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The plan was something of a gamble- to try and avoid likely paths of enemy reinforcements and communications to weave deeper inwards while encountering less resistance. With luck, something like a forward headquarters would be found unguarded, and the command structure could be decapitated in swift fashion, or at least severely disrupted. Looted Brigades were known to utilize relatively mobile headquarters units, so it was hardly a guarantee, but it was certain that this counteroffensive’s higher leadership would be closer than might be presumed based on when this attack started.
Firstly, a risky hurdle had to be cleared. A town ahead was one that hadn’t been taken by the enemy for very long, but it was too strong of a position to not have some sort of garrison, even a reserve one. It was too good of a defensive fallback and too vital with the main supply route running through it to simply leave unguarded. Even in hooking around to avoid most of the likely enemy, smashing through the town was the only way to preserve speed. Going off the roads too far in Holherezh was a recipe for losing vehicles to the untamed plains and unpredictable Spring mud, where the matted grass both dry and green could hide pits that consumed and clogged wheels within moments. A huge portion of planning Operation Stonebreaker was rumored to be in probing for something as simple as where the mud wallows lay- and those same avenues were what the Fealinnese made their counteraction upon.
Unfortunate as it was to be relatively closely tied to the roads rather than truly free, like was said to be in the Dustlands, the force of impact would have to seal the deal once the town was struck. Even a castle was no defense to the unwary sergeant.
Veering north, the column became a line as it broke for the town over rough ground. Donomo braced himself for the defenders to notice what was happening very, very soon.
Rifle fire began to crack towards the trucks, and machine gun fire from the motorcycles responded, neither side likely to see each other well enough to do more than make noise. The real fight would be within the town’s confines, the ugly business of urban battle, if only for just long enough to break a way through. Alga’s vehicle hung back as Dulechamp leapt out to lead his troops in the attack, one portion dismounting to support the advance of the rest in the armored portion of the trucks that were less susceptible to fire.
Alga took the opportunity to look around from atop the truck; the danger of ignorance outweighed that of any sharpshooters who were both not distracted by the attack and also having the skill to make the shot. What he spotted from atop his mount was distressing- a cavalry column approached, the escort to a supply convoy making its way down the road behind, from the dim shapes he could spy through binoculars.
