Chapter 20
The second citadel fell without much of a fight. Sid's army had surrounded it and knocked the walls into rubble with the large trebuchets. His army grew by another four thousand freed slaves. He was in control of more than half of the slave territory that he was supposed to conquer.
Farms south of the citadel were deserted as the owners fled out of fear. A number of slave owners had left their slaves behind with a handful of overseers. On hearing that Sid's army was approaching, many of the overseers fled leaving behind the slaves. Freed slaves had joined Sid's army in droves. Most of them were willing to fight with as little as a club if it would help to defeat slavery. Sid had given them spears and shields along with sufficient training to be able to hold off a charge. For each hundred men, he used a pair of veterans to train and command them.
As his army marched across the southern territories, they encountered small groups of enemy soldiers. Sid's questioning of captured officers suggested that there were less than ten thousand troops defending the southern half of the country. Freed slaves had confirmed those estimates. Not trusting the information, Sid took his time advancing south.
Sid's army was almost fifteen thousand in size and that didn't include the number of men that he had sent to reinforce Masterson or were stationed across the territory that he had taken. It was true that most of the army hadn't been in battle yet, but the number of troops was impressive. When marching, his army created a column that was almost five miles long. Sid had to employ signalmen to communicate messages up and down the column. The logistics of keeping the army fed and supplied were a nightmare. Fortunately for Sid, Peterson and Olaf were up to the challenge.
Before they had even reached the third citadel, Sid knew he was going to face a real challenge and sent a message to have Masterson return. The slavers had chosen that citadel to make their stand and hold Sid from expanding further south. Rather than wait inside the citadel, the enemy army lined up in formations of five hundred men each outside the walls. Even if he defeated the army on the field, he would still have to take down the walls to get at the citizen defenders.
The enemy army was waiting for him to arrive fully confident they had established a battlefield that favored their forces. Their plan was not to wait for Sid to get his troops arranged for an attack. They would prevent Sid from ever getting his forces aligned against them.
Sid's scouts had informed him of the situation at the citadel. Rather than marching directly to the citadel, Sid chose to camp seven miles from the citadel. It was close enough to pose a threat, but too far for the enemy to venture towards him. It took most of the day for his army to reach the camp site.
Once the camp was set up, Sid called together the fifteen commanders who were directing the fifteen brigades of a thousand men each. Also in attendance were the twenty scouts who had been working the area around the citadel for the previous ten days. Once everyone was present, Sid said, "We have a problem. They have eight thousand men waiting to meet us on the battlefield. We outnumber them at almost two to one, but we can't get more than a thousand men into the battlefield at a time. That gives them an eight to one advantage over us."
"Why can't we get more than a thousand men into the battlefield?" one of the commanders asked.
"The road is only wide enough for us to march five men across. A thousand men create a column that requires almost ten minutes to get into position. In ten minutes, the enemy can destroy those men and wait for the next thousand to arrive," Sid answered.
"So we go through the woods," suggested another commander by the name of Eric.
"The terrain is rough. There's a ridge that runs along here," Sid said pointing to a map of the area, "and that will be a beast to navigate. There is also a small river that makes it almost impossible to move siege equipment into place."
"General, do you mind if I speak my mind," Eric asked fully confident that Sid would give him permission. It was his experience that Sid listened to all suggestions and didn't reject any idea just because he wasn't the one who had come up with it.
"Go ahead."
"You're treating our men a little too kind. I've got a thousand men who were slaves less than a month ago under my command. They are not necessarily good fighters but they are anxious to prove themselves to you and to take part in destroying the enemy," Eric said putting his hands on his hips. He looked at Sid and said, "Turn them loose on the woods. They'll build you a dozen roads to that citadel. You ask and they'll cut down every tree if necessary."
"You don't say," Sid said thinking about what the man had said.
"I guarantee you that you'll be able to put twelve thousand men on that battlefield in ten minutes. The enemy won't be able to deal with that."
Another of the commanders said, "My men will be right there with them. They can't wait to engage the enemy."
"My men will act as guards in case the enemy comes out to prevent them from working. I've got the best archers in the army," another commander said with pride.
One of the two women in command of brigades said, "My ladies will be there too."
"Mine too."
"That would put five thousand troops in those woods. Why build a road?" one of the other commanders asked. He shrugged and said, "You tell my men where you want them and when you want them there and I'll guarantee you that we'll be there."
Sid knew that it was insane to march an army through the woods and expect them to be able to organize and fight. He sat down on one of the stumps and considered what his commanders were telling him. Looking over at the scouts, he asked, "Do you think you can map out fifteen routes through the woods?"
"I'm not sure that we can find fifteen, but we'll find as many as are possible," one of the scouts answered receiving nods from his fellows.
"Do it. You've got four days to map out those woods," Sid said.
"Yes, sir," the scout said. As a group, they left the meeting.
Sid shook his head and said, "I'm insane to even consider it."
The same group of individuals met four days later. Sid looked over at the scouts and asked, "What did you find?"
"We each were able to mark out a different route. Each route would take about a day for a brigade to navigate. Badger even found a woodcutters road through the woods that could be used to bring some of the siege equipment to within two hundred paces of the edge of the woods."
Badger, one of the ugliest men in the entire army, looked up and said, "There was a meadow there. It looked to me like the woodcutters used it as their break area. With slaves, you'd have an overseer watching over five to ten woodcutters. With a couple of crews, they'd need an area to feed and water them."
"Tell me about it," Sid said.
"You could actually put up some of the large siege engines in it. I figure they would be in range to launch some of those rocks at the enemy."
Laying out a map on one of the tables that Barson had brought along, Sid said, "Show me where our troops would be emerging from the woods."
Each scout came over and put a mark on the map. He examined the map and said, "There are over twenty locations marked here."
"Yes, sir. Some of the routes run over the same area, but that's okay. They diverge a little ways into the woods. There are a few of them where you should be able to carry one of the ballistae right up to the edge of the woods," one of the other scouts remarked.
"What are our chances of moving in there without being spotted?" Sid asked.
In a hard voice, Badger answered, "I've been having a little fun in the woods. I doubt they have five scouts left. They won't have any by the time you're ready to get down to business."
Sid looked over at Badger and recalled how he had gotten his nickname. The man was aggressive and once he found an enemy he didn't stop until he had taken him out. Nodding his head, Sid leaned over the map and said, "Commanders, I need some suggestions on how to pull this crazy stunt off without losing my army."
The men gathered around and tried to work out a strategy. Shaking his head, Sid said, "I'd feel better if I was able to put some cavalry to both the north and the west."
A voice from behind Sid said, "That's funny. I happen to have a cavalry."
Sid turned around and exclaimed, "Gregor! You're here."
"That's right, Sid. I'm here and I've brought two thousand of my clan," Gregor said with a smile. The entire clan had been angered when they heard of Gregor's treatment by the slavers. Although Gregor had never discussed with Sid how he had been taken, he had told his clan. They had been outraged that a warrior would be drugged while having a drink in a tavern.
Sid grinned in pleasure at the good news. Trying to look stern, he said, "It took you long enough."
Pulling out a sword, Gregor said, "It took a little time to forge this weapon. It's hungering for slaver blood. So what is your plan?"
Gesturing the man over, Sid pointed out what he was thinking of doing. Gregor listened and nodded at all of the risky points. Once Sid was finished, he looked thoughtful for a minute before he asked, "Are you crazy?"
"Yes," Sid answered in a matter of fact voice.
Gregor burst out laughing and said, "I like it. It's audacious and will be totally unexpected. They won't know what hit them."
At noon three days later, Sid sat astride his horse at the front of his army. Behind him, two hundred men were waiting for the signal to move onto the battlefield. They were the bait for the trap and each man had volunteered for the job. He raised an arm and then dropped it. From behind, a drum started beating. The sound carried over the entire area.
The two hundred men, yelling like banshees, charged down the road passing by Sid. Not one man looked at him in despair or with hopelessness in his eyes. Sid could hardly believe that men would put themselves at risk in such a manner.
True to his prediction, two thousand of the enemy moved out to meet the forces as they charged into the battlefield. Two hundred yards separated the enemy from Sid's troops. He made another gesture with his arm and the drums stopped. That was the signal for the others to begin their charge. From that point on, the battle was outside of his control.
From atop his horse, Sid listened to the sounds of the battle. Four minutes into it, another set of drums sounded from within the woods. That was the signal for the cavalry to charge. It had occurred earlier than he had predicted. Unable to hold back, he rode up the road. Fred called out, "Sid, you're supposed to stay back here."
"I can't stay here," Sid said just before he rode onto the battlefield. He felt honor bound to stand with his men in battle. Having expected the answer, Fred followed Sid on his horse.
The sight that greeted Sid's eyes was exactly what he had planned. The enemy had charged in two separate waves with a four thousand reserve watching over the battlefield. The troops that had charged were staggered out between where his two hundred men had entered the battlefield and the walls of the citadel.
Sid's men had charged out from the tree line attacking the flanks of the enemy positions. When the enemy had adjusted their positions and brought up their reserves, the cavalry had come in from the new flank and overwhelmed them. The riders of the horse clan were ferocious and deadly warriors. The ranks of the enemy collapsed in front of them. Eight thousand former slaves had charged into the battle without concern for their lives. The total absence of concern for their safety was a major force multiplier.
The two hundred men who had served as bait were still in their defensive positions. The enemy had never reached them. One of the men looked over his shoulder and spotted Sid behind him. He nudged the soldier beside him. Within minutes, the two hundred had formed an honor guard around him.
Fred watched the fighting and shook his head. Awed by the brutal violence of the engagement, he said, "Look at them. Each of our men fights like a dozen of theirs."
"Yes," Sid said. It took twenty minutes, but Sid's forces claimed the battlefield. The plan had been an amazing success.
Watching the action on the battlefield, Fred asked, "How come you are successful in exactly the same situations as the enemy army that failed so miserably against you?"
"I'm patient," Sid answered looking over a Fred.
"What?"
"When the army attacked us at our citadel, they didn't wait until they had the information necessary to defeat us. I waited to act until I knew everything that was possible to know before engaging them. I used that knowledge to beat them. Even more importantly, I listen to the advice that others give me," Sid answered.
"Are you telling me that they could have defeated you at the first citadel?" Fred asked.
"Every time we've engaged the enemy they could have won," Sid answered. Pointing to the citadel, he said, "They could still win."
"How?"
"If I knew that, then they wouldn't be able to win," Sid answered with a frown. He added, "That's what keeps me awake at night."
Fred fell silent while he considered Sid's answer. Having started out life as a farmer, Fred had never given much thought about what leaders had to face. The idea that a man would lie awake at night worried about having to put others in harms way just never had a place in his world view. Traveling with Sid had opened his eyes to the kinds of responsibilities that leaders accepted.
Once the battlefield had been taken, the commanders went about the business of regaining control over the men. Sid's eyes tried to pick out gaps in the formations, but the constant movement of men and the absence of men who were dealing with prisoners made getting an estimate of his loses difficult.
Gregor rode over and stopped beside Sid. Watching the activity, he said, "I lost sixty men and have another three hundred wounded. An initial count suggests that you lost about twelve hundred men. Most of them were your most recent additions. I'm not even going to guess how many are wounded."
Shaking his head, Sid said, "Too many."
"That's far less than I expected," Gregor said shifting around in his saddle. His eyes scanned the battlefield.
"We've still got to take the citadel," Sid said. He looked to the east wondering when Masterson was going to arrive. He had sent for the man when it became obvious that they were going to have a difficult siege of this citadel.
"My relatives aren't good at siege work," Gregor said looking at the thick walls around the town. The Rider Clan preferred to ride into battle on horseback and they were magnificent in that kind of action. Crawling around on the ground in front of a walled city just wasn't their style of warfare.
"We'll set up the large trebuchets tomorrow and start dismantling the walls. I figure that the walls won't last two weeks," Sid said.
Gregor nodded his head and said, "As soon as the walls are breached, we'll charge in."
"No," Sid said knowing that was what the defenders would expect them to do.
"What?" Gregor asked in surprise.
"No. We'll just continue to dismantle the walls until the city is wide open. I figure that as their position becomes weaker and weaker, they'll start sending out sorties. We'll take care of them. I expect that they'll surrender before we ever have to enter the city," Sid said with a smile.
The discussion was cut short when hundreds of horns sounded from within the citadel. Sid, Gregor, and Fred turned to see what was happening. Deciding that the troops inside were going to take advantage of the chaos on the battlefield, Sid shouted, "Commanders prepare your troops!"
There was a flurry of excitement while men lined up in units of a thousand men each arranged in ranks ten deep and a hundred wide. From the disarray of taking care of the wounded, each man was suddenly in position with shield and spear. Even many of the wounded men had entered formation. It had taken Sid's army less than three minutes to achieve formations from which they could fight.
The Rider Clan rode out to the side ready to charge whoever might exit the Citadel. Seeing how quickly the army had organized itself, Fred looked over at Sid and said, "I'm impressed."
Gregor shook his head in amazement and said, "That's one hell of a disciplined army you have."
"Thanks," Sid said. He turned to watch the gate of the citadel. It slowly opened and a hundred men marched out. Sid leaned forward and asked, "Do you see any weapons?"
"No," Gregor answered.
"Commanders, hold ranks," Sid shouted while watching the hundred men line up along one side of the road out of the citadel. It looked almost like an honor guard. Leaning over to Gregor, Sid asked, "What do you make of this?"
"I don't know. Maybe someone is going to come out to parley," Gregor answered. He had just finished speaking when another hundred men left the citadel and lined the other side of the road. Once they reached their positions, they stopped and waited.
Five minutes passed before a group of four men on horse back sauntered out of the gate. The group rode down the road heading for Sid's position. At the lead was a large man with long gray hair dressed in battle gear. Behind him rode a younger man wearing a similar set of battle gear. The third man was dressed in a uniform easily recognized as that worn by a Captain of the Guard. The forth man was dressed in a guardsman uniform and carried a green flag with a golden dragon on it.
Watching the four men, Sid said, "Fred. Gregor. Let's mount up and see what they want."
The three men mounted up and rode towards the waiting four men. The four men rode forth to meet them halfway. Sid looked over at Gregor and said, "That's a good sign."
"Yes," Gregor replied.
When the two parties met, the older man looked at Sid and asked, "You are Sid Jones?"
"Yes, I am."
"I am Lord Drake."
"Nice to meet you," Sid said. This was the first time that any of the enemy had actually agreed to talk with him before a battle.
"While you were busy fighting out here, I was busy fighting in there," Lord Drake said gesturing back towards the citadel.
"Who were you fighting?" Sid asked glancing over at Gregor.
"The slavers. I didn't expect you to finish them off that quickly. I had planned to attack them from the rear while you engaged them from the front," Lord Drake. He had been planning to meet Sid under better circumstances. Namely, as equals fighting on the same side of a battle.
Sid studied the older man for a minute trying to decide what game he was playing. He asked, "Why would you do that?"
"Those bastards occupied my Citadel for ten years. I've been waiting for a chance to take it back and you provided that chance," Lord Drake answered.
"Now that you've got it back, what do you plan on doing?" Gregor asked with a frown. He didn't expect the man to be willing to give up his Citadel after fighting to get it back.
"I plan on giving Sid Jones command of my army," Lord Drake answered. Gesturing to the younger man beside him, he said, "This is my son, Dragos. He leads my army of three thousand men."
Raising an eyebrow, Sid said, "Three thousand men? I understood that your force was closer to a thousand."
"That was before I liberated the slaves," Lord Drake replied with a smile. When the slavers had filled the slave pens with the slaves from the farms surrounding his Citadel, he had sent some men into the slave pens to train them to fight. With his men guarding the slave pens, they had been able to practice without being noticed by the slavers.
Curious, Sid asked, "Why would you put your army under my command?"
Grinning, Lord Drake leaned forward and answered, "I used to ride
with Gerald Jones. I want my son to have the opportunity to go on an
adventure with a Jones."