The Redwater sluices

Lord Rusk controls a fortified sluice complex upstream from several farming settlements. A royal column approaches along the river road. Rusk intends to open the sluices during the assault, destroying the column and flooding the lowlands. He has evacuated villages loyal to him while leaving hostile communities uninformed. He argues that one decisive victory will end the campaign and save more lives than a prolonged siege.

Ciro receives intelligence about the plan but cannot halt every regiment before contact. He asks Pyrrhus to seize the mechanism from the flank. Seris knows a route through abandoned drainage galleries, but using it requires the help of local guides who want their hostages released first. The chapter forces political preparation and tactical execution to support each other.

During the battle, Pyrrhus can secure the controls, prioritize evacuation, or destroy a section of the works to prevent a larger flood. The map must communicate the consequences before the choice. Destroying the works saves lives immediately but reduces irrigation and winter milling. Holding the controls may cost soldiers who could otherwise retreat. Rusk can escape if Pyrrhus spends his strongest units rescuing trapped families.

The aftermath refuses a neat victory. Ciro's officers praise Pyrrhus for saving the army; villagers ask whether that army will now take their remaining food. Rusk's surviving followers spread the story that Pyrrhus chose royal troops over the valley. The truth depends partly on what the player actually did. For the first time, the brothers recognize that cooperation can still leave them morally exposed to the people they claim to protect.