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"We've got too main problems," Grayson said. "The first is that we're going to have to cover three separate routes—three ways that Langsdorf can try to get at us. We're here." His finger passed across the words "Vermillion Plains" on the map. "Langsdorf's people are camped up here, northeast of the mountains, pretty close to where we were camped yesterday. Between us—" his finger moved north to a mass of tightly spaced contour lines—"are the Nagayan Mountains . . . and these three passes."
It was Captain Martinez who had brought the news that it was not Lord Garth who was commanding the Marik army, but Colonel Langsdorf. While monitoring Marik radio transmissions, she had picked up references to the Marik commander broadcast in the clear. Somehow, that news did not surprise Grayson. He had guessed as much from the speed with which the Marik force had maneuvered south, a feat that Garth probably could not have accomplished in less than three days.
Lori looked up from the map. "You said two problems, Gray. What's the other?"
Grayson smiled. "Our other problem is that Langsdorf probably has enough men and 'Mechs to come through all three passes at once."
"Gods," Clay said. "You're sounding too confident, Colonel. I don't think I'm going to like this."
"Langsdorf has two choices," Grayson continued. "He can mass his army and push it all through any one of these passes. Or he can split his army and move it through two ... or all three."
Lori looked uncertain. "What do you think he'll do?"
Grayson shook his head. "I don't knowLangsdorf. I've heard he's a good regimental commander, and he certainly fought well at Cleft Valley. Let's assume he's good . . . and then try to look at it from his side of the map."
"If he divides his army, he'll be committing the classical tactical error," Clay said, rubbing the stubble on his chin. "He'd be setting up his forces to be defeated piecemeal . . . and on ground of our choosing. If he keeps his force together . . . well, there's no way we could more than dent it. That army would just come blasting through and knock us aside like target dummies."
"True," Grayson answered. "But if he comes through as a single force, he's going to have to choose which pass. Look—" Grayson pointed out the passes on the map in turn—"The main road south from the Northern Highlands runs through Drango, in the Drango Gap. There's not a whole lot of problem there. The pass is narrow, but there's room enough to deploy a fair percentage of his total force if we attack him. The ground is high, but pretty smooth. He could move his whole army through, and move fast.
"Now ... off to the northwest here is Lee's Pass. It's higher and a lot rougher, partly blocked in places by boulders, with twists and turns and kinks and places where sheer cliffs create blind pockets. Langsdorf would have to be a total idiot to put his whole army through there, things are so tangled through here that it would take a week for him to sort things out . . . and we'll be long gone by then.
"Now back here, east of the Drango Gap, is the Nagayan Canyon, and the Vermillion River ru
"So what's the answer?" Lori asked. "Are you saying he'll do the obvious ... or pull a switch and do the unexpected?"
Grayson smiled. "A good commander would do the unexpected, but Colonel Langsdorf doesn't have that option here. If he's going to mass his army and send it through in one chunk, he hasto do it here," Grayson's finger stabbed the map. "At Drango. He'd be risking losing us and his whole army if he tried it at either Lee's Pass or the Vermillion River."
"Aye, laddie! You're sayin' he's ae' goin' tae split his army, then," McCall said, his face brightening.
"He almost has to. As Delmar said, he'd be committing something of a classical tactical mistake, but that's what makes thatchoice unexpected. If he keeps his force together, he has to choose the Drango Gap. He knows it, and he knows we know it. He has to assume that if we know it, we'll try to do something about it. He doesn't know for sure what forces we have. We might have enough explosives to mine the whole pass . . . or we may have scraped together a large enough army from the local militia that we could delay his army long enough for our DropShips to get clear. Remember, it isn't just that he wants to get through. He hasto stop us from leaving . . . capture our transport if he can. He can't risk getting bogged down in these mountains.
"Now, let's say he splits his force. He could send the main part of his army through here—" Grayson pointed at Drango—"Or here." His finger slid east to the Vermillion River. He looked thoughtful. "If it was me, I'd choose the river. It's more difficult, but less likely. I'd send enough of a force through Drango to attract the other guy's attention. Maybe send it through fast, try to catch him by surprise and get a strong force in our . . . in the enemy'srear, threatening his DropShips. Thatwould make them pull south out of the mountains altogether, and solve the whole problem. Then the main force would come through along the Vermillion River. It would take longer that way than through Drango, but it would arrive in time to help the Drango force catch the enemy . . . maybe catch the enemy between our two forces."
"And he'll ignore Lee's Pass?" Lori asked.
Grayson shook his head. "I don't know. Again, if it was me, I'd send a small force—maybe a company or so—through there, too. It might serve as a diversion. Certainly, it would give the other guy something to worry about and might tie down part of his forces." Grayson looked up from the map, and into the eyes of each of the others in turn. His voice took on a new, firmer, and more decisive tone. "We assume that Langsdorf is coming through all three passes. He'll rush a fairly strong force through Drango, trying to catch us off guard and to hold us long enough for the main force to come up. He'll send a small, light force through Lee's Pass, partly as a diversion, partly in hopes of slipping ten or twelve 'Mechs into our rear to threaten our DropShips. And his main force will come down the Vermillion River, through the canyon. He'll figure that we'll try to hold one or another of the passes, and be swept aside or pi
Clay looked unimpressed. "So? Where does that leave us? It doesn't look to me as though knowing what Langsdorf is up to is going to help us much. I mean, it's nice to know how the guy's going to kill us, but it doesn't make me feel any better."
"Well, my friend, when we know the other guy is going to commit a classical tactical error, we take advantage of it." Grayson looked at Lori and winked.
Clay's eyes widened. "You bastard! You're going to take them on one at a time!"
Grayson's smile broadened. "Hey, it's unexpected, right? That gives us quite a nice tactical advantage." He pointed at the mountains again. "Besides, we know some things about these mountains that Langsdorf doesn't. That's worth at least a regiment in itself."