Chapter 445: Downpour

The rain started to fall heavy as the enemy Transport Ships passed the point where Ling Tong and his small fleet of Han Doujian Attack Ships were hidden. They had covered themselves with leaves and branches as they hid in little alcoves along the shoreline, watching the enemies on the southern shore marching. In the distance, Ling Tong could see where the stones flew in the air and landed amongst the crowded Warriors as they marched. The sound of screams, roars of anger at an enemy they couldn’t quite yet reach, could be heard as the stones landed.

The enemy Transport Ships were packed full of enemy Warriors as they travelled down towards the Calm River Fleet that was currently under the temporary command of Xanthippus. Ling Tong couldn’t see what was happening to his fleet, with the borrowed ships from Su Fei and Xanthippus himself, but the sound of the Bolt’s being released from the Ballistae could he heard as it travelled on the wind up the river. Ling Tong knew that the Trireme of Xanthippus would be hidden behind the towering Louchuan, giving the enemies the impression that they could approach the giant ship that they most likely suspected wasn’t made for this scenario. Ling Tong knew that the enemy would be wrong in that assumption.

There was some noise from beneath him, catching his intention as he looked down and saw that one of the Titanaconda Riders under Centurion Hector was struggling to calm his mount. The Titanaconda’s were split across his forces and all hidden amongst the small Doujian ships locations. Ling Tong suspected the powerful snakes would be more comfortable in the Calm River than when they were usually deployed with Gan Ning’s fleet in the Serene Sea. They weren’t fully aware of the enemies naval presence and Zhou Yu had made sure that they had as much prepared as possible.

"Patience." Ling Tong heard the rider trying to calm his mount, the scent of blood on the far shore passing across to them. He could sense the men behind him feeling the same way, knowing their Army and Navy would soon be engaged, whilst they waited for an enemy that may not appear.

Ling Tong knew that Gan Ning would be further up the shore line, finding a safe place for him and his Cavalry to swim across behind the enemy lines, to potentially ambush or cause chaos in the enemies camp. Long Tong’s role was to disrupt the enemy Navy before joining up with his fellow General, once sworn to kill him in vengeance for his father, but now saw him as an older brother. But he couldn’t strike yet, as for all they knew, this could just be the enemy Navies Vanguard.

...

"Come on!" Zhao Yun grumbled, his white Cavalry and the Boatian Cavalry were waiting patiently behind him, their horses being calmed as the mass of them were being held to wait. One nearby emptied it’s bladder, with the rider behind complaining quietly on his own horse. The sound of Subutai’s approach could now be heard, the clambering of hooves upon the ground as they ran from the enemies, drawing them in to this trap. Zhao Yun was confident that Subutai could have ended the enemies Cavalry alone with a small number, but this tactic fully exposed the enemies flank and didn’t allow them any inclinations of wanting to retreat as they felt they had the advantage.

Zhao Yun turned his head slightly to the new Warriors behind him, knowing that giving them the opportunity to bloody their swords and spears was also a good way to tie their loyalties to the Lazarus Kingdom fully. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, counting to four as he inhaled, before releasing a deep exhale. The ground beginning to shake slightly as the enemy Cavalry approached, unaware that hidden around this bend of the Western Mountain of the Red Hare Valley was his Cavalry waiting to ambush them.

"It will be soon." Masistius commented from beside him. The Persian Cavalry Commander had done well in his brief time since joining, he had a large hurdle to make the primarily Greek Cavalry follow his command, but his tactics and way with the men was endearing.

"Let’s end them quickly and join the main Battle." Zhao Yun replied. Masistius’s relative Megabyzus was also with them. Lord Lazarus, no, King Lazarus, had explained that this young Warrior had high potential. Zhao Yun felt a little bad at the young Generals instructions, to clean the battlefield of any thing of importance and then join them. There were carts and some civilians waiting behind their lines, confident in the Lazarus Kingdom’s Victory, to help Megabyzus with his role.

There was a brief moment of silence, as the air split in front of them just as Subutai charged passed them, continuing to head south, whilst his own unit followed him. They continued to release the occasional arrow behind them and throwing insults at those that followed them. The unit of Horse Archers under Subutai ignored the hiding Cavalry, drawing the enemy further in to the trap.

Zhao Yun raised his hand in response, holding it high so his own Warriors would know that when he dropped it, they would charge.

.....

"They just keep coming." Dom mumbled to himself as he watched the enemy forces approach closer to the wall. They had taken the pounding of mighty stones from the Stone Throwers, the Arrows and Stones from the Archers and Slingers, as well as the Ballistae from the Wall and the Fleet beside them.

Thousands of bodies lay crumbled in their wake as they approached the closest point of the defence line before the wall itself, where traps had been placed and the spiked ditch beyond the wall lay before them. The enemies numbers had reduced, but it still seemed to continue in the distance as they approached.

"Our estimates were wrong, there are easily six thousand warriors approaching, with a third of them dead or dying." Xun You replied in an even tone, frustrated by the incorrect numbers but confident in his own forces. "Our attacks will thin them more before they get their ladders on the wall, and our warriors will destroy them when they cross it."

"The sooner Subutai finished, the easier this will be." Dom replied, understanding the difference between the defensive battle where they had the terrain and time to prepare, compared to an offensive battle where you were marching under the attack of artillery and arrows. "I am surprised they haven’t broken yet."

"They must have trust in their commanders, or be unaware of the damage that has happened." Xun You explained as the Trireme broke from Xanthippus’s fleet and finally engaged the enemy transport ships. Dom hoped the Trireme would prioritise the ramming and sinking of the enemy, rather than engaging the forces within them.

Another wave of arrows fell amongst the enemies, his own Archers not even seeing what they were loosing at, as the formation of the approaching forces was so tight that they didn’t even need to aim. As the front lines reached the final defence line before the wall, some began to fall in crudely dug ditches that would take them days, if not weeks, to cover after the battle.

"Signal the Legionaries to prepare, they will be at the walls within the minute." Xun You ordered, the Pilum already held in their hands as they were ready to throw over the wall as soon as the enemies began to drag the ladders through their own fallen lines.

...

It took Gan Ning a lot longer than expected to find a good location to cross to the south shore. There had been plenty of crossings, but all of them would have left them exposed to the enemy. He had intended to cross the night before, hiding in a dark forest that he had found behind enemy lines, but had discovered some additional ships moored to the shoreline.

He had sent Batavi Cavalry further west of his position to make sure the location was clear, before crossing with over two hundred Warriors and their horses in the cooling water of the Calm River. The water was deep, much deeper than it could be expected across the great width of the river. But the horses were strong and powerful swimmers, as were the riders that swam beside them, guiding them to the shallows on the other side.

Chariovalda had already crossed, the Batavi Centurion and a small group of men having made sure the crossing was safe. As Gan Ning reached him, the Centurion smiled at the dripping water on Gan Ning’s armour.

"It’s only raining a slight bit and yet you are already so wet." Chariovalda teased, the Germanic Warrior towered over Gan Ning, but Gan Ning laughed in response, having a deep trust of the Batavi’s within the Lazarus Kingdom.

"We must travel east and attack the enemy camp we saw yesterday." Gan Ning replied, the Centurion nodding in response as he ordered his men in to formation. They would march eastwards towards the enemies forward camp and set it alight. Each man had a red feather in their hair or on their helmet, a gift from Gan Ning so that when the chaos took place, they wouldn’t attack each other.

"The enemy camp was a lot bigger than expected." Chariovalda commented as he mounted his horse. Gan Ning thinking back to the day before when they came across is, peeking through the treeline on the north shore. The enemy camp was unprotected, but was full of carts and tents, enough to feed and house several thousand people. From their limited view, there was a variety of colours within the camp, and they had wished to explore more to feedback their information to the defending Army, but new they were too far at this point. They had seen Ling Tong’s ships depart from their scouting missions and hoped he had seen everything they had.

There was the sound of a loud clash in the sky above them, as the sound of thunder could be heard in the distance, the sky suddenly opening with a heavier downpour on the already wet Batavian’s. The water didn’t bother them, men grown in the wet forest of Germany or fighting on the frontiers of the Roman Empire. As the downpour of rain began, a smile crept on Gan Ning’s face, the weather would mask their movements and make their battle easier.

.....

Zhao Yun swung his arm down as he charged forwards on his powerful horse, his men beside him as they charged in a line formation. The majority of the enemy had passed them now, with only stragglers behind that his own Horse Archers would target, the powerful new arrivals that had made even Subutai excited. The rain was falling heavier than earlier, but that did little to dampen Zhao Yun’s spirits.

Thousands of horses running made the ground they travelled on shake, as the enemies that were now in front of them began to turn, seeing the large force appear from the behind them. He could see the indecisiveness in their eyes, even from the distance as Subutai’s group reformed properly and began releasing arrows as they normally would.

"Charge!" Zhao Yun shouted as he kicked his horse harder, pulling ahead of his own men as his long spear, a weapon he had been given by his old Lord Gongsun Zan when he was a young commander. His spear had been reinforced by Ou Yezi, and renamed the Fiery Dragon Spear. It’s main tip was as sharp as Tomoe’s blades, with sub spikes at the spear heads base. The red dyed horse tail that trailed from the spear heads base flowed in the wind and a feeling of excitement passed over him.

He stared forwards, seeing the first enemy stopped in front of him, unsure what to do. Zhao Yun hadn’t felt the emotions of a hunter since his youth, but the adrenaline could be felt now as he levelled his spear and striking the enemy through the chest, knocking the enemy from the horse as the men on both sides of him pushed forwards.