“While very few bards would sing about them, and next to no legends ever praised them, the importance of scouts on the battlefield cannot be overstated. To march blind into a battle without proper information was little different than committing assisted suicide, and no commander worth their salt would make that mistake.

A scout’s work was simple and unglamorous, even if the dangers were no lesser. They fought no decisive battles or pulled off heroic feats for others to celebrate, yet the information they brought home was often the key difference between victory and defeat. Truly, they were the unsung heroes of the battlefield.” - Gregorius Aurelius Secundus, Famed general and later Second Emperor of the First Elmaiya Empire.

“Please repeat what you just said? I don’t think I heard you right,” said Andrea Utghwes when Hannah returned to report on what she had seen of the battlefield by Fort Kazka early the next morning. She and several other scouts who were skilled in remaining unseen had been sent out the night before to perform reconnaissance on the battlefield, and as she was the fastest, the others had written their reports and handed it to her to pass on.

“It’s a mess out there, Your Grace,” said Hannah before the gathered commanders present in the command tent. Other than the young Duchess herself, a couple of her Knight-Captains were present, as well as a senior Knight-Captain who led the detachment of Jonkver troops from Fort Kuzi, along with Reinhardt and Dame Illasvey. “The others had passed on their reports to me for expediency and you will find that they shared the same opinion.”

“We could not tell with certainty due to the darkness, but parts of the Fort as well as the ramparts built next to it seemed to have crumbled,” added the therian girl as she reported the situation. “The Central troops had built a large encampment right within siege weapon range, and we saw their trebuchets hurling stones without pause at the walls even in the dark of night.”

“And the defenders had just allowed them to do that?” asked the young Duchess with some obvious skepticism.

“We spotted signs of battle between the Fort and the encampments, so they probably tried to contest the shelling, though likely to poor results,” replied Hannah to the noblewoman. “For what it was worth, the encampment of the Central army seemed to be focused on guarding against their front, so their flanks and rear are relatively less well-guarded.”

“They had not reinforced their southern flank? You really got all their messenger birds then, good work,” replied the young Duchess. During the days when the truce had been discussed and following it, Hannah and Salicia had been stationed further north of Fort Kuzi, where they waited for and intercepted any bird that looked like it came from the Bostvan encampment.

Many of the birds they took down were just innocent critters who became collateral damage, but others were messenger birds with messages that explained the loss and retreat of the Bostvan forces tied to them. They had kept up that vigilance against messenger birds throughout the trek northwards, and it seemed like their efforts had paid off.

The Central faction’s army up north had not received the news of their ally’s defeat down south, and likely had no idea that a force from Fort Kuzi was now breathing down their necks.

“We could exploit that… maybe if we muster behind these hills and wait for them to be engaged with the forces at Kazka…” muttered the young Duchess as she pointed at a line of small hills roughly a kilometer or so to the south of Fort Kazka. The other commanders in the tent walked closer and started to share their opinions as well, with their largest concern being the distance between the hills and the Central’s encampment.

“It would take our infantrymen at least five minutes to cover the distance even at a full run,” stated the Knight-Captain from Fort Kuzi. “That might buy the Centrals enough time to reinforce their defenses properly to welcome our forces.”

“We have less than a thousand cavalry between us all… that’s a reasonable amount but rather risky to assault the encampment with, especially since they had barriers to prevent a cavalry charge…” said the young Duchess in contemplation, then she noticed Reinhardt making a gesture to catch her attention. “Yes, Captain Edelstein?”

“If it’s anti-cavalry barriers, me and my men could remove it for you, and we can cover the distance about as fast as your cavalry,” he said with some confidence in his voice. “It won’t be all of us, of course, but I got at least a couple hundred who can move fast enough to keep pace with your horses, some with people on their backs, even. We can open the way for you to go through if you’re willing to risk the charge.”

“A valid offer, if somewhat risky. I am leaning to agree with your offer, honestly,” said the young Duchess. “We will only get the element of surprise this once, no reason not to make the most of it.”

“I would like to propose that we send half our infantry to harry the flanks of the Central army while they fought, Your Grace,” said one of the Knight-Captains from Dvergarder with a solemn tone. “That would be a risky task since they would be outnumbered, but it would buy more time for the rest to do damage in their base. I volunteer for this task.”

“I would also like to volunteer my men for this task, Your Grace,” said the senior Knight-Captain from Fort Kuzi with a nod. “This is our land we are fighting for. It would shame us if we refused to take the brunt of the battle upon ourselves and leave the hard part to our allies.”

“Very well, Sirs. Do your utmost and please return alive,” said the young Duchess with a nod. “I guess we are all in agreement then? If so, have your men readied and well-rested. We strike once the battle has heated up to a boil.”