Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 520: The scarlet woman (2)

Rhyssa waves her spear in the air, laughing in excitement; her blood boils like she was anticipating the battle. 

The hard part in a battle was to decide whether to battle or not. 

Once that is decided, all you can do, is move with the flow of the battle and if you can, enjoy the battle. 

At least that is Rhyssa thought every time she enters a battle. 

Her laugh sound like the mockery of the Goddess of War to the enemies while her allies felt excited and calm.

Especially when her troops saw how easily Rhyssa wielded the spear. The spear weight one hundred kilogram, and was so sharp that it cuts irons like strips of paper.

The rebels were a hundred thousand troops while Rhyssa possess only fifty thousand troops who answer her call.

But Rhyssa already decided to do battle 

If she did not, Dorsea would probably suffers the same fate as those other villages, to be razed through the ground.

Then arriving at a large open space Rhyssa stopped and her army stopped as they look at the opening horizons filled with invaders.

Rhyssa looking at the scenery on the back of her horse smiles as she watched the approaching invaders

'Why are you smiling?' Louise asked looking at Rhyssa excited face.

'I'm just excited. This Nasrath is a smart man. He began by invading small villages before attacking cities, conquering it one by one.'

Louise nodded but that doesn't make him feel good. Instead it made him feel even more worried of Rhyssa safety.

'How do you plan on defeating this large army, my lady?' Louise asks, asking the question other generals do not dare ask.

They did not ask because they had to believe that their Lady of War has a plan. Because if she doesn't, then Dorsea would be gone. 

Most of the General in Rhyssa army is either her companions that accompanied her passing the Wall or people who hailed from Dorsea.

One could understand their motivations to rid out of the invaders.

'You know what I like about newly created rebel forces?' Rhyssa asked Louise as she keeps smiling. Louise shook his head not understanding

'That they are mainly consisted of many influences and have many different interests. Do not worry.'

Then the battle begins.

When the first wave of the rebels arrived, the archers from the city walls unleashed barrages of arrows that clouded the sun.

The war drums were pounded furiously and from all direction arise the sound of gale.

Thousands dies but thousand more came to fill the gap. And Rhyssa charge, yelling bravely to attack.

One horse gallop bravely beside her, a man of handsome appearance with blonde hair, striking and slicing enemies head as easily as he was plucking grass.

His eyes never left the Sun of the Battlefield, never left the Scarlet Woman that caught his heart, a long time ago.

Rhyssa rides into battle and her battle skills awed the rebels, her spears were like the Spears of the Sun God, piercing and stabbing many generals.

She alone claimed a thousand lives that day before she retreats back into the city with her army.

The first day of the battle ended with a stalemate. 

The moment Rhyssa returned to her war tents, one of the generals quickly kneels in front of Rhyssa and knock his head into the ground, crying.

This alarmed the other officials in the tent

'General Aradarn, why are you crying?' Rhyssa asked clearly amused seeing such a big man crying. 

'I have failed to protect my lady and even made my lady to risk your life to protect me in the battlefield.'

The other listening to his story finally understands why Aradarn behaved in such way. 

During the battle, General Aradarn was encircled by the rebel army and was certain of his demise before a spear pierce the heart of the army general encircling him giving him a chance to break through the enemies encirclement.

Rhyssa threw that spear from five kilometers away leaving her weaponless in the battlefield. 

She fought barehanded while her rear was protected by Louise who defended her staunchly, leaving no gaps for the enemies to flank Rhyssa.

Rhyssa grab the enemies swords and spears and began using it to slaughter her way to her spear with each weapon could only endure a few strikes before breaking down.

Rhyssa prowess in battle while not superior to the God of War of Eden does not mean she was not strong. 

It is only because people compare her to him that she seems weaker.

With one strike she could break bones, with her punch she could kill. 

Braving the chaotic battlefield, she rides her horse to her spear, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake before arriving at her spear and retreating.

Her back as she retreated from the battlefield evoke a powerful imagery as her enemy could only watch her strong back.

General Aradarn believes that Supreme Commander Rhyssa retreated because of him and he has hindered the victory of the city which is a punishable offense.

Rhyssa who is now wiping blood from her Sun Armor look at Aradarn and instead of rebuking him, she laughed without a care in the world. 

It puzzles her officials and they look at Rhyssa like she was crazy.

'Supreme Commander?'

'You surely overestimate your importance General Aradarn. Do you think it is because of you I retreated?'

'Supreme Commander?'

'This is a huge enterprise. Don't tell me I don't know what is important. You are a loyal general of this city and I felt it was a pity that you would die so I saved you. I will not throw that spear if I was not confident of taking back that spear. You have no reason to blame yourself' she said smiling and Aradarn feel like a weight has been lifted down from his heart

The reason why she dismisses the General importance was to avoid him feeling burdened and the people in the room also understand. 

That is why she said to the General not to overestimate his importance but if that were true why would Rhyssa risk her life to save an unimportant general? 

All the people inside the tent understand, Rhyssa didn't want Aradarn to feel guilty. 

Having such a benevolent and kind superior that would not mind to sacrifice for others, the people in the room felt the budding seed of loyalty. 

Not towards the Kingdom but to this beautiful lady that surpassed the Sun.

This is why Rhyssa was loved by her people and revered by her army.

'Then why Supreme Commander retreat?' Louise asked as he enters the tent. He was outside when he heard what Rhyssa said.

'I need time.' Rhyssa replies, she said rubbing her chin.

'Heaven, Earth, Man' she inwardly thought. Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and season.

Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death.

Man stands for the leaders of the army who must practices the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness according to the proper place and time.

Rhyssa has been trained the Art of Battle since the moment she wanted to become a leader.

She in her youth, has always pondered the Stratagems in the Art of Battle by Zhu Ar Zur, and always employs many dazzling and confusing stratagems to wins her battle.

It is one of the reasons why Arial did not want a full-blown out war with Great Renasia and why he reluctantly agreed to his mother initial demand to the marriage alliance.

Then Rhyssa said

'The battleground is vast and the rebels have already constructed three fortresses and positions themselves along easily defensible positions along the rivers and mountain ranges. But we have more trained armies while the rebel is full of tribesmen of different tribes' and Rhyssa smiles as she thinks of her strategy. 

This is her most common strategy she used to conquer the entirety of the Mountain Clans.

'This is why the rebels decided on passive defense. This stalemate will last quiet long. But that is what I want. Time.'

The other general nodded in agreement. 

The stalemate lasted for about almost half a month before Rhyssa finally had a breakthrough in her strategy.

She noticed that the Arakian and Negevians have bad relations with each other and always distrust each other.josei

While the people of the Shadowlands embraces the difference in tribes and could even banded together the people that came from the Outside it was shaped by tribal prejudice and it will not go away so soon.

Finally, her strategy could be implemented. She decided to implement a divide and conquer strategy.

She scouted the area for weaknesses in the defense of both the Arakian and Negevians.

'Earth' she said after she finished reading the report. She smiles widely