22. Battles in the Countryside


    Isa had received 10,000 infantry support, Mercurius had come back and realised his error, much of the hinterlands had not fortified in order to stop the Poltu counter attack. Worse still, the Church of Light kingdom of Amoreb had sent a 15,000 expeditionary army, Hitara had likewise sent 15,000, promising to send another 15,000 which they would recruit. Lir was in the process of mobilising 50,000. The Republic of Yerek was about to encounter its first real test. Poltu already had a formidable army, amassing 14,000 under another formidable commander named Omar. These armies were no joke, and Nichomachus’s investment in tribal loyalty suddenly played huge dividends. The south of Poltu was wrought asunder, thousands of small villages changing hands. 8000 camel warriors took village after village after village. The central government of Poltu sent Omar south, he had 10,000 infantry and 4000 horse. Other cavalry allies took villages and border forts of Poltu’s that Isa had recently captured. 5000 cavalry made into small raiding parties. Even Salutius who was doing work in Polt freeing the slaves and feeing the poor heard the rumour mongering within the city.


    “Yerek cavalry have captured many southern and western villages, will Isa be alright?” A woman said to her husband.


    “Those foul beasts captured Gharb.”


    In other quarters, ex slaves and recently bribed talked quite differently.


    “Evangel, is it true?” One ex slave said, “the God of Trade will it truly liberate Polt?”


    “We have an agent who has been talking to pastoralist communities, he has clearly done a very good job. But it will be you, not them that will take Polt.”


    “They can help though right?”


    “I guess,” Salutius said, “but the three have never conquered cities, we make them revolt.”


    “I heard of this, is that really true?” The ex slave asked, “many rumours are said of your religion, my former master hated it.”


    “You will be witness to it.”


    The streets were filled with sedition, but many of the more respectable places were still quite loyal to Polt. It was the seat of Polt’s government after all, but nonetheless secret police were out and about eavesdropping on public opinion. Salutius bribed more and more, until some 30,000 slaves had been freed. Agents of the state smacked dissidents, only for dissidents to smack back. This disorder caused the Polt government to set 10,000 soldiers into the streets. The ex slaves disappeared into their new residences, advised to not cause trouble as Salutius continued drumming up support for the Yerek cause. Nichomachus spent an afternoon arming and feeding scattered villages in the southern peripheries; Mercurius spent his afternoon feeding and arming the western hinterlands.


    Mercurius began organising peasants behind Isa’s lines, peasants armed with crossbows and quickly establishing small fortifications. Isa had begun his siege of the small fortification.


    “Take them out, and Gharb will be takable!” He screamed, “for God! For Light! For Victory!”


    His armed roared, and charged the small tower and the skirting walls. Isa’s men put ladders and tried to come up, hearing clicks that hit them and knocked them over. The tower wasn’t isolated as Isa thought, peasants came up behind shooting at his rear. Church of Light priests shot those peasants down.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.“Hit the main tower!” He shouted.


    He was right to do so, casualties lessened, as suppressing fire made it impossible for the garrison to shoot from up top. When things looked hopeless for the garrison, horse archers began peppering Isa’s flanks.


    “Take the fort!”


    A whistle was blown, the garrison that could flee did so, running from the positions. Fireballs were thrown at the cavalry that artfully dodged, crossbowmen shot at the priests of the Church of Light. Isa put his hand in the air signalling his archers to fire suppressing fire. 10,000 infantry of which 2000 were missile troops that could shoot into the fortification with all their might.


    “Capture the keep!” Isa shouted.


    “It seems our peasant allies are being besieged by a proper army,” one of the tribal chiefs said.


    Isa’s cavalry came charging, Yerek’s cavalry hit it head on with camels. Camels scared horses, and even Poltu cavalry knew this.


    “These crazy,” one man said, moments before being gutted by a spear.


    More whistles were heard, crossbowmen aiming precisely for Isa’s cavalry squadrons. Horse archers wheeled about aiming for the Church of Light priests. Isa wore a frown.


    “Bombard position!” The head of the priest squadron said.


    They throw the fireballs in a loop instead of straight on, aiming for the crossbowmen in the keep, or what was left of them. Moments later, after the flames settled Poltu’s flag was raised over the castle, arguably due to Mercurius’s foolish overextension of priorities. Still Yerek’s cavalry smashed into Isa’s cavalry aided by well directed crossbow fire.


    “Disengage! Disengage!” One cavalrymen shouted.


    The officer was assassinated by a crossbow bolt before Isa was confronted by even more craziness. A rider armed with an axe bolted straight for him.


    “Is he insane?” One guard said, eying the man directly, echoing the thoughts of many.


    A hatchet came flying across the battlefield taking a head of Isa’s bodyguard unit, before another was felled. He rode on a camel and took down more and more without being stopped. The Church of Light shot a bunch of fireballs, but he was too quick, already outrunning the fireballs smacking his iron on Isa’s bodyguard. They grunted and heaved at the piercing metal, not noticing 500 other riders having done the exact same thing.


    “Infantry on the commander!” Isa’s lieutenants kept shouting.


    They killed the lunatic with the axe, but they were all bloody and sweaty and disorientated. 5000 militia armed with crossbows had snuck up behind and began shooting with deadly intensity.


    “How?” A soldier said.


    “Shields up!” A man said, before blood gurgled in his throat.


    The cavalry sent to deal with 2000 camel riders was taken down, the horses themselves terrified of the smell of the camels. Isa survived, he was waving a sword around and slashing at those who intended to kill him. His Church of Light priests had been mauled, one camel rider slicing them rather grimly.


    “Protect the faithful!” Isa screamed, “kill those scum!”


    The rider was turned to ashes, but infantrymen were falling around him. Camels were supposed to have been surrounded, but instead had punctured through routing a large section of cavalry that had been subjected to brutal punishment. Isa still had enough infantry and Church of Light priests to scare off the attackers. And he did. The camels back with only 1000 riders, but they had bloodied some 8000 of Isa’s cavalry. He had captured the tower had worked so hard for, but he had casualties to deal with, and was now sure of a hostile rear. Meanwhile all the time, horse archers waited.


    Night time fell, general Omar had a much different experience. His 14,000 army marched southwards to hostile territory. Barricades were formed and the clicking sound of crossbows immediately precipitated a battle. Many lieutenants of Omar’s were taken out. He sent 2000 cavalry to try and envelop them, but 8000 camel warriors annihilated the cavalry in short order. Some of the camels were even clad in armour, the Poltu army waited, trying to storm the barricades of the village of Hirith. A small valley village that had been made infinitely more prosperous thanks to Nichomachus, camels thundered on both flanks and while the peasants shot at the distracted army camel warriors crunched from both sides. 2000 of the camels were clad heavily, but that was more than enough against Omar’s thinly armoured troops. The tribal leader Utbah successfully annihilated the army, cracking its morale after 2000 infantry deaths, the rest scattering for the winds. Omar death by a spear precipitating a rout. Utbah stared at the brevity before him.


    Like cracking an egg.


    Nichomachus paid respect to the cavalry leader feeding his fodder and fed and water any peasant, Omar’s baggage train was divvied up between the peasants and the crossbowmen. Food, water and even Poltu coin were quickly pilfered, but not before being equally split between the various fighters. Even with such a victory, it was only the beginning.