“I am reliably informed that, since deep wells were drilled some score of years agone, the stream, which formerly entered under this stretch of the north wall and exited near to the south gate, has been diverted to another bed bypassing the city, and the entry arches have been plugged. Nonetheless, lacking better alternatives, we might consider saps at either place or at both, since it has been my experience that subsurface wall additions or reinforcements be often of inferior materials.”
Bili and most of the other nobles sat rapt. It was not often that a country thoheeks was the recipient of instruction land warfare from one of the High Lord’s picked professionals. But not Thoheeks Hwil of Blue Mountain. After a booming “Harumpf!” to gain attention, he said shortly, almost rudely, “Oh, aye, all this of saps and sieges and sorties is very •tfell if we mean to be here come shearing time. But Sun and Wind, man, we’ve got some thirty thousand men behind our banners, and I doubt me there’s ten thousand fighting men in all of Vawn, unless”-he chuckled at such absurdity- “they’ve managed to pact with the Taishuhns or Frainyuhns or suchlike mountain tribes. So why can we not just ride over the boy-loving bastards, throw enough rock and shafts to keep them pinned down and just go over those damned wallsr
Gahthwahlt listened, scratching his scalp, his head cocked to one side. At Bailee’s final question, he nodded. “Ah, noble sir, but you forget the mathematics of the siege. One man behind fortifications, if decently armed and supplied, is the equal of three and one-half men on the attack. However, since Vawnpolis is not on a par with a true burk, its wall originally having been reared to counter nothing more dangerous than a few hundred or thousand barbarian irregulars, I did the calculations for a frontal assault early on.
“My figures were these: maximum defensive force, not over twelve thousand effectives; maximum attacking force, twenty thousand infantry, dismounted nobles and Free-fighters, plus a mounted contingent of six thousand nobles and kahtahfrahktoee to enter the city as one or more gates be won; a bombardment of pitchballs and stone and fire-shafts on the night preceding the attack, with the heaviest concentration along the area of the diversionary assault; attacks scheduled for one hour after sunrise-which in my experience means that they should commence before noon, anyway-”
At this, Bili guffawed. His experience with planned assaults had been precisely the same.
“-with a great show of force and intent being massed within sight of the diversionary area, while, at the same time, a token force makes a deliberately weak effort at the primary area to feel out the terrain and defenses, and convince the defenders that this weak attack be the diversion and that the main assault will assuredly be delivered where our forces are clearly massing.
“With the retreat of the token force, the diversionary attack will be launched, covered up to the walls by all the massed engines. When this assault be well underway, most of the engines will either be moved or, in the cases of the heavier ones, will redirect their fire to provide cover for the main assault, which will be delivered at a point lying at a right angle to that of the diversion.
“Barring blunders or calamities, the wall facing the main force should be carried within an hour or less of the initial engagements and the cavalry should be in the streets soon thereafter. There will naturally be some street fighting but the wall towers and the Citadel should be the only additional obstacles to the completion of the intaking. However-.”
Broadly beaming, the Dailee slapped both big hands on the tabletop and arose. “Now that, Sir Ehdt, is the kind of plan you should have mentioned at the start! My lord Milo, my lady Aldora, gentlemen, such a venture has Bailee’s endorsement. How say the rest of you?”
Bili shook his shaven poll. “With all due respect, Thoheeks Hwil, frontal assaults, even one so expertly planned as Sir Ehdt’s, are usually quite costly. I think, ere we move to adopt it, we should hear the projected butchers’ bill.”