Edwin squeezed into the already packed cart, eliciting groans from the officers around him as the edges of his armor pressed into them. He pulled the door closed behind him, then looked over the heads of the gathered people to where General Asher was standing at the front.

“That should be everyone,” the general said, “so let us begin. Karmund, if you would?”

“Yes, General,” the chief of staff said, standing. “First, let me get everybody on the same page regarding today’s events. After setting up according to our plan, the enemy behaved as expected, firing a number of fireballs at us from long range, which the embedded mages defended against while limiting casualties.”

He nodded at Master Gregory, who returned the motion.

“What we did not expect was their next maneuver. By launching fireballs with a precision we did not account for, they disabled the south-eastern batteries of Giant’s Head, depriving us of their fire support and inflicting substantial casualties on the siege component of the garrison forces. With the threat of the ballistae removed, the Marradi could then move without any pressure, and they used that freedom to engage us on the entire width of our line while scouting for weak spots. We originally considered our right flank almost impossible to attack, but with Giant’s Head unable to cover it, a large area was now exclusively held by 3-2, a single cohort of light infantry with crossbow support. Realizing this, the Marradi sent almost an entire battalion to break through this spot. Only with the aid of 2-1, which had been held in reserve, did 3-2 manage to escape complete destruction and disengage from the battle. At this point, our line was broken and the battle was lost.

“Due to our enemy’s advantage in troops, the left flank was also facing superior numbers, though the difference was not as great. A cohort of infantry was trying to wrap around the edge of our line to encircle second battalion, and with our reserve occupied, they almost succeeded. In a decisive intervention, ninth auxiliary managed to encircle the enemy flanking force instead, wiping out almost an entire cohort and allowing our remaining forces to leave the battlefield. Our rearguard then fought a retreating battle until the Marradi pursuers entered the firing arc of Giant’s Head’s intact north-eastern ballista batteries. As they seemed to have no mages of their own amongst their numbers who could have defended against the artillery, they gave up the pursuit. We assume that they will remain in their current position until they find a way to disable those batteries as well, at which point they will continue their chase.”

“Master Gregory,” Asher chimed in, “how long do you think this will take them?”

“Impossible to say, I’m afraid,” the bald mage answered. “The best case scenario would be that each of their mages capable of casting fireball has completely depleted their mana, which would give us up to a day. If that is not the case, if they kept some in reserve or simply have a different way of dealing with the issue, they might already be moving again.”

The crowd buzzed unhappily, but Asher quieted them with a stern look. “Our scouts are keeping an eye on the situation, so we will find out in due time. First, while we may have lost the battle, I want to give credit where it is due. Despite our initial plan not working as intended and faced with a perilous situation, all of you kept a cool head, allowing us to escape the battlefield and fight another day.

“Harrick,” he said, facing each battalion’s commanders in turn, ”facing overwhelming odds, your men did not panic but retreated in good order. Conrad, your men have once again been the foundation of our efforts. Without your decision to keep holding the line to give second and ninth the time to disengage, this would not have been possible. Meller, despite being surrounded, your men did not waver, but fought bravely until assistance arrived. If I could reward all of second battalion with a day off, I would. Gerrack, your quick reaction and determined intervention saved the lives of hundreds of our men today. I want all of you to relay my words to your men, as their actions today have been exemplary.”

Hearing the general’s words, the gathered officers stood up straighter, and many a downtrodden expression hardened with pride and determination.

“Finally, Master Gregory,” Asher said, facing the mage. “The mages that were embedded in our units have not only protected our men against the enemy spells, but saved the lives of dozens of critically injured soldiers who might not otherwise have made it to the field hospital. Please convey my deepest thanks to your colleagues.”

“I shall,” Gregory answered. “Also, let me assure you that we will get more adept at cooperating with your soldiers. While we managed to prevent the fireballs from falling among your men, many were still injured by the liquid fire spilling past our shields. I have ordered the ritualists to supply a functioning defensive ritual before the beginning of the next battle.”

Asher nodded in thanks, then continued, his smile vanishing. “Now, to the less pleasant part of this meeting. With the loss of Giant’s Head, we are effectively out of options. In less than two days we will reach the bridge at the northern Trenn crossing. If Lindvar makes it across, there is nothing stopping them from blockading 1st division’s supplies and threatening their rear. At that point, our two divisions will be stuck between three Marradi ones, two of which are made up of veterans. General Ossick will have to give up his position and try to break out, and even if we manage to survive the battle, there will be nothing stopping the enemy from marching into Harvand territory.

“If Lindvar division chose to, they could bypass this bridge entirely and cross the Aste further west, leaving us unable to stop them. It would add at least a week to their journey though, and since they had no trouble pushing us back so far, we assume that they will try and get past us once again. To put it simply: We must not lose this bridge.” He looked around, meeting the eyes of his audience, then continued. “We are already working on a plan for the defense.”

Before he could continue, Bordan’s arm shot up so quickly that he paused in surprise.

“Yes, Bordan?”

“With all due respect, General, if we fight the next battle as we have the last three, the result is already decided.”

The cramped room became so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop. From the mortified expressions of the surrounding officers Edwin gathered that it wasn’t common to speak to a general like that. While Bordan wasn’t a soldier anymore, he had been only a bannerman in his active time, meaning he hadn’t even been invited to meetings like this one. Edwin could only imagine how hard it had to be for him to speak up like this, but he continued, undaunted.

“Even if they hadn’t managed to blow up Giant’s Head, I don’t think we’d have managed to hold them. Only first’s heavies can stand up to the enemy infantry in a fair fight, and with their superior numbers, a fair fight was never in the cards. If we continue to fight like this, we will continue to lose in the same way.”

All heads swiveled to the general, waiting for him to explode. He didn’t, though, looking at Bordan with a sad smile.

“I agree with you, Bordan. Many of us do, I am sure, though we might have chosen different words. But our forces are what they are, and we have to fight with them whether we like it or not. Or have you not only identified our problem but solved it as well?”

Bordan remained stoic, meeting Asher’s gaze. “I think I have, General.”

A few officers chuckled, the picture of an adventurer in mismatched armor having all the answers likely appearing quite unlikely to them, but Asher didn’t join them. Instead, he leaned forward, his smile wiped away.

“You have my attention.”

“The problem isn’t that we have the wrong type of infantry, it’s that our doctrine doesn’t account for our situation. Our divisions behave like a cohort of heavy infantry, just bigger: The archers, light infantry and scouts are only there to force the enemy to face off against our heavies, where they are at a disadvantage. But we don’t have those heavies, which means that this tactic cannot possibly work.” Bordan paused, taking a breath. Calmer, he continued.

“Instead, we need to change our entire way of thinking. We have three heavy cohorts, but counting ninth battalion we have seven light ones. That means that we are the first light division in the history of Harvand. Instead of basing our tactics on our heavies, our plans need to be designed around the idea that it is the light infantry who must win the battle, with the heavies working to make their job easier, not the other way around.”

Asher raised a hand, tapping his lips. “I see your point, outlandish as it may sound. What exactly would you suggest, then?”

“Light infantry may be considerably worse in a prolonged fight, but they have their own strengths that heavy infantry can’t match: Speed, maneuverability, and concealment. I believe that if we properly utilize those strengths, we can easily defeat any enemy, including this one.”

After a few seconds of tense silence, the commander of second battalion cleared his throat. “I agree with Bordan, General. Equipment aside, the training of my men focused on exactly the elements he mentioned. Fighting in a shield wall was an afterthought.”

“Understood,” Asher said, looking at the other two commanders. “Conrad, Harrick, what do you think?”

“It seems reasonable,” third’s commander said. “We should definitely explore the possibility.”

“I am affected least of us all,” Conrad said, first battalion’s commander shrugging his heavily armored shoulders. “My men will do their duty, no matter what role we play.”

“Karmund?”

“I agree as well, General.”

While the other senior officers said their parts, Asher hadn’t broken his piercing gaze from Bordan’s, who met it without backing down. After a few seconds, the general clapped his hands.

“Very well then. We have work to do, and if we want to completely rewrite our tactical doctrine before tomorrow, we need to get started. The battalion commanders stay behind, everyone else is excused. Not you, Bordan, get over here.”

Stepping off the moving cart, Edwin took a deep breath of the cold, fresh air. With so many people, sweaty from the fight, the air inside the wooden box had quickly become stuffy, and he saw the relief on the faces of the officers spilling out of the door after him. With nothing else to do, Edwin turned toward the rear of the train and started walking.