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[kaian-a-coel]

We first need to warn our people, and ask dukes and the King for support in destroying the horde before theyh can ravage the lands, and either reform and become a threat again or spread out and become an ungodly bandit nuisance sapping the country for the next years.

[Gervassen]

Warning our people is easy. The enemy just left the gates of Fallsberg, and that city assuredly has a bunch of small rivercraft that we can send some men downriver on. They'll get to Curbiston a week before an army.

Asking other lords for support? Why wouldn't support be forthcoming tomorrow? It's the enemy over there, we're not here to dance the roundelay with the Baabar scum. We will slaughter them tomorrow.

[Origami_Psycho]

We first need to warn our people, and ask dukes and the King for support in destroying the horde before theyh can ravage the lands, and either reform and become a threat again or spread out and become an ungodly bandit nuisance sapping the country for the next years.

+1
I also support Gervs idea about pinning them with the cav

[Parsely]

Given the geographical relation of Torchester to Curbiston, I'd imagine the travel time from Fallsberg to Curbiston is a good week and a half--or perhaps even two weeks--at the speed of a marching army. Then cross a ford, then march another two days. If they even know the most direct route in a foreign land, that is a lot of marching with trouble nipping at their heels.

No worries, everyone. We can bring them to battle tomorrow when the cavalry is brought up. Our rested infantry will catch up and support our attack on the enemy that we pin down with cavalry. If they do not fight us as a single great host tomorrow, then they assuredly will fight us piecemeal in demoralised fragments over the course of the next week, each day offering the slowest of themselves as sacrificial victims, until nothing is left of them.

1. Send runners to the King and to the hill garrison apprising them of the new situation and requesting them to move with all speed at first light. If our infantry intimidates them, wait until they get a load of our massed cavalry charges plowing into their rear.

2. Another five men can sail down the river with a commandeered small boat and give Marna the heads-up. No evacuations. Keep to our side of the river and try to sail past the main host during the next night. They'll be very tired after marching for a night and a day. And they'll be more worried about the massed cavalry that just began skirmishing them.

3. Finally, get some beauty sleep. We're getting older, you know, and wrinkles happen when you take the little stresses of life too seriously. This is mostly news worthy of great rejoicing, not fretting away the ungodly wee hours.

+1

We first need to warn our people, and ask dukes and the King for support in destroying the horde before theyh can ravage the lands, and either reform and become a threat again or spread out and become an ungodly bandit nuisance sapping the country for the next years.

+1

[Tomcost]

In future wars, we seriously need to get horse archers, or at least mounted crossbowmen (they need less preparation, but crossbows tend to be more expensive). The harassing potential of them is invaluable.

[escaped lurker]

We might want to "cut them off" with our cavalary. Sure enough, giving chase to the weakest ones would be easy, but look at it that way. They have limited to no supplys. Our own infantery can catch up with them. We at least need to cut them off before they enter any civilized territory, or positions where they can hole themselves up with food. Just something to keep in mind.

Else, Gerv seems to have the right idea. As usual .
( Might I take this occasion to ask what your background is, good sir, or if you are just an avid reader of works from authors like Sun-Tzu, Machivelli, and who-not? )

[Plato Play-Doh]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F4qzPbcFiA

We were just trying to lure them into an ambush, and now we're running headlong into one ourselves! I have a sneaking suspicion that the force ducal force on the other side of the river was already dispatched, and the camps currently over there are controlled by the Baabar, but even if that is not so, I still doubt that this army is as disorganized as it seems. We can't underestimate these devils, even if they are savages!

Also, I know I'm late to notice and all, but IT'S BACK! HALLELUJAH!

[Gervassen]

We were just trying to lure them into an ambush, and now we're running headlong into one ourselves! I have a sneaking suspicion that the force ducal force on the other side of the river was already dispatched, and the camps currently over there are controlled by the Baabar, but even if that is not so, I still doubt that this army is as disorganized as it seems. We can't underestimate these devils, even if they are savages!

Also, I know I'm late to notice and all, but IT'S BACK! HALLELUJAH!

Glad to see you straggling back into the thread, Playdoh! It's strange, isn't it? Our plan was to night march to set a trap for them, and now they're night marching in order to... Yeah, looks suspicious. While not fully intelligent, these Baabar savages are possessed of a certain animal cunning that demands our vigilance. We must probe and scout accordingly as we pursue them.

We might want to "cut them off" with our cavalary. Sure enough, giving chase to the weakest ones would be easy, but look at it that way. They have limited to no supplys. Our own infantery can catch up with them. We at least need to cut them off before they enter any civilized territory, or positions where they can hole themselves up with food. Just something to keep in mind.

Good points, lurker. The state of their supplies and morale probably do make them slower on foot than even our infantry, and we do want to make sure that they don't escape into less-foraged areas.

If you mean trying to hold ground in front of the enemy, then that might be problematic with perhaps eight hundred cavalry, and then... what if this horde is moving to rejoin another one further west? The hammer would become the hammered. First I'd rather see how they react to a more traditional threat with cavalry supported closely by infantry. I hope that tomorrow the enemy will see that it cannot escape a faster opponent and will draw itself up for a pitched battle.

If you mean just raiding from the flanks rather than from behind, and not standing our ground to hold them in place, then I see no reason not to do that if the terrain is open enough. It may throw the enemy columns into more confusion than simply from the rear. If we can sever their marching columns with raids, some will flee back toward our infantry, some ahead to their vanguard--overall, a general panic.

But this is why a smart commander would try to form up for battle tomorrow, rather than out-running horses.
 

Regardless, we'll need the King and Duke to decide on those details. Right now, we can decide on an individual night battle, or merely sending couriers. Night battle seems fraught with coordination problems in an age when banners and visual cues were important. At the Battle of Barnet, two Lancastrian battalions fought each other in a mist when banners were shrouded, for example. Barnet also shows the futility of bowmen in low visibility. We have many bowmen with us.

[Plato Play-Doh]

My worry is that if they're willing to break siege so easily in order to ambush 3000 men...the king may very well have already fallen. The fact that the flag is flying means nothing, and could be mere misdirection. Especially considering that they appear to be taking a fairly direct route to Curbiston, which could signify that they've already been there. I'd suggest immediately returning to the Duke to regroup, as rushing headlong into an ambush is foolish, and NOT sending information on our real plans to anyone. The awful truth is, other than the Duke, we don't know who of our allies, if any, are alive. Feroshire may already be taken, and us left wifeless and childless. We don't have sufficient intelligence at this point, and I suggest we act cautiously, sending scouts throughout the area to discern the whereabouts of our enemies and what allies we may be able to find. Send some into the capital to see whether it's actually still standing. Once we have intel, I'd suggest targeting the army with our dragoon forces at bottleneck points, preferably just pelting them with arrows from high ground and leaving before any melee is joined. I'd suggest our normal harassment tactics, targeting smaller groups that break off from the main force, but that doesn't seem viable at this point due to time constraints. If we can make our contingent of dragoons seem like an army waiting for them, we may be able to herd them back into an ambush by the bulk of the Duke's force. Send messages to all of our allies indicating that we're brashly following the savages. However, in case (and hopefully it is so) Feroshire has yet to be touched, our letter to Marna should include instructions to evacuate the city, possibly even to seek asylum in a neighboring nation. I could be wrong, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

[Gervassen]

That's a dark set of possibilities, Playdoh. If that is true, we can do little to stop the flow of events toward eventual defeat and loss of everything east and north of the Parlon-Wyrm* confluence. Too little manpower!

On the other hand, if the city is still held by the King and the armies across the water are the other Dukes, then we are strongly positioned to destroy the Baabar. Our clever ambushes aside, the functioning of which always supposed that the horde was still a formidable and aggressive threat--then we should remember that linking up with other forces and relieving the capital have always been our objectives. We are on the verge of accomplishing those. We may simply be victims of our own success, and what retreats before us is the disappointing husk of mighty host. They may be marching west because it is the only direction in which resistance is light, and forage accessible.

We can verify which scenario is true at first light. The way to reach the King should be clear then.

Like others, I'm a little alarmed to learn of the ford in the general direction that they march, but not extremely. Unlike bridges, fords are often seasonal due to the nature of what a river is. That ford probably doesn't even exist during the spring thaws in the upper courses of the river. It's on the map for autumn traffic, sure; but in the May flood, fording is not going to be practicable there. And even in autumn, on the course of a river this massive, what qualifies as a ford is probably very broad and still waist-deep, surrounded by mucky marshes and shallows. Neither easy to cross, nor easy to spot without local knowledge. They could pass by the ford entirely.

As to where it is, I'd say the Parlon is still between Curbiston and this ford, like so:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Our northern-bank lands are exposed, sure, but Curbiston itself is still on the southern side of a river known to be of cog-permitting depths from Feroshire on down, and the rest of the Wyrm from the point of confluence down to Torchester is likewise deep enough for cogs. We retain our natural wall of blue.


*Yes, the main river is named after GWG now. We need something to work with.

[Urist McDwarfFortress]

I really don't see this as much of a problem. We have cavalry, they don't. Let them go past us tonight. Tomorrow, we can hook up with the main ducal forces (and perhaps whatever is left of the Royal forces) and then just keep harassing their rear with our cavalry until they either scatter or are forced to turn and give battle.

[Plato Play-Doh]

I really don't see this as much of a problem. We have cavalry, they don't. Let them go past us tonight. Tomorrow, we can hook up with the main ducal forces (and perhaps whatever is left of the Royal forces) and then just keep harassing their rear with our cavalry until they either scatter or are forced to turn and give battle.

Well, the part of their force that they've allowed us to see doesn't have cavalry. That's all we know right now. It's too easy, they're too willing to retreat. There's more to this than meets the eye.

That's a dark set of possibilities, Playdoh. If that is true, we can do little to stop the flow of events toward eventual defeat and loss of everything east and north of the Parlon-Wyrm* confluence. Too little manpower!

The odds have never stopped us from trying before! We don't have much choice but to fight back, in any case. They're not likely to accept surrender.

On the other hand, if the city is still held by the King and the armies across the water are the other Dukes, then we are strongly positioned to destroy the Baabar. Our clever ambushes aside, the functioning of which always supposed that the horde was still a formidable and aggressive threat--then we should remember that linking up with other forces and relieving the capital have always been our objectives. We are on the verge of accomplishing those. We may simply be victims of our own success, and what retreats before us is the disappointing husk of mighty host. They may be marching west because it is the only direction in which resistance is light, and forage accessible.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

We can verify which scenario is true at first light. The way to reach the King should be clear then.

We know the way to reach the capital now. Unless he's been taken hostage, the King will be there, dead or alive. However, scouting for other enemy forces, as well as discerning the fate of our allies, will be a task taking much longer than that.

Like others, I'm a little alarmed to learn of the ford in the general direction that they march, but not extremely. Unlike bridges, fords are often seasonal due to the nature of what a river is. That ford probably doesn't even exist during the spring thaws in the upper courses of the river. It's on the map for autumn traffic, sure; but in the May flood, fording is not going to be practicable there. And even in autumn, on the course of a river this massive, what qualifies as a ford is probably very broad and still waist-deep, surrounded by mucky marshes and shallows. Neither easy to cross, nor easy to spot without local knowledge. They could pass by the ford entirely.

You assume that they have no local knowledge. This is hardly a safe assumption, and while we lose nothing by acting as though they do should we be wrong, treating it as less important due to our hopes of them not having local knowledge, or a guide, could have drastic consequences.

As to where it is, I'd say the Parlon is still between Curbiston and this ford, like so:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Our northern-bank lands are exposed, sure, but Curbiston itself is still on the southern side of a river known to be of cog-permitting depths from Feroshire on down, and the rest of the Wyrm from the point of confluence down to Torchester is likewise deep enough for cogs. We retain our natural wall of blue.

These are a seafaring people. That is not a wall that will hold them for long.

[Maldevious]

After a small moment of internal panic, you calm down slightly when you realize that the enemy still has no cavalry, and has a long way to go before they reach Curbiston. You decide to send runners off, some to the Capital, some to the Ducal Forces, and some to Duke Erran, informing them of what has happened and asking them to join together with your forces to harry them with cavalry.

You attempt to lay down for the rest of the night, and manage to sleep a few more hours, albeit restlessly. When the sun creeps over the horizon, you send orders to stir the camp and prepare for battle. Stretching as you walk out of your tent, you cast your eyes to Fallsberg, and are heartened to see the main gates flung open with an impressive host pouring out, beaten and tattered banners still fluttering proudly above burnished mail to the clopping cadence of well-drilled horsemen. You estimate, at a glance, that at least a thousand heavily armed soldiers, along with several hundred Knights and other cavalrymen, have survived the siege and are riding to join you.

Shielding your eyes, you glance across the river towards the Ducal host, and are pleased to see what looks like stirring in their camp as well, with a number of men making their way to the now uncontested bridge that spans the river just downstream of the Capital. Horns cry out from your rear, and you recognize the patterns as those announcing Duke Erran. He arrives along with the other Counts, quickly confers with you, and takes command of the situation.

As you confer with him, you suggest harassing the enemy with your cavalry, noting that the Sea Raiders do not have any to counter your men with. Either you will wear them down through attrition, or you will draw them into battle against your now superior force. The Duke agrees that it is wise, but wants to wait for the King to arrive before acting.

That, fortunately, only takes a short amount of time. You bow before the King, who still manages to impose his presence despite his ragged purple cloak and battered plate armor. He casts a glance your way, and a hint of recognition flashes in his eyes. But he is quickly drawn into a meeting with the four Dukes of his realm.

You stand up, and find yourself pacing about, fretting about the time that is passing with what seems like to be the speed of molasses. Finally, the King and his Dukes stride out of the tent where they were meeting, and Duke Erran comes up towards you with orders. The cavalry is going ahead to harass the enemy into a confrontation, and your men will be on the far left flank of the battlefield. As you are a Knight of the realm, however, you will be present in the vanguard with the Heavy Cavalry and other Knights.

Nodding your head, you mount up and prepare to speak to your men and ride.

***

Two days. Two days your men marched, at a brutal pace. Two days, the cavalry bit and struck at the harried flanks and rear of the enemy, attempting to goad them into battle. Finally, it seems that the Sea Raider has drawn up centered on a sloping hill surrounded by marshes, a few days ride yet from the river. Gergal's banner flaps idly on the heights.

The battle will be joined shortly. Any final thoughts before the great first charge?

[Plato Play-Doh]

It seems my fears were unfounded. This is good. Considering that the battle plans have already been laid out by the king and dukes, I don't see what Count Stone could possibly add tactically. We fight!

[Mlamlah]

Tell Luther to curb his enthusiasm for battle, tell him our last squire was slain on the field the last time we fought the sea raiders. Out of curiosity, what does Gergal's banner look like?