Chapter 64: Volume 3 - CH 2.1

The 50,000 Sindhuran troops led by Prince Rajendra as well as the 10,000 Parsian troops led by Arslan headed southwest on the road towards Uraiyur.

The Kaveri River was in its winter dry period, and the water was only as deep as the belly of a horse. Although there were several cases of horses nearly drowning, and men nearly swept away by the deep water, there were no fatalities. The army completed the crossing safely.

For Arslan, it was his first time crossing the river. He was not only surprised, but Narsus’s words also kept haunting his mind.

“Prince Rajendra is definitely not an incompetent man. He has also already led his army to cross the river successfully.”

Did he? It was not enough to simply be surprised, one must also take the opportunity to learn from the strengths of others. While Arslan was thinking this, Sindhura’s cavalry, who were scouting ahead, rushed back to the river bank in a panic.

“Gadhevi’s army is up ahead!”

When this news came, gusts of dust and smoke had already been raised in the southwest. Gadhevi seemed to be trying to stop Rajendra’s troops from further advancing. Although it was too late to stop the army crossing the river, Rajendra’s army, having only just finished crossing, had not yet returned to formation as the 15,000 cavalrymen of Gadhevi’s army rushed towards them.

Rajendra did not even have time to apply the tactics that had been cleverly arranged by Narsus before they were attacked. Prince Gadhevi’s general Pradalata was one of the bravest warriors in the country. He wielded a thick-bladed crescent sword, and each time he slashed, columns of blood spurted up from the left and right of his mount, and the bodies of men and horses piled up. Rajendra’s army cowered and fell back, driven down from the river bank, back to the water.

Before the formation was completely straightened out, Rajendra, who had been forced to run from the amazing strength of General Pradalata, tried to throw this hot potato to the Parsian army.

(TN: Yes, this is really the expression it used. I can’t think of a better one.)

“Your Highness Arslan, isn’t it possible to use this opportunity to show that world-ignorant Gadhevi the valor of the Black Knight, famous in all countries near and far?”

“Very well. Daryun, if you would.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

After giving a salute, Daryun held his longsword in one hand and kicked the horse’s belly. Although he knew that this was a brazen plot by Rajendra, he could not disobey Arslan’s orders. Plus, it was not a bad thing to show everyone the loyalty and bravery of Parsian soldiers.

Pradalata, wielding his crescent sword and turning the sand on the river bank red with blood, saw a knight, all inky black, galloping towards him without fear or hesitation. He shook the blood from his sword and shouted in broken Parsian.

“Dogs of Pars, have you deliberately come to the land of Sindhura to have your heads chopped off? I will leave your heads on the banks of this river, so that at least you can look out over the landscape of your homeland as you die!”

“Go ahead and try!”

After the short reply, Daryun blocked the oncoming blow.

Again and again, their swords fiercely intertwined. After five or ten rounds, the winner had still not yet been determined.

The white blades of both sides bit into each other as the two men fought their way from the riverbank into the river.

“Come on, Daryun!”

As Arslan watched from his horse and shouted, the black-clad knight responded to the Prince’s trust in him with renewed strength. His longsword flashed under the winter sun, and a column of blood and water shot up from the river, and Pradalata’s huge body was buried under the water, the supine sword still in his hand.

The enemy, whose main general had just been killed, instantly collapsed, and Rajendra’s army took the opportunity to counterattack. Gadhevi’s army left behind three thousand corpses to rot away, and the victory of the first battle in Sindhura went to Arslan.

“Lord Daryun’s bravery really is admirable! There is none as brave as you in our country.”

Rajendra was full of praise for Daryun, however, his intention was to motivate the Parsian army to intervene in future battles as well. Words of praise don’t have to be paid for.

“What an uninteresting battle.”

The battle was just like what Daryun said. Since the two sides were fighting head-on in a flat desert, there was no talk of tactics, but simply force against force. The moment Daryun knocked down Pradalata, the victory of the whole battle was already decided. In this instance, Arslan did not even have a chance to learn any tactics.

Narsus chuckled and said,

“Oh yeah? It’s about to get a lot more interesting. The enemy hasn’t even sent out their war elephant troops yet.”

Daryun shrugged his broad shoulders and his black armor rattled heavily.

“Perhaps! Because that cunning Prince Rajendra has decided to use us to win his toughest battles for him.”

“Yes! Not only that, but he might come and sneak in some heroism during the fighting when both sides are already exhausted!”

Instead, Narsus looked like he was happy.

“Is there a way to get rid of him, Narsus? Oh, no, it is too rude to ask you such a question. A little schemer like Rajendra is just a clown dancing in the hands of a great wise man like you.”

Narsus waved his hand gently.

“Don’t flatter me just yet. For now, it is still necessary to be cautious, as we do not know which side Prince Rajendra will align himself with when the time comes.”

“So, we have to keep a close eye on him?”

Daryun deliberately rattled his sword’s sheath, but a malicious smile appeared on Narsus’ face.

“No, perhaps it would be better to allow him some room to try his little tricks. I’ll be waiting to see what he pulls this time around.”

This is where the conversation was interrupted, as the teenager Elam arrived with food.

The New Year of 321 of the Parsian calendar began in the wilderness of the northern part of Sindhura.

In September of this year, Arslan will be fifteen years old, if he is still alive by then.

The Parsian people held a New Year’s festival according to traditional rituals. Before the first sunrise of the New Year, the king was to go to the spring in full armor, by himself, take off his helmet and fill it with water. Upon returning to the camp, a representative of the generals and soldiers was to offer a glass of wine. This glass of wine would symbolize the blood of the king. The wine would then be poured into the helmet as well. The people called this liquid the “water of life” and poured one-third of the water of life to the sky to offer it to the gods. One third was poured on the earth to thank it for the previous year’s harvest and to pray for a good harvest in the new year. The last third was to be drunk by the king to show his loyalty to the gods and the earth.

The generals and soldiers were represented by Bahman. Arslan went with only Azrael, and made his way to the spring alone. Daryun and Farangis, who were worried about Arslan’s safety, followed behind at a proper distance to escort him, but thankfully no one appeared to harm the prince, and Arslan completed his task of representing the king safely.

Arslan drank the water of life in one gulp, and as his mouth left his golden armor, the Parsian army let out an earth-shaking cheer.

“Arslan! Arslan! O shining star in the sky and darling of the gods! May your wisdom and strength bring peace to your country and people ……”

As Arslan responded to the chants and raised his golden helmet high in both hands, the sun shone brightly on the first day of the year 321 of the Parsian calendar, making the helmet shine like a golden ingot. The cheers were raised again, and the sun reflected off the soldiers’ armor like waves of the sea.

After the ceremony, the New Year’s celebration party started immediately, and the previously empty wilderness was filled with loud noise.

As the sun rose to the middle of the sky, Prince Rajendra came from half a farsang (about 1.5 kilometers) away from Sindhura’s army camp to visit. He brought only about fifty horsemen with him.

Perhaps he was quite fond of white horses? Rajendra was still riding a pure white horse at this time, and when he saw the black-clad knight guarding Arslan’s tent, he immediately greeted him intimately.

“Yah! O brave man of Pars! How is your young lord?”

Daryun just gave a wordless salute. If it were up to him, he would have liked to kill this dangerous and untrustworthy figure with a single blow, in order to prevent any future trouble. However, Narsus thought that he could be useful to them.

“Even if it is a poisonous snake, having it guard the treasure will be of great help. Just think of it that way.”

That’s true, but there’s no reason to show favor to a viper! Therefore, Daryun showed only minimal courtesy to Rajendra.

The motive of a Sindhuran who deliberately spoke a lot of polite words in the Parsian language made people suspicious. Rajendra shook Arslan’s hand when he came out to greet him, and patted his shoulder, as if they had been friends for many years.

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The tent was carpeted, the table was covered with wine and fine cuisine, and Arslan warmly entertained Prince Rajendra. Gieve played the oud, Farangis played the harp, and there was a burst of laughter between the two sides.

“By the way, my friend, Your Highness Arslan, whom I love like a brother, I have come here this time to discuss an important matter with you……”

“Please speak, by all means.”

After saying this, Arslan noticed Rajendra’s expression of desire to speak in private, so he ordered the others present to leave.

When only the two of them remained, Rajendra placed the chair cushion that Farangis had just leaned on under his own hip and began to speak.

Rajendra’s proposal is the so-called “split and attack” method. He pointed out that, according to the current situation, there seems to be little point for both sides to attack at the same time. It was time to give Gadhevi both psychological and military intimidation, so that his tactics would be disrupted. And to do this, Rajendra and Arslan should act individually.

“How about it, Your Highness Arslan? We might as well have a contest to see whether you or I will attack Uraiyur first.”

“That sounds like fun. So, what’s in it for me if I’m the one to attack first?”

Seeing Arslan’s interested expression, Rajendra couldn’t help but snicker inwardly. He deliberately paused for a moment, drank a glass of wine, and asked,

“It seems you are in favor of my proposal?”

“No, it’s not final yet, I was just asking a question.”

Looking at Arslan’s serious reply, Rajendra put on a wronged expression.

“You said it’s just your personal opinion, isn’t His Highness Arslan the crown prince of Pars?”

“I am the Crown Prince, yes, but there is no way I can give you a definite answer without discussing with my retainers first.”

Rajendra couldn’t help but make a staggering sound. He put down the silver cup and deliberately lowered his voice and said,

“Your Highness Arslan, I give you a piece of advice as a friend and a brother of the heart, it is better not to let those retainers of yours get too carried away. You are a sovereign, the sovereign gives orders, and subordinates have to obey the orders. Only in this way can order be maintained in the world of men. If you rely too much on your subordinates, they will despise you!”

Rajendra put on a kind expression and murmured in Arslan’s ear, however, the teenager was unmoved.

“Thank you for your advice. However, when I don’t know what to do myself, I always get my retainers to come together to discuss. Every one of them has more wisdom and strength than me. Without their help, I would have lost my life several times.”

“That is true….”

“Technically they are my subordinates, but in fact, they are all my loyal supporters. They could have left me alone, but each of them did their best to help me. Let me hear their opinions before I give you an answer!”

“Well ……”

Rajendra was silent in his heart. Arslan left him inside the tent and walked out himself. Daryun and the others were sitting in the shadow of a rock fifty gaz (about fifty meters) away, talking, and all stood up when they saw the Crown Prince appear. Arslan told his men what Rajendra had said, including his ulterior advice.

“How should I answer Rajendra? I want to hear Daryun’s opinion first.”

The black knight’s reply was quite succinct.

“I think it is logical to refuse.”

“And the reason?”

“Perhaps I have a personal prejudice against Prince Rajendra. However, I think we should all be able to see the man’s plot. Perhaps Prince Rajendra wants the Parsian army to act individually and then use us as a front.”

Arslan frowned faintly. Without speaking, he turned his eyes, which were the color of a clear night sky, toward Gieve. The future court musician nodded vigorously.

“I thought so too. That prince on the white horse is a sharp man with a sharp mind. If we proceed by another route, perhaps that Rajendra fellow will immediately send a secret envoy to Gadhevi’s troops and have one of their men come out and kindly show us the way!”

After finishing his sentence with a firm voice, Gieve turned his eyes to the beautiful dark-haired warrior priestess.

“How about that? Lady Farangis has the same idea, right?”

“What an unpleasant thing to say!”

Although Farangis’s response was indifferent, she did not dismiss Gieve’s opinion.

“My opinion is the same as Lord Daryun and Gieve’s. If Prince Gadhevi aimed his main force at the Parsian army, the force defending the Sindhuran capital would appear much weaker, and the actions of Gadhevi’s main troops would be easier to predict. Whether it is a direct attack on the capital or a sneak attack on the flank, they can do whatever they want. Prince Rajendra must be laughing his ass off!”

Arslan crossed his arms in deep thought, and soon he turned his eyes to the former lord of Daylam.

“I would like to hear Narsus’ thoughts.”

“Then, I would like to begin by congratulating Your Highness.”

Arslan was taken aback by Narsus’ sudden words, and Narsus replied with a smile.

“It seems there is not a fool among His Highness’s men. The opinions of Daryun, Gieve, and Lady Farangis were all right on the mark. Prince Rajendra’s true intention was to make thorough use of the Parsian army. I have long known that he would make such a request sooner or later.”

Arslan tilted his head slightly.

“Then, should I reject Rajendra’s proposal?”

“No, please accept it.”

Not only Arslan, but the eyes of the others were focused on Narsus.

“I will explain. Prince Rajendra’s heart is made of steel, and when you travel with such a person, you don’t know when he will stab you in the back with it. In my opinion, that the other side put forward this proposal at this time is actually beneficial to us, it is safer for us to keep a little distance from each other now.”

“I understand, let’s do that!”

“However, we have to attach a condition to it. Your Highness, please ask the other side to provide sufficient food, cattle and horses to carry the food, detailed maps and guides that can be trusted.”

Arslan couldn’t help but grin openly.

“Isn’t that a little too greedy?”

“No, it’s better to make such a request. Rajendra is a greedy person himself, so Your Highness should also show a high level of desire, for it will be more reassuring to him.”

People with high desire are afraid of people who have little desire. Therefore, the best way is to make the opponent think that you are the same kind of person as him, so that the opponent will not be on-edge. In addition to that, food and maps are indispensable things. In case he tries to provide a fictitious map, it is best to copy the map that Rajendra carries on his person on the spot.

“At the same time, we also ask Your Highness to inquire in detail about Prince Rajendra’s route of advance. Then we will send a secret envoy to inform Prince Gadhevi of Rajendra’s route of advance.”

“But, isn’t this slightly too much?”

Arslan hesitated a little. Gieve could not help but murmur under his breath: What a kind man!

“Please don’t worry. Prince Rajendra will not answer honestly anyway. By doing this, it will confuse Gadhevi’s army.”

Gadhevi must have struggled with where to direct his main army, right? If he divides his forces into two, we can attack them separately. If Gadhevi is afraid and hides in the city, we can march into Uraiyuru without damage. No matter how things go, there will be no loss for Arslan and the Parsian army. If the two sides did attack, they could simply change their tactics at that time. Narsus made this clarification. Arslan then decided to listen to his men’s opinions.

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