They let the now-former Count Gloucester stay at the Great Bridge, while Lorenz came with the bulk of the army in order to have his troops stand down. They were cautious moving forward, but still didn't waste any time.
Edelgard trusted Lorenz just enough to lead them—only him and two former students came from Gloucester, so he was in a poor position to attempt to misguide them. She never spoke much with the Golden Deer outside of missions, but precious few people were willing to lose their lives for something as easily corrected as bringing them down the wrong path. In all honesty, the other two Golden Deer looked terrified.
They took a longer route, moving as quick as they could despite the setback. Lorenz—they sent out scouts to confirm as well—said that there were traps set along the main road, so they opted to avoid them in favor if a less risky path. The trip had an additional few days added to it, but considering the forces on the main roads, the detour was preferred over tired or lost soldiers.
When they arrived in the area, Lorenz and the two former students left; one returned to announce any Gloucester soldiers had left the siege, leaving only Riegan's troops to fight against. Edelgard sent an Imperial scout to observe things, who reported that Count Bergliez's soldiers were still doing well considering their circumstances. There weren't any former students among Riegan's soldiers.
A few people were pulled aside to discuss their plans, then they went out. Without any of Thales's mages, Edelgard was free to assist as she needed to—Hubert stayed at her side. Whether or not it was intentional, Byleth always remained in sight.
Their greatest priority was to free Count Bergliez's soldiers; anything else would be decided after Count Bergliez himself could give a report on how they fared. They broke open the siege and protected the soldiers as they retreated. Caspar fought alongside the rest instead of falling back, by his own insistence, while Edelgard spoke with his father.
Edelgard still didn't want to kill any more than they had too—the less lives lost, the better they could negotiate, even if they seemed willing to fight for the time being—so once all of Count Bergliez's soldiers made it out, they retreated. None of the Alliance soldiers followed after them, so they were able to get back to the Great Bridge without any issues.
…
She was back to scowling at a map of Fódlan a few days after they reached Myrddin, trying to figure out what to do from here.
Count Bergliez entered after Hubert let him in, and offered a nod of greeting. She glanced at him to return it, then looked back towards the map as Count Bergliez moved to stand across from her.
"You did well with your rescue," the count mused. "We weren't in too much trouble up until that last couple of days."
"I'll hear compliments after we know how we'll be moving forward," Edelgard replied. "I want some input from the mercenaries, so after they come we can start."
She recalled something, and looked up at him. "Before then—my uncle's mages were supposed to meet with you at Myrddin?"
"They did," Count Bergliez agreed. Frowning, he added, "I couldn't see any while we were under siege, however."
She wasn't surprised, and she sighed. "…Right. I apologize on his behalf—this will be a fairly routine occurrence."
She wouldn't admit that the reason was because Thales refused to put her in full control of his mages. It seemed his 'capable' men were needed for something else further down the line, in his eyes—they must have an order for self-preservation.
Count Bergliez didn't make any other comments on it, so she assumed he must not have minded too much. All it really meant is that she had to stop including them—then they wouldn't be detrimental if they didn't fight as promised. At least she learned that before they relied on the mages and paid for it in wasted lives.
It was only a few minutes before Jeralt and Byleth came. Edelgard murmured a greeting—both mercenaries returned it with their own nod or murmur—and they stood to the edge of the table closest to the door.
"This won't take long," Edelgard reasoned. They all gave some acknowledgment or agreement, and she looked back at the war table. "We know now that, at the very least, a certain potion of the Alliance is willing to fight against us. With houses Gloucester and Phlegathon both swearing to fight alongside the Empire instead of simply tolerating it, other houses will follow—but I still don't want to risk the rest of the Alliance aiding Faerghus or the church, or allow them to convince either house to their side again by force."
"I assume you already have an idea on the course of action?" Count Bergliez asked.
She nodded. "I was thinking that you could stay here at Myrddin; Ferdinand and Caspar might as well, depending on their preferences. It gives time for your troops to recover while leaving the bridge in capable hands." He murmured some agreement, and she looked at the mercenaries. "I will move further north, to Derdriu—whether to capture it or simply negotiate depends on how they react. Jeralt's Mercenaries will march alongside my army, and keep an eye out for any other Alliance schemes.
Edelgard glanced around at all of them. "Any comments?"
"It's sound," Count Bergliez replied, shaking his head. "And my soldiers do need the rest."
"Like I said earlier, we'll go anywhere you need us as long as we're paid," Jeralt added.
"We're all decided then. I don't want to give them too much time to think ahead—for the mercenaries, try to make sure they're ready by the end of the month. I'll do the same for my soldiers as well."
They all nodded or gave a murmured agreement, and they all left to carry out the necessary tasks.