Drums of War
Chapter Six
Drums of War
Imperial City
Western Wall
Thanks largely to the Wizards, they had been able to shift a large portion of the provided soldiers and alchemists inside the city walls passed the enemy invasion without opening the gates. Ling had then met with the Generals and Dumbledore to discuss the plan of action, which largely depended on how quickly Takeshi accepted he was outnumbered or was defeated.
Ling didn't hold a lot of hope for Takeshi's surrender, but he was willing to give it another try to avoid bloodshed. General Armstrong of Amestris and General Davea of Aerugo supported this approach, whereas General Vladimir of Drachma and Professor Dumbledore of the Wizard Support voiced doubts. In the end it was up to Ling, so he was now standing on the wall, next to the Western Gate, waiting to speak to his brother. Lan Fan was under guard in the Palace under his orders, Naoko and Kenja stood just behind him.
Takeshi came through his small throng of men, with two hooded Death Eaters beside him, to stand on the small platform his men had constructed for their previous conversation. "Have you decided to spare your people and admit defeat my Brother?" Takeshi sneered.
"On the contrary." Ling said in a much calmer tone. "I have come to offer you one final chance to turn back from this path. You are outnumbered, a thousand to one. We have Magic, Alchemy, and Alehestry on our side. We have control of both the walls and the supply lines. It is inevitable that you will fall, Brother. DO your people the kindness of surrender before you cost them their lives."
"Were you as confidant in your victory as you claim, you would not offer such weakness!" Takeshi sneered.
"No Takeshi. I have just seen war before, and the toll it takes. I would prefer to take such a toll on our people if possible. However, if you insist on proceeding, I will not show you mercy again." Ling said with a tired sigh.
"I will have my throne." Takeshi said by means of a reply.
"Very well." Ling said. "One final chance. To anyone who does not wish to die by Takeshi's side, drop your weapons and leave. You will not be pursued should you leave now. I will consider this a temporary lapse in judgement and leave it at that. If you have children at home, go to them. If you have parents waiting for you, return to them. A lover, or friends, do not force them to mourn you because of a fool's errand. You have until sunrise."
With this Ling stepped back and walked slowly down the stairs, followed closely by his brother and sister, as well as the Generals and Wizard. As they walk Ling says to those behind him, "Send word to your men. Anyone who flees Takeshi's camp tonight, aside from Takeshi himself, is to be allowed to pass. They have until sunrise to change their mind on who they support. We attack at dawn."
Everyone nodded and saluted as they split off to spread the word to their troops. Ling and his guards and siblings made their way back to the palace, as he stopped occasionally to assure a citizen that he would not be surrendering. The city was preparing for battle everywhere he looked. The normal sounds of the marketplace, and children playing as adults chattered was gone, replaced with the sounds of people boarding up their windows or sharpening swords, filling guns. There were no children left in the city, all had been smuggled out of the city the night before as the arriving troops were smuggled in.
The city felt more like a war camp than an Imperial City today, much to Ling's disappointment. This was not what he had wanted for his people when he took the throne. He wished to end the clan wars, not have to ask for outside help to defeat a sibling. He sighed heavily as they entered the palace. Now was not the time to show weariness, even to his siblings who had thrown their support into him.
Ling excused himself after a few more minutes, suggesting they all make it an early night, considering what they were going to face in the morning, before heading to his apartment. Lan Fan was still sitting stiffly in the sitting room with guards surrounding her when he came in. Ling felt momentarily guilty over essentially grounding his wife. He had demanded, pleaded, ordered and otherwise attempted to sway her into leaving. She still refused, and he was still angry with her for refusing. Lan Fan, he knew, was trying to do the right thing, and failed to see that being distracted would not help anyone in the end. She was as stubborn as she was beautiful, as he was often heard praising. Now though, her stubbornness was working against him.
She glared at him from the couch when he entered the room, and he took a calming breath. Then without a word he held out his hand to her, and she rose calmly before joining him. They walked to their bedroom without a word, gently shutting the door behind them.
"How am I to protect you when I'm locked in our chambers?" Lan Fan finally demanded.
"You're not. That's the point. I do not need you to be my bodyguard. I need you to be my wife. I asked you to put our children's needs first and you refused. I asked you to remove yourself as a potential hostage and you refused. You aren't doing this out of duty. You're doing it out of pride." Ling said, tone growing angrier as he spoke. "There is nothing more to be said. You made your choice, and I have to live with it. However, I'm not going to explain to our kids that their mother died without at least attempting to keep you alive."
"You are being unreasonable."
"No, this time, I am being more accommodating than I should, do not make me regret it. I do not wish to bury my wife."
Neither of them spoke again after that, even when the maid brought them dinner, and later as they prepared for bed. Ling missed his children terribly. He wanted nothing more for this war to be ended quickly so he could hold his children again.
General Armstrong's rooms
Just After Dinner
Each of the Generals had been given a private space to live and work out of during their stay. Armstrong had divided the men who had come with him half inside the city, half outside cutting off supply lines. He had, at Ling's order, informed his men to allow any wished to leave, leave. He then called a meeting between his top men in his rooms to begin in a half hour, before calling the Fuhrer's secure line to update Mustang on the events.
Mustang seemed relieved that the situation was running smoothly so far and expressed his hope that they would have very few to worry about when morning came. The quicker they ended this battle, the quicker his people could come home. Armstrong had just hung up when the knock informed him that his men arrived on time. Breda, Harris, Broch, and Carter filed silently into the room. Normally all four would be found outside of the walls with their teams, but one of the wizards had helped them arrive for this meeting and would be taking them back afterward.
Armstrong outlined the plan for morning, before taking a moment to quietly talk to them all to ensure they were all prepared mentally for what tomorrow would bring. Armstrong was grateful there were no children either inside or outside the city. The children, more than anything, is what broke him last time. Promised Day had been a far easier battle for its lack of children. The Elrics and the Xingese kids barely behaved like children, and he was not aware of their inclusion for the majority of the fight.
Once everyone was aware of the latest orders, and Armstrong insisted they join him for dinner, the other left and Armstrong went to bed early, not only for the early rise, but also to quiet his mind. The terrain was different. The battle reasoning was different. It didn't change Armstrong's fear that someone innocent would end up another hostage.
Dawn
Overnight the sentries had made note of roughly two hundred of Takeshi's three hundred men snaking passed them. As promised, they simply let the people pass, as long as they were unarmed. Twice around three they had to stop small groups and demand they leave their weapons behind. The groups handed over their weapons without a fight.
Dumbledore noted that over night several of the wizards had left as well. All that remained were the two that had acted as Takeshi's bodyguards during last night's talk. The rest had fled under the cover of dark. Takeshi cursed them all, but still he refused to surrender. As the first rays of light breached the horizon the overnight peace was ended.
On all four sides, the Allied groups made their way into the camps, ready to arrest or kill anyone still remaining. Armstrong paced the wall as he watched the advance on all four sides. He passes the other Generals as they also walk the wall, watching.
At the request of both his advisors and the Generals Ling had remained in the war room, listening for updates from the safety of the palace. It made less stress for all involved on their side to not have to watch the young man.
As soon as everyone was in place just outside of the tents, Armstrong sent up the signal, as one they moved into the camps. Now that Takeshi's men had left him, he was overwhelmed. They quickly pulled the men from their tent. Any that came quietly were arrested, and that resisted were shot General Lou watched from above, pleased with how the four armies worked together.
Breda and his men arrived in the section Takeshi had been seen, so they expected to deal with magic users and possibly alchemists. Therefore, they moved with caution, Remus Lupin and Iron moved with him. Though Walter was new, he had spent years watching how others fought, and had learned a great deal from them, especially Armstrong and Elric, who had similar styles to his own. At twenty, he was far more confident than the other two with them, though he was nervous as well. Before the battle he had sketched both arrays into leather bracers, one on each side.
They had cleared the third tent when they encountered a Death Eater. One of Breda's men, a man named Private Kevin Wright was hit with a killing curse before his partner could pull him out of the way, Instantly Lupin disarmed the Death Eater as Iron encased him in stone from the neck down.
The partner, Private Aaron Carter, was shot an instant later while he still hovered over Wright. Breda shot the gunman as quickly as the others had reacted before. He drew a breath and carried on, doing his best not to think about the men he just lost until later. Later he could mourn them, now he needed to end this as quickly as possible.
Broch and his men advanced under the watchful eye of General Vladimir. This side of the encampment was still occupied, they knew, though like all of them it had mostly emptied overnight. Broch had spoken to the General just before they began and was aware that in the event of resistance the General's men had been ordered to shoot to kill. As such, Broch informed the troops to follow their lead if things went poorly.
As soon as the crossed into the tent city it began. Lt. Willards was shot before anyone knew what had happened, dropping like a stone in front of Broch, who then ducked behind a tent and ordered his men to open fire, grateful that all reports indicated there had been no support staff in the tent city, only soldiers. He didn't know how his superiors delt with the ugly side of was, but he didn't want to learn if he could if they were to hit any civilians.
He pulled out his own weapon and joined his men, as sharpshooters and archers offered support from the wall. At least he had not been forced to implement the magic users because it sounded like they were needed elsewhere. Above the sounds of his own fight, he could hear the battles taking place around the wall, which was only possible thanks to the rumbling of the ground itself being shifted.
Broch located the man sending out orders and shot him without offering a chance to surrender. As far as he was concerned that chance was forfeited when they opened fire. Soon enough, reports started coming from all over his section of the camp. They had taken no prisoners in this section, no one had been willing to drop their weapons. It saddened him, but not as much as he had always thought it would.
General Armstrong hated every second of what was happening below. He hoped they were able to handle this before more alchemists and magic users were needed. He wasn't certain how he would handle it, though he assured everyone from the Fuhrer to his friends that he was fine.
Harris and her team carried neither an alchemist or a wizard, they were on the opposite wall and it was thought to be unlikely they would have to deal with anything other than soldiers. This was proven to be horribly wrong half a dozen tents in when a spell caught the camp on fire. Men and women on both sides of the battle screams filled the air as the fire spread.
Armstrong witnessed the fire spreading rapidly and rushed to the edge of the wall. He looked down over the destruction, spotting Sheska Harris and three of her soldiers trying to make it to the edge of the camp. He acted quickly, raising a platform from the ground and surrounding them in a dome to keep them from becoming targets as he yelled for a wizard.
Dumbledore appeared moments later to watch the fire, before shaking his head. "Seal it in so it doesn't spread. It will not go out until the spell has burnt itself out. There isn't a counter spell."
"I have men down there!" Armstrong demanded. Gesturing to the area in front of them. He was divided between wishing Mustang was here to stop the blaze, and grateful he wasn't because Mustang his it well, but the Ishbalan Conflict had left as many scars on him as it has Armstrong.
"I'm sorry, if you can't pull the rest up like you did there, they are lost." Dumbledore said. "Excuse me, they are calling for help on the western wall." Armstrong was pained by the reality of the situation, as he raised walls around the encampment to prevent the fire from spreading further. He continued to watch for survivors.
.
Carter and his men advanced into the camp, coming across a series of empty tents. They were halfway through the camp before the encountered the enemy. Suddenly, just as the soldiers began to relax slightly, the Xinese captain shouted a sharp warning. Before anyone could move, they found themselves flying through the air from an explosion. Carter's alchemist activated an array to throw up a wall for safety while their wizard cast a series of rapid spells.
Then the shooting began on both sides. The air filled with gunpowder and coppery scent of blood, the sound deafening as the screams of pain joined the sharp gunfire. Wizards screamed spells from behind barriers. Alkahests rapidly assembled arrays. From the wall above, archers and sharpshooters offered their support. The enemy, while crafty, was still outnumbered and outgunned. It was less than a quarter of an hour before the last enemy fell.
General Davea watched from the wall for the entire event, sending warnings and advice down through the communications team. He was a sharpshooter himself and itched to take up arms along side the fighter but couldn't afford to narrow his attention, even as he updated the palace.
On the Western side, Breda and his team had reached Takeshi's tent, as the three Death Eaters who had been standing guard over it disappeared. Lupin snorted, "Your guards left you. Surrendering now is likely your best chance."
There was silence inside the tent. They proceeded with caution, only to find it empty. All around the walls soldiers were reporting the sudden departure of the wizards. The alchemists were surrendering. The battle was over.
Iron and Lupin continued to search for the former prince, as the others cleared the rest of the tents. The reports were coming in over the radio that on the North and South walls everyone was also surrendering. After the overnight exodus, and the Eastern fire, there were very few to be captured once the cease fire was called. Altogether, they had captured a grand total of thirty-seven people. Takeshi Zhao was not among them.
Armstrong had watched until he was certain he would not be trapping anyone on either side of the battle. With a heavy heart, he sealed the fire off to hopefully smother it. He then released Harris and her men and made them a short bridge to the domed roof they then walked across the dome as Armstrong erased the previous stonework and creating a final bridge for them. As they arrived at the wall, Armstrong pulled Harris into a bone crushing hug, unconcerned about embarrassing her. For a few minutes there they might still be in trouble if they breathe in too much smoke and needed medical attention.
The announcement went out that the insurgence had been stopped. The enemy had all been captured or killed. The numbers were skill coming in; however, it had gone better than they had expected. Takeshi Zhao had escaped, though by abandoning his men he had cut off his chance to raise another army.
Ling was relieved as he called the other leaders to inform them that their people would be returning home and thanking them for their help. None of it had taken long, it was now a quarter past ten and the battle was over.
Promised Day had taken an hour longer. Most wars and insurgence lasted months if not years. They were all grateful it ended quickly. Armstrong wasn't sure he trusted the easy win. He oversaw the clean up effort on the wall overlooking the dome he had created to stop the spread of the fire.
Ling joined him, as did Breda, as he stared out over the city. The echoes of the battle had caused a form of false calm to fall over the city. The citizens that remained inside the city were hiding in their houses, peeking out occasionally at the soldiers as they filled the streets. The soldiers themselves were exhausted, minor injuries were sported throughout the masses.
Ling knew soon he would have to give a speech thanking them all but at the moment it felt callous to thank them as they gathered the dead. Armstrong shook beside him and Breda patted the giant on the arm unable to reach his shoulders. He didn't say anything, neither did Ling. Ling remembered, after Promised Day, Armstrong shook the same way. He needed time to deal with the current situation and would be back to his normal behavior in a few days.
The prisoners were all in the cells, waiting their fate. Ling decided he was far to weary at the moment to decide rationally, therefore he decided they could wait until he was calm. He had called and updated everyone. He had thanked the wizards. He had begun lists of the things that needed to be done to restore the city, which was thankfully short largely because the enemy had failed to breach their walls. He had won, though he wasn't sure he felt like he had yet.
.