The Silent Gods of Srivijaya (7)

Amretasari inspected the old Senapati from head to toe.

This one is immortal. She has heard that Narendra has taken some arrows in The Battle of Indrapura. He was so badly injured—an injury which no mere men should be able pick up his sword. Yet he was now standing gallantly, barely scarred, in front of the council members; recalling the fate of the latest war.

Before the Senapati finished his story, Amretasari knew that Srivijaya has suffered its greatest lost at war. The council members—who were always been a group of chatterbox—were dwelling in silence at that moment, judged by every words of Narendra. The Maharaja himself looked shocked and tongue-tied; repeatedly closed his eyes at the vivid reminiscence of the “rain of heads”.

At the first day of battle, Srivijaya army has lost nearly half of his men. The Mongols successfully lured Kandra Kayet and his men to a killing site where they placed archers in tall buildings of the city to rain arrows as the host passed through. Kandra Kayet and his entire host wiped. Anathapindika’s host met a different fate as she managed to evade the trap. Her host then attacked by Mongol riders instead. The Mongol riders—the deadly archer-horsemen, deemed as one of most dangerous troops in the world—has failed to defeat Anathapindika somehow.

Amretasari knew that half of the men in the host of the lady Senapati were the best archers in Srivijaya kingdom. An archer who stands on his feet is better than an archer on the back of a horse, she thought. However, Anathapindika lost so many men she feared they would not survive another attack, so she drove her host back at the center of the city.

Narendra’s host fell to the same kind of trap that crushed Kandra Kayet and his men. But the heavy lamellar armor of gilded steel and the agility of the men spared the certain defeat. More than half of the host was slain; but they managed to kill each enemy archer who shot from hidden vantage point. After they found out to what became of Kandra Kayet’s host, Narendra realized that they were outnumbered and were not likely to continue the attack. He regrouped with Anathapindika near the palace and with Vimala shortly afterwards. Vimala insisted to push the attack at the west side of the city, but Narendra convinced him that with the condition of their army at that time, an attack would mean a suicide.

As they were debating their next move, The Mongols continued their catapult attack; only this time with stones as big as a cow and fire pots as missile. They also burned buildings north and south—the way the Srivijayan army entered the city—prevented them to escape. The battle has been dramatically turned by The Mongols as the Srivijayan army became the attacked, trapped in the city they planned to save. The fire pots that were filled with Greek fire damaged the most; the palace along with half of the city burst into flames; several of the Srivijayan men were burned alive.

In the midst of confusion, Narendra drove the remaining of the army to escape by using the fishermen’s ship docked in the port. Vimala, however, who was still hard on believing the ugly result of the battle, madly decided to take his men to attack the enemy, without been able to be prevented by the others. Narendra, Anathapindika, and a score of about a hundred men—most of them fatally wounded—managed to depart Indrapura’s port using several poorly-equipped fishing ships and headed to the site where they anchor their warships.

The battle tide turned uglier when the Srivijayan survivor found their ship has been set fire by The Mongols; along with the guarding men. Luckily, they found a fishing village in the coast of Champa that has not been sacked by the Mongols, in which became their shelter. Although the village has been abandoned by its resident, there was been enough men to help the wounded survivor and made preparation for journey back. Anathapindika, however, unbeknown to the others, has taken serious injury during the battle, and died in the village. The remaining army, led by Narendra, then sailed to Palembang to report the grave result of the war. Of Vimala and his men, no word of their fate has reached the Srivijayan.

We should have surrendered, Amretasari thought sadly.

(Continued to Chapter VIII)

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