Mid Month of Imperos in the Season of Summer; Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIII Post Fractum. The First Era of the Regency of Milo L'Evienne.
Keldon's body was tense as he moved through the stone building towards the imperial library to meet with his teacher, or teachers.He had just finished the first stages of his training and now he would move to the more logical training then practical. He was still not fully aware of what was to come. He knew what was expected, and where.. when. But not the how, he had gained experience in commanding troops on the field and how to defend a citadel and those within it in Paxia. However there was much more that needed to be taught.
Moving into the library he looked around to the faces, many were young and some were recruits. However his eye caught someone motioning him towards them in the corner of the room, a small alcove and more private then a table in the open so he move forward towards them.
OOC: This is apparently what all needs to be taught. Keldon already has 2 xp in military operations/tactics however I now need the level up thread. I don't think everything in this list needs to be taught but some does.
Secrets :
* What is military tactics and strategy - Military tactics and strategy is the combine use of common sense and knowledge to help win a war. The common sense and knowledge are in the knowledge of using terrain, the weather, the people and many other factors see and unseen.
* Learning the Basics - The Nine Principles of War:
Mass- Concentrate combat power at the decisive place and time
Objective- Direct every military operation towards a clearly defined, decisive, and attainable objective
Offensive- Seize, retain, and exploit the initiative
Surprise- Strike the enemy at a time, at a place, or in a manner for which he is unprepared
Economy of Force- Allocate minimum essential combat power to secondary efforts
Maneuver-Place the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power
Unity of Command-For every objective, ensure unity of effort under one responsible commander
Security-Never permits the enemy to acquire an unexpected advantage
Simplicity-Prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and clear, concise orders to ensure thorough understanding.
* Learning to deploy men - At Basic level, the soldier is expected to deploy a squad of men according to the Nine Principles of War. Each Principle is used and examples will be used. For example, the soldier is expected to deploy the men according the Principle of Mass by placing the men at the correct location. Figures and a map can be used to do this.
* The Tests - After the Nine Principles had been gone through, the soldier will be tested by the trainer. Usually two scenarios are used. Problems will occur in the scenarios and the soldier is expected to solve them. Only when the student can answer the tests correctly, can the student pass the course.
It was a girl who has motioned Keldon over, a rather attractive girl at that. Her hair was tied tighly behind her head and she wore the full military uniform of the Imperium, she eyed Keldon without passion and took a step backwards. Sitting at the table was a man, his hair was a wonderful silvery grey and well maintained. Some people were wonderful when young and did not age gracefully turning into horrible forms of themselves when young, some like this man seemingly grew int their bodies at a later age, despite his advancing age he was obviously in a good condition. A small scar was over his right eye but besides that there was little the mark out this man that eyed Keldon steadily.
"Provost martial Keldon Elsdragon, I have followed your career closely you know, you have gone quickly up the ranks. You outrank me despire our respective ages, but lets get one thing straight as far as I am concerned you are an ignorant babe when it comes to commanding men. Only when you can move men like a conductor can create music among a sea of instruments will you earn my respect." He smiled gently, "You are leading a small squad against a larger force, one of your men, a man you personally know falls down injured beside you, tell me Provost martial, what do you do?" He crossed his hands and awaited an answer.
Moving past the girl Keldon paid little attention to her looks, this was no place nor setting to attempt to befriend a female for the darkening he did however tilt his head to her as he passed her and then took a gaze towards the man before him. His eyes looking at the mans color to see if he required a salute or not, which he did not. The man was a Kestor, only a single rank below Keldon. However a subordinate never the less.
Listening to what the Kestor had to say he nodded with a smirk. "Fair enough Kestor, fair enough." he said as he moved towards the chair although he did not take a seat his eyes locked with the man before him. He wondered if he knew all the details to the war in paxia. Considering it was he who was commanding the 'small' force against the 'large force.
"In general Kestor it would depend on the situation, for if we had yet to encounter the opposing force and still had time to plan then I would likely goto him myself while those around me keep guard and take defensive positions. However..." he paused a moment and nodded taking a seat slowly. "Should it be on the field of battle there are always losses of life, but some are savable. Perhaps if warranted changing the flank of men to cover the area around the fallen warrior and friend to offer protection for those assigned to aiding the fallen to move in and withdraw the soldier from the battlefield... leaving him there to die is also an option while we continue to advance, or defend our position. However that is a last resort and only in dire circumstances."
The man nodded gently, "I have been married for twenty years, I have two children." He smiled gently and fingered a band on one of his fingers, "I would not hesitate to give my life to save any of my families, in war it is different." The man nodded gently, "You have an army Provost Martial, it is not a force of the individual, it is a force of the whole. There are two rules I will give you here that do not appear on the textbooks, first the individual does not matter, do not compromise you army for one man, and do not bring personal attachments into battle. Your mind is what makes you an officer not your heart, in times of peace your heart will win your men over, in war your mind will win battles, I can give no better advice." The man smiled gently and held out his hand, the girl passed over a small folded scrap of paper which the man gently opened.
"Very well lets get to the individual lessons then shall we, lets see first lets discuss military tactics in general." He smiled again, a soothing smile almost artificial a practiced poker face given to any other military person, "Obviously you know you learn these things to save lives, that is what tactics are about inflicting as much damage as possible for as little cost." He continued that oozing smile before continuing, "I will not be doing this the orthodox way, I will give you examples, you answer them then we shall discuss them, that is how you will learn tactics in my mind." The man paused for a moment and tapped a finger against his lips, "Your enemy has deployed a small skirmishing force against one of your flanks, they do not threaten that flank but they prove hard to erradicate due to their use of cover, you have a reserve behind your main force but you are unaware where your enemy is, what do you do to deal with the skirmishers?"
Keldon paused at the statement and thought briefly his mind forming up the field of battle inside. The troops lined up and moving down the battlefield. "Bring the light cavalry up to the side of the main force, with orders to advance forward however counter orders. Should the skirmishing force present itself they are to advance on it. While the reserve archers who would be called to there location would provide cover fire for a brief period of time while the mounted troops advance to the location of the hidden force. All the while the main body of force's continues it's advance towards our objective." He said quickly, the tactic playing out in his head as he visions the mounted force breaking off of the main body, arrows hurraling through the air towards the tree line ready to see the mounted men walk over the hidden force, and ready to dismount for close quarter combat should it be required.
"A practical option Provost Martial, you cannot have skirmishers on a flank, but the purpose of a skirmisher is two. First they inflict minor casulties, second they try to split the force and create holes in the defensive line, which in your method they would do. Still if your generalship was good enough this could be corrected, and such a change may draw the hidden enemy into your grasp, so you could display a weakness and use it to your advantage." He chuckled, "However I do not approve of your idea of marching towards a hidden force, scouts are always necessary, know your enemy Provost martial and you will win the battle, you may as well march your men to death if you are ignorant of your opponent."
He smiled gently, "Minor mistakes, easily corrected however, your use of troops is interesting, tell me provost martial of all the parts of the army, archers, light cavalry and so forth, what is your favourite tool and why, could you suggest any individual thoughts on the nature of this force, after all innovation is a useful tool for a general."
Keldon nodded his head, he could not state his tactics were perfect as that came with experience and understanding what works and what does not work. Which was the point of him being in this room, with the man in front of him. "Indeed scouts would be of much more use, I should of thought of that. I am more versed in siege tactics... as that is what I have experience with thus far." he said with a quirk of his lip and a slight sigh.
But his face changed as he pondered then answered. "Archers to me seem to be an effective tactic so long as a distance is kept between you and your enemy. It is after all much easier to remove a force from the field at a distance where there is no death to your own troops then to engage in close quarter combat. Although I have seen the sheer power and force the heavy calvary can deliver both on the ground and on there mounts. So those two would be my prime choice of my favors in the forces. Although which is best suited would again depend on the situation."
The man nodded, "Good choices, heavy calvalry often serve as our ram do they not? The final knockout blow in the heat of the battle, a great man once said that the key to a battle was recognising a decicive moment and grasping it, that make a good general. And of course the heavy cavalry or the reserves often fufill this role." The man smiled gently, "I used the example to teach you something Provost Martial, no man can lead each part of his force equally, I myself favour the light infantry, I find them easy to move about a battlefield, they are quick and hold the line well while I move the rest of my force about." He smiled, "I am not the best cavalry commander, so whenever I go out into the field I always take a good subordinate who is good at using them." He smiled, "Important lesson again Provost Martial, your officers define who you are, use officers that make up for your weaknesses, and for the sake of your men accept you have weaknesses too, arrogance is an unhealthy trait in the army, confidence on the other hand is useful." He grinned gently and looked at his paper again.
"Very well this next question is interesting, you have two enemies moving at you from two directions, you can split your force in half, and you have two commanders to choose from to lead it." He smiled gently and rubbed his nose softly, "The first is an old hand who serves as your chief of staff, he has organised your men well during the campaign and is a valuable tool logistically. The second individual is a young cavalry officer, classically reckless but brave and inspires confidence in the men. Who do you pick? If either." He smiled gently and chuckled softly.
Keldon grinned at the mans question and given his last statement he should know what Keldon's answer was going to be. "When one is trapped in the middle of a force coming at you from all sides then you must use all of your resources to there fullest, trust in your own abilities and the abilities of your men. I seldom trust those with my flank however those under my command are charged with my life and the lives of all those around me." He said with a smile. "I would not choose a single one, I would choose both. The young officer can drive the men forward, he can give them hope and give them the inspiration they need to follow. However where he lacks in experience, my fellow chief of staff can make up for and help give tactical command and direction to the second force. While I take charge of the remaining body." He said with a brief nod. "Thus we are covered with commanders on both sides, as you said never be afraid to admit you have weaknesses however an army has many commanders. If I must protect our flank I would wish to have two of my greatest assets on the rear while I rely on those with me for the remaining defense."
"A good answer, I will grant you." He smiled, "My personal aim would be to defeat both myself using my cohorts to their abilities carefully under my control, but I admit your method would likely work just as well if not better, one cannot tell until the event happens, but it is pleasing you did not pick one or the other." He smiled and scanned his paper again.
"Very well, let us have a brief discussion, many points you are expected to know are painfully obvious and can be read in a book, the principles of war, dont be supried, deploy your men for a decisive stroke and so on and so forth, all rather obvious." He paused and leaned his weight upon the table, "I always beleived that the best officers were those that grasped innovation as a key trait, warfare is so subtle, feints and parries as opposed to big smashes, you want to save the lives of your men but always win the battle and war. Just remember Provost Martial morality is vital. While being bloodthirsty will serve you well at the time, i the long run as far as life is concerned combine the teachings of the Faith with a life of war." he smiled, "After all ensuring local co-operation often goes handy in hand with combat in a campaign, and the people respect a peacegiver not a warmongerer and savage."
He paused and wiped a small hint of perspiration from his eye, "Recite the Nine Principles of War for me and define each, it is a necessity I am afraid, take a little time if you need to go remind yourself." He places a small peice of paper on the table with the nine principles upon it with a definition, "When you can do this I will give you a practical example and we will work through a battle, then I will give you a final example that could mean total defeat or a crushing victory, and if you do not answer it right I will fail you provost martial."
Keldon nodded his head. "Fair enough, The first is Mass which is to concentrate combat power at the decisive place and time. The second is ones Objective referring to direct every military operation towards a clearly defined, decisive, and attainable objective. The third is Offensive, one must Seize, retain, and exploit the initiative when the opportunity presents itself. The forth is Surprise, there is an advantage to Strike the enemy at a time, at a place, or in a manner for which he is unprepared. The fifth is the Economy of Force which referring to Allocation of the minimum essential combat power to secondary efforts. The sixth is Maneuver, or in other words to Place the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power. The seventh is Unity of Command, For every objective, ensure unity of effort under one responsible commander The eighth is Security. One must never permits the enemy to acquire an unexpected advantage." Keldon paused briefly and looked to the piece of paper that was still sitting there on the table and he had not bothered to read and smirked then looked to the man infornt of him. "The ninth, is simple... it is Simplicity. One must prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and clear, concise orders to ensure thorough understanding."
Keldon paused and remained silent, he agreed with the statement the man had said before. One must trust those under his command, and use those around him and the situations he is presented with to the fullest extent. Keldon knew he would rather be known as a bringer of peace and not a bringer of war and death.
The man listened and nodded gently at the end, "As long as you remember them you are fine, they very rarely apply directly to warfare, each battle is unique in itself you see." He held out a hand and a mass of papers were pushed into his hand by his assistant, he rolled them out on the table, they showed a map of a large area. He placed a number of counters on the table and arranged them quickly as though he had done it before. In all there were ten counters, ten blue and ten red arranged across the map.
Seven red counters were placed in a line, the man explained, "You are the secondary officer in charge of the red counters, your commanding officer commands these and you hold the cavalry and reserve, one cavalry detachment and two infantry, shall we say heavy infantry." He smiled, "your opponent comes towards you," he moved the five counters till they were in line with the red ones touching, "The line is together with little between them, your general has instructed you to fill the line and try to flank your enemy, but he has just been killed in action giving you command of the entire army." He grinned, "you know your enemy has five other units somewhere on the map, possibly in the woods that move round the right hand side of your force, your men will eventually win the main battle due to force of numbers so he is planning a knockout blow, what are you tactics provost Martial?"
Keldons eyes fell towards the map and made note of the changes, his eyes locked onto the woods that were beside his main forces. One thing he knew is to never underestimate the smaller force against a larger force. His teacher may say he will win against numbers, however he managed to win the odd game before.
Looking at his units he was ready to move but when he was informed his superior was killed and he was now in command it sounded all to familiar. Keldon looked at the trees once more, and leaned forward to move the pieces of the entire army. He shifted the heavy infantry to the front of the main force and a unit of infantry to the side of the force facing the woods. Next he moved a unit of archers in the middle of the main force, and at the sides. "After these orders are given scouts would be dispatched to the woods, the heavy calvary would be ordered to flank right to the tree line then off the battlefield for... a short period of time a second scout running the tree line while others go inside." Keldon placed his finger on the indent to the woods a short distance behind the main force on the map. "The calvary would enter the woods here and fan forward with the information from the scouts they would seek out any force within the woods and dispatch of them..." Keldon also tapped the woods where the mounted troops would go. "As in all forces there would be mounted archers who would follow behind them..." he said tapping the point where the woods pushed out just behind the enemy lines.
The rest of the army remained in place and he pushed them flush against the enemy's units to mean they would march over them. "During the main battle the cavalry and there archers would have orders to level all those within the woods and come out from behind the enemy to counter there tactic..." he said nodding his head slowly. "The archers along the right flank should provide cover fire for them once they leave the tree line... aswel as a first volley before they even enter the woods to take down anything that maybe in the general area."
The man smiled the knocked both cavalry peices off the map, "I cannot of course tell you what would have happened in reality but generally cavalry is at a massive disadvantage in woodland against infantry, the horses do not like uneven ground and the power of the horse is in speed, maneuvrability and initial impact, in the woodland they have none of these so consider that part of your force eliminated." He smiled gently as he imparted the lesson, "You can assume you are winning easily in the general melee, after all numbers tend to mean most in battles in the open." The man pondered and moved some more peices onto the map, two units of light cavalry will move across the plane and charge your archers that were guarding your cavalry, the other three units that we shall call orcish infanty shall reenforce the center, you can see them charging you." He grinned.
"You can see all your enemy now, lets recap you have lost two units leaving all your men in the open, archers on the right and the rest in the middle with a few reserves left, your enemy has five units engaged, three more orcish infantry about to engage behind the same line possibly turning your charge and two horse flanking you by way of your archer line that is now undefended." He grinned, "Any plans Provost Martial?"
Keldon shook his head and tapped the woods where the knights died. "One thing you are forgetting is these are not tight wood, along with the fact that the heavy infantry are also capable ground forces off there mounts, along with the fact that they are all armed with the ability to throw long range weapons before dismounting to engage any force on the ground leaving there horse's where they left them." He said with a smirk, fully knowing the capability's of the imperial mounts and the way they cant be used in close quarter combat. The streets of paxia were tight. "Also, the power of a horse is in its speed, and in the sheer presence. The sound of an entire unit of mount men entering a close wood is a sound that would be impressive... however we will say they failed and fell in battle and none made it out alive." He said with a small frown then motioned to the row of troops at the front and where the archers were. "You also need to keep in mind I have moved the heavy infantry to the front and side guard of the main force.. where the archers are."
Turning the point of the archers towards the attacking orcs he smirked. "The heavy infantry is equipped with javelins and spears, and are capable of setting up a defense line almost instantly that would rip through mounted forces. A unit and a half defending the archer line while the archers unleash there volleys into the orcish hordes should be sufficient. As no mount would make it through the line they would first engage into melee combat with the heavy infantry to the flank giving the archers time to pick there targets. The main body of forces would resume there assault only a flank changing directions."
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