—Along those lines, the first thing we are going to do is fortify our position. We have taken temporary possession of the hill northeast of the town, here —Miguel pointed to the map in front of him, its surface marked with charcoal and wax strokes outlining the terrain's contour lines.
—We have already finished the trench; the compacted earth wall, the observer positions, and other camp amenities are still pending. Since the idea is for this to be a more permanent position, we have acquired some tents and supplies from the civilians who came with us, and we will proceed to install them for the common areas.
—Now then, it is very important that you always keep the following in mind: we must maintain our alibi at all costs; we cannot give political ammunition to the Duke of Susa. That is why, to justify the number of troops and ensure no suspicions arise regarding our lack of presence, we must always keep the greatest number of bonfires lit and make as much noise as possible during the day, even if it is with instruments or something.
—We must create the illusion that our entire contingent remains here, protecting the settlers. If all goes well, this operation should not take more than a week.
—Any questions so far?
—If you will allow me, my lord —Fernández said—. I have the following doubts. First, where are we going to attack from? It is obvious we cannot attack from the front, but attacking from the north, or the south, or from the enemy's rear each carries a series of problems.
—Second, if we are to look like bandits, we must act like bandits, and we must at least rob the people. What are we going to do with that treasure? It will only slow us down if we want to succeed in this lightning campaign against the enemy.
—Excellent questions, Lieutenant, and answering each one: One, we will attack from the north, the most difficult flank by crossing the Narico forest, but at the same time the one that provides the necessary cover to advance undetected and strike hard before they can react. The terrain is rugged, which would invalidate their heavy cavalry if they try to intercept us.
—Two, the forest itself will allow us to hide the proceeds from the looting, at least until it is safe to move them. We will not rob out of greed, Fernández; we will rob to decapitalize the enemy and so that no spy can say regular House Cortés troops carried out a surgical assault without taking a single grain of wheat. A bandit always takes the loot; we will do the same, but the destination of that gold will serve to finance our own survival.
—I understand, my lord —the Lieutenant said, nodding his head while visualizing the escape routes—. I will organize the men so that, once the fortification process is finished, we set out toward the objective.
—Excellent. Remember that our objective is to have our advanced base of operations at the northern tip of the Narico forest, to be within a stone's throw of the villages along the Colorado River route to the only deep-water port in the eastern end of the kingdom, which is safe enough to act as the main commercial platform with the countries of the infidels.
—We will not be able to end the Marquis's trade, but we can hinder the logistical route of the barges he uses to navigate the river back and forth. —Miguel said—. Oh, and by the way, Raúl, I need you and Guard Andrés's squad to report to me; I have a special mission.
—As you command, young master—Raúl said with a slight bow.
—Good. For the deployment of this lightning war campaign, there are some special considerations. For the deployment, the guards who were already on active duty, about a hundred, will move with me to the forest; the Lieutenant and Sergeant Iván are included in this deployment.
—The rest of you will stay inside the fortress, seeking to prevent any surprise attack against Pasto territory. Raúl, you are released with forty men to ALWAYS be on continuous watch, using the same tactical deployment as when we marched toward this village.
—Yes, my lord.
—That is all. Finish coordinating your men so they complete their tasks. We leave tomorrow before dawn. —Miguel concluded, ending the meeting.
…
Once the meeting was over, Miguel met with the Lieutenant to eat a piece of dried meat and some oatmeal porridge that the soldiers had prepared with the supplies they brought from the capital.
—I thought we wouldn't make it —the Lieutenant said, chewing slowly—. Honestly, I was scared when I heard the horn at our rear advancing toward the young master's position. But here we are. We achieved the main objective of our mission: bringing our citizens back to their homes and protecting them so that no one else can attack them again like the pig next door.
—Hahahaha —Miguel laughed—. Excellent name, very accurate for describing the idiot's attitude. Although we should add "envious pig." It describes him better. Envy is the engine of the mediocre.
—Hahaha. True... But, young master, are you sure about committing to this risky maneuver? There is a lot at stake. From a political perspective, these types of attacks under the banner of bandits are political suicide if the truth is ever discovered.
—That's true, Fernández. It is a very high risk, but we must seize the moment. The lower basin of the Colorado River is a very fertile area; if we can land even a minor blow near those zones, then we will put Narico in a position of strategic passivity against other attacks.
—And besides, he will have to spend money from his own war chest to lower the demand for bread, which will divert resources intended for war into buying grain. It's a "two-for-one": we weaken him militarily and break him economically.
—But... what if it goes wrong?
—Then we abort the mission for good and get out of there. It's not an all-in, Lieutenant; it's a calculated risk, with a narrow margin of safety that, once exceeded, will end the mission irrevocably.
—Very well, I trust your judgment.
—As do I yours, Lieutenant. Have a good night; tomorrow we move before dawn. Don't forget to remind...
—Remind my men to adjust all equipment so it doesn't make noise and to put linen on the horses' hooves. —the Lieutenant replied with a knowing smile.
—Exactly —Miguel said—. Speaking of hooves, how is Julián doing with the horseshoes and repairs? Very exhausting for the boy.
—No, he's doing perfectly. It seems he has adapted to the work magnificently.
—Good to hear. Remeber, two horses per guard going into this mission.
…
—Raúl, gentlemen, good evening. I apologize in advance for being a bit late —Miguel said as he arrived at the command and control wagon, where the shadows of the four men were projected against the canvas walls: Andrés, Ronald, Sam, and Julio—. The situation is as follows: I wanted to propose to the four of you that you become the first members of the Military Intelligence Agency.
—It would be an honor, my lord. —they all said.
—Wait, wait. I don't think you fully understand what I am proposing yet. Let's see, what is an intelligence agency?
—...
—That's what I thought —Miguel said—. Well, a normal intelligence agency aims to spy on the enemy, but focused more on a strategic deployment of their capabilities; that is, they spy on politics, high-ranking officials, enemy factories, etc. They spy on everything about the enemy, but behind enemy lines. They look for the secret hidden in the minister's office.
—On the other hand, military intelligence seeks to understand the enemy before even seeing them on the battlefield. Military intelligence is responsible for gathering all the information necessary to win battles, and it joins with strategy to win the war. It's about knowing how many arrows they have, if their horses have eaten, which sergeant is afraid, and which road the mud makes impassable. It is the art of seeing what the enemy tries to hide at the front.
—Ahhhhhh —the four said. Miguel observed them in silence for three seconds.
—Good —he continued—. since I see you are enthusiastic about being part of it, your first mission is to go in the vanguard of our advance tomorrow and reach the settlements we are going to attack at least a day in advance, so you can gather information on the enemy's defenses with the goal of facilitating the attack. Among your main functions and objectives are:
You must identify the exact number of soldiers present in each village, their rotation schedules, and, above all, detect the presence of any heavy cavalry or knight members or foreign mercenaries. I need to know if the enemy is relaxed or expecting trouble.
Locate the main granaries, the loading docks on the Colorado River, and the bridges that could be sabotaged or used for our retreat. You must mark the points where fire will spread fastest and where loot is easiest to transport.
Listen to conversations in the surrounding taverns; identify if there is discontent among the inhabitants of the marquisate. A hungry or resentful peasant can be our best silent informant.
—You will be my eyes in the darkness —Miguel concluded, looking them in the eyes—. Are you ready to be ghosts?
The four men nodded, this time with an expression of absolute seriousness. Now, the craft of spies began.