199 Final Preparations

Corco had never noticed just how loud snow could be. The snow beneath his feet crunched and joined the noise of all other steps around him, as well as those of the construction work. Atop this little hill, his warriors busily moved snow from one place to another, compressed it and gave it shape. From Sumaci's fleet in the hidden village, they had picked up various durable saws, hammers and shovels built for use in the field.

Although the training regimen devised for Corco's new breed of soldier had a heavy focus on discipline as well as physical strength and endurance, he had also made sure to include lessons on the correct use of various tools. Out in the field, the ability to construct all kinds fortifications in a haste could often make the difference between life and death. This was even more the case since the southern army had more modern weapons and thus an advantage in ranged combat. Although Corco's soldiers could hardly be considered engineers, at least they would know how to construct a proper wall, which was what he was looking at this very moment.

After some searching, the scouts had found an easily defensible position close to the Narrows, right in Pacha's path. Here, they had deep woods on either side of their position, while the only way to the east was a steep incline, at least as steep as they would find this far away from the mountains.

Now that they had their location for the decisive battle, they began to build a waist-high wall right on the crest of the incline. Although a higher – or thicker – wall would have been nice, they were short on time. Even with their training, some additional cover for his muskets and a barrier to break an initial charge was the best Corco's men could do.

All around the king, his warriors were cutting down trees and forming them up in a long row, driving them into the ground and surrounding them with snow which had been pressed into large blocks. Although the snow by itself wouldn't make for a great wall, it was hardened with cold water, which would promptly freeze the entire block over.

Once put together, the mixture of hardened snow and wooden palisade was more sturdy than one would expect, even more so when Corco considered their lack of materials. In the first place, the snow was only there to make sure the wood wouldn't splinter under the impact of cannon fire, just in case Herak had brought some of his own heavy calibers from his ships.

Although Corco – guided by his otherworldly knowledge of history – didn't expect their enemies to use serious artillery fire outside of siege combat any time soon, he had already been wrong about their technological progress before, so he couldn't take any more chances.

To further impede their enemy's path, the warriors would also sharpen the logs into wooden stakes and then drive them into the ground at a slant to create a forest of over-sized spears right in front of the wall.

Whoever wanted to storm their position from the front would either have to break their charge and slalom through the stakes or risk turning themselves into skewers with their own inertia. Of course, Pacha could always send his men through the flanks to attack their sides, but then he would have to try his luck inside the woods on either side of the incline. Corco's men already had a few surprises prepared within the darkness of the forests, so he was quite confident that this wall would be where most of the battle would take place.

Although he would have liked to inspect the construction in more detail, the soldiers around him kept on saluting him every time he came near. Rather than a stroked ego, Corco preferred a finished wall, so he sped up and soon stepped up to the highest part of the incline. Here, with the best view of the future battlefield, Tama and Corco's improvised staff of commanders had already awaited him to plan the details of their defense.

*Command staff, another problem.*

When their supply fleet had been cut in half by Arnao's blockade, they had been left with not only fewer warriors than they would have liked, all the lords had also been stuck on the southern peninsula. At first, Corco had thought it would be a great advantage, since none of the lords could cause any more trouble like they had done ever since the start of the campaign. However, he had soon realized his mistake.

Although everyone listened to his orders and there were no more petty delays, he was also short on any officers to lead his men. In Medala, most lords commanded their armies personally. They would lead their men in battle, often from the front. In fact, most estates wouldn't even train any of their warriors in tactics for fear of an organized uprising.

At least his new troop training had somewhat helped out in this regard. His mercenaries had early taken the most talented and obedient Saniya soldiers from within the drilled regiments and given them some basic education to prepare them for an officer's career. Many of the southern warriors had also gone through war before and had at least a practical understanding of tactics.

Thus, he had been able to take some of the more experienced warriors from the southern lords as well as some of his best recruits to create this impromptu military staff. Still, it was a patchwork solution, so the best they could do was follow the orders of their king to the best of their abilities. In the end, they were lucky that their only engagement in an open field had been an easy win against a useless opponent. Apart form their fight against Rupilo, all their battles had them on the defensive, hidden behind walls. Leadership on the micro level played a much smaller role in these defensive sieges, compared to the absolute chaos that could ensue on an open field.

As he approached, the staff interrupted their conversation and stood at attention. The warriors and Tama bowed in deference while the commoners saluted their high commander like they had been taught.

"Okay, everyone be at ease. We don't have much time to waste on etiquette, so we'd better focus on essentials," a laconic Corco said while he stepped up to the high table the officers had scattered various notes on. His hands pressed down on the wooden surface and his voice turned sharper.

"We will soon face the last battle of this war, but don't think just because the previous fights were easy, this one will be as well. Pacha's desperate, and he's not as incompetent as the last commander, so this will be a struggle to the very end. If we want to get back home alive, we all will need to pull our weight."

"Understood, King Corco."

All people at the table raised their heads, solemn expressions on their faces. Even though the warriors were subordinate of other lords rather than Corco, they had become a great deal more cooperative throughout their campaign. After all, the king's military record so far was short, but spotless; and the Medalans always admired strength.

Now that everyone was on the same page, Corco nodded and turned to Tama first. Even though the girl had stood with the others before his arrival, it was more accurate to say that she was present during their conversation. She had positioned herself a bit aside from the officers, to make clear she was not a part of the group. The others no doubt felt the same and never tried to include her.

Ever since the rumors about her had spread, Tama had been treated with suspicion by everyone but the ghost warriors. Only Corco's express order had forced the others in the staff to endure her presence. Still, when she met her master's gaze, the girl's smile was as radiant as always. To Corco, it felt as if the entire issue was beneath her, but her master still allowed himself to be annoyed by it. Now was not the time to tread old ground though; now they had a job to do.

"Tama, tell everyone about the enemy troops and their movements."

"As you wish, King Corco." She took out her usual notes from within her robes and began to read off the information her ghosts had collected. "Our scouts have managed to get vision on King Pacha's army. Thus, we now have a more realistic count of their numbers. Though I will first say that these numbers are only estimates, since their marching formation is spread out quite thin and from a distance. Further, the large distance and relative chaos made it difficult to distinguish their army from their convoy. As far as we can tell, Pacha has recombined his troops with those previously led by Lord Herak. Further, he has regrouped several thousand of the scattered warriors under Lord Rupilo. Overall, their total number should not exceed thirty-five thousand."

No one spoke, but the other members of the staff shared looks of discomfort. Corco's army in the north only totaled about twelve thousand. Even though they had taken out an army bigger than their own only days earlier, no one among them had the confidence to take on an enemy almost thrice their number.

"Fuck me, didn't I just say that this next battle would be tough? What, you thought I was fucking around? Where's your confidence?" Corco asked the silent warriors. They still didn't answer, but at least they didn't look like deer in headlights anymore.

"Even though they have more men, you shouldn't underestimate our own strengths, especially when it comes to discipline and equipment. You've already seen some of those advantages at work against Rupilo, and you'll see even more of them in the next battle. Plus, we have been busy building our palisades here all day. So long as we can hold the walls, Pacha's superior numbers won't mean much. Since the incline is too narrow to support that many troops, most of their army won't be able to fight anyhow. And you have to remember that as a rule of thumb, you'd always want at least three or four times as many soldiers if you want to storm a fortified position. If Pacha thinks he can just run us over with sheer manpower, he'll have a rude awakening."

Once his staff had firmed up their posture and faces again, the king nodded and returned his attention to his spy master, the only one who had remained calm in the face of overwhelming odds.

"Continue."

"Their troops contain many have more warriors with cultivation than our own, which is where their greatest advantage lies. About twenty-four thousand of Pacha's men are either shock or core infantry, with another six thousand equipped as simple skirmishers, most of which are commoners, rather than archers. The commoners won't be of much help in a charge, so we can almost count them out of the equation. They would be lucky if they could make us waste some ammunition on them."

Even Corco shuddered a bit at the cruel statement presented with Tama's warm expression, yet the girl just continued on.

"The remaining troops are the musketeers with weapons from the eastern continent, which I expect to be lead by Lord Herak. We have already established that our muskets are of superior make, so this is another area where we hold an advantage, even though our total numbers of ranged troops is similar. We have found no signs of artillery thus far, but they drag a very large convoy behind them, so we cannot be sure they have not hidden any. Though even if they do, they will not have as many cannons as us, and the hill gives us another crucial advantages in an artillery battle."

Tama looked up to make sure everyone was still following along.

"Overall, King Pacha has reacted much more quickly to Fadelio's move-out than we expected. Not only did he receive the information sooner than anticipated, he also did not wait to collect any more scattered troops and instead marched east as soon as possible."

"That is a surprise for the scaredy-cat," Corco nodded. No one else at the table would describe the former hero Pachacutec like that; but for Corco's taste, Pacha had been far too careful with his moves all throughout the war. Had he been bolder, they might have been in far more trouble than they currently were. "Whatever changed his disposition, it's not good news for us. It means less time to finish up our defenses. To be honest, I'd rather deal with a few thousand more warriors and get the walls done in time."

"There is more bad news," Tama added. "We have finally seen movements from Huaylas. Lord Ichilia has taken his men and marched south-east. If our battle drags on for too long, he and his thousands of warriors will eventually join up with his nephew. In that case, our situation would only become more disadvantageous."

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Again, the officers shared nervous stares, until one of them took a heart and addressed his king.

"King Corcopaca, it may be better to retreat for now. Even with the defensive position secured, the men will already struggle to hold out only against King Pachacutec's mighty army. If we were to face even more warriors - warriors of House Ichilia no less – this servant fears that the men will not be able to withstand it."

In response to the officer's poorly though-out argument, Corco only returned a cold stare. His impromptu staff seemed to be governed by fear when they should have listened to reason instead. The king still tried it with the latter one more time. Maybe they would see the light if they understood the gravity of their situation.

"If we retreat now, we lose the war, it's as simple as that. We also lose the support of our palisades and will have to fight out in the open. Although Pacha's army isn't as mobile as ours over long distances, his warriors can still catch us now that we're this close. One forced march and he reaches us, so don't think our army of mostly non-cultivators could still get away. At this point, we don't have much of a choice but to stand and fight. Though it's not like we'll be screwed if the battle drags on. Once Fadelio makes it south, the rest of the southern army will join us and we'll gain at least another ten thousand in force, probably more. Then, we can organize a tactical retreat back south without any issue. In the end, the battle will turn into a race between Fadelio and Dedrick on one side and the Ichilia troops on the other. But if nothing unusual happens, it'll be our win. The burden of attack is on Pacha, not on us."

"King may excuse this servant's weak-willed nature. This servant will fulfill his duties and guarantee victory."

After the man realized that their position wasn't as bad as it first seemed, he calmed down and pretended to be a brave warrior. Corco suppressed a sneer and brushed over the incident. Unity was more important.

"Right, then I'll distribute your roles during the defense."

First, he turned to the warrior who had just addressed him, a servant of the southern Lord Huaman Queru.

"Tracao di Queru, you will be in charge of the troops we have hidden in the northern woods. Drachimine di Rafun, you will be in charge of the southern ambush. I understand that in the last battle, neither warrior flank gave its all. There was a grand back and forth, but mostly you were just trying to look busy and not get involved. Back then, it was fine, which is why I didn't mention it. We just needed you to hold off Rupilo's flanking maneuver for long enough to break the center. But this time, things are different. This time, if we don't fight with everything we have, we will die. Don't trust Pacha to stick to the rules and keep you for ransom either. That uncle of mine has proven that he doesn't care about the old laws, so you best do your worst, or neither my uncle nor me will forgive you."

Their faces turned solemn as they acknowledged the king's orders with bows. With his warriors now encouraged and threatened, he turned to the only commoner at the table. During the last battle, he had been in charge of the left flank and handled his responsibilities better than could have been expected.

"Paec, you will be in charge of the defense along the wall, alongside myself. Tell the men to stop any further construction and have them get some sleep instead. Although it would be nice to get more work done, it'll be more important to be well-rested once Pacha shows up. I have a feeling he'll order an attack straight away."

As the man saluted to acknowledge his orders, he also gave the king a curious stare.

"King Corco, what makes you think so?" he asked.

"Because I've thought about the best method to break through our position, and that's what I would do."

As his officers swarmed out to man the defenses, Corco gazed at the endless snow in the west, the area soon to be occupied by Pacha's army. The final chapter of the war was soon upon them.