
To his surprise, someone stood up hesitantly; it was none other than the honest and simple-minded Jerry.
The shy young man, noticing everyone's attention on him, said bashfully in a low voice, "...I know...the fishermen...they..."
Todd opened his mouth slightly, tilted his head, and tried hard to make out the words the other person was saying, but unfortunately the other person's voice was too soft and he could hardly hear it.
Edgar, who was sitting next to Jerry, couldn't stand it anymore. He stood up on his chair and gesticulated wildly, saying, "I'll speak for him! I'll speak for him! Jerry knows some old fishermen, some of whom have even fought against pirates. They have a useful old method for dealing with those bastards who come by ship at sea: find a group of people who are good swimmers, and when they see a warship approaching, they dive into the sea. When the ship passes by, they float up and stick close to the bottom of the ship, then use a chisel to drill a big hole in the bottom, and wait for the ship to sink."
As Jerry listened to Edgar's words, he suddenly bent down and whispered something in the latter's ear.
Edgar listened and nodded, then added, "The old fishermen also said that only those who are good swimmers, can hold their breath, and can hold onto the bottom of the boat can do this. There are only a few fishermen who have this skill now, and they all said they are willing to try it for Lord Todd."
As Todd listened to Edgar's introduction, something suddenly occurred to him, and his eyes lit up.
“Edgar, bring those fishermen who volunteered to scuttle the boats to the church later. I'd like to meet them.” After saying this, Todd gestured for Edgar and Jerry to sit down, then looked at everyone in the hall and said, “So, regarding the tactics for this battle, does anyone have anything to say?”
Huggins glanced at the people around him and spoke first: "In this battle, if we simply defend the town, the chances of winning are probably not high."
Alfonso nodded: "I agree with that view, regarding the two enemies on land and sea. I suggest that we should concentrate our superior forces, first crush one force, and then turn around and defeat the other."
Knight Dion toyed with his ponytail hanging diagonally across his chest: "The key issue is the timing. The Silver Ring army and the pirates will definitely have calculated their marching routes in advance and agreed on a time for a joint attack. If we can get one of these armies to arrive earlier or later, it will give us enough time to defeat them one by one."
The old knight Cumberland stroked his beard and made a suggestion: "I think it's still possible to change the Silver Ring army's marching speed. I'm very familiar with the kingdom's military orders. As long as we forge one and make sure the enemy can't spot any flaws, it will be effective."
Upon hearing this, Huggins guessed, "Lord Cumberland, are you planning to use a false military order to slow down the Silver Ring army's advance and deal with the pirates who have landed first?"
The old man's next words surprised everyone: "No, I used a fake military order to speed up the Silver Ring army's advance and defeat the kingdom's allied forces first."
Seeing the surprised expressions on the others' faces, Cumberland began to explain: "I know you might find it strange that we'd attack the strongest enemy first, instead of the weaker ones. Let me, an old man, explain the reasons: First, the most mobile and combat-effective force in Muxi Town is the cavalry. But if we choose to attack the pirates and barbarians first, the buildings in the town will not only hinder the cavalry's deployment but also become the enemy's best hiding places. Second, the Silver Ring army's command structure is different from that of the pirates and barbarians. The Silver Ring army has only one supreme commander. If we can defeat the commander's troops, it means the army will lose unified command and be more prone to chaos. The pirates and barbarians, on the other hand, are composed of multiple tribes. Even if we kill a leader, it won't have a significant impact on the overall battle. Third, and most importantly, the Silver Ring army has cavalry units, while the pirates and barbarians are all infantry. If we don't defeat the enemy cavalry first, they can adopt a guerrilla warfare strategy, maintaining distance and even attacking the evacuated residents of Muxi Town, forcing us to be constantly on the move and losing our fighting strength."
Seeing that everyone else looked enlightened, Todd nodded and brought the question back to the beginning: "If there are no objections to the strategy of prioritizing the attack on the Silver Ring forces, then there is only one last question: how to create a time difference between the two forces? Or rather, how to create that fake military order that can make the Silver Ring allied forces speed up their advance?"
Cumberland then showed a troubled expression: "This is indeed a big problem. As far as I know, the kingdom's emergency military orders require at least seven seals, each different, and there are some details that ordinary people simply cannot notice. Even the minister in charge of the seals may not be able to..."
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