Two more months and another dragoon lost to the war. An enemy knowing its own defeat is looming is no less dangerous than before. It was tough keeping my lancers focused and even tougher to lead them with a ruined wing.
Combat, for the most part, had ceased for me. There hadn’t been any large ground engagements. The allied army had simply advanced slowly and carefully across Rindaire, cleaning out the various Sudramoar units and pushing them further south.
It was all very neat, orderly, and horrible. We’d become quite adept at rooting out and killing our enemies. It was starting to become routine and I could tell my lancers were getting numb to it. That was frightening.
Frightening but not unexpected. You can’t be surrounded by death and killing for so long and not get numb to it. Still, I’d be certain every dragoon that went home had counseling. At least the ponies. I wouldn’t have any say in the lives of my gryphons once we parted ways.
For that, I’d just rely on Captain Brynja to do the right thing and I had little doubt she would. She was a great officer and, next to Alton, my favorite gryphon. We had a good understanding and she wasn’t ambitious enough to try to displace me.
The two of us were leaning on the railing of the Dread Knight, watching clouds drift by as the ship floated peacefully above the recently fought-over ground below.
“We vill be to ze border zoon.”
That was a fact. We were already getting reports from forward scouts what to expect, and it wasn’t pretty. “That is true.”
“When thiz iz over. You vill go back to your Equeztria and leave ze army?”
Another fact. “Very much, yes. I’ve had my fill of killing for… whatever it is we’re killing for. Sovereignty, I guess.”
“Yez…” Brynja said softly. She shook her tail and turned to me. “I vill go to Equeztria, too.”
My brow lifted. “Oh? Why is that?”
Her voice lowered. “Kingz do not eazily accept lozz. There vill be much bad blood. You poniez do not kill each other az much, yez?”
That was an understatement. Although I didn’t want to be so rude to a friend. “Ponies live in greater harmony… yeah. We’re less competitive and… uh… less motivated by bits. So we certainly don’t make war on each other and very few ponies die to violence.”
Brynja squeezed the railing with her claws and stared off into the distance. “Vill they hate me if I move there? Zince I am a gryphon, and poniez may not know I am Nordanver?”
“Hate? Perhaps. Fear and avoid… perhaps that is more likely. Then again, most ponies are actually quite kind and generous. Do you think the soldiers here hate you?”
“No, they do not. Ve are one army… but ze poniez in Equeztria are not here. They did not zee thiz.”
No, they didn’t. A shiver ran up my spine and I had to shake it off. How would they see me? I’m no gryphon, but the things I’d seen and done weren’t meant for most ponies. They weren’t meant for me, but I’d survive it one more time.
“I think, if you lived in Canterlot, you’d find a very welcoming group of ponies. It is an extremely friendly town that is heavily influenced by the princesses. Plus… I might live there and, if I don’t, I know good ponies who’d look after you.”
“I would not need looking after, zir. Though I zuppoze I would need a job, yez?”
“Only if you want to have a decent place to live and some bits to spend. What did you do before the war?”
The gryphon leaned in close. Really, really close. So much so that her beak brushed my ear as she whispered, “I waz ze bezt dancer in all of Nordanver. They called me Crimzon Tail and gryphonz came from all over to zee me. I even performed for King Ranald.
“I had hoped to dance for the cute one, but I zuppose he iz taken. Perhapz when I get to Equeztria, I can dance for the poniez.”
The hair of my coat was standing on end. I’d noticed a lot of the gryphons keeping an eye on Brynja. I hadn’t noticed she was sweet on Tumble, though. “I… had no idea. I’ll keep it quiet, though.”
“Yez,” she replied before flapping her wings. “I muzt go to the unit. We have patrolz to do. I shall find you here after, zir?”
“You will… unfortunately. Be safe.”
“Yez, zir.”
I watched her fly away. Jealousy and shame oozed into my soul. I didn’t want to fight, I didn’t want to kill, but while the war was on, it was my duty. It was my duty to lead my lancers and make sure they did not die.
“Major.”
My ears turned at the sound of Brigadier Hammer’s voice. He’d snatched my focus back. I stood at attention. “Sir?”
“Ironhoof wants you in here.”
He didn’t say anything else. He hadn’t been saying much lately. It was all orders and business. We went together to the large meeting room that was built under the ship’s bridge. The Dread Knight was currently our flag ship until the new TMS Honor was completed.
The room was full of officers. General Ironhoof, some of his staff, the brigadiers, their staff, and several members of Equestrian Intelligence.
The general looked up from a topographical map when I came in. He looked old and worn. There was nothing left but grey. “Silent Knight, good to see you.”
“You as well, sir.”
He tapped his hoof on the map. “We’ve received a lot of intelligence here and it is pretty bleak stuff. The Sudramoar have pretty much pulled their forces to the foothills and mountains just inside the Rindaire border. They’ve staked their defense on the valley linking the kingdoms.
“Over all the time we’ve been fighting, they’ve been building. Walls, keeps, towers, and the like. Plenty of hard points that will make it murderous for us to assault. Even with inexperienced troops guarding it all, the loss of life will be extreme.”
“Understood, sir. I’m sensing that you’re about to ask me to do something.”
He nodded. “Yes, though nothing like you might imagine. I need a set of eyes I trust to take a look at the lay of the land and see if there is any weakness, any point we can use to topple it all.”
It took effort not to lash my tail and show my frustration. “Sir… apologies, but I’m incapable of flight.”
General Ironhoof nodded again. “I know, and I’m sorry for that. I truly am. You’ll be taking an airship. A brand new one that has just arrived. She’s fast, really, really fast. You’re my final look. The only up close, aerial glance I’m going to get. I know you’ll get a good read and…” He cleared his throat. “…to be frank… I can spare you right now given your… situation. I apologize for how cold that sounds. I mean no insult by it.”
My nostrils flared. It was like being punched in the gut. “Understood.” What else could I say?
“Thank you, Major, that is all.”
I saluted, but he had already looked back down. Dismissed in more ways than one. I wheeled and marched out of the conference room and onto the deck. It took all of my effort not to buck the door closed. I just paced back and forth instead.
Can be spared! Spared! Did he mean expendable? Without value because we couldn’t command my unit from the front? Fine. I’d go look. I’d look and figure out the best possible outcome I could. We’d show them who could be spared. We’d show them all.
☾
My hooves clung to the railing of the TMS Bolt with all of their might. Fast had been an understatement. I’m not sure what insane pony had designed this airship but it was tiny, narrow, and it moved like a bolt of lightning streaking through the sky.
It was crewed by four seemingly unhinged pegasi: a captain, a pilot, and two crewers. They all looked a little too energetic and excited to be going this fast.
“Don’t worry none, Major! We’ll be there soon,” the emerald-coated pilot shouted into the wind. I think her name was Zippy or Slippy. Something like that.
The wind whipped and battered the crest of my helmet as I thanked the sun and moon that I had a visor.
“There’s the target,” one of the crewponies called.
I dragged myself against the rail to look. He was right. The natural border between Nordanver and Sudramoar was a mountain range. The far side had, to my knowledge, been stripped bare of anything worthwhile.
The near side, on the other hoof, had been preserved. That was one of the reasons it was so valuable. There were plenty of resources to extract and the Sudramoar wanted to get at them.
Over the centuries, the mountains had worked well as a border. Their only real weak point was a valley that split them from kingdom to kingdom. It was about a kilometer wide and full of rocky foothills. It had been the easiest trade route for heavy loads.
That is now where the Sudramoar had built their defenses after their invasion. It was also where they had been busy for the duration of the war. General Ironhoof wasn’t kidding.
There was a wall that stretched from one side of the valley’s mouth to the other. Every twenty or so meters was a tower and every hundred or so there was a keep. The towers had large, wicked-looking bolt throwers on top of them. Not the kind you shot at soldiers in the field. Probably the kind you shot at slow-moving airships.
“Let’s go closer and get a real look!” the captain called and, before I could answer, Skippy banked the ship right towards the enemy.
“Are you nuts!” I practically yelled.
“Just a little!” She cackled in glee.
Gryphons started scrambling around on the walls as we approached. The mega bolt throwers started shifting in our direction, too. So this was how I was going to die? On a small craft surrounded by crazy, speed-freak navy pegasi?
“Wheee!” one of them screamed while showing a lewd gesture to the enemy.
Crossbow bolts started flying at us. Most of the archers were way out of range but I guess the gryphons were being optimistic.
Both regular and mega bolt throwers also opened up. The former were starting to zero in pretty well. The latter were too slow for an airship of this size.
Dippy weaved and swooped the Bolt all around, avoiding most of the projectiles. One bolt thrower gunner did manage to hit us right in the hull but it didn’t seem to impact performance. It did impact my calculation on the probability of my survival, given how close it was to me and the railing.
While all of this was going on, I tried to pay attention to my surroundings and get the look General Ironhoof wanted. Walls, walls, wall behind wall. Keep, taller keep, keep with— DUCK!
More walls. Platform with several trebuchets on it behind a wall. This was a nightmare! They’d been building on it for over a year and a half. Anyone on the ground was going to be slaughtered. Anyone in the air would be shot down.
We’d have to either go through the mountains, which would take forever and be risky, or just risk this.
“Oh, look! They’re coming to greet us,” Pepper, the other crewer, said.
“Huh?” I looked up and found that there were some gryphons flying towards us in formation.
“Ramming speed!” the captain bellowed.
“What? Belay that! Stop! Avoid them! Get us out of here, you crazy b—“
“BRAWK!” a gryphon exclaimed as it bounced off the slanted front of our ship and went tumbling from the sky.
Then we turned hard north. “Do a barrel roll!” Pepper shouted. And we did.
The entire way back I huddled on the deck while trying to work through what I’d seen and what might be an easy way to defeat it. A frontal assault would be beyond stupid. Bringing in slow, lumbering airships would be stupid.
How long could the temple unicorns hold shields? Would they last long enough to breach a gate? What about a flying assault? There were an awful lot of crossbows and bolt throwers there.
No… we’d have to go around. Avoid it completely. That would be slow. Even if we used the entire fleet, we could only ferry so many ground-bound soldiers… like me. We might be able to cut out a staging area in Sudramoar to put pressure on King Kronson, but would we really invade civilian areas?
Their scouts would likely spot the fleet anyway and be waiting for us wherever we tried to make landfall. We’d need something else. Something they weren’t expecting. Something no one was expecting… but what?
“Major! The Dread Knight is coming up. We’ll have you back on her deck in a few minutes.”
Thank the alicorns for small miracles. When we pulled up alongside the battleship, I leapt off the Bolt as soon as possible. I liked speed. Controlled speed…
“Goodbye, Major!” Pepper called.
“Yup,” I replied before trotting to the center of the deck. Behind me, there were cheers of glee as the small airship went flying off to who know where.
Brigadier Hammer was standing up on the command deck, his one good eye tracking the Bolt. “What in Equestria was that about?”
“The Navy seems to issue high-speed airships to teenagers now. Where are they off to?”
He shook his head. “I honestly don’t know. They were supposed to stay here.”
“Oh… well… consider it stolen, then. Best of luck catching that thing. Assuming we don’t have another one.”
“We don’t. Yet.”
Well… now we didn’t even have one. Probably for the best. “When is the meeting?”
“General will be here at sundown. We’ve worked out a preliminary plan. We’ll need your report by then. I assume you can get it done?”
There wasn’t much to report. Of course, I was still hoping to come up with a miracle solution. “Yes, sir. It was pretty bleak.”
“I know. We hoped you’d see something somepony missed. Wishful thinking. Did you?”
I just shook my head. “Nothing that has clicked yet.”
Brigadier Hammer dropped his head and shook it. “Come up with something fast Major. Dismissed.”
As I went below deck to the small cabin I’d been allotted, it dawned on me. It was completely obvious now. Not the solution, the situation. This was King Kronson’s plan following his defeat at Dreyri River. Pull back, throw the weakest soldiers at us, build a death trap, and count on us to negotiate.
Negotiate or pay in blood. More blood than we’d ever spilled. Most of it ours. This couldn’t go on. We’d fought, bled, and died for so long to get to the goal line and stop. King Kronson gets what he wanted… all of this for stupid resources in some mountains.
Who could be so horrible? What would motivate a being to give away something so precious for something fleeting? I pushed my door open and slipped inside. The room was bare. One desk, one chair, one bunk, and my bag. Unpacking wasn’t something I’d bothered with.
I settled onto the floor and poked the bag. There wasn’t really anything in it at this point. Nothing I cared about, anyway, other than a book and my letters from home. Letters…
Perhaps reading Crystal’s words would inspire me. I flipped the top of the bag open and reached in. My hoof bumped the book and it gave me pause. I carefully pulled it from the bag. It was the sixth Knight of the Moon tome. I hadn’t looked at it in a while, even if I had utilized things inside to train my dragoons.
The glimmer of the silver moon caught my attention. I flipped the cover open and stroked my hoof along the ancient pages. So much knowledge was contained within. What would High Marshal Moonglaive do? How would he overcome this? How would he protect his knights?
In the quiet of my cabin, I flipped through the book. Give me something… give me anything. Please?
A cool breeze brushed across my snout, confusing me. My door and window were both closed. When I looked back down, the pages of the book had been turned.
I’d read them before. Numerous times, actually. In fact, every tome addressed this… growing deeper in detail each time. Carefully, I looked over the information again and then it hit me. I knew what needed to be done. I could save our soldiers… Could I live with it, though?
Yes. Dread Knight could.
☾
General Ironhoof stood at the head of the room, going through his briefing. I hadn’t spoken up yet. I hadn’t been called on.
“Obviously, a frontal assault is about akin to just dropping our troops off this very airship. We are limited in options, however, so that will be included in this strategy. I’ve requested the full aid of the temple guard again to give us as much cover as possible to the gates.
“Prior to that, we will load the fleet with our most seasoned soldiers, split it in two, and send each contingent over the mountains on the east and west sides of the fortress. They’ll make landfall in Sudramoar and start attacking supply lines and support structures.
“I have to be clear here: we are better than our enemy. I will not tolerate any attacks on civilians. There will be very clear rules of engagement. I hope the mere presence of our elite within their borders will draw forces from the wall. If it doesn’t, then those same forces can work their way up from the rear and we’ll attack them on both fronts.”
One of the colonels cleared his throat. “Sir, even with a depleted defense force, assaulting such a fortification head on would still result in high casualty rates.”
“And that is something I’m going to have to live with the rest of my life. What little is left of it, anyway,” the general responded. That chilled the room quite a bit.
Brigadier Hammer cleared his throat. “Any chance of a diplomatic solution, sir?”
“I’m afraid not. King Ranald is quite insistent that this fortress can’t be allowed to exist within his border. Minister Sombra convinced the crowns that if we don’t put this to an indisputable and conclusive end now, we might just wind up here again. That or, even worse, our ally will be overrun completely.”
There was some grumbling in the room and not just from the pony officers. A lot of the gryphons had about had it, too.
The general lightly tapped a hoof. “I know, but he has a point. If we stop now, King Kronson has, after a fashion, won. He wanted these mountains and he’ll get them. What is to stop him from deciding he wants the whole province and more again? We need to capture the fortress and turn it around. That will resolve this.
“Major Knight, tell me you have something for me. Tell me all of these reports are wrong and that every agent and scout we sent was overwhelmed and confused.”
This was going to be interesting. I cleared my throat and shook my head. “No, sir, they’re not wrong. In fact, they might have even been a little optimistic. While viewing the fortress, a bolt thrower gunner managed to hit the Bolt. I doubt a green soldier could do that.”
General Ironhoof sighed and nodded. “Thank you, Major. That will be all.”
I shook my head. “Sir.”
He blinked and looked up. “Yes? There is more?”
“Yes, sir. I have a plan. It is going to sound wholly crazy, but I truly believe I can pull it off if you’ll hear me out and give me the latitude to carry it out.”
Brigadier Hammer was peering at me. General Ironhoof didn’t miss a beat. “Tell me.”
So I did. I laid it all out in great detail while all of the senior officers looked at me like I’d lost my mind. It had all come to this, though. Things I’d done and seen in my whole career.
Once I was finished, the general cleared his throat. “That… that is quite a story and a plan. Do you truly believe you can pull it off?”
“Yes, sir, and… if I can’t… we both know I won’t be going with the dragoons on those landfalls, will I?”
General Ironhoof frowned. “No… you’re too badly injured and a flightless pony can’t command a flighted unit in combat. I wouldn’t remove you from your position, of course, but you’d be needed here for logistics.”
“Then what do we have to lose if I fail? What difference could one flightless major make?” I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice, but I knew I’d failed.
General Ironhoof looked over at a naval officer I didn’t recognize. “Get him a fast ship right now. Major Knight, this plan is going to go forwards regardless of your outcome. We can’t wait on it. Time is of the essence. You will need to move faster than the wind. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir. When is our assault date?”
“I anticipate all of our forces to be ready in three days. That is when I’ll send the fleet. That will take another day or so to attempt to circumvent detection across the mountains. From there, we’ll launch our attacks two days later. You have six days Major. Six days to save many, many lives.”
“Yes, sir.” I stood at attention and saluted. He returned it fully. Then the naval pony and I hurried up to the main deck. Within minutes, I had a ship. A fast frigate that had us underway.
This could work… this might work… this had to work.
:feels a shiver running up his spine: Ah, I feel boundless excitement overtaking me! Whatever this plan is, it shall be exhilarating to witness.
Silent Knight might yet save many lives, indeed... at what cost though? Well, who knows, perhaps Dread Knight shall be a better husband for Crystal than him after all.
There's cliff hangers... And then there's just being mean. This was a horrible pause point.
That said though Silents still walking threw some very dark places... Here's hoping he dosnt kill anyone in Canterlot.
I think I see a little reference to the Hooffields & McColts episode with that terrain description....
Was that pronoun change deliberate?
I think that you need a comma before "but it was tiny".
You either added extra words or are missing a word. Please consider these alternatives:
"It is going to sound wholly crazy"
OR
"It is going to sound like a wholly crazy idea."
It's pony D-day, I wonder what Silent's plan is for getting past an impenetrable... wall... I swear to god if he pulls out a Trojan horse and they actually fall for it I'm going to run to the nearest living thing and kill it.
Since logistics has been brought up, what do the transportation mechanics look like? It sounds like aircraft are too limited for serious logistical support. WWI logistics were heavily reliant on rail communications, to the extent that the combatants regularly ran tactical lines behind every trench system. Admittedly, the numbers involved on both sides seem far short of the vast armies of the Great War, but even armies like those of the American Civil War were tethered to rail lines, excepting the occasional strategic raid like the Gettysburg invasion.
Are the allies building rail lines into Rindaire?
7300413 The pronoun change was deliberate. It's been a recurring theme.
The comma is arguable and, given Silent's narration style and voice, not necessary. It doesn't clarify anything and his voice doesn't have a pause there.
Small mishap in editing; I tried to change something but apparently didn't change it all the way. It happens.
Please send corrections to Anzel or myself via PM in the future, as stated in his bio. A comment section should be for discussion, not dirty laundry. This is free fanfiction and there is no guarantee that we're going to catch every mistake.
Oh Anzel that Starfox reference was genius, and go Dread Knight eradicate your foes!
“What? Belay that! Stop! Avoid them! Get us out of here, you crazy b—“ I love you now btw.
A fast ship, a high-speed, high-risk infiltration, and tactical operations behind enemy lines with the bare minimum of equipment?
It's crazy, but it's the best option available. Godspeed, Silent Knight.
Commence Operation: Snake Eater.
Prediction: Silent's plan will involve tunneling under the fortification (probably using a preexisting cave system; newly-dug tunnels would be prohibitive in all sorts of ways) and dynamiting a hole in it.
An inexperienced green pilot named Slippy?! Pepper said to "Do a barrel roll?!?!?!"
YES! Star Fox 64 references! ALL THE KUDOS!!!
And today I realized I've been looking forward to Mondays rather than abhoring them outright. I'm looking forward to the next one, too! Love me some dramatic cliff hangers!
7300473 My apologies. I'll make sure to send PMs in the future.
As for that comma, I knew that it was debatable, hence why I worded that suggestion as I did.
Now there's a good plan. If possible, that ought to be scaled up to everyone connected to the war.
That really begs the question, leave just the army, or the guard entirely? I can't quite imagine Silent not a professional guard, but I can imagine him not wanting to be any sort of soldier at all anymore.
Ooo. And hey, we know that Tumble likes dancers. (And so does Velvet. )
Aww crud, so a really tough homeland invasion. There are definitely a few parallels that come to mind.
A brand new, really really fast ship? The TMS Normandy, I presume.
I suppose that works, too. And speaking of designers, Crystal's dad? Runic? Some unholy alliance of the two?
I see that this is the SR-71 Blackbird approach to reconnaissance.
I like this crew.
I really like this crew.
Bwhahahahaha!
Yeah, I think I commented on that a few chapters ago, actually taking ground in Sudramoar is going to be very costly in terms of personnel and lives, and there might not be the political will to spend those lives.
Well, that's mildly alarming. Remember, Silent, getting back to Crystal is the goal.
Interesting. Somewhat wild guess, a leadership decapitation attack? That seems pretty Dread Knight and Knight of the Moon-esque, but definitely not a Silent Knight activity these days.
7300647
I believe our beloved Silent is either A, creating a split personality to protect his 'true self' from all the horrors he's seen and done. It's Dread Knight doing all the killing, while Silent Knight attempts to keep his sanity.
Or B, Nightmare (Night colt? Nightstallion? Night Wing Pony???) Knight is about to appear.
7300605
>loving dramatic cliffhangers
We seriously need to stop being the same person. It's getting scary.
...
Wait, why am I wanting this to stop? This is awesome.
A secret plan to turn the war around...I like it. Why must you tease us with cliffhangers Anzel?
Hmmmm.. My first thought was that Silent might be heading back to Equestria to ask that clan od dragons for a bit of assistance... And thus rain fiery death upon the gryphies below.
But there's no way he could make that trip in three days, so I have no clue what he's up to.. But whatever it is, it's going to be good!
I have learned this a whole 8 books ago and you oaRG readers should take notes. The best plans are the stupid ones.
and the unexplained ones but now my comment looks cooler
I really hope Silent's plan can go off without a hitch. He has a wife waiting at home for him. However, something tells me I'm asking just a bit too much.
There are very few literary conventions that I genuinely dislike. One of them happens to be a scene where every pertinent and obvious detail is blatantly excluded for the sole purpose of trying to build tension/mystery for later.
No sir, I do not like reveals with ham-handed hand-wave occlusion just so there can be another reveal.
7301915 I see it as a necessary evil, since most readers would complain about reading about how the plan will happen via dialogue and then re-read how the plan is happening. It's less a forced reveal and more an attempt to cut out repetition, at least to me.
7300326 Such is the risk of war. Though we'll see how it all turns ou :D Glad you're enjoying it!
7300345 Poor SK! He was an okay husband ;{
7300359 Hahaha, fair enough ;) It was the length of the chapter plus there is the build. Oh the build!
7300362 It does kind of look like that actually. Though longer.
7300413 It was indeed deliberate :D
7300436 A Trojan Horse? Don't be ridiculous. A Trojan Pony though... maybe.
7300469 Excellent question. It honestly isn't something I've invested a ton of thought into. Generally they'd move some supplies with slow moving, larger airship barges.
Beyond that I see them using a lot of wagons. It would make plenty of sense for them to build rail lines as well though, as you pointed out, the numbers are far smaller.
7300509 Thank you! Glad you appreciated a little Starfox insert ;D
7300526 Teenage pegasi on speed!
7300574 Silent Knight: Miner Pony!
7300588 Truly glad you enjoyed that one ^_^ I was wondering who would all catch it!
7300605 <3 The fact that I can lighten a Monday is massive praise. <3 <3!
7300772
I think you're right there. Will he leave all kinds of military roles based on this? Can he even do it? It is such a huge part of who he is and his self-identity.
That is a rational explanation. Crystal's next Mini-fic: Runic and Jet Set build a boat. (I kid (or do I? (I do (or..)))).
They can't shoot you down if you're so fast even you can barely see anything!
They were fun honestly. I just wanted to have a crazy moment in such a serious point.
7300840
Well explained!
7300890 Hey Smugbutt!
7301066 I get paid per cliffhanger. You see it is all part of my evil plot to drive my reader's nuts! Also, I REALLY liked Adam West Batman as a kid.
7301301 Well, for the record, the attack commences in six days. Just saying!
7301338 Hmm! Not sure how to receive!
7301561 Amazing scene.
7301687 Aww, we'll see how it goes ;D
7301915 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
7302000 Oy! That's Mr. Smuggbutt to you! :P
I'm starting to get severely annoyed by general Ironhoof. Am I the only one who sees him as an idiot? His Battle tactics are all about brute force, how in Tartarus did he make general like that?
This war is resembling the American Civil War in terms of tactics. We fought that war with medieval tactics, all while using Gunpowder Weapons. It was the BLOODIEST war in our history. Not the most casualties, but the bloodiest.
General Ironhoof Should be relieved of duty, and someone younger should be put in his stead.
I had to get that out. I've been holding it in, in hopes that he'll have a good plan but he don't.
7302000
I have my moments. My next ones due in ten years... hopefully you'll still be writing then and I can still see the screen to read it.
Then we turned hard north. “Do a barrel roll!” Pepper shouted. And we did.
Best part of this chapter.
Anyway, I have an idea of what's going to happen: Silent will go in behind enemy lines and kill as many gryphons as possible, as well as sabotage as many bolt throwers as possible before retreating.
7302000 As long as it's not a Trojan Taco,... those can be weird.
An assasination attempt? Some Nocturna level alicorn magic? Dragons? Cockatrice bombs? Changeling attack? Harmony death ray? Have Luna give the gryphon king nightmares?
Or will it be a negotiation? My guess is a negotiation. Knowing your enemy is very knight of the moon.
I got a bad feeling about this...
Never any basilisks when you really need them.
7302081
World War I proceeded in much the same way, with tactics unsuited for a theatre of war with long-ranged artillery, machine guns, and poison gas. Throughout the entire war, tactics were slow to change, and a lot of it consisted of soldiers climbing over the top of a trench and running at the other side through a hail of bullets, land mines, grenades and mortars, which is about as medieval as you can get.
But, I am curious, because maybe I'm just not looking at this from the right angle, and now you've got me thinking. What kinds of tactics or strategies would you propose? Seriously, let's have a little war game of sorts; I want to know what you think.
7302081 What other option would you suggest. If there is only one path and it is fortified, the only option is to assault it. Strategic planning is difficult during assaults because you are locked into an avenue of attack. Plus a well fortified defense is not impenetrable. Look at the German 11th army in the Crimea. An all infantry force managed to break across a heavily defended isthmus defended by a greater number of defenders with armored support. The combined arms approach, which the General seems to be utilizing, can open up any defense for a price.
Plus Ironhoof has been winning. Casualties are acceptable as long as they do not prevent victory. Grant pushed the Yankee army into repeated battles with horrendous casualties. In return the Army of Northern Virginia was suffering high casualties which it could not replace. The Southern Kingdom faces war on two fronts. If their fortifications fall, they must sue for peace. Without Silent's observation, it would be dereliction of duty to not launch the assault.
Last Ironhoof defers to his subordinate leaders often. He recognizes the value Silent's plan and incorporates it into his strategy. In earlier battles he allows subordinate units to exercise initiative as needed allowing them to be more flexible. Overall he strikes me as an adaptive leader.
Also Anzel, I apologize for this wall of text. I am eagerly awaiting the reveal of Silent's plan.
How about digging under the fortification and blew the damn thing off? Oh, wait, they need the thing.
7302000
Uhm... not really though. He was a dutiful guardspony, but other than that, we both know he was struggling.
I probably have a narrow view of what war is like in a war room. So this is just my opinion.
Sorry about this Word-Wall Anzel.
7302224 I personally use Guerrilla tactics when playing my war games with my friends. That in combination with Stealth and Ambush, Misdirection, Properly Placed & Targeted Artillery. Frontal assault is the Last thing I use. I also never show my hand. Never let the enemy know just how strong you really are. I always consider any loss of any unit unacceptable.
7302304 Regardless of weather or not he is winning, If he becomes predictable in the eyes of the enemy (Let's face it he has.) The enemy will expect his move and counter with something far more devastating resulting in the loss of more lives. That is why they built that wall. It's because Ironhoof has used the same tactic over and over again. I'f he used several different methods at different times it would be more effective. Even Silent has observed that his tactic is resulting in the loss of more than necessary death. That is why he's doing whatever it is he's doing now.
Let's watch!
Oh Silent Night, go do your thing and save ponies but PLEASE don't forget to save yourself! Think of Crystal and all your friends.
7302081 The American Civil War was largely fought with doctrines developed from the experiences and innovations of the Napoleonic Wars, which is to say, the era of mass conscript armies, motivated by ideology rather than mercenaries, which had still been a thing a generation earlier. So, explicitly "modern". Also, both the ACW and the Napoleonic Wars shared a striking lack of medieval siege warfare, mostly due to logistical states of development. Logistics, much more than tactics or weaponry, dictated the character of the ACW, WWI and the Napoleonic Wars. Let me expand on that.
The Napoleonic Wars were decisive and relatively quick moving because of innovations in logistical organization, administration, control, and supply. Canning and other food supply innovations in particular made armies mobile, gave them long legs, and allowed a new agility and mobility. But in comparison with later conflicts, the armies were slow, and they moved at the speed of foot and hoof. Cavalry was a significant and decisive force on the battlefield.
The ACW, on the other hand, was a conflict of rail and steam. Technology had partially flipped the value of internal lines of communication, distorting the strategic geography so that a locale without rail access fifty miles from your capital was more remote than a place five hundred miles away on reliable rail or navigable waterways. But only partially, and despite Union wartime innovations in the creation of tactical rail, they were barely getting started. Most military engineering was aimed at repair and repurposing of existing lines, aside from the City Point tactical line built for the siege of Petersburg. Cavalry was more of a raiding element against rail lines, with mixed to indifferent success. Armies were notably railbound.
WWI was warfare in a highly developed rail environment, negating the value of waterway communications, and on the Western Front in particular, castrating the cavalry. Lines of communication were so turbocharged that reinforcements arrived from distant points before the attacking force could get into a defending force's strategic rear. This turned all attacks into frontal attacks, and warfare inevitably became attritional. They only really broke the logjam through infiltration storm tactic on the one hand, and motorized mobility, and that mostly came in the last two years of the war.
The Confederates in the ACW had started developing their own version of storm tactics in the last eight months of that conflict, but the notable advantages of this approach was mostly lost due to catastrophic collapse and the distraction of institutional memory and bias. The Union won with blundering tactics, and postwar analysts didn't notice the value of shocktrooper infiltration tactics against field fortifications.
7300345 Oh my that is a little cold. But I do not belive that Dread Night will be making it back from the war awakened. Still. It shall be interesting to see how the battle plays out.
I have to say Silent has put alot of hope onto his shoulders, and alot of dead that will occure during the seige. Honestly I do hope he makes it through, and that Dread Knight doesnt become the main mask of the pony we love to follow in this story. on a side note, My curiosity is peaked as to who Thunder Tumble could be a special somepony too..
7303047
"A little cold"? You sound surprised there, my friend. Have you forgotten who you are referring to?
7302219
I wonder if there's an equivalent to the Geneva Convention in play here? If not, there likely will be once all is said and done.
7302304
Hmm… Sounds suspiciously like the Maginot Line or the Black Gate of Mordor—and we know how well those worked out. The first was bypassed by the enemy rolling into neighboring countries that had pledged neutrality in the conflict and through a forest that was thought to be impassible for an army (not to mention just flying troops over it), and the second, well,
twothree can go quietly where thousands cannot. The allied races' suicide assault on the Black Gate never had a chance of breaching its defenses, and was staged simply to provide a diversion for Frodo and Samwise to enter Mount Doom with the One Ring.7303048
Technically, it's an assault, not a siege, since Sudramoar's valley defenses aren't surrounded by the Nordanver army. There is nothing at present to prevent Sudramoar from supplying or reinforcing its fortifications.
7302000 Receive as a joke. Positive joke! I was referencing a you-know-which-fanfic I used to be known for preaching about on Discord.
Awesome chapter, the outlook seems so bleak. I wonder how Silent plans on doing this.
I hope it's Discord.
"Hey Discord! The Sudramoar King called Fluttershy a whorse!"
7303170 I don't mean to be rude, but I don't see how your comment has anything to do with mine.
Im guessing they will crash a ship into it, or just fly over as fast as possible
7303079 Mmm true. but even for you, it was a little cold my cynical friend.