“First of all we’ll let them attack. When they are a little away from us our horsemen with spears will fight them. When their army is very close our swordsmen and our giants will charge at them and fight. Simultaneously our artillery will fire at them. This is our strategy.”
“Why should we let them start at first and what will be their counter attack for this strategy?”
“um…their counter attack will be they’ll lock shields and make walls. They have ground archers. They’ll fire at our soldiers. And one more thing our giants have very hard skin. Their skin prevents almost 10 arrows from penetrating them.”
“But my sword went straight into them. How was it possible?”
“I said arrows.”
“Okay, listen. This is my new strategy. First I have some change of positions. Fifty rows of giants standing at the back of the horsemen should go front and the horsemen should go back. This is the new position. According to you the giants need not require full armor. They can wear only the breastplates. The horsemen should be given 10 spears each. All our horsemen can throw spears, right?” Eva came to ask something but I said
“Please don’t interrupt. We’ll let them start at first. When they lock shields we’ll let our giants attack. With their huge hammer with spikes I’m sure they’ll be able to break their walls. Then the horsemen should throw their spears at the soldiers at the back of their walls, if possible on their archers. The artillery machines should help the swordsmen. What is their position?”
“More or less the same as our previous position. Except a line of soldiers will be standing in front of the army with shields to make walls.”
“Okay then my strategy will be good, I guess. You like it?” Eva was staring at me and she realized it and said
“It is a nice strategy but the king should accept it and you said the horsemen should be given 10 spears each. According to our first strategy we needed only 500 spears but now you are asking ten times more than that. The weapon yard will not be able to produce that much spears in a little amount of time.”
“Yeah I know. But they have to.” I thought for a while and said
“What if the king told them to prepare? They have to prepare, right? They can’t disobey king’s orders, right?”
“Yes you are right. But we have to give them time at least from now. And that is not possible because the king will see us only at 7pm.”
“Let’s try now. Come on. If you ask, he king will see us. Let’s go now.” I requested her. She didn’t seem to change her mind for a while. Then she got up and said
“Come on. The king is waiting for us.” Then we went to the king’s tent. He was there, talking to someone. It was like the same scene when I first met him. but that time I was scared on seeing him and now I was angry on seeing him but I didn’t show that anger in my face. When the king saw us he said
“Ah…my dear commanders, come in.” we went near the king. Eva asked
“My lord, can we discuss tomorrow’s strategy now? He has a new strategy.” Eva pointed at me. The king saw me and said
“This one…uh…he-he has new strategy.” Then he said aloud “Did you all hear it? This little boy has a new strategy for the war.” He laughed and the whole crowd laughed. I bent down my head, clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. But what could I do? I was just a commander and he was a king. Something inside me said that I would get my chance to take revenge on him. but I didn’t believe that thought. Then the king, controlling his laughter, said
“All of you give us a minute. Let me hear this little boy’s strategy.” He was till laughing. He couldn’t control his laughter at all. How could I make him accept the strategy? Then everyone went out. Eva said
“Come on, Oliver. Tell your strategy.” I started to explain. I could only guess that the king was listening.When I finished the king asked
“Why don’t you fight with previous strategy?”
“My lord, we have been using that strategy for weeks. So our enemy has become used to it. It is the reason we are struggling to defeat them. I have designed this strategy based on theirs. If they did not change their strategy tomorrow I can assure you that we will win.”
“What if they changed their strategy?”
“If they change their strategy I will be ready with a back up plan at least to hold the army until 6pm. Please my lord. Let us use this strategy and we need your orders so that the weapon yard will make ten times more spears by tomorrow.” First I was sure the king was not going to accept the plan. But when Eva joined me in asking he said
“You too, Eva. You also want to follow him.”
“I think his strategy will work, my lord.” I sensed anger in his face. That was usual or every king. Whenever someone say that their plan is better than the king’s plan they get angry, right?
“Okay I’ll give permission for this strategy but what if you lose?”
“We won’t lose, my lord. I assure that.” I and Eva said in unison.
“Okay, go. If you lose I will not punish any of the soldiers instead I will punish you both. Don’t think that punishment will be light. I’ll punish you so severely that you both will be begging for death. Understood?”
“Yes, my lord” we said in a low voice. After that we ran to the weapon yard. On the way I began to think that I should not have framed a new strategy.
“Sorry and thank you, Eva” I said.
“Why sorry and why thank you?”
“I will be the only reason if you get punished tomorrow after war. Sorry for that and thank you for supporting me back in the tent.”
“Your strategy was nice, Oliver. We won’t lose. I trust you.” she said. ‘I trust you’ that was the first time a person was telling that to me. No one has ever trusted me in anything. That’s because I screw up in anything I do. I would be sad at that time when no one trusts me. But now I am thinking that why is Eva trusting me so much” I couldn’t bare that feeling. Not only Eva was trusting me but also a huge army is also trusting me. I didn’t know if I could hold their trusts together. Then we reached the weapon yard. We met the head of the weapon yard. I had met this man on the day when I had come to choose my weapons. Eva asked
“How many spears we have in stock?”
“Nearly 2600 ma’am”
“Then you have to prepare 2400 more and it is the king’s order” On hearing it the man was stunned. I had expected that reaction.
“May I ask why?”
“Change of plans and strategies.” The man looked at me like asking ‘You come here before two days and change everything?!’ Then he turned to Eva and said
“I’ll try my level best.”
“Is it ready?” Eva asked suddenly. I was confused. I saw the man and found that he was also confused.
“Ma’am just now you said to make 2400 spears and now you are asking is it ready. How am I supposed to make 2400 spears in a single second, ma’am?”
“No! I didn’t ask the spears. I asked the shield and armor. Are they ready?”
“Ah…the shield and armor. What shield and armor?”
“I asked you the day before! Did you forget them? The shield and armor for this boy! Please don’t tell me you forgot to make them.”
“Ah…now I get it. The shield and armor for our new commander who arrived just a day ago and changed everything, they are ready ma’am. Wait here I’ll bring them. He went in and came back with a dress and a shield.
