"The shadow slips the most accursed blade, general." said Amibaal, with a rather dubious grin upon his grizzled veteran face. The light from inside Hiram's tent revealed a menacing man, as he turned to pace in front of the general.
"You would have me risk my greatest detachment of cavalry to gain what Amibaal?" came the irritated response from Hiram. "I will not send my most trusted men into a situation that is destined for utter failure. Why are you so adamant about this?" Hiram said at his seat in front of the war table. He raised his elbow to the table and put his hand on his forehead. "No, it's too risky." he muttered under his breath.
"Sir, with all due respect, we have been at this siege now for sixty three days, and still the enemy scoffs and laughs at us. Their village may be fortified, but it is small. And yet they do not feel the pressures of rationing their supplies. How long do you intend to keep this up?" Amibaal turned to the doorway and peaked outside to see if anyone was listening.
"As long as I have to. This is not a game Amibaal, I can't go around sending my detachments at a whim's notice on information that hasn't come directly to me. Where did you receive this intelligence anyway?" Hiram asked while turning his head slightly and lowering an eyebrow in a gesture of imputation.
"My scouts sir. Do you think me or they are unreliable? Must I once again reassure you of my loyalties? How long have I served under you? And yet you question the validity of what I say near constantly!" Amibaal stomped his foot on the ground and stormed out of the tent.
Hiram got up out of his seat, put on his splendid double bossed breastplate, etched with the scenes of his former battles, and that of the Carthaginians, with gold and silver inlay. He put on his purple plumed helmet, along with his long and elegant purple cloak with beautiful trim and walked out of his tent. The sun, high in the sky, made him shield his eyes and squint as though the burst of a flame had fell upon him. Once his eyes adjusted, he looked around his camp to see his men walking around, eating, wrestling, and playing games. His relaxed and modest approach to drill and discipline was well received with his men, and given Hiram's reputation for being a man who gets things done, there was not much concern for their ability in combat.
He looked to his right, where there was a group of men talking with a fervor so great he could not ignore it and approached the men. "At ease, soldiers. Continue your story, It would please me greatly to hear it."
"Very well, general." the man who was telling the story said. "I was just telling my friends here of a dream I had the other night. It was terrifying to say the least! I was alone in the darkness, stripped naked with nothing but a spear and shield. This woman appeared to me out of nowhere and said that my destiny was to betray my leader. I asked her why she would say that, and what I had done to anger the gods into telling me such a thing, and her reply was that we were on an expedition doomed to failure. I refuted this, saying that the great Hiram has led men into battle on innumerable accounts, finding victory where the gods themselves would retreat!"
Hiram rather liked that, and raised his hand into a fist to cheer, "go on! Go on my boy."
"Right. Well, she said that I would die in this land unless we used a different strategy. I told her I was no strategist, and just a simple soldier, so why bother me I asked. Again, she said that I would be the one to facilitate the capitulation of this village. I am but a modest and humble man, my general, I mean no offense when I say this."
Hiram replied, "it's quite all right, you have done nothing to offend me. Continue your story boy."
"Thank you general. So this lady disappeared, and I was surrounded in complete darkness. I couldn't even see my hands with my arms extended. All of a sudden I started getting pummeled by something! I yelled out 'No! I have done nothing wrong! Leave me be!' but to no avail. I was beaten to the ground, terrified and beleaguered, only able to open one eye. I was lying on my back, writhing in pain, when the darkness fell away from me. I had been transported into the celestial, surrounded by the brightest of stars. The woman appeared to me again and said that this is what I was supposed to see, and that I would know what to do with the information."
"Very interesting indeed, my boy." Hiram said, with a peculiar expression on his face, like he had just had a revelation. "Come with me boy, tell me in private if there is more to this dream of yours."
The soldier followed Hiram to his tent and stood at attention while Hiram sat down. "Now... Was this actually a dream of yours, or just a clever story to tell me something I don't know."
"It was a dream sir, honest!" the soldier said, beginning to tremble for what he had said.
"Fear not my boy, I will do you no harm even if what you say is false. There is merit in what you say. My captains and I cannot seem to break the will of these defiant rebels. Tell me, did this dream spark any ideas of yours?" Hiram said with genuine interest and sincerity.
"Well sir, to be honest no. I am no strategist, sir. I just do as my officer says." came the response from the still trembling man.
"It has given me one. That will be all soldier, go back to your friends." Hiram said, and the soldier left his tent.
Hiram called to his guards outside the tent to bring him one of his captains, Baal'hammon. Within a few moments, Baal'hammon entered and saluted the general. "Sir, you called for me?"
"Indeed I did captain. I want to go over a plan with you. Listen and give me your thoughts. A soldier outside gave me an idea for a way to make this village capitulate. On the night just before the next full moon, when it is raining heavily it will obscure their view, we will depart from our fortifications and this siege. We will withdraw along this route here (points to a passage that is part of the planned withdrawal) until we get to the forest. At the forest, you will take the cavalry of your pick and make your way to the hill just beyond the forest. I will take leave with a detachment of my best men to be the rearguard early in the morning after the rest of our forces have withdrawn, so that we can lure their forces out to think they will have an easy fight. It will take about half a days march to get to the forest here, where our army will be in hiding. Here we will make our battle during the late day so that when night falls, they will be forced to withdraw back to their city. Once it does, we will have the full moon aiding us enough to conduct a night attack, and your cavalry will be the vanguard of that assault. I want you and captain Amibaal to strike hard and fast throughout the night as they retreat to their fortifications. Do not stop to engage them for prolonged combat, their infantry is not to be underestimated, even in the chaos of night. Quick strikes, captain, and whither away their forces." Hiram finished there and looked to Baal'hammon for his response.
"Sir, that is a very good plan. This siege has done nothing to facilitate taking the city, and if we feign retreat, I'm sure they will see that as an assured victory, lulling them into a false sense of pride and capability. I will inform Amibaal of this plan, and ready my men. When is the next full moon?"
"Should be in just under a week from today. Plenty of time to prepare. Keep this between you and the other captains for now, do not inform your men. We don't know who might be listening for them, as I've had some suspicions of late that smuggled supplies have been entering the village."
"Yes, sir." Baal'hammon replied, saluted the general, and exited the tent.
Five days had passed and the planned withdraw was scheduled for that night. Hiram saw that the onset of a storm looked imminent, and the timing was perfect. Once the rain started, Hiram gave the order to quietly break camp and follow captain Amibaal. He himself waited with two hundred of his most trusted, and most fierce warriors, the Band of Baal. When light crept the following morning, Hiram and his band withdrew in plain sight, the last to leave the fortifications as intended. The occupants of the village jeered and taunted them. When Hiram was almost out of sight, he looked back to see the rebels pursuing him. For half the day, Hiram and his Band of Baal fought off several skirmishing attempts thrown at them, losing a few, but inflicting more casualties on the infantry that engaged them. By the time they reached the forest, it was already close to sunset. Hiram ordered his slingers and javelin-men to emerge from the forest and descend upon the rebels with a hailstorm of ranged assaults. The lines met and Hiram and his army had the better of the rebels, he himself on the right flank with his Band of Baal cutting swathes through the enemy. As night approached, the rebels fell back and started withdrawing to their village. Amibaal, Baal'hammon, and the Band of Astarte shouted and charged down the hill at full speed and crashed into the enemy rearguard, causing havoc and chaos amongst the rebel ranks.
By the time the few remaining rebels made it to the village, their forces had been almost completely annihilated. Hiram sent a herald to negotiate the surrender of the village, and the rebels agreed.
TotW 124: A game of shadows
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Originally Posted by SirRobin
