Until Forever

Part 2 - Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

 All was quiet on the north gate of the fortress. There was not much to do for the foot soldiers stationed outside its walls except to ward off any stragglers. They were all in high spirits after the inspiring speech that their leader, Lord Bidam, had given his troops. As some soldiers lounged by the camp fire discussing the anticipated arrival of the private armies of the other rebel lords a hail of fiery arrows from Wolya’s Gwoljangno battalion started to rain down on them, furiously battering the defensive line of the north gate of Myeongwhal Sanseong.

        The Myeongwhal soldiers gathered before the gate and put up their shields to try to fend them off but they were no match for the Gwoljangno crossbows which had the range of 800 paces, almost thrice as far as an arrow fired from an ordinary bow could reach. This great advantage made it almost impossible for the Myeonwhal troops to retaliate without endangering their lives and many of them fell from the very first assault. Just as the remaining defenders started retreating back to the safety of the fortress, a deafening war-cry from the attackers reverberated around them. General Wolya, Seolji and Dae Pung stormed the first line of soldiers as Chief Al Cheon and his men awaited their signal to follow suit. The loud clang of swords filled the air as both the Myeongwhal soldiers and the Queen’s forces fought valiantly.

            General Wolya relentlessly pursued the panicked rebels and as soon as he saw their troop’s last line of defence crumbling, he signalled Chief Al Cheon to join the assault. Sensing their imminent defeat, the Myeongwhal soldiersstarted to scatter, some trying hard to enter the fortress, while others started running to the safety of the dense forest.

            “Don’t let them escape! They must not get back into the fortress!” Wolya shouted to his men.

            They immediately followed his command and blocked the retreating forces’ path. A fierce swordfight then ensued between Gen. Wolya and Gen. Seon Yeol, one of Bidam’s senior officers. The rebel general fought with every ounce of strength that he had but he was no match for the battle-skills of the former prince of Kaya. After a few minutes, Seon Yeol was beaten down to the ground and forced to surrender.

Al Cheon was rounding up the defeated fortress defenders when he sawthat Hwang Yun, another Myeonghwhal officer, had taken out his war hornin an attempt to warn the other troopsinside the fortress that the north gate had fallen. Al Cheon instantly rushed to him and with quick slice of his sword, cut the war horn in half. Hwang Yun knelt down in defeat as he felt the sting of Al Cheon’s sword as it was threateningly poised against his throat.

            The battle for the north gate was over in just a few minutes, with just a few casualties from both sides. The surviving defenders were tied up and lined up against the wall, while the dead were dragged to one side to await the undertakers. Gen. Wolya and the other officers then surveyed the surrounding areas to make sure that there were no stragglers left to surprise them. After making sure that the defensive line had already been completely subjugated, Chief Al Cheon then instructed Capt.Yang Gil to light a torch and wave it high. It was the signal that their other troops were waiting for, the signal to let the ‘fallen star’ riseup into the night sky.

As Bidam discussed their troops’ battle plans with Lords Jujin, Hajong and Seulbu,a much agitated Bojong suddenly burst in. His apprehensive look told Bidam that there was trouble brewing at their defence lines.

            “Your Excellency, we are being attacked from all sides. Our primary defence line had already been defeated and we are receiving reports that other troops are now poised to attack from all four points,” Bojong said.