What began as an attempt to breakthrough ended as a rush to defend. The Markluzians severely underestimated the man power of the opposition. Goblins and their kin have a rather fast reproduction rate, matched with the sheer brute strength of their Orc overlords and you have a recipe for disaster.
The Markluzian's greed was their own undoing, wishing to expand onto the territories of their not so friendly neighbors.
Thinking that all the greenskins had to them were their numbers, the humans unknowingly misread their opponent's intentions. "Because surely the harsh terrains of the northwest would keep them away."
"No sane man would send their army out in the cold, to attack a fortified storm-proof settlement."
Similar sentiments were concluded by both the high court and any known official that was aware of the situation. By human logic they would be correct, but to use logic that made sense for humanity was something that they should not have done in the first place. Orcs, Goblinoids and the like have far better resistances to the elements than the common man.
Making the tactical advantage of the northwest nothing more than a simple terrain advantage. And so the northwest was lost, with only the 2nd prince and his personal soldiers as survivors.
This caused the king to ask the martial alliance for aid once more along with the issuance of a mandatory draft. Any man or woman, able-bodied at the age of 16 years or older is to serve the kingdom due to the pressure coming from the northerners.
---
With the end of summer comes the smell of rain and the reddening of leaves. The muddy roads made it difficult for the horse-drawn carriages to move, forcing some of the disciples to aid in pushing the vehicles through. Black birds can be seen flying all around the moving army, right at the forefront of it all were three old men each wearing garments of distinct hues.
Master Bungcao with his dark black and blue attire stood in the middle of the two other masters. To his right was the spear-wielding and tall master of the Ping dojo wearing an emerald green robe and to his left was a master wearing a garment that reflected the light pinkish colour of a cherry blossom.
"Fwooooo" Whistled Hektor, walking right behind the group of old men.
A black raven perched itself on the young man's right shoulder.
Squawk. Squawk.
"It appears that my birds have scouted a large camp, east of our location Master Bungcao." Hektor bowed to his master as he relayed the information.
"Hoho, I see. I trust that the Ping dojo can take care of this small threat." The master commented, forcing the emerald robed spearman to take charge.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
"You heard the Master, CHARGE EAST!" Ping Dojo's master barked out. The disciples rushed forward without a second thought.
The standing army that moved together with the three masters consists of 200 disciples from the Ping Dojo, 122 Disciples from the Blossom Dojo and less than 70 disciples from the Blue Tiger Dojo. With most of their initial warriors already in the frontlines this batch can be described as the last of their kin.
This group's current role is to forge a safe path for the drafted soldiers that followed them, with close to 2,000 drafted soldiers behind them. With their main role being to provide reinforcements to the First Prince's forces.
The spearmen from the Ping Dojo made light work of the camp of orcs, with their superior skill in the use of the spear a single disciple is said to be equal to a veteran soldier. But what made the spearmen of the Ping Dojo truly lethal is their deadly formations, working in concert with one another these well-trained disciples are some of the most effective military units in Markluzian territory.
Though individually speaking they are still relative to the regular disciples of any other martial school.
"I have to say, your disciple has quite the useful skill Master Bungcao." The long-haired master of the Blossom dojo stated while he watched the young man direct the birds to scout the area.
"Indeed, though I'm sure that you also have a few promising individuals in your pool of students. Master Chen." Bungcao stroked his beard while motioning for one of his disciples to bring him a drink.
"Hoho… I wish." Master Chen responded, his look was solemn as he blinked slowly. "Most of my kin have fallen in the frontlines, the current disciples here with me are the scraps that were deemed unworthy of fighting."
"I see, then you should rejoice." The old man stood before gulping down a bit of ale. "Is this not the opportunity for the scraps to turn the tide?"
"What did they call our generation again, old friend?" Bungcao asked with a smile.
"Hahahaha how could I forget?" Master Chen placed a palm on his face as he soon began to laugh.
The old men laughed amongst themselves as they enjoyed the show.
Hektor and the other disciples could only wonder about their conversation, but Faisal, noticing the curiosity of the younger disciples, finally decided to provide some context.
"You all know about the fifteen year war against the merfolks of the east don't you?" Faisal asked the crowd of disciples behind him.
He could hear a few grunts of agreement.
"For those who don't have an idea, 50 years ago the Markluzian Kingdom had a long-standing war against the Merfolk of the Eastern Sea." Faisal began.
"Ohhh this was also during the time when the Markluzian the second was in power?" Paul asked, trying to confirm a bit of information that he already knew.
"Yes, during the time The Kingdom's main forces were tasked with defending the main walls from demons." Faisal continued. "With the Martial Alliance busy at the frontlines of the western walls, they could only provide the eastern defences with a weaker batch of soldiers."
"I see, then how does this relate to our masters?" Asked Tarik, who seems to be quite engaged in the discussion.
"Back in those days, our Master and Master Chen were part of the forces that they sent to the east." Faisal replied, he then placed a hand on his chin before saying "I believe that they were called, The Leftovers of the Martial Alliance."
Leftovers that would drive away thousands of sea monsters, The same leftovers that would halt the advancements of the eastern coves. Master Chen and Master Bungcao are two of the ten war heroes that were said to have contributed greatly during the eastern siege.
"Though history remembers them as the 10 heroes of the eastern siege."