Memoirs of Kitty Siam Ch. 24

Memoirs of Kitty Siam – Scorched Earth.

Four thousand throats may be cut in one night by a running man – Klingon proverb

It took an hour or so before our team was assembled in the library. At first, most of those commanded by the prince to be there were not sure why they were taken away from their homes and family to be ushered into the great library. I gathered everyone around a large table where I had a group of drawings scattered about. I discussed the drawings with the craftsmen that the Prince had sent to the meeting.

We covered one wall with paper and began making notes, drawing up specifications, working out formulas and equations. We worked on through the night and when we got off track or drawn into heated conversations, Lord Tausin would pull rank and get us back to focusing on the task at hand. Having him involved with the planning was invaluable to me as this was a severely patriarchal society and a few of the men resented being questioned by a woman, and even more had problems thinking of me as an equal even though I knew more about what was going on and what was going to happen than they did.

In the morning the Prince joined us in the library and thanked us all for spending the night working on this project. He dismissed the craftsmen and ushered everyone out of the room but Lord Tausin, Teela, myself and his scribes. The Prince commanded everyone to sit, but as I was starting to take a seat he told me to begin my presentation. The Prince looked particularly glum this morning so I did not waste any time getting back up and moving to the head of the table.

My Prince, I began as described the battle of Stalingrad in detail. I explained how the German army had the city surrounded and had all but won the battle until winter set it. I explained the conversation that I had with Ambassador Smett about the Istan army and the equipment that they had and the clothing that they wore, then likened them to the German army who also did not come prepared for the cold weather. In our conversations during the night I had asked those assembled and was assured that the winters here were long and cold, and perhaps the Ishtan were unaware of that given how lightly they were dressed as if only expecting to fight in warm weather.

Lord Tausin stood up next and took over the meeting. He agreed with me on the weather issue then went on to detail what we had discussed as far as creating new weapons to confront an enemy with superior numbers. He led the group over to the paper-covered wall and had me discuss the designs and calculations we had put up over night.

The Prince interrupted and asked how all of this would break such a superior army.

Lord Tausin spoke up and directed the Prince's attention to a list we had posted on the wall and then turned the meeting back over to me and I started going over our plan step by step.

The first thing I asked the Prince for is for him to issue an order that all crops be immediately harvested and transported North of Grimsod castle, and that all crops that could not be harvested were to be burned. After that was done the fields along the roads to then North should be flooded.

The Prince nodded but asked me to explain why.

I began by telling him of General Sun Tzu and his theory that for every soldier an army has in the field, it needs three more people to keep him supplied with food and such. By harvesting the crops and destroying what was left, we would deny the enemy food and make him work harder to survive in our country.

He then asked about the need to flood the fields.

If we give the invaders dry fields I said, they could all camp together in an area easy to defend should we attack. If we flood the main fields and leave the small fields dry far away from the main roads, that forces our enemy to make smaller encampments that we can raid easier with hit and run tactics.

I see he said.

Teela took the floor next and the Prince raised an eyebrow that we chose her to address him at this meeting. She went on to describe to the Prince how I had been working with her and teaching her to use a bow and that she had been teaching me how to ride a horse. Both of those skills put together and taught to an army would allow us to counter the greater numbers of the Ishtan

How so the Prince asked.

Teela looked a little caught off guard so I stepped in and fielded the question. I started off by telling him of the Hun and the Mongols and how the had defeated armies of greater numbers by being highly mobile, then went on to tell him that if what Ambassador Smett had told me was correct, the foot soldiers of the Ishtan would be no match for mounted archers. I went back to the concept discussed earlier by forcing the enemy to camp in smaller fields, then stated that mounted archers and calvary could decimate these small encampments easily and be on their way to safety before help could arrive.

Lord Tausin added that these mounted units could strike hard at the flanks and rear of the advancing army, but could harass them day and night while taking little or no casualties in doing so.

What do you need from me the Prince asked.

Teela took the floor again and asked the Prince that he send out a request to the army, the army reserves, and the citizens of Kreet asking for volunteers to staff these units. She suggested that we would need around two thousand men and women to fill these units.

Women? The Prince asked Teela.

I stood up and took this one, and went back to what Ambassador Smeet has said that the advancing army is made up of men and women, and that the woman are as strong and fierce as the men. I added that if we just took men, we would be even more outnumbered and suggested that if women were willing to fight, that we should let them and welcome them.

The Prince nodded and said it will be done, and then he gave the order to his scribes to carry out.

Next I led the group over to the drawings hanging on the wall. I explained to the Prince what a catapult was and pointed out it's parts and the kinds of projectiles that can it can throw. Next we moved to the calculations that his mathematicians had come up with for the ranges of the catapult. We moved down the wall to a map of the castle and a diagram of where the catapults were to be located and referred back to the range calculations. I explained that following these calculations, there would be no guessing as to when we should fire the catapult as the range would be marked on the battlefield by colored boulders. When the advancing army made it to the markings, the commander would give the order to fire so we do not waste ammunition.

Very good the Prince said, then added, so I guess you need me to order these built?

Lord Tausin answered, yes my Prince, then went on to go over the estimate of how long all of these items would take to build. He requested that the army lend soldiers to the craftsmen to assist in their building as this would cut down on the build times and allow the soldiers to become more familiar with these weapons as they were being constructed.

The Prince agreed to give the order for this as well, then asked how long to build the devices.

Two weeks for each Lord Tausin said, possible half that with the army assisting.

Prince Vortak assured us that we would have what we need and said that he would issue a proclamation that any request that Lord Tausin made would be filled quickly and without delay as the defense of the Kingdom as was his primary concern now.

The Prince led us back to the meeting table and commanded us to sit. He asked if there was anything else that we needed.

I was about to stand up to address the Prince when he told me to remain seated.

My Prince I opened with, we discussed this amongst ourselves for several hours until we come to the conclusion that the army at the border should be recalled. This would double our defensive forces here. I cited again the conversation that I had had with Ambassador Smeet and detailed how the Ishtan army with its greater numbers and superior training over ran the army of Na'Tal in the open field. I added that our army would be destroyed, as the army of Na'Tal was if we choose to fight them in the open.

I watched as the blood seemed to drain from the Princes face and he flopped down silently in his chair. He sat quietly for a few minutes while Lord Tausin, Teela and myself looked at each other trying to figure out what had happened. After about five minutes of dead silence the Prince reached into his coat pocket and produced a letter that he had received over night. He stood up, opened the letter and dropped it on the table.

I picked up the letter as no one else wanted to or was willing to and read it. The date was thirteen days ago, which is about how long it would take a single rider to make the trip from the border. The letter was short, just one simple statement that would change all of our lives...

The Ishtan have crossed the border.
We are greatly out numbered.
We have engaged the enemy
God save the King!