March To The Sea

'We already knew the bastards had learned not to throw themselves straight at fortified walls at Therdan,' Rastar told him with bleak pride. 'Obviously, they're sitting in place and waiting for starvation to weaken the Cove before they hit it.'

'Oh, that part we understand,' Tor Flain assured him. 'They've never been smart and patient enough to try it before, but there can't be much doubt that that's exactly what they're doing. But it's the way they're deployed while they wait that bothers me.'

'There could be several reasons for it, Tor,' Bogess suggested. 'For one thing, Julian was right about the additional security it offers their women and children.'

Bistem Kar gave a hand-clap of conditional agreement, but he still looked decidedly unhappy, and Pahner didn't really blame him. The comfortable belief that all of the Boman were clustered in and around Sindi had turned out to be somewhat less than accurate once Gunny Jin and his LURPs got into position. Actually, smaller forces of a 'mere' ten to fifteen thousand warriors each had been deployed to the sites of several of the other conquered League and non-League city-states . . . all of them on the far side of Sindi from D'Sley. But so far as Jin and his human and Mardukan scouts had been able to determine, those satellite forces had only a relative handful of women and children as supporting camp followers. At least half of all the Boman dependents were packed into Sindi with 'only' thirty or forty thousand warriors to keep them company. What was more, the women and children in the city apparently came from every Boman clan and tribe, not just from those of the warriors deployed there.

'No doubt the sergeant is correct, at least in part,' Kar told Bogess after a moment. 'Certainly Sindi had the best fortifications of any of the states outside the League, and from all reports, they took the city—and its walls—pretty much intact. So, yes, it probably is the best and most easily defended place from which to protect their families. But Boman clans always stay together, and they trust no one—not even tribes of the same clan—to protect their women and children.' He shook his head in a human-style gesture. 'We've seen entirely too many innovations from the Boman to make me happy, and this strikes me as another. I would be much happier if I understood precisely what it's intended to accomplish.'

'We're trying to figure that out, Sir,' Julian told him, 'but we haven't been able to get any of our listening devices actually into the city . . . yet. From what the shotgun mikes have picked up from the troops' bull sessions, though, it's pretty clear that this Kny Camsan has a whole bunch of new ideas, and this seems to be one of them. Lot of the troops aren't too crazy about some of his notions, either, but Camsan's the one who took over after Therdan, and he's kicked so much ass since then that he's almost like God. Or he was right after they took Sindi, anyway. It looks like some of the shine may be starting to wear off from the troops' perspective—kind of a 'but what have you done for us lately' sort of attitude.'

The intel NCO gazed down at the map on the table for a few moments, then shrugged.

'Whatever he's up to, at least we know where the bastard is, and the whole Boman position is still pretty much a holding one. Mostly, they seem to be busy foraging around the cities, and I imagine they'll sit right where they are until they finish eating the countryside bare and don't have any choice but to move on out. In the meantime, though, we know where they are and, so far as we can tell, they don't know where we are.

'The scout teams report that the maps are fairly accurate,' he continued. 'There've been some changes— like the damage the roads have taken from the Boman's use, like the track from here to Sindi. But in general, the cavalry should be able to trust them.'

'Good,' Pahner said. 'Better than I could've hoped. Rus, is the damage to the track going to slow up your work crews' transit?'

'Not appreciably.' The cleric took a bite of apsimon. 'They'll be mainly foot traffic, and they can keep to the shoulders if they have to. By the time we're ready for the caravans, we should have all the road repair gangs in place.'

'You need to make the timetable,' the Marine said warningly. 'If you don't, that whole part of the plan is out the window.'

The cleric shrugged all four shoulders.

'It's in the hands of the God, quite literally. Heavy storms will prevent us, but other than that, I see no reason to fear. We'll make the schedule, Captain Pahner, unless the God very specifically prevents.'

'Fullea?'

'We'll be waiting,' the D'Sley matron said. 'We're already repairing the dock facilities, and things will go much quicker once we get some decent cranes back in action. We'll make our timetable.'

'Rastar?'

'Hmmm? Oh, timetable. Not a problem. Just a ride in the country.'

'I swear, you're getting as bad as Honal,' Roger said with a chuckle.

'Ah, it's these beautiful pistols you gave me!' the Northerner prince enthused. 'With such weapons, how can we fail?'

'You're not to become decisively engaged,' Pahner warned.

'Not a chance, Captain,' the Northerner promised much more seriously. 'We've fought this battle before, and we didn't have any friends waiting for us that time. Don't worry; we aren't planning on leaving our horns on their mantels. Besides, I want to see what cannon do to them, and we won't have any of our own along.'

'Bistem? Bogess?'

'It will be interesting,' the K'Vaernian said. 'Very interesting.'

'A masterly understatement, but accurate,' the Diaspran agreed.

'Interesting is fine, but are you ready?' Roger asked. 'Some of the units still seem pretty scrambled.'

'They'll be ready by tomorrow morning,' Kar assured him, and Tor Flain nodded in agreement.

'All right,' Pahner said, looking at the tent roof. 'We'll transfer the bulk of the cavalry tomorrow. Once they're off, we'll embark the infantry. As we're doing all of that, we'll also push out aggressive patrols on this side of the river to screen our advance. Starting tomorrow.'

He gazed up at the roof for a few more seconds, obviously running through a mental checklist, then looked at Roger.

'One small change,' he said. 'Roger, I want you to take over the Carnan Battalion of the New Model. That and one troop of cavalry—Rastar, you choose which.'

'Yes, Captain.' The Mardukan nodded.

'They're going to be moving with the infantry. Roger will command the combined force as a strategic reserve. Roger, look at putting turom under all the infantry.'

'If you're thinking of a mobile infantry battalion, civan would be better,' Roger said. 'Also, aren't we going to need the turom elsewhere?'

'We'll see. If you can get them on turom in the next three days, they'll go upriver behind the cavalry screen. If you can't, they'll go with the infantry.'

'Yes, Sir,' the prince responded.

'Okay,' the captain concluded. 'Get as much rest as you can tonight. There won't be much from here on out.'

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The gentle current of the river was barely enough to make the barge bob, but the war civan was having none of it.

'Get on there, you son of a bitch!' Honal snarled, but the civan was remarkably impervious to his rider's gentle encouragement. Finally, the cavalry commander gave up. 'Get some ropes!'

Enough lines on the horse-ostrich and enough hands on the lines finally managed to drag the recalcitrant beast onto the barge.

'Last one, Rastar!'

'Good, we're already behind schedule,' the Northern prince replied, and turned to look over his shoulder as