Victor's resolve had hardened. It may have been a hard choice for him to intervene and contribute to the slaughter of innocent Christians, but it was necessary for a better future. One not dictated by an ambitious head of the faith, nor by an ignorant king.
"What are your orders, Your Majesty?" asked General Rapp.
Victor studied the map laid out before him. He analysed his current position and made a judgment call. "General Valerius." The Zandarian stood at attention. "I want you to choose a dozen of your best cavalrymen and send a man you trust southeast of here. If we want to have a chance, we need allies. The neutral counties are essential for us."
General Orion Valerius nodded and quickly dismissed himself to begin preparations. The nearest county that was neutral was a 3-week march away, and they would need to sneak through a county controlled by Duke Sozzini.
"Field Marshal Wellesley, you will take command of 3rd Corps and 16th Corps and lay siege to Sinolla. Coordinate with the fleet as they can assist you." Victor ordered. The British Field Marshal and the two generals under him stood tall and nodded before separating from the main group to begin preparations for a siege.
"As for the rest of us, our task is to hunt the Sozzini Army. They are the only army nearby that can cause us issues. Most of Alphonse's troops are moving towards Florenzia to retake it. If we defeat them, then we can move through the north unopposed." Victor continued.
Everyone nodded and began their preparations. Victor's plan was logical. At present, they were surrounded by Alphonse's supporters and had no way to escape the continent. Securing Sinolla would be essential to this. Eliminating the Sozzini Army would also mean that Victor would not have to urgently worry about them razing Prato.
Field Marshal Wellesley was the first to make his move and began his march to Sinolla within 48 hours. It would be crucial for Wellesley to begin the siege as soon as possible; they did not want the Sozzini Army to discover their intentions.
A few days later, Victor and the main force marched west towards Forli. It was reported that the Sozzini army was camped in the ruins waiting for new marching orders. It was a race against time, and Victor needed to come up with a plan to confront the army on his terms.
Marshal Davout, who was the leader of the main force, proposed using the besieging force as bait, and they should set up an ambush on the road between Forli and Sinolla. It was risky to say the least, but it made sense. The only issue would be if the Sozzini Army decided to ignore Sinolla and march to Prato.
Within a week, Field Marshal Wellesley arrived at Prato and began forming a perimeter.
At first, the city was confused; the Luxenberg troops were not enemies, so they were perplexed to see what they were doing. To their surprise, they saw artillery pieces being drawn by horses. These artillery pieces were set up facing the city, which gave cause to panic.
Unfortunately for Sinolla, that was not the only cause for concern. The Luxenberg Fleet, under the command of Grand Admiral Nelson, was now positioning themselves to fire on the city. With the immediate danger of facing such a fierce broadside unopposed, the acting governor of Sinolla panicked.
The garrison of the city was relatively weak since the majority of soldiers were taken to fight in Forli. Additionally, all naval forces were sent to the south to support Madena and deliver a small amount of reinforcements.
The three Luxenberg Corps totalled around 105,000 infantrymen, 15,000 cavalrymen and 450 guns. It was not a terrifying force, but when paired with a massive fleet parked outside the city, their combined force caused many to lose hope. The Sinolla garrison only boasted 20,000 infantrymen, most of whom were militiamen and 100 cannons.
Caught in a dangerous situation, the acting Governor of Sinolla had to think. He was only a simple advisor to Luca Sozzini. He had zero experience in warfare, let alone siege defence. There were only a few low-ranking commanders of the Sozzini Army in the city, and they could see a pointless battle in front of them
Not wanting to act cowardly, the acting governor did the basic preparations necessary to withstand a siege. But he knew deep down it would never be enough. Nevertheless, he remained firm and forbade anyone from surrendering.
For a week straight, the Luxenberg forces remained dormant, not unleashing a single volley upon the city. Some of the garrison soldiers celebrated, thinking that the besiegers were scared. But for most, a chilling thought crossed their mind: If Victor brought a massive army with him, where was the rest of it?
It was a good question. While Field Marshal Wellesley encircled the city, Victor and Marshal Davout set up an ambush along the main road leading from Sinolla towards Forli; they were about a 2-day march away from the port city.
Victor had 210,000 infantrymen, 30,00 cavalrymen and 900 cannons at his disposal. The reported army composition of the Sozzini army was only a third of that number.
When news came that the Luxenberg Army was attacking Sinolla, the General in charge of the Sozzini army, General Giuseppe Arlo, made haste to the city. While Luca Sozzini was in the capital, it fell upon him to protect the north. If he were to lose the ancestral home of the Sozzini family, it would be a great blunder.
With a sense of urgency, the men marched double time to break the siege of Sinolla. The hurried march would be their downfall. In the reports alerting General Arlo of the siege, their were no mention of numbers. He was not aware that it was only a fraction of the Luxenberg Army besieging Sinolla.
When the army was marching through a valley of rolling hills that were only two days away from Sinolla, they came to a devastating surprise.