Breaking an Empire Read Online Free PDF

days later, those smiles disappeared as Glanhaol Fflamboethi passed burnt farmsteads and fields of scorched grain, the legacy of the Lianese retreat to the south. Rhyfelwyr looked at Taflen, his eyes full of questions. “It promises annihilation to their own, doesn’t it?”
    Taflen nodded. “There will be little food this winter, aside from what the few fishing boats left will bring. No grains, no vegetables, no meat. Their commander must despise us to a degree we have not yet seen. I wonder if our burning of Miath Mhor was a cause of this scorching?”
    Llof joined the two soldiers. “No, it wasn’t. This was planned before we arrived, as a fall-back measure. Wait till we get south.” With that, he wandered off.
    “Does he always have to do that? It’s annoying, being the educated one and having him run rings around me.” Taflen muttered.
    Rhyfelwyr grunted. “You’re still not used to that? Llofruddiwr has usually figured out what the enemy is going to do before they’ve done it. Why do you think I have him around? Keeps our necks safe.”
    With a miserable look, Taflen stomped away, his back straight, muttering about soldiers who don’t know their place in life.
    “What’s got into him?” Gwyth and Locsyn joined their sergeant on the small mound where he was stationed as a picket.
    “Oh, he got outsmarted by Llofruddiwr again.” Rhyfelwyr chuckled.
    “Still stings him, does it? It’s been going on for years, you’d think he’d learn by now.”
    “He’s a teacher, not a learner.”
    “True. So why are you up here, Rhy? We could all stick our heads in the sand and no one would attack us.”
    “Buggered if I know, Loc. Officer’s orders. Keeping the camp in shape, I suppose. Means I sit up here and watch the smoke rising from the land. Not exactly what I want to see.”
    “Burning more farms, are they?”
    “East, west, south. There’s a damn ring of smoke curling up around us. The Lianese are sending patrols to the sides of our route to make sure that burns too. I know we’re the Cleansing Flame, but even fire need to eat. Keep this up and it’ll be starving.”
    “I think that’s what they want, Rhy.” Locsyn twisted one end of his moustache. “After that first battle, they know they’re going to have a hard time beating us in open combat, so why bother? Doing this, and then slamming us hard when we’re weak and sick down by Horaim, well… it might work. Soldiers don’t fight well on empty stomachs. I hate to think it, but they might have come up with a way to defeat us.”
    Gwyth responded. “What about our mages? They can control fire, right? So why not have them put out the flames?”
    “It’d be too much work for them, and they’d be exhausted when it came to fighting. They’re the best thing we’ve got going for us. The Lianese mages are all sailors and lazy, fat types, used to sitting around wondering what sauce the chef is going to put on the fish. Ours are combat trained from youth. It’s why we haven’t seen many airmages in the field; they’re mostly useless. Good thing, too. They’ve already got enough arrows and javelins and other crap to throw at us, they don’t need more.”
    “So we keep pushing on and hope for the best? You aren’t making me amazed at your leadership, Rhy.” This was Locsyn, his face downcast.
    “You got a better idea, tell those officers over there. I’m sure they’d love to hear it.”
    “Hit the Lianese and take their food. It’s worked before.”
    “We’re trying that, Gwyth. Already did it once, even. We just decided to burn all of the food instead of take it. Think we outsmarted ourselves on that one. Wonder if the Lianese were willing to let Miath Mhor burn in order to defeat us later. Gods that would be cruel to their own if they did.”
    “Think the ones running the rebellion are having it hard? I bet the peasants in the fields are getting squeezed, and the commanders and the money boys are hanging around in the back,