27. Right Under Their Noses
Utbah’s victory over Lir reverberated around the entire Church of Light world. Bribes had convinced many to leave the Church of Light, it had destroyed the Moru Kingdom, but it had not so thoroughly shaken the resolve of the fighters facing Yerek. Gisco on the western front had 10,000 horse archers, and 2000 heavy cavalry. He pelted the Uruq army, but they kept the fortress supplied, and shot fireballs that would occasionally hit scores of his cavalry. He camped around Isa’s position, the Uruq army also trying to swat him away.
“Utbah seriously destroyed that many armies?” Gisco said, “what an impressive guy, I am too cautious for that kind of thing.”
“Really?”
“Of course, he charged heavy cavalry into the jaws of death, it’s a guaranteed way to have a bad day, he’s lucky to be alive,” Gisco said, “well I suppose everyone is to a certain extent.”
Gisco wandered around, riding his horse around the green pastures.
“Let Isa venture out!” Gisco ordered.
Whistles were heard, and the horse archers cantered away from the fort that Isa had so diligently captured. The Uruq commander had dreams of taking Gharb and restoring the borders of Poltu. Nonetheless his 20,000 infantry army were poor at chasing mobile cavalry.
“Isa, we should take Gharb!” The Uruq commander advised.
“Take Gharb, I am currently being harassed by a cavalryman and his horse archers, do something about them,” Isa said.
“Your kingdom is pathetic, this would never happen in Uruq.”
“Would it now?” Isa asked, his blue eyes haunting the Uruq commander.
They waited until night before the Uruq army marched out of the fortification and besieged Gharb. The miscalculation was bewildering to Gisco, who didn’t believe it at first.
“Is someone trying to fool me?” Gisco said, “what do you mean an Uruq commander is besieging Gharb, is he mentally challenged?”
There in the dark, the city shot crossbow bolts and strafing ballista fire straight through the offending army. The garrison was more confused than Gisco, but they nonetheless took the threat seriously. Gisco dithered until morning, not realising that it was in fact real. Uruq had seized a portion of Gharb’s wall. Raising their flag over one of the battlements, their relentless assault having succeeded. In that moment where they thought they had outsmarted Gisco, he arrived, his 10,000 horse archers shooting into the backs of the men, 2000 heavy cavalry slaughtering the commander’s retinue, and the commander, taking his baggage train. There Gisco at the bottom, made a kiss gesture to the Uruq army.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
“Enjoy!”
2000 Uruq soldiers were paraded in front of Gharb’s citizenry, their victory so complete that Gisco didn’t even bother to show up to parade for it. Instead he now swivelled his march toward Isa.
At night, with 3000 crossbowmen from the locale Gisco stormed the keep, sniping the guards from down below with his best marksmen before slowly manning the walls and shooting down at Isa’s men, horse archers armed with thousands of arrows, pelted the beleaguered garrison in their sleep. The tower had been cleared in the dead of night and shot down throughout the morning, until a few stragglers put their hands in the air and surrendered. Isa put up his hands, his despair would soon be felt by his king. Gisco rode up to the captured general, many of his men having bolts and arrows stuck in them.
“I see you’re not having a good night huh?” Gisco said.
“Fuck you pagan scum!” Isa said spitting at his feet.
Gisco shrugged.
“I am not Utbah, I did things a little bit more intelligently, nonetheless I don’t think Poltu can threaten us anymore.”
Another tremor of an earthquake reverberated through the Poltu kingdom. Ahmed didn’t know why but he awoke from his slumber to look at the city before him.
The great city of Polt, garrisoned by many nations was marched upon by the crossbowmen, they took out the guards, they stormed the harbour, aided by local allies, tore down the Poltu crimson flags and marched on the royal palace. The walls were taken over by crossbowmen who began shooting at the Hitaran and Uruq garrison. The fleet was burnt in the harbour by local saboteurs and local allies began rounding up the Church of Light soldiers in the harbour. From the inner harbour, the virus spread into the inner sanctum of the royal palace gardens. Yerek flags were fluttering over the harbour, and the fleet of the allied nations illuminated the night sky.
“My god…” Ahmed said, “by god, what am I witnessing?”
“We have to get out of here!” Karim said, “your kingdom is crumbling.”
“My kingdom! No, not even those backstabbing so called ‘allies’ are surviving this.”
Ahmed managed his 15,000 troops, but he found out he barely had 1000 left. Many had surrendered, the coup was so breathtakingly executed, secret police who had been patrolling the Poltu side of the city tied up with rope, and generals likewise brought before the new Republican administration. The shouts and cries of the Republic forces were heard, the royal gatehouse being taken, with Ahmed leading his 1000 men to break out. In all the chaos and confusion, one would have expected Ahmed to flee, but to his credit he led his men to face the crossbowmen, inflicting losses on them, before retreating back to the palace. 2000 Uruq archers aided in him in turning the palace grounds into a fortress. Despite his most valiant efforts, night would turn to day, and after 5000 crossbowmen casualties, the fortress was surmounted and the flag of Yerek flew over the palace for all the city to see. A symbolic victory, Ahmed’s corpse was dragged around the city.
“Your king is dead!” Yerek crossbowmen shouted, “what was once our king is no more!”
Gisco marched in from the west intending to help in the victory, instead he witnessed the stunning defeat of so many coalition forces. 30,000 Uruq and Hitaran forces captured and tied up, their ships mere husks in the bottom of the harbour. The city celebrated the presumed end of the monarchy; but still the war would continue.