Lecture Transcript
5.28.1180
3:00AM
Good morning everyone.
This is my first prepared lecture.
If anything is unclear, please see me after.
Prior to detailing my plan, allow me to review the situation:
Standing before you is the entrance to the Red Canyon.
First, let us review some topographical details:
1. There is only one entry/exit point to the canyon.
2. That entry/exit point is directly in front of us.
3. The interior of the canyon is shaped like a caldera
4. A small water reservoir exists in the center of that caldera.
5. The enemy camp has mostly drained it to water their mounts.
Inside the Red Canyon are fifty bandits, and one-hundred mercenaries. These facts run counter to intelligence received from Cardinal Seteth.
This is the intelligence I received from the Cardinal:
1. The Canyon would have at most fifty bandits inside
2. Those numbers would be thinned due to supply shortages
3. The entry/exit point would be sealed off to prevent foraging
4. Checkpoints would be active and manned to prevent ambuscade
5. Supplies would be granted to our force at the siege camp.
Obviously, all of this information is incorrect.
Here are some details about our opposition:
1. The bandit force is composed entirely of foot soldiers.
2. The mercenary force is a mixed cavalry-infantry force.
3. Neither force has any ranged units, healers, or mages.
4. The opposition has currently retired to their tents.
5. The opposition has not deployed any nightwatches.
To support our efforts, the Knights of Seiros were supposed to maintain a one-month long siege of the canyon.
Now, let us review the state of our allies:
1. The principal siege camp has been overrun.
2. The fifty soldiers guarding the siege camp are M.I.A. (missing in action)
3. The commander of the force, Fallstaff von Hrym, has deserted.
4. The supply dumps have been looted.
5. My father's battalion is obstructed near the North Oghma watch station.
Clearly the Knights have failed in meeting their basic objectives.
Next, let us review the state of our own forces:
1. We have a total force of fifteen students, and one professor
2. Melee troops: Edelgard, Caspar, Petra, Lorenz, Hilda, Leonie, Ferdinand, Myself
3. Archers: Ignatz, Claude, Bernadetta
4. Healers: Linhardt, Marianne
5. Mages: Hubert, Lysithea, Dorothea
In other words, we have the effective strength of a platoon.
With all of the previous data in mind, we have the following options:
1. Withdraw from the field immediately.
2. Hold our position and await reinforcement.
3. Attack the enemy.
Before committing to one of these options... we must explore outcomes.
Let us review the first option – withdrawal:
1. Our enemy can overtake us with mounted troops
2. We will have to proceed on half-rations, weakening us.
3. Any seriously wounded students will have to be left behind.
This choice would result in mission failure.
Now let us consider the second option – holding:
1. We can deploy at the entrance to create a bottleneck.
2. We do have a reasonable expectation of reinforcement in the near future.
3. The enemy is likely to have foraging parties out, and can attack us from the rear.
This choice would result in loss of initiative, our only advantage.
Finally, let us consider the option to attack:
1. We are outnumbered ten to one.
2. We have the element of surprise.
3. We have a ballista and Lysithea.
This choice is the only one we have to succeed in our current mission.
In summary:
1. Our right flank in the Oghmas is hard-pressed.
2. Our center has yielded.
3. It is impossible to maneuver.
4. The situation is excellent.
5. We will attack.
I will allow thirty seconds for gasping and general surprise.
[Post-Lecture Note: Two interruptions during this period, from the House Leaders]
Intrruption 1 Response: Edelgard, wait until I finish...
Interruption 2 Response: Claude, the battle is outdoors. We cannot "finish inside".
Due to our need to improvise, our new plan is to:
Set Zanado alight in a cleansing flame.
Thank you to Linhardt for assisting me with that analogy. I have since refined it into an image, based on my reading of Ishtar, by Countess Bias, thanks to Dorothea. In any event, we will pursue this end with the assistance of the ballista and Lysithea.
First, allow me to supply some facts about the ballista:
1. It is an 1177 Gloucester Armory Model with diopter sights.
2. The hand-crank can be operated in tandem with a fire rate of 1-bolt-per-minute
3. We have 349 bottles of clear liquor, and 500 bolts available.
4. Those bottles are being tied to the bolts by Lorenz.
5. We have tablecloths as fuses and ample fire-spell casters.
In short, we possess a force multiplier.
Second, let us review the capabilities of Lysithea:
1. Lysithea has a doctor's note that warns against prolonged combat.
2. Lysithea knows Meteor thanks to Professor Hanneman's combat art seminar.
3. At the combat art seminar, Lysithea produced the largest meteor out of all mages.
4. Excellent work Lysithea.
5. That meteor was large enough, if replicated, to seal off the entrance to this canyon.
To this end, we will execute an artillery bombardment.
I believe the artillery bombardment will be successful for the following reasons:
1. We have a highly accurate ballista.
2. We have incendiary rounds.
3. We can seal off the entrance.
4. We have six hours of ammunition.
5. The ballista crank can be operated in teams.
If we work together, we will destroy the enemy.
The following individuals will be exempted from ballista operation duty:
1. Lysithea von Ordelia – medical exemption.
2. Linhardt von Hevring – first aid on any muscle sprains
3. Marianne von Edmund – to assist Linhardt
4. Bernadetta von Varley – artillery spotter
5. Caspar von Bergliez – spotter bodyguard, secondary spotter
House Leaders will remain control over their students excepting the ones I've seconded for those duties.
The firing plan is as follows:
1. Fire at mercenary tents around perimeter to prevent escape from bivouac.
2. Target fireman brigades that form around the reservoir.
3. Target NCOs to sow chaos among rank and file.
4. Optional: Target any escaping troops trying to clear the meteor.
5. Optional: Systemic execution of surrendering forces with standard bolts.
Points 4 and 5 should not be a major concern if our aim is true.
To conclude:
We have no way to properly provision any troops that present the white flag to us.
No opposing forces will be allowed to leave the canyon alive.
At 9am, I will have Lysithea drop another meteor on top of the first meteor to break up the obstruction.
Following that, I will lead the Eagles into the canyon to claim their first kills. Most of the enemy at that point will be dying of acute burn wounds, if not already dead.
My father let the first life I took be a mercy killing. I will grant the Eagles the same.
The Deer will observe from the ballista.
Some of you may have moral issues with this plan.
I do not care.
I will protect you all.
The lecture is over.
Thank you for listening.
