"Now, I will reiterate our Second Patrol Team's combat mission for today: In this battle, our Second Patrol Team will act as the Patrol Team's support unit.
If we are assaulting a fortified position, we are responsible for constructing and setting up wooden ladders, coordinating with the First and Third Patrol Teams to scale the walls.
Remember, Ars堡's wooden palisade is about ten feet high, and there is no moat outside the wall.
Our team must construct two wooden ladders approximately fifteen feet long; each combat group will be responsible for one ladder when setting them up, with the group leader setting the ladder and two group members providing cover with shields.
We will only follow after the First and Third Patrol Teams have completely climbed over the wooden wall."
"If it's an open-field battle, our team will be the left flank of the Patrol Team, with the Third Patrol Team in the center and the First Patrol Team on the right flank.
At the same time, we are also the outermost left flank of this bandit suppression army, and we must ensure that the army's left flank is not outflanked by the enemy once the battle begins."
In the Patrol Team's camp outside Andermatt Fortress, Kazak was making pre-battle arrangements based on Art's deployment.
In the open space before him, five black-robed Soldiers, armed with short spears and round shields, sat on the ground, quietly listening to and remembering their officer's words.
On the other side of the camp, Bass, wearing leather armor and with an iron chain manacle at his waist, had finished his pre-battle deployment.
He paced among the Soldiers, checking the weapons, equipment, water skins, and food bags of several Soldiers one by one, saying, "After breakfast, everyone rest in place and wait for the order to depart.
Check your weapons again; polish your short spears, sharpen your swords, hammers, and axes…"
...
Inside the military tent, Art was putting on the iron-studded leather armor captured from Wincheston Manor with Ron's help.
Once fully dressed, Art gave orders to the two guards in the tent.
"Ron, it will take two days to march from Andermatt to Ars堡.
Although Baron Antayas has arranged for scout cavalry, we still cannot be careless.
Therefore, you and Jason must also be responsible for scouting near the marching column, especially when passing through forests, hills, and tall grass.
You must scout carefully to guard against ambushes.
Those who occupied Ars堡 are not simple mountain bandits; I am concerned they might ambush the advancing army."
"Jason, give the order to pack up the military tent, then go see if Odo has finished breakfast."
Jason exited the military tent and walked towards the makeshift kitchen next to the camp...
Compared to the tense and orderly camp of Art, Andermatt Fortress was in utter chaos.
Baron Antayas's city guards and the knights' retainers still maintained some basic military discipline, but the peasant Soldiers who had been temporarily conscripted had no regard for orders or prohibitions.
They were usually busy farming and had no leisure time for training, and they were forced to participate in this recovery battle as cannon fodder, serving as arrow targets and shield bearers, so their morale was very low.
Now that it was time to march, everyone was somewhat panicked, and even two peasant Soldiers refused to leave the military fort and join the army, no matter how much the knights and officers beat and scolded them.
Other peasant Soldiers also complained of dizziness one moment and stomach aches the next, running around the military fort in disarray and dragging their feet.
It wasn't until Baron Antayas grew furious and had the two leading peasant Soldiers dragged out and severely beaten with sticks that the other peasant Soldiers slowly became obedient.
The "punitive army," originally scheduled to depart at sunrise, finally dragged its long tail out of the military fort only when the sun was already scorching their scalps.
Art, with his fully prepared Patrol Team, had been waiting outside the fort for half the morning, so long that he wanted to charge in and cut off the heads of a few troublesome peasant Soldiers.
Odo stood beside Art, watching the disorganized peasant Soldiers at the rear of the column, carrying long sickles, wooden pitchforks, clubs, and iron hammers, and walking with lazy strides.
He spat on the ground and said bitterly, "My Lord, fighting with this bunch is truly frustrating.
These scoundrels are even worse than the laboring brothers of Lucerne."
After speaking, he returned to his own small team, ordered his Soldiers to stand up, and then followed behind Art, who was riding a black warhorse, joining the marching column.
...
The peasant Soldiers did not "disappoint" Art; the column had only advanced three miles when the hundred-odd men had stretched into a formation nearly half a mile long, and many of the peasant Soldiers dragging at the rear were looking around, trying to slip away.
Baron Antayas had no choice but to dispatch a small team of armed castle guards to the rear of the column to drive the cowardly peasant Soldiers to catch up with the main marching force.
By the time the marching column had just achieved a slightly more disciplined formation, an entire morning had passed, and the peasant Soldiers began to clamor for rest and food.
When the column reached the edge of a forest, the sun was already close to the horizon, and they were only fifteen miles from Andermatt Fortress.
Seeing that night was approaching, Baron Antayas had no choice but to order them to set up camp in the forest ahead and start fires for cooking.
The peasant Soldiers, upon receiving the order, scattered, gathering in groups of three to five to pick up firewood, start fires, and prepare meals with the stale grain rations they had received from the Baron.
The knights ignored their peasant Soldiers, but fortunately, Baron Antayas was knowledgeable about military matters, and he dispatched several sentries and a team of scout cavalry to patrol and stand guard.
Sir Drude rode his horse to Art's camp and said to Art, who was directing his team in setting up military tents and assigning shifts, "My Lord Art, the Baron requests that you send one cavalryman with us to scout around the camp, and then asks you to come to his tent for a discussion."
Art arranged for Jason to ride with Sir Drude's men to scout, then took Ron and walked towards a large military tent in the center of the woodland.
Inside the tent, arguments had already begun, mostly over a few knights' peasant Soldiers fighting over a few pieces of firewood or vying for a flat, dry camping spot, while the always competitive knight lords felt that those good things rightfully belonged to them.
Baron Antayas sat at the head of the tent, his face growing increasingly grim.
The day's stifling march had already filled him with anger, and now his knights were still arguing over a few dead branches and a camping spot.
"Enough, all of you, shut up!" Antaias roared loudly.
The two knights, who had been arguing red-faced, glared resentfully at each other and retreated to their respective positions.
The fiefs of these two knights were adjacent, and they often had friction over border issues, but to be squabbling at this time seemed ill-mannered.
Art waited until the arguing in the tent ceased before lifting the curtain and entering the tent, standing at the very end.
Antaias, seeing that all the officers had arrived, cleared his throat with a cough and said, "Today's march has exposed too many problems.
I seriously doubt whether I can rely on those scoundrels under your command to help me reclaim Ars堡, but let me warn you first: if I cannot reclaim Ars堡 this time, none of you will have it easy either.
I will reclaim your fiefs before the Court reclaims mine."
When Baron Antayas got angry, everyone in the tent felt a sense of tension and fear.
Knight Croy, a middle-aged knight standing on the upper right, seeing the tense atmosphere, quickly stepped forward and said, "My Lord, it's not that everyone is unwilling to fulfill their duties, but the peasant Soldiers are all temporarily conscripted and indeed lack military discipline, but the knights are indeed trying their best to maintain the Soldiers' discipline."
Baron Antayas still held some respect for Sir Croy, after all, Knight Croy was an old subordinate who had survived the battlefield with him back then, and this time Knight Croy had indeed brought strong young peasant Soldiers from his fief and two knight retainers.
So, Baron Antayas took the hint, calmed himself, and said, "You are all knights with glorious histories; you yourselves or your ancestors once fought for the monarch on the battlefield.
God has endowed you with valor and allowed you to enjoy the honor of a peer, so you should faithfully fulfill your knightly vows."
Baron Antayas glimpsed Art, who was standing at the very end, and said, "In other words, you should learn from Patrol Officer Art.
He only came at my invitation to assist in the suppression, but his army has shown excellent military discipline in these two days, and I believe their combat effectiveness is also astonishing."
As soon as the Baron finished speaking, a disdainful chuckle echoed in the tent.
Evidently, these knights were unimpressed by the recent military discipline displayed by this commoner officer and his Patrol Team; they didn't believe there was much correlation between a military's discipline and its combat effectiveness.
Art felt quite awkward, but he also did not wish to contend with them in such a setting.
The military council that night, apart from emphasizing the need to restrain the army and maintain morale, had no substantive content, and the night passed without further discussion.
The next day, the knights were indeed much stricter with their peasant Soldiers.
Under the threat of the knights' and retainers' clubs, the peasant Soldiers packed up their camp early and began to rush towards Ars堡.
Throughout the journey, there were basically no instances of desertion or delay, because the Baron had already ordered Sir Drude to immediately execute any peasant Soldier who dared to slack off.
The large army, having accelerated its march, arrived at a dense forest one mile from Ars堡 before sunset.
Beyond this dense forest lay a fertile plain at the foot of Bore Mountain.
Ars堡 was built on the northern slope of a small hill, overlooking this fertile plain.
Ars堡 was an important gateway to and from the Bore Mountains; therefore, although it was only a village, it was equipped with wooden palisades for Soldiers to stand and defend, and two arrow towers.
Taking advantage of the night that had not yet fully enveloped them, Art and Odo and a few others came to the edge of the dense forest to survey Ars堡.
Just as Lawrence had described, Ars堡 was indeed a Wood Fort that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.
It was built on a gentle slope at the foot of the mountain, so large siege engines could not be pushed up smoothly, and the defending side could launch arrows and stones from a higher position.
More critically, news of the army's suppression had long since reached the mountain bandits.
Now, many deep pits had been dug in front of Ars堡, and deer antlers and chevaux de frise had been set up.
The Wood Fort's main gate and wooden walls had also been noticeably reinforced.
Odo looked at Ars堡 before him, shook his head, and sighed, "My Lord, I'm afraid this Ars堡 won't be so easy to reclaim.
How many Soldiers will we have to lose to capture this place?"
Art did not answer Odo's question but turned and returned to the camp.
In Baron Antayas's military tent, Art reported on the defensive situation of Ars堡 they had observed, as well as his estimate of the potential casualties for capturing Ars堡.
"Art, I know all that you've said.
Last year, I twice returned defeated from Ars堡.
I know it won't be easy to capture it, otherwise, I wouldn't have conscripted almost all the troops in my territory to come here."
Baron Antayas stood up from his seat, walked over to Art, and asked with a slight disdain, "Do you want to leave?
Don't forget you've already received my provisions and pay."
Art, of course, had never thought of leaving.
He explained, "Baron Antayas, although I am not a knight, I also have my honor and dignity.
If I feared death, I would not have brought my Soldiers here to you.
I merely feel that since a head-on assault on Ars堡 might result in many Soldier casualties, why don't we consider other methods?"
Baron Antayas asked curiously, "Other methods?"
"Yes, My Lord, since Ars堡 is currently very difficult to crack, then we won't attack Ars堡."
"Not attack? Do you expect those mountain bandits to surrender obediently?
Even if we besiege the city without attacking, we cannot afford the consumption of our provisions."
"My Lord, my meaning is that we don't have to forcefully attack the Wood Fort; we can do this..."
...