The Girl with No Name

Chapter Seventeen – The Battle of Hórkustk Ris

The Grand Duke and his entourage left the capitol and crossed the Rika Chorna river in a fleet of ferries. He commented to his commanders that, if he survived the upcoming war, he'd have to build a bridge to span the river closer to the capitol. It was ridiculous to have to cross like this, in boats like common cargo.

The Danubian Royal Army already was encamped on the south bank, opposite the city. As soon as the sovereign showed up, the men began their trek southwards. There were 9,000 fighting men, plus another 2,000 wagon drivers, cooks, medics, and scouts. All of the men wore colorful ceremonial tunics with embroidered griffins as they departed the capitol. The scouts rode ahead, followed by the light cavalry and archers. The musketeers marched in the center, with the cannon crews and supply trains bringing up the rear. As they marched out of the capitol in their colorful new tunics, they made an impressive sight. Thousands of women, children, older people, and refugees watched as they left, heartened by seeing the uniforms and the soldier's new muskets.

Silvítya and her companions rode with the other medics, dressed in the traditional gray dresses of regular female servants of the Crown. The concubines wore their traditional red scarves, but underneath the scarves their hair was braided. It was very nice to be "decent" by Danubian standards, after spending nearly a year with her hair freakishly and indecently loose. The handful of medical women contrasted with a formation that otherwise was all male. They did not ride with their sovereign, who instead was riding with his commanders, but he kept them within his sight at all times.

Silvítya and her companions knew that their ruler had brought them for two reasons. Yes, they would be needed as medics, but the Grand Duke also needed to have women for sex. He could have ordered his troops to bring him peasant girls captured from nearby villages, but he did not want to waste his soldiers' time on such matters, nor do anything to anger or demoralize local citizens. It was just easier to bring some concubines from the castle, in spite of the risk he was forcing them to assume by taking them into a war zone.

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In spite of his army's new muskets and careful planning, Silvítya could tell that the Grand Duke was extremely worried. The sovereign did not expect to be attacked in the woods, but his force would have been ready had that happened. The archers immediately would vanish into the forest to cover the light cavalry or the musketeers, who would either charge or pull back and lead the enemy into a trap, depending on how the attack played out. However, because the Danubians were such skilled forest fighters and deadly archers, it would have been extremely foolish for any enemy, even the army of the Kingdom of the Moon, to challenge them in the forest.

The Danubians' disadvantage would begin the moment they stepped out into the cleared lands of surrounding Hórkustk Ris. 9,000 men may have seemed like a lot for handling any problem to a Danubian inexperienced with the outside world, but a 9,000-man army was a paltry force for Europe at that time. The Danubian monarch knew that there was not a chance his army could survive a pitched battle against an enemy capable of fielding four times the number of troops and guns.

Silvítya knew that the Grand Duke had planned to lead the Lord of the Red Moon's soldiers into a trap that would involve explosives created from the recipes she had divulged to him a few weeks before. The strategy was risky, because the enemy would have to be lured into a small area that had previously been prepared. If the enemy ended up anywhere other than the precise location where the explosives had been laid, the plan would not work. Yes, if monarch was able to successfully carry out his plans, the Danubians had a good chance of winning the crucial initial battle. However, to win that first fight, and the rest of the war for that matter, everything had to go right. How often in life does everything go right?

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As soon as the troops were only a half-day's march south of Danubkt Moskt, the ruler ordered them to stop. He ordered all of his men to take off their colorful ceremonial tunics and passed out ones that were dull brown. The Danubian griffin was embroidered on the new tunics, but with brown thread that was only a shade darker than the background. The soldiers suddenly became very drab, but also much less visible from a distance. There was another set of uniforms to be passed out: clothing that was colored like the uniforms of the Army of the Red Moon. The men muttered among themselves. They were Danubians. Why were they assuming the dishonor of dressing like the enemy?

The Grand Duke knew the men would object and was ready. He climbed onto a wagon and addressed those who could hear him. He explained the purpose of the clothing; that it was part of a carefully laid-out plan to defeat an enemy boasting a much larger force. He challenged their notion of "honor". In war the only "honor" was doing what was necessary to safeguard the country. He concluded:

"Today, we march to defend Danubia! If we succeed in re-taking our lands, that will be our honor! If we die and our families are killed, that is our dishonor! The great King Vladik understood that! I understand that! I also understand that, as your ruler, what will honor me is not just saving our land, but also keeping as many of you alive as possible! You are not marching to die for Danubia! You are marching to kill for Danubia! You will obey me, you will kill, and you will return to your wives before the first snow! For me, that is the only honor! The rest is dishonor!"

Reluctantly at first, but then with more enthusiasm, the troops cheered their leader. The disguises were only the beginning. They did not yet know to what extent the Grand Duke was willing to force them to do "dishonorable" things in the name of defending Hórkustk Ris.

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The march through the woods was alarmingly short. The large stretches of forest that had defended the Duchy for centuries had been greatly reduced over the past 200 years. When they emerged into the southern province, it was obvious the time the Danubians could hide among the trees and wear down enemies with guerrilla warfare had ended. The forest was no longer large enough for hidden archers to hold back a determined enemy. Now the country would have to be defended in a more traditional manner.

As soon as they were in the open, Silvítya could see that Hórkustk Ris province was not at all like the rest of Danubia. The area was mostly treeless, the architecture was different, and, more importantly, as the army moved further south, the people became different. The Danubian Royal Army passed through one village in which the majority of the inhabitants were not even Danubian. The foreigners stared at the Duke's army with fear and hostility.

The Grand Duke got a much warmer reception when his army reached Hórkustk Ris. The city was still under Danubian control, but the place was chaotic and crowded with refugees. Not wanting to risk having disease wipe out his men before they even got a chance to fight, the Grand Duke ordered the majority of the army to set up camp away from the city until he had a chance to dispose of the refugees.

The Duke, accompanied by the three concubines and his generals, entered the city. They were met by the mayor of Hórkustk Ris and the captain of the city's guard. Under escort, the group made their way to the old castle, where they would be hosted until further notice. Silvítya could tell that not long before the city had been attractive, but now was very run down.

Silvítya and the other concubines were ordered to strip, bathe, dress in their lavender concubine gowns, and await the return of the Duke. While the military wives were treated to a more traditional dinner, the three concubines were forced to nervously wait in a study for their master to return. The castle women crowded around, staring at the newcomers and talking about them as though they were three strange animals.

Protector Buláshckt showed up to take charge of the Duke's women, ordering them to set up their medical supplies. The military wives and other concubines went to sleep, but Silvítya decided to stay with the Royal Guard while he prepared his military equipment. He had one of the new muskets, but looked at the cumbersome weapon with total disdain. Yes, it made a terrifying sound and put out an impressive cloud of smoke when fired, but it took too long to re-load and was not accurate at all. He showed the concubine how it worked and allowed her to take a couple of practice shots. The Guard let the concubine try out his other weapons and was impressed that a woman could handle them so well. Silvítya talked about her training in Sebérnekt Ris. He was curious about the Duchy's northern defenses, never having seen them in real life.

The Guard and his ward talked at length about military strategy, weapons, the Duchy's military history, and the training given to the Royal Guards. Protector Buláshckt was impressed with Silvítya's broad knowledge. Eventually their conversation returned to assessing the forces loyal to the Lord of the Red Moon and the upcoming battle. He detailed the Grand Duke's plan of drawing the Kingdom's army into the city and battling them in the streets. If the enemy could actually be lured into the city, the strategy could work.

"From what I know about the Red Moons, once they think their enemies have been weakened, they charge straight ahead and don't ask any questions until they're done. There's a good chance they won't stop and worry about the explosive's before it's too late, because I don't think anyone has ever tried luring them over such a trap in the past. I just hope they all come through the wall at once. If they're smart enough to station, say, half of their army outside, His Majesty's plan won't succeed."

Silvítya wondered about the city itself. What would happen to Hórkustk Ris?

"I don't know. Most of it will be destroyed. His Majesty will order many of the buildings to be broken into or filled with explosives. The people will all be gone before the Red Moons arrive: His Majesty wants them away from the fighting. I suspect, if they ever come back, they will find only ashes."

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Meanwhile, the Grand Duke held a conference with the town's mayor, a squad of Royal scouts, and one of his most trusted spies. Already the Lord of the Red Moon was aware that the Grand Duke had brought his entire army to defend Hórkustk Ris and seemed eager to defeat the Danubians once and for all. The Lord of the Red Moon relished the chance to battle the Grand Duke, because once the he was defeated, there would be no one to defend Danúbikt Móskt and the entire Duchy could be annexed.

As soon as the Duke received his briefings, he issued a series of orders. The first order he gave was for all civilians to leave the city immediately. They mayor was not surprised, given that King Vladik had ordered the same for Sumy Ris two centuries before when he decided to abandon it to the Ottomans. However, unlike his predecessor, the Grand Duke did not have the option of simply abandoning Hórkustk Ris. The city was the most northern spot from where he could make his stand; abandoning it would leave open the road to the capitol and the entire Rika Chorna valley.

The Grand Duke wanted to get the civilians out of the way for their own safety, but he also wanted to use them as part of his plan to deceive the Army of the Red Moon. The next day, the Grand Duke's generals rounded up all of the civilian men and organized them into platoons, each under the direction of an old or sick soldier from his army. Then he passed out the colorful tunics his army had worn while marching out of Danube City. The men, disguised as Danubian soldiers, would march their families out of the city and northward into what remained of the forest.

Throughout the day, refugees poured out of the city. A total of 60,000 people left. From a distance, with the men carrying fake weapons and dressed in fake tunics, it did appear as though the Danubian Army had arrived to do nothing except evacuate the town and hide in the woods.

When the enemy commander heard about the evacuation, he broke out laughing. Typical of the Danubians...those cowards can't deal with a real fight. They're just a rabble of scared animals that can't stand being away from their trees. I guess we'll have to organize a hunt...

What the Lord of the Red Moon's commanders did not know was that now, without the distraction of the civilians, the Grand Duke was ready to confront his enemies inside the walls of Hórkustk Ris with his entire army. The Grand Duke ordered most of his men and equipment into Hórkustk Ris the night after the civilians had left. Among the supplies entering the city were large wagons full of the explosives that would be the focus of the ruler's plan to defeat the Kingdom of the Moon's hoard of fighters.

The next day, the mayor and the city councilmen noted with increasing alarm how their ruler was setting up for the town's defense. The Duke's cannon crews deployed their weapons in the streets throughout the city. Even many of the cannons on the city wall were turned around and faced inwards. The men built new firing positions on the platform running along the inside of the city wall, but those also faced inwards. The men went into the houses and smashed holes through the walls to plant traps and to allow themselves to move about without having to go outside and expose themselves to fire.

Wherever there was open space in the streets, the Duchy's soldiers dug holes and filled them with large pots of loaded with explosives. The men then covered the pots with cobblestones, while demolition crews strung fathoms of fuse line to connect them. More traps were created by packing explosives into buckets and setting them up in residences. Throughout the city, the buildings were marked with red or white splashes of paint. Red meant the building contained explosives, while white meant the building was sturdier and would be used for protection. It was very obvious that the Grand Duke planned to fight his opponents inside the city walls, not outside. His strategy became evident: he was not planning a battle to save the city, but instead use it to create a trap and a massacre.

The ruler ordered the cavalry units to quietly leave during the second night after the Danubian Royal Army had occupied the settlement. The Grand Duke was forced to separate his forces in a move that was extremely risky. The cavalry would hide in nearby hills and wait for a special signal from the city's cathedral bells. To ensure the signal still could be passed if anything happened to the cathedral tower, the Duke ordered two of the church bells brought down and re-mounted at the castle.

The Grand Duke ordered his men to gather all civilian clothing remaining in the houses, especially women's clothing. His men wondered what on earth he was planning. Women's clothing? Yes indeed, civilian clothes would be part of the trap the Duke planned for the Red Moon Army. He explained that no Danubian Army uniforms would be worn by anyone defending the city. The soldiers would dress to make it appear as though the Duke had completely abandoned the area and that the only people left to defend it would be local citizens and city guards. To make the deception even more convincing, some of the youngest troops, boys still in their teens, would be ordered to shave and put on women's clothing. To finish converting the younger men into "women", they would be ordered to wrap brown cloths around their heads to emulate long braided hair. The soldiers reacted with angry murmurs, but the Duke shouted.

"This plan must work and you must obey! I know what I'm doing! As I told you before, the only dishonor is allowing those foreigners to take our land and hang us on hooks and rape your sisters and wives! Is that what you want? Or do you want to listen to me and do what I tell you?"

The men stared silently at their Duke, unsure how to react. The idea of a man dressing as a woman, for any reason, completely went against what was considered honorable for a Danubian. The Grand Duke knew that, and understood that ordering some of his troops to dress up as women would be the hardest part of his plan to implement. However, he pushed forward.

"Listen to me, and listen carefully! We will either die here or we will win! There is no other option! We cannot retreat and we cannot negotiate our way out of this city! And if we lose, I will die along with the rest of you! It's not just Danubia's fate at stake here, but my own! Do you think I want my life to end here? Do you think I want to be captured and hung on a hook? Our fates, whether we win or lose, will be shared, mine along with yours! So I want to win! I want us to emerge from this city victorious! I want to reclaim our land! I want the enemy to never again set foot here! And I want this land to prosper! So, where is the dishonor?"

Once again, the Duke's cold reasoning convinced his troops to set aside their reservations about their leader's orders. The crisis of the moment passed. The ruler would get his way and his men would obey his wishes.

As she stood at the castle window watching him implement his plans and rally his troops, Silvítya momentarily admired the Grand Duke. He was a cruel and flawed man, but he had other qualities that made him the leader the Danubians needed during the crisis. At least he was no coward. By traveling south with his army he had placed his own life in jeopardy, demonstrating that he did not value his existence any more than he valued the existence of his men. If they died, he would die. He knew it had to be that way if he expected them to follow him and his increasingly strange orders.

He made decisions and plans based on carefully assessing what resources and options were available to him. He didn't care about tradition or protocol: his only interest was doing what he thought was needed to win the upcoming battle. In spite of his inward fear, the ruler managed to show himself as completely confident in his abilities and his decisions when talking to his troops. Silvítya knew his behavior was totally deceptive. His show of public confidence was as much a ruse as the trap he was laying for the enemy. He knew how easily his entire battle plan could go wrong. He was frightened, both for his own safety and for that of the country. If events did not work out exactly the way he anticipated, he and everyone with him would be dead in a few days. History would judge him harshly, blaming him for the fall of the Duchy.

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The army of the Lord of the Red Moon showed up the morning after the Danubian cavalry departed the city. They first appeared as a black mass moving under a thick cloud of dust on the southern horizon. For what seemed to be an eternity, both the dark mass and the dust cloud got bigger and bigger. As they got closer, the enemy's individual companies and platoons could be seen. The Danubians watched as a seemingly endless horde of men moved in their direction. Hundreds...thousands...tens of thousands of men. Multitudes of siege cannons with their crews. Columns of horsemen. The flashing of tens of thousands of bayonets. Hundreds of black banners with the infamous red moon. This was not an army that was planning to take over a single partially abandoned city. This was the army that was going to conquer and exterminate the entire Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia.

The city's defenders watched as several squads of enemy scouts rode close to the city, just out of range of the cannons, to see what the defenders looked like. The enemy's observers had told their leaders that most of the Danubians had evacuated a few days before, but the city guards and some civilians remained, foolishly thinking they would hold the place for more than a few hours. Sure enough, as the scouts looked through their spy glasses, they could see the pathetic group of defenders they would be facing. It looked like the Danubians were so desperate that they actually had women on the walls with crossbows and a combination of guards and civilians manning the cannons.