Fang Zhen looked at Keton, then at the two men dressed as traveling merchants. "Is the news reliable?" he asked.

"Yes," Keton nodded. "My territory borders two viscountcies of the Balenzuo Duchy, but they’re separated by mountain forests. There are two routes that lead here from the Duchy. One path is easy to travel, the other is difficult. Only small numbers of soldiers accustomed to the mountains can traverse the hard path, so it’s unsuitable for a large army on the march."

"My main defensive forces are concentrated on the easier route, which is where we are now. My lord, you’ve seen the map. Since Duke Balenzuo is launching a large-scale surprise attack, he’s bound to choose this way."

"Due to our long-term defensive posture, I have people in my territory who maintain contact with many merchants, caravans, and hunters. These two are traveling merchants who just arrived from the direction of the Balenzuo Duchy. They brought news that they saw the Duke’s grand army assembling, and its direction of advance is right toward us."

Fang Zhen turned his gaze to the two merchants. "Did you see Duke Balenzuo’s army with your own eyes?" he asked.

"Yes, my lord." The traveling merchant didn’t know Fang Zhen’s specific identity, but he could tell he was the one in charge. Maintaining a respectful tone, he said, "We saw a massive army."

"The army was making camp to rest. My companion and I took a shortcut through the mountain forest. Based on our experience, if that army force-marches, they’ll arrive before dawn at the earliest, or by mid-morning at the latest."

Fang Zhen asked a few more questions about the details, and found no issues with the merchants’ answers.

Fang Zhen nodded and had the two merchants taken away to receive a reward.

After the merchants left the command tent, Keton said, "My lord, my informants among the mountain folk have brought back similar reports. I’ve also sent out scouts to gather continuous intelligence. We need to start preparing."

"During the previous border skirmishes, Duke Balenzuo’s main army, combined with the forces from two neighboring viscountcies, totaled six to seven thousand men. That’s roughly equal to our own numbers, so we don’t have an absolute advantage in manpower."

"If we want to win, we need to be well-prepared."

"Mm," Fang Zhen nodded. He looked at Finn, Tahar, and the others in the tent. "Give the soldiers a full meal tonight," he ordered. "Have them pack compressed biscuits for field rations."

"Prepare to engage the Duke Balenzuo Army."

...

「Late that night.」

In the mountain forests of Viscount Keton’s Territory.

Deep within the forest, an army had arrived.

It was none other than Fang Zhen’s Augustus Army.

In the forest, the soldiers were silent. Even the warhorses had been fitted with muzzles to reduce the chances of being discovered by the enemy.

Fang Zhen, Viscount Keton, Agatha, Finn, Tahar, and the others were arranging their battle formation.

They gathered in a small, flat clearing in the woods, forming a circle around a simple campaign table. Laid out on it was a rudimentary map, illuminated by a flashlight.

The flashlight, of course, had been brought by Fang Zhen.

The map showed the shape of the road at the border between the Balenzuo Duchy and Viscount Keton’s Territory. It resembled a two-pronged fork. The long handle of the fork extended from the Balenzuo side, while the two prongs split off, one leading to their current location and the other coming from a different direction within Viscount Keton’s Territory.

A stone was placed on the map, marking the current position of Fang Zhen and his commanders.

No matter which route Duke Balenzuo’s army took, they would have to pass through a mountain range. The mountains weren’t particularly high, and the highest point was situated just to the right of the fork’s two prongs.

And right now, Fang Zhen’s Augustus Army was positioned at that very spot.

Fang Zhen, Keton, and the others stared at the map.

"Our position is excellent. We have the high ground and a good line of sight." Keton studied the map, then looked to Fang Zhen. "My lord, what’s your plan?"

"We’ll lay an ambush. A classic pocket formation."

Fang Zhen said.

He picked up a few pebbles and placed them on the map. "Our current position will be the center, with a force of 2,700 men. The left and right wings will each consist of 1,000 archers and slingers. Another 1,000 men will be held in reserve, on standby. The cavalry and the Mage Corps will be with me, ready to launch a strike at a moment’s notice."

"As for confirming when they’ve entered the kill zone, we’ll have two plans. If the enemy advances without suspicion, we’ll just wait in ambush."

"But if they seem cautious, we’ll dispatch a small unit of twenty to thirty men disguised as Light Cavalry scouts. They’ll lure Duke Balenzuo’s army into the ambush point, then we all attack together."

"We should try to use the first plan if possible. The second involves unnecessary risks."

"The reserves must be ready to reinforce any point of the battlefield that comes under pressure. They can also be used as a secondary strike force for a flanking attack."

"The three hundred cavalry and the Mage Corps will serve as our true trump card, ready to strike at any time."

Keton studied the terrain on the map and nodded slightly.

"I have no objections to the overall plan, but there’s one problem I don’t see a solution for," Keton said.

"Go on," Fang Zhen said.

"The army’s deployment is sound, but communication is a problem," Keton said. "Once the fighting starts, it will be utter chaos. Tactical opportunities are fleeting, and the situation could change in an instant. We could find ourselves in a position where messages can’t get through. Our army needs a reliable method for relaying commands."

"Furthermore, the terrain here is complex, which will make for a chaotic battle. We need plenty of scouts to keep us informed of the situation on the battlefield, but once the fighting starts, there’s no guarantee their intelligence will make it back to us. If the battle degenerates into a chaotic melee, the outcome becomes anyone’s guess."

"Only by maintaining control of information can we ensure we can’t be defeated and maximize the advantage of our ambush."

"There’s a way." Fang Zhen seemed to have anticipated this. He then looked over at Matthew, who was accompanying the army.