Firstborn: Return of the heir

“The southern raid is called off.”

Making this statement bluntly, right in the faces of his officers, Saulus noticed how the expression on the commander of the third company’s face soured. With the invasion cancelled, that he was supposed to lead all on his own, Saulus would expect him to throw a fit and even threaten rebellion… If he was commanding over a normal army, that is.

Instead, hanging his head low, the middle-aged veteran took a moment to calm himself down. After a short while, perfectly aware of how everyone was monitoring his every move, the commander of the third company moved his head back to its straight position.

“Sir, if I may implore, what are the reasons for this decision?”

Instead of allowing his ambition to take the better of him, this middle-aged man quickly proved that he was the right person in the right position. By the time he finished his question, his face showed that he already made peace with the new situation.

“There is only one reason. The enemy already took the city. That raid was aimed at harassing our opponent and stalling his moves, but regretfully, we are no longer capable of achieving that. Sending you off to the south like that…”

Shaking his head for a moment, Saulus dropped it. Sometimes, things were best left unsaid. He continued,

“We would just lose too many men. Even if we could still mess around the enemy flank, it would cost us too many recruits. Let’s not forget that we are not commanding the veteran army. Most of those with experience went to the other side of the hostile land. Just like they should have, to stall the greater threat out of the two we need to face.”

Pointing his finger at the map, Saulus hovered it in a circle around the northernmost and central city of the enemy lands.

“While he holds two of the three major cities on the road, I think it’s safe to assume he will take Mez under his wing as well. But as strange as it might sound…”

Moving his finger down on the map, Saulus pointed at the last enemy fortress that separated the Burnian hinterlands from the friendly legions to the south.

“… it’s the governor of Gaudio that we need to be wary of. He might only control a single, strictly militaristic town, but it would be naive to ignore his strength. Even before the rebellion, the Patriarch himself exiled him there. Some said that it was because he feared this man’s sheer power, others believed it was an attempt to reinforce this location. After all, Gaudio is the one chokepoint and resupply station that strangles our lands. If we ever want to prosper, it needs to be eradicated.”

This time, it wasn’t about taking over the lands controlled by some minor noble or already defeated enemy. Even though Gaudio served as a hub for all the Retesian colonies set on the fertile central plains, Saulus didn’t care. Even taking this fortress wouldn’t do any good. Outside of the problem of supplying and upkeep of it, there was still a risk that it could be easily taken by a counter-invasion.

Set in the very middle of a formerly population-deprived plain, it had no natural defenses to rely on. Whilst its formidable fortifications would make it expensive to starve it or outright storm it, given the lack of any other advantages, the enemy could simply block the fortress and create a makeshift road around it.

That’s why it had to disappear from the maps. For as long as there was a possibility to establish a supply station there, that land would hold importance. Without the protection of the fortress, the Retesian colonists would lose their hub, forced to move back south. Keeping those plains depopulated was one of the national policies of the destroyed Burn household.

Returning in his memories to the times before all hell broke loose, Saulus could picture the old kingdom sitting above the map while reading the reports from the census. Apparently, there were some plans to colonize this rich area, but in order to effectively do so, those lands required a far greater population. Otherwise, not only would the average settler suffer poverty, his humble abode would become a ladder for the enemies to climb into the already rich hinterlands.

“With that said, I can only tell that much about the governor of that place. I joined the court too late, missing my chance to learn more about him. But just from the rumors going around the Patriarch’s capital, it was extremely risky to mess around with that man. Anyway, that’s it, this will conclude our meeting today.”

Suddenly shaking all the troubling thoughts away, Saulus looked at the faces of the small crowd of men gathered around the table. Gently standing up from his seat, he looked at the officer of the third company.

“As we will be turning this place into a stronghold to stop any raids on our side, I need you back in Mengia. Go get your men ready as soon as you can. I will advance with my personal guard first.”

Suddenly leaning over the table, Saulus released a deep sigh. From this alone, anyone could see how tired he was.

“Sir, but…”

Attempting to protest, the commander of the sole mobile unit of the second legion stood up, only to be silenced by a gentle wave of Saulus’ hand.

“We don’t have time for that. I need to get back to the capital without delay. Now that the matters here are settled…”

Stopping his sentence in the middle, Saulus looked up at the two high officers managing the third and fourth company respectively.

“We will follow our orders.”

Reacting in unison, both men sprang up. Giving out their best salute, they confirmed that they understood the general’s instructions.

“Good. That means I’m free to go. Ayden!”

Loudly calling the name of the already standing officer, Saulus stepped away from the table.

“I will give you the tour of the perimeter. I know we are in the middle of a damned plain but I might be able to come up with something. Come.”

As much as Saulus wanted to leave for Aldo, he still had to see some things through. Even though he was not an engineer himself, the records of the ancient ways of reinforcing the ground were safely kept deep within his memories. Contrary to the officer of the company tasked with defending this area, Saulus still had way greater insight into the topic.

“Sir, we will also prepare. The guards unit will be ready in an hour.”

Even though the journey north was relatively short, Saulus’ guards still had to make sure their mounts had enough feed to last. They had to don their armors, check their weapons, organize into formation. Being a soldier himself, he accepted this kind of delay as just a part of military life.

“Good. Let’s meet at the entry to the camp then. Don’t be late!”