After capturing Pavo City, General turned his sights towards the rest of Pavo Island and Pavonian land beyond the north bank. With the help of Colonel Yuter's Artillery entrenched on the south bank, General bombarded the remaining Hylian forces into submission while a Kylian Infantry company (200 men) advanced northward all the way to the Pavo-Hylian border.
Out of nearly 3000 Hylians defending Pavo Island, only half remained, while Kylian forces experienced only 10 fatalities. The remaining 1500 Hylians were forced to give up their weapons and march northwards back towards Hyrule through the Gerudo desert. Only a third of the Hylians will make it to Gerudo City.
Meanwhile to the far north General Odin forces arrived in Sovi City, securing a decisive victory against a garrison force of several dozen Hylian Soldiers and began a campaign to capture the Northern Zora Settlement down south to prepare a springboard into northern Hyrule.
By the beginning of winter Kylian/Valor Allied forces had reclaimed all Hylian occupied land and are now pressing on Hyrule's borders. Withered by countless defeats on both fronts, the Hylian Army of over 10,000 now numbered less than a thousand.
However, it would be foolish to assume that the Hylians are at the end of their wits.
Hyrule's foundation is at another level compared to the Valor States in population, resources and technology. Although Hyrule national strength is now inferior to that of the Kylians, it still possesses the ability to defend itself.
With a population over 200 thousand and an inheritance of thousands of years, Hyrule can theoretically call up 10,000 more Hylians to arms with enough time. This is the same amount of manpower that made the Valor States in the west tremble.
Added that the Kylians must maintain supply lines thousands of kilometers long through dirt roads, during winter and the Hylians now have a home advantage, the coming campaign would be far from simple.
The Kylian military, which seems strong externally, had suffered from attrition with the Hylians in the form of logistics, especially Odin's army in the north as his supplies must travel through the harsh tundra of Viskov and Sovi to reach his forces
The only assurances the Kylian/Valor Alliance has is that the mobilization of Hyrule's forces takes time, at least a year, giving the Kylian/Valor Allied forces a brief window to break the Hylians back before they can rise ups again.
The command of the Kylian/Valor Alliance, residing in Pavo's mansion, understood this clearly.
"Damn it! Those hateful Hylians! They call themselves civilized yet they act so barbaric!" Pavo furiously cursed the Hylians as the other Valors and Kylia's subordinates stood in silence.
What was once a vibrant city of 30,000 now stood at less than 20,000. During three years of occupation, the Hylians had killed a third of the population to supply the war and for more diabolical purposes.
Up north the same was reported to happen in Sovi City, except with nearly half of the population wiped out by the Hylians. It left Sovi throwing such a fit that even Viskov found it difficult to calm her down.
"The Hylians pay for the atrocities they have committed." Zeleny spoke ominously.
Kylia's expression darkened. "Maybe its best if we destroy the Kingdom of Hyrule once and for all, to prevent future calamities."
General Morsʹkyy, uncomfortable in the extremely murderous atmosphere, nervously cleared his throat. "Can we focus on winning the war first please?"
The group turned towards Colonel Yuter and the map on the table.
"Here are our forces, the 2nd Kylian Battalion, numbering 4000 excluding Navy, Airforce, Marines and Valor Allies" Colonel Yuter pointed to Pavo Island.
He then pointed to the northeast coast of the Hylian continent, near the Northern Zora Settlement and northern Akkala. "And here is the 1st Kylian Battalion, also with around the same numbers as ours, just without a navy and Marines."
"Why exclude the various forces of our Valor States? Although our forces are inferior to yours, it's not helpless and can provide valuable manpower when fighting the Hylians!" Rosa asked with an inquisitive gaze towards the Kylians.
"Because it is not cost effective to increase pressure on our supply lines for your forces." Yuter expatriated. "Excuse me for being impolite but the various Valor State armies aren't even qualified for being cannon fodder in the battles to come and will only negatively interfere with our own arrangements during the campaign."
"Then what can our forces do?" Pavo leaned back reluctantly. The face of their forces had been lost. Both Pavo, Zeleny and Valeska knew that their forces had now declined to a third of their combat effectiveness from their pre-war state. Now they could only rely on the Kylians to continue the advance into Hyrule.
Admiral Viysʹkovo suggested. "Your forces can secure the recently liberated territories, reestablish order and begin reconstruction."
Mother Valeska sighed, their once prestigious forces now relegated as city guards, all the meanwhile the Kylians would go on to claim the Hylian throne.
Colonel Yuter waved around his pointer stick to get everyone's attention. "Now we have identified eight primary avenues of approach into Hyrule proper from our current position."
He jabbed at the southwestern expanse, tracing a line through a vast, arid region. "First, the Gerudo Desert approach. Immediate dismissal. The logistical nightmare of moving an army through such an environment during winter is insurmountable. Even if we could, the Gerudo would simply hide in the dunes, picking us off at one by one. A death trap, pure and simple."
A collective nod of agreement rippled through the room. No one argued with the Gerudo Desert's unforgiving reputation.
Next, Yuter's stick moved eastward, highlighting a cluster of potential landing zones along the southern coast: "Menoat River, Martha's Landing, Clarnet Coast, and Lurelin Village."
He paused, his expression grim. "All these routes, while offering coastal access, converge upon a single, insurmountable obstacle: the Bridge of Hylia. Beyond that, the Great Plateau, riddled with Hylian garrisons and fortified positions, presents a chokepoint we cannot afford to force. Our casualties would be catastrophic, and our advance halted indefinitely. Also, right next to the Menoat River is the Hylian Mounted Archery Camp, so…no go." Pavo groaned, running a hand through his hair.
The pointer then swung further east, landing on two more coastal points. "Then we have Loshlo Harbor and Hateno Bay." Yuter's voice dropped to a low, ominous tone. "Both routes lead directly to Fort Hateno. A tall wall designed to protect Hateno Village, however, can also be used to protect Central Hyrule. It is arguably the most formidable defensive structure in southeastern Hyrule. It will consume ammunition for the siege of Hyrule Castle and slow our advanced down long enough for the Hylians to complete fortifying the eastern roads to Central Hyrule."
"That leaves us with one, and only one, viable option," Yuter continued, his stick now pointing to the northeastern coast, near the jagged, wind-swept shores of Lanayru. "Lanayru Bay."
He traced a path inland. "The bay itself is treacherous, marked by strong currents and rocky shoals. Landing will be difficult, and the initial advance inland will be through rough, semi-mountainous terrain. However, it offers a path that bypasses the Great Plateau, Fort Hateno and the semi-protected Lanayru Promenade."
His eyes met Kylia's. "From Lanayru Bay, we push through the winding paths to Kakariko Village. With most of the Sheikah killed during the battle of New Rosa, this battle shouldn't be a difficult one to win. Once Kakariko is secured, the road to Hyrule Castle Town lies relatively open."
"As for Odin's forces," Yuter reached across as pointed far north at the Northern Zora Settlement. "In the recent messages that I received from him, his plans for the Northern Campaign are quite selfless and ingenious. The 1st Kylian Brigade will split into three, with the 1st and 2nd battalions (2,000 men total) landing between West and East Mount Drena, the 3rd battalion landing at the Deplian Badlands and the 4th battalion landing at the Akkala Wilds."
He then drew the pointing stick down above the map. "The 4th Battalion will advance south then west towards the Akkala Citadel. The 3rd Battalion will advance directly south towards the Hylian Military Training Camp. Finally, the 2nd and 1st Battalions will advance along the Hebra roads unimpeded all the way to Hyrule Castle."
Zeleny, approaching the table, stared at the routes of attack Yuter had drawn across the map. "He's splitting his forces into three distinct vectors," he noted, his voice wavering with confusion and concern. "Why split our forces? Isn't better to concentrate all your combat power into a single point and break through your enemies' lines?"
Yuter adjusted his collar. "You are mostly correct, Zeleny. Most of the time seeking and striking weaknesses with pin-point power is the best course of action. However, there are exceptions. Along the northern territory of Hyrule are many mountain ranges and natural choke points."
"The Hylians are not stupid, they have taken many of these chokepoints and heavily fortified them. The Akkala Citadel guards the passage between Akkala and the Rest of Hyrule. The Hylian Military Training Camp guards the narrow passage between Korok Forest and Death Mountain. Hylian forces are already so entrenched that although our forces can push through, it would not be without any losses." He leaned back and pondered.
He then eagerly explained the main idea of Odin's plan. "Only the inconspicuous passage on Mount Drena remains unguarded and within reach of Odin's forces. Not only that but nearby the passage is a road that leads straight towards Hyrule Castle with only a single stable to offer some semblance of resistance! With the Hylians busy defending on the northeastern and southeastern fronts, Western Hyrule would be devoid of any Hylian troops. I can almost imagine the faces of those Hylians when they discover this!"
Colonel Yuter finished his explanation as the various Valors except for Kylia showed admiration and envy for such a powerful general. Zeleny and Rosa, as one of the more military adept Valors, had taken out a notebook and began to write down notes on Kylian Doctrine. Pavo and Valeska, not as refined in military matters, made their excuses to leave.
Over the next couple of days Kylia and her subordinates worked tirelessly on managing the logistical plans of transporting the entire 2nd Kylian Brigade along with supplies to Lanayru Bay via the Kylian Navy.
At the end of the week the Kylian Navy left Pavo City with the first batch of troops and supplies towards Hyrule.