have been in the field. The other thing you need to learn about them is that they can be modified or broken if need be." The general passed the reins of his horse to a private. "The cavalry attack was just a feint to try to get you to send your troops into the field. They likely had several regiments hiding in the forest. You'd be wise to have scouts out to make sure you don't run into a trap like that."
"Yes, sir, I'll keep that in mind."
"Well you won't have to keep it there very long," Niklos said as he barreled through the door to the officers’ quarters. "There's more than a hundred thousand Imperials marching this way and they are not here to have a smoke and walk home."
"How far behind you, sir?"
"They'll be here before dark," Niklos said as he poured a glass of Jarin whiskey. He took a sip and spit. "Damned Jarin piss. Why can't you commanders get some Welosi whiskey out here?"
Jarin Whiskey was aged for ten years before it was sold and the brewery only released a few hundred barrels every year. It was considered one of the best alcohols brewed in the southern territories. Welosi whiskey, on the other hand, was aged for fifteen years in some of the best oak barrels and was limited to a few dozen barrels very year.
"Welosi is expensive," Kasimir said.
"Ah, piss," Niklos said and then swallowed the rest of the glass.
"Sir, your two regiments-"
"My two regiments are going to bed down until the Chesians get here," Niklos said. "When the time comes, I will command the defense of this fortress. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir. I wouldn't have expected otherwise," Kasimir said.
The general nodded and then dropped into one of the chairs. He pinched the bridge of his nose and kicked his feet up on the table.
Kasimir had served under Niklos Hollatz directly when he had been a senior officer and Niklos had been a commander. As one of three senior officers under Niklos' command, he had always felt that he took an unusual amount of the criticism. He was now beginning to get this feeling again as he waited for the general to give him orders.
Kasimir wondered, not for the first time, how Niklos had gotten as far in the Malkalan army as he had. Unlike Chesia, the Malkalan army tried to keep nepotism or favoritism out of the military structure – although that didn’t prevent it from occurring. While he was wasn't positive on the connections, Kasimir had learned that Niklos had some well-placed family members in the government. Family members that weren't afraid of pushing promotions that would have been unwarranted otherwise.
"What are your orders, sir?" Kasimir asked.
"Get back on the walls," Niklos ordered. "Deploy a battalion of your regulars as skirmishers."
"Yes, sir." Kasimir saluted sharply and turned on his heel.
***
The first elements of the main Chesian army marched into view a few hours after midday. A wave of skirmishers moved ahead of the regular infantry and the crackle of gunfire echoed off the cliffs when the two forces collided in the open fields below Fort Demitas. Kasimir watched the movements of both forces as the Chesians pushed closer to the fortress and his skirmishers tried to hold them back.
The boom of artillery fire soon joined the chaos and Kasimir watched as the rounds slammed into the dirt ahead of the approaching forces. His skirmishers retreated to the safety of the fort's walls and the Chesians spread to encircle the fortress.
The Chesian infantry marched under a gold banner with a red dragon spread across it. Their uniforms were a darker shade of yellow with red accents, and they wore tall black hats with black plumes sprouting from those the officers wore.
"It looks as if this is just their forward element," Kasimir said when he and his junior commanders had gathered on the rampart walls. "I estimate three regiments of regulars, two regiments of skirmishers. No artillery."
"That won't be far behind," Jarak pointed out.
Chesian draft horses were popular throughout the area for their speed and strength. They were not as fast as the horses that the Chesian cavalry used, but the Chesian artillery regiments could use two of them instead of four smaller, faster horses to pull their cannons. They saved feed and were still incredibly mobile.
"I would expect to have a messenger soon," Laslo said as he looked at the enemy forces through his looking glass.
"I can just imagine how that's going to go," Kasimir said, his voice low enough that only the two junior commanders could hear him.
"Is old man Hollatz the same bastard he was a couple of years ago?" Jarak asked. Kasimir smiled. Jarak had been a junior officer the last time that he and Kasimir had served together, and it had been under Niklos Hollatz.
"He's a handful," Kasimir admitted. "I don't see any kind of negotiations going very well if he's involved."
"Maybe we should just not tell him when they send the messenger," Jarak said. His tone indicated he was only half-joking.
"If it were just him, I could see that working," Laslo said. "But not with two regiments of soldiers and officers running around, even if half of them are asleep in the barracks."
"We'll handle this like officers," Kasimir said and the others nodded.
Kasimir didn't want to tell his fellow officers that he had considered not telling their superior when the messenger arrived from the Chesians, or that he had considered sending a messenger out pre-emptively to get a feel for the commanders on the other side of the battlefield. In the end, he had realized that even if he were able to successfully negotiate some sort of surrender, he would have to answer for it before whatever government was left in Malkala after this war.
That the nation of Malkala would not survive this invasion seemed like a forgone conclusion, at least to the officers of the Demitas garrison. They had the good sense not to talk about it amongst themselves, but each knew that the other was thinking it. The only matter that was left to be discussed was just how many Malkalans would have to die before their King realized that he was on the losing end of this war.
Kasimir had even considered abandoning the fort and marching his troops back to Cestmir. He could have marched his two regiments to safety and let the war unwind in its own time. He would have faced charges for abandoning his post, and compelling others to abandon their posts, but he would have been alive. The outlook on staying alive while remaining at his post was growing worse with every hour.
The Red Dragon's Gold Page 3
