{Excerpt}

…Despite Fornari's theory that man's altruistic desire for self-sacrifice for a noble cause is a contributing factor to war, few wars have originated from a desire for war among the general populace. Far more often the general population has been reluctantly drawn into war by its rulers. One psychological theory that looks at the leaders is advanced by Maurice Walsh. He argues the general populace is more neutral toward war and wars occur when leaders with a psychologically abnormal disregard for human life are placed into power. War is caused by leaders who seek war such as Napoleon and Hitler. Such leaders most often come to power in times of crisis when the populace opts for a decisive leader, who then leads the nation to war.

“Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship. ... the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”

— Hermann Göring at the Nuremberg trials, 18 April 1946

…

Excerpt from the series “WAR(Psychoanalytic)” - Wikipedia

{END}

37.14.1623

The Outskirts. Pryga.

…

THE CAMPFIRE HISSED AND SPAT as fat from Levi’s roast dripped into the flames of a small cooking pit. A short distance from where the earl sat on a crudely craved log were the knights and militiamen of his expeditionary army. Some sat quietly a few metres away from the frozen river around a rather large bonfire, cooking, warming up and otherwise relaxing themselves while they still had the chance. Others mulled around the temporary camp that is to serve as the staging grounds of “Operation Winterstorm”, engaging in minor constructions and moving items to where they ought to be to achieve some semblance of much-needed order. Meanwhile, a few others simply focus solely on constructing two wooden ladders wrought of freshly chopped timber, iron nails and twine.

The winter sun was still relatively high up, its dim rays peeking through a curtain of grey clouds, and though that might not be the case for much longer given how short the days have recently become, the men were making good progress converting the previously empty forest clearing into a suitable base of operation at a pace that even Levi, with as picky as he tends to be, could appreciate. Idle, the earl focused on cooking chunks of fatty, barely day-old venison. The warmth from the crackling fire and the tangy scent of meat roasted in its fat with just a sprinkling of ale was a welcomed change from the monotony of the expedition, yet still, a desolate aura of sobriety hung thickly in the air.

Absent-mindedly, the earl flipped the roast over as he watched his men prepare for battle. More than a few of them radiated a constant stream of nervous energy.

“I hope you are not having cold feet now, m’lord?” Lancelot asked, jesting as he stomped over to where Levi sat. Having temporarily discarded his skis, the usually dashing viscount cut quite the comedic figure as trudged through ankle-deep snow.

Levi glanced up at the viscount with a bland stare. He held this expression for a few moments before passing a chunk of roast on a stick to the older man. “Eat your food old man,” the earl said disdainfully as he returned his gaze to the fire, the reflection of the crimson light flickering in his eyes, “or do you need me to find someone to chew it for you first?”

“Haha, good one,” the viscount chuckled, biting into the meat. Levi stared at the flames for a few more moments before sighing as he tossed his unfinished roast to a nearby militiaman who clumsily caught the unexpected projectile before nodding thankfully as he added it to his own meal.

Raising an arm, Levi allowed the viscount to help him to his feet. The two turned and began trudging towards a corner of the camp where a row of skis had been stabbed into the snow for storage.

“The camp has been secured and lookouts have been posted, m’lord,” Lancelot said. “Also, the scouts have returned and reported finding a suitable location from which we can survey the town. We can head out now to begin mapping it out before we proceed further.”

Levi simply nodded in approval as he pulled a pair of skis from the mound of snow before leaning against a nearby tree in an attempt to put it on. “And Sir Drive?” he asked.

“Still supervising work on the siege ladders, m’lord. He said it should be done in about half an hour, by then we ought to have returned.”

Levi nodded again, bending over to tighten the leather cording on his skis. Confirming the pair had been secured properly, the earl propelled himself forward, exiting the camp down a narrow, snow-clogged road with Lancelot trailing closely behind. They soon met up with three other men who were to direct them to their destination.

“How far is it?” Levi asked the one who appeared to be the leader of the group.

“Tis a small hill a little to the east, m’lord,” the man replied. “We should be there in a few minutes.” And so, the next few was simply a blur of trees as the small group shot through the woods, eating at the distance at a remarkable pace. Soon they arrived at the foot of a small hill and begun the tiring process of scaling it.

“This should suffice,” Levi said, examining the vantage point. It was located at a somewhat skewered angle from camp in relation to their target, Pyrga. On a side note, Levi realised the smoke from their camp was much more visible than he had predicted and momentarily debated having the fires put out upon his return but quickly discarded the thought. No point aggravating the men more than they needed to be. Besides, he doubted the smog pillars would make any significant difference to his overall objectives even if discovered. It was highly improbable the town would send men out to investigate a campsite that faraway from the town itself. Especially not in this cold.

Pyrga was just a few hundred metres away from his current location, with a sparse treeline that got thinner the closer you got to the town bordering it from the north, and as far as Levi could tell, from the east as well. Not much unlike Redwater or Greenfields, well with the exception of its size and the five metre-tall bastioned walls nearly completely surrounding it.

Dotted with faint grey pillars of smog rising from a remarkably sparse number of chimneys given the size of the town, Pyrga was quite a picturesque sight with every road and roof covered in a thick blanket of snow. They were few townsfolk out in the open and fewer still actually doing something other than huddling around one fire or the other. In the distance, atop the wall were a few tiny, sparsely positioned figures, guards―probably―given that normal townsfolk rarely had a reason to be on a defensive wall of any type. Very few were decked in what appeared from the distance to be thick furs, but most seemed to be forced to settle for piles of ratty clothing to keep warm.

Very few eyes, if none at all, were actually watching the town’s environs from the walls. Most appeared to be asleep.

“This might just work,” Lancelot murmured as he stared at the town’s poorly defended wall. Levi ignored the viscount’s words as his gaze scanned the wall, trailing towards the portion of the town that spilt out of its protective confines.

“I am considering we flank around from the west along the Strega since it is closer to the Margrave’s keep. If it’s as poorly defended as this wall we should be able to easily cut in through the harbour without much hassle, or what do you suggest Lancelot?”

“Hmm?” Lancelot hummed, considering. His gaze followed Levi’s finger as the earl gestured towards the town. “I concur. That would most probably be the best approach. Though, we should also consider our escape route in the event of a retreat.”

“Fine,” the earl said after a brief pause. “A few arbalists will be stationed at the harbour to keep it accessible should we need it to make our way out. I will begin mapping the town. We can discuss our approach in detail when we return to camp.”

“Very well, m’lord.”

…

Returning to camp was much easier than it was to head out, mostly due to the simple fact that they were heading downhill instead of up. Overall the trip was fruitful despite the need to relocate a few times in order to find the perfect angle from which to view certain portions of the town. A small majority of important locations were hidden behind other structures or proved harder to identify than normal given the distance and weather conditions, hence requiring such manoeuvres. Eventually though, Levi and his crew returned victorious with a detailed map in hand and a meeting with platoon leaders was conveyed to facilitate a debriefing.

“...Our objectives in a descending order of importance are control of the Harbour and its arsenal, the Northern main road within the Old town, the Keep, the Bell tower and the Northern gate of the Old town, which is to be designated N1. Once control of these has been established the Western and Southern gates of the old town and the Northern gate of the New town, designated W1, S1 and N2 respectively, are to be closed and their mechanisms destroyed in order to render them inoperable, hence sealed.”

Levi looked up from the map on the ground towards the ten odd knights gathered around him, confirming that they were still paying attention.

“It is very important that N2 is sealed only after the Bell tower has been rung and the townsfolk are completely evacuated inside. We cannot have a portion of the populace gathered outside the wall or it would be near impossible to control them given how few men we have here. Once the N2 has been sealed, all of our men in the New town are to retreat to the Old town via N1 and maintain control of the gate. The men at gates S1 and W1, and the Bell tower are to regroup and resupply at the arsenal before moving to assist in securing the Keep. By then the Keep should already be under our control and Margrave Timel in custody, so such aid would only be precautionary.”

“What if the Keep hasn’t been seized at that point?” Sir Drive asked.

“Well, there must have been a major complication, though I sincerely doubt something like that might happen,” Levi mused. “Either way, reinforcements should immediately proceed towards the keep to ensure it is seized, though not at the cost of our control over gate N1 nor the arsenal nor our escape route at the harbour. Our objectives are clear. Very clear:

First, we capture and secure the harbour and its arsenal since it would be our forward base of operations within the town itself. Also, it is our only guaranteed escape route in the event of a retreat and resupply depot for arms. Second, we clear the Northern main road of any possible resistance and secure some means of transporting items quickly, anything from plain horses to donkey wagons would suffice. This road is important since it would serve as our logistical line and permit easy control within our intended sphere of influence which extends from the Keep itself to gate N1 and everything in between. Third is the Keep. We need it as a suitable replacement for our forward base. If we fail to capture the Keep we would be forced to attempt a siege with the harbour continuing as our forward base. This would be highly improbable since it is likely the Keep has enough resources to hold out for a few months and at that point this entire expedition is a bust. It is essential we capture the Keep. Fourth, the Bell Tower and gate N1. Without the Bell tower we would be unable to control the portion of the town outside the wall, and if we do not secure the gate we would remain vulnerable to enemy reinforcements from the New town. Fifth is the sabotage of all the remaining gates. This is to prevent anyone from leaving the town without my express approval once Pyrga comes under our control.

Once we capture Margrave Timel and his household, a trial would be held where they would be found guilty of colluding with the Heras in their attempt at using power from my household and hanged for treason. The town would then be promptly placed under martial law until further notice. Understood?”

There was a solemn silence as the men gathered digested the plans presented to them, a hint of discomfort in the eyes of more than a few.

“M’lord―” One particularly uneasy knight began.

“Understood?” Levi repeated, turning a bland stare towards the man. An audible gulp.

“Y-yes, m’lord.”

“If there are no other questions,” Levi said as he turned his gaze to meet Lancelot’s conflicted one, “we shall depart in thirty minutes after everyone has been assigned a role.”

…

Levi turned around to face the line of men behind him, each soldier bundled up in a hooded coat of fur that hid their battledress, chainmail and gambeson, and carrying various weapons strapped to their forms. Wooden skis were strapped to their feet by strips of leather, and a single thick flaxen cord several metres in length tethered each person to the one behind him as the entire expeditionary army formed a hundred-man-long human train with two wooden ladders resting on the ice beside them.

“Remember, we've been through this already!” Levi shouted. “Hug the shoreline, that’s where the ice is at its thickest, and you at your safest! I am sure no one wants to end up falling into the river underneath. While the tether does offer some protection in case you do fall in, I highly doubt it would save you from the cold. Our friend Lagger can testify to that.”

Chuckles broke out as the militiaman in question shrivelled into himself upon being placed under the spotlight.

“Watch the man ahead of you!” Levi shouted again. “If he slows down, you slow down. If he speeds up you maintain your speed unless I say otherwise! And remember to keep your eyes peeled for cracks!”

With a small roll of his shoulders the earl turned around and adjusted the longsword strapped to his back. For a moment he shut his eyes, inhaling deeply before letting out a thick gust of fog. The next moment his eyes opened, clear and still like frozen pools.

“That’s all!” he shouted, propelling himself forward along the frozen river. “Let’s go!”