Chapter 8 (The battle starts)

The news of Ava’s imperial army arrived within three days. It was marching from Ava, the capital, to the Popa region. By the time the news arrived, it had reached the Taung Thar region close to Mt. Popa. Along with the marching, news of Ava's army looting the villages and burning them arrived also. (It was a tradition for Burmese Imperialist armies to burn villages after looting so that no one could loot more)

During these days, Zeya had told Shin Ye Htut to lead a group of brave young men and spy on Ava’s army. From them, they knew that the imperial army contained three troops. Mingye Yan Naing led the main troop. The other two side-troops were led by two commanders named Thadoe Saw and Nandamait.

Zeya and Saw Nan Mon were making a defense in alliance with the twenty villages in the Popa region. They needed space not only for the residents of the villages but also for food supplies and horses. For that, the base must be spacious. Even the surrounding defensive walls of the base were three villages wide. The defensive wall was circular, and the height was 24 feet (7.3 meters). Inside the wall, it contained warehouses, living shelters (most are houses from the existing villages and some more expansions), and stables. The whole defense was built in four days in combination with the powers of Zeya and Saw Nan Mon and the willing hard work of villagers.

The wall was built in a field, providing a clearer view of the enemies. Beyond the plane was a deep and thick forest. Saw Nan Mon was unfulfilled by the wooden walls and cast a spell. Suddenly, the ground rose, covering both sides of the wall with earth. Thus, the defensive wall stood still with the two layers of wood and earth. A moat was left around the wall as a result of the risen ground.

Not all of the villages in Popa region were merchant villages. Most contained experienced soldiers who had served the king in times of need. (When wars occur, males from non-merchant villages were drafted) In Numbers, they were more than 400. They all swear to stand against the imperial army and joined the twenty villages alliance. The imperial army contained more than 2000 soldiers. Zeya was not in favor of using his power to attack humans. Thus, he requested the 400 soldiers from their sides not to count on him and to rely solely on their experience so that they would fight till their last breath.

After Shin Ye Htut had arrived, he discussed with Zeya about the marching troops.

“Five elephants in Mingye Yan Naing’s troop. Three in both other troops. A total of 11 elephants will be used to destroy the walls,”

“Which troop shall we attack first, Shin Ye Htut? Should we attack Mingye Yan Naing’s main troop from the middle?” Zeya asked. He made Shin Ye Htut plan their defense as he had the former experience. Shin Ye Htut observed the map as a general and said,

“No, we should not. Their marching form is the pincer movement. First, the main troop of Mingye Yan Naing will attack. During this, the two sub-troops will move secretly to the sides of our base and make an ambush when we are weary. We have fewer men. Our horses count no more than forty. We won’t survive the ambush. You two should attack the side troops at first,”

“Can we counter Mingye Yan Naing’s main one?” Zeya asked.

Deeply, Shin Ye Htut replied, “Mingye Yan Naing is a man of truth, up to his words, and uncorrupted. Once, we, Taungoo, were at war with Ava. We left copious supplies and were on the verge of defeat. On our side, there was a minister who betrayed the throne of Ava. Mingye Yan Naing gave an ultimatum that if we handed him the minister, he would not attack. Surely, we didn’t believe it. He could have defeated us easily and taken the town we guard as well. But having no ideas, we handed the minister, and Mingye Yan Naing was up to his words. His troops retreated. Not only me but also my master, Mingyi Nyo, respects him. We shall make him turn our side,”

Zeya and Saw Nan Mon considered his words reasonable and began planning for the battle. That afternoon, not only the twenty villages' alliance but also some other villages came to take refuge in the walls. They couldn’t pay for supplies to the imperial army and were afraid that their villages would be burnt. With them, along came more experienced soldiers and horses. Zeya, however, was a bit skeptical of the later-joined soldiers and only took their horses, placing them in other fields except fighting. The villagers had to fill out the moat with spikes and thorns.

Thus, that evening, the Ava imperial army arrived before the wall. It was turning late and the imperial army was lightened with torches. In contrast, the wall was completely dark on the outside but bright on the inside, causing an uncanny glow.

The imperial army was appalled when they saw the earth-built wall at first, mistaking it for a mountain. But as Mingye Yan Naing observed the unusual shape and steepness of the earth, he found that it was not a mountain and ordered the troops to stay alert. He also ordered the two side troops to surround the earth wall on both sides.

But the soldiers were terrified already. A mountain-like wall appeared out of nowhere. Their enemies included a witch and a weizza. The wall was dark and lit at the same time, giving an eerie view. Would the witch summon ghosts and demons? Would the weizza cause them to vomit blood? Would..? Would..? Thoughts of uncertainty terrorized their souls.

“Hear, ye rebels, witch and the weizza. Ye had committed against the Sun-born lord, Sritribhavanaditya Narapatipavara Maharajadipati (That’s the full title of King Narapati) Ye have disobeyed the law, rejected the order, and rebelled against the mighty of mighty by neither handing nor participating in the capture of the sinister weizza. Our lord, the emperor, has shed his sympathy upon ye miserable peasants and offered ye. If ye vow for the king again, we will only arrest who we want. If not…”

“Whooo…” “Wromp..” “Bang..”

Even when Mingye Yan Naing had not finished reading the ultimatum, a strong wind appeared. It caused the ultimatum scroll to fall from Mingye Yan Naing’s hands to the ground, causing him a slight shock. The trees were shaken, and the horses neighed for no reason. The dogs howled, and the flocks flew. The ravens cawed, and the snakes fell from the tree. The elephants began showing aggressive behavior due to all the noises. The howling winds got louder, and the trees started falling. Due to the clashes of leaves and branches, sparks of flames occurred. The terror in the heart of Ava soldiers was unspeakable.

Some soldiers from the back, near the wood, began yelling, “Monsters have arrived,” One by one, the flames of fear consumed. Many soldiers began running from the battle.

The two side groups secretly approaching the wall not only have to suffer this situation but also get greeted by traps. The ground they stepped on was not real soil but a hole covered with wood and sprinkled with specks of dirt. One by one, soldiers on foot fell into the moat, directly to the spikes.

At the same time, heart-stopping scary yells appeared inside the walls. Men, women, and children, screaming in terror, pain, hatred, and anger.

The sky was lit as hundreds of arrows in purple flames appeared from the base. The sudden flash of the hundreds of flaming arrows stunned the imperial soldiers in awe. Being stunned by the flame’s beauty, they couldn’t take cover but watch. The arrows were not only made of not only wood but also bones, skulls, and ribs from corpses.

“The witch has made her rituals!” the soldiers yelled and ran away even more.

Suddenly, Zeya and Saw Nan Mon appeared flying from the woods and attached the side groups. In no time, the two side groups were ruined.

For Saw Nan Mon, it was no big deal to make some wild wings and horse neighs. The same was true for Zeya to break some trees. After building the walls, he didn’t consider this labor as hard work. They got this idea while taking wood from a cemetery to make arrows. Shin Ye Htut said “Once, a soldier ran away from his position and the whole legion broke down,” Thus, they terrorized the soldiers who were frightened in the beginning to break legions. Saw Nan Mon even thought of summoning real ghosts but she had to save power for later fights. The purple flames were set in campfires inside the walls.

Thus, by wisdom, they had defeated two side groups without any casualties on their side.

Thank you for reading.

Please don't copy the text and don't forget to like and share.

Follow us for more....❤️🩷

Pic- murals of the imperial army marching