Zululand was in turmoil. The sudden assault by the Kenyans had taken them by surprise and done much damage. Now was the time for retribution. The Zulus would neither forgive the Kenyans, nor would they let them continue to exist. This was a conflict where the Zulus must crush or be crushed.
The plan was simple. While one group would distract the Kenyan invaders by counterattacking their spearhead, the Zulu main force would sneak behind them and attack Kenya itself. The Kenyans would be forced to respond in one of two ways; either to pull back their invading troops to counter the new threat, or to continue their aggression while leaving their homeland wide open. Either way, the ultimate fate of Kenya was sealed.
*****
Mbongo, commander of the defensive force, watched as the Kenyan troops drew up for the battle. This is it, he thought. This is my chance to destroy the invaders. The battle we fight here today will determine the fate of our nation.
The chances were rougly even for either side, though the scale might have been tipping a little towards the Zulu end. True, the Zulus were outnumbered, but only by so much. Plus, their weapons and tactics were superior. The Zulu warriors were each equipped with one stabbing assegai (spear) as well as a small bronze blade for close combat--not much less or more than the average African warrior. However, the Zulu secret was this: in addition to these weapons, the Zulu warriors carried 5-7 javelins each, and special units carried even more.
Mbongo gave the order to charge. The Zulu forces began advancing at a full run towards the Kenyan lines, yelling to highten their combat readiness and intimidate their enemy. The opposing lines braced to receive a full-on spear charge.
Then a surprising thing happened--the assault stopped short. Within yards of the enemy, the Zulu charge had gone from a flat-out sprint to a dead stop. Many Kenyan soldiers were so impressed with such a feat, along with the control the leaders had over their troops to accomplish it, that they lowered their weapons and shield and watched.
Which was to be the last mistake many of them would make. "Hurl the javelins!" the command came, and the Zulu line acted in unison. Javelins filled the air for a brief second, then returned to earth, most hitting their marks and disabling (if not killing outright) many Kenyans.
Then the Zulu flanks slowly began to advance and spread as the center fired another round of javelins. The Zulus were forming their classic double-echelon formation known as "the bull's horns." A third volley of javelins, then the charge began anew.
The Zulu's rougly crescent formation would now prove its effectiveness in combat. While the "horns" flanked the enemy to cause the most damage possible to their rear wth the rest of their javelins, the densely-packed "crown" slammed into the lines at a full charge, causing the Kenyans to buckle, but not break. Already the Kenyans were beginning to litter the field. However, they fought more fiercely than the Zulus had expected, and the Zulu army was starting to take heavy casualties of its own.
Mbongo was in the thick of the fighting. He wielded his assegai with the grace of a true master of the art, sometimes sweeping this way to catch an enemy in mid-lunge, sometimes twirling it that way to prepare for a thrust which would take out some of the target's vital organs. The wiser Kenyan warriors backed away from this man, and the more foolish ones soon found out why they should have. Soon, he was able to enjoy something rare in the midst of a battle--a quick break.
He took advantage of this to look around the battlefield. His warriors were fighting admirably, but the Kenyan line had not broken yet. It would take a little more to do that, but the time was getting short, as the sun would soon set. There was only one thing left to do.
Mbongo charged into the thickest part of the battle like a fury. The impact of his spear was so hard that it went through the enemy it hit, skewering him with the man behind him. It also caused the handle to break. Mbongo rapped the splintered staff across the face of an attacker to stun him, then discarded it and drew his short sword. He then began hacking away at the enemy, blinded by pure, unfettered rage. Already some Kenyans were running at the mere sight of this man. He only hoped that his action could turn the tide of this battle, but this was only in the back of his mind, as his foremost and dominating thought was to slaughter all the Kenyans before him with his own hands.
