Exploring Technology in a Wizard World-Chapter 1294 - 1292: Prelude to the National War

"No." Soron approached, took a glance at Richard, and said solemnly, "On the contrary, Lord Richard, we have won the battle."

After a pause, Soron said, "Not long ago, before nightfall, our troops successfully drove the infiltrators from the Sika Kingdom Alliance to the plains near Goda City, forming an encirclement.

"The people of the Sika Kingdom realized something was wrong and tried to break through. The prepared light cavalry, in cooperation with the elite heavy cavalry, launched a charge immediately, pierced through the opponent’s defense, and fought a beautiful annihilation battle. In the end, apart from a mere two hundred remaining Sika soldiers escaping into the nearby forest, half were annihilated and half captured."

"Now it can be said that the infiltration force of the Sika Kingdom has been mostly cleared. The remaining remnants are half-injured and lacking medical supplies, unable to survive in the forest. It would only take a few rounds of cleanup by the second-line troops, along with some vigilance, to prevent them from causing any trouble."

"This is indeed a good thing." Richard nodded after hearing, but he felt a bit puzzled: If it truly was good news, there would be no need to call him here so urgently, right?

"General Soron, apart from this matter, is there anything else?" Richard asked aloud.

"Of course." Soron nodded, giving a firm answer, "Now that the infiltrated army from the Sika Kingdom has been dealt with and the tunnel has been found, we can truly concentrate all our energy, manpower, and resources on engaging the Sika Kingdom in a national war at the border."

"Come and see, Lord Richard!" Soron gestured for Richard to come to the sand table, picked up a stick, and quickly pointed and explained the troop distributions at the border.

Afterward, Soron’s gaze heated: "At first I thought Lord Richard came to the front line mainly to supervise, but judging by your performance, you also have a strong capability in command and possess insight far beyond mine. The previous discovery of the tunnel is one such example."

"Many under my command suggest that Lord Richard’s finding of the tunnel must be either luck or some unknown method. I’m a pragmatic person and won’t dig into specifics—knowing that you have the ability and are willing to serve the Alliance is enough."

"In the upcoming war, I sincerely hope that you, Lord Richard, can fully cooperate with me, crafting comprehensive battle plans, striving to defeat the people of the Sika Kingdom, breach their border defenses, and teach them a lesson."

"Uh..." Richard hesitated slightly, "General Soron, you give me too much credit. I think the discovery of the tunnel was merely luck—don’t overestimate me. I do not have combat command experience and might barely assist in drafting battle plans, but..."

"No buts, since Lord Richard agrees, let’s start." Soron said straightforwardly.

Richard was taken aback: "Now?"

"Of course now." Soron replied, "Every second counts. We are preparing, and so are the people of the Sika Kingdom. Whoever gets ready first gains the advantage."

"Alright then..."

Thus, the crafting of the battle plan started, somewhat unexpectedly for Richard.

The subsequent time was spent continuously refining and complicating the battle plan.

Speaking of which, a battle plan boils down to data processing, akin to solving a math problem.

However, this problem is massive, with countless variables, and many figures cannot be entirely determined, leaving only a probability range.

For instance, whether one wins a war is largely dependent on logistics.

So, ensuring good logistics is crucial.

First, you need to know the exact position of each army on the defense line; then, understand what the army lacks; next, know where resources can be obtained; finally, know how to transport the resources to where they are needed.

It isn’t simply the shortest route between two points.

There are mountains and rivers between the supply points and the army, and perhaps even thief groups roaming about.

So, consider whether to escort with soldiers, where to dispatch soldiers from, or have a passing noble send private soldiers to assist—requiring official orders.

Beyond soldiers, transportation capacity must also be considered.

Given the capabilities of this world’s transportation tools, it’s hard to deliver everything needed in one go, or a supply point’s resources may be insufficient, requiring additional resources from other supply points.

Route optimization becomes essential.

If it’s merely one type of resource, it’s relatively simple, but the army’s needs can’t be limited to one—requiring weapons, equipment, food, clothing, medicines, and various other items—thus dramatically increasing complexity.

After handling logistics, the actual combat must be flawless.

One must know the position, number, morale, equipment, and combat power of each unit, while also striving to ascertain similar data about enemy troops.

The data for one’s own side is relatively easy to acquire, while the enemy’s requires reconnaissance and spies. Even obtained data cannot be fully trusted, needing multilayered verification to ensure it’s not misleading information intentionally leaked by the enemy.

The resulting set of "battle plan calculations" will contain countless unknowns. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Launching an attack under such premises demands making conjectures about various encountered situations and providing contingency plans.

For instance, if the attack proceeds smoothly, how to expand results, or whether there’s a trap necessitating a decisive retreat.

If the attack encounters setbacks, how to reverse the situation—should the attack be abandoned, or should reserves be mobilized to fill the gap?

If the enemy strikes first before the attack, how to defend and then counterattack?

Issues and more issues persistently emerge waiting to be resolved.

Indeed, many tasks don’t require Richard and Soron, the two high command figures, to personally handle—for instance, calculating how much food a regiment consumes, or distinguishing between genuine needs and exaggerated reports by greedy officers—these responsibilities are for the staff and civil servants to verify and complete.

Yet, even so, the two must acquaint themselves with a wealth of data, discerning what’s important versus what’s secondary, what can be temporarily ignored, and what must be fulfilled. Battle preparations can’t be flawless—tough prioritizations by them are paramount.

For example, deciding whether a transportation team should carry iron ingots for repairing weapons or medical supplies?

Both cavalry regiments vie for the vanguard—who leads the main attack, who holds reserve?

In a nutshell, they must balance and coordinate various tasks to strive for an optimal outcome.

This is undoubtedly exhausting, and time-intensive, with Richard, under Soron’s enthusiastic invitation, toiling nearly day and night for two days.

And so, two days later, a late night sees battle preparations almost complete, battle plans finalized, and orders delivered.

With the command for a full-scale assault given from the Command Room, the national war between the Soma Alliance and the Sika Kingdom officially begins.