Fourth Vector Ch. 41

*****

"I've done it! I've destroyed them! I've devastated the Allied Army!"

If Emperor Avila could have shouted it from the highest rooftop of the imperial palace, he would have. Yesterday's victory against the Galicians and their allies was the ultimate rebuff of a campaign that had all but turned against the Swabians.

It was also, in Avila's opinion, a confirmation of his leadership and military strategy that led to the repulse of the attack. For the first time since the Battle of Castus, Avila believed the war was still winnable even without General Ferberg at the helm.

As Avila surveilled the carnage around Dagobern, he couldn't help but take pride in his citizen-soldiers. They'd stood up to a professional army four times their size and still managed to triumph.

That those same citizen-soldiers were all but worn out was lost on Avila. Also lost on him was the fact that a small minority refused to fight at all, hocking their weapons at the first sign of trouble. He also ignored the casualty reports, which were entirely heinous in the number of losses.

To Avila's twisted mind, the only thing that mattered was victory. They'd bought themselves more time for survival against a foe that was believed to be unbeatable.

Unfortunately for Avila, his new general didn't share the same opinion.

General Vukhoz was a replacement to General Ferberg in name only. Vukhoz had none of Ferberg's knowledge, skill, or experience. In fact, it was quite hard to see how the same army could have produced men of such differing caliber.

The only issue was that Vukhoz was the highest ranking officer within the city and by default, that put him in nominal command.

Avila didn't share a high opinion of Vukhoz, and that was part of the reason why Avila wanted to keep the final word with himself for the battle, instead of relying on his generals as the last arbiters. However, it was hard to be Swabian and not have a respect for the chain of command, no matter who occupied the defining spot. For that reason, Vukhoz played his own role in the battle, occupying the eastern parts of the city where the main thrust from the enemy was defeated.

After the battle, Vukhoz wasn't flush with excitement like Avila was. In fact, Vukhoz seemed to be toeing the line between apathy and defeatism.

"Your Imperial Majesty, what is to be done about all the units that fled instead of fought yesterday?" asked Vukhoz. "Under our law, units that run in the face of the enemy are to be immediately executed. Should I send out units to apprehend them so they can meet their fates?"

Avila shook his head. "None of that matters right now. The Galicians are beat. Soon, they will pull their army back from Dagobern, and we're going to need units that can pursue them."

Vukhoz gave him a very alarmed look. "But Sire, we simply repulsed their first attack. I fully expect them to try again today at the very least. This isn't over."

"It will be over when I say it's over," replied Avila coolly. "And we've dealt them a defeat yesterday that they won't soon forget. I won't expect another attack from them any time soon."

Vukhoz was now looking back at Avila like he was fit for a straitjacket. If it was any other officer, Avila might have canned him on the spot but seeing as Vukhoz was only nominally in command, he would suffer the fool for a little while longer.

"Sire, we must see the strategic situation for what it was," said Vukhoz, trying again with another tactic. "We are surrounded on all sides. The only forces we have under our command are geriatrics and adolescents here in the city. We are outnumbered and we can count no allies or relief forces coming to our rescue. We have almost no airplanes or tanks left to resist. Dagobern's granaries are full now but if this were to last another month, we might very well run out of food--"

"Enough!" yelled Avila, interrupting the general. "I will hear no more of your defeatism! We are not beat! We are not even close to being beaten! This war can still be won and I will be the one to win it! If you are so certain that we will be defeated then do us all a favor and hang yourself for daring to suggest that Swabian arms can't overcome the challenge in front of us!"

That seemed to have done the trick. Vukhoz was no Ferberg. And while Ferberg would have challenged Avila over the strategic situation, Vukhoz retreated with his tail between his legs, despite knowing he was right. It was the worst combination for a general--someone who knew what he was doing was wrong but he lacked the spine to challenge his superiors.

In Avila's mind, the war wasn't going to be won with losers like Vukhoz. No, the war was only going to be won with stout hearts and courage. If needed, Avila would be the general his people needed to lead them to final victory. After all, didn't his track record speak for itself? Had he not ascended to the highest point of power in Swabia on his own?

With Vukhoz gone, Avila went back to what he was doing before. Today he would make sure his forces were ready to engage the Galicians once more--this time, hopefully as they retreated from the city. If needed, he would make sure they were capable of repelling another assault, which Avila didn't see as likely since the Galicians would have learned their lesson by now.

The only other possible path forward for total victory was the return of the Swabian Navy to Dagobern but the fleet was still unaccounted for. Admiral Sevolz was still out there somewhere, and the Galician Navy was still out there trying to engage him.

If Avila could just get the Swabian Navy back to Dagobern long enough, he could blast the Allied Army with the full force of naval artillery and thus decimate them completely.

But why was Admiral Sevolz not following his commands?

*****

To say that yesterday's reversal wasn't that big of a deal would be to tell a lie.

Unfortunately for Jack, the action yesterday against the Swabian capital city of Dagobern fell far short of expectations. The city's defenses were stiffer than almost anyone had reckoned, and Jack's army lost a sizeable portion of their tank forces in the assault. There were also nearly three thousand casualties--a costly action for nothing gained.

For Jack, it was just confirmation that the war wasn't over yet. Until the Swabians had actually surrendered, they would continue to fight with all the strength they had left. And even without General Ferberg, they could still prove deadly enough on their own.

That morning, Jack spent the time with his forces as they recovered their strength. There were no plans to continue the attack for the time being, with the army settling into their trenches to extend the siege. It was a far cry from spending the night in the Swabian palace but things could always be a lot worse.

One thing that didn't help them was the lack of naval firepower. With the bulk of the fleet still chasing the Swabians, Jack couldn't count on their guns to batter the city alongside his land-based artillery. Not that theDestiny didn't hold up her own in the fight but she needed more help. Jack made a note to speak with Russ as soon as possible about possibly splitting up the fleet to have some of it return to Dagobern for the next assault.

One thing that Jack kept coming back to was the conversation he had with General Ferberg the day before. The general had suggested that a longer siege would be the better option, especially since the city would be unable to hold out in the long term. Ferberg's opinion wasn't shared by anyone else (except possibly Art's more timid disposition at their war council) and seeing as how Ferberg ended up being correct, Jack thought to pay him a visit that morning.

When Jack arrived in Ferberg's guarded tent, he found the general seemingly awaiting his arrival.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up today," said Ferberg, confirming Jack's thoughts.

Jack moved closer to the man's table and sat down in the only other spare chair. "And why is that? How did you know I was going to stop here?"

Ferberg gestured toward the city. "I may be your prisoner but even I know what happened yesterday. You didn't take the city."

"We didn't. It proved to be a tougher nut to crack than we expected."

Ferberg smiled. "I told you it was going to be hard to take. What kind of horrors did your men find inside? Child soldiers?"

"Don't forget pregnant women too," added Jack sourly. "It appears that Avila put a rifle into every citizen's hands. I don't think I saw a single civilian without one."

"No, I wouldn't imagine so," said Ferberg. "Probably the ones you didn't see had already run away to hide. I told you that he could make that city last longer than expected."

"It appears that your advice about settling into a longer siege was accurate," said Jack.

Ferberg trained his eyes on Jack. "So why didn't you take it?"

"Why should I trust you just yet?" asked Jack. "We touched on that the other day. You don't trust yet that I'm not going to have you killed, and I don't trust your advice just yet, although it seems that you gave me good advice about the city."

"One good deed should spark another," quipped Ferberg. "If I help your side, I would expect not to be killed in the long run."

"Is that what this is about? You're just looking for a way to ensure your survival?" asked Jack.

"Yes and no," replied Ferberg. "Survival is nice, and it's the basis for any negotiations on my part. You do seem to be a man of your word, and I'd like to trust you when you say you won't have me killed."

"So what is it then? If you think your survival is assured, why help us?"

Ferberg let out a long sigh. It became obvious that he was trying to choose the right words to reply back to the statement. After a minute of thinking, he finally let it out.

"I'm not a politician," said Ferberg. "I'm a general. My craft is making war. I can't help but put myself in any situation and wonder what I'd do if the shoe was on the other foot. I've already taken Dagobern once in a surprise attack. Part of me wonders what I'd do if I were attacking with your army. I can't help but look at from a military angle, and if I were faced with a city like Dagobern, I'd wait out a longer siege."

"For the military situation or the economic?" asked Jack, interrupting the general.

"Mainly economic," replied Ferberg. "Sure, Avila can give everyone with hands a rifle and ask them to fight the attackers. That will work in the short term but feeding the city will be tough in the long term. There are a lot of people in Dagobern. They are going to need to be fed. If you've truly cut off the city, it won't be long until they're starving. At which case, Avila isn't going to have a choice. He'll have to try to attack out of the city or they'll surrender because they're too weak to fight."

"In Avila's case, I'd fully expect another attack," said Jack.

Ferberg shrugged. "In that case, it'll be an attack with a starving population. They won't be nearly as inclined to fight you as they will be to end the war and the suffering that goes with it. Or, if you end up attacking yourself, they'll be too weak to resist you. Either way, you win."

Jack mulled the idea around for a few moments before replying. He still wanted to take the city but not at the expense of waiting an extra month or two for them to run out of food. It seemed a less honorable way to conduct a war, especially right now when his enemy seemed to be on the ropes.

"I'm not thrilled with starving them out," said Jack outright. "I'd rather win because I had the better army and firepower, not on a technicality like they were just too weak to resist."

"That's something you still might not understand about the way Swabians conduct war," explained Ferberg. "We fight to win. Every fight deserves to have your maximum effort applied to it. There's no such thing as a dishonorable victory."

Jack shook his head. "That's where we're different because I believe the opposite. Fighting should be done with some honor and respect for the rules of war."

"The only rule of war is to win. That's the only one that I follow," said Ferberg. "And I suggest if you want to take Dagobern, you'll take my advice and wait out the city. That is unless you want to break your army on their defenses. That choice is yours, Jack."

*****

The talk with Ferberg gave Jack a lot to think about. While he would never agree with winning in a dishonorable way, Ferberg's advice about waiting out the city did seem to make the most sense. At the end of the day, it seemed that whether the choice was between Jack's people dying or the Swabians starving, Jack was always going to look out for his own people first.

However, Jack wanted an agreement with the rest of his commanders and shortly after he met with Ferberg, he convened Greg, Lindy, and Art together to explain his thoughts, as well as the conversation with the Swabian general.

"So this idea came directly from Ferberg?" asked Greg after he heard Jack tell the whole story. "Now I suddenly don't like this idea to wait out the city."

"Just because the idea came from Ferberg?" asked Jack. "Or because of some other reason?"

"Well, Ferberg mostly," replied Greg. "Why would he help us? I'd be wary about accepting his advice. Frankly, I'd be liable to do the opposite of whatever he suggested. There has to be some kind of advantage for them if we wait."

"Like a hidden relief army," suggested Lindy. "One that could be assembling right now to come to the city's rescue."

"It could be a number of things," said Greg. "But I'm not likely to do it just because Ferberg said it was a good idea."

"No, and that's not why I'm bringing it to you all right now," said Jack. "The point being is that Ferberg's advice makes sense. Let's be honest--yesterday didn't go the way we'd planned. The city was stronger than we thought it would be. And we could continue to attack it until the defenses break but what cost would that impose on our forces? We can't keep sacrificing chunks of our army until the Swabians break. By the time they do, we might not have anything left."

"Even still though, Jack, I don't like the idea of starving them out," said Greg. "It would almost be like a hollow victory. We've come this far in this war. I want to land the knock-out punch that takes the Swabians out. I don't want to win on a technicality."

Jack put up his hands. "Believe me, I know the feeling. It doesn't sit well with me either but I want to do the best for our army. I want us to be able to win this war without shedding any unnecessary blood. And even if we do end up starving them out, there's still going to be one more fight to take the city. I don't think even these Swabians will surrender, especially with Avila in the city."

"We need to be certain that there's no reserve army forming behind us," said Art in a solemn tone. "We saw just how easily they can raise forces when they want to. If we find ourselves outside of Dagobern for a number of weeks, it wouldn't surprise me if the Swabians were able to form tens of thousands of volunteers to come to the capital's rescue. If that becomes the case, we might be thrown back on the defensive again."

"Neither plan comes without risk," said Jack. "All I want to do is mitigate that risk as much as possible. It seems like on one hand, we keep attacking until they break... or we do. That isn't much of an option if you ask me. On the other hand, we can maintain the integrity of our army until the time comes to deliver the knock-out blow. Yes, we run the risk of additional forces coming to their rescue but it seems like a better option than wearing down our own strength in needless attacks."

Jack looked around at each of them as he waited for them to give their opinion. Of the three generals, none of them looked too enthusiastic about the plan, and Jack could understand why.

Everyone just wanted this war to be over. None of them wanted to see a delay.

But if a short delay could put them in a better position, why not take it?

"I'm in," said Art finally. "If this is our best chance, then it's better than taking needless casualties trying to take the city prematurely. This is our best course and I think we should take it."

It wasn't surprising that Lindy nodded his agreement shortly after. Finally, the three of them turned to look at Greg, only to see that he seemed to realize he was now outnumbered.

"Fine, I suppose," said Greg grudgingly. "But we need to keep a close eye on the surrounding area. If they even think to put together a relief force, I want to know long before it happens."

Jack nodded. "That we can do with the help of Dustin. So it's settled then. We're moving into a longer siege. Let your men know."

*****

With the matter about the siege being settled, the Allied Army settled into their trenches to wait out their enemy. Over the next day or two, Jack and his generals oversaw them digging further trench lines around the city, making sure that not only could they defend themselves from attacks from inside the city but outside as well in case of a relief force.

Three days after the battle, Jack was eating lunch in his command tent with Kat when a visitor arrived.

"Oh, Jack, you're having a meal," said Russ as he poked his head in the tent. "I can come back."

Jack waved his hand. "No, no, Russ, come on in. I'm almost done. Let's talk."

The lead admiral of the Galician Navy changed his course and came inside the tent. He gave a hearty greeting to Jack as well as giving the customary greeting to Kat as his queen.

Jack finished the rest of his food and quickly set it aside. "Thank you for coming. There was something I wanted to talk about with you. More specifically it concerns the siege around the city."

Russ nodded without saying a word. He knew, like the rest of the commanders, that siege of Dagobern would take a lot longer than anyone expected.

What he didn't know just yet was that Jack wanted him to bring back a sizeable portion of the navy to help with that siege, and when the time came, to bombard the city during the final assault.

"Russ, where is the current position of our fleet?" asked Jack. "The last I heard they rounded around the island of Cormfeld in pursuit of the Swabian Navy."

"It seems the Swabians have made for a large bay on the south side of Cormfeld, where they've settled into anchorage," said Russ. "I only just got the dispatch this morning. It's the most peculiar behavior though, Jack. Why are they anchored in Cormfeld and not coming to the capital city's rescue? It makes no sense."

"I have my suspicions," said Jack. "You're right--the fact that they aren't here in Dagobern speaks volumes about their intentions. My thoughts are that there might not be a smooth chain-of-command within the Swabian Navy right now. They may not want to sacrifice their fleet in another all-out engagement with ours. If that is the case, it's very likely they aren't following Avila's orders."

"They might recognize what their countrymen inside the city do not," said Russ. "That the war is practically over and it doesn't make sense dying right at the end of it for a lost cause."

Jack pursed his lips and nodded. "I think that's the case but hearing that situation actually makes my next request a little easier. I'd like you to bring back most of our fleet to Dagobern."

Russ' eyes widened. "What was that, Jack? Why?"

"The next time I assault Dagobern, I want to count on all the guns of the fleet to soften it up before the first soldier leaves his trench," explained Jack. "And if the Swabian Navy pulls into port and isn't going to fight, that makes it easier for us to oblige."

"Jack, I'm not sure about this plan," said Russ. "I mean, yes, the Swabian fleet isn't looking for a fight right now because we substantially outnumber them. That could very well change if I break off eighty percent of the fleet to come back to Dagobern. They just might find a spine if confronted with lesser numbers."