“I would like to avoid spending the New Year out here.”
Orsini’s terrain was a complex collection of mountains and
valleys, so it was poorly suited for a cavalry battle. Also, their strategist,
Selune, chose to engage in persistent mountain guerilla warfare meant to cut
off Sabrina’s supply line and obstruct their movements.
Orsini spent half a year constructing several fortresses,
making Jeol Valley feel more like the Jeol Fortresses.
The terrain prevented a large army from moving freely, so it
came down to a series of smaller scale battles.
Orsini’s fortresses were cleverly placed so, when one was
attacked, the others could send reinforcements and surround the enemy in no
time. However, they would leave an escape route to the rear so the enemy could
withdraw. Still, the Sabrina force would be surrounded on three sides, so they
would take considerable damage if they tried to attack.
Sabrina had 20,000 troops, but they were having trouble
breaking through an army half that size.
Sabrina Queen Vishnu grimaced at the slow pace of their
advance and it was Karura, leader of her ninja army, who suggested a solution.
When Vishnu heard the girl out, surprise spread across her face.
“You want to convince the enemy strategist to switch sides?”
“Selune is young and he is not well-liked within Orsini
despite his lofty position. He was even ordered into early retirement until not
long ago. No one would ordinarily give him the time of day and he is only being
used as a convenient tool during this time of crisis, so he must feel ashamed
deep down.”
“Do you think this will work?”
“I think it is worth attempting.”
Vishnu could tell Karura was trying to put on a strong face,
but it was true they did not have any better ideas at present. She decided to
give it a try.
That night, the entire Sabrina army made a large-scale
attack on three frontline bases in three waves. The attack ended in failure
with around 300 casualties, but the true purpose of the attack was to assist
Karura’s infiltration. She and 10 ninjas of her choosing successfully snuck
into the Orsini formation.