Fate of the Crown by Paul J. Bennett

Author:Paul J. Bennett [Bennett, Paul J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781989315057
Goodreads: 45448783
Publisher: Paul J Bennett
Published: 2019-05-21T00:00:00+00:00

Nineteen

The Battle of Redridge

Spring 962 MC

"The scouts report that Redridge is in sight, General."

"Thank you, Captain Worthington. Have your men pull back until the rest of the army catches up." Gerald watched as the man rode off to relay his orders.

"How do you plan to proceed?" asked the princess.

"Revi's report was rather detailed," he replied. "It seems we will have little choice but to attack their centre."

"Won't they be expecting that?" she asked.

"Yes, but the ends of the lines are both fortified, and we can't afford the casualties a full-scale siege would bring."

"What about the tower?"

"I've been thinking about that," Gerald responded, "but we have no siege engines. It's a circular keep, quite well fortified from Revi's description. I daresay the Trolls could toss rocks at it all day to little effect. At least at Colbridge, the walls were in a state of disrepair. Here, the keep looks much more formidable."

"So then, what's the alternative," Anna asked, "an assault?"

"I'd like to think they'd surrender once the army is defeated, but I'm afraid it's going to have to be a frontal attack. Luckily, there's little in terms of outer defences, just a thick door to a very well built tower. We'll send the Trolls in with a battering ram."

"And to protect them?"

"We'll use the Dwarven arbalesters, they're heavily armoured and can pack a punch. Hopefully, they can provide enough covering fire. The main assault will be carried out by the heavy cavalry. We'll dismount them, and their job will be to take the keep once the main door falls."

"You mean IF the door falls," the princess countered. "This could result in heavy casualties."

"I know," the general replied, "but time is of the essence here. By now, Fitz should be at Tewsbury. We need to be marching north by the time he starts his withdrawal, or we won't be at the crossroads in time."

"Couldn't we just bypass Redridge altogether?"

"And leave an enemy army to our rear? No, we have to protect our supply lines. We must take Redridge."

As they were talking, Arnim Caster rode up.

"Ah, Arnim,” greeted Gerald, “just in time, we were just discussing the attack."

"I take it you have orders for me, General?"

"Yes, I want you to tie down the troops guarding the north end of the enemy line; they're dug in and well protected. Your job will be to keep them busy so they can't support the defence of their centre."

"What troops will I have?"

"I'll give you the Elven bow and the Weldwyn foot. If you see a chance to assault, take it, but we need to keep casualties to a minimum. We still have a long march and another battle to carry out. I'll leave the deployment of your men up to you, Commander."

"Aye, General," confirmed the knight, then turned his horse about and rode off.

"Who will command the centre?" asked Anna.

"I'll take care of that myself," Gerald responded.

"Is that wise? You're the general, we can't afford to lose you."

"I have trusted commanders on both flanks, Anna. I need to be close to the lines to spot any opportunities to take advantage of.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.