The Shasht War Read Online Free PDF Page A

Thru Gillo here.
    "What would he be thinking now, if he were in our position, do you think?"
    "I wouldn't presume to speak for Toshak, sir, but I would guess that he'd be concerned first and foremost with reconnaissance. Where's the enemy? How many do they have?"
    "Yes, of course. Well, I can tell you that the enemy have moved up the Punwell Valley. The new estimate of their number is six thousand. The most recent report put them on the south bank of the River Pun and heading for Shimpli-Dindi."
    Thru felt a stab of anxiety. Six thousand strong! That was a larger force than they'd faced before. They would have to be very careful.
    "And he'd also be concerned about meeting up with the other regiments."
    "As am I. I was hoping to join up with Brigadier Colss at Shimpli-Dindi, but I don't know exactly where the other brigades are. And now it looks as if the enemy will get to the crossroads before we do."
    "Well, if we're that close to them, then we have to accept that they probably know we're in the vicinity."
    "How so?" said the Meld, alarmed.
    "Toshak always insists that we remember that the enemy will be doing his own reconnaissance work and may know more than we like about our positions. He suggests that we always work with the assumption that the enemy knows something of our position."
    "Mmmm."
    The Meld looked around him at the forested hills with visible unease, then took another look at Thru. Maybe Toshak had been right about this fellow.
    Thru was busy examining the map, already rather worn from being studied so much in recent days. "The roads all converge on Shimpli-Dindi and then run down to Chenna, correct?"
    "Yes. Chenna has a new stockade around it, and it will be held by a small force of local militia. How long they can hold out is unknown."
    Thru tried to calculate the time and the distances. He cast a glance off to the south. About a mile from Demel rose a hill called the Sow. There was a notch where her neck was and then another smaller bump called the Head. The top of her Head was bare of trees, probably eight hundred feet above the plain. It was famous all over this part of Annion as a place where wolves liked to howl on nights of the full moon.
    Over on the other side of that hill lay Chenna Forest and the vital crossroads. South of there, somewhere down the road to Glaine was the other force of four thousand mots, led by Brigadier Colss. Thru knew Colss only by reputation, since Colss had command of East Glaine and Reel Annion, but that reputation was a good one. Thru imagined therefore that Colss would have his own scouts abroad and would be aware of the existence of the Shasht army on the road ahead of him. Colss was most likely moving cautiously forward, seeking some sign of the Meld and the main army.
    The two forces of mots, four thousand under Colss and the six thousand under the Meld, were separated by something like ten miles. In between, and close to Chenna was the army of men, six thousand strong—too big for either of the separated mot forces to handle. They had to coalesce, but the only road lay through Shimpli-Dindi and Chenna and was likely to be blocked by the enemy army.
    Most likely the enemy knew he had this advantage, too. He would seek to draw one or the other of the two mot forces into an engagement and crush that force before the other could become involved. Then the men could turn on the remaining force of mots and destroy them, too. Thru had no illusions about the battlefield skills of the larger part of the army of Sulmo. The regiments under the Meld were capable of little more than holding a defensive line. Any maneuvers would soon turn them into chaotic mobs and such ill-disciplined units would be easy meat for the well-trained men.
    Suddenly a plan just fell into place in his mind. Thru pointed to the hill.
    "Sir, that is the Sow's Head. Take the army up there and fortify. Make him attack you on good defensive ground. He's between our two armies, and he can probably bring one or