war strategies

The fields were scattered with corpses. It was night, but the unusually bright moonlight lit the hills pale white. If you looked out carefully enough, you could see some men putting out the fires. Listen out carefully enough and you could hear shouting and screaming, either in pain or in desperation to save themselves from death.

Nightfall was the calm. If there was any fairness in warfare, this would be the only rule. No battle at the dead of the night. Even soldiers have to sleep: to refresh and reenergize themselves in preparation to kill relentlessly again the next day. Of course, this short two hours of assumed peace is also the time for the captains of the armies to gather and strategize. Another reason why the calm was so much more dangerous: the leaders of the host all congregated in one tent.

Tonight (like any night), the Captains of Spira reunited in a very improbable tent to keep the enemy guessing. It was small and cramped, but the captains managed to sit comfortably at the table. A map of the land was on the table, obviously used for planning. There were torches that lit the tent, and guards standing on the outside on the outlook.

"We finished the count on casualties tonight. We're looking at 425 dead and some 1000 are injured. Looks like we're lowering the casualty count today." reported Captain Wakka, who they call Wingfoot because he was fast on his feet.

"An improvement, but not good enough. We must focus on stealth and defense, Intelligence leader." Sir Auron, the leader of the Captains of Spira, looking at no one in particular. "What is the report on available weaponry, Kimahri?"

Kimahri, Captain of the First Fleet of Gagazet, a man of few words. "About 2000 spears. 2500 swords. Still some 500 calvary. Archers suffered loss. Catapults are fine."

"Looks like we still got enough weapon to win this battle." said Captain Tidus Atanamir, Captian of the First Fleet of Zanarkand. Not only was Tidus a powerful warrior, stopping enemies in their tracks by his skill in arms, but he was also the strategist of the team. His experience in warfare and battle tactics gave him an edge against the enemy.

Sir Auron brushed his hand across the map, measuring here and there. "The enemy looks to be about 100m away shortest right now. High ground on both ends here and there." He points to the two hills that the enemy occupied. "Hills look to be about 30m tall Sneak in through the valley and scout the layout. Target weaponry, supplies, medics, anything. Get those guys out of their quick, and then we send in a left/right flank attack before the break of day."

"We're the ones on the open plain, so we too will have to look out for attacks on any front. They have protection of the hills, and higher ground advantage would surely decimate our troops. Catapults are slow, and archers are few, ya?" Wakka said.

"Yeah you're right. But we could lure them down from the hills, and maybe start an ambush from behind the hills. Any ideas, Tidus?" asked Auron.

"We have weapons. We have open plain. The enemy has higher ground advantage, so we should be able to detect their approach fast. Supplies seem sufficient for now. Scouts report and say that enemy status is... good for us. Our guess is that their numbers are declining, which means that there's a good chance that we will get the first strike in the morning, if we can recover fast enough before the sun rises."

"So everything is looking good for us, Captain. We must attack! Sir Auron's plan is worth a shot." Captain Yuna the Iron Maiden interrupted Tidus. She led the First Fleet of Besaid, and was the only female captain among them. She wielded the sword as skillfully as any other man, and sometimes more powerful.

Tidus thought, and the others watched him.

"Gather all the troops in together. Keep them close, and stand defense. Protect our supplies. They will come and attack first."

The captains gaped at him, absolutely shocked at his idea.

"But Captain! You said it yourself, we have the advantage right now! Shouldn't we use what we have and attack the enemy? We need to take this open opportunity!" Yuna exclaimed.

"She's right, Tidus. We could lead them out to open land and attack them from both sides. It's really on our side, ya?" Wakka said.

Auron said nothing.

"I'm sure of it. Gather together, come in and guard. And we wait."