General Tessan watched them go knowing that in their hearts they questioned his choice of strategy. They still saw the army as unstoppable. Why not destroy the enemy, as they found them instead of bypassing them for a soft target like the Shrine? As for him he no longer thought their army unstoppable.
One quarter of his army lay dead with probably less than ten thousand of the enemy slain. If the enemy could keep that odds differential up, this invasion of the Valley Lands was doomed. If they were able to seize the Shrine and the prize it held, then perhaps they could break the enemy's spirit to fight.
He had thought breaking their great wall would do that, but he had been wrong. The loss of their great wall had inspired them instead.
The third morning of the invasion. In the camp of the rearguard army of eighty thousand men assigned to keep the Valley Landers held up within their cities, while the main body of the invading army marched for the Shrine of Remembrance.
It was barely past the brink of dawn when Commander Orlanthis was jarred awake by one of his aids, "Sir the enemy has left the city sometime during the night and is advancing on our position!"
Commander Orlanthis leaped off of his cot and ran outside only half dressed. His aid had been right; the enemy was clearly visible as they marched in formation away from the protection of their walls, directly at them.
"Sound general assembly on the double!" Wheeling to face the aid he barked out, "Why have they now just been noticed? Where are our sentries?"
The stammering aid could only shake his head, as horns rang throughout the camp calling for the assembly of the army. A scout the aid had dispatched but minutes before drew up his excited mount before the commander's tent.
"What do you have to report soldier?" The commander barked out as he stared up at the rider.
"A large force sir! I make it an easy fifty thousand sir! There appears to be no cavalry support and the force from their general make up and disorderly form appears to be comprised of nothing but militia sir!"
"Militia? They send militia out against us!"
"Yes sir! Older men and farm boys is all I saw!" Responded the scout emphatically.
Commander Orlanthis smacked his hands together excitedly. The gods must be smiling down upon him this day! This was a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his overlords. Not to mention the revenge that would be theirs as well! His eighty thousand men were all that remained of the initial strike force that had been deployed against Kingdom Pass.