Chapter 843: The First Mission

Lumir's second defensive line is established around the Tranquil Sea.

The Cross Scythe Legion in Pearl City has submitted an operational plan.

After Marshal Clifford reviewed it, the plan was sent to the General Staff Headquarters in Kriye City, where it received final approval.

The plan calls for two legions from Lumir, two warbands from Peace Haven's Southern District, and three warbands from the Mobile Strike Group.

On Senar's order, Pabos immediately leads the Ninth Warband toward its assigned theater of operations.

Half a month later, he joins the pre-battle conference as the warband's commander.

Fenditro, a marshal trusted by Obilian, has overall command of the operation. He also commands Lumir's second defensive line.

Once all the senior commanders taking part have assembled, Fenditro opens the conference.

He thanks the coalition's other powers for their support and makes the usual remarks about staying united.

Then the officer who proposed the operation, the commander of Lumir's Cross Scythe Legion, explains the details.

That commander is Tuge. Peace Haven's Eighth Legion originally sent him over as the first commander of the hunting force.

Later, the matter involving Ronan led to an agreement between Peace Haven and Marshal Clifford.

Peace Haven sent officers to help Lumir build three elite legions.

Tuge and the others who had stayed to defend Pearl City remained there as the core officers of the new legions.

Under the agreement, they held the main command posts in those legions.

Their deputies came from the ranks, promoted solely for combat merit, regardless of their backgrounds.

Tuge and the others were originally due to return to Peace Haven at the end of Year Four of the Calamity.

But Obilian personally wrote to Henwell, asking to keep Peace Haven's officers for another year.

In Year Five of the Calamity, the Western Federation formed the coalition and assigned each power a defensive sector.

During the Calamity War conference, Obilian reached another agreement with Henwell.

Henwell consulted Tuge and the others, then agreed that Peace Haven's officer corps could keep commanding the three jointly established legions.

The current plan is their work.

The trap is meant to surround and destroy a large force of Subterranean River Bandits, chiefly to relieve pressure on the first main defensive line.

Tuge and his officers have been preparing for a long time. They chose a suitable area and have kept feeding the Subterranean River Bandits misleading intelligence.

They have also put a great deal of work into preparing the chosen killing ground.

Tuge dispenses with preliminaries and gets straight to the details.

"Six months ago, our intelligence analysis confirmed that the Subterranean River Bandits were organizing a major breakthrough."

"That gave us a starting point for secretly monitoring their possible breakthrough routes."

"Their goal is simple: to enter the Tranquil Sea region."

"We found only two viable routes. The first is to slip in through the rivers, but every river channel is now monitored. That would be extremely difficult."

"The second is to open a network of underground waterways and approach the Tranquil Sea undetected. Once they have enough troops assembled, they can choose a point and break through."

Tuge points to a spot on the map. "This area is called Palm Tree Lake. More than a hundred thousand Subterranean River Bandits have already gathered here."

"Several tens of thousands more are scattered nearby. Their intercepted communications tell us they will move once the breakthrough force reaches a hundred and fifty thousand."

"Over the last two months, we've seen the growth in their numbers here slow sharply."

"We believe they intend to pull in the surrounding forces, then push through all at once."

Whistler, commander of the First Warband, speaks up. "Commander Tuge, if I may."

"The Subterranean River Bandits' strongholds nearby aren't connected by waterways. How can their forces gather?"

"I know they can fight on land, but the farthest strongholds are a full five days' march apart."

"In a large-scale campaign, Subterranean River Bandits won't venture more than three days' march from a water source."

"That would leave them vulnerable. We could easily split them up and destroy their forces one by one."

"They're savage, but they're intelligent creatures with tactics and strategy of their own. They wouldn't be that foolish."

Tuge pauses. "Our intelligence says they plan to cast a wide-area spell to bring on a period of torrential rain."

"They'll gather as the rivers rise, perhaps even overflow."

"Then they'll advance quickly through the swollen rivers to the Tranquil Sea defensive line, using the bad weather as cover."

Whistler frowns. "Where did this intelligence come from? I've never heard that we can decipher the calamity creatures' communications."

Tuge smiles. "Surely you know, Viscount, that the water demons among the Subterranean River Bandits can turn some humans into calamity creatures."

"In the same way, powerful water demons can use a ritual to turn Subterranean River Bandits into humans."

"These infiltrators wreak havoc within human society. Sieges aren't their only use."

"The bandits also send these infiltrators to gather intelligence on us. Our city defenses, our settlements: they want to know about all of it."

"They watch our troop movements particularly closely."

"When we found some of these infiltrators, we didn't kill them at once. We kept feeding them information."

"We led their commanders to misjudge our strategic deployment and find the weak points we deliberately presented to them."

"They built their plan to break through to the Tranquil Sea on the intelligence we fed them."

"How we intercept their extraordinary communication is highly classified. None of you is cleared to know."

"Once you leave this room, you mustn't mention it to anyone. It's our strategic advantage."

Tuge offers no further explanation and has a terrain model brought in.

Everyone rises and gathers around the model. Tuge points to Palm Tree Lake. "They'll take advantage of the coming rainy season in southern Lumir to cast a spell over an enormous area."

"It causes no direct damage. It makes the rainy season much more intense so they can march quickly."

"After they assemble, their only way south is along the Leo River. We've placed plenty of obstacles there."

"So they'll breach the bank and take the surging water through an old river channel."

"That will let them bypass our lookouts and defensive lines and reach the edge of the Tranquil Sea."

"Here, near Bluestone Town, we'll surround them and finish them off."

"Everything is ready. Once they enter the old river channel, we'll activate the water-control works upstream on the Leo River."

"We'll divert the river around the section they've breached."

"We've calculated that within four hours at most, the water in the old channel will fall too low for them to march quickly."

"Then we wait for the torrential rain to end."

"Whether they turn back or press on, they won't reach a water source before the storm ends!"