adhiraj.bose
Deity
The Yagbu divisions
"Ready ! Arms !" the commander shouted, five thousand archers readied their bows and assumed their fighting stance, a quiver was taken out and placed over the bow, an act repeated by five thousand men. "Take aim ! Fire!" The five thousand archers let loose their bolts and showered the soil with their projectiles.
This was only a training excersize, but thousands upon thousands of men from Bactria to the Tarim were recruited into Vima's army of defense. The Yagbu tribesmen were known for two great skills, their skills in archery and their skills with scouting. Four thousand Yagbu archers had marched with emperor Kujula Kadphises over six decades ago to face the armies of Persia and India.
Now six decades later, the grandchildren of those men now wear the leather garb of war and hold once more the bow and arrow of the Yagbu. Emperor Vima watched on as the men trained, standing beside him was his Senapati stood beside him and remarked on the archer's training, "Their aim are as firm as ever my liege. They will not miss their mark upon the enemy." but emperor Vima was not an easy man to please,
"There are not enough of them, we need no less than 25,000 to defend ourselves. How soon can you train all of them ?"
"My .. my liege.. it is not as simple. The Yagbu are many and varied from different tribes and hold different faiths. To train enough new recruits and in the same numbers will take long."
"I give you 8 months. The army must be ready before the enemy comes near our capital."
"That is not enough time."
Vima looked sternly at the commander, "You will make do with it !"
The commander did not know how he would achieve such a target so soon, the only option left to him then would be to recruit raw conscripts. It was a desperate measure, but that was the only path that remained for the beleaguered empire.
Vima Takto walked down to the training grounds and inspected the troops in person. He had an intimidating persona that commanded authority, age had not withered the ferocity of his eyes nor the firmness of his stature, but under that aura of authority lay doubts. 'Children' he thought to himself, as he walked passed the young trainee soldiers, 'just young delinquents. I see no ferocity in their eyes.' the men stood as firm as they could, some tried too hard to hide their inadequacies but betrayed a sweat or gulp as Vima walked passed them. The emperor noticed one trainee no older than 16, he looked into his eyes,"You there!" the trainee instinctively gulped, his diadems started to tremble, "Yes my liege!" he tried his best to shout. The emperor walked closer to him, "Have you seen battle ?" the emperor questioned in a cold low voice, the soldier couldn't answer, that tested the emperor's patience, "Have you seen war!?" he questioned once more, more sternly.
The soldier still trembling bowed his head, and murmured an answer, "No .. emperor". Vima looked at him with contempt his hands still folded behind his back, he took a look around him and saw the same gentle timid faces. He turned around disappointed and walked away shaking his head, "Heaven save us all.."
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The final journey of the lankan army
Shravana's children had not seen their native land, Pataliputra and Magadh was the only country they knew. Shravana had lived most of his adult life as an archer in the Army of Lanka, stationed in the city of Pataliputra manning its defenses. For twenty five years he had served as a defender of Magadh, a land that was foreign to him. In his heart he longed for the beaches and hills of Anuradhapura. His sons however, did not share his feelings.
Today was the day that he would get his heart's desire, since the day Raja Chulabhaya left Magadh, the men of the army of Lanka had been slowly returning to their homeland, and today the archer division would return, the last Lankans to leave. The Lankan navy had been stationed in Bengal carrying the troops back to the island kingdom, the docks of Tamralipt were filled by hundreds of ships of the Lankan navy. Shravana gathered his children with him, "Come on children, now we will go to our homeland."
"Magadh is our homeland father, all our friends are there, its the only place we ever know."
"Magadh is the best father ! Why are we leaving ?"
"Don't argue with me children ! We are under the service of Raja Chulabhaya, and the Raja has called us back."
Shravana's wife Uma, was a woman of Magadh, she had married him out of love. It was a relation that his family had agreed to reluctantly. There was little that they could have done to stop it, knowing that their son was so far away from home, in a foreign land so different than their own. She did not envy going back to Lanka. She walked with her husband silently holding her thoughts in. 'What does the future hold for me there ? in that small island ? .. will Shravana's father and mother accept me ? .. a shurdra hindu girl ?'
The galley to take the archer division had arrived a day back, it did not take very long for Shravana to identify it. A lankan galley with a large blue insignia on the sails, beside which was drawn the mark of a bow and arrow. "That is our ship." his heart raced with excitement, but it was not one shared among his family. The four walked over the wooden steps onto the galley with sacks containing their belongings.
Spoiler :
"Ready ! Arms !" the commander shouted, five thousand archers readied their bows and assumed their fighting stance, a quiver was taken out and placed over the bow, an act repeated by five thousand men. "Take aim ! Fire!" The five thousand archers let loose their bolts and showered the soil with their projectiles.
This was only a training excersize, but thousands upon thousands of men from Bactria to the Tarim were recruited into Vima's army of defense. The Yagbu tribesmen were known for two great skills, their skills in archery and their skills with scouting. Four thousand Yagbu archers had marched with emperor Kujula Kadphises over six decades ago to face the armies of Persia and India.
Now six decades later, the grandchildren of those men now wear the leather garb of war and hold once more the bow and arrow of the Yagbu. Emperor Vima watched on as the men trained, standing beside him was his Senapati stood beside him and remarked on the archer's training, "Their aim are as firm as ever my liege. They will not miss their mark upon the enemy." but emperor Vima was not an easy man to please,
"There are not enough of them, we need no less than 25,000 to defend ourselves. How soon can you train all of them ?"
"My .. my liege.. it is not as simple. The Yagbu are many and varied from different tribes and hold different faiths. To train enough new recruits and in the same numbers will take long."
"I give you 8 months. The army must be ready before the enemy comes near our capital."
"That is not enough time."
Vima looked sternly at the commander, "You will make do with it !"
The commander did not know how he would achieve such a target so soon, the only option left to him then would be to recruit raw conscripts. It was a desperate measure, but that was the only path that remained for the beleaguered empire.
Vima Takto walked down to the training grounds and inspected the troops in person. He had an intimidating persona that commanded authority, age had not withered the ferocity of his eyes nor the firmness of his stature, but under that aura of authority lay doubts. 'Children' he thought to himself, as he walked passed the young trainee soldiers, 'just young delinquents. I see no ferocity in their eyes.' the men stood as firm as they could, some tried too hard to hide their inadequacies but betrayed a sweat or gulp as Vima walked passed them. The emperor noticed one trainee no older than 16, he looked into his eyes,"You there!" the trainee instinctively gulped, his diadems started to tremble, "Yes my liege!" he tried his best to shout. The emperor walked closer to him, "Have you seen battle ?" the emperor questioned in a cold low voice, the soldier couldn't answer, that tested the emperor's patience, "Have you seen war!?" he questioned once more, more sternly.
The soldier still trembling bowed his head, and murmured an answer, "No .. emperor". Vima looked at him with contempt his hands still folded behind his back, he took a look around him and saw the same gentle timid faces. He turned around disappointed and walked away shaking his head, "Heaven save us all.."
------------------------------------------
The final journey of the lankan army
Shravana's children had not seen their native land, Pataliputra and Magadh was the only country they knew. Shravana had lived most of his adult life as an archer in the Army of Lanka, stationed in the city of Pataliputra manning its defenses. For twenty five years he had served as a defender of Magadh, a land that was foreign to him. In his heart he longed for the beaches and hills of Anuradhapura. His sons however, did not share his feelings.
Today was the day that he would get his heart's desire, since the day Raja Chulabhaya left Magadh, the men of the army of Lanka had been slowly returning to their homeland, and today the archer division would return, the last Lankans to leave. The Lankan navy had been stationed in Bengal carrying the troops back to the island kingdom, the docks of Tamralipt were filled by hundreds of ships of the Lankan navy. Shravana gathered his children with him, "Come on children, now we will go to our homeland."
"Magadh is our homeland father, all our friends are there, its the only place we ever know."
"Magadh is the best father ! Why are we leaving ?"
"Don't argue with me children ! We are under the service of Raja Chulabhaya, and the Raja has called us back."
Shravana's wife Uma, was a woman of Magadh, she had married him out of love. It was a relation that his family had agreed to reluctantly. There was little that they could have done to stop it, knowing that their son was so far away from home, in a foreign land so different than their own. She did not envy going back to Lanka. She walked with her husband silently holding her thoughts in. 'What does the future hold for me there ? in that small island ? .. will Shravana's father and mother accept me ? .. a shurdra hindu girl ?'
The galley to take the archer division had arrived a day back, it did not take very long for Shravana to identify it. A lankan galley with a large blue insignia on the sails, beside which was drawn the mark of a bow and arrow. "That is our ship." his heart raced with excitement, but it was not one shared among his family. The four walked over the wooden steps onto the galley with sacks containing their belongings.
Spoiler :
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