Chapter 112 - Plan

Zaos was having a hard time deciding if that was bad or good for them. Fighting in an open field against cavalry and infantry didn't seem like a bad idea, given that they didn't have enough numbers. But in the end, they also had to try to wear down the enemy's forces as much as possible before the siege weapons arrived.

"That is much better than I expected," Verkan showed a vicious smile. "I was planning to attack and decrease the strength of their infantry and cavalry, but I didn't expect that we wouldn't have to worry about their siege weapons."

"… So, we are going to meet them on an open field," Zaos said after a long sigh.

"Even better than that, we will be at the vanguard," Verkan smiled. "No one will think that some foot soldiers in such a place will be able to deliver a powerful blow on their army. So, let's make sure to make them regret this."

Zaos thought Verkan was an experienced soldier who had a good head for strategy, but it looked like he was wrong. He was insane… insane to the point where he thought that dragging the heir of one of the houses that served the royal family for thousands of years to the very front lines. While his plans seemed quite sound, at the same time, it was madness. However, Zaos couldn't even complain. He was there to follow orders since he was a recruit. If he disobeys, insubordination isn't treated lightly. While he certainly won't lose his head for it, he will bring shame to his family's name. To his company and the others who helped him until now.

"Oh, shit…" Zaos thought as he approached the eastern gate of the town. "I am not going to die here… so I will use those potions like there is no tomorrow."

"The mercenaries' army will arrive in two hours, so make sure to prepare yourselves accordingly," Verkan said. "Remember our goal."

"What is our goal, sir?" Zaos asked.

"Keep you alive," Verkan said. "Before you say something clever regarding our positions in the first battle, you need to know that this is absolutely necessary. We need to deal a massive blow by surprising them. If we do that, things will become a lot easier. Just trust me."

Those were some difficult words to believe, considering that the man was taking Zaos to the most dangerous place on the battlefield. While Zaos knew that most foot soldiers couldn't stop him, even without magic, there were other things that could take his life. Riders, archers… once the melee starts, avoiding being attacked from behind will become much more difficult.

"All right, sir…" Zaos said and then took a deep breath. "If we win this battle, we will be rewarded nicely, am I correct?"

"Kid, you have some nerve to think about this even before the first day of battle," Verkan shook his head. "Well, you are from an important family, so I am sure even from far away, the king himself will do something to reward and praise the name of your family."

"I don't want any reward. I just want to go home for a few weeks," Zaos said.

"Ah, that is right… you second years didn't go home last year, huh," Verkan said. "Well, I will see what I can do. If you impress the old man Arlen, I am sure things will be much easier."

Zaos was hearing a lot of promises later, and it was hard to believe in promises when he was going to a battle where thousands were going to die. 

While they were waiting for the enemies, the whole infantry and cavalry available in Rustburg crossed the East gate and assumed their positions. It looked like Arlen had total control over the men there. The fifteen hundred or so men quickly divided themselves into fifteen companies of one hundred men. Five hundred were infantry, five hundred were riders, and five hundred were archers. Zaos couldn't help but feel a bit cold when he imagined five hundred firing those arrows. While they were trained to avoid that, it wouldn't be weird for allied soldiers to be hit by friendly fire.

"I am your captain today, and I have only one task for all of you," Verkan said when the one hundred men of his company assembled in front of him. "Follow me, no matter what happens. If you do it, the chances of you guys surviving will be pretty high."

Zaos didn't hear that Verkan was a captain from one of those fifteen companies. Considering that, it was weird that he had returned with twenty or more soldiers instead of all of them. It was also odd that they were the only company that had two… squires? The two kids were supposed to be squires, but instead of weapons and shields, they were carrying potions.

"Come over here," Verkan said to Zaos.

Both of them moved away from the group a little bit. It looked like Zaos was finally going to hear something important about what he should do specifically. However, what he heard was… unexpected, to say the least.

"Do you see our position?" Verkan said as he turned around to face the fifteen companies behind him. "We assume that the enemies will assume a similar formation. The infantry and the cavalry will stay on the front with the ten companies. In contrast, the archers will stay behind and advance only after the melee starts. Do you know why they will copy us?" 

"Because if we use the same strategy, will we reach a stalemate?" Zaos frowned.

"Yes, but you do know that a stalemate isn't good for us. After all, we have fewer numbers," Verkan said. "In order to prevent a draw, we will break their formation in a single push. Speed will be the key because we don't want to let them have the chance to use the archers. We are basically at the center of our formation, so we will move diagonally and attack the left side of the enemy formation after defeating their first company. We will attack their archers and decimate all of them."