"How can we be of assistance, Lieutenant Bi Hei?" Victor asked in a supportive tone. He was intent on doing whatever was necessary to repel the Kislevian raiders and truly secure the south. Once the South was secured, the continent would truly be his.
Lieutenant Bi Hei began to give Victor a rundown on what needed to be done. "Given that your army is already present in the southwestern region, it would make sense to send them to the nearby fishing villages that have been captured by the invaders. In total, four villages have been captured and converted into staging points for the Kislevian raiders."
The elderly officer made a special note to point out two of the fishing villages that were nearby. They would make great places to begin with. Victor began to give Marshal Bessières orders on what to relay to the army outside the camp.
"Jean, go tell Marshal Lefebvre to lead his corps and a division of General Bun Gen's men to the fishing village west of our position. General Rapp will lead his corps and the other division of General Bun Gen's men to the fishing village southeast of our position. See to it that they quickly capture and secure the villages."
Victor was confident that General Rapp and Marshal Lefebvre would be more than enough to take over control of the fishing villages from the Kislevian raiders. Their numbers were specifically large, and they would pale in comparison to the discipline of the Luxenberg Army.
Marshal Bessières nodded and exited the room. Victor intended to continue conversing with Lieutenant Bi Hei, so he used his trusted aide as a messenger since he could not speak Simbarnese.
The true intention of Victor wishing to converse more with the elderly officer was simple: he wanted to learn more about Field Marshal Gai Mou. The Simbarnese Field Marshal was an important figure on the continent and was the Kingdom of Gu's highest-ranked commander.
Throughout their conversation, Victor subtly took the initiative in talking about topics that would help him get an understanding of Field Marshal Gai Mou. They discussed the Southern Army's strategy in defending the coast, as well as discussing the previous instances of these raids.
Thanks to their lengthy conversation, Victor had learned a few key pieces of information about the Simbarnese Field Marshal. His commanding style was similar to General Osten-Sacken; he was a skilled tactician who possessed a high level of knowledge when it came to defending. This is what led him to be assigned as the Southern Army's commander.
Another interesting fact about Gai Mou was his unique ability to sense traps and ambushes. Many speculate that his defensive-minded approach to warfare has helped hone his senses to be able to figure out these treacherous things.
Victor was not able to discern what type of man he was from his conversation with Bi Hei, but now he knew more of the man who was a pillar of the Kingdom of Gu. At present, the Simbarnese Field Marshal was staying in the city of Jiuzhen, which was between the cities of Beihai and Yanmen. Sooner or later, Victor would come face to face with the last remnant of the Gu Army.
As for Victor's army, Marshal Bessières swiftly delivered the orders that were given to him by his King. The commanders of the army were quick to begin preparations for departure. They would leave while there were still some hours left in the day. If all progressed smoothly, both attacking parties would arrive at their assigned targets by midday tomorrow.
Marshal Lefebvre and General Rapp were efficient in their preparations. Their men were ready to go by the middle of the afternoon. With a couple of hours of light left, their soldiers began to march away from the city towards their targets.
Victor was confident in his men's ability to take the fishing villages with ease. General Rapp was a daring and inspiring leader; his men were hardened veterans of many battles. They would have no issue in carrying out this task. Marshal Lefebvre was a seasoned commander who would fight shoulder to shoulder with the infantry. He would see that his soldiers secure victory.
Within the next 24 hours, the Luxenberg soldiers arrived at their assigned targets. Both fishing villages had similar layouts; they each had a plethora of wooden houses that had been ravaged by constant raids. They both had their docks full of many warships that belonged to the Kislevian raiders. The outer defences were unrefined trenches and sandbags. It was a half arsed job, but it was still better than nothing.
Each fishing village garrisoned around 20,000 men and 50 cannons. They were not equipped with high-quality armaments, but they were ferocious fighters nevertheless.
For the Kislevian raiders they possessed physical and cultural qualities similar to those of Slavic origins. Their skin was pale, and they spoke Kislevian, a language that would have been considered Russian back in Victor's previous world. They wore a tall, cylindrical fur hat and a deep grey uniform coat fastened with brass buttons. Over one shoulder, they had a beige woollen cloak.
Marshal Lefebvre and General Rapp had different approaches for their assault. Lefebvre planned to surround his targeted fishing village and stretch his enemy thin. His men outnumbered the enemy two to one, so forcing them to fight across the entire village was an optimal plan.
General Rapp's plan was completely different. He threw away all common sense and was intent on blitzing the enemy. He did not care to have a prolonged battle; he would use momentum to put the enemy at a disadvantage. The enemy did not have cavalry, so General Rapp and his horsemen would have a field day picking off the Kislevian infantrymen.
Both of the assault groups were readying themselves for battle. The enemy was not aware of their presence. Marshal Lefebvre took his time to properly deploy all his men, while General Rapp marshalled his cavalry to the front of their column.
When the afternoon sun was obscured by the clouds, both assault groups began their attack.