The Prince and His Warrior Wife (Joy x OC Version)

Chapter 20

chap 20

Sunken Valley, Khuzait Empire

With the advent of the Tamarelian invasion, the Lunar Festival celebrations were cut short and they had raced with all other available men to the settlement of Aiudin.

From there, the Khan had reorganised his army and had them lie in wait in the forest on either side of the Sunken Valley.

Like it's name suggested, the Sunken Valley was a deep and long valley through forested Khuzait territory. Local fauna and trees stacked and bushed together in enough density to hide grown kneeling men, men who now waited on either side of the road all the way up to the ridges that spanned the length of the valley road for their quarry to approach.

Maddox scanned the road below him as he waited in anticipation for the coming battle. It was a good chance to see what the Khuzait infantry, particularly their Variag and Velite warriors could do. He had heard of the stories of the Khuzait cavalry, hallmark of their military success. But here, Maddox had a chance to observe how their foot soldiers fared.

So far he was impressed.

The Variags and Velites had concealed themselves well, with many, especially those right beside the road even adding the native fauna to their armour for better concealment. They knelt in absolute silence, which for the Variags was in contrast to their usual bellicose and rowdy behaviour.

They knew that their best chance to defeat the enemy was to remain undetected and pounce at the last minute, all according to the Khan's battle plan.

The Variags were the most numerous Khuzait foot soldiers, living in villages built in deforested areas. They usually wore horned helms, and used a variety of weapons from swords to two-handed axes. They would often be the first racial group that outsiders would come in contact with, as their non-nomadic lifestyle and border settlements made them suitable for frontier guard duties together with the Velites.

The Khuzait forces spanned a great length of the Sunken Valley, lying in wait. Already Maddox could hear the unmistakable sound of boots and hooves on soft ground  as the Tamarelian army advanced on the road in one great column.

After pushing through some Variag defence forces and razing some villages, the Tamarelians had grown overconfident and it showed.

Maddox had been incredulous at the scouts' reports that the enemy was advancing in column with only a light scouting screen in front and no light infantry sweeping through the forested ground on either side of the road.

Did they seriously think the Khuzait would just let them waltz through unopposed just because they pushed aside some border forces?

The arrogance of the Tamarelian commander(s) was astounding.

The Great Khan had been equally confused at the Tamarelian approach and had ordered Jaghatan scouts to reconfirm the sighting again and again.

With the re-affirmation that the Tamarelians were advancing in marching column formation and no flanking screens, the Khan had ordered his men to line up on either side of the valley and lie in wait.

The Tamarelians had made a huge mistake, one they were going to pay for very dearly.

With no flanking screens and advancing in marching column formation, the Tamarelian army was basically a walking disaster.

The sounds of marching grew louder as the Tamarelians drew closer and Maddox lowered his head a little to decrease the likelihood of detection.

He glanced to his left and checked his bodyguard retinue, all of whom kept their heads low too as they waited. Turning his gaze to the right, Sooyoung and her own retinue of bodyguards waited in their brigandine armour, bows ready in their hands just in case.