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."
Jack let out a small grin. "Yeah? Even with our poor odds?"
The colonel nodded emphatically. "Especially with them. I'm a soldier, Jack. I've been with this regiment my entire career. I've led them through training, through new enlistments, and through our share of regents as well. But our time under Eric Rosdahl has been poor. He's not a man loved by the army, I can assure you that."
"Not a man loved by anyone from what I can tell," said Jack. "I'd heard a lot about him before I ever met him and all of it was completely true. The man is... evil."
Lindy chuckled. "It's still amazing to me that we can admit that out loud right now and not suffer the consequences for it. That's the kind of atmosphere he'd fostered in Galicia under his rule. He didn't allow for any dissent, and those that gave it frequently found their lives upturned in the process. We got used to only sharing our discontent to those that were close enough to us or in whispers to each other late at night."
"Well, I can assure you that you can bash the man all you want right now and he can't do a thing about it," said Jack, joining in the laugh.
"It's not even so much that but how different you are from him," said Lindy, looking Jack in the eyes. "I know I haven't known you for very long but the impression I get from you is the total opposite of Eric Rosdahl. I see how you treat the men under your command. I see how you treat all of us. It's a good part of the reason why I'm willing to fight for you, despite the odds against us right now. It's simply the right thing to do."
Jack put his hand on Lindy's shoulder. "I know I've told the others this before but I can't always promise you I'm going to be a good leader. I don't know much about kingship. A year and a half ago, I was just a simple naval officer, expecting to have a healthy career before retiring with a government pension on the other side of the ocean. I do know this though--Eric Rosdahl is enough of an example of what not to be. As long as we keep him as our measuring stick, it won't be hard to do the right thing."
Lindy let out a loud laugh in response. "I'd say that's a fair assessment right there."
The two of them continued to talk for another twenty minutes until Lindy had to be called away to meet with the army's quartermaster. Jack gave him another pat on the back before he left, deciding it was time to move away from the front lines. He moved past the fortifications in the rear before coming upon the building that housed all the senior leadership of his army.
It was there that he stumbled into General Chapman who also happened to be arriving at the building at much the same time.
So far, General Arthur Chapman was a bit of an enigma to Jack. The rugged and handsome man was the last major arrival to Apulia, the Galician general having brought with him two regiments as well as a battleship to add to their forces. He was highly respected by the men, and even well-spoken of by his peers like Admiral Taylor. But since the battle, Jack hadn't had much interaction with the man. Of all of his commanders, he figured that he knew Chapman the least.
That was most illustrated by how Chapman greeted him.
"Good evening, Your Majesty," said the general as they moved closer to the building.
"I've told you already, General," said Jack with an easy grin. "It's Jack right now. Cut out the majesty bullshit and treat me like the others do."
Chapman gave him a magnanimous smile. "It's a little difficult for me to do, especially with how long I served under your predecessor and how much of a stickler he was for titles."
"Funny you should mention that, I was just talking with Lindy about Rosdahl before I walked over here," said Jack. "But please, I'm serious about this whole thing. Use my name or I might just have to find another general." Jack made sure the look on his face was mellow enough that Chapman would know that he was joking.
