"General, there is no movement in the city," Vrom announced, as read through the scout's reports. The generals couldn't help but a smile stretched on Riyasu's lips.
"How much time would it take if they tried to attack us?" The General of the West asked.
"The river we crossed yesterday was a branch of the Gwang river. Jingeon is about 52 km south from there. Even if they move the army right now, it will still take more than 10 hours before they could reach here. On top of that, they have to cross the river too."
"What about Na?"
Rather than explaining, Vorn took out a piece of cloth and showed it. "We are here. If we go to the north around 18 km here, we will find another branch of the Gwang river."
Everybody closed in to get a better look of the map as he continued, "If we follow the river then it will be another 50 km."
"If they receive the reinforcement from Jingeon?" Riyasu's voice was sharp.
"Are you sure that Kinoya couldn't take down the city?" The calm Vorn was agitated from the attitude of Riyasu.
Riyasu couldn't help but frown at the idiocy of these people. He couldn't understand why these people were believing in a boy so much.
Though he was not under the general of the West, he knew very well that, if the general fails, he will have to bear the responsibility too. And there is no way he is going to let his future rest in the hand of a child.
"General, wouldn't it be better if we post a legion at the Jingeon? That way we can at least be sure that there won't be an attack from the back?" [Author note: A Legion: 20,000 soldiers under a two-star general]
"That won't be needed. Kinoya is taking care of it." Riyasu looked towards Akai who just came in with Vaicus. But it was the other boy with them who spoke out loud.
"I am Vishnugupta." With those words, the guards moved back. None of them dared to put their hand on Chanakya.
Even Riyasu swallowed the insult. To the empire disrespecting a Vishnugupta is like disrespecting the first emperor.
"Kinoya had taken down Jinsan." Not caring about the surprised looks of the one around him Chanakya dropped the bomb.
It just deepened the silence. Nobody spoke. Even if they had wanted, they had no idea what to say, 'How can a single boy take down a whole city?'
Then again there was someone named Riyasu. "That city didn't have any strong army. It is easy to take it down. That was not even on the list of the city, we are trying to capture."
Chanakya paid no heed to Riyasu and turned to other generals. Their expression satisfied him. '"Shock them to submission." What a fitting word. It is as the captain had said.'
"How?" The general of West didn't realize that he had stopped the horse. The motion of the whole band had come to a halt. If it was anybody else then he wouldn't have believed him but a Vishnugupta never lies, yet…
"How did he do that?" Every one of them had the same question. But the unexpected answer came from Riyasu.
"What is so surprising about it? I could take down that city with a legion, no one regiment is enough."
[Author note: A Regiment: 5,000 soldiers under a one-star general]
"If you are not listening, then let me tell you again, Kinoya concurred the city alone without an army," Akai explained to Riyasu, with a face full of disdain.
"You are mistaken about something. Kinoya didn't concur the city."
Chanakya's words came with another wave of surprised expression. Even Riyasu, who had been happy otherwise, was surprised for a moment. However, before he could respond Chanakya continued, "He had destroyed Jinsan."
'Destroyed?' They could understand the meaning of the term but couldn't understand the meaning of the sentence. Even if they could, they couldn't believe it.
"Kinoya didn't concur the city, he destroyed it. There is nothing but dust. Everyone, the garrison, civilian, old or child every one of them is dead. You might not find the body if you go there and look for it."
Riyasu could feel a chill run through his spine and it is not just him. Akai couldn't believe that a boy could do something so vicious.
Killing a soldier on a battlefield is not a sin, killing a thousand is merit, and killing ten thousand will be fame. But killing a civilian is...
"What are you talking about?" The silent Vaicus couldn't remain silent anymore...
"Did you felt a tremor last night?" Chankaya didn't wait for others to answer, "That was the effect of the blast."
"How can he do that?"
"By the same way, they tried to kill us at Yeomcheon."
"But why?"
Chankya smiled and repeated the same answer Kinoya had given him, "This is war, not a merry-making game. Those, who understand it, will win and those who don't, won't make it to the history books."
"When they could draw us in a city and try to blow up 150,000 soldiers, with their 5000 women without hesitation, then why can't we do the same?"
"Even if you say so…" Akai couldn't complete his sentence but Vorn did, "Killing civilians is war-crime."
"War crime? What is that? Do you remember how many innocent people were killed by the war under the first emperor?" None had expected such harsh words from him, but none could refute.
"If you wanted to save a life then you shouldn't have started the war in the first place, but when you had already done that, there is no need to hesitate. If you hesitate, then the one to die will be us."
'Devil. If it is not the work of a devil then what is?' None of them knew that they were thinking along the same line.
"Would he do the same to Jihgeon?" The words of the general of the West drew everybody's attention to Chanakya, who added with a nod, "We should march and reach Na by tomorrow noon. Then we will rest and go to war on the next day." Without hesitation, Chanakya left the place after leaving the words.
'Who is the actual Commander-in-chief?'
***********
The City of Na.
"How can that be possible?" It was hard to believe for the Commander-in-chief, general Manu.
"They might have employed the same tactics." The one answered was Captain Fret, who had fought Kinoya in the city of Yeomcheon.
That didn't quench the emotion of the general rather infuriated him more. "Where is that white freak hiding?" So he shouted. The message bearer was already terrified.
Everybody knew about the temper of the general, who was reluctant about letting an official get in the military tent but it was the nation where the King reigned supreme.
"Official Nus is on his way here. He will reach Hapcheon within two days."
"Two days? That idiot wasn't able to do anything then losing soldiers and showing the enemy a way to destroy us. Now he is on holiday."
"Don't worry, General, as long as I am here they won't be able to do anything like they did to the other two cities?" Captain Fret was overflowing with confidence.
Unlike his attitude toward the white freak, the general had faith in the captain. That was not just because of his background. Coming out of the enemy territory after fighting for such a long time had earned his respect.
"Could they do that?" One of the generals couldn't control his curiosity.
"It is possible if they had the device we had used. If they escape all the traps and reach the crystal room then they won't have any problem attaching the device to the crystal. They might have got from our soldiers."
Even if he didn't say it out loud, one could understand the general was one step away from the eruption. However, it was Fret who continued.
"Attaching one will slow the detonation, but it will certainly blow. And from the magical fluctuation I am sensing, I am quite sure both cities were destroyed in the same way. But…" The general was quite eager to hear the next line, "I am not sure about it but I think the key of those attacks is with the devil."
"It could be some mage or magic Knight."
"No. The only reason my master didn't mobilize anyone other than me, because he and also the King wanted to keep the magic knights out of the way. If the mage came in the war, then it would be an utter slaughter."
"Aren't they slaughtering our people now?" Manu couldn't hide his reluctance. He wasn't willing to follow the plan nor do his subordinates, yet, "We will do as officer Nus had said. General Kirmac's praise couldn't be just empty words."
"General, we can't do that. The soldiers are unhappy."
"Unhappy?" The term caught Manu by surprise.
"They have heard all the soldiers were slaughtered without a single one spared."
"Who was the idiot?" The general slammed his hand on the table.
It was common knowledge to hold any bad news back unless it is necessary. Any news can ignite emotion in those instinct-driven soldiers, hence clouding the judgment. Like the unrest, they are creating right now.
"The enemy was continuously boasting about it by the city wall from the moment they had reached here in the late afternoon."
Fret could see the creases forming on the forehead of the general. He, himself, was surprised. For the starter, the Empire's army changed its tactics after just 7 months.
It was something that was out of Nus's calculation. But from conquering every city of its path, to coming to Na, directly by a forced march, not something he had thought about. And the choice of the unconventional terrain was more surprising.
"Are they trying to lure us out and fight them?" one of the subordinates asked.
"Do they think that we are an idiot?" General Manu sizzled up more.
"One thing is sure that the empire is getting desperate." Fret added, "They want to end it as soon as possible, just as official Nus had predicted."
"That bloody white freak, I am starting to hate that guy's intuition." General Manu couldn't help but praise it. "We will stay in the fort, at least until that white freak arrives. Tell that to every soldier. If one of them tried to leave the city and attack, their whole squad will be slaughtered."
Little did he know, nothing would be going according to his plan? If he was a prestigious general like Kirmac then things would have been different. Yet he didn't have the charisma nor the sun of war would wait for anybody.