201 No More Probes (1/2)
Long before any information reached their position, the sound of cheers in the distance told Tracao of their first victory. However, none of the positive atmosphere transferred over. Unlike the simple-minded commoners at the wall, the men under his command were all proper warriors who understood the significance of real battle and treated it with the required decorum. Even though they had spent several days together on the march and the commoners had proven somewhat dependable in their first battle together, this sort of cavalier attitude showed the difference between the king's new soldiers and proper warriors.
Rather than be happy with a shallow victory during the first engagement, Tracao looked behind, where they had established line of sight through a gap in the trees to transmit news and orders via flag. Of course, a real warrior like him wouldn't need any paper or spend a lot of time to decipher the king's new symbols, unlike the clumsy commoners.
Driven by honor and duty, Tracao had spent the days since his arrival in the king's army practicing the new symbols and communication methods of Saniya. By now, he had become an expert in both. Once he saw the flags move, he could read the message right away; and his face turned grim.
”Here it is, men! Our call to arms! Between one and two hundred enemy warriors are on their way to our position! Everyone get in formation, and raise your shields and axes! Remember the plan and let none of them get away!”
Quite unlike what Tracao was used to from previous battlefields, there was no reason to doubt the transmitted information. If nothing else, at least their king was dependable when it came to warfare. At first, Tracao hadn't been especially eager to serve King Corcopaca. Not only had the king introduced commoners into his army and thus cheapened the standing of the warriors, Tracao's real master was Lord Huaman, who had his own plans for the south and wasn't too eager to see the king succeed.
Although the lords wanted Corco to win the war and defend the south, they didn't want an overwhelming victory. If the king was too successful, he would gain too much political weight and might reduce the power of the lords in the future.
However, his master wasn't here right now, so he had more freedom to act upon his own thoughts. As far as Tracao was concerned, the king had proven himself more than worthy to be followed. In his speech, he had shown that he understood the situation the warriors of the south were in, always under the thumb of the northerners.
Of course, the lords would say anything to make warriors fight for them, but Corcopaca had proven his sincerity when he had shied away from most luxury on their campaign to live no better than the warriors around him. He would even refuse to be carried by his guards and would always speak in an informal manner that inspired familiarity. Somehow, he had a strange energy about him, something that would spur others on and bring the best out of them.
In the absence of any other high nobility and with Corco's no-nonsense attitude and his string of wins, the king had won the goodwill of most southern warriors. Tracao was glad that the enthusiasm of his men had given him an excuse to support the young king.
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For King Corco and his goals, Tracao was willing to do his best, even if it meant getting scolded by his master later.
Not long after, enemy troops closed in on their position, though they were just some shock infantry from the northern lords. The decent quality of their training could already be seen from their approach. They didn't blindly charge ahead to flank the main force as soon as possible and instead moved in small groups, covering each other's flanks to prevent ambushes.
Still, their orderly formation didn't last for long. As soon as they saw the warrior line Tracao had formed at the top of a small incline within the woods, the enemy movements grew restless. Since he didn't have any of the king's fancy new weapons at his disposal, Tracao's setup looked very traditional. This would be an old-fashioned clash of warriors against warriors, no tricks and no games; the first chance in this unusual war to distinguish themselves with their prowess in battle. At least that was what the enemy commanders were supposed to think.
At first, they charged the hill as planned, and Tracao's own men at the top got ready to meet them head on. However, as the first row had reached halfway up the incline, one of them lost his footing on the snow, tripped and fell. Soon, a second followed, and then a third. Only hours earlier, Tracao had personally picked this spot for battle after a lengthy inspection. Although it wasn't the steepest hill in the forest, it was the longest, and had his men spread cold water all the way downhill. By now, the surface had frozen and turned into a slippery mess, the dangerous glimmer of ice hidden by the shadows of the forest. Again and again, King Pacha's warriors tried to stand and regain their momentum, but they all lost their balance and tumbled down to the ground. As they slid back down the hill, they took more of their allies with them in a chain reaction, until their orderly formation had turned into a chaotic heap of limbs.
”Charge!” Tracao shouted, and rushed out of his hidden position with a raised axe. Since he had chosen this strategy, he wouldn't only place his men atop the hill. How would they get down to deal with the enemy warriors without slipping themselves? No, the men at the top were only the bait, and it was his job to clean up the mess they had caused.
Together with a small team of twenty warriors, they charged out of the bushes to the side and fell into the rows of enemies like wolves into a pack of deer. Without mercy, their axes cut down the fallen warriors. The king had emphasized that no one was to escape and Tracao had sworn to fulfill the orders of his temporary master as best he could. Whoever didn't surrender on the spot soon lost his life within the nameless little forest.
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”It appears the woods are no longer a viable avenue of attack from now on.” Pacha frowned as he looked down on the trembling warrior with the nasty cut on his right arm.