Chapter 44: Victory?...
Vijayanagara Empire, Hampi City.
As the messenger concluded his speech, he held a brave gaze on Vijay, almost as if waiting for Vijay to remove his crown in response.
Contrary to his expectations, upon hearing the words of the messenger, Vijay felt a sense of surprise—not because of the threat, but because he realized that his distant cousin was the mastermind behind this war. But After a moment of contemplation, everything fell into place. Once a part of the royal family, his cousin held a significant position among the nobles. It made logical sense for him to lead the rebellion.
After a brief silence, Vijay gestured toward an archer. Swiftly without a second of delay, an arrow was released from the city walls, landing at the feet of the messenger. Startled, the messenger hurriedly retreated, stumbling along the way. In his haste, he shouted back towards the army, "You will regret this!"
His voice carried a mix of anger and frustration as he retreated back to his forces.
The next moment, as expected, the rebel army began its advance. In a matter of moments, the army closed in, coming within the range of the archers. General Senapati, taking the chance issued the order, and volleys of arrows were unleashed, filling the air one after another.
Before Vijay's eyes, he witnessed men charging forward, braving the rain of arrows. Vijay watched as the arrows sliced through the air, piercing and ripping apart the flesh and blood of the charging soldiers. The cries of pain echoed throughout the area as the air was filled with a bloody mist of the fallen soldiers, Later only to be trampled by their own comrades from behind.
However, this situation didn't last long as the soldiers swiftly protected themselves by hoisting shields above their heads. A few men from the rear, with the cover of the shields, advanced with a ladder, intent on climbing over the city walls. Seeing this, Senapati made a predetermined hand gesture to his lieutenant, who had been briefed on the plan. As the signal circulated among the troops, the squad captains stationed in various parts of the wall cracked open the wooden barrels in their supplies, which were fully filled with flammable oil.
Just as the enemy soldiers began their climb, they felt a liquid substance being poured onto them from above. A soldier who had nearly reached the top of the wall noticed the sticky substance on his body as he wiped his face and realized the slick, oily texture on his hands. It didn't take him long to grasp the situation. Before he could alert the others, flames were ignited from the top of the wall.
Vijay watched in shock and Extreme nausea as the horrifying scene unfolded before him. He had mentally braced himself for the violence of war, but the reality surpassed his worst imagination. The sight of hundreds of men consumed by flames, creating a wall of fire, was a gruesome surprise. The sounds of sizzling flesh and the nauseating smell of burning human bodies filled the air, overpowering his senses. Overwhelmed, he couldn't bear it any longer and rushed to the side, vomiting as his body struggled to cope with the distressing sight.
The rebel army was thinning rapidly; at least 5,000 soldiers had been killed in their recent engagement. However, their force of 15,000 soldiers remained formidable. They hastily constructed more ladders than the oil existed and began to ascend the city walls. Multiple battles erupted on the walls.
Observing this, Vijay turned to his General and inquired, "Is this the right time, General?"
Senapati, understanding the situation, nodded in agreement. "Indeed, Your Highness. It's time to put your plan into action."
He then glanced at his lieutenant and ordered, "Execute the 'Trishula' plan."
As the lieutenant received the command, he raised a flag bearing a symbol resembling a trident or Shiva's trishul. Similar flags were simultaneously raised along the city walls. The rebel army, confused by the lack of any immediate change, wondered what the enemy was up to.
Unbeknownst to them, secret tunnels leading outside the city had been dug in the corners of the city a few days prior. Upon receiving the signal, 10,000 cavalry soldiers emerged from both sides of the city. The rebel army's attention was fully fixated on breaching the wall, leaving them unaware of the approaching danger. They were caught off guard as the cavalry swiftly closed in from their blind spot.
By the time the rebel army gained an advantage on the wall, they were suddenly flanked by the cavalry emerging from both sides behind them. As more men were trampled down by the deadly charge of the cavalry, those who remained became terrified by the horrific scene and dropped their weapons, surrendering.
"Looks like we've won, General," Vijay exclaimed in happiness.
"I wouldn't be so sure, Your Highness," General Senapati replied with apprehension.
Vijay, hearing the general's response, was filled with doubt. They had already surrendered, so what more could be left?
As if sensing Vijay's uncertainty, Senapati continued, "Your Highness, the plan went too smoothly. I have my suspicions that something is amiss. There were no important personnel present in the war this time."
Vijay pondered for a moment and suggested, "Could they have run away? Maybe they realized they couldn't match our army."
Senapati replied, still not entirely convinced, "I don't know, Your Highness. But we can only hope that your guess is correct. Moreover, when we sent in the cavalry, they reported encountering no scouts from the rebel side. This is very suspicious, as there should have been many scouts on the battlefield to monitor the enemy's movements."
Vijay felt a pang of embarrassment, wondering why he had suggested the Trishul plan. He had seen it in the movie "Baahubali" in his past life and thought it would have practical significance in this war. But now it seemed less practical.
"Why did you accept my suggestion, then?" Vijay asked, sounding somewhat defensive.
Senapati chuckled a bit, seeing Vijay's embarrassment. However, he quickly reassured the king, saying, "Your plan still has merit, Your Highness. In a normal situation, scouts would indeed spot our cavalry coming. However, cavalry is a fast-moving unit, and they couldn't relay information faster than our cavalry reaching their target."
Vijay was slightly relieved by this explanation, feeling a bit better about his suggestion. He then headed back to the palace to handle the post-war responsibilities.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺