With that position in their hands, the Siddarmarkian general was theoretically able to join the advance of Eastshare’s right flank, but his logistics remained badly constrained by the limited capacity of the farm roads and dirt tracks between Blufftyn and the Waymeet-Five Forks High Road. He simply couldn’t get enough food, ammunition, and—especially—artillery forward. So as long as Brygham held Mercyr and Earl Golden Tree’s forces continued to block the high road at Sairmeet, the Great Tarikah Forest retained its value as the roadblock covering the Northern Mighty Host’s right against Stohnar’s army.
Of course, all of that paled into insignificance compared to what had happened north of the forest, the treasurer reflected gloomily. He was less worried by the loss of Lake City—he’d recognized that Rainbow Waters would never be able to hold the provincial capital the same day he’d realized how badly they’d been fooled about the Charisians’ southern strategy—than by the way in which Green Valley had blasted his way through the last defensive line before the city. He didn’t have as much information on that as Maigwair did, but the information he did have was terrifying to the man in charge of providing Mother Church’s weapons. It was clear the Charisians and Siddarmarkians had brought more than just their infernal balloons to this year’s campaign, and not even Brother Lynkyn could begin to suggest how they’d made their shells so much more destructive virtually overnight!
“I can’t say any of our peerless military commanders fill me with a superabundance of confidence,” the Grand Inquisitor observed bitterly. He’d begun to criticize even Rainbow Waters, especially after the earl had strongly defended Earl Crystal Lake’s decision to retreat from Lake City … and since he’d received Ahlbair Saintahvo’s report about the earl’s meeting with Gustyv Walkyr. “And what’s this business about Silken Hills planning to retreat, too?”
“It’s a contingency plan, Zhaspahr.” Maigwair shook his head. “It’s obvious now that the heretics have no intention of attacking the Tymkyn Gap … if they ever actually did. At the moment, his forces at Tallas are holding firm, though. The problem is that High Mount seems to be throwing most of his weight against the Reklair Gap and it’s pretty clear at least a third of Symkyn’s army’s turned south to join him instead of continuing farther north, with Eastshare. When you combine that with how hard the heretics worked to convince us they meant to attack the Tymkyn Gap, that strongly suggests that what they really want is for Symkyn and High Mount to punch through at Reklair—and Tallas, if they can, no doubt—to capture Wedthar. That’s the biggest South March town we still hold, which would make it valuable enough under any circumstances, but it gets one hell of a lot more valuable given what’s happening in Dohlar.”
Clyntahn’s sour expression turned thunderous at the mention of Dohlar. He continued to hold Earl Thirsk personally responsible for the Dohlaran Navy’s reverses, and the fact that the earl remained that navy’s commander stuck in his craw like a sliver of bone. The fact that no one could have fought more effectively—or with more imagination—against the Imperial Charisian Navy’s armored fleet meant nothing to him. He continued to rail against Thirsk’s “defeatism” and “unreliability,” and he’d predicted nothing but disaster when word reached Zion that Charis had begun its long-awaited assault on the city of Gorath.
“I know you don’t want to hear about Dohlar, Zhaspahr,” Maigwair continued, facing the issue squarely, “and I know we’re all worried about what’s happening in Gorath right now. But even if the Dohlarans beat off this attack, the heretic navy will keep the Gulf effectively shut down indefinitely. We simply don’t have any way to keep them from doing that, and that’s what makes Wedthar so important. It’s a critical road junction, and with the Gulf … unavailable, it’s the linchpin for Silken Hills’ supply line. If the heretics punch through to it, we can write off all of his artillery, at an absolute minimum, because he won’t be able to get it out.” He shrugged. “I’m actually relieved that he’s drawing up movement plans already. It doesn’t mean he’s planning to retreat, Zhaspahr; it means he’s planning how he’ll retreat—and fight the most effective delaying action possible while he does it—if he’s forced to retreat. That’s a pretty important distinction.”
“All I see is that every Shan-wei-damned army we have is moving west, not east!” Clyntahn snarled. “It’s bad enough when a gutless bastard like Thirsk bends over and invites the frigging heretics to bugger him, but now every commander we’ve got is too damned busy thinking about ‘contingency plans’ and ‘fighting withdrawals’ to give any goddamned thought to actually defeating the heretics! If it’s all the same to you, Allayn, I’d like to see just one of them—just one!—with the guts to actually stand his ground and fight like someone worthy of the trust God’s placed in him!”
Desperation must really be getting to him, given how he’s starting to criticize the Harchongians, not just our own people, Duchairn thought, watching the Grand Inquisitor’s angry expression.
It was easy enough to understand the reasons for Clyntahn’s anxiety. Charis and Siddarmark hadn’t achieved an outright breakthrough anywhere … yet. Lake City came close, but Crystal Lake’s prompt withdrawal had prevented a complete rupture of Rainbow Water’s front north of the Tarikah Forest. Yet they were pushing the Church’s forces back everywhere, and the junction between Eastshare’s Army of Westmarch and Stohnar’s Army of the Sylmahn was enough to frighten anyone. It was also what made Brygham’s continued stand at Mercyr so important. But sooner or later, Mercyr was going to fall, however valiantly Brygham and his men fought. Even Clyntahn had to realize only a direct miracle could prevent that now. And once Eastshare and Stohnar’s quartermasters were able to use the high road through the Great Tarikah Forest, they’d be ready for their next lunge forward.
The question was the direction in which they’d do the lunging.
If they struck due west and threw their full weight against Walkyr’s retreating army and successfully stormed Glydahr, they’d almost certainly drive the Princedom of Sardahn out of the Jihad. It would also cut the primary supply line for any of the archbishop militant’s forces which survived Glydahr’s fall and let them threaten the Holy Langhorne Canal west of the Tairohn Hills, which would cut Earl Rainbow Waters’ line of supply—or retreat—as well.
But they might also choose the option Rainbow Waters obviously believed was their best choice and continue northwest instead of west, across the line of the Ferey River, and strike for Mhartynsberg in the Barony of Charlz in order to cut the Holy Langhorne there. Or, for that matter, they could continue due north, along the western face of the Tarikah Forest, and attempt to envelop Rainbow Waters’ West Wing Lake positions from the south while Green Valley’s frontal attacks held the earl in place.
So far, Mother Church’s generals had continued their stubborn fighting retreat, giving ground slowly or, like Brygham at Mercyr, digging in and continuing to resist ferociously even when surrounded. In the process, they were inflicting heavy casualties on their enemies, especially the Charisian Army. But Charis and the Republic were clearly prepared to pay the price. There was no sign Green Valley’s offensive in the north was weakening, their artillery’s newly revealed capabilities were a terrifying portent of what might be about to come, and if they truly were about to launch a fresh, major offensive against Silken Hills in the south, it seemed likely that—