Although the South is now under Giles ' control, it has long been part of the Kingdom of Aldor. Before Giles rebelled and annexed the South, it was home to many lords loyal to the royal family. During this southern campaign, many former South natives served as guides in the Kingdom Army, so its basic geography was not unfamiliar to the Kingdom Army.
On the other hand, as an important part of supporting the Kingdom Government, Alda once sent a large number of surveyors, disguised as merchants, adventurers, and travelers, to the south to survey the geography and draw many professional maps. In terms of accuracy, these maps far surpassed the traditional maps that were drawn based on the cartographer's intuition and became an important basis for the Kingdom Army to formulate marching and combat plans.
Now, Aldor The Royal Army, having pursued Giles all the way, has entered a mountainous region known as the Devil's Belly. Its terrain resembles folds squeezed out of the earth. Although the mountains in the South are not as majestic as the Rocky Mountains that stretch across the North, they are still quite rugged and difficult to traverse. There are very few roads that can support a sizable army.
Inside the command post, Alda's advisor, Claude, pointed at the map and presented his flanking maneuver strategy to Royal Army Commander Harrison.
"It is clear that Giles intends to hold Eagles Beak Pass in Raleigh Woods. We are confident that we can take the pass, but a frontal assault alone will not be enough to stop his continued escape."
"Looking at the map, there is a mountain road to the east that can bypass Eagles Beak Pass. By going through this route, we can get around to the back of the pass, cutting off the southern border's support for Giles on the one hand, and preventing him from continuing his escape south on the other."
Claude was actually just suggesting a detour, because Giles was unlikely to have multiple defenses; it was almost certain that his forces would be concentrated at Eagles Beak Pass, so they just needed to bypass that area.
Harrison looked at the guide beside him, " Is the road Lord Claude mentioned feasible?"
The guide frowned and thought for a moment before replying, "That path does exist. In the past, many merchants used it to bypass checkpoints and smuggle goods. However, it's a very difficult path to traverse, and I'm not sure if it could support a large army. There are hardly any towns or even villages along the way, so there's no guarantee of timely access to food and water."
"How many days will it take to reach the rear of Eagle's Beak Pass?"
"If all goes well, it will take about five days."
Harrison looked at Claude and said confidently, "This shouldn't be a problem. Our soldiers can carry their own food and walk for five days without any issues."
Claude nodded. "It's best to travel light. Don't bring too many weapons or ammunition."
Harrison looked around at the assembled officers: "Does anyone else have any objections?"
Someone raised their hand: "I think..."
...
After a detailed discussion, the Royal Army command reached a consensus on splitting forces to block Giles's retreat, and the staff began working on the details of the operation.
The Kingdom Army's maneuver will face many problems, the most difficult being how the two separate armies can coordinate.
Lacking reliable means of remote communication, they could only agree on the timing of each step of the operation.
Since this is the first time a flanking maneuver has been executed, there is only one set timeframe: the time when the flanking force arrives at the target location and the time when the main force launches its attack.
Once the agreed time arrives, the main force will launch a frontal attack on Eagles Beak Pass regardless of whether the flanking force has reached its designated position. If the flanking force is still en route and the frontal attack is successful, then Giles will simply escape. Unless forced to the last resort, the Greedy Wolf Grand Duke is unlikely to have the idea of going down with the pass.
It should also be noted that the Kingdom Army may suffer the terrible consequences of insufficient frontal offensive power due to the division of forces, and being counterattacked by Giles. The troops that have penetrated behind enemy lines will face an extremely dangerous predicament - they will be effectively surrounded by the enemy.
But isn't war a gamble?
Of the six infantry regiments heading south, the Royal Infantry Second Regiment was selected to carry out a flanking maneuver.
At the meeting, all six commanders requested Harrison to entrust the mission to their own troops. They were all young, passionate, competitive, adventurous, eager to make a name for themselves and bring glory to their families. Naturally, they would also secretly compete with each other in this war to quell the rebellion, fearing that they would fall behind.
Commander of the Second Regiment, Viscount Ed Chambers, was extremely excited and swore to Harrison that he would arrive at his destination behind Eagles Beak Pass on time and that he would kick the great traitor Giles's ass to pieces.
After the staff revised the plan, each soldier of the Royal Army's 2nd Infantry Regiment, carrying five days' worth of rations, ventured into the folds of the "devil's belly" with a local guide.
The food they carried included hard bread, jerky, fried noodles, canned goods, and other foods that could be preserved for a long time. Fried noodles and canned goods from Northwest Bay were particularly popular. Since the invention of canned goods, the manufacturing process has undergone several upgrades and iterations. The packaging has changed from earthenware jars to glass, and the shelf life has been extended to one year.
Although they were traveling on remote paths, they still had to be careful, as no one could be sure whether Giles had set up checkpoints along these paths.
Commander Chambers knew the weight of his responsibility and dared not be negligent in the slightest. He strictly followed the instructions in the infantry manual, sending out scouts in all directions during the march to keep abreast of all information about the unit's surroundings.
However, good fortune did not always favor the Kingdom Army. As the Second Regiment struggled to advance through the ravines, a sudden downpour greatly increased the difficulties they faced.
The muddy ground made the mountain road difficult to walk, and there was also the danger of mudslides and landslides. The Second Regiment had to stretch out the column, and when passing through some dangerous sections, they had to go through them one by one in company units.
Some soldiers fell ill from marching in the rain, but fortunately, the Kingdom's new army was well-nourished and trained, and the soldiers were generally in good health, preventing a large-scale outbreak of disease. Chambers set up a group specifically to care for and shelter the soldiers who had fallen behind due to illness, while the main force continued its march.
But an even greater difficulty is that some sections of the road have had their landscape altered by heavy rains. This may be a minor adjustment for nature, but for tiny humans, the blockage of a small valley can force them to take a long detour, or there may not even be a road at all, forcing them to carve it out themselves. Even with local guides, this situation remains extremely difficult.
This is where the Kingdom's new army truly tests its field combat capabilities. Once they deviate from their course in any place, they will be unable to reach the rear of Eagles Beak Pass on schedule.
Sorry, I've been quite busy with work this week.