Free The Shasht War by Christopher Rowley Page B

column.
    "The enemy is flanked all right, but he must have known we'd do this."
    And indeed the assault column was extricating itself and retreating back and down the slope as Thru's attack went in.
    Ter-Saab was standing there, glowering at him.
    "My people have worked long and hard for this moment. We've trained for months on these maneuvers. Now we sit back and do nothing."
    "The Sixth is the last reserve this army has. Look, see how the enemy are moving away. They were expecting this attack from us."
    Ter-Saab bit back any further comments.
    The Shasht assault columns were pulling back and forming a defensive shield wall. Thru's regiments had clashed with them and caused some casualties, but the men had disengaged with skill and were reformed and waiting.
    The attack was stalemated, and Thru was about to order the regiments back, when a messenger, covered in blood and dust, ran up.
    "The men!" said the messenger, eyes staring, obviously struggling to speak.
    "What men?" said Thru, grabbing him by the shoulders.
    "Surprise attack. The Meld is lost."
    Thru whirled to see Ter-Saab and the Sixth marching back around the flanking works of the ditch and rampart.
    "Back everyone, support the Sixth!" He grabbed Chillespi and bellowed in his ear. The lieutenant was quick on the uptake, and nodded agreement at once.
    Thru ran for the Sixth.
    A Shasht regiment had somehow crept up unseen on the far side of the hill. They had crossed the rampart facing that side unopposed and smashed into the Meld's command post and the rear of the main line of the army. The shriek of their horns was plainly audible now over a renewed clamor of war.
    That was the signal the main body of the enemy was waiting for. Now the assault column on the right side of their line charged once more, slamming into the Ninth Regiment in the center of the Meld's line.
    The Shasht regiments of the other assault column were held back, facing off with Thru's regiments. And now the southern regiments were turning away, pulled back by Thru's order to close up on the Sixth, which was marching back the way they'd come.
    Thru caught up with Ter-Saab, who still hadn't received the word.
    "Hurry! The enemy has broken at the rear!"
    Ter-Saab stared at him blankly for a second, then he sprang into action. Orders were bellowed, and the Sixth Regiment surged around the end of the works.
    "At the double!" Thru roared at one stunned lieutenant that stared back at him with mouth hanging open. The mot gulped, then whirled and started shouting at his mots. Thru set off alongside Ter-Saab at a dead run.
    Rounding the gap in the works, they saw a confused mob of mots broken out of the rear of the Meld's forces. Beyond them the Blitz Regiment of Shasht was driving hard into the rear of the Ninth Regiment, which was simultaneously receiving renewed attack on its front.
    Complete disaster loomed, except for the presence of the Sixth Regiment.
    With swords and spears at the ready, they drove through the fugitives broken away from the Ninth and other regiments and hurled themselves into the Blitzers, taking them in their right flank.
    The Blitzers turned to fight, and the battle along their flank quickly became disorganized as men and the mots of two regiments fused into a chaotic mass of fighting.
    Thru ran past the Meld's command post. The tents were down, bodies scattered here and there, but he saw no sign of the Meld himself. There was no time to search, the armies were still locked together in confused combat. The Ninth Regiment had been reinforced from the regiments on either side, and it had held the assault column at the rampart. But in the rear there was still a tense struggle in progress between the Sixth Regiment and the Shasht regiment. The men had done terrible harm to the Ninth Regiment, but the flank attack had prevented a complete breakthrough.
    The situation continued to be fluid, however. The men had lost cohesion, but they extricated themselves from the fighting with skill.