If the new Balloon Corps worked as well as promised—or even only half that well—the Allies’ qualitative artillery advantage might well overbalance the Church’s numerical advantage. No balloon had ever been used in combat yet, though, and it was possible their carefully worked out doctrine wouldn’t work as well in practice as in theory. Even if it did, even the heaviest currently available guns would be hard-pressed to deal with the sorts of fortifications Rungwyn was designing. Charis simply didn’t have the high-explosive shell fillers needed to blast a way through deeply bunkered positions. Yet, at least. That might change if Sahndrah Lywys was able to expedite her progress, but the Allies couldn’t count on that. They had to fight a campaign this year, and even if Lywys achieved miracles, they’d still have to begin that campaign before the new shells could possibly become available, and that was likely to prove expensive.
The ideal solution would be to go somewhere his men wouldn’t have to face Rungwyn’s fortifications or Zhyngbau’s dug-in and prepared artillery, and under normal circumstances, the ICA’s emphasis on mobility would have let him, Duke Eastshare, and the other Allied army commanders do just that. But the Church’s retreating armies had demolished the canal and road net behind them too efficiently, and weather was already shutting down Charisian and Siddarmarkian repair efforts.
And, unfortunately, even the Imperial Charisian Army needs a supply line. The fact that we’ve managed to hang onto Spinefish Bay and Salyk this winter will help, and when the ice melts onthe Hildermoss—not to mention in Hsing-wu’s Passage—our logistics will get a lot better. But even then, we’re going to have to advance along depressingly predictable lines, and Rainbow Waters is obviously prepared to evade even Zhaspahr Clyntahn’s demands if he has to. We can’t count on sucking him into indefensible positions like Wyrshym’s or Kaitswyrth’s. And if it looks like we’re about to do that, he’ll damned well retreat, whatever Clyntahn wants, unless we can figure out a way to fix him in position.
Green Valley had become an intense student of Earth’s military history since he’d been recruited for the inner circle, and the situation, he thought, had some resonances with the last year or so of World War Two. In Zhaspahr Clyntahn’s eyes, Harchong held much the same position the Waffen SS had held in Adolf Hitler’s. He trusted Harchongese devotion to the jihad—or, at least, to preventing the success of the Church of Charis—in a way he trusted none of the other secular armies who’d answered Mother Church’s call. In fact, he trusted the Harchongians more than he did the Church’s own army, given his current relationship with Allayn Maigwair. That meant a Harchongese commander enjoyed far greater latitude when it came to Clyntahn’s demands, and Rainbow Waters had amply demonstrated that however intelligent and willing to think “outside the box” he might be, he was also a consummate practitioner of the Harchongese aristocracy’s ability to game the system.
Not even he would be able to simply ignore Zhaspahr Clyntahn, and if the military situation began to crumble, his ability to manipulate Clyntahn would probably crumble right along with it. But he’d begin the campaign, at least, with a far greater degree of flexibility than any of the Allies’ previous opposing field commanders.
And that’s going to be painful, Green Valley thought glumly. Even with the Balloon Corps, and even assuming it works perfectly, it’s going to be painful. Especially since he’s also going to begin the campaign with forward-deployed supply stockpiles big enough to support his operations all frigging summer long.
Well, the Empire of Charis had confronted apparently insoluble problems before, he reminded himself. They’d just have to do it again.
As soon as he or someone else came up with a clue as to how they did it.
.IV.
The Delthak Works,
Barony of Lochair,
Kingdom of Old Charis,
Empire of Charis;
Nimue’s Cave,
The Mountains of Light,
The Temple Lands;
and
Siddar City,
Republic of Siddarmark.
“So you’re happy about Ahlfryd’s latest brainstorm?” Cayleb Ahrmahk asked.
“They seem to be working just fine,” Ehdwyrd Howsmyn, the recently elevated Duke of Delthak, replied over the com as he leaned back in his chair and gazed out his office windows at the bustling, never ceasing activity of the largest industrial complex in the world.
“In some ways, I’d have preferred Ahldahs Rahzwail’s suggestion,” he continued, his expression a bit more somber as his eyes rested on the still incomplete roof and walls of the newly named Kahrltyn Haigyl Barrel Finishing Shop. “Compressed air for the burner isn’t really that much of a challenge and fire vine oil’s a lot less explosive than hydrogen, not to mention easier to transport than hydrochloric acid. Doesn’t have the same corrosive effect on the gas cell linings, either. But it’s also got about seven times the lift of hot air, and the varnish Rhaiyan’s people came up with to the steel thistle gastight also cuts down on the corrosive effect. Can’t completely stop it, but each cell should be good for at least a month or so of use before it needs routine replacement.” He shrugged. “Generating the gas will be easier for the Navy, and hauling around multi-ton lots of hydrochloric acid and zinc will present the Army with some significant safety hazards. On the other hand, they’ll be able to haul a lot more of both than a ship at sea can cram into its available volume.”
“True, and I don’t think anyone’s going to complain about the transport problems once they realize what it means to them,” Kynt Clareyk put in from Camp Mahrtyn Taisyn. “That look down from above will be huge for our forward observers, especially given what Runwyng’s done with their fortifications. And if we manage to turn it back into an open field battle, it may be even more important. For one thing, it’ll be a relief not to have to rely on ‘hunches’ and ‘guesses’ I can’t explain to anyone about what’s happening on the other side of the next hill! For that matter, we’ll be able to give Ruhsyl and the others some of the same edge without needing seijins to turn up fortuitously with critical information just when they need it. And God knows we’re going to need every edge we can get against Rainbow Waters.”
“Amen to that,” Cayleb agreed fervently.
“At any rate, all the first-wave aeronaut detachments should reach Transhar within another three or four five-days,” Delthak continued, still gazing at the barrel shop. “I’d really prefer for them to be able to go on training—hydrogen doesn’t respond well to sparks, and I worry about safety precautions that get rusty—but I suppose that’s out of the question?”
“I’m afraid so,” Merlin replied. “Oh, they can train in the basic procedures, but they can’t deploy for real field training until it’s actually time to use them. This isn’t something we could hide from the casual observer—like anyone within, oh, twenty or thirty miles—and somebody like Rainbow Waters would recognize the implications of it just as quickly as anyone on our side. I don’t know how much good that would do him, but if it would do anyone any good, he’d be the one. So the detachments will just have to stay undercover until it’s time to move up to the front. I know you’re worried about accidents during the inflation phase, but we’ll be generating the hydrogen on demand, not hauling around huge pressurized tanks of it, and it’s a lot more likely to just burn—violently as hell, I’ll grant you—if it catches fire when it’s not pressurized. And given the way it rises, it won’t hang around at ground level even if they have a major leak. Those sparks you’re worried about are a lot less likely to ignite it than you might think just because they can’t catch it before it gets out of range!”