Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 116 Blitz War

Although there was one less legion guarding Orville, the battle went on as usual. Because they were worried that the Gauls would surround them from outside and they would be caught in a pincer attack, Orville spent a long time reinforcing the defense line. Now the entire defense network can be said to be impregnable.

He dug a ditch between the fence and the V-shaped trench, and diverted water from the Seine to make it a moat. He also buried a large number of traps in the open space between the city of Paris and the fence, leaving only a few necessary passages for the army to directly attack the city of Paris.

Then he set up a network of alarm posts in the open space outside the wall. If anyone broke in within a radius of ten kilometers, the alarm would be immediately sounded, alerting the Roman army, and the probability of being raided was almost zero.

He even ordered the legionaries to work overtime to manufacture heavy crossbows and set them up on various tower outposts. If the Gauls dared to attack, they would be defeated.

He was still not at ease after doing this, so he ordered people to place obstacles along the upper and lower reaches of the Seine, blocking the navigation of ships. Now it became very difficult for the defenders of Paris to supply troops and food by ship.

Ragnar was watching all this in astonishment, he was not too upset about the interruption of navigation, the Viking longships were short, powerful and flexible vessels, the largest of which was no longer than 30 meters and had a carrying capacity of around 30 tons, and could perform land sailing when necessary - the Vikings would carry the boat directly over land, and then put it into the water to continue sailing when they reached the designated location.

That's why their mobility is so amazing that they can sail from their hometown in Scandinavia all the way to the Black Sea or Sicily in the Mediterranean.

He was surprised on the one hand because of Orville's indescribable suspicion, and on the other hand because of the Romans' incredible civil engineering capabilities. They only took a dozen days to complete such a huge project and seemed to be unhurried. Everyone seemed to be familiar with these things and did not think that these projects were a big deal.

Orville was a bit addicted to construction. After completing the basic fortifications, he even began to reinforce the walls of the military camp with stones, building this defense line according to the standards of a long-term camp.

The problem is not that these things won't be used, but that these fortifications won't be available when they are needed. That would be really fatal. This is Orwell's thinking. Since he knows that he may not be a great military talent, the best solution is to fight safely.

Building a strong camp and fighting a stupid battle is shameful but not terrible. What is terrible is that you lose the battle miserably.
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At the same time, hundreds of kilometers to the north, in Tia’s camp.

She had completed the necessary business of the day and was now reading the letter Orville had sent her.

During the war, the two sides exchanged letters frequently, but they were mainly official business. It was important for Orville and Tia to communicate with each other about the situation on the war front and maintain a comprehensive understanding of the war situation.

Before Orville realized that something was wrong, Tia had already discovered it. Her thinking was different from Orville's. She believed that the ultimate goal of the Gauls was not to rescue Jeanne d'Acre in the city of Gaul, but the army of either her or Aurelian.

Jeanne d'Acre's choice to enter Paris must have had strategic purposes. It was impossible for her to surrender and wait for Orville to surround her. Tia believed that this move was intended to attract the attention of the Roman army. After the Siege of Orleans and the Battle of Alesia, Jeanne d'Acre was the Romans' number one target, even more important than Bagauda.

As a result, the Romans' attention was indeed attracted by the city of Paris, and a large number of soldiers were strategically deployed nearby. In total, three legions were pinned down around the city of Paris. In this way, the Roman army in other places would be relatively reduced, giving the Gauls an opportunity to take advantage.

Fundamentally, the art of war is to use the majority to defeat the minority. Since the Gauls were reluctant to engage in a decisive battle with the Romans and had a considerable degree of strategic depth, the main Roman army was now divided into three parts.

Even if each army is difficult to deal with, it is still a hidden danger that the Gauls can take advantage of and take a gamble. Otherwise, this will actually be a slow death for the Gauls, and no matter how hard they struggle, it will only delay the time of death.

The most likely target is Tia herself, followed by Aurelian, whose exact location is unknown now. Attacking Orville is not actually a good choice, because Orville has built a fortress outside Paris, and tens of thousands of people can't think of conquering it in a short time. By then, the situation will really turn into the Battle of Alesia, and this time Rome has a large number of troops to provide reinforcements.

After confirming this, Tia also became alert.

Tia stood up and ran her fingers across the map hanging on the wall, and her white fingertips finally stopped at a nearby plain.

If the Gauls really attack, this will be the place she chooses for a decisive battle. Although she only has more than 10,000 people, Tia is not afraid of a head-on war. Like Orville, she has long been tired of the endless security battles and the villagers' guerrillas here. It may not be a bad thing to take this opportunity to end everything.

She was confident in her abilities and the soldiers under her command and was determined not to lose to the Gauls.
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While the two were nervously dealing with the possible large Gallic army, Aurelian, who was far away in Brittany, felt relaxed.

After leading the main force across the Loire River, he did not follow the usual thinking and directly attack Rennes, the center of the Gallic uprising, because he knew that the Gauls must have set up layers of checkpoints along the way waiting for him.

Although he was confident in his command skills and the combat effectiveness of his troops, Aurelian knew that he did not have much time. The army only brought 15 days' worth of food, and the subsequent supply lines had not yet been established. If he was stuck by the enemy for a few days, things would be troublesome. He might have to retreat to the south of the Loire River to regroup, and then he would not have such a good opportunity as he does now.

Winter is coming, and even though Rome's professional soldiers can fight regardless of the season, the climate here is still too cold for the Romans who are accustomed to the humid and hot climate of the Mediterranean coast.

He did not prepare winter clothes for his soldiers, and now his soldiers are still marching and fighting with bare legs. The weather in October is already a bit cold for them. If he delays any further, he may have to withdraw to the warm and pleasant climate of Lugden Gaul for rest and then replenish his army with winter clothes. It will take several months to go back and forth, and it will be late winter or early spring before he can fight again.

So he couldn't be delayed now, so he changed his marching route and made a strategic detour.

The troops bypassed the Brittany region, and then went around the city of Rennes from the north, where they launched a phased decisive battle with the Gallic army that had hurriedly returned to support, and the outcome was decided in one battle.

(End of this chapter)