War in this era was like chess. Shiks' biggest mistake was to pick the previous champion as their opponent in their first match as a player who hadn't participated in a tournament for more than four decades, only to be defeated as they wished.
The problem was that they refused to admit defeat and insisted that they had a chance at victory. So, they raised the stakes once more in an attempt to make a comeback, only to lose everything in the end.
Sometimes, confidence didn't represent strength. Shiks, for example, believed that the five standing corps would be enough to sweep through the seven colonies of Aueras.
Yet, they ran into Ranger and were slapped twice in the face, wiping out two standing corps.
So, they lost their heads from the two slaps and lost their confidence. They became paranoid, believing themselves to be weak and imagining the enemy to be incomparably strong.
Even though the scouts sent out never returned and those that did couldn't find any information on the enemy, the three remaining standing corps of Shiks still knew who their opponent was through the intelligence relayed back and forth from Aueras.
They were the newly formed elite force of the Aueran royal family, Ranger.
After wiping out Pancry and Krado and reclaiming all their lost territory, they were allowed to expand into corps. There were also two other overseas corps formed from the local garrison forces and civilians.
Before the start of the war, the five standing corps of Shiks were brimming with confidence. They believed that none of them was weaker than Ranger. As for the other two so-called overseas corps, they didn't think much of them at all. Those newly formed corps were nothing more than cannon fodder on the battlefield. They were nothing more than cannon fodder that came knocking on their door.
The strategists of the five corps of Shiks estimated Ranger's combat power to be 1, the same as the five standing corps.
At the same time, they also overestimated the combat power of the two overseas corps and set it at 0.5 to show that they weren't underestimating their enemy.
With that, the total combat power of the five standing corps was 5, while the Aueran garrison only had 2. It was obvious that the enemy wasn't a match for them at all.
Cromwell's invincibility and Balingana's unstoppable advance had left a deep impression on the strategists of the five corps. They believed that their pre-battle predictions and estimations were correct and that victory was just around the corner.
Then, Tanya and Kujoa Corps were gone. These two slaps to the faces of all the staff officers were stunned.
The strategists of Wicklund, Cybok and Faybort rummaged through the intelligence they received on Ranger and finally found the crucial point they had overlooked.
According to the reports, the royal guardsman, Aueras's number one field corps, admitted that Ranger was on par with them in terms of combat prowess. In a military exercise, the royal guardsman lost all four rounds of combat.
It was no wonder that Tanya and Kujoa were wiped out. They had underestimated the enemy's combat power.
If they were fighting against the royal guard, they would estimate the enemy's combat power to be around 1.5. As the number one field corps of Aueras, not a single Shiksan soldier would look down on them.
But against the unknown Ranger, the strategists couldn't help but make the mistake of underestimating the enemy.
Since the royal guard admitted that Ranger wasn't any weaker than them, it was obvious that Ranger's combat power should be 1.5 as well.
Now that Ranger had expanded into a corps, its combat power would double again to three.
As for the enemy's two newly formed overseas field legions, their combat strength should not be much different from their own standing legions, which should be one. In that case, the enemy's total combat strength should be five.
The strategists of the remaining three corps breathed a sigh of relief when they finally found the reason for Tanya and Kujoa's annihilation.
It was simple. Ranger and the overseas corps attacked Tanya first before taking out Kujoa. That was four against one. The two Shiksan corps weren't a match for them at all, so it was only natural that they would be wiped out.
According to the strategists' calculations, even if the enemy suffered some losses in the battle against Tanya and Kujoa, their total combat power would still be around 4.
In other words, the three Shiksan corps were at a disadvantage at the moment. They had to stick together to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of the situation.
They couldn't split up either, as that would only make the three corps suffer the same fate as the other two.
So, Wicklan, Cybok and Faybort could only huddle together by the Dorinibara River for warmth. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place.
When news came from the rear that the supply convoys had been ambushed and couldn't be delivered to the main camp, one of the folk sent to escort the supplies was ambushed by Ranger and only a few hundred of them managed to escape.
Coupled with the enemy's light cavalry around the main camp, the three corps were even more certain that they had fallen into the enemy's trap. They were surrounded by enemy soldiers who were watching the main camp from the shadows, ready to take a bite out of them at any moment.
The best course of action for Wicklan, Cybok and Faybort was to pull back immediately.
With the three corps working in tandem, they could easily retreat to Wickhamsburg, the capital of Cromwell, and regroup there before making their next plans. Attack or defend, they would have a choice.
None of the high-ranking officers suggested such a strategy. Even though everyone knew it was the best choice, no one was willing to shoulder the responsibility, be it the one who suggested it or the one who decided to carry it out.
Just like that, the three legions, which numbered close to two hundred thousand, arrived at the Dorinibla River. After enjoying the scenery for a while, they turned back and did not engage in a major battle with the enemy. On the contrary, during the march, the enemy had wiped out two of their allies. It could be said that they had been scared off by the enemy.
So, who would bear the responsibility when they returned?
Although doing so would protect the three standing legions, none of the high-ranking officers of the three standing legions would be able to escape the consequences of being held accountable when they returned.
Losing without a fight and being labeled as a coward would be a disgrace to their families. What was more serious was that they might even be stripped of their noble titles and even imprisoned for their crimes …
Therefore, to the high-ranking officers of the three standing corps, they desperately hoped that the enemy would take the initiative to attack them. Like two ancient knights throwing their white gloves at each other, they would set a time and time for a major battle of hundreds of thousands of people to decide the winner. This was the only way for them to lose the battle and still keep their families safe.
The problem was that Ranger wasn't interested in engaging the three Shiksan corps in an old-fashioned battle, nor did they have any intention of taking the initiative to attack their heavily fortified camp.
Even according to the strategists, Ranger was already on par with the three standing corps, yet Ranger only sent out light cavalry scouts to spy on the camps of the three Shiksan corps. They weren't willing to take the initiative to attack.
That couldn't go on. The high-ranking officers of the three corps decided to send out scouts to bait Ranger into attacking and escalate the battle into a decisive battle.
Unfortunately, Ranger didn't fall for it. They only used scouts to monitor the surroundings and didn't care about the provocation of the scouts at all.
So, the problem returned to the three corps. The scouts couldn't stray too far from the main camp. Otherwise, it wouldn't just be baiting the enemy but sending them out to their deaths.
The senior officers of the three standing corps decided to send a regiment of light cavalry to sweep the camp of the enemy scouts, who were as annoying as flies. Unfortunately, they saw with their own eyes that the regiment of light cavalry that was sent to chase the enemy scouts a little too far before they were cut off by the enemy light cavalry, who had broken up into smaller units.
If the main camp had not decisively dispatched troops to rescue half of the men and horses, perhaps not a single one of the four thousand light cavalry troops would have been able to make it back.
When the light cavalry of Ranger saw the reinforcements come out of the main camp, they didn't hesitate to release the encircled line of light cavalry and let them escape back to the main camp.
It was obvious that Ranger wouldn't engage in a decisive battle with the enemy.
They were basically sitting in a corner and waiting for death.
The high-ranking officers of the three corps knew that while they still had about a month's worth of rations, they could last longer if they scrimped a little.
But if they couldn't transport the supplies from the rear and they were running low on resources, it would be the end of the three corps when they ran out of supplies.
If they split up to transport supplies, it would be easy for them to be ambushed and ambushed again.
That was unless all three corps retreated at the same time, but that wasn't a responsibility they could afford.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, one of the strategists came up with an ingenious plan.
According to his analysis, Ranger and an overseas field corps were lying in ambush around the camps of the three standing corps, spying on them at all times.
Their main camp's defenses were tight and the enemy couldn't find an opportunity to take advantage of them. So, the current situation was a stalemate between the two armies.
Since Ranger and the overseas corps were in Balingana, it was obvious that Robisto on the other side of Dorinibla River wasn't as well-defended. It could even be said to be quite empty.
It was very likely that the other overseas corps that suffered heavy casualties was in charge of defending it.
If the three corps could cross the river, they would be able to take the initiative and stop Ranger and the overseas corps on the other side of the river. The three corps would then be able to sweep through the rest of Aueras' colonies on the other side of the river and establish the foundation of Shiks' hegemony on Nubissia.
As for Ranger and the overseas legion, they couldn't get any supplies from the rear in Balingana. It was the equivalent of them clearing out the enemy's territory and clearing their way in.
As long as the three corps on his side crossed the river and cut off the supply route to Robisto, Ranger and the other corps would have no choice but to surrender. There was no other way out.
It was a plan that could turn defeat into victory and allow the three corps to regain the initiative on the battlefield. They wouldn't have to hide in their camps and watch the enemy's cavalry gallop around without being able to attack.
However, there was still a problem with the plan. How were the three corps supposed to cross the river?
Dorinibla River was the largest river on Nubissia. It was two thousand metres wide at its widest point and five to six hundred metres at its narrowest point.
Unfortunately, the river where the three regular corps set up camp was 1,500 to 1,600 meters wide, and the water was turbulent.
If the three corps wanted to build their own pontoon bridges to cross the river, they would have to break camp and find another suitable place to cross.
The downside of this was that Ranger might discover their intention to cross the river and make preparations beforehand. They might even cross the river first and set up an ambush on the other side before ambushing them halfway across. That would only ruin all the plans of the three corps. Not only would they fail to cross the river, they would suffer a crushing defeat instead.
So, the best way was for the three corps to bide their time and confuse Ranger.
They pinned their hopes of crossing the river on Seaking's fleet.
As long as the entire Sea King Fleet mobilized, they would be able to break the blockade of Port Patres, the capital of Robisto, on the entrance of the Dorinibla River.
Then, the Sea King Fleet would be able to go against the current and reach the camps of the three standing legions. It would be a piece of cake to transport the three standing legions across the river.
That way, not only would it catch the enemy by surprise, it would also allow Seaking to lock down the entire Dorinibla River. That way, Ranger and the overseas army that were isolated in Balingana wouldn't be able to force their way back.
This was the best strategy for crossing the river. The key to turning the tide of the colonial war was whether the Sea King Fleet could break the blockade of the entrance of the Dorinibla River by Port Patres, the capital of Robisto.
The senior officers of the three standing legions were well aware that Sea King's Fleet would become the perfect target for everyone to shift the blame to.
If they were to lose this war, Sea King Fleet would have to bear all the responsibility.
Shiks had invested so much in the past two years to expand Seaking's fleet, yet they couldn't even restore the water route to Dorinibla River. They couldn't break Port Patres' blockade of the river's entrance.
What was the point of Seaking's existence then?
The kingdom's valiant armies of Wicklan, Cybok, and Faybort remained fearless even after the powerful enemies surrounded and annihilated Tanya and Kujoa. They fought with their lives on the line, disregarding the heavy casualties they suffered, and finally formed a stalemate with the enemy, winning an opportunity for victory.
In the end, it was all due to Seaking's incompetence and incompetence that they were unable to turn defeat into victory.
So, it was obvious who was most responsible for the failure of the war. There was no way the blame would be placed on the senior officers of the three standing legions.
Hence, the plan was relayed to Port Vebator via Harriers for Sea King's fleet to execute. The high-ranking officers of the three corps also jointly emphasized the importance and urgency of the plan.
Then, they shut their camps and didn't attack again, waiting for Seaking's arrival.
In the first month of Year 587 of the Sacred Light Calendar, Balingana regained its rare state of peace as if to celebrate the arrival of the new year. Gunshots were rarely heard even at the frontlines.
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