Chapter 32: Ultimate Power
*****
It had been nearly a week since the Battle of Arezzo.
In that span of time, both forces seemed content to stare at each other from their positions opposite the no-man's-land that had developed outside the neck of the city.
For right now, Jack was happy not to fight. The numbers weren't on their side, ensuring they couldn't yet strike back at the Swabians camped on the plain. Even with the grievous Swabian losses from the battle, Jack and his Galicians were still heavily outnumbered, and that was even counting the Apulians who stood with them.
If they were ever going to get out of Arezzo, they would need more men. But just where were those men going to come from? A trickle of Apulians appeared here or there, as did some Galicians who were making their way to him while using the bond as their own personal tracker, but it would take them a long time at that rate to reach the numbers needed to strike out from the city.
Jack let out a deep sigh as he looked back out on the neck. Worrying about numbers never did him any good. He suspected if it wasn't one thing it would be another but it was with a deeply pensive expression that he was found by Lindy a short while later.
"I bet I know what you're thinking," said the Galician colonel as he stopped near him.
Jack turned his expression toward the man and nodded.
Lindy looked out beyond the neck. "I bet you're thinking of ways you can coerce the Swabians to just come close enough that we can pound them with the guns of the fleet again, right? You're wondering the best way to get them to come closer."
Jack couldn't help but smile. "That's one way to put it. I was more thinking about our lack of numbers and how it meant we might be in Arezzo for a while but that works too. I'd consider anything at this point that might tilt the balance in our direction."
"I've given it some thought," said Lindy while rubbing his chin. "I considered pulling back the front ranks on the neck so the Swabians think we've abandoned the place. Then when they come close enough to investigate, we surprise them hard with every gun we have." Lindy smacked his fist into his open palm. "But that does come with some risks of its own. There's also the risk that they might not be stupid enough to take the bait."
Jack turned toward him and smiled. "The offer is tempting but I think we should concentrate on getting more men on our side. Tricks and feints will only get us so far. A lack of manpower will keep us at a significant disadvantage, and we might be stuck on Apulia for longer than we'd like."
Although he didn't say it out loud, Jack thought about how similar the situation was to Picardy. Both lands now saw some kind of stalemate since neither side was strong enough to knock off the other. It also meant that unfortunately the forces that fought under his alliance would always have to have their forces split between the two lands--preventing them from combining into one army.
If there was one way to ensure they lost strategically, it would be to always keep their forces divided, allowing the enemy to defeat them one by one.
Yet if they were to truly put that strategy into place, it would mean the abandonment of either Apulia or Picardy in the short term, something that Jack suspected neither Santino or Aedan would agree to.
It was a difficult position to be in, and one that didn't have an easy solution.
"We won't be stuck here for too long," said Lindy with a subtle shake of the head.
"How do you figure?"
Lindy let out a low sigh. "The way I see it the Swabians won't permit their forces to be bogged down for too long. Sooner or later, they'll get enough reinforcements to finish the job. And if we're still sitting here in this city without any additional men, they will push us off. It's only a matter of time."
"You don't think we'd be able to hold the city with the forces we have trickling in?"
Lindy shook his head firmly. "Not a chance. We get maybe five new men every day or so if we're lucky? Then we have to outfit them, supply them, and train them? It won't be enough. Not with what the Swabians can throw at us. You saw how willing they were to throw men into the battle even as they were getting slaughtered. That's the only tactic that they know."
Jack pursed his lips. "So they'll keep coming at us no matter what the cost in lives?"
Lindy nodded. "The Swabian mind is a deeply primitive one. There aren't many strategies that they'll consider that don't rely on numbers to pave the way for them. Discussing tactics with them will go over their heads every time. At the end of the day, they'll keep attacking Arezzo with whatever forces they have, and if we don't do something about our manpower situation, they'll eventually overwhelm us."
"It's not something we can let happen," said Jack. "As long as Apulia stands, it's a drain on Swabian resources but it also keeps them from following through with the other parts of their plan. If we can keep them bogged down in Apulia, we can prevent them from moving further north. We can't abandon this country anytime soon."
Lindy smiled. "Sounds like the strategy is pretty simple in this case. Although where we're going to get the fighting men to help us, I don't have the slightest idea. Perhaps we'll get lucky and get a few more Galician regiments in the process."
"That would certainly help us," noted Jack. "But at this point, I think those that intended to join us have already made it here. I'm not expecting much more to come from Galicia at this point."
"Aye, Jack, I'd have to agree with that assessment," said Lindy.
There was a moment of silence between them as both men looked out on the narrow neck. The conversation had gotten much too heavy and their position still had them at a significant disadvantage. While the common soldiers still celebrated besting the Swabians last week, their commanders knew the strategic situation to be far more tenuous than many expected.
"For what it's worth, I'd rather be here than in Galicia right now," said Lindy, breaking the silence. "Especially fighting for Eric Rosdahl."
