CWE Book II Part 10

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Damai

Senior Praetorian Emric has two armies with him; under the Praetorian are ten thousand marchmen; two thousand archers and three thousand lancers, whereas his second army was from Lord Giantus; ten thousand marchmen and five thousand lancers under General Marcus. General Marcus also has in his service five thousand mercenaries who are paid in full to die for the cause. As for Master Conal, his twenty one thousand strong are fifteen thousand marchmen, a thousand archers and five thousand lancers.

We met them at the plains which was soon called the ‘The battlefield of Great Plains.’ I had only twenty five thousand marchmen and ten thousand lancers, plus some two thousand archers, half their force.

The ‘Great Plains’ consist of three low hills that all sloped to a wide flat valley towards the south. It ends on the thick green forest line which is the boundary of the southern terrains. Unlike the forest of the north, here the trees trunks are smaller and shorter, plus their undergrowth are sparse in between the trees. Sunlight permeates through the top branches and young animals are aplenty. Many battles are fought here with the victor who captured the hills first, as its strategic to attacked from this levels. The momentum of the rush in the charge will throw any defenders off. We all know that which is why we rushed there to claimed our hills. I only got the eastern hills and part of the northern one, as Emric arrived just to gained his on the west and the the end of my northern side. I was not surprised that the young master will be late, as its a longer distance to march here but he made it in due time. His army was assigned the western hills while the Praetorian took the northern hills to reach me nearer. I withdrew part my archers to the forest and held their position in place.

One of the other advantage of the low hills is that you can hide an army behind it without the enemy knowing. Those of us who are familiar with this place know that too. 

And sometimes in a battle it good to have woodcutters with you, besides good chefs. They cooked a feast that night.

We slept the night in peace, and even singing among the men was shared by the enemies from a distance

At dawn we fought.

Emric

I brief the young master and General Marcus of my plans and they seemed to agreed to the plan. I prod the young master for more ideas, but he kept quiet. I assumed silence is consent, unless he has a better plan. I position my archers along the ridge of the hill overlooking the valley. I move a thousand of my lancers to the edge of the archers to defend them alongside with some one thousand marchmen and their long reaching pikes. The rest of the marchmen was lined up five rows of formation and formed along the hill slope facing east. The mercenaries are also formed at their sides with no format but loose packs of animals waiting to be released. The remaining lancers stood their ground at the back of the marchmen lines ready to charge on command.

Conal moved his marchmen to the front like mine facing east, along his hillside. His lancers are ready to the edge of the west side, probably targeting the archers in the forest. He position the archers behind his marchmen which is a standard move.

I see the enemies are position with the archers on the hills both facing the valley and mine. Lancers are spread along the two hills for a gallop charge I presumed. His marchmen are on the eastern hill slope but they numbered about only ten thousand. He is probably keeping some reserves for the second wave, behind the hill. I would send out my scouts to check on this.

Conal

This is my first major battle and I did not want to commit myself in case we lose. I let the Praetorian make the calls and if anything go wrong, his head which will roll. I had my other placement done; a group of my men with my favourite assassin is on the way to the north now. They will do their part in this battle.

I set up a nice wooden platform up here so I can viewed the battle with ten messengers on my call to direct my orders. I also kept a personal guards of a hundred men around me, and some good horses for a fast gallop,.

As expected the marchmen moved in first; mine and Emric but not the enemy. I wondered what the enemy are doing. They are stomping their feet but not marching; such noise they made are unnerving, but I am studying them well. I signaled my archers to go forth to reach the distance required by them since the enemy is not coming forth. A detachment of my lancers are moving in the forest, without my command. I must reprimand the officer for that. My marchmen are almost to the plain and the other side is still standing. Now they moved, but not forward but to the sides to create a gap in between them. Are they forming square or for the pincers move? I see the Praetorian’s armies are moving forth with more speed now.

The mercenaries are charging with their battle cries; lovely creatures of the war, they fight without a strategy but blind attack.

Damai

I send up the signal for the frist stage to take place. The back rows of marching marchmen put down their pikes and took their bow from their shoulders. Every able-body person can pull a string of the bow and released the arrows, but it takes time to shoot straight. I needed now was the former and they released their arrows in an arc to the opposite numbers. I gave them ten arrows for the required volleys. Then they picked up their pikes and turned to retreat fast back up the hill slope. But gaps between was seen large enough for the next stage to go in.

The arrows did a good sweep of the approaching enemies but not so the mercenaries who was way in front. But they were soon wondering how come the noise levels in the field has increased when the marchmen are not stomping anymore. Out of the ridge, was my next surprise. A year ago, I was in the settlement when a horse pulling a cart when wild running reckless in the settlement causing total chaos. Many tried to jumped on the horse or the cart to rein it in, but it was too fast for them. In the end they chased the horse out to the fields where it exhausted itself, but the chaos caused more than laughter, seven seriously hurt men was with the physicians. But it gave me an idea.

So here comes my own version of the heavy lancers. Each cart the has the width of one man’s length and depth of two man’s length was attached to two horses each, with a driver. They were used to carry our supplies which has now reduced to half anyway. So we put on the carts width length of three man’s long thick trunk. On each side of the protruded trunks are five short staff with spear heads. Its a killing cart now. The horses are also attached with two pikes each alongside its body, making it a deadly ram. And I have now over five hundred horse carts which I called them ‘the heavy lancers’. The drivers has been training with them for over three months now and they know how to move them to their command and practicing on wooden targets.

The enemies never seen such a barrage of carts and was soon trampled by it. The carts ran circles among the mercenaries and marchmen, with many of the enemies impaled by the spears or overrun by the carts. The enemies sometimes get to removed the driver but the carts keep on going in circles or in all directions, with the panicked horses.

That was the cue for my archers to released the arrows on the lancers on the hill slopes, causing them to charged at my archers. The marchmen on the hillside moved forward to cover the archers and stood their grounds with the pikes end on the ground with their sharp end pointing forward. The lancers charge was halted by the pike barrier and where some managed to get through the first row was confronted by the second row. Then the marchmen on the first few rows retreated to the sides, to allow the lancers in among them. They then surrounded the lancers in their pincer move. Just then another five thousand of my marchmen appear from behind the hill and joined in the fight. The marchmen not involved in the fought has already slipped into the forest and awaits the lancers from Master Conal.

As expected the lancers on orders from Conal came alongside the forest lines to form a line of attack,but they were caught by the marchmen from the rear coming out of the forest. Meanwhile I signaled my lancers to move in on the fight with their lancers. And then towards the retreating archers.

By the height of the sun at its apex, the battle was over.

Conal

Emric will pay for this disaster and his foolish strategy. I will inform the Lords and exert my failure all on him. I retreated in time with my own personal squad before the lancers attack me. I heard the retreat call from the command tent, but by then most of the army are already running for safety or surrendering to their enemies. I can see the Praetorian withdrawing in close formation but there are many on the battle fields who will not come back. I may have saved less more than half of my troops on the retreat, thanks to the Praetorian still holding the line. Such honorable fight from them, but not so from these Outsiders who do not fight honorably. So be it, we will fight the same way soon.

I hoped my assassins has a better outcome than mine.

Dina

The victors celebrate and the losers sits in the open with suspicions on their fate. But tonight, I will change that soon. My group of five selected men, dressed in the uniforms of the Outsiders was in their camp. It easy to merged in when no one expects an attack so soon and by a small group. We made out way to the command tent where the officers are having their feast of victory. I counted twenty five of them with four guards outside. Their leader should be inside there too.

We waited and looked at the stars for more answers. The answer came late when one of them streak across the horizon. I signaled the men to move in. We silenced the guards and went in the tent. It was  a huge tent with a long rectangle table in the middle, and food was on it, some half eaten others left to the bones. The officers were all drunk or sleeping on the sides, but one huge guy was sitting on the edge of the table still nursing his drink as if its a woman he holds He turned and saw me with my daggers. He hollered out to the sleeping officers but my men was at their work; stabbing and thrusting at some officers. I threw my dagger at the huge man catching him on the right eye, but he still came at me, running across the table top. In his hand is his goblet of wine and a leg of mutton. He threw both at me but I jumped in time to miss it. I let off my second dagger which hit him below the left ribs, but he still came. This time with the battle axe at the edge of the table. It was then I recognised him, but he was too deadly to speak now. I took the nearest officers sword and thrust it at the huge man who was my friend, Signar. The sword was buried to the hilt in his chest and his remaining eye saw me through my disguise, as it showed a glimmer of sadness and surprise.

But by then, most of the officers were awake and fighting my men. I looked at the odds and decided to make an escape. As I crawled out of the tent from underneath it, I saw another familiar face. He threw a half length spear used by lancers like swords at me which did not hit directly but make a wound on my right shoulder. I ran out of the area while many soldiers were seen to be moving there. I just shouted that there was a fight there, and keep on directing them to go there. In the chaos, I managed to run to the hill and escaped that night.

But I will bear the scar of my first failure.

Damai

Signar died that night from his wounds. Of the twenty four senior officers, ten others died with Signar and three others wounded badly. Its not the men I feared to lose, its the manner which they died. Not in battle but in the celebration. Never again will I let this happened again.

They were all buried with full honor of the army and I vowed vengeance for them. Just as the men who died or wounded today; about a third of my men, a total of ten thousand against a force of nearly forty thousand. If not for my deception and innovations many more will had joined that list. We got a total of five thousand prisoners whom we considered are our people but mislead by the Lords. We removed the mercenaries to be send off back to their master without their weapons and gold. Among the others, we will hold talks with them on their services. From our experiences, we can turn about two third of the army but not the Praetorian. Unlike the army, the Praetorians are recruited men on their own and given training to be one. They are not like the army conscript which many are grabbed off their land to be one. They fight because they are asked to, or forced to unlike the Praetorian; they volunteered to be do so and they are too loyal to their Prime. For them, I will send them to one who can speak to them. He has now a column of five thousand already, converted in loyalty but not in the oath. They will ready to served a new Grand Lord and new Prime Leaders.

As for the daggers in my hand, it will be used to kill one particular assassin. One which Signar and myself met before, and worked with together. She can hide but she can’t do it forever. So swear I, Damai of the Outsiders.