TGS - Chapter 144

Chapter 144: The Debate

From the walls of Seaton City, the fires in the opposing camp were clearly visible.

Beneath the brightly burning flames, the foreign soldiers scrambling to extinguish the fire, the guards returning to the camp in disarray, and the shamans and generals gathered around their commander trying to revive him were all just blurry, moving black shadows. But this didn't stop the defending soldiers from seeing the enemy's panic.

"Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or am I dreaming?" a soldier from the original Seaton garrison rubbed his eyes, still in disbelief. He then slapped his companion hard on the thigh. "Does that hurt?"

The soldier, who had been struck for no reason, let out a yelp but still couldn't bear to look away. He stared wide-eyed at the fires and cursed, "You brat, why don't you hit yourself!"

"Yeah, don't be so spineless."

"Her Majesty personally led a night raid. What's so strange about burning an enemy camp? She probably lopped off the enemy leader's head, too, and left that bunch of Sanur barbarians to their own chaos!"

The Royal City cavalry stationed nearby had been listening for a while and said with a proud smile, "Back when Her Majesty was on the border, she chased the Sanur until they didn't dare show their faces. It's no different now!"

The original Seaton defenders exchanged glances and nodded to themselves, their confidence growing.

It had to be said, the fact that the Sanur Tribe had breached Digebia in three days had made many Solancian soldiers anxious before the battle even began. Even if they didn't say it aloud, their hearts were inevitably shaken.

They didn't care how recklessly the Sanur had broken through the border, or how much military strength they had expended.

Nor did they care that the Digebia garrison had been completely unprepared, or that a portion of their forces had been transferred to quell riots in other cities before the battle, leaving their defenses weaker than imagined.

All these Solancian soldiers knew was that the first line of defense had been broken, making the less-fortified Seaton City even harder to defend.

As they stood guard at the city gates day and night, armed with swords and spears, they had already internalized the belief that they were no match for the enemy. Their morale had faltered before the battle had even officially begun.

This was, in fact, a rather dangerous state of mind.

But tonight, the Seaton garrison had witnessed it with their own eyes—

The Princess had led a small detachment of light cavalry out of the city, launched a surprise attack on the enemy camp under the cover of darkness, burned more than half of it to the ground, and then returned safely to the city with her entire unit!

Although they hadn't done a precise headcount, a quick glance was enough to see that their losses were minimal. Night raids were notoriously high-casualty missions; anyone who dared to go had to be prepared not to return.

Given the disparity in forces, it would have been lucky for half the raiding party to return. It would have been normal for less than one in ten to survive, and it was even possible for the entire unit to be wiped out.

But the Princess had actually brought the light cavalry back.

It was difficult to describe the shock the defenders felt at this sight. It was like a powerful shot of adrenaline, and perhaps without even realizing it, the faint fear that had been buried in their hearts finally began to dissipate.

Their morale soared to unprecedented heights. The defenders looked down at the pursuing enemy soldiers and actually wished they would hurry up and attack the city.

When the pursuers reluctantly retreated, these men even felt a little disappointed.

---

In truth, the situation was not as optimistic as the soldiers on the wall believed.

The lamps in the main hall of the City Lord's manor were brightly lit.

The defending generals and the few officials who had not abandoned the city were all gathered here. They had learned of the disastrous state of the enemy camp from the soldiers who had rushed back to report. Some faces showed joy, while others remained doubtful.

Unlike the common soldiers on the walls, everyone present was well aware of the current battle situation.

From the very beginning, no one had expected to repel the enemy with a single night raid. After all, the disparity in forces was plain to see, and even dreams had to be grounded in reality.

But…

Burning down more than half the enemy camp? The Princess had struck the enemy commander with an arrow, and his fate was unknown?

Even the most audacious general found it hard to believe for a moment.

And what they saw next seemed to confirm their doubts.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Alyuin walked into the hall. Her light armor was soaked in blood, and her expression was grave. The closer she came, the stronger the grim scent of blood became, causing a few officials who had never been on a battlefield to shiver involuntarily.

Lena, who followed her in, also wore a solemn expression, not looking pleased at all.

A general asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, what is the situation?"

Alyuin answered simply, "The main Sanur army is not here."

"What?!"

At her words, everyone present looked shocked. Someone even shot up from their seat unconsciously, crying out in disbelief.

Alyuin tilted her head slightly toward Lena, signaling for her to elaborate.

Lena immediately continued, "The tents on the periphery of the Sanur camp were all empty frames, just a facade to make it look occupied from a distance. The actual number of troops stationed there is far less than we previously thought."

"Furthermore, judging by the performance of these troops, they don't seem to be the enemy's elite. Their reactions were too slow."

Everyone looked at each other.

Those with quick minds immediately paled.

If the main Sanur army wasn't across from them, where could they be?

And to even set up a disguise in the camp… no matter how one thought about it, something was wrong. The implications were chilling.

An official gave a dry laugh. "But there's nowhere else for them to go. Perhaps the main force is still in Digebia, and this is just an advance force. They set up the empty tents to scare us off from attacking?"

"That's highly unlikely," Alyuin said coldly. "If their main force were in Digebia, there would be no need to delay for several days. A swift battle is more their style. Do you know who the Sanur commander is this time?"

"It's the chief of the largest tribe—no, he's the Sanur King now."

"But the Sanur King was not in that camp. The commander defending the camp was one of his princes, whom I have just killed."

Even without time to confirm the result, the Princess knew whether her arrow had struck a vital point. For him to survive, the God of Medicine himself would have to descend.

Not to mention, the Sanur Tribe's medical skills seemed quite primitive, with only a few shamans per tribe.

Taking out an enemy prince in a single night raid was a good trade.

Before the others could find a moment in their thoughts to rejoice, Alyuin continued, "The actual effect is probably not as good as it appears on the surface. According to reliable intelligence, the Sanur King has ten sons. This was likely the youngest."

Ten sons, and the youngest at that…

Their joy was somewhat diminished, but it was still a praiseworthy feat.

However, the fact that the youngest Sanur prince was stationed across from them as the commander—did this not suggest that the enemy's focus was indeed not on Seaton City?

Alyuin said no more, striding to the head of the table and picking up the map. "Come and look."

The others moved forward and saw that Alyuin's fingertip was resting on the city located behind Seaton.

"Your Majesty, are you suggesting the Sanur intend to bypass Seaton and attack Etrich?"

Alyuin gave a slight nod.

"That's impossible. Seaton is surrounded by barren mountains to the north and east, and a dense forest to the south. How could the Sanur get around? They're accustomed to flat highland prairies; they would never choose to march through mountains and forests."

"Exactly. Unless the Sanur are looking for trouble. If they bypass Seaton to attack Etrich, aren't they afraid we'll turn around and hit them from behind in a pincer attack?"

"And what about their provisions and equipment? We could cut off their supply lines with ease. What would they fight with!"

Several generals spoke at once, clearly finding the idea unreliable. Even though they were facing the Princess, the de facto ruler of Solancia, they did not hide their disapproval.

Alyuin did not speak immediately. Her gaze swept over their faces before she said slowly, "As long as they are willing to endure the necessary losses, none of these are problems for the Sanur."

"The Sanur are highly adaptable. They may not be used to marching through mountains and forests, but that discomfort is unlikely to slow them down significantly. As for provisions and equipment, the latter might require some planning, but provisions—when have the Sanur ever worried about that?"

Indeed, the Sanur Tribe never worried about provisions. As long as there were scattered residents and villages along their marching route, their clothes, tools, food, and even the people themselves were targets for plunder. People could even be classified as rations.

For a moment, the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Only the Princess's voice continued.

"As for a pincer attack… you seem to have forgotten that if we had defended passively instead of actively raiding their camp, our attention would have been focused on the camp across from us. It might have been days before we discovered the main Sanur army was circling around behind us."

"Etrich City hasn't seen war in centuries. Its surplus troops have already been sent to reinforce Seaton, leaving its defenses inadequate. How long would it take the Sanur to capture it? And how long to continue their rapid advance?"

Moreover, there was the Kingdom of Kasnie.

The schism in the south had slowed the transmission of information, and to this day, Alyuin was still unsure if the coast had been attacked.

If the coastal defenses failed, allowing Kasnie to advance swiftly northward and rendezvous with the main Sanur army, which excelled at swift attacks and retreats and possessed extreme mobility—

"By then, Seaton City will no longer be important. Once the Sanur are free, we will be the ones caught in a pincer attack."

The Princess's fingertip pressed down hard on the dot representing Seaton City, with such force that it seemed she would push the map paper into the tabletop.

Alyuin looked up, her sharp gaze sweeping over the men.

They stared silently at the map. Someone opened his mouth as if to speak, but quickly closed it again.

After a moment, an old general, the highest-ranking officer among Seaton's defenders, shook his head and said gravely, "But Your Majesty, we have no actual proof that the Sanur will make this choice. This is merely your speculation."

…Or rather, a guess.

Alyuin said, "Please continue."

The old general sighed. "I surmise that you want to send the majority of Seaton's garrison to the edge of the forest and mountains near Etrich to intercept the enemy. But that is too risky."

"We have received no intelligence whatsoever. I ask you, how do you know if the Sanur are marching through the northern barren mountains or the southern dense forest, or perhaps both?"

"If we send men to intercept them, but the main Sanur army is still behind the hills and attacks Seaton while our forces are divided, what then?"

This was indeed a question that needed an answer.

Alyuin lowered her eyes, her gaze lingering on the map, on the dotted lines representing the mountains and forests, on every marked symbol and location.

This time, the surroundings were no longer completely silent. The officials exchanged glances, and the generals began to argue in low voices.

"The north."

Alyuin suddenly said in a low voice.

"You mean to say?"

"The Sanur will take the northern route."

The old general said, "Even if you say so, it's still…"

Completely impossible to be at ease.

"I will not take the majority of Seaton's defenders, only the cavalry. The cavalry's role in a siege is not particularly significant, is it?"

"Even if my deduction is wrong, the forces left in the city will be enough to hold out until we return to reinforce them."

Meeting the old general's wavering gaze, Alyuin's lips curved slightly, the arc as faint and sharp as the look in her eyes.

"Although, it is certain to be correct."

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