Fiction:Tenet/History/9

= Reign of the First King, ch. 4 =

Encouraged by this first victory, the Assurhab began to prepare for a full-scale war. Recruiting from their outlying townships and receiving additional forces from neighboring city-states such as the Amwur and the Akarron, the Assurhabi army ultimately numbered over 50,000 warriors strong.

Under the leadership of King Makann, the Assurhab swept across the region, facing little organized resistance. The outskirts of the Da'mir empire were swept by rebellion as conquered states rose against their rulers in response to the unprecedented Assurhab victory, and the Da'mir army had few troops to spare from trying to quash these uprisings. Taking advantage of the chaos, Makann seized city after city, recouping his losses by recruiting from resentful Da'mir ex-vassals. Before joining, each one was required to be initiated into Makann's new variant of Ashunani-worship: the Dichotomous Church.

Past the Parthese River, however, the Assurhabi campaign began to slow. King Makann had entered the heart of the Da'mir empire. The defending forces would be greater in strength and would not be distracted or weakened by ongoing rebellions. Furthermore, without the support of friendly cities, he could not resupply his army as easily.

This was all part of King Caluoth's plan. As the Assurhabi crossed the Matean Plateau, the Da'mir king deliberately drew his forces back in order to lure the Assurhab deeper inward. Along the way, he employed scorched earth tactics to deny the Assurhab food and water. His aim was to allow simple starvation to weaken the unnaturally strong Assurhab warriors, before drawing them into battle on his own terms.

The lynchpin of this plan was the city of Deloth. Knowing that the Assurhabi would need to sack it in order to sustain their campaign, Caluoth reduced its garrison in order to make it appear as a more tempting target, and hid his II and III armies in the surrounding woods. When the Assurhabi lay siege to the city walls, Caluoth sprung his trap, and his two armies engaged the Assurhab -- their backs literally to the wall -- in a pincer movement, hoping to destroy the invaders then and there.