Chapter 53: Battle
Explosion!
Thousand little suns rippled the ground; and then still burning, creating heat, biting into the earth, striving to its core and making countless deep holes they blinded everything around. High pines that were touching the sky above started to fall one at the others, then burn and melt in these fire-pits.
A sigh of great destruction, but these soldiers, dressed in iron and leather, with swords, spears, and maces in their hands had no joy. Their line, stretching far and holding ground just at the border of the forest, tightened, and no matter how hot it was in front of them, in their souls it was mild but cruel winter.
"It was obvious that they won't fall for it; still, a worthy try, general."
Said Li Song standing behind the whole army on a little slope. Du Fu's face twitched, his mustaches rose up.
"Don't act stupid, brat." He said reluctantly after being stared at for some time.
"Only greens like you would expect the enemy to fall into this kind of obvious formation field. There were other reasons."
"Yes? Let me guess: to destroy the trees as they are beneficial for the beasts, to disturb the beasts who afraid of the fire, and to shot them right now while the fire is still cooling."
Du Fu looked at him with a corner of his eye.
"Should I send the order, general?"
"I would do it myself, without you reminding me, brat." Du Fu lifted his palm covered in steel armor and suddenly made a first. An explosion followed, so loud that Fend who was standing to the side covered his ears with palms.
The next second a wave went through the thick third line of the army. Bows rose, arrow-tips ignited with Qi of different colors, and like a rainbow arched toward the still confused beasts.
Many fell, the horde started a chaotic retreat; however, no one even had time to feel any joy. Soon they calmed down, dispersed and started running in a more organized fashion.
Both Du Fu and Li Song frowned.
"Heaven's way is truly unpredictable. Good thing we didn't go with the Seventh Battle Plan; they are too organized to beat them like that. Has it always been like that, general?"
"No." Said Du Fu, his gaze serious on the retreating beasts.
"During the first war they were never so organized; aside from homogeneous armies."
"Their Emperor made quite a good job putting them together; well, makes it more exciting."
A wide smile appeared on Li Song's lively face.
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…
A large tent was located between trees, not too far from the main offensive army of the beasts, so the guards around it could hear distant shouts. Their expressions, however, was static no matter what kind of beasts they were. It was actually hard to distinguish, for all of them were standing on their two and were clad in iron armor.
"General Mo, reporting the Leader of the First Joined Flying Battalion. The operation went successfully; the human's formations were liquidated from above with air-bombardment!" Said a white-red pelican looking uncomfortably with his legs on the ground.
"I see… was the retreat successful?" Asked a grey wolf, looking at him from above.
"Successful General! Only a couple of hundreds fell out of our thirty thousand soldiers army!"
"Only a couple of hundreds…" The wolf closed his eyes.
"Proceed as planned." He said and entered the tent behind, not waiting for the bird's answer. However, Mo Guang still heard it in the tent, this distinct and quite "will be done." It was much louder outside; however, the formations in the tent almost completely silenced all surrounding sounds.
"Emperor."
He said looking at the white veil before himself, shrouding whatever it was beyond it.
"You may enter, brother."
Rang a gentle voice, and Mo Guang went in. What he saw was a long white table, spotless, but for a wolf in a blue gown sitting on it with his legs crossed.
A black stork was sitting to the left of him, his legs on a chair.
"Explain." He said in a hoarse voice.
"That array field was a wasted opportunity. You should have rushed this animal through, how much light it would have been!"
"I said already," answered the blue wolf in a calm voice.
"That is a fast way to loose morale, our army would just ran, I taught them to obey, but no beast would obey with its tail on fire; the battle have to be long to devastate both side."
"Cowards, but I understand. Not-slave armies are inefficient."
"Yes, they aren't, however, it seems it's time for you enter the stage, master. Brother, please."
Finally, two blue eyes looked at Mo Guang. He looked back, slight shine in his pupils, then nodded and let the black stork sit on his shoulder.
"…"
Mo Guang turned around and headed outside.
Once again, silence reigned in the tent.
The blue wolf's gaze went up, to the bleak sun shining through the white cloth of the ceiling.
"Now, I hope you have made the right choice."
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…
Wei Xin was in his room, strangely, without the usual boredom. No, now there was excitement dancing in him, little fingers of fire under his legs, hurrying him to walk in circles.
And he did, he was walking. Around the room, to the outside, where it wasn't much picturesque for the elephant was laying right now and only trees were around, and back into the room, where he laid down and stared at the ceiling.
Maha left several hours ago, or was it dozens of minutes? A large white and red bird came to them, said something about making the decision now, and took her somewhere. Now they were left alone. Their unicorn elephant was placed far from the main battle, at least several kilometers from it, so Xin could not know how it was going. His imagination, though, wasn't forbidden from speculating.
A real battle! Well, apart from that he felt a strange superiority.
Right, a real battle, but unlike many others participants of it, he knew quite a lot about the whole truth of that battle.
Including its real purpose.
Strange feeling, so strange that he suddenly felt an urge to share it with someone, to brag. However, could he? Probably yes. Maha forbid him from telling previously, but now, when the battle is already in progress, there's no point in hiding it. Suddenly the boy stood up and walked out.