41. Disorder
Spendius invaded Asur, there was not even a semblance of a casus belli beyond difference in religion. Once again Spendius employed his Hunur and Chenep soldiers, heading for the important city of Asuf. The Asur kingdom had a 15,000 army with some 500 Church of Order priests, 2000 heavy cavalry, and 13,000 infantry of varying armour levels. The Asur commander named Jacques had dug trenches near a stream hoping to block any army from crossing the water and entering deeper into Asur territory. To some degree perhaps Jacques thought he could invade Balna and establish his own realm, or at least add to his domains in the east; a pale figure with a mild disposition not prone to extreme happiness or anger, he seemed content with life and was not scared easily. Spendius hoped for reckless charges, but instead Jacques ordered his lightning mages to cast lightning bolts at the approaching Mendek army. The lightning bolts scared the horses, making them skittish and making the riders equally weary.
“Do not fear, we will fell these cretins like all others!” Spendius said riding first.
He rode quickly, too quickly, Jacques heard of this immense speed, opting to devastate the rest of Spendius’s army. 3000 horse lay dead, as arrows and lightning bolts devastated the light armour cavalry. Spendius sped up to the lightning casters, slashing their necks and torsos and creating a panic. Heavy infantry armed with halberds attempted to clobber Spendius, but again he moved just that little bit too fast for them. The army could have held him at bay perhaps, but his horse archers began peppering the Asur army. Jacques was killed in a stroke through the chest, slicing right through his breastplate with sheer speed, falling off his horse and dying for all to see. His priests soon joined Jacques in his fate, laid waste, and with that Spendius could focus on smashing the army before him. Assassinating the chain of command and then his cavalry army charged from behind chasing the lily livered all the way to Asuf. None survived, and Spendius marched on the city with no opposition impeding him along the way.
“I will open the gates, you simply sweep in.”
He did as much, but again, he suffered attritional casualties. He managed to clear the gates, open them, and allow his troops entry into the stony, mossy city, but the light cavalry fared poorly against Asur’s heavier units. Some 5000 were killed, Church of Order priests managing to inflict heavier casualties with their artillery like barrages, but soon enough the flag of Mendek flew over the battlements. Spendius had lost 8000 horsemen; 6000 Hunur, 2000 Chenep he sent them back to Balna, looting Asuf’s treasury to pay for 4000 heavy knights and 3000 heavy infantry, alongside 5000 Uruq cavalry. Spendius was depressed, but what he did not realise is that the city of Asuf had never fallen to any invader ever, the Church of Light had tried many times and had suffered many humiliations, and yet Spendius had succeeded.
Some miles away in Balna a new evangel had been created. Hereward a ginger man with crazy hair and red eyes had been a rebel in the north of Balna, and yet now he served Spendius, inspired by his many victories, the God of Battle called to him, and he accepted the call. Leading 2000 crazed axemen, he himself wielding such a weapon, he marched and took many border villages and fortifications in Asur and the so called ‘Northern Kingdoms.’ He headed straight for Nord, forging his own legend even without Spendius’s or Mendek’s direct assistance.
“As an evangel, I am a lord, it is only right that the God of Battle has someone who relishes in the thrill and din of battle! We will bring the world to heel under one God! Our God! The God of Battle!” He screamed with much enthusiasm.
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His troops let out quite a war cry at his words as they advanced along toward the grand city of Nord. Spendius on the other hand went south toward Portus, an important strategic hub, a harbour and nexus of trade.
It would take a day, but Hereward arrived at Nord, the capital of Asur, a prize worth 100,000 people, he had managed to augment his army by 1000 along the way, taking some 1000 heavy spearmen. He met a small 5000 man army led by a local lord disturbed by the advance of his forces. Hereward crushed the gentleman before he even knew what hit him. Hereward following a similar strategy to Spendius, except he became a berserker who began bruising the rest of the lord’s troops.
“Run! It’s a monster!” Was repeated endlessly by confused Asur troops.
Seizing 2000 gold coins, he deposited the gold in a small village, hoisting the flag of Mendek and advancing along the royal road. It would be late afternoon, the dark blue flags with a yellow lightning bolt were an imposing sight, Hereward however was not intimidated. All his troops had crept on the city walls before he began massacring the guards, and his troops clambered up ready to take the city. Hereward’s daring was astonishing, 15,000 garrisoned troops would and could put up quite a fight against any army, but Hereward had already begun neutralising the Church of Order priests as his troops filed down the avenues with great stealth as they approached the royal palace. Hereward did not even know the name of the enemy king, but king Louis was in the royal courtyard lunching with his family when he was cruelly butchered, alongside his family. They hacked him to pieces and the shocked attendants were soon delivering Hereward’s terms to the rest of the city. He had seized Asur and decapitated its leadership. He then went about terrorising the garrison into his army. Such a move was unprecedented and was achieved through gold and scare tactics.
“Anyone beats me in a fight and I’ll leave the city!” He wagered, wanting to intimidate the public with a show of strength.
His challenge was accepted, and he brutally mauled the gentleman armed with a mace who came to face him. The battle barely lasted three seconds. The others acquiesced more readily. Hereward pressed these newly recruited troops to join him in his campaigns.
“Convert to the God of Battle or face fines! Everyone must kneel before the new churches, new priests must evangelise the faith!”
Isn’t that what the evangels are supposed to do? A soldier thought silently, not willing to incur the wrath of this lunatic.
While Hereward intimidated the city of Nord, Spendius approached the city of Portus with his mercenary army. His mercenaries were pelted at and had lightning bolts thrown at them. The city had heard of the news and yet had refused to surrender.
“You can kill our king. You can kill everyone, but we will never surrender!” A zealous priest shouted, shooting lightning bolts.
Spendius ducked and men behind him were zapped into ashes. He huffed at the action, for he nearly was killed in the heat of battle. Despite his risk taking, he had relied so heavily on his God Powers he thought it was almost impossible to kill him. He ran up the walls, and his 3000 heavy infantry followed behind, the knights readying to go through the breach. The Uruq styled cavalry were being whittled down by lightning, 2000 already dead. Even the heavier units began getting hit. Commotion started on the walls, and Spendius took them over, the heavy units barrelled in, and Spendius attempted to whittle down the lightning users until there was finally silence. The battle took all day, uncharacteristically. So many of Spendius’s troops had been turned into charred remains he had to pause and look at the situation.
“Hereward has taken Nord the capital of Asur and killed the royal family,” a soldier said, reading off a carrier pigeon’s note.
“The fool, no wonder these people fought with such ferocity,” Spendius said, “congrats to him in taking such a prized city though I guess.”
Spendius had lost all his heavy infantry and 1000 heavy cavalry as well as 2000 Uruqian styled cavalry. Leaving him with 3000 heavy cavalry and 2000 Uruq cavalry. He now controlled a population centre of 50,000 where he levied 3000 cavalry, and bought 4000 more. These Asur styled cavalry were formidable, and the ones paid in coin were loyal. The shock of the fall of Nord, did mean that Mendek had authority in ruling these people. The God of Battle gained more followers, people shocked by the military success of Mendek. Only Oest was left in Asur, and Peria fortified its border, shocked by the recent incursions of Mendek.