Annachie wrote:The river being so close wasn't that clear. Actually the opposite was my impression, since there'd be the need for a good fire front to develope before the Spear's horse tries to run it to the river. Especially if they know it's there.
Start the fire too close and it wont. Even with the fire drifting up wind.
Maybe half a mile to a mile.
I didn't say the SPEARS were close to the river. They aren't. In fact, they are
miles away and I was addressing the question of how Syngpu's
peasants could be close enough to the river to get clear.
The whole point here is that the time window was set to make sure the target would be trapped between the fire fronts. I could have given it to you blow-by-blow (if I'd thought it wasn't fairly self evident that there had to be careful coordination here) but the actual operation was simple enough.
Band #1 is stationed 30 miles
west of the river.
Band #2 is stationed
at the river, but far enough into the woods that no one's going to spot them unless the Spears are doing proper flank security (which we have already established --- and the peasants have determined --- they
don't do).
Peasant from Band #2, mounted on Band #2's best horse, is sent off when runner comes in from farther east that the Spears are now an hour or two from the river, headed west. Before leaving, Syngpu tells him "Have Band #1 start their fires at 13:30, because that will let the Spears get at least 20 miles west of the river."
Peasant courier heads off, pushing the pace so that he'll reach Band #1
at least an hour and a half or so before the Spears. When he gets there, Band #1 spreads out to set their part of the fire. Meanwhile, Band #2 lies low in the woods and watches the Spears cross the river. Once their rearguard is out of sight headed west, they get their horses (hidden at least a mile into the woods) and spread themselves on either side of the high road, ready to do their part.
13:30 rolls around, both fires get set. The fire coming from the west has 10 miles to build strength; fire coming from the east has 10 miles of depth between it and the rearguard. And in both cases, the fires are far enough out that the Spears aren't going to start smelling smoke until the flames have
really taken hold.
As I say, if I'd thought it was necessary for the story to spell all that out, I would have, but I get critiques enough for my info dumps as it is. You guys probably wouldn't believe how often I consciously decide
not to tell you something to help keep word count down and the pace moving.