Pivot of the Sky – Chapter 109, The Prelude to War

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Translator, Editor and Proofread: theunfetteredsalmon

 

[3283 words]

 

Amon did as so because he needed to keep the morale of the people as stable as possible after he assumed control of the legion. It was also because he was not short of money at all.

 

In addition to the Head of the legion, there is also the commanding priest to account for. The Priest had fifty mages under his command. They were treated generously. Amon himself was honest but he did not make Idu suffer. The materials and money that belonged to the mages were assigned to Idu to handle on his own.

 

As a result, Idu had also distributed almost all of the materials and pay, leaving only ten per cent, just like Amon’s practice. As a high priest of the Temple of Isis, it was easy for Idu to acquire almost anything he wanted without making a fuss.

 

The equipment, materials and pay provided were adequate, but Amon was not relaxed during training. He had planned to lead the legion strictly, but he met a front Leader who was stricter than he demanded. Hardedef was famous for his fierce temper in Mount Horeb. Now that he was in a legion, he had to rely on his fellow soldiers in any battle. He had enough equipment and money. How could he tolerate laziness?

 

Whoever failed to do his best in drills would be pulled out of the ranks to be whipped. On the contrary, Amon often persuaded Hardedef to go easy on the soldiers, advising that military disciple can be handled without additional punishment.

 

Amon also advised Hardedef not to be too anxious and not to burden the soldiers without authorisation. For example, archers in a round of battlefield volleys were required to shoot fifteen arrows in quick succession, so they should be trained to shoot fifteen in drills. They were not required, to shoot twenty forcibly. After all, the men were marching, so they needed their energy.

 

Hardedef was able to suppress his irrepressible agitation when he was at Mount Horeb through Amon’s instructions. However, the power of that agitation had not yet disappeared. By the time the two met again, the sixth-level warrior had become stronger than he had ever been. He still had moments of anger and impulse, but he found a way to turn that anger into an explosion of power, which allows him to enter a stalwart, flexible and sensitive state.

 

It seemed very strange to Amon, this explosive discharge of power. It was an interesting discovery for him.

 

Amon experimented with Hardedef’s outbursts. He found that when Hardedef was in that state, even Metatro would avoid a direct confrontation with him. At the end of the outburst, Hardedef would become weaker than typical and require a rest.

 

According to Amon’s analysis, if Hardedef overuses this unique power, it could cause unpredictable mental and physical damage to him. Amon reminded Hardedef to pay more attention.

 

In addition to strict requirements and proper command, training required two conditions to provide the best results. First of all, diet and nutrition had to keep up with the men’s spent energy. Amon ordered Sihathor to ensure that the Quartermaster’s Fleet was to provide sufficient dairy products. The second condition was the cooperation of the mages.

 

Mages rarely, if ever, attack the frontline with hand-to-hand combat in any way, shape or form. Their role was mainly reflected in two aspects. One was to use all kinds of magic to assist the soldiers in their fights while the other was to enhance the morale of the army. Magic can not only be aggressive, it can also be supplementary.

For example, healing magic would not immediately heal the soldiers’ wounds, but it would temporarily kill the pain for them. Prayer magic could make soldiers braver and fearless. Some could even provide the soldiers with the conviction to win as if they were given victory letters.

 

Such details were vital in battles between large legions. More often than not, the loss of a battle was not due to the number of casualties but to the collapse of the battle line caused by low morale. Once soldiers lost confidence, they would defect or rout. Few commanders could turn a unit back from routing.

 

The mages were used to keeping their dignities and privileges in peacetime. For them, marching was a hardship. They did not usually use much magic until real combat was set upon them. However, Amon asked the mages to play a third role, that is, to use healing and praying magic in battle training drills so that soldiers can recover from the fatigue. It would also improve their morale to maintain a confident and fierce state.

 

Amon could not directly command the mages as they were under Lord Idu. However, Idu cooperated with Amon and issued an order according to his request. He divided his mages into four teams, each with twelve members, all to form assistance for Amon and the legion to practise every day.

 

This was a bitter time for the mages. Their magic power was highly valuable. How could they be expected to consume it as freely as they were told to? The noble lords occasionally used this method to train relatives and close friends, but such practice was unheard of in legions. In just a few days, the mages approached and complained to Lord Idu, even though they were not fighting. How could they let noble mages consume their magic power for civilian warriors?

 

Idu ignored them at first, but then he saw that a majority of the mages began complaining, so he made another stunning decision. The supreme mage went to the training grounds personally with his staff and led all four teams of mages to perform magic and cooperate with the training schedule for four consecutive days. Even Lord Idu himself did it, so the other mages had no cause for objection.

 

Only then did Idu say publicly, “Our regiment lacked training before, and should it come down to war, we may experience instability. In the midst of battle, once the warriors at the frontline collapse, you mages will certainly meet an ugly end. Even the training officers train to protect their brethren, and that includes you. You complain and yet we have not seen battle. What would you do if the fights were real?”

 

Lord Idu spoke beautifully, so much so that his mages did not dare refute a single word. However, Amon’s practice was still considered unconventional. No one had ever heard of a Head letting mages practise with the foot soldiers in peacetime due to useless consumption of magic power, not to mention doing it every single day. Amon was a student of Nietzche. He was never taught the principles of the consumption of magic power like mages do in a temple or shrine. He used to practise magic anytime, anywhere he liked, even when he sheltered from rain and sought shade from the blazing sun. He was accustomed to it. He did not think that it was a big deal for other practitioners of magic to do the same.

 

It was unclear to the mages that their superior, Lord Idu, was also a sorcerer in his very early years. He was also a friend of Nietzche, the one they called Crazy’Ole. He knew about Amon, more or less. This time, he was understandably frustrated with Amon’s methods.

 

However, Amon would never let sincere efforts to improve go unrewarded. He gave Idu a precious staff, even though Idu, as the high priest of the Temple of Isis, had access to powerful staffs anytime he wanted. He did not lack such items, but keeping them on hand or using them to reward his subordinates was a good thing. Amon retrieved three magic staffs that day in the cave, alongside Nero’s relics. One was Nero’s, the other was now Lynk’s and the third was finally gifted to Lord Idu that day.

 

In addition, Amon gave the mages plenty of parangons, which was a stunning reward to any mortal.

 

If there were rewards, there would almost certainly be penalties, so the mages dared not complain again, even though they could be lazy and somewhat slippery. As a result, Amon ignored their status. In fact, Amon once ordered Hardedef to drag out two lazy, ineffective mages onto the training ground to beat them half to death as punishment. Since then, everything had been on track.

 

Of course, mages were always of noble origin. These mages could have come from large families of honourable status, or they may be relatives of imperial ministers, be it distant or immediate. However, in the legion, they would have to bow their head to their commander, even if it was temporary. Any complaint and grudge they held towards the leadership of the legion would have to wait until the campaign ended.

 

Amon marched and trained his troops while they moved up along the coastline steadily. Two months later, when the legion arrived at Cape and approached the border of Ejypt, he finally ordered for a halt on all drills for a while. All the troops needed a good rest. According to the operational plan, Amon could not advance any further nor lag behind. He had to follow the northern coastline in accordance with the speed of the main army.

 

There were scouts and horsemen acting as messengers between the An-Ra legion and the rest. Should it fall on a critical moment, mages would take to the sky to transmit messages instead.

 

At last, the An-Ra legion left the border and turned north. Ahead of them was the desolate Syah Desert. The winding coastline divided the blue sea and the gold-yellow sand. Waves and dunes of sand were endless on the horizon. The sky was washed blue, with but a few clusters of white fluffy clouds floating by to grant rain in other places like they were sheep moving to a pasture to graze.

 

The scenery was nothing short of breathtaking, even though the four fields surrounding them were desolate and practically lifeless. In such tranquillity was the imminence of war. After leaving the border, Amon marched more cautiously, sending mages to take turns to use detection magic and pay attention to the legion’s surroundings. By now, the transport supply fleet was far behind.

 

One day, a scout returned with unexpected news. The Horus legion, led by the Pharoah himself, did not advance steadily as planned. Instead, they suddenly accelerated to the centre of the Syah desert. The Seth legion that was initially stationed at the border had also changed its plan to cover civilians and foodstuffs as they entered the desert to follow the Pharoah.

 

According to the original plan, the Isis legion was to go hand-in-hand with the Horus legion. However, the Isis legion was far behind, so the Pharoah decided to quit waiting. The Horus legion accelerated its marches, leaving the Isis legion behind. Fearing that they may lose something, the Isis legion left their emphases in Cape and accelerated their march into the Syah desert as well.

 

This was inconsistent with the plan formulated by the Ejyptian Military Commission. The body of the plan was falling apart. The whole strategic situation had shifted from a steady advance into a surprise operation.

 

Despite the ever-changing situation in the field, commanders were required to make all kinds of temporary decisions to adjust and adapt. However, no battle has started yet to warrant such a drastic change. No Head of a legion had the courage nor the authority to do something like that. After all, the planned marches and strategy had their merits and demerits. Even if the war was not going well, it was the responsibility of the leadership. However, if the primary force performed unauthorised raids, all cooperating legions should make corresponding adjustments. Only the Head of the Horus legion would dare pull off something like this because he was the supreme Pharoah.

 

While the Horus legion launched its own operations, it did not provide any details as to how the An-Ra legion was to react, which only confused Amon. It was not clear whether he should follow the initial plan or speed up the march to catch up with the Pharoah. Only a few days later did he receive a messenger from Rod Drick, Head of the Seth legion, asking the An-Ra legion to speed up its march to cover the flanks of the main army.

 

Aside from Amon, Rod Drick was struggling with adapting. He was in great distress at the situation. He had advised His Majesty not to change his plan and to make bold progress, but the Pharoah did not listen.

 

In Rod Drick’s view, Ejypt’s national strength was obviously much stronger than that of Hittite’s. The combat effectiveness and equipment of the Ejyptian legions also provided a great advantage. The most secure choice was to carry forward the battle smoothly and steadily. What’s more, this time it was the Pharoah’s crusade, who was more tolerant of slipping away even with some risk. The only obstacle to the conquest of Hittite was the huge consumption of logistical supplies on the march across the desert.

 

However, something unexpected interfered with the original plan, changing the Pharoah’s decision.

 

According to the reconnaissance of spies, King Lucier of Hittite was also leading his most elite Enlil brigade. Lucier initially had no intention of going into the battlefield himself, but the nobles of the Royal family and high-ranking officials of the Magic Academy all wrote to ask the king to lead the army in person, even if it was just as a symbol, like the Pharoah of Ejypt.

 

The great army of the Ejyptian Empire was raging and coming and the Kingdom of Hittite had been preparing for this war for many years. It was the moment the greatest forces needed to break out of silence. Pharoah Ramesses was now on the other end at the frontline. If King Lucier retreated into the capital, it would give an impression of timidity and lack of self-confidence. The best way to inspire morale was for the king himself to lead the most elite brigades in the kingdom.

 

The significance of the war to the Kingdom of Hittite was vastly different than that of the Ejyptian Empire. Should the Empire lose, it would be nothing more than the loss of a vassal, a subordinate Kingdom. But if the Kingdom of Hittite was to lose, it would be the turning point on the international political landscape. At the very least, Hittite would lose plenty of large territories, pay heavy reparations and tribute and likely submit to the rule of the Ejyptian Empire with no chance of recovering for a very long time.

 

King Lucier, though reluctant, made a personal expedition. Over the years, the seemingly peaceful and tranquil city of Syah had suddenly conjured up a well-trained and well-equipped elite brigade called the Anu brigade, which was originally stationed on the western border. As a supreme mage, Golier served as the Head of the brigade. The Chief Mage officer was his disciple Warret. The frontline Leader was the supreme warrior Musenu and the Quartermaster was Fermien Schmul, the governor. 

 

Another brigade named the Nanar was also pushed along the coastline towards the Syah desert. The brigade was formerly stationed at the southern coast. The Kingdom of Hittite was more than well-prepared for war and marched quickly. The three brigades gathered in the northern area of the desert, south of the Charcoal Forest.

 

That was the information provided by the spy that was planted in the Kingdom of Hittite. It was very difficult to cross hundreds of miles of desert without being discovered by the enemy. The latest and timely developments of the enemy were still unknown through their own channels.

 

The scouts sent by the Horus legion went deep into the desert and caught several groups of people in different places. Some were passing caravans, some were fishermen that came from the shore and others claimed to be robbers and bandits. Since they appeared in the area at such an inopportune time, they were treated as enemy spies. Under torture, they confessed to being spies of the Kingdom of Hittite.

 

The same exact information was given in all of the spies’ confessions. King Lucier, the Head of the Enlil brigade, had advanced to the grasslands on the southern shore of the inland lake and was establishing permanent bases of operations. The Anu brigade was stationed in the southern part of Syah, mobilising war materials and building defensive fortifications, just two hundred miles away from the King’s brigade. The Nanar brigade was stationed near the coastline, two hundred miles away from the Anu brigade.

 

The three brigades were distributed in an equilateral triangle, echoing each other and awaiting the Ejyptian army to enter the ambush zone.

 

According to the original battle plan, the Pharoah’s main line of attack was to launch a direct assault on the southern pass of Syah, which was blocked by Golier’s Anu brigade. The other two Hittite brigades may attack from either flank of the army. Even if they could not cut off the Horus legion’s supply lines, they would be able to entrap it and drag the battle out and hold off the main force of the Ejyptian army. In this way, the Ejyptians would be forced to fight a costly war of attrition at the other end of the desert, far from home territory.

 

If only one spy claimed this, then perhaps the Ejyptians would not take it as seriously, but the account was the same from all tortured captives. It seemed that the possibility of such a situation was very large. His Majesty the Pharoah was livid at first, even escalating to suspecting that there was the existence of traitors in the high-ranking officials of the military. To him, it made sense, since their enemies had made a targeted arrangement.

 

The Leader of the Horus legion troops, General Vadin and the Commanding Priest Lykwid both urged the Pharoah to calm his anger. According to book strategy, as long as the military officials understood war, they would be able to judge the path of attack of the Ejyptian army. There was nothing unusual about the operational plan formulated by the Military Commission, which was aiming at being moderate and stable.

 

The Kingdom of Hittite had been preparing for war for a very long time, so it was perfectly normal for them to make such a response plan. They were relying on the line where the border was drawn to carry out defensive operations and occupy favourable conditions for logistical and soldier replenishment.

 

The Ejyptian army only needed to attack the southern pass of Syah as planned. Thus, the main force of Ejypt and the Anu brigade led by Golier began to commit to a setpiece, decisive battle. At the same time, the Isis legion, as well as the majority of the Seth legion, cut off the connection between the Anu brigade and the Enlil brigade, blocking the latter’s return.

 

As for the Nanar brigade, it was possible for Amon’s An-Ra legion to march northward to confront it. The battle did not have to be a victory. As long as the Nanar brigade was delayed or better yet, prevented from joining the main battle, it would be a victory overall.

 

If the campaign continued at its current rate, it would quickly become a hard-to-crack competition between both sides with little to no opportunity coincidences. It would be more dependent on the combat effectiveness, equipment, training, battlefield command and logistical supply. However, the Pharoah rejected the plan and decided to launch a direct raid on the Enlil brigade. This decision was not necessarily unreasonable.

 

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Silavin: 2 Chapters for this week and the next one. We hope to continue with three chapters after that but let’s see how things go for theunfetteredsalmon.

 

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