Repeated setbacks caused the morale of both soldiers and generals to drop to rock bottom. Harry Strickland dared not test the temper and patience of those present, and continued without pause.
"The enemy's way of breaking our hammer-and-anvil tactic is to 'break the infantry anvil.' Therefore, our counter-strategy naturally divides into two paths: first, strengthen the infantry anvil so it is not afraid of bombardment. Second, abandon the hammer-and-anvil tactic and find another way..."
"The enemy is only two or three days away from Highgarden. How can we possibly switch to other tactics and redeploy at this point?" Randyll snorted without thinking, interrupting Strickland's speech with undisguised opposition. "Furthermore, cavalry is the only way to deal with firearms. This is a consensus we reached long ago. I am very curious what method Lord Strickland can find by seeking another path."
"Yes, after discussing it with Lord Connington, I also agree with Lord Randyll's view: completely abandoning the previous plan means giving up our greatest cavalry advantage, and there is not enough time." Harry sighed deeply and nodded in agreement. "Therefore, the result we finally discussed is a compromise. While focusing our main efforts on strengthening the infantry anvil, we will make slight targeted adjustments to the details, striving to make good use of the 'advantage of moving last' gained from the 'disadvantage in morale' to turn the tide."
A disadvantage in morale for the advantage of moving last?
To describe repeated setbacks and an inability to fight back in such a clear and unconventional way required extraordinary emotional intelligence and skill, along with shamelessness that pierced the sky. But before anyone could voice their sarcasm, the commander of the Golden Company had already raised his voice after a slight pause.
"I know some people are probably cursing me in their hearts for being shameless, but I still need to explain that last sentence." Harry puffed out his chest, his slightly dulled golden armor glistening again under the oil lamp. "Our army has suffered repeated setbacks, that is true, but the enemy has also shown almost all their cards. And we still retain our fighting strength. We can still gather here for a war council, and we can still calmly and composedly think about how to deal with the enemy's various powerful weapons and strange tricks. This is the advantage of moving last gained through the loss of morale."
"Of course, I dare not say for certain that this exchange is definitely worthwhile. But I can be certain of this: if we continue to debate such topics as 'could we have won by rushing forward while morale was high in the morning,' or 'is there still any meaning in fighting now that morale is lost'... then the low and middle-ranking noble knights outside the tent might still have a chance to surrender, but the heads of you and me, who are qualified to enter this tent for discussion, will absolutely be stuck on stakes beside the moat of Highgarden soon."
...
The words of the Golden Company's commander seemed like an emotional outburst without structure, but in reality, they clearly contained two parts: positive encouragement and negative warning. Although it sounded like the struggle of someone at the end of his rope, it still successfully loosened the stagnant atmosphere within the large tent. Those with clear minds began to realize that while "morale advantage for last-move advantage" sounded absurd, there was some truth to it. And even those who could not grasp or did not agree with this point had to admit that, besides stubborn resistance, they had no other way out.
Such words, of course, could not have come from a mercenary Lord Commander, but were the work of Jon Connington, the King's Hand, who realized he had made a timid mistake by being overly cautious in the morning but absolutely could not admit it in public.
As for Harry, who was being used as a mouthpiece, his inner feelings at this moment were somewhat dumbfounded.
How had he, a mercenary who took money to solve problems for others, somehow gotten mixed up in the core command circle of the allied army?
After suffering two consecutive defeats, not only had he not run away, but he had even taken the initiative to speak at the post-battle summary meeting, encouraging a group of hereditary lords to muster their spirits and continue fighting.
This was an extremely illogical thing, whether for the profession of a mercenary or for his personal character.
It was not that he had suddenly become loyal, righteous, and unwavering, but rather that he was now on Jon Connington's pirate ship and could not get off.
The Golden Company had already suffered unprecedented heavy losses. Fleeing now would mean losing everything, not to mention that the entire eastern coast of Westeros, including King's Landing, had fallen into enemy hands, and House Hightower, which controlled the port of Oldtown, was not very cooperative. He had nowhere to run.
Either lose everything and lose his head, or achieve a class leap in one battle, secure titles for his wife and children, and be remembered for generations.
The opening remarks were over. It was time to get down to business.
"In the morning battle, the infantry vanguard led by Lord Rowan encountered the enemy's direct artillery fire. Spherical cannonballs bounced repeatedly along the ground, penetrating the vanguard formation, causing huge casualties and indirectly leading to the subsequent rout." Harry summarized the morning's situation without stopping for breath, then began to introduce the useful intelligence provided by those involved. "However, Lord Rowan and his staff discovered during the bombardment that hiding behind terrain with a certain slope could effectively counter this bouncing attack. But this faces difficulties in actual operation: on the flat plains of the Reach, earthen slopes are extremely rare, and even if there are any, they are scattered and cannot form a continuous battle line. And once the troops disperse to hide, it will disrupt the command chain, preventing orders from being effectively transmitted and easily leading to a rout."
"After summarizing the information and lessons provided by Lord Rowan, I easily came up with a solution, that is, actively find an area with a relatively high density of earthen slopes, and construct artificial cover between the slopes using sand, soil, and rocks. This way, our army can calmly deploy and arrange troops behind this elongated structure formed by connecting slopes and cover, without passively taking hits from several arrow shots away."
With Harry's earlier reasonable opening remarks as a prelude, Randyll found it difficult to vent his emotions arbitrarily. He carefully considered the speaker's suggestion and quickly raised a reasonable question: "Building such a barrier takes time, and with it in place, our army cannot launch a charge as quickly as usual."
"This barrier does not need to be too high, as long as it can block bouncing cannonballs. Lowering the requirements to this level means it can probably be constructed in less than half a day. As for that boy Aegor switching tactics and going back to plunging fire, I have no way to stop it, nor do I need one. After all, we are mentally prepared to deal with cannonballs falling from the sky and can bear certain losses."
He paused, tapping his fingers on the tabletop, thinking about how to answer Randyll's next question, when Jon stepped forward to help him out.
"The impact a barrier has on infantry charges is absolutely no match for the protection it can provide." The King's Hand's wrinkled face showed determination and calm. He smoothed a strand of grey-red hair back behind his ear to prevent it from interfering with his speech. "Even in the worst prediction, it would only delay the charge by a minute. But the question I am considering here is not whether the charge will be delayed, but why should we charge?"
This passage was not in the speech draft Jon had given to Strickland. It was a semi-improvised remark. Since it had an element of surprise, it naturally attracted the attention of the generals.
"Our original goal for this war was a quick victory, decisively annihilating the main force of the Western Expeditionary Army led by Aegor in one battle, giving Daenerys sufficient psychological deterrence, and then judging the situation to decide whether to pursue the victory and counterattack the Crownlands, or temporarily negotiate for peace and rule divided lands, relying on the size and population advantage of the Reach for a long-term confrontation. However, that Lord Commander of the Night's Watch has shown us again and again that the black cloaks did not defeat the White Walkers and subdue the North and the Reach by luck. Their Lord Commander is by no means a soft persimmon to be easily squeezed. Given that the enemy's combat strength and vigilance are higher than we imagined, we should abandon illusions, recognize reality, and appropriately adjust our strategic goals. My personal suggestion here is to prepare for the minimum expected outcome, which is to prevent the enemy from continuing to advance toward Highgarden and repel them."
"This is certainly not to say that I have pessimistically concluded that annihilating the enemy is impossible, but rather to emphasize that when at a disadvantage, one should be down-to-earth and prioritize frustrating the opponent's strategic intent, and only then calmly consider whether the powerful enemy can be eliminated once and for all. And specifically regarding the issue of charging: if the enemy continues to advance in stages without revealing any flaws, why must we charge instead of waiting at ease for them to come to us? After all, it is not us who are heavily surrounded, cut off from logistics, and unable to receive supplies."
Having finished pouring out his thoughts, Jon was somewhat agitated, and the strand of hair he had smoothed back fell down again.
"I can even imagine the course of tomorrow's battle. Aegor discovers that direct artillery fire is ineffective against our army, so he orders a continued staged advance, pushing forward until they are within two arrow shots. Only then does he stop at a visible distance and use the range advantage of his cannons to relentlessly continue plunging fire bombardment, taking advantage of our lack of equivalent countermeasures and attempting to strike morale, forcing us to charge first or suffer internal problems that lead to a rout."
"What we need to do is hold on. Endure the bombardment and stabilize the front line, blocking Aegor like a mountain, and see whether they have more gunpowder or we have more men. As long as we can hold this breath, whether he eventually loses patience and attacks first, or realizes the situation is impossible and begins to retreat, with the main cavalry force on the flanks, the initiative is in our hands."
...
The tent fell silent. Most people intuitively felt this move seemed reliable, yet they had doubts about whether it could effectively contain Daenerys's army. After a round of whispering, countless pairs of eyes slowly converged, not on King Aegon or Lord Tyrell, but on Randyll Tarly, who had been arguing earlier.
If this old, skilled, and straightforward lord also approved of the Golden Company commander's plan, then it would likely be feasible and have a high chance of success.
Under the gaze of more than a dozen pairs of eyes, the Lord of Horn Hill's brows furrowed deeply, smoothed out, then furrowed again. Finally, he nodded almost imperceptibly. Just as everyone took this nod as approval and agreement, he suddenly raised a new question: "Besides constructing a barrier, isn't this just following the original plan? Didn't you say it was a compromise? Where are the detailed tactical adjustments?"
"It lies in troop deployment. After a day of facing off and reconnaissance, we have a general understanding of the formation Aegor has set up by the river: a semicircular shape, like an iron pot placed upside down on the ground. Attacking from any direction will encounter nearly equal defensive counterforce. The most troublesome part is that, fighting it only south of the Mander, we simply cannot deploy an eighty-thousand-man front to surround it. Even if we arrange troops shoulder to shoulder, at most only half can be engaged simultaneously."
"My idea is, instead of letting the remaining personnel watch from the rear or wait for rotation, why not open up a new direction of attack? Aegor has placed an iron pot by the Mander with the convex side facing us. Must we foolishly commit all our strength to the side he anticipates? There are several warships anchored by the river outside Highgarden. Send troops overnight to order them to sail east to the battlefield, and mobilize ten to twenty thousand men to cross north of the Mander and lie in ambush on the other side of the river from the Western Expeditionary Army. If that Lord Commander of the Night's Watch knows he is no match and prepares to retreat toward New Barrel Town, this surprise force can effectively hinder their river-crossing speed, gaining time for the main army to organize a pursuit. And if a decisive battle breaks out on the main front, they can also cross the river from the north bank by ship at the most crucial moment, enter the battle as a surprise force, launch an attack from the front of Aegor's 'iron pot,' and give him a fierce four-sided pincer attack."
(To be continued.)