Westrons Pt. 23

The Woles came through for us again, with another priceless piece of intelligence; the Crolians were going to mobilize before the first day of spring. Their armies would already be on the move when their declaration of war reached the Queen in Cercen.

- "What's the point of that?" asked Colonel Neslann. "The roads will still be muddy, and they won't do more than a couple of leagues a day."

- "Which will put them a couple of leagues closer to the border." said Votuda. The two Colonels glared at each other.

- "That's if the roads stay muddy." I said. "What if they get an early bit of good weather?"

My Colonels digested that idea. Not surprisingly, they didn't like the taste very much.

"That's why we'll also move early. I want us in position before the Crolians can force a choice of fields on us."

I knew where I wanted to fight, if at all possible.

The last month of winter passed quickly, for some. Tallia was too busy to remember much of it.

Isa and I made love every night, at least once. The level of intensity in our relationship was steadily increasing. Perhaps it had always been there, for her; but I was beginning to catch up.

She was becoming my closest friend, as well as my lover. It was a role that Tudino might have filled, if she could have been sexually active every night.

The quality of our time together was ideal, but we also had quantity, as we spent large parts of every day (and every night) together. The nearest I'd ever come to this kind of closeness was with Tallia, in the year before Limset.

I couldn't necessarily explain it, and I'd already done too much comparing of the two women. But there was no question that what I had with Isa surpassed any relationship I'd ever been in.

We were close friends, confidants, who shared a passion for the military, and for each other. She was intelligent, kind, and good-humoured. Interesting, and interested. I couldn't find fault with her.

Added to that was the dread of time. If Penchens couldn't match the intensity of a Westron hemmer, they still had a terrible time limit hanging over their heads. A year, give or take a month or two.

And I'd wasted a couple of weeks getting over my reservations and inhibitions. Isa never mentioned those lost days, never chided me.

That night, she rode me hard, shifting her movements to maximize my pleasure - and hers. I loved watching the expressions on her face, and the bobbing and bobbling of her lovely breasts.

As I felt the sap rising, I took hold of her hips, and drove myself up into her. My orgasm was like a volcanic eruption.

Afterwards, she gently disengaged, and lay down next to me. Her little grin, testimony to her satisfaction with a job well done, always made me smile.

- "I love you." I said. I hadn't planned to say it, but the moment the words were past my lips I was glad.

- "I know." she said. "I've felt the change in you."

- "You were right: it does flow both ways."

***

The last days of winter featured milder temperatures than normal, and only the occasional rainstorm (as opposed to the torrential downpours we were accustomed to see at this time of year). The roads were wet, and treacherous in places - but they were passable.

Had the Woles not provided a warning, the Crolians might have stolen a march on us. As it was, the New Model Army was able to begin moving early, too.

I took Tudino and Neslann, Faregil and Frad, Votuda and Cyrte. Langoret would follow with the rest of the army, plus our artillery and ox-carts. For my plan to work, I had to reach the ridge at Kesmansha first.

And the Crolians had to be advancing by the most direct route. I prayed every hour that they were counting on speed, surprise, and brute strength, rather than subtlety and deception.

To be certain, though, I sent Votuda and Cyrte southeast, to a point where they would encounter our enemy first if the Crolians were taking the secondary route. She could immediately send us warning, and then carry out a fighting withdrawal until we could move to support her.

Without our heavy baggage, the brigades I'd chosen moved quickly. We reached the little village of Kesmansha before sunset of the second day.

Kesmansha sat on the bend of the Great Road. We approached from the south. Just after it passed the village, the road curved to the east. Almost three thousand yards further on, the road skirted the northern edge of the massive ridge I'd built my strategy around.

The heights, seen from the east (the direction the Crolians would be coming from), would be daunting. The slope was steep, and slippery in places. The top of the ridge was also large enough to comfortably deploy ten regiments, with all their artillery.

If we were on top of the ridge, only a supremely aggressive Crolian general would dare to attack us - and he'd know that he would be taking heavy casualties.

From the western side, the ridge wasn't quite so intimidating (not that I had any intention of attacking it).

I left Faregil's brigade in the village, while Tudino and Neslann and their regiments climbed the ridge with me.

- "We could stop 30,000 Crolians here." said Tudino.

- "We could. But I don't want to stop them; we're going to destroy them." I said.

Tudino just grinned, but Neslann took the bait. "How?"

- "Imagine you're the Crolian General." I said. "Look down there."

On the extreme left of the Westron side, there was a high hill, an excellent defensive position. "Picture Faregil's and Frad's regiments there."

- "Alright. I wouldn't attack there."

- "Now look at the centre." The road ran into the village, with small forest just south of that. "Imagine that you see two regiments in front of the village - Langoret and Yna, say. Plus you can tell that there are two Penchen regiments just behind those trees."

- "I can imagine it. Yes." said Neslann. She was enjoying pretending to be the Crolian General.

- "You see the enemy right?" I asked.

- "There's a stream. Doesn't look like much of an obstacle. Orchards behind that. How many troops are there?"

- "Only two regiments." I said. "Yours and Tudino's."

- "That's it?" said Neslann. "We'll be awfully spread out."

- "I know." I agreed. "What do you see behind the orchards?"

Tudino whistled. Neslann swore.

- "If they can break through the orchards, the road is right there. They can cut off the rest of the army - we'll have nowhere to retreat."

- "Tempting?"

- "What are you thinking, Cook? They could destroy our whole army!"

- "So if you were the Crolian General, that's where you'd attack?" I asked.

***

The location was ideal. It was all just a matter of making sure that the Crolians did what I needed them to do - what I expected them to do.

They had moved early. Crolian scouts showed up early the next morning. When they saw us on the ridge, they halted.

By midday, the lead regiments of a huge army began to arrive. They deployed to either side of the road, to make room for more troops to come up.

We counted 14 regiments - and there were dust clouds further back, beyond those.

- "It's their whole army." said Neslann. I swear, she was licking her chops.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

We withdrew in haste, abandoning the ridge, and retreated to the village. We didn't have to ask Tudino's brigade to pretend; they were eager enough to pull back, faced with those kinds of numbers.

Faregil had done as I asked, and occupied the hill on our left flank, with her brigade. Tudino and Neslann stationed their troops in the orchards, behind the stream. There they found the hunting lodge, and the abandoned estate.

There was a two-storey stone house, with outbuildings. Some Westron noble family had lost them, decades ago, to the Crolians. We had re-taken possession after the last war, thanks to our victory at Limset.

Tudino's soldiers set about fortifying them even further, boring loopholes in the walls, strengthening the doors, and clearing fields of fire.

Langoret arrived on time.

- "Thank goodness you're punctual." I said. Crolian troops were beginning to appear atop the ridge that we'd hastily abandoned.

Langoret had her brigade, two of the Penchen regiments, plus all of our artillery and ox-carts. As I'd ordered, she'd left Avette and Semmana, with the two other Penchen regiments, at Rykulf, two hours' march to the west.

I sent messengers to Votuda, to let her know what was happening, and then prepared to set the second part of my plan in motion.

Under a flag of truce, a small group of my junior officers climbed the ridge.

It was a full three hours before they returned, accompanied by a full delegation of Crolians: a dozen officers, with a colour party and attendants. The leader of their embassage introduced himself.

- "I am Count Bessandar." he said, haughtily. He stood erect as possible, trying to intimidate me with his height, and his prominent fangs.

- "Welcome, Count." I said, mildly. I slumped my shoulders, and hunched my back a little. I didn't want this stuffed-up dick to realize that his posturing had no effect on me.

Instead, I broached the subject I'd invited him to hear.

"Would your General be willing to agree to a cease-fire? We would, of course, be prepared to cede the village here, and retreat to a distance of ... five leagues?"

- "I am not empowered to agree to terms." he said. "But I will inform my Commander of your request."

Bessandar wasn't blind. Nor was his entourage. They were all taking advantage of the opportunity to examine our dispositions - and our numbers. It didn't take a genius to realize that we had only 8 regiments here.

Or that half our troops were concentrated in the centre of our position. The weakness of our right flank, in the orchards behind the stream, would have been evident to very single member or Bessandar's party.

There was no way they'd agree to a cease-fire. They had a massive numerical advantage, and we'd foolishly given up the dominant terrain feature - the ridge.

Bessandar and his Commander had to believe that we were either stupid, or panicking. I was trying to lead them to believe that they'd caught us off-guard with their early mobilization.

I kept Colonel Yna well away from Bessandar's group. Her hatred for the Crolians was so intense, I doubted that she could pretend to be afraid, or even nervous.

I offered wine and meat, which the Crolian Count brusquely refused. I wrung my hands, and repeated my cease-fire offer.

- "I shall communicate your request to my superiors." he said, baring his impressive teeth.

The moment they were gone, I called all of the senior officers to meet with me, in the village. Yna was visibly angry. General Leydz looked ... perturbed.

Langoret was calm. She trusted me. Tudino was grinning, as was Isa; they understood what I was up to.

- "The Crolians will reject my offer of a cease-fire." I said. "As well they should."

"But the timing will be important. If they send us a message tonight, it will be because they're ready to attack in the morning. That's the least likely scenario, though."

- "Wait." said Yna. "Why did you make the offer, if you knew they'd reject it?"

- "Give him a moment, Yna." said Tudino. Such was her stature, the others who wanted to ask questions were temporarily silenced. I noticed General Leydz frowning - but he held his peace.

- "As I was saying ... if the Crolians throw down the gauntlet tomorrow morning, then we can expect an attack in the afternoon. But they will attack. We've invited to them to."

"Colonel Neslann? Would you please explain what you would do, if you were the Crolian Commander?"

Neslann grinned. She was beginning to enjoy this. She happily described what the Crolians could see, from atop the ridge. If they could break through our right flank, they had the opportunity to cut us off from our only route of retreat, and defeat us in detail.

- "I don't understand." said Yna. "Why would you give the enemy this ... advantage? We could lose the entire war, tomorrow."

- "Tudino?" I invited her to answer the question.

- "No. I want to hear you explain it, Cook." she said, with a big smile.

- "Alright." I said. "It's quite simple: we're going to crush them."

I saw Faregil, with her mouth open; that memory sticks in my mind. Langoret, patiently waiting for me to explain ... Leydz, the Penchen, frowning as he wondered what I was up to.

That night, I explained the whole plan to my Colonels. I wanted them to feel confident. Also, I hoped that if anything happened to me, they'd be able to win the battle anyway.

The Crolians didn't respond.

Our army was on high alert, ready to fight at dawn. I still felt, though, that the Crolians couldn't resist the grand gesture; they would want to imperiously reject my craven request for a cease-fire - and then attack.

That night, I walked through our positions, visiting our sentries. I wasn't surprised, though, to find that many of the troops were still awake, huddled around their campfires.

All four of my bodyguards were with me. So was Isa: she hadn't left my side for the past few weeks.

- "Attention - General!" snapped a soldier from Langoret's regiment, as she caught sight of me in the firelight.

I laughed aloud as half a dozen troopers jumped to their feet.

- "Creana - really? After all this time, you don't know me better than that?"

Creana was a veteran sergeant. She's been a corporal at Tonol, and was promoted for her conduct at Limset. She beamed with pleasure to be recognized.

- "The wine is awful, General." she said. "But we have enough to share."

- "That's better." I said, as I sat down next to their fire.

- "Is that your Penchen lover?" asked a trooper. They all knew the story, by now.

- "I am." said Isa.

We spent a quarter of an hour, meeting the members of Creana's platoon, learning their names and their stories. Sepine was the youngest, a recent volunteer. She was plainly overwhelmed to have a General sharing her fire.

- "Close your mouth, girl." said Sergeant Creana. "It's just General Cook."

We moved on to the next fire.

After the first three stops, it became increasingly apparent that word had spread. Very few soldiers were sleeping. They were all hoping that I'd stop by their fire, to share a word, or a drink - or just a moment.

- "They're going to be tired in the morning." said Koroba.

- "Maybe. But I think they'll be happy. And confident. Besides, how many of them would really be sleeping, the night before a battle?"

- "Did you know this would happen?" asked Isa. She was enjoying it immensely.

- "I hoped for something like this." I said. "They're well-trained, and confident. They trust their leaders. An army like this can perform wonders."

At the next campfire, Corporal Canimo offered me a drink. But she also had a question.

- "General, if I capture the Crolian Commander, and bring him to you, will you attend my next hemmer?"

- "Canimo, if you bring me the Crolian General, I'll attend your next three hemmers!"

In the early hours of the morning, the singing started.

Westrons love to sing. They sing when they're sad; they sing when they're happy. I believe that they were celebrating, the night before Kesmansha.

I wasn't the only one with tears in my eyes.

Koroba caught my eye. The tears were rolling down her cheeks. I took her in my arms, and held her tightly.

To my surprise, Nasta joined us in a three-way embrace. Isa made it four.

I don't know if anyone slept that night. But I don't think that it impaired our fighting ability at all.

It was perhaps the most perfect night of my entire life.

***

"What if they attack on our left?" asked Yna.

- "Frad's on a strong hill. They'd be fools to attack there. But if they do, we'll retreat."

- "Fine. What if they attack our centre?"

- "They'll get a nasty surprise." I said. "We have quite a few guns here, if you hadn't noticed."

Langoret had brought the cannon belonging to Avette's brigade, as well as the last 2 Penchen regiments. If the Crolians came straight at the village, they would find four regiments - with the guns of eight regiments.

I started wondering about the possibility of organizing a Grand Battery.

The Crolians sent a single messenger, early in the morning, to officially reject my offer of a cease-fire.

It took them another two hours to organize their troops. But shortly before noon, the Crolian artillery opened up.

The battle of Kesmansha had begun.

***

I sent off another group of messengers.

The Crolian barrage was almost entirely wasted. Three thousand yards is within maximum range - but not within effective range.

Some of their cannonballs bounced across the fields, and almost reached our lines.

In the early afternoon, their regiments began to move off the ridge - towards our right wing. If they could break through, and reach the road, our entire army could be destroyed.

Tudino and Neslann were going to be busy.

But their position was stronger than it looked. The stream wasn't very wide, but it did run deep, in places. There were rocks, and here and there the banks were steep. The enemy would have to cross this obstacle, and then reform their lines - under fire.

The orchards featured quite a few low-hanging branches, which restricted visibility and provided some cover. But the trees would also break up the enemy's formations.

Tudino also had Votuda and Cyrte's artillery, in addition to their own.

And there was the lodge, the two-storey stone house, and the other buildings. Hopefully, those would prove to be unpleasant surprises for our foes.

But I had one more surprise for them.

Votuda and Cyrte were only a few hours march to the south. I had posted them on the secondary road, in case the enemy tried to turn our flank. I left them there, so that Count Bessandar and his entourage wouldn't see them.

But now they were on their way. I'd sent a messenger first thing in the morning, to confirm that they were to rejoin us.

Best of all, their approach would be hidden from view for the Crolians. South of the orchards, the land sloped away rather abruptly. There was a stretch of the road which could not be seen from atop the ridge. We had carefully marked these spots so that Votuda would know where to turn.

She would arrive in time, if anyone could. Votuda was driven to prove that the Chancellor's regiment was the equal of any other in the army.

Further back, Avette and Semmana, with the last two Penchen regiments, were also held in reserve, out of sight. Their artillery was already with me, in front of the village.

Count Bessandar had seen 8 Westrons regiments. We actually had 14.

Three Crolian regiments came down from the ridge, and deployed. Three more followed, and formed line beside them. Unfortunately for them, Tudino's and Neslann's front was not that wide.

Six more Crolian regiments started to descend from the heights. Meanwhile, the first line began to advance.

The Crolians obviously remembered Limset. They deployed skirmishers, spread out, in open order. It looked like the equivalent of five companies. I wondered how much training they'd had.

Tudino's and Neslann's rifles opened up on them before the Crolians were within musket range. As the first of them began to fall, the enemy skirmishers stopped, and fired back (that answered my question about their training).

Though they were outnumbered 3 to 1, our rifles had every advantage: range, accuracy, training, cover. It just wasn't a fair fight.

The Crolian skirmishers took losses, but they did achieve something: while our rifles were picking them off, we couldn't shoot at the formed lines of infantry behind them. They weren't very good as light infantry, but they did function as a screen.