Claude only reached the Dorinibla River at the end of the tenth month. It took him 28 days to get there from the Eastern Mountain Defence Line, six days slower than Eiblont.
However, there were already four bridges on the river. The other two were built by Line 108 at the crossing. Their jarl, Colonel Le Mandoc, welcomed Claude respectfully at the crossing.
Le Mandoc and Faleos of Line 114 were Claude's old subordinates. They had been transferred from Thundercrash's 1st Folk to the garrison.
Le Mandoc's injury had relapsed, while Faleos applied for a post in the garrison due to his old age and his lack of stamina.
"Eiblont has arrived at Lanu with Thundercrash's 2nd Folk. In the first battle with the Shiksans, they wiped out a line of cavalry and an infantry battalion. Their own casualties were close to two thousand.
Bolonik suffered some light injuries. He led two lines and a battalion to defend Lanu for 27 days. Most of the city has been reduced to rubble.
When he met up with General Altrent, he only had around four thousand men left … "
Colonel Le Mandoc gave Claude a detailed report on the situation at the frontline and Eiblont's arrangements for them.
Mason Hughes, who was Claude's adjutant, drew out the battle lines of the two armies outside Lanu on the map.
"Your Line 108 and Faleos's Line 114 have been stationed at the Dorinibla River Defence Line. There are already three garrison lines there. Line 117, which was reorganized, was ordered by Eiblont to go to Gynkor to reinforce Claude's defences. The garrison line that was stationed along the coast of Balingana has arrived at Claude's Defence Line."
Claude tossed his quill down and smiled in satisfaction. He could finally put his mind at ease.
General Eiblont did a good job. He didn't gather the reinforcements to reinforce Lanu City. Instead, he strengthened the defenses of these two key locations and relieved himself of his worries.
While the Shiksans had gained the upper hand and caught the theatre off guard, they shouldn't have insisted on taking Lanu. That gave Thundercrash enough time to reinforce them and the rest of the war didn't have an unexpected ending.
"Major Mason Hughes, order the troops to cross the river and set up camp on the other side for two days.
And get Colonel Medjack and Captain Bloweyk here. "
Claude said, "Colonel Le Mandok, I'll have to trouble you to get your men to help us set up camp so they can rest early.
They've been traveling for a day and a night. What they need most is a good night's sleep. "
"Yes, General. I'll immediately ask my soldiers to help build the camp. I'll also get some food and drinks for you." Colonel Le Mandoc saluted and left.
Myjack and Bloweyk quickly appeared before Claude.
"I need you to complete a mission," Claude said as he pointed at the map.
Claude tapped on the map. "The fishing town is a vital point for the Shiksans. They can gather food and other resources from our colonies, but they have to rely on this route for weapons and ammunition.
1st Folk will stay here for two days to recover before heading to Lanu as reinforcements.
However, Tribe 131 and Wolffang can only rest for one day. We'll set off tomorrow night for the fishing town.
I don't need you to occupy the fishing town. I just need you to destroy it and burn it to the ground. That way, the Shiksans won't be able to get their supplies through the ships and floating bridges.
As long as you destroy the fishing town, the Shiksans outside Lanu won't be able to escape. They'll become Thundercrash's weapons, understood? "
Myjack and Bloweyk saluted in unison. "Understood, General."
Claude waved his hand. "You two, cross the river first and find a quiet place to set up camp. Don't inform me when you set off tomorrow night. Be careful not to be discovered."
After Myjack and Bloweyk left, Claude looked at the line of confrontation on the map again.
What piqued Claude's interest was the drastic change in the Shiksans' style of attack. They would attack from the eastern front to attract the attention of the heavily concentrated army before launching a sneak attack on the fishing town. It was a completely different world's version of the strategy. It was truly astonishing.
But the problem was that the Shiksans' tactics became rigid and old-fashioned the moment they set foot in the fishing town.
Although Lanu City was the administrative center of the war zone and the headquarters of the war zone, and taking over Lanu City could damage the prestige of the war zone and raise their morale, sweeping away the shadow of the previous four colonial wars, Lanu City's strategic position was not as important as the defense line of Dorinibla River.
If Claude was the Shiksans' frontline commander, he would only have to send a folk of light cavalry to keep an eye on Lanu. He wouldn't have to attack and trap the garrison in the city.
Next, another group of light cavalry would head straight to the Dorinibla River's defense line and clear the river's defenses. Once the two standing legions had landed, they would rush to Port Patres and coordinate with the two fleets to attack and occupy the deep-water port. The most important thing in this war was to find a port for the Sea King Fleet and the Allied Fleet to anchor.
After taking control of Port Patres, they would deploy a standing corps to defend the Dorinibla river defence line and prevent the frontline forces from returning to reinforce them.
After that, they could use the waters controlled by the two fleets to transport the four standing corps of Cape Loducus over and slowly nibble away at the garrison of the five colonies south of the river. That way, the war would definitely end with Shiks' victory.
But now, the Shiksans' light-cavalry corps and two standing corps had their sights set on Lanu the moment they landed at the fishing town. Even after a month of delay, they still hadn't taken Lanu. Instead, Thundercrash's reinforcements came from the mountain frontline.
It could be said that the moment Eiblont led 2nd Folk across the river, the Shiksans lost their last hope of winning the war.
Claude found it rather odd that the Shiksans' commanders were completely different. It was as if the frontline commander had been switched at the last minute.
Eiblont's 2nd Folk had already arrived at Lanu with 30,000-strong light-cavalry folk as the first wave of reinforcements. Yet, the Shiksans were still in a standoff formation in the town. They had no idea what was good for them.
While the Shiksans still had more than two standing corps, Eiblont's light-cavalry corps only had a folk left. At first, the Shiksans were careless and rashly entered Lanu. They were ambushed by the garrison and had to retreat pathetically after losing two lines.
They didn't dare to attack Lanu after that and only patrolled the outskirts. At the same time, they sent two lines to Mormaly to collect grass and other supplies.
The two Shiksans' standing corps fought the garrison in Lanu. While Bolonik's 13,000 men were reduced to 4,000, the Shiksans suffered far more casualties than the garrison. Their casualty ratio was around five to one. One of the two standing corps was wiped out and the remaining sixty to seventy thousand men had low morale and lost the will to fight.
Under such circumstances, Claude couldn't understand where the Shiksans got their courage to face Thundercrash outside Lanu. Did they think they had the advantage in numbers?
Claude really couldn't do anything to the Shiksans in the mountainous regions. Due to the narrow mountain paths, the Shiksans were less than a hundred metres away from you. But to reach them, you had to go down to the foot of the mountain and climb back up. By the time you reached them, you would be out of breath and out of energy.
Additionally, Thundercrash was an offensive light-cavalry corps, but they had to abandon their mounts and march on foot in the mountainous regions. It couldn't be helped since the number of troops in the war zone was tight and Thundercrash had to go up.
A third of Anfiston's area was mountainous and the other two were plains and lakes.
Lanu was situated on the plains and beside the lake. The terrain was perfect for light-cavalry ambushes and guerrilla warfare.
Even if the Shiksans had double their numbers, Claude wouldn't be worried at all, let alone the two and a half standing corps they had.
Two days passed in a flash and the soldiers regained their spirits. The warhorses were well fed and no longer tired. They seemed to be full of energy.
Claude inspected them one by one and was very satisfied. He blew the horn to assemble and gave the order to set off.
"Colonel Dyavid, your line will be the vanguard this time. Maintain your speed and reach Lanu in three days.
If you meet any enemy light-cavalry along the way, don't let them go. Tell our lads that the Shiksans are lined up outside Lanu and waiting for us to give them a good kick!
Go, don't disappoint our enemies … "
"Yes, General!" Dyavid saluted and walked out of the tent in high spirits.
In the past, it was either Berklin's First Line or Moriad's Second Line that led the way. Today, it was finally his Third Line's turn. Along with the battle mission, Dyavid was determined to bring Third Line to the 1st Division and not let the 2nd Division's Fifth Line stand out.
General Eiblont's battle report had already been delivered by a messenger. His 2nd Division only rested for a day after crossing the river before rushing to Lanu, with Regiment 1305 as the vanguard.
They travelled day and night and arrived at the outskirts of Lanu in two and a half days.
The vanguard battalion of 5th Line discovered a Shiksan defensive outpost outside the city. It was there to prevent small groups of defenders from escaping. There was only one battalion there.
As a result, the light cavalry of 5th Line charged into the camp and started a massacre, attracting the help of the Shiksan reserve light cavalry.
The rest of 5th Folk arrived and joined the fray.
The Shiksans did the same and sent more and more reinforcements.
In the end, Line 1305 of 2nd Folk joined the fray and two lines of Shiksan light cavalry arrived as reinforcements.
More than fifteen thousand people were fighting fiercely. All of them were fighting with their sabers, and it was hard to tell who would win.
In the end, the other three light cavalry lines of 2nd Folk arrived and the Shiksans fled in a hurry.
2nd Folk lost close to two thousand light cavalry in the clash, while the Shiksans lost a line of light cavalry and a battalion of garrison troops.
The casualty ratio was about one to three, and the 5th Regiment of the 2nd Division was in the limelight.
Eiblont couldn't help but praise Line 5's bravery in the report he sent to Claude.
Claude's nonchalance didn't mean that his subordinates were convinced. Berklin had said in private that the fifth line's jarl was a hothead who charged forward without caring if it was a trap set by the enemy.
They were already lucky they didn't get wiped out. How could he have the cheek to ask for credit?
However, things didn't always go as planned. Three days later, Claude led 1st Folk to Lanu. Apart from wiping out three squads of Shiksan scouts, 3rd Folk didn't encounter a large Shiksan force as Dyavid had hoped. Instead, the Shiksans stationed outside Lanu noticed the arrival of Claude's reinforcements and fortified their defenses.
The only good news for Berklin, Moriad and Dyavid was that 5th Folk's linesman was heavily injured in the battle and was sent to the mountains to recuperate.
As for the rash battalion commander who instigated the decisive battle, he had already died gloriously on the battlefield.
Eiblont and Claude were naturally aware of the merits and demerits of the battle. The only reason they showed 5th Folk's accomplishments was to boost morale and increase their confidence in victory. After all, Thundercrash was a light-cavalry corps. If they were able to achieve a one-to-three casualty ratio with their cavalry swords alone, would they be able to defeat the enemy with the new rifles?
Just as Claude's 1st Folk met up with Eiblont's 2nd Folk in Lanu, they saw Bolonik, whose arm was wrapped in bandages.
On a small hill on the outskirts of the town, Bloweyk and a few Wolffang members were using binoculars to observe the Shiksans' movements in the town. They were covered in weeds and vines, making them look like weeds from afar.
In the evening, Bloweyk and Myjack were already squatting in a camouflaged tent, planning the operation for the night. "The enemy has already used the fishing boats of the townsfolk and a dozen or so captured flat-bottomed transports to rebuild the floating bridge so that two four-wheeled carriages can travel side by side, speeding up the transportation of supplies from the long-distance transports.
At the end of this floating bridge was a large coastal transport ship, which was anchored to the edge of the shallow sea area by four anchors.
"The enemy's transports are docked next to the transports and the supplies they unload from the transports are also piled up on the transports before being transported to shore.
"Braziers are lit on both sides of the bridge every ten metres or so at night. The patrols on the bridge are also very strict, patrolling it once every half an hour.
"The Shiksans also have a warship patrolling there that docks next to the transports at night.
"Last night, I noticed that the captain of the warship went ashore in a carriage and only returned to the ship at nine in the morning.
I don't know if that's normal.
After the captain returned to the ship, the warship set sail to patrol the surrounding waters. Every ocean-going transport ship that approached the floating pier had to be inspected by the officers on this warship before it could approach the coastal transport ship and unload its cargo.
In addition, the defense of this fishing port town did not seem to be very thorough. The enemy had about a regiment of guards, and the defense was also very traditional. There were three trenches on the periphery, and there was an artillery barricade every hundred meters. The women, children, and the elderly were all herded to this corner on the east side, and their personal freedom was restricted. The young and strong men and women were captured to work in the supply transport team …
My suggestion is for Wolf Fang to approach the floating bridge at night and see if we can get close to the Shiksan warship anchored next to the transport ship. If possible, we'll seize the warship and set fire to both the transport ship and the floating bridge to draw the defenders over to put out the fire.
"When that happens, Tribe 131 will launch a night attack. I believe we'll be able to complete the mission in no time."
Myjack asked a few more crucial questions and nodded after he was satisfied with the answers. He then decided on the next step of the operation.
He then ordered the soldiers to rest and wait for the night attack.
At three in the morning on the 26th of the tenth month, Captain Bloweyk of Thundercrash successfully captured Seaking's second-rate Nightingale and burned down the floating bridge the Shiksans built.
At the same time, Tribe 131 took over the fishing town under Myjack's command, wiping out more than two thousand defenders and capturing more than four thousand Shiksan prisoners of war. They successfully freed thousands of enslaved Shiksan residents of the fishing town.