"You will need to abandon your plan of digging mere trenches," Gart told him with conviction. "I have made war with the Enemy before this, and well know what it will take to stop him in his tracks.
"Alin's one natural defense is that it is built upon a hill. Were this not the case, I would say that this city is wholly indefensible. But we will have to begin digging a great earthen dike outside the wall, immediately, and another outside that, ringed with pickets. This will force the Enemy to charge uphill, in an upright position, affording clear targets for our archers, who in turn will be standing in a trench, facing downhill, showing as little of themselves as possible."
Prince Wilkin nodded as Gart spoke. "I hear the wisdom and the experience of your words. Yet of more concern to myself at present is our retreat. When Alin falls, and it will surely fall, we shall attempt to hold the Enemy to the centre of the bridge, which at this moment is being fortified. I had thought of destroying the bridge earlier, but the enemy must believe he can preserve it for his own use. He will expend himself in force in that effort, and we must use that opportunity to hold his
soldiers there in significant numbers, so that they will consume the greater part of their supplies. We will use that time to raze our own lands to the south, so that the Enemy will be unable to despoil them to fortify his armies.