The commanders of the Sardinia Kingdom had just endured three terrifying days.
Their troops had inexplicably assembled in the center of a valley. To this day, not a single officer—not even the Sardinian general—dared to admit to giving such a foolish order. Even the soldiers and junior officers, when questioned, couldn't recall how the army had stumbled into the valley, only to be caught right in the open by the National Guard.
Riding in on trucks and singing songs, the Valois National Guard's Southern Front Army arrived to find the dazed and disorganized Alliance soldiers. Though they found the situation comical, they still took it seriously, deploying their forces and engaging the motley crew of invaders in a proper fight.
The speed of the National Guard's advance had taken them completely by surprise. Both the Southern Alliance and the Church had estimated that their enemy would need at least five more days to arrive—a window of opportunity they intended to use to take Anion.
