226 Change in Fortune (2/2)
Reminded of Huemac's new weapons, Wacoca smiled. As the king's manufactories continued to mass-produce more and more of his new flintlock rifles, the old matchlock guns had been replaced bit by bit. Since they had many more guns than soldiers, the obsolete models had been sent over to the Chutwa, to aid in their defense of the city. The green prince wondered what the lady would think if she knew that her brother had only given her second-hand goods.
”Since you called us here, I assume that is no longer the case then? You can't defend any more” Dedrick asked in a straight-forward manner.
”Correct again, my foreign friend,” Yasimi said. ”Around the end of the year, there was a large battle between the forces, which ended in a grand victory for our troops. Ever since the end of the year then, the Flowing Water Sect has drawn back from its incessant attacks. Rather than try to fight us by themselves in formal combat, they have resorted to raids on the surrounding villages. With sowing season upon us, these raids will affect our harvest for the year if we do not act soon. At the same time, their sect master Ectnare managed to convince the other sects and bandit groups within the Xallisco county to form a grand alliance and suppress Chatra Huemac, the government official. Even their old foes, the sunburst sect, has joined their cause. After all, they have reigned over their little plots of land with great freedom so far, so the resurgent power of Hueatlan is a threat to all of them. Thus, they want to threaten our finances by ruining land trade and harvests until we are forced into a war.”
”So what sort of army do they have?” Dedrick asked, now with a piece of paper and a coal pen in his hands. Wacoca had seen these objects spread throughout Corco's inner circle. First only the mysterious Lady Tamaya had used them, but now they were everywhere. Maybe it would be a good idea to get them for himself.
”Their 'army' can hardly be called as such,” Yasimi replied Dedrick. ”In the end, they are only bandits and thieves. They do not possess any modern weaponry. No rockets, cannons or flame-spewers like the Chutwa Empire's armies, and no modern firearms like Medala - and now Hueatlan - either. Most of them are close-range warriors to boot. The few who use bows or throwing weapons trained only to fight individuals and not in formation. They are bandits and duelists of various sects after all, so they will not have much coordination as an army. Though we have heard that they have ridden elephants in some of their village raids, so caution is still necessary. We do not know the exact numbers, but it could not have been too many. With the sparsity of food along the east coast, they could not possibly find enough fodder to feed more than ten of them through the winter.”
”No idea what that's supposed to be, please speak a language I can understand,” Dedrick complained, even though Yasimi had been speaking in Yakua all this time out of courtesy. ”Is that 'elephant' some new Chutwa weapon?”
Wacoca laughed at the man's ignorance, and even Yasimi couldn't quite hide a small giggle. Still, she did her best to explain herself to her guest from afar, and even managed to hide any condescension.
”An elephant is an animal, as large as a house. They inhabit the warmer climates of the eastern lands, so Commander Dedrick would not be aware of them. The Chutwa and Verdant Folk ride them and use their great strength for many purposes. Among those, war is the most intimidating. The great command teams of war elephants are one of the greatest trump cards the Immortal Palace of Chutwa can field.”
”So it's just an animal. No reason to be so worried then. Never in recorded history has an animal played a crucial role in an Arcavian war. Why would that change now?” Dedrick sneered. However, Wacoca was worried enough for the two of them instead. He knew elephants from his home, and knew of their great power. Not even a row of armored cultivators could stand up to an elephant's charge.
”Do not underestimate them,” he cautioned. ”I understand that on your battlefields, the cultivators might have been the absolute masters, but if you do not respect the power of the elephants, it could spell our ends.”
”I doubt Commander Dedrick will misjudge their strength,” Yasimi chimed in. ”Not after he has seen one for himself.”
”Rather than some beasts,” Dedrick changed topics, clearly unconvinced. ”I'm much more interested in the organization of their army, or lack thereof. If we want to win the war, it'd be in our best interest to attack them sooner rather than later. The more time we give them, the more time they have to consolidate their forces, and to train in formation. That sounds like a hassle and I wanna get back home, so we better get a move on.”
”Forcing an engagement should not be too difficult,” Yasimi replied in a more cautious tone. ”From what we can gleam in the reports of our scouts, it seems like the enemy army also has an interest in an early confrontation.”
”Why would they?” Wacoca asked. ”Don't they hold the advantage so long as they control the countryside? They can train themselves as they starve us out.”
”Their size doesn't only give them advantages,” Dedrick guessed, something Lady Yasimi was eager to confirm.
”Correct again, commander. It seems like my brother made the right choice when he appointed you. The size of their troops is a problem for them. After all, sects and bandit groups do not usually start wars, and are thus unequipped to lead one. They may have taken some supplies from the surrounding villages, but the land around Hueatlan is unsuitable for agriculture to begin with, and it is the first season of the year, so there is little to take. At this point, they will starve out much sooner than us, since we are backed by the city's granary. They will be aiming for a swift resolution of the war, and then for one-sided negotiations where my husband will give up his power in all but name, together with the food to feed them.”
After Yasimi looked up into the serious faces around her, she offered them a calming smile.
”Though even in the worst of circumstances, you will always be able to surrender and return home with all but your pride intact. After all, these bandits would not dare truly take over our town and risk involvement from the Immortal Palace. True imperial troops would clean that rabble up as soon as they arrived. No matter what, Huemac is still an appointed chatra of the court, so his death would be a slight towards the emperor himself.”
”Speaking of your husband, wouldn't he be the nominal leader of our troops? Where is he?” Dedrick looked around, even though he should have known that there was no one in the room but them and a few servants.
”My husband is not in the city,” Yasimi replied. ”After all, the little trade we are doing with the southern kingdom right now is still not legalized by the palace. For now, husband has traveled to the capital to uphold his part of the bargain and gain an official tributary status for King Corco's made-up kingdom of 'Britain'.”
*And conveniently, he'll be away when the war happens, so he will be safe no matter what happens to his people or his new wife,* Wacoca added in his head.
However, Lady Yasimi would be well aware of her husband's motives. If he noted them in front of her, he would only show off his rudeness and achieve nothing more.
”Then I hope he will find success soon.” he said instead. There was no reason to worry about others anyways. The war was close, and they had much work to do.