Thomas Hoover - The Moghul

"But if it's still dark, how can you see the enemy's lines?"

"You can see them if your enemy's camp has been negligent enough to leave a few fires burning." Jadar smiled as he paused to let the words sink. "But now let's examine the third possibility. Leading the attack with your elephants. Elephant armor is steel plate and it can withstand everything except heavy cannon. If you can entice your foe into firing his biggest artillery before you charge, then you can send a wave of war elephants and devastate his gunners before their cannon cool enough to reload. Since it can take at least half a pahar for a large cannon to cool, large guns are rarely fired more than once in a battle. And never after your cavalry has moved out. Leading the vanguard with war elephants always entails danger, since if they panic, they can turn around and trample your own infantry, but in this case it's probably worth the risk."

"And you think that's what Inayat Latif will try to do?" Hawksworth absently twirled the brandy bottle in his hand.

"I'm asking you."

"It sounds the most plausible. He'll position his biggest cannon to fire into the camp, and after he's drawn your fire in return, he'll stampede about a thousand war elephants right through here, crushing everything in their path. Including your opium-sotted Rajputs and their invincible bows."

"You're doing remarkably well so far, Captain." Jadar took Hawksworth's arm and guided him toward the back of the compound. "And then what would you do?"

"I'd send an infantry wave right after the war elephants, with lines so thick it would be a wall of death. And behind them I'd have cavalry, with muskets, to contain the camp and meet your own cavalry when it broke through-as it probably would eventually."

"Cavalrymen wouldn't bother with muskets, just bows, but you're still thinking very clearly. Now tell me, from what direction would you attack this particular camp?"

They were approaching the tents, where servants were beginning to soak the wood piles with oil. Hawksworth found himself astonished that Jadar would listen calmly to the strategy spelling his own destruction.

"From the east, the way we came in."

"And why that particular direction?"

"Several reasons." Hawksworth tried to remember the terrain as they came into the camp. "First, if I'd marched from the east, I'd already have my army deployed there. Second, and probably more important, it's the only direction that's really accessible. The other sides are too forested. But from the east there's a wide clearing that funnels down right into the perimeter of the camp."

"With a very clear demarcation of forest on each side, which helps keep your army grouped."

"Correct. And, also, the sun would not be in my men's eyes if I hit you from the east."

Jadar stopped and looked at him. "So that is precisely what you would do? Attack at dawn on the eastern perimeter. And lead with a front line of war elephants?"

"With the biggest and best I had."

Jadar sighed. "You know, it troubles me that a feringhi would conclude the same thing I have. But I think it's a classic problem. And that will dictate a classic solution in the mind of Inayat Latif, whose alleged brilliance does not include a flair for originality. He'll have to mount a conventional attack. What's more, because of the restricted terrain, he'll have no room to split his army into a right wing and a left wing. They'll have to be a single phalanx. That's dangerous if you ever need to retreat, but he'll not even consider that possibility. And you say you also believe he'll hold his cavalry for the third wave." Jadar paused. "That's more important here than you probably realize. Everything else depends on it. The cavalry must attack last."

"It seems best. And his cavalry is mainly Rajput. He'll not risk cutting up his finest troops by sending them in the first attack wave, when your artillery is still in place." Hawksworth hesitated, then continued bitterly. "Or should be."

Jadar laughed and looked at Hawksworth, then at his bottle. "What's that in your hand. Captain?"

"A bottle of brandy. Spanish, I'm ashamed to admit, but it's still the best."

"May I try it?"

Jadar took the bottle and gingerly swallowed a swig. He stood motionless for a moment and then coughed violently.

"Merciful Allah! Now I understand why the Prophet forbade its use." He shoved back the bottle. "But I wanted to drink once with you, Captain. I'm told it's a European custom. You've eased my mind."

"Eased your mind! I just told you how your camp will be devastated at sunrise."

"Absolutely. I will regret losing these tents." Jadar's tone grew pensive. "You know, some of them have been with me since my first campaign in the Deccan, years ago."

"How about your Rajputs? And your women? Will you regret losing them as much as your tents?"

"I don't expect to lose them." Jadar took Hawksworth's arm and led him around the last tent. In the firelight baggage elephants were being loaded with women from the zenana. The elephants were covered with pakhar armor, steel plates around the sides of their bodies and a special steel casement for their head and trunk. The women were being helped up tall ladders and into their elephants' howdah, an octagonal box of heavy boards strengthened with iron plate.

"Why are you loading the women now?"

"But we're leaving, Captain."

Hawksworth stared at him speechlessly for a moment, then noticed Shirin walking toward them, carrying a bow and two quivers of arrows.

"You're leaving?"

"You just predicted this camp would be devastated. I agree with you entirely. In fact I planned it that way. So why should anyone be here when it happens? The camp will be empty by dawn, Captain. Naturally we had to wait until dark to move out. And continue work on the trenches until the very end. Inayat Latif undoubtedly has scouts all around. But by dawn there'll only be smoldering fires here. And the troops needed to man our decoy cannon across the eastern perimeter. I've loaded half the cannon with elephant barbs made in my workshops. The other half with nothing. Why waste shot? We'll fire the blank cannon to induce them to charge, and after the elephants have come inside cannon range, we'll shoot the barbs in among them. A barb in the foot of an elephant can immobilize it completely. Inayat Latif will never expect barbs. They haven't been used in India for fifty years. His war elephants should be contained right out there, unable to advance or retreat."

"But where will your army be?"

"Captain. Just when I thought you were beginning to understand tactics. My army will be waiting along both sides of the open plain on the east, behind a foliage camouflage we've been erecting over the past two weeks. After the attack force of Imperial war elephants has been funneled into the empty camp, we will open fire against them with our biggest cannon. From both sides. The medium-range cannon will fire into the infantry, as will the small artillery. All the guns should be in place just before dawn if I've timed it right."

Hawksworth turned to see keepers leading an armored elephant forward for him and Shirin. Only its ears could be seen behind the steel plate. Then he looked again at Jadar.

"But you're still outnumbered in infantry three to one."

"All things in time, Captain." He turned and embraced Shirin lightly. "This was my best swanih-nigar. Guard her well."

Shirin examined Hawksworth's brandy bottle with her dark eyes and laughed skeptically. "I've brought my own bow."

Hawksworth cleared his throat as he slipped the bottle back into his jerkin. "I've requisitioned a brace of muskets. It's still the weapon I prefer."

"Congratulations, Captain." Jadar's laugh was cynical. "I admire your feringhi initiative. But I don't want to see you harmed. Like I told you, I'm sending you with the zenana. They'll be moved to that hilltop there west of the camp. So at least you'll be able to watch the battle." He turned to leave. "Farewell until tomorrow, Captain. May Allah ride with you."