My planet is infested with Goblins

Chapter 97: Which Province Comes Next?

The emergency council of the four remaining eastern governors began before sunrise and continued long after the lamps in the chamber should have been extinguished.

A detailed map of the eastern region covered the center of the table, its edges pinned beneath ink bottles, knives, and stacks of military reports. Eastwatch Province had been shaded in black to mark the loss of effective Caldris control, while the four provinces behind it remained under royal colors.

Two of those provinces, Northwatch and Valemar, shared direct borders with Eastwatch. Redhaven lay farther inland behind Northwatch, while Stoneford sat behind Valemar, protected for the moment by the provinces in front of it.

Governor Edric Vaelor of Northwatch stood with both hands pressed against the table as he studied the roads leading out of occupied Eastwatch. "There are only two sensible directions for them now. If the goblins continue deeper into the eastern region, they either come through my province or through Valemar."

Across from him, Governor Lucan Merrow of Valemar gave him a cold look. "That is precisely why you should stop speaking as though Northwatch is already the obvious target."

Edric ignored the tone. He traced one of the thick roads running northeast from Eastwatch. "This route can support a large army. It passes through open agricultural land and reaches my provincial capital without crossing any major river system. If their commander intends to continue quickly, Northwatch is the easier road."

Governor Seraph Dorne of Redhaven leaned closer to the map. His province would become immediately exposed if Northwatch fell, which made Edric’s argument difficult for him to dismiss. "Northwatch also opens the shortest path toward the interior. If the goblins take it, Redhaven becomes the next frontier before we can reorganize."

Governor Cassian Holt of Stoneford folded his arms. "And if they take Valemar, Stoneford becomes the next frontier. We can all describe why the province in front of our own should receive more soldiers."

Lucan placed one finger on the southern road from Eastwatch. "Valemar is not some secondary route. The road from Eastwatch city to my border is shorter than the northern road. It passes through rich farmland, and the River Vael provides access to three major trade crossings. If the goblins want food, roads, and a route deeper into the kingdom, Valemar is at least as valuable as Northwatch."

Edric shook his head. "The river slows them."

"It also gives them a transport route if they control it."

"That assumes they can use our boats and crossings."

"They used our roads, granaries, warehouses, and mills in Eastwatch. Why assume they will suddenly refuse to use a river?"

The argument had already gone in circles twice, and the senior military officers standing along the walls knew it. The four governors possessed the same basic problem and no reliable method of solving it. Eastwatch Province was lost. Two neighboring provinces could be attacked immediately.

The remaining two provinces were protected only as long as Northwatch and Valemar held. Every governor therefore had a reason to demand that the majority of available eastern forces be placed in front of his own lands.

A Caldris general named Orren Tal stood near the center of the map and waited until the governors stopped speaking. "We should begin with what we actually know about the goblin commander rather than what we fear he might do."

Edric straightened. "We know he conquered Eastwatch."

"We know how he conquered it," Orren corrected. "That fact is more important."

He pointed toward several marked roads inside the blackened province. "The goblins did not rush directly toward the capital. They occupied the countryside, secured roads, took mills and granaries, isolated fortified cities, and destroyed the field force sent against them. Only after the province had been weakened did they surround Eastwatch itself."

Lucan frowned. "Meaning?"

"Meaning their commander is patient. He does not choose targets because they are impressive. He views the war through a bigger picture."

That silenced the room briefly.

Edric looked back toward Northwatch. "Which is more beneficial to him more than the northern roads?"

Lucan immediately responded. "Which is more vital to him more than Valemar’s river crossings and grain districts?"

Orren exhaled through his nose but did not argue further. Both governors had reasonable cases, and that was precisely the difficulty.

Fresh reports from scouts had made matters worse rather than better. One message claimed increasing goblin movement along the northern roads of Eastwatch Province.

Supply wagons, infantry columns, and engineers had been seen traveling toward settlements closer to the Northwatch border. Edric treated it as clear evidence of preparation for invasion.

Another report received only two days later described expanding camps farther south, with heavy wagon traffic moving along the routes leading toward Valemar. Lucan immediately used that as proof that the first report had been a distraction.

Seraph looked between the two documents. "They may simply be expanding everywhere."

Cassian nodded. "Or they want us to think they are."

Edric frowned at him. "You think the goblins are deliberately showing movement on both roads?"

"I think the commander who took Eastwatch by forcing its defenders to watch multiple walls may understand the value of forcing us to defend two provinces rather than consolidate into one big force."

Nobody dismissed the possibility.

The Viridian commander had already demonstrated that he understood divided defenses. If the eastern governors concentrated heavily on Northwatch, Valemar could become vulnerable. If they moved most of their soldiers south, the northern road might be left open.

Lucan leaned back from the table. "Then we divide the reinforcements evenly. Half to Northwatch, half to Valemar. Neither province is abandoned."

For the first time that morning, the proposal produced broad agreement among several officers. It was simple, politically acceptable, and avoided making a catastrophic guess.

General Orren ruined the comfort almost immediately. "An even split only solves the political problem."

Lucan looked toward him. "Explain."

"If the goblins concentrate everything against Northwatch, then half of our eastern reinforcements sit in Valemar while Northwatch fights alone. If they concentrate against Valemar, the same happens in reverse. We protect both provinces against small attacks and risk leaving either one too weak against the actual invasion."

Edric nodded sharply. "Exactly. We should concentrate north."

Lucan’s expression hardened. "You agreed with him only because his argument favors you."

"It favors concentration."

"It favors guessing correctly."

That distinction settled over the table.

Seraph rubbed his jaw. "What about a reserve? Reinforce both frontier provinces modestly, then hold a large force farther inland. Once the goblins reveal which road they are using, the reserve moves toward the threatened province."

Orren studied the distances. "Possible, but slow."

"How slow?"

"For infantry, depending on where we position them, several days to more than a week before the full reserve reaches either frontier. Longer if roads are crowded with refugees or military traffic."

Cassian looked uneasy. "Eastwatch lost entire stretches of countryside in less time than the capital needed to understand what was happening."

"That is the danger," Orren said. "A reserve gives us flexibility only if information reaches it quickly enough."

The four governors fell quiet again.

Communication had become a weapon against them without the goblins needing to invent anything. Caldris roads were long. Messengers needed horses, food, rest, and safe routes. A goblin army crossing the border could capture villages before the neighboring governor even learned it had moved.

Edric finally pointed toward the northern border. "Then I want scouts pushed forward now. Mounted patrols at every usable road. Bridges prepared for destruction. Border forts strengthened. If the goblins move north, I want to know before their first large column crosses."

Lucan shook his head. "And I will not waste my army defending every mile of frontier. That is exactly how they defeated Eastwatch. They spread through the countryside, isolated strongpoints, and forced the defenders to react everywhere."

"My province is not Eastwatch."

"No, because Eastwatch had the benefit of being first. We have the benefit of knowing what happened to it."

Lucan moved several markers deeper into Valemar. "I want defenses in depth. Strong capital garrison, fortified towns behind the border, interior granaries, controlled river crossings, and prepared withdrawal routes. If they enter Valemar, they will not find one decisive position whose loss destroys the province."

Edric stared at the markers. "So you intend to let them cross the border."

"I intend not to sacrifice half my army fighting an unwinnable battle. "

The disagreement revealed that the governors had learned different lessons from the same defeat. Edric believed Eastwatch had fallen because the kingdom reacted too slowly and surrendered initiative. Lucan believed it had fallen because local forces were repeatedly forced into battles on terms chosen by the invader.

Neither interpretation was entirely wrong, and that made compromise more difficult.

Orren eventually pushed several empty markers into the center of the map. "Then we stop pretending one plan must solve every problem."

He placed additional forces in both frontier provinces, though slightly more markers went north. "Northwatch receives the larger immediate reinforcement because its road network supports faster mass movement and gives the enemy a direct route toward Redhaven. Valemar still receives enough troops to strengthen its capital, river crossings, and field army."

Lucan looked displeased but did not interrupt.

Orren then placed a third group of markers between Redhaven and Stoneford. "A mobile reserve remains inland. Redhaven prepares additional formations to move north if required. Stoneford prepares the same for Valemar. Mounted couriers and scouts are expanded on both fronts. No large unit moves without duplicate messages being sent to the other governors."

Seraph studied the arrangement. "How large a reserve?"

"Large enough to have an impact in the coming battle, small enough that Northwatch and Valemar do not collapse before it arrive."

"That is not an exact number."

"No number is safe when we do not know the enemy’s strength."

The remark drew everyone’s attention toward the latest reports from Eastwatch.

Those reports were perhaps the most dangerous part of the entire discussion. Scouts and refugees described growing numbers of goblins, expanding camps, and almost constant military traffic inside the conquered province.

Some estimates suggested tens of thousands beyond the original army. Others claimed impossible numbers that the governors dismissed as panic.

They were building their plan around the assumption that Rakhar still commanded an army whose strength could be estimated in tens of thousands.

Cassian finally looked toward Orren’s divided markers. "We accept this for now. Northwatch gets the heavier reinforcement, Valemar gets enough to hold, and the reserve stays inland."

Lucan gave a reluctant nod. "For now."

Edric did the same, though his expression made clear he believed Northwatch still deserved more.

Orders were drafted before the meeting ended. Walls in both frontier provinces were to be repaired immediately. Granaries would be filled.

Militias would be raised. Bridges would receive permanent guards. Mounted scouts would move closer to the Eastwatch border despite the risks. Provincial armies would concentrate near roads capable of supporting large enemy formations, while inland depots prepared to feed reinforcements moving toward either front.

The four governors remained around the map after most of the officers departed.

Two broad routes left the blackened territory of Eastwatch.

One pointed toward Northwatch.

The other toward Valemar.

Edric stared at them for several moments before speaking. "He has to choose one."

Cassian did not answer immediately. His eyes remained on the two roads and the reports describing troop movement along both of them.

When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter than before. "What if he does not?"

The others looked toward him.

Cassian tapped Northwatch and then Valemar. "What if the goblins have enough soldiers to attack both?"

Edric gave a short, humorless laugh. "The force that took Eastwatch began with perhaps thirty thousand. Even if they have received reinforcements, launching two provincial invasions at once would require an army several times larger."

Lucan nodded slowly, more because he wanted the statement to be true than because he could prove it. "No commander divides his strength that badly when facing prepared provinces."

The idea was set aside, and the governors returned to discussing which road Rakhar was more likely to choose.

Far beyond their maps and outdated reports, Eastwatch Province was already filling with an army large enough to make that question increasingly irrelevant.

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