In a city on Yellow Earth Land, a joint staff department was established by a group of high-ranking generals, including the Northwest Legion and the Crystal Radiance Legion.
The generals have finished discussing the overall plan for a full-scale offensive against the orcs; the specific tactical details will be left to the staff officers to refine and improve.
In the brightly lit hall, the sand table on the table was removed and replaced with wine glasses and tableware, which gleamed in the candlelight.
Paul Greiman raised his glass and looked around at the senior officers of the Northwest Legion and Crystal Radiance Legion present.
"Gentlemen!" His voice was steady and powerful. "After careful planning in conjunction with the Staff Department, our full-scale offensive will soon commence."
He turned around and walked toward the huge map that was still hanging on the wall. He ran his finger over the dense flag markings on it, and then pointed to three red arrows on the sand table, pointing directly at the orcs' last line of defense.
In the operational plan, the Ausser Army was divided into three main corps and three auxiliary corps. The main corps would be responsible for the assault mission and would be commanded by General Claude, General Walton, and General Abbott, respectively. The other three auxiliary corps would be responsible for blocking all possible breakthroughs and ensuring that the Orc Cavalry could not use their mobility advantage to break through.
Paul, brimming with confidence, looked across the hall, his gaze sweeping over the faces of every general: "Our army totals 120,000 men. Never before in history has such a powerful force been gathered on this land, advancing in unison without leaving a single gap."
Catherine Glaeman stood beside him, dressed in a crisp military uniform, her long golden hair tied back, exuding a commanding presence.
She picked up where her husband left off, her voice clear and firm: "The orcs think their cavalry can roam freely, but today, we will show them that on this land, no army can escape the Aldor army's crushing force."
The princess slammed her hand down on the map, causing the black arrows representing Orc Cavalry to tremble slightly.
"In the past three weeks, Abar has launched seventeen large-scale raids." Her voice was as cold as the Arctic wind. "The Black Canyon in the north, the Grey Horse Plains in the south, the Broken Blade Hills in the center—his cavalry have been tearing through everything like mad wolves, even at the cost of entire thousand-man squads, just to test the weaknesses in our defenses."
Catherine took a pointer from the aide-de-camp and pointed it at several locations repeatedly marked with red circles: "The craziest time was when they charged through shrapnel, with corpses piled up to their waists, just to exhaust the 7th Infantry Regiment's [limited] ammunition. Unfortunately, that was just their wishful thinking."
Several Crystal Radiance generals exchanged glances. Harrison Abbott looked at the black arrows attacking the human defenses and shook his head: "This kind of fighting is suicidal."
Paul nodded, a sharp smile on his face. "The fully mobilized Northwest Legion is already far larger than the one during the Battle of Stone Bridge Town, not to mention the assistance of the Royal Capital Army."
He wasn't exaggerating. Aldor's forces now covered the entire war zone like an impenetrable spider web. Every pass was guarded by a company of soldiers, every path was fenced with barbed wire and sentries, and even the most remote shepherd trails were patrolled day and night by Militia patrols.
"Even if we suffer losses, our wartime railways can guarantee the transport of three thousand new recruits daily. The arsenals' output is enough to arm five corps. As for Cannon …"
He looked at Bryce, the artillery director among the generals, "Now even the Militia unit can be assigned two six-pounder guns."
Bryce held his head high, a proud expression on his face.
Paul smiled and raised his glass, gesturing for the waiter to fill everyone's glasses with fine red wine: "And tonight, I have another piece of good news to share! Especially with my colleagues from Crystal Radiance, since you don't know much about our previous operational plans."
He gently tapped his wine glass, the crisp sound silencing the entire hall.
"While we were discussing a frontal assault, another large army had already bypassed the Rocky Mountains by sea, traversed the primeval forest, and was moving toward the heart of Great Prairie."
A glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes. " General Andrew's Steppe Expeditionary Force has already taken control of Blackwater Lake and a large area nearby."
A murmur of astonishment rippled through the Crystal Radiance generals. Chambers set down his glass, raising an eyebrow slightly: " Marquis, you mean..."
" Abar and his orc army will be attacked from both sides!" Paul's voice was as hard as steel. "Whether he chooses to fight us in Aldor or return to the plains, he cannot escape defeat."
He raised his glass, the golden liquid reflecting the candlelight: "To victory."
"To victory!" the generals responded in unison, the clinking of their glasses echoing throughout the hall.
The banquet officially began. Paul ran his fingertips along the rim of the crystal glass, listening to the conversations of the guests, his mind remarkably calm.
For Northwest Bay, this war didn't actually need to be so large-scale.
Although orcs are fierce, they are ultimately a collection of nomadic tribes, and in the face of a true industrialized war machine, they are like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
After the Battle of Stone Bridge Town, Abar's defeat was already inevitable. Although the Orc Cavalry was highly mobile, the Northwest Legion was already a generation behind it. As long as they didn't make any stupid mistakes, they could ensure that the Orcs would not gain any advantage in any decisive battles and would be forced out of Aldor's territory step by step.
But Paul chose a radical approach—mass mobilization.
This is not making a mountain out of a molehill, but rather a stress test.
Northwest Bay's military and political system was an industrialized war machine that he had meticulously built over many years, but even the most perfect design needs to be tested in actual combat.
Just as in the early stages of World War I, those industrialized powers were still riddled with flaws in the unfamiliar model of total war—Germany's railway scheduling was chaotic, France had insufficient artillery shells, and Russia even saw the absurd situation of soldiers waiting for guns with their bare hands.
Paul will never allow Northwest Bay to repeat the same mistake in a potentially larger war in the future.
Could the transport efficiency of steam trains really meet the needs of the front lines?
Are there any loopholes in the reserve conscription system?
Can the logistics supply line be maintained under extreme circumstances?
Are the coordination capabilities of commanders at all levels up to standard?
These problems can only be exposed in a real, all-out war.
He turned and looked at the generals who were having a heated discussion inside the tent, his gaze deep.
This war against the orcs was essentially a military exercise, a thorough test of Northwest Bay's war potential. Every mistake and every weakness was recorded, analyzed, and quickly corrected after the war.
When this system faces an even more powerful enemy someday in the future, it must operate as smoothly as a precise clock.
Paul gently swirled the wine in his glass; the red wine shone like blood in the moonlight.
"Find the problem, solve the problem," he muttered to himself.
"What?" Catherine heard her husband's whisper.
Paul smiled slightly, "It's nothing, just some sudden realizations."