Our Land (Queen's Own Book 1)

by James Tallett

  The regimental commander recoiled momentarily at being addressed by his given name by a servant, but let the insult pass. Umholi was still learning, and was impassioned. “How good are your people at hunting?”

  “Hunting, sir?”

  “Yes, hunting. There have to be game animals of some kind that you hunt, rather than trap with snares.”

  “Oh, yes, there are plenty out on the plains, although mostly we need to sneak up on them, as they can outrun us otherwise.”

  “Perfect. I do believe, when we are in somewhat safer environs, that I can arrange to have hunting parties sent out daily. A platoon of soldiers should do for each one, I think, and they would of course need to have Umkhovu servants with them to flush out the game, clean the carcasses, and engage in all other manner of incidental activities. Plus, they would likely have to carry the spare muskets. No self-respecting noble hunts with only one weapon.”

  “I understand. Thank you, sir. If I may see to the rest of the injured?”

  “Of course. Off you go.”

  Umholi bowed, stepped back, and disappeared through the tent flap, his overly long arms nearly touching the ground. Jacob shook his head. Those creatures were not human, but there was little doubt they could live in human society with almost no trouble whatsoever. Umholi was a better valet than some of those employed at Lord Perlew's estates. And yet even attempting to suggest something of the sort in public would have him stripped of his titles, or at least castigated by the fury of the public.

  Jacob chuckled when he realized the only other noble who would understand him, aside from those who served in the Lifeguards, was Matthias. After all, he was overlord of a second clan of Umkhovu, although by all reports those Umkhovu were much more fractious and inclined to pranks and other misbehaviour. Strange that two branches of the same tree could be so different. Of course, if he were to put the Lifeguards next to an equal number of men drawn from the poorest of the pubs in the royal seat, then there would be an equally different display in terms of behaviour and duty.

  It was beginning to trouble him that he thought of Umkhovu as almost on an equal footing with the humans he commanded. Because if they were on an equal footing, it became much harder to justify that the humans were training them in the duties of a right and proper civilization. But then again, such thoughts came after he had given the Umkhovu civilization. Until the humans had arrived, the Uhlobo had lived on the plains as nomads, hunting and gathering, trading for what they could not make themselves. It was only after being introduced to the formality and discipline of the military that they reached the much higher plane they currently lived upon.

  No longer disheartened, Jacob turned his mind back to the reports he had to write. Regardless of how skilful he was, how long he served as an independent commander of the fortress, Colonel Sherman wanted reports after every major and minor engagement. All of which were sure to go on his personal and regimental record, good or bad.

  ***

  When Jacob led the Lifeguards back into their temporary quarters on the edge of the forest, he found there waiting for him not only a great barren emptiness where there had once been woods, but also a message from Darren. It read, simply, “Caught unpleasant fellows. Will make example of them 28th at noon”. At least some of the raiding arboreals were going to go to the scaffold or the firing squad. Either would be a perfectly suitable end, although the scaffold more so. That was for murderers, and they certainly qualified.

  He jotted a quick note back, congratulating Darren for catching them and pointing out that there might be some foolish attempt to free the barbarians, and so a strong watch should be kept. It was unnecessary to remind the Royal Dragoon commander of that fact, but unnecessary reminders were the stock in trade of high level officers, and Jacob would hardly be living up to the long tradition of the Royal Army if he discontinued it.

  Mind at peace, he turned back to his current task of devising a plan that would engage the enemy on their own territory without being overly costly in men, supplies, or time. Which was likely a futile endeavour, and thus a burden he should lay at least partially on the junior officers of the regiment.

  Picking up a small bell from his desk, he rang. Inceku appeared like a ghost from wherever he had been hiding. “Sir?”

  “Inform the company commanders there is to be a strategy planning meeting at the ninth bell, and the problem under consideration is the arboreal barbarians.”

  “Understood, sir.” Inceku disappeared through the tent flaps.

  That would give the officers a few bells to try and work up some appropriate comments to make, and it would allow Jacob to see how well formed a strategy they could create. And it would give him time to form the skeleton of his own, one against which he would compare those of his junior officers. Even here, in the middle of a war, it was his responsibility to train them for higher command.

  When his officers finally arrived, Jacob gestured for them to take seats about the long table used for briefings and staff meetings. Upton, Alastair, Bricthon, and Theodore were there, along with the quartermaster, although his position was primarily to comment on the availability of supplies both immediately on site and at a further remove.

  “Very well gentleman, you all understand why this meeting has been called. The arboreal natives have seen fit to attack our civilians as well as our military, including ourselves personally. This treatment has been declared an act of war, and as such we are allowed our full wartime measures to respond. I trust you have each thought of ways in which we might do so?”

  Upton spoke first, as was his overly bull-headed way. “Burn the forests, and hunt them down through each little copse.”

  “I do believe a touch more depth is needed to a plan than that, so do carry on.”

  “We've proven that we can cut roads through the forest, so I believe we can continue to do that. Section off the forest into triangles, and then clear the space inside, either by removing the trees entirely, or with dense sweeps.”

  “And if we use dense sweeps, how do we prevent the barbarians from re-occupying them after we have passed through.”

  “Unsure, sir. Hence my recommendation to burn or cut down the trees in each of these shapes.”

  “And the estimated time to clear each of these?”

  “Likely little more than ten acres a day, unless we use fire. Fire, however, is obviously much more uncertain on the whole.”

  “So it would be a slow and steady march upcountry.”

  “But guaranteed to remove every last pesky arboreal bastard.”

  “Very well. We have a suggested course of action that is slow but meticulous, with the possible added benefit of producing timber for the Royal Army to sell at a profit. Other suggestions?”

  Theodore spoke next. “Well, sir, on the whole, what was wrong with the plan that we were just engaged upon? We lost three men, and in retaliation killed not only a much greater number of arboreals, but also several of the apex predators of the forest. Creatures that size must take years to grow, and there are likely only a few in any one section of woods. Indeed, we may have killed all of the apex predators within a day's march of the battleground. And by all accounts that we have, the population density of the arboreal barbarians is not that high, so in terms of overall numbers lost, we come out even further ahead.”

  “You make a good point, except for the impact on the morale of the men. You're asking them to sit in the middle of a forest clearing, become surrounded, and then fight their way out of it. Likewise, you are discounting the ability of the arboreals to learn or employ different tactics. I think we can all agree that the native species with which we are most accustomed, the Umkhovu, have a proven ability to adapt quickly to changing conditions. Unless they conclusively demonstrate otherwise, I would like to assign that same capability to the arboreal species as well.”

  “Sir, you may well be right on that front, but as the creatures do not appear to possess metalworking, what can be done about it? The bows and arro
ws that they have are presumably near the pinnacle of technology that can be made with only hand tools and no metal.”

  “That, Theodore, is an excellent question. I would like to have a report on my breakfast table tomorrow morning for perusal, if you please. Also, include any different tactics that might be applicable with only their available tools.”

  “Sir, if I may, I do have one thought that springs to mind on that front.”

  “Yes, Bricthon?”

  “Well, what do we do if they continue to withdraw into the woods, never fight a set piece battle even of the sort they attempted already, and instead choose to fire a few harassing arrows, and lay the kind of basic hunting snares and spring traps that they presumably use? I don't believe we can move fast enough through the kind of tight terrain that characterizes these forests to outdistance their ability to lay traps along our route of march, especially if they choose to harass us in order to direct us into a trap or merely slow us down.”

  “At that point, we would utilize Upton's plan and grind away the forest in which they can hide. If we do so in sufficient numbers, they would be forced to come to us, rather than lose their lands slowly but steadily. So, while we certainly have a countervailing option, it is, as mentioned before, quite an unhurried one. And for those few moments in which they were attempting to harass us, I believe we would likely become quite frustrated. However, do make a note of that as a possible option for their tactical choices. If they do begin to employ it, I want to be sure we are capable of identifying it quickly. Now, Brichton, do you have a plan of your own?”

  “First, sir, I am presuming that we simply do not have the manpower to attempt to defend all of the outlying farms at the same time, even with the 1st Royal Dragoons stationed as flying squads.”

  “You would be entirely correct.”

  “Very well, sir. Why not mandate, at least as a temporary measure, that all of the farmsteads have to be built in such a way as to have a strong room that functions as a bunker would, with double or triple depth walls, and no windows but firing slits? Most of these peasants have hunting muskets, and even if there are only a few of them inside a bunker of this sort, they are unlikely to be overwhelmed by the arboreals, who do not appear to have the kind of technology to cope with even a minor fortification. That would reduce a great deal of the necessity that currently lies upon us, as a starting point, and would reduce casualties amongst the colonists.”

  “And if, in later generations, the peasants decide to use those same fortifications against the Royal Army?”

  “Well, I believe field artillery would be a good counter. They would only be double or triple strength wood, without the deep earthen walls that are necessary to stop cannonballs.”

  “All to the good so far, but what you have not done is come up with a plan that results in the inability of the arboreals to fight back, merely inhibits their ability to injure us while they do so. What offensive suggestions do you have?”

  “I attempted to come up with a plan to starve the natives into submission, but outside of something close to Upton's suggestion of burning the forest, I could find nothing of viability. In terms of direct confrontation, I am almost sure they will not leave their woods, meaning that we have no recourse but to go into the trees after them. Should that be the desired course of action, I second Theodore's plan.”

  Jacob sighed, inwardly. Brichton had been clearly brought up as a political animal by this lordly father, and had just supported two other company commanders without placing himself under any undue burden. Nodding to the officer, Jacob turned to the last of his commanders. Perhaps Alastair could do better.

  “And you, Alastair?”

  “We could always bribe the natives, sir.”

  “Bribe them to go away? That hardly works over the long run.”

  “Perhaps if we bribed all of them. But it is my understanding that there are elements in any society that will accept bribes, and others who will look down upon them for it. If we managed to engage with the barbarians in such a way as to engender a fracture of their internal politics, we would be at a signal advantage. Likewise, those bribes are likely much less costly to the Queen than any full-scale deployment of the army.”

  “Your suggestion is well founded, and certainly backed by historical precedent. However, how are we to communicate with the barbarians? The only time they have done so, to my knowledge, is when they presented themselves to us at the fortress, and have otherwise remained entirely within their own realm. Even the most recent spate of attacks started without any formal warning or communication.”

  “Captives, sir. Sooner or later, we are bound to capture some of these natives, and if we do so, we could release the natives back into the wild after having filled their head with stories of bribes and wealth. Even if they themselves are unlikely to be tempted, there is a good chance they would mention it in the presence of some segment of their society that is.”

  “Well argued, but if we continue down this line of thought, we eventually arrive at the problem of what to bribe the natives with. They currently use, as far as we have discovered, animal skins, basic stone and wood tools, and little else. We could give them basic metal implements, but many of those would be reused as weapons against us, and I hardly consider the latest in linen clothing styles likely to appeal to such uncouth creatures. And the concept of money or owning land appears entirely beyond them.”

  Alastair paused for the moment. “There's a limit to what one can do with cooking implements, is there not?”

  “Despite their usefulness, yes. Plus, we have limited evidence as to whether they cook. They use fire to toughen their arrows, but as to whether they cook the meat they catch or eat it raw is entirely unknown. Continue to think on what might be the most appropriate items to bribe them with, however.”

  Alastair nodded, pleased that his suggestion had not been overlooked.

  “Very well, gentlemen, we have some suggestions at play here, as well as a few more ideas of my own. However, rather than remain here, I think we need to return to the primary fortification, especially as I would like to discuss some of these matters with Darren before finalizing a plan. On that note, I noticed that none of you considered using the 1st Royal Dragoons or reaching out to any of the other detachments, despite their involvement in this problem as well. Do remember that despite our elite place as the very best the Royal Army has to offer, that does not mean we cannot utilize others who have skills of their own. After all, while we are excellent infantry and field artillery, I would call in the Royal Engineers and the Royal Artillery should a proper siege become necessary. Now, before we wrap this meeting up, are there any other matters that should be brought to our attention?”

  The quartermaster indicated he would like to speak, a somewhat unusual occurrence.

  “Yes?”

  “Well, sir, the latest supply train from New Town was supposed to have arrived five days ago. Delays of three or so days is not unheard of when the road becomes very boggy, but at five I believe something might have happened to it.”

  “Very good. I'll draft a report to Darren suggesting his Dragoons explore the matter. Meeting adjourned.”

  The Lifeguard officers rose and saluted their commanding officer before filing from the tent, all of them stinging slightly from the rebuke they had just endured. It was quite a pity none of them had mentioned using the Dragoons, because Jacob hadn't the faintest idea how to use them himself. But as for ignoring Matthias and Richard's regiments, that was utter foolishness. After all, both were highly skilled infantry regiments no doubt facing some of the same problems as were currently plaguing the Lifeguards. In addition, they each had their own junior regiment to look after matters at their fortifications, should a proper field campaign become necessary.

  In a mood that was somewhat sourer than it had been before the meeting, Jacob called in Inceku and ordered him to draw a bath. A long warm soak would make some of the ills of the world depart. For a time.

  ***<
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  The return of the Lifeguards to their primary home had been entirely uneventful. There were no raids on outlying farms to respond to, no disciplinary incidents amongst the soldiers, no cases of illness... and no word on the supply train. That last was the most pressing matter on Jacob's mind as he welcomed Darren into his office amongst the low buildings that lay within the fortress.

  “By the look on your face, whatever news your flying patrol has returned with is a bitter pill to swallow.”

  “Am I that transparent? I really must have better control over my expressions.”

  “Only to those who have served with you for some time. You stretch the fingers of your left hand over and over when you feel uncomfortable. I doubt many others will have noticed that.”

  “Ah. Well, at least I can learn how to control it. And to your other point, yes, the news is bad. The arboreals have cut the road. Completely.”

  “Define completely.”

  “They have dropped trees across it, built dead timber into fences, diverted streams to flood low-lying sections, and are ambushing any caravan that passes through. Mostly at night, but it appears that they have attacked at dusk, dawn, and once at high noon. Most of the attacks are feints, little more than probing strikes designed to keep the supply train and the soldiers off balance. But quite effective.”

  “And Thomason has not been able to counter this effectively?”

  “Wherever they go to clear the road, the arboreals show up in another place and tear it apart. Given the road is five days march long, there's far too much road for two regiments to cover.”

  “You do realize that what you are saying is that we, at least, are cut off.”

  “Yes, and supposedly the same is true of the other fortifications.”

  “They picked off all five fortresses, denying all of them supplies?”

  “Well, no. I haven't heard from David or Willaby. Given they're quite close to the coast, I would be a bit surprised if they were overly affected by this. But Matthias and Richard have both had their roads sabotaged. Nothing has attempted to impede our overland couriers, but I can only presume that's a matter of time.”