The main problem with the battles wasn't the number of trollocs, or the size of the armies of the light, or even the flawed tactics. It wasn't even the lack of mobility on behalf of the light armies, though there were a few glaring plot holes.
I imagine opening a gateway as holding up a hundred pound weight. I can hold it up long enough to walk through, even for 40 or 50 people to walk through (hrmmpf), but it's getting heavy...what? You want me and a hundred other guys to move an army of 300,000, and all their supplies, ammunition, tents, food, ect. Well, ok, but its gonna take a few days, and then I'll need a couple of days to rest up. Gateways are a huge advantage, but more for special forces and recon than moving large armies.
Demandred moving his army actually makes sense to me. He used a sa'angreal that was only exceeded by the choedan kal, and a full circle of over a hundred of the most powerful chanelers in Shara. They must have been so exhausted that their superiors numbers were very weakened, allowing the outnumbered Aes Sedai and Asha'man to hold thier own.
As for the Sharan army's superior size being less effective, of course they were. They were crammed through a small door, dumped in a foreign land. It would have taken days just to begin to sort themselves into a battle formation, establish a supply line, MASH units, ammo dumps, sleeping areas, and a million other little details an army needs.
Which brings me to the two biggest plot holes in the last battle.
1) Companies and regiments standing up to heavy incoming one power attacks. I imagine a chaneler being about as effective as a modern artillery piece. A standing unit of pikemen or archers calmly holding their ground as hundreds of lightning bolts, fireballs, and explosions of earth rip them apart, not likely. Soldiers are very brave, but once an enemy achieves the ability to launch artillery at will into their midst, they break and run for cover. There is NO WAY the battle played out like a medieval war of attrition. It would have been far more like a modern battlefield.
2) There is no way to explain Demandred's actions. In no way do they make sense. All through the series, he is the master manipulator, pulling the strings of all the main players, consolidating over a third of the civilized world under his rule. Of course he was aware of the strike at Shayol Ghul. Yet, he somehow believed this was just a diversion, giving the Dragon cover to attack an army of trollocs??? LTT wouldn't be at the bore, no, he'll leave the DO to his underlings and concentrate on the trollocs.
The only explanation for Demandred's total mental breakdown is he is desperate to fight LTT, the desire is driving him crazy, so he just ignores the whole attack at Shayol Ghul, where LTT should be. Why? Demandred's overridding motivation wasn't to rule, it was to beat LTT, to finally prove HE was better. Demandred would have left his army in a heatbeat for the chance to face LTT at Shayol Ghul.
Battles (Full Spoilers)
in Wheel of Time Books
Posted
The main problem with the battles wasn't the number of trollocs, or the size of the armies of the light, or even the flawed tactics. It wasn't even the lack of mobility on behalf of the light armies, though there were a few glaring plot holes.
I imagine opening a gateway as holding up a hundred pound weight. I can hold it up long enough to walk through, even for 40 or 50 people to walk through (hrmmpf), but it's getting heavy...what? You want me and a hundred other guys to move an army of 300,000, and all their supplies, ammunition, tents, food, ect. Well, ok, but its gonna take a few days, and then I'll need a couple of days to rest up. Gateways are a huge advantage, but more for special forces and recon than moving large armies.
Demandred moving his army actually makes sense to me. He used a sa'angreal that was only exceeded by the choedan kal, and a full circle of over a hundred of the most powerful chanelers in Shara. They must have been so exhausted that their superiors numbers were very weakened, allowing the outnumbered Aes Sedai and Asha'man to hold thier own.
As for the Sharan army's superior size being less effective, of course they were. They were crammed through a small door, dumped in a foreign land. It would have taken days just to begin to sort themselves into a battle formation, establish a supply line, MASH units, ammo dumps, sleeping areas, and a million other little details an army needs.
Which brings me to the two biggest plot holes in the last battle.
1) Companies and regiments standing up to heavy incoming one power attacks. I imagine a chaneler being about as effective as a modern artillery piece. A standing unit of pikemen or archers calmly holding their ground as hundreds of lightning bolts, fireballs, and explosions of earth rip them apart, not likely. Soldiers are very brave, but once an enemy achieves the ability to launch artillery at will into their midst, they break and run for cover. There is NO WAY the battle played out like a medieval war of attrition. It would have been far more like a modern battlefield.
2) There is no way to explain Demandred's actions. In no way do they make sense. All through the series, he is the master manipulator, pulling the strings of all the main players, consolidating over a third of the civilized world under his rule. Of course he was aware of the strike at Shayol Ghul. Yet, he somehow believed this was just a diversion, giving the Dragon cover to attack an army of trollocs??? LTT wouldn't be at the bore, no, he'll leave the DO to his underlings and concentrate on the trollocs.
The only explanation for Demandred's total mental breakdown is he is desperate to fight LTT, the desire is driving him crazy, so he just ignores the whole attack at Shayol Ghul, where LTT should be. Why? Demandred's overridding motivation wasn't to rule, it was to beat LTT, to finally prove HE was better. Demandred would have left his army in a heatbeat for the chance to face LTT at Shayol Ghul.