Thunder roared. Smoke blinded the soldiers instantly, while the pikemen held fast. Bodies of horses and men fell instantly. Shouts and screams filled the air. Then, nothing came into contact.
Later day, the general found the the enemy Khan, beheaded by a Ymaryn sword, and a spear sticking into the chest.
"So, this is it," Cyncynnatys said, looking at the beheaded enemy King. He didn't know who did the honor of killing the Khan, not whether he was a commonborn or of noble birth, dead or alive. Still, whoever killed this man should at least have the dignity of being named by history. If the identity cannot be ascertained, he will make sure to commemorate the unknown soldier later.
The Ymaryn came close to annihilation, but the horde was finally stopped. The guns provided the last decisive blow, but it was the willingness of the People to never break apart that did the heavy lifting.
He turned back to his men. "This isn't over. Rest, because tomorrow we will march. The People never turned their backs on each other, even when faced with certain death. We are alive because of them. It is our duty to search for survivors, and we will help in whatever way we can, rain or shine, even if that is only a bwyl of soup, or even no pay at all. It doesn't matter, because the Gods will it."
"Yes sir!" the army shouted as one.
He surveyed the weary urban poor turned levee soldiers and their officers he was forced to promote. So many nobles got killed in the war that he couldn't be picky. So many men died that women volunteered. When a city was destroyed and the Great Khan demanded the cities' surrender, rather than acquiesce, the People felt a great shame.
At least the worst of that was over. Maybe Cyncynnatys will be able to retire to the family farm after all of this, rest his tired body and soul. Yet he was already dreading what would inevitably come.
---
"General Cyncynnatys reported that his army has killed the Great Khan and to his knowledge, the horde is shattered. He reported that morale and disciple remains strong and he switched his army to search and rescue. His only request is to continue our logistics effort and see to it to ensure that his army is paid on time."
"Then ensure that the Dragon general is supplied and taken care of," the King said. "We can't afford to have our armies going bandit because we don't give them what we need. What do we have for Txolla and the Yllython Sea?"
"Piracy and banditry are going up across the Kingdom, my lord. If this keeps up, it will hammer our effort to keep the armies supplied. We still have our navy patrolling and focused on supplying armies in the East, but they're not working on anti-piracy patrol. On the other hand, security is lackluster within the interior as nobody's providing patrols except for supply wagons. Where do you want to focus your effort?"
The Kingdom is in chaos as banditry roam the land and sea unopposed!
[X] Redirect some naval ships to suppress piracy. Less logistics for Eastern army.
[X] Fund new warships. Piracy remains unsurpassed until at least next years.
[X] Withdraw troops into the reserve to focus on surpassing banditry. Less troops in all theaters.
