42. Eastern Jostling

Clearchus marched his army around Hitara, subjugating the city of Suria without a fight. The sandy dunes interrupted by oases and palm trees and lush green groves where he could feed his army. He was determined to march on Wahatan and seize it, his spies had reported the presence of many flags of the Republic. Clearchus was joined by Proxenus, a dark haired gentleman from the regions he had just conquered. Proxenus became a devotee to the God of Battle and rode through the hinterlands terrorising the peasantry into submitting. Mardonius and Nichomachus had begun buying the slaves of Eda, freeing them and purchasing the loyalty of the lower classes. Mendek goons were hunting and killing people in macabre ways; people were impaled, hanged, burned, drawn and quartered, set upon by dogs and their creativity in depravity was limitless.

“They can kill you, but they can’t break the Republic’s spirit,” Mardonius said, “I will hunt those miscreants who do such terrorism.”

Villages were bribed but told to be careful with their outward showing of loyalty. Mardonius returned and sniped men who had done such crimes on supporters of the Republic. Zelra had been supplying the many villages of Amoreb, not willing to risk herself in the jostling now happening. Clearchus and Proxenus marched south, besieging and killing some pro Republic villagers who shot at them.

“The feeble God of Trade,” Proxenus whispered, “my brothers died fighting those cunts.”

Did we not kill many Hitarans too? Clearchus thought.

Clearchus had 15,000 troops, Proxenus likewise had 15,000, each army consisting of 5000 cavalry and 10,000 light infantry.

“One of us should take the city of Lirun,” Clearchus said, “I am not comfortable with such a formidable bastion that is close to the border that will invariably send reinforcements to their brethren.”

“You do it,” Proxenus said, “I will try to solidify Mendek rule in the region.”

Clearchus marched on the Lir city of Asr on the border, he marched a long distance taking him approximately two or three days, in the meanwhile Proxenus quashed pro Republican revolts and tried to recruit more troops in Suria. The Church of Light churches were converted into preaching centres for the God of Battle, subversion was noted and secret police went out to torture people.

“Die!” A soldier said to a Yerek sympathiser.

Mardonius appeared behind the soldier, clicking his crossbow and ending the poor man’s life. Hitara was deliberately being subverted and destabilised in order to stall any invasion attempt on Amoreb province. The Church of Light stalled, stunned by many defeats, their spies observing the absurdities of the new border. They endlessly wrote of the torched villages, the massacres, the cruelty and instability of Hitara.

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Clearchus had successfully taken the city of Asr on the border with Hitara and three days later he took Lirun; taking the two Lir cities prevented any intervention and increased the number of God of Battle followers. With this, another evangel was made, three versus three. Robert was a small man with dark hair and eyes and developed muscles, he had a lot of facial hair unlike many of his counterparts and was a ferocious dog for Mendek. He had upon getting his powers begun slaughtering Yerek sympathisers outside of Suria. He had a touch with death when Nichomachus threw a knife at him, and he expertly dodged it.

“We will murder you!” Robert snarled, “I assure you, Mendek will never forget, we remember everything!”

Yerek proselytising had also increased the number of evangels for the God of Trade. Oxyartes was a young man, barely 19, who was skinny and bookish, but nonetheless he took to many fronts. Whether it was helping feed southern camel herders, or villagers in the south, or purchasing slaves in Bethyr their freedom, he focused on the city of Hatun with great ferocity. Buying the slaves and feeding the urban poor, he hoped to irritate the Mendek commanders tremendously. The city had increased taxes, had more slaves than ever, and much of the urban poor were not happy. With the onset of winter he provided much needed supplies, even being so bold as to station a newly minted God of Farming and Water in the city. Oxyartes had pale green eyes and brown hair, and he intended to become the nuisance of the East.

Several more days passed, and Proxenus and Clearchus launched an invasion of Amoreb, heading straight for Wahatan with all their forces. Some confused villagers had no idea which way the wind was blowing, and many opted for neutrality hearing of brutalities and ruthless punishments.

“I hear they kill anyone who even whispers for the Republic…” a boy of 14 said, “but Mendek don’t care, they want gold, glory. Nation after nation conquered. I wish to join them.”

“Don’t be stupid,” his 18 sister said, “those curs just want women and gold.”

The brother stared at his sister for a little bit, wondering what the argument was.

“They do not develop the land,” their father said, “they just take it.”

In the distance a village could be seen burning. The father and mother turned away.

“Get inside!” The mother shouted.

Both parents were haggard with stress. A Pro Republic village was torched in the distance, the smoke smellable, some locals put Mendek’s banner on the battlements of the village hall, and hoped the looters would pass.

“Sometimes I wish Hitara would just come back,” the grandmother said.

Astonishing words, but not completely without reason.

Hasan’s spies observed the unfolding events from the city of Jitun in Jira. He was given a small residence by the governor, and the events in Hitara and Amoreb were detailed to him with great interest. It seemed Hitara was on fire, and Amoreb was soon to be set completely alight by the events soon coming. Robert rushed northwards heading to deal with a town near Eda which had revolted against Hitara, and Maurice marched to Hatun hoping to end the rebellion there. Hatun fell to Yerek, Oxyartes loudly proclaiming the revolution there.

“We have revolted here, and Yerek will rid the world of such warmongers!” Oxyartes said, his stick arms impressing nobody, but his voice making many cheer, “we will end the rule of tyrants! Yerek will not abide by these slavers and tyrants making lives worse for everyone!”

“Death to the tyrants!” Thousands screamed.

Oxyartes kept speaking.

“We will plant a seed in every bastion and city, and it will grow. I as an evangel will help it grow and disturb every one of these blood thirsty maniacs. We might not prevail always, but we will always persist, I will resist them! Will you?”

His ranting and raving produced a determined city, even going so far as building a temple to the God of Trade despite the insurrectionary status of the city. Crossbows were handed out, and the city awaited its fate.