Elisa saw Mon and Desaix nod as well. She watched the other generals but saw no disagreement with the plan there, either.
Elisa’s own emotions swirled. She had settled down enough since her talk with Mon. She knew finally escaping and being safe from the Scythes helped as well.
But some doubts and fear had returned in the bottom of her thoughts, only now they were more focused on the army and the empire as a whole. There were plenty of brave soldiers in this army, but what could they do against the entire might of the Kurakin?
Lauriston’s plan was supposed to have that answer. She listened and waited to find out what the marshal had in mind.
“The Kurakin march north. They attack their former allies.” Lauriston pointed to where General Pitt stood. The marshal had already explained what they’d learned from the Brunian general about the Kurakin betrayal to General Murat and the other officers. Elisa had been impressed with how they’d handled the news of the strange turn in the war.
“We’re on their eastern flank. They have a clear path up the Broadwater and we don’t know how the Wahrians and Brunians will respond to the main army.”
Lauriston left the worst possible scenario unsaid. The armies of Brun and Wahring could be overrun already. They could already be broken and fleeing or worse.
“But the key to the north is through Vendome. We all know that.” More head nodding from the generals, especially the older veterans like Mon. “The Branch is difficult to cross. The best crossing is the town of Neuse, directly north of our current position.”
Elisa would have to look at a map if they had one back in the camp. She tried to remember the exact path of the Broadwater and Branch rivers. She knew they met west of here, just north of Ligny and continued on towards the far northwestern coast.
Before they combined, the smaller river, the Branch, would divide the northern portion of the Dune Forest from the Vendome hills in the north.
The Kurakin would need those hills if they wanted to conquer the north. They would push north along the Broadwater in the west but also needed the eastern bank.
Elisa saw that the other generals agreed with Lauriston’s view of the overall strategy of the new war.
The marshal pointed to General Pitt at the side of the group to Elisa’s left. The Brunian was recovering nicely from his injuries in the skirmish and stood leaning on a crutch. He straightened at the mention of his name from Lauriston.
“General Pitt informed us the Brunians should still hold the crossing at Neuse. Our army will march north and attempt to treat with them.”
A few soft gasps escaped from the officers in front of Elisa. Lauriston continued as if he hadn’t noticed.
“I plan to offer our help to the Brunians in holding the crossing in order to keep the Kurakin from flanking Vendome in the north.”
Some of the officers shifted in their stances. Pitt looked around the group and Lauriston stared forward and waited for questions.
Elisa met Lauriston’s eyes and he smiled at her before his eyes moved on to the others.
“What if the Brunians won’t have us?” Mon said at last. His voice broke the long silence.
Elisa looked at the old general and wondered if Lauriston had asked him to voice this question in case no others came forward. She wouldn’t put it past the two friends to plan this.
“Good question, Mon,” Lauriston said. “Pitt here believes they will accept us. He, being a general, should outrank the officer in charge of holding the bridge either way.”
“It should only be a major-general commanding there.” Pitt shifted his weight over his crutch.
“Hopefully that’s true. And Pitt has volunteered to ride forward with our cavalry scouts ahead of the army. He’ll prepare the Brunian army for our arrival.”
Lauriston paused. Elisa waited. The marshal hadn’t answered Mon’s specific question yet.
“As to what happens if that doesn’t work and they still don’t accept us?” Lauriston looked at the ground for a second before bringing his head back up to the men. He shrugged. “Then we still fight. We fight in these woods, we hinder the Kurakin advance as best as we can. They’re on our territory, but Erlon isn’t dead.”
Lauriston met Elisa’s eye again.
“Erlon isn’t dead at all,” he repeated. “We’ve got a Lannes with us. And the best soldiers in the world ready to fight. The Horde doesn’t stand a chance.”
One officer let out a cheer. Others clapped. Most everyone was grinning. Elisa joined them. Lauriston’s smile was the biggest of all.
“Desaix has your orders, gentlemen. Get your men ready. We march at dawn. Onward.”
* * *
The army marched north around the lake and back into the dense forest. Elisa had been told the march would take three days. It’d be quicker if it was still only her small group of soldiers on horseback. But an army of infantrymen moved much slower.
The soldiers packed up their tents and the rest of camp and formed up into their units. Elisa was given a horse and rode with Mon at the front of his new command. His column marched behind the Lakmian regiments with their tails curling and swishing about as they walked.
“You’ll stay with me during the fight,” Mon said at midday of the second day of marching.
“I’m sorry?” Elisa had been watching the Lakmians march in front of them and thinking on a fond memory from back when her family was together and would travel to Papelotte in Wavre for a winter retreat.
“When the Horde attacks, Lauriston wants you to stay with me. The Lakmians will stay close to us as well.”
Elisa looked at Mon. The old general didn’t have a bottle in his hand this morning. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen Mon drink the day before, either. His eyes were less bloodshot and more focused than she’d ever seen them.
“You’re going to let me fight?”
Mon looked at her and raised his eyebrows. “Don’t you want to?”
Of course she did. But that didn’t mean Elisa had assumed Lauriston would allow it. Especially after all the trouble they just went through to keep her safe and alive.
Mon seemed to understand her thought process. “We had a long discussion about it. After all you’ve been through, you deserve to do what you want.” Mon turned and looked behind them at the column stretching through the trees. “But if you’d rather sit in the back to be safe—”
“No. I’ll fight.” Elisa gripped the reins of her horse tighter in her gloved hands.
“I thought so.” The old general smiled at her.
They marched along in silence for a long while. The men were quiet behind them. Only the marching of thousands of boots disrupted the peaceful forest they traveled through.
“Just stick with me during the battle, okay?” Mon said eventually.
Elisa nodded.
“Whether the Brunians let us cross or not and wherever Lauriston puts us, stay with me. Lodi will be nearby too.”
Elisa nodded again. She wondered what a full battle would be like. It was hard to imagine after seeing the small fight against the Kurakin cavalry when they’d found the Brunian. That had been chaos. A full battle would be total devastation.
Her heart beat a little faster as she thought through what was coming for the army. She didn’t feel fear, but there was some new feeling inside of her.
Was it excitement?
“We’ll win, whatever kind of fight comes. Lar will make sure of that.” Mon looked over at her and gave a quick grin before returning to his normal grimace.
Elisa knew his words to be true. Marshal Lauriston would put them in the best position to succeed. Outside of her father, he was the best man for the job of leading this army.
They marched onward. The boot falls of hundreds of soldiers behind and in front of them echoed through the trees. Elisa was ready to fight.
So was Mon. So was Lodi. And his Lakmians. And the entire Erlonian army.
The only question that remained was whether or not Pitt wou
ld succeed in getting the Brunian army in the town of Neuse to ally with Erlon and fight with them.
They would have their answer very soon.
Lauriston
Lauriston rode at the head of the column. There was a vanguard in front of him and Desaix’s cavalry troop even farther beyond them, but Lauriston sat alone at the head of the main army.
No direct roads traveled through this portion of the forest. This caused the column’s march to be more of a mass of men that shifted and moved with the terrain. They would form up into a presentable army when the forest fell away and they approached the river and the town.
The Brunian, Pitt, had ridden north on the first day of the march with Desaix. Pitt would already be with the Brunian army holding the town. That portion of the plan was out of Lauriston’s hand now. He would have to trust Pitt to convince the Brunians to fight with the Erlonians.
The first two days of marching were spent trying not to think about all that could go wrong with his plan. Lauriston was only marginally successful at keeping his worries and doubts at bay.
It was now the morning of the third and final day of the march. The marshal said a silent prayer that Pitt had convinced the Brunians to fight the Horde together with their former enemies. If he hadn’t, the Erlonians under Lauriston would be in trouble.
“Still half a day out, I’d say.” Lodi rode next to Lauriston. His Lakmian regiments were a couple units back in the column and could march without their commander at the head.
Lauriston nodded. “We’ll get there early afternoon. And then we’ll see what Pitt’s done for us.”
“They’ll take us,” Lodi said. “Or if they won’t have us now, they’ll want us to help once they see the Horde coming.”
“I agree.”
They rode along without continuing the conversation. Lauriston let his mind wander off again.
He had too many things to think about. The organization of the men. The layout of the town and the bridge over the river and how the Horde would attack.
He turned to Lodi and was about to ask about his thoughts on a defensive plan for the bridge but was stopped by a sound in the distance.
It was a low rumble, barely perceptible. Lauriston looked at Lodi. The Lakmian’s raised eyebrow showed that he’d heard it too.
Both men knew what the sound meant.
“Could be thunder.” Lodi shrugged his shoulders.
But the sky above them was clear.
Another rumble in the distance came. Their horses continued to move forward at a walk. The men behind marched on, but Lauriston could hear the beginnings of murmuring.
A third rumble erupted.
“That’s not thunder,” Lauriston said.
“No. I don’t think it is anymore.”
Lauriston listened for a fourth rumble and ran through his options. They needed to speed up the march. They needed to get to the town as quickly as possible.
The sound of cannon fire could only mean bad things for Pitt and the Brunians in the town ahead.
“Rider!”
The call rang out in front of them from one of the vanguard outriders. A galloping horse soon followed.
Lauriston recognized the rider immediately and it only confirmed his suspicions of what was happening.
Desaix closed the last distance to the marshal quickly. He whipped his horse around and fell in next to Lauriston and Lodi.
“The Horde attacks.” The cavalryman was out of breath but continued his report anyway. “They’ve reached Neuse and attacked the bridge. The Brunian cannons are harassing them, but I don’t know if they can hold.”
“General Pitt?” Lauriston said.
“Across the bridge with the Brunians.”
Lauriston nodded. His mind started working.
“Your cavalry troop?” Lodi said.
“I’ve got them scouting the Kurakin numbers, but they remain hidden from view.”
“Good,” Lauriston said. His mind worked through the plan quickly and continued to weigh options as he relayed orders to the generals. “We march double time and hope to reach the town by midday. The vanguard should shift west and let the main column push up on their east flank. We’ll finalize a plan of attack once we reach the town.”
Lauriston knew the forest would cover his army’s approach. He would decide on how to attack the Kurakin force before they reached the town. Maybe they could surprise the Horde and turn them away with a flank.
First, the priority was for Lauriston to get the army into position.
Desaix nodded at the orders and broke off to run the updates to the vanguard ahead. Lodi fell back to alert the other officers and distribute the orders along the column.
Lauriston hadn’t planned for this. The Horde had marched east too fast. But he could adjust. He could adapt and still win this battle.
Pitt would have to hold out with the Brunians for a few hours. And Lauriston had to hope the Kurakin force wasn’t too large for the defense to handle and that the Erlonians could arrive in time to save the day.
Chapter 27
War is chaos. Those who can make sense of it will be victorious.
Maxims of War, Entry Seven
Emperor Gerald Lannes
Nelson
The wind died during the second week of Nelson’s long journey home. The sea swells ceased and the air hung heavy over the still water and Nelson’s ship.
Emperor Lannes was happy. His stomach finally settled down.
Nelson couldn’t have been more frustrated.
“Why worry?” Lannes leaned back in his chair across from the king. “We’ve nowhere to go.”
“We’re even more in the dark stuck here than back at the fortress.” Nelson stood up and looked out the stern windows. The ship drifted as the sailors waited for the prevailing winds to return. The stern now faced west, towards the coast of Morada and Wahring.
Brun was to the north. Nelson’s home was close but felt very far away at the moment. News of the developments in the war against the Kurakin felt even farther away.
“We should’ve sailed for Wahring. I could help the Wahrians plan against the Kurakin there,” Lannes said.
Nelson turned his head to look back at the emperor. “You think the Wahrians would listen to you? You think they’d be happy with you as an ally?” He chuckled at the image of the Wahrian queen meeting a freed Lannes on her own country’s soil. She would be too horrified to speak.
Lannes shrugged and took a sip of his tea. He swung his legs up onto the king’s desk with a thud and leaned further back in his chair.
“I could convince the Lakmians to come down from their mountains and help, at least,” he said. “Anything we try would be more productive than sitting back in Brun.”
Nelson didn’t answer. They’d had this argument before and it was always the same words from both men. They wouldn’t get anywhere by going over things again.
Yet the questions still stuck in Nelson’s mind. He looked back out over the still water stretching to the horizon and thought through the answers he couldn’t yet give. He couldn’t let the emperor loose with an army on the Continent. Not yet, at least.
The other Coalition powers would never go for it, even if Lannes was leading a group of Brunian soldiers with Nelson at his side. The sight of Emperor Lannes leading men into battle once again would be more frightening than even the Kurakin Horde was at the moment.
Nelson must wait. He had to use Lannes’s mind to help plan a grand ally strategy from afar and then pick his spots to send more Brunians into the fray.
The king kept reminding himself why he’d chosen to break the emperor free from Taul in the first place. It was for his advice and knowledge of warfare, not to give Lannes back control of an army.
Nelson turned on his heels and walked back to the desk. He looked down at the map of the Continent sitting on the wood and clasped his hands behind his back.
“The Wahrians and the eastern Kurakin army clash in the east,” he said.
<
br /> “The Moradans will help there too.” Lannes appeared to be focused on cleaning the underside of his fingernails, but Nelson knew the man well enough now to know he was listening.
“Yes, the Moradans are there too.” Nelson nodded and kept his eyes down on the map. “We’ll wait for news of how that campaign goes. Now, in the west, I have less news than I’d like.”
Nelson’s thoughts trailed off as his eyes shifted over the Antres Mountains to the west and settled on Erlon.
“Lauriston will take care of things there.” Lannes was still focused on his own hands. He didn’t glance at the map or Nelson once.
“How?” Nelson said. He’d thought on the situation in the west more than anything else on this journey and had no idea how that side of the campaign could hold together. The Kurakin were already past Plancenoit and had the larger force. Not to mention the Brunian army was shattered and would need to coordinate with their former enemies to have any chance to succeed.
“General Duroc will be aggressive.”
Nelson thought that was stating the obvious and almost let an exacerbated sigh escape from his mouth but held it in check.
“But the end of fall approaches.” Lannes dropped his legs from the desk and leaned forward. He looked up at Nelson across the map. “If Lauriston can use the Erlonians he has left to bog Duroc down in the south, below the Branch and well south of Vendome, our side has a chance.”
Nelson’s eyes followed across the locations on the map as Lannes talked.
“If they can keep the Kurakin in the south before the break in the campaign season and gives us time to plan out this war, it lets your Coalition take time to regroup and come to terms with my country as your ally.”
Nelson nodded. All of that made sense. It was still a difficult task, but the armies in the west just needed to survive until winter.
The pair continued their discussion over various parts of the sprawling war and Nelson started to feel a little better about his side’s chances. Even the sea chopped up a bit behind them and they could hear the sailors moving about and raising sails up top in preparation for the winds to return.
The Fall of Erlon Page 30
