Sergun's Mission

by Paul A Jones

  ‘What a mess you’ve all caused. Taxes will have to go up, and a levy of men called into arms. Sergun’s war it may be called. Women and men will curse you.’

  ‘Why not Minister Thorne’s war; it was you who started this with the letter!’

  ‘I’m just warning you it’s possible you could be used as scapegoats if the war goes wrong. Be aware of such intrigue.’

  ‘I’m a soldier, not a politician.’

  ‘Fortunately, Lord Chromosol has been developing excellent weapons and they’re going into the field within a few days to assist you in defence of the town. What do you think of the weapons you have seen here?’

  ‘They appear excellent in this trial. It may take time for such weaponry to work effectively in action.’

  ‘The great Lord has promised us all of the men here will be assisting in operations with the new weapons. They’re training every day. Time is short. These weapons will not be distributed to untrained personnel. ‘

  Sergun was happier to hear that. Still, it was one thing to train with a weapon against a static target quite another to assemble it under fire with arrows falling around and the dead and wounded everywhere. Perhaps impossible to replicate if hordes of Keratha were approaching setting everything on fire.

  Eventually, the business talk was over. It appeared to Sergun that the Minister was testing Sergun’s resolve. ‘We choose you to go on the mission because of your brilliant past. You have performed excellently as expected. Now perhaps you will control an army once again. Not just a few thousand men but tens of thousands. How would you like to lead?’

  ‘What about the current leadership?’

  ‘Desk bound ones, General Felder was killed in the east a short while ago. Set upon by a gang of rogues. Our territories are large. Many top commanders are far away. You’re also highly skilled and very well regarded.’

  Sergun wasn’t impressed with flattery. He knew his family expected him back soon. In his youth at the military academy in his training studies he learnt battles of significance. A great commander must learn from all past mistakes and victories yet remain pragmatic and ready to improvise. Portable artillery would give Tharne the ascendancy in the short term. Massed attacks of men no matter how well trained were nearly obsolete if the weapons could be deployed successfully.

  ‘If I accept this role, will I be permitted to return home when we’re victorious over the cities?’

  ‘General Sergun, if you’re victorious against the cities and defeat the Raiders allied to them rest assured you’ll return home with a team of bodyguards and a tripling of your pension.’

  Sergun enjoyed combat, loved victories and leading men and Galls. What if he rejected the offer and another man took the role and his side lost or suffered great losses of men. ‘I accept the offer. I want all help from the other ministries.’

  ‘I assure you it will come.’

  Minister Thorne stood and shook Sergun’s hand. ‘You are a great soldier. Win these battles and you will go down as the greatest living commander in memory.’

  The meeting was over. Minister Thorne left. He was pleased the Lord’s keen mind was filled with practical ways to help his people win war against their enemies. He knew many men who on hearing terrible news went into rages or drunken binges and lethargy. The new devices looked beautiful. The Lord advised the first cannons and mortars would be moved up in a few days ready for action. Happy with the developments he was eager to get back to Northtown.

  36. A Grim Place

  He was escorted back to the town in the same quality carriages he arrived in. It was a grim sight as he approached. Casualties were laid out on the ground in the open air. One of the towers was half down. Without reinforcements it would not be long before the town fell. It was better to halt the enemy at Northtown for morale. The enemy would be encouraged by any victory to keep attacking.

  Sergun arrived back in Northtown at a critical time. Half of the guns defending the town were destroyed and the numbers of the enemy camped outside grown. Much of the town showed damage and many of the defenders left as wounded and the graveyard looked full. Kall looked in good spirits but was unshaven and his hair appeared unwashed in several days. He appeared disappointed at Sergun’s arrival, smiled and said, ‘I hoped you were arriving with a fresh division. The situation here is close to the end. I thought to end my days in bed with my wife. Not crushed by falling rocks while in bed.’

  Sergun agreed being crushed wasn’t a great way to go. He asked Kall for a private conversation. His room was reached through crumbling walls and dust covered corridors which smelt of burnt flesh. His private room was little bigger than a cell big enough for a table and two chairs. It was lit by candles. If this was how a commander lived, how were the troopers coping he wondered? The reinforcements needed to come quickly. Just as good morale was infectious, a sense of defeat and gloom quickly spread through a population.

  ‘Your woman has gone?’

  ‘A wandering spirit should not be trapped in a room such as this. I’d hate to see her fair body or face harmed by weapons or debris.’

  Both men sat. ‘Can I be sure we’re not overheard by anyone?’

  Kall nodded.

  ‘Absolutely no one with the exception of you must know of this. Surprise by our side is essential to the operation.’

  Sergun explained the strategy. Kall grinned. ‘Our troops are pissed off and eager for revenge. They’ll be full of joy when this happens. Sitting here taking a pounding isn’t good for morale. I’ve tried to keep spirits high but a victory is needed not cheerful words.’

  ‘When we give the order for retreat they must be in fear and truly believe the town is falling. Until Lord Chromosol and his troops arrive we must hold the town at all costs. If they overrun the town and breakout across the countryside it’ll be far harder to destroy them.’

  ‘Until then we’ll have no reinforcements?’

  ‘A trickle, but when we counter attack it’ll be a flood of us and guns all the way to the City of Dreams.’

  ‘I want to be there when we smash down their gates and walls. I want to free all their slaves and kill that rotten Lord.’

  ‘We’ll both be there my friend. Maybe they’ll surrender rather than allow their city to be destroyed? What of Jehran?’

  ‘Maybe. Jehran’s been working hard and keeps his hope like a true believer. He’s been advising the men in combat practise. They admire him and have heard of his exploits. He and Sarish are quite a strange couple but work well together. Grer is also eager to ride out and smash the enemy. He hates confinement like this. The team is still here, maybe until Arconis is gone from this world we shall remain together.’

  ‘It’s good such comrades are still with us. If the enemy breach the walls before the Lord arrives, I’ll be happy such allies are still here.’

  ‘Time for a glass of wine. Maybe the last one we get before victory!’ Kall said.

  He reached under the bed for a bottle and looked for the glasses. The building shook heavily and a glass fell onto the floor and smashed. ‘Dammit!’

  He poured Sergun a drink of the red wine and drank from the bottle. It was a sweet heavy taste. ‘To victory!’ Sergun stated softly.

  ‘Agreed. To being able to sleep in a bed without the walls shaking and without our troops being smashed!’

  Sergun nodded. If the plan worked then soon they should be pursuing the enemy beyond their own walls and crushing their camp and chasing them to the City of Dreams. If it didn’t work they would be running for their lives and fighting small battles across their own lands and it would be very messy and time consuming.

  A careful walk through the town confirmed morale wasn’t high. Too much passivity and too many injuries had occurred. Grer and his troops were eager for combat and bored of waiting. Sergun felt guilty not saying to his old friend what was going to happen. He trusted him but his loyalty to his commanders was critical. He hoped his friend would be overwhelmed when he witnessed the counter-attack.
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  Sergun didn’t sleep well. Kall offered to share his quarters and assured him the attacks on the town did not happen often at night. It was agreed between both sides no firing occurred. The mat wasn’t comfy. The bed was too small to share. He had many thoughts in his head and when he awoke in the middle of the night wondered how long before the guns and troopers arrived.

  Next time he woke he thought of his family. His own parents were long gone; his mother died giving birth to her third child. His father drank himself to death. He would love to wake up next to his wife and feel her heart beating and smell her hair. He hoped she wasn’t troubled by soldiers stationed on his land. He trusted her to be careful with their finances and knew the farm would run without him but it was his home. His son and dogs were there. How many extra days would he be away? It was different being in the army as a single man.

  Was the terrible Lord in the City of Dreams still safe in his huge mansion and still addicted to buying young slaves? How many men or boys had been gelded? He shuddered and felt sick. Apart from the Lord he thought of few he wished such a punishment on.

  Eventually he fell back to sleep and woke with a dry mouth and the knowledge he would not have a good rest for many days. He refused to take any herbs as he didn’t want to fall into a stupor. The town was a mess. It would take many men many weeks to put it back in good order, if it wasn’t burnt to the ground.

  The walls continued to collapse, two more guns fell and fires burnt in the town. The injured cried out, the numbers of soldiers hurt rose until there were few who were uninjured. A messenger on horseback arrived for Sergun and it was the coded message he was waiting for. He told Kall to ensure the collapse of the town occurred early next day in order to give their counter-attack hours of daylight to pursue the enemy.

  ‘Tomorrow! With only two guns left do you think we can hold for another day? It’s going to be tough. We’ve got less than forty archers left who can shoot well.’

  37. Counter Attack

  The order to abandon the town came before sunrise the following day. The remaining wagons with wounded left while it was dark. The town was down to its final gun, the flag of surrender was waved and the gates opened. Only the rear-guard remained. Tired and walking wounded men and Galls ran and walked down the southern hill on which Northtown lay. Disconsolate and defeated, unaware of the trap which lay in wait for the enemy. Fear was in many of the troops’ expressions as they knew there were many thousands of enemy, many of whom had horses, while most of theirs had been sent away. Several were heard saying they were betrayed. Sergun did nothing to stop them. Soon they’d see what the plan was. He hoped the counter-attack and actions of the reinforcements would show the troops the way forward. Reinforcements would not be infected with defeatism and a new air of confidence would be upon the troops later that day if all went well. If the day went badly and the new weapons failed then defeat would set in like rot to all the units around. He trusted his old friend and hoped his soldiers were up to the task. The rotten leaders of the City of Dreams needed to be taught a lesson.

  Sergun found Chromosol close to the front line with plenty of tough looking bodyguards. His friend greeted him warmly. He appeared in good health and excellent spirits. His eyes sparkled with excitement and his whole demeanour was one of a man expecting a great event to occur. ‘Welcome to the trap. Our victims come, and we counter-attack. Just like old times.’

  Sergun grinned. ‘Sounds good. Our lads need a boost here to lift their spirits. Too much waiting has broken many of them.’

  Camouflaged at the bottom of the hill and waiting in the small forest and beyond were the guns and soldiers of the 1st Artillery Regiment. The enemy were more cautious than he liked. Gradually they appeared on the walls and looked down. They raised the banners of the City and Raiders on the walls of the town they had gained. Their confidence was high and they were jubilant. Sergun knew the lack of any food or booty from the captured town and their own sense of joy and power would lead them further into Tharne and they must know the sooner they moved the better. Tense, trained and confident men waited for them, surrounding their large guns like worshippers protecting precious idols. The men were gathered around the smaller mortars like they were magical instruments. Silence was the order and apart from the odd suppressed cough it was maintained. The men and Galls of the 1st Artillery looked tough and were pristine in their outfits. They looked rested, as if they’d come off parade and were all deadly serious. A few looked shocked at those escaping the town. Others ignored them not wanting to be infected with defeat.

  Optimistic in their victory the enemy did not cautiously send scouts ahead. In close formation like a group of excited children on a day out they moved down the hill filling the land until little could be seen of the ground. The Raiders looked typical of their kind wearing skins, often covered in tattoos and bearded. The troops of the city were dressed in brown leggings and armour and looked eager for combat. Without the guns to defend them Sergun knew his side would be annihilated by such a force. At the closest range possible the weapons opened fire. Sergun pressed his fingers into his ears as did nearly all of the men without ear defenders. The tremendous din of the guns firing shook the ground and made the air tremble. The mortars joined in and both small and immense explosions, noise and screams filled the air. The front ranks of enemy disintegrated. Those behind stood shocked while others charged forward their faces filled with hate. The guns were reloaded and the next group of warriors met the same fate. Only a few warriors made it to the troops hidden in the trees and were swiftly finished off. From further back guns opened up on the men closest to the town. They waited in expectation. It was an awe-inspiring scene. The ground and air shook with the force of the explosions. When the guns finally halted there were thousands of bodies visible, and few were moving. The air was full of smoke, the stench of powder and the cries of the wounded and dying. Many men didn’t exist any longer in recognisable form. There were only a few left standing between the small forest and the town above. Bowmen stood and filled their foe with arrows. They fell silently. Men were visible on the walls of the town. Cries of delight and cheers rose from the troops of Tharne. In the space of a few minutes several thousand enemy were utterly obliterated.

  Jubilation was evident on the faces of the creatures in the forest. Sergun’s face did not yet match theirs. He was pleased with the devastation yet it was also a brutal, methodical, mechanised carnage he hadn’t witnessed before. Large guns were rarely so effective. The first part of the strategy was successful, and the trap had been sprung. It was still early in the morning. He wondered how the battle would lie by the end of the day.

  Kall was joyous at the sight but also shocked at the devastation. ‘Better them than us.’

  Sergun nodded and smiled. He remained crouching, but was full of energy, awake and alert. He was ready to help take back the town as soon as possible. It felt strange to be passive and to let others do the work. He didn’t know how to operate a gun or mortar anyway.

  The guns next opened up on the walls of the town with greater accuracy and power than those of the enemy trebuchets. The men on the walls of the town soon fled. A final volley of mortar fire and the troops from the forest moved forward, pushing those guns with limited range with them. The remaining guns in the forest and beyond remained in place for now and targeted the land to the north of the town with regular and accurate fire. A group of surviving warriors stood at the entrance to the town and challenged the attackers. Mortars were fired repeatedly. When the smoke cleared, none of the men remained to be seen. The men and Galls charged with their shields and swords in front of them. Sergun followed in the second wave. The town was lightly occupied, the fighting brief, the enemy soon vanquished. The walls of the town were retaken and scouts reported the remaining enemy had not fled; there were still many outside. This information was quickly passed to those manning the guns further back. Those inside the town took cover and the scouts reported the damage. Sergun climbed up onto the battle
ments, found a spot which wasn’t too damaged and carefully peered over. The devastating fire from his side was awesome to watch. Many thousands of men lay dead, explosions covered the area, clouds of debris filled the air. It was a sight he had been waiting for since the enemy gathered outside. Into the town rode hundreds of riders.

  Sergun was in a confident, aggressive mode. Almost triumphant but also aware of all he saw and felt around him. The bitter stench of fired weapons and bodies was evident. The troops blood was up.

  Sergun, Grer and Kall wearing their gauntlets, armour and helmets, had mounted their rides and waited to charge. The noise from the artillery filled the air along with the fainter cries of the enemy while the ground shook and the Tharne troops patiently waited their time to act. The sound of the shells flying through the air was unusual at first, and unlike anything else Sergun had heard. The smaller guns made different noises but the effects were the same; death, injury and destruction. The firing was relentless and the carnage great until the scouts cried, ‘they are fleeing.’ The order was sent for the guns to cease and the riders assembled outside the walls of the recaptured town. Cautiously at first the warriors on horseback moved slowly over the broken ground. The enemy equipment was wrecked, the tents gone, bodies and limbs and offal lay all around.

  After the destruction of the lines in and outside of Northtown, Tharne cavalry rode out together with the same number of mounted infantry to harry the fleeing enemy. Lines of enemy offered resistance but were quickly overcome. Prisoners were taken. Only a small number of the enemy who were gathered outside Northtown would make it back home alive. Artillery and mortars were moved up after the riders along with the foot soldiers. The morale of the Tharne troops was restored. Intimidated and bitter no longer. Looking out now from Northtown to a landscape cleared of living enemy was a great feeling. The entire enemy camp was wrecked and abandoned.