by Neo B.
The war was progressing just as he had planned. Dinul was already enjoying the fruits of the palace and it was only a matter of time before he could call the palace permanently his.
43. Message Goes Out
Karkish wanted Dinul to believe that he had been successfully able to cut-off any communication between the rest of his army and him, especially between Dhartiputra and him. Even if Dhartiputra had won his battle, he would not know where to go if he did not receive any messages from the king. Even if Dhartiputra decided to come to Pataliputra with what remained of his army, speed would matter, Karkish thought. Whichever army came to the aid of their leader first, would surely win the city. Dinul had managed to send his messages to his allies to come to Pataliputra as soon as possible. They would be here soon and then it would be all over for them, Karkish thought.
Agniputra had, therefore, decided to go to the city walls and cross it unseen so that the king’s message could reach Dhartiputra in secret. Karkish hoped that on getting the message, Dhartiputra would make haste and reach Pataliputra in time. As night approached Agniputra came to the king, who had by now prepared the message, explaining in detail their position and asking Dhartiputra not to send any reply, but come to Pataliputra as soon as he could. His reply could fall into the wrong hands, and warn Dinul.
The road to the city walls passed close to one of the palaces where some of the northerners were standing guard. The challenge was to pass the palace without being noticed. The northerners were keen observers, and it would be almost impossible to reach the wall without being noticed.
“Dhartiputra is our only hope. We somehow need to let him know that we need his help, but they are not letting us send our pigeons and no man has been able to leave the camp as their marksmen are on the lookout and their arrows are reaching far,” Agniputra said.
“But someone must get far enough to take a pigeon out and let them know we need them. Time is of essence here. The other armies will reach here in a matter of days, and once they are here, we are done for,” said Karkish.
“I must do it tonight then, my king,” Agniputra said, “I must use the darkness to get across.”
Karkish knew it was a dangerous mission, but it had to be done by someone brave and trustworthy.
44. The Battle to the end
The city gates had been closed for the past three days and men had been placed there to keep a look out for any armies that approached the city. For three days there had been complete silence on both sides of the battlefront.
Dinul’s men and Karkish’s army had been on the ready, but both armies had thought it best to wait this period out. There had been no fighting between the two groups after the first night. Both sides felt that fighting would be just a waste of time and resources. It was a period of restlessness. Both the leaders could do nothing but to keep an eye out on the horizon and hope that their men would reach there first.
Dinul had used the pigeons to convey to his army that they should hurry up to get to Pataliputra. They had found out that Dhartiputra had managed to defeat Kanaka and that he, along with Angada had managed to salvage some of Angada’s army and now they were on their way to Pataliputra. Dinul was furious. But he was sure that the four kings would reach Pataliputra first.
On hearing from Dinul that they had managed to push Karkish into a corner, the kings had ridden out with the best riders to Pataliputra, but their soldiers were behind. They wanted to divert some of the soldiers to the gates so that Dinul could easily finish off the remaining soldiers. It was a scheme that was going to work.
When Karkish saw the four kings riding on their horses at the distance, his heart sank. This was the end. The four kings were marching along with a great show. They had won their battles and now they had reached the gates of Pataliputra to win the war and share the spoils of the war. Karkish felt angry and did not know how to react.
He realised that if he felt this way, how would his soldiers be feeling. It seemed to be an unnecessary waste of lives to fight now. He should surrender, he thought. Dinul was sure to kill him, but he might spare the soldiers, for once he would become king he would need an army of his own. He could not win every war with the handful of his northerners. Karkish was sure that once the four kings and Dinul had won the war they would be fighting among themselves as to who gets what.
Karkish was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not notice Agniputra get up from his side and walk to the edge of the city wall. Karkish was brought to the present by Agniputra’s voice.
“Look, my king,” suddenly an excited voice came to his ear. He had never heard Agniputra this excited before in his life.
Karkish looked in the direction Agniputra was pointing at. At first all he could see was a cloud of dust. Then he realised that the cloud of dust was a group of horsemen who were riding like the wind towards Pataliputra. They could not be more than 400, but they were moving faster than the armies of the five kings. Never before had a sight warmed Karkish’s heart as much as these galloping horses.
The armies of the five kings had not yet noticed the horses coming towards Pataliputra as their line of vision was blocked by a clump of trees. Karkish was hoping that they would be able to get to the palace gates without being seen, but then he saw king Govinda pointing in the direction of the horsemen.
Almost immediately a few horsemen broke from the ranks of the armies of the kings in order to try and prevent the horsemen from reaching the city gates. Dhartiputra and his men saw the men coming and they increased their speed. They wanted to get into the city without having to fight, as losing any more men at this juncture could be disastrous for them.
Dhartiputra’s men were about a thousand metres from the city gates and the men who were trying to stop them were a little further. For a moment it seemed that Dhartiputra and his men would be able to reach the city gates without having to fight them, but suddenly the horsemen of the enemies picked up speed and now it was clear that the clash was imminent.
Dhartiputra and Angada were in the front when the enemy attacked from the side. Dhartiputra and his men kept on moving forward as they battled. They were having a fierce fight almost 200 metres from the city gates.
Karkish and Agniputra were watching with their hearts in their mouth. If these men could reach the gates in time, the war could still be saved. They were metres away from a chance to save Pataliputra and suddenly their chance seemed to have been taken away.
Dhartiputra and his men were inching forward but the fierce battle ensured that some of their men died. Though it was obvious that Dhartiputra’s men were the battle warriors, but every second lost was precious. Soon the rest of the army would catch up with the horsemen and there would be no chance for Dhartiputra and his men.
“We must do something,” Karkish said rubbing his hands in exasperation.
Agniputra was of the same opinion. He did not wait for any instructions but quickly asked his men to go to the aide of the Dhartiputra. A unit of one thousand men was quickly dispatched to the gates and with the help of these men, Dhartiputra and his men were able to chase them away.
The city gates were quickly opened to let the men in and then quickly closed. With Dhartiputra and his men safe inside, Karkish felt for the first time that the war could still be own.
“Victory to Pataliputra,” he yelled and his enthusiasm infected the soldiers as well.
45. The Final Battle
Dinul had been observing the events unfolding from his place in the palace. He was angry that once again fate had come to Karkish’s rescue.
Karkish, on his part, was glad that Dhartiputra and Angad had arrived safe and sound.
“What’s the news, Dhartiputra?” Karkish asked.
“The enemy turned out to be smarter than we thought, my lord. They lured all of us in to a trap. Timely warning from Agniputra saved me from making the same mistake and I was able to save my men. I have asked them to Pataliputra and they should be reaching here in another day or so.”
This was good news. Karkish was glad that finally some good news was coming their way.
“Then I went to find Angada and his army and found out that they had been led into a trap. We were able to save many of their soldiers too, many of whom are on their way to Pataliputra even as we speak.”
“Why did you come here first?”
“It was king Kanaka who told us about Dinul’s plan to attack Pataliputra from the north. Once I came to know that the capital was in danger because we have no protection from that side. But, I see you have managed to hold on to the city. I however chose to meet Angada first as I thought it would be better to come here with a larger army,” said Dhartiputra.
He did not want to say that he had rescued Angada, because Angada was already in a foul mood because of his mistake and he did not want him to feel any worse.
“We were saved by chance, Dhartiputra. Just a few hours before the attack we found out about their plan,” Karkish said.
“What do we do now?” Agniputra said. He was thinking out loud and was hoping to hear everyone's plan before he finalised his own.
“I think the best thing is to wait. With our soldiers at their back, we can force the four king’s hands and defeat Dinul too.”
But Karkish was saved from making this decision as they heard Dinul’s horn blow. Dinul after realising that he had the upper hand for now, with the armies of the four kings outsides the gates and his men on the inside, felt that now was the time to attack. If they could beat them now they could still win the war.
Karkish and his men were freshly inspired with their recent victory and they met Dinul’s war cry with one of their own.
“Let the final war begin,” announced Karkish as he blew on his conch.
Dinul was also blowing on his horn loudly, as a signal to the kings outside that he was waging the war within, and they should go ahead and attack from the outside. Once again the northerners and Karkish’s men fell upon each other. The spirits of both sides were up seeing that they had friends to help.
Karkish had left about a thousand archers on the city walls to stop the kings from coming too close to the city walls. The archers however had to wait till Dhartiputra and Angad along with their men had entered the city. Once they had entered the city, the city gates were closed once again and a rain of arrows now poured down upon the king’s men. It was evident that they would not be able to come any closer until their foot soldiers arrived. They would have to move forward with their shields and try to break down the city walls.
Karkish had told his soldiers to try and ward off the attack for as long as possible, because help would be arriving soon. This had lifted the spirits of the soldiers who were fighting like there was no tomorrow.
Inside, Dhartiputra and his band of warriors had joined Karkish and his men in fighting the Northerners. The northerners were surprised by the ferocity with which the newly arrived men fought. They were bent on taking revenge for their friends that had been killed in the war. Soon, it was evident that the reinforced side would be easily able to defeat the northerners. Though they were fighting like they had never fought in their lives, yet they were outnumbered by one 20 now and Dinul realised that they had no chance of winning. He did not want to lose any of these brave men unnecessarily. It would be wise, he thought, to live today to fight another day rather than to die today forever.
Dinul took a step and moved backward. In one swift motion, he signalled his men to fall back. The northerners were fast and in a moment the raging battle scene was turned into a desolate arena, with Karkish and his men the only standing warriors.
As Agniputra and his men tried to chase them, Karkish stopped them.
“This could be another one of his trap, Agniputra,” Karkish yelled as Agniputra was getting ready to chase Dinul.
Agniputra realised that this could be true. Every time they felt like they were winning Dinul had come up with an ace up his sleeve.
“Be careful. We have them running now, we don’t want to make a mistake,” Karkish yelled again.
Agniputra realised that there was a sense in what Karkish was saying and he stopped. Dinul had often and again set up traps for them and they had walked right into them. This won’t be one such time.
Instead of rushing forward without a care, Karkish, Dhartiputra, Agniputra and the rest of the men cautiously walked forward searching the palaces one after the other. Finally, they had searched all the palaces and realised that Dinul had once again fled to the north with his men. They could see them climbing down the north wall.
Once again Karkish had a quick decision to take. He could either chase the northerners or he could focus all his attention to the four kings. Karkish knew that none of his men had the spirit to chase the northerners at the moment. He also had to use his army to look after the defence of his city, but he also had to ensure that these men did not come back again and surprise them. He posted some of the soldiers as sentinels on the north wall, while he ordered the rest of the army to attack the kings. He knew that it he needed to teach them a lesson, and he had ample time to do that. Karkish wanted to defeat the horsemen before the rest of their army joined them. If the kings were not there to lead their armies, the armies would become like animals whose head had been cut off. However magnificent the beast may be, it cannot survive without the head.
The four kings were surprised to see the gates open, and as they opened Karkish and his horsemen burst forward from them. The kings were shocked to see this as they had expected that Dinul would be keeping them busy.
The four kings and their men were no match for the ferocity of Karkish’s army. The four kings tried their best to put up as brave a fight as they could, but Karkish and his men were able to overpower them easily and soon they were the prisoners of war.
By the time the other units of the armies arrived, the war was over. Once it became public that the four kings had been imprisoned and that Karkish had managed to hold on to his city, any hopes of resistance by the enemy were vanquished. The enemy soldiers camped outside the city, and Karkish had assured them a safe return if they left the next day.
Karkish had offered to send Agniputra to one of the kingdoms as a king to rule on his behalf, but Agniputra said that his place was by his side. Dhartiputra was asked to look after the kingdom and he agreed. Four other kings were required, but it was decided that it would be done later.
The priority was to go after Dinul to the north. As long as he was free in the north, there would be no peace in the kingdom.
But it would take a while to take an army to the north. There were no roads and without roads, any army would find it impossible to travel, especially if it was to travel with supplies. So, it was decided that one group of men would go to the north in search for Dinul. They would not engage with the army, but if possible they would try to capture Dinul and bring him back as the prisoner.
46. A Trip to the North
Karkish and Shakuntala were sitting in their room. The war was over, but there were clouds of anxiety over both their faces.
“Are you sure you want to go with them,” Shakuntala was asking.
“I have to. All this war was because Dinul wanted to seek his revenge and if I don’t go after him, it just wouldn’t be fair to the others,” replied Karkish. “I can’t always let others fight my battle.”
Karkish wanted answers and he knew there would be no peace for him unless he had found Dinul and talked to him. Karkish still felt that if he could talk to him, maybe he could change his heart and make him join the good side, instead of fighting against him. An ally like him would make them the most powerful kingdom in the world.
In order to find Dinul, Karkish had formed a team of fifteen men to go to the north and follow Dinul. He had decided to be a part of the team of fifteen men that would go to scout the north and try to find and capture Dinul. Agniputra, Dhartiputra, Angad and Vidyutputra were a part of the team and the others were the members of the secret force that Agniputra had created. Karkish had deci
ded against taking a larger army because that would present many difficulties and as much as possible, Karkish did not want to start another war with the northerners. The best people of Pataliputra were in the team and many thought that this could be a suicide mission. Shakuntala tried her best to stop Karkish from going, but Karkish had made up his mind. Karkish had asked Vidur to look after the kingdom while he was gone. Karkish required the best people he wanted with him and therefore, he had chosen all the best warriors to go with him.
Karkish and his team did not take the steep route that the northerners had taken. Instead they had taken a slightly easier way. Dinul and his men had chosen the steep north wall because that allowed them to mount an attack on the city without being seen. Karkish had no such problems and therefore, they decided to take the easy way out. However, even this way was filled with dangers and walking was difficult. Karkish and his friends could not help but admire the strength and ability of the northerners as they had climbed the wall, without much effort. As they climbed the mountains to the north, they were impressed with the difficult environment the northerners lived in. What sort of people could survive in such harsh circumstances and how had Dinul managed to persuade them to fight for him.
The walk was tiring and the men had to take rest after every few hours. The nights were even colder and the tents they had brought along were proving to be inadequate against the severe cold. Food had to be rationed too as they did not know how long their journey was going to last. They had expected the journey to last at least fifteen days and they had planned to hunt for food during their journey.
After three days of walking, the desolation had become complete and the signs of any life were reducing. They had seen a rare wild animal every now and then, but they were too fast for them to hunt. Plus they did not want to waste precious time hunting. If they could easily hunt an animal they would, otherwise they would focus on the journey.