CHAPTER 18 - Battle for Dharanikota-1.

1538, Capital city, Dharanikota Kingdom.

There were a few people gathered in a hastily set tent, just outside the capital city of Dharanikota. The atmosphere in the tent was tense but hopeful.

By the time the forces from Kondapalli arrived on the city's outskirts, the messengers sent previously had already spread the message that the Prince was alive and was marching on the city. 

People were coming into the hastily set up camp and the fortifications from the morning. The biggest Procession to arrive was the Royal Guards. There were more than a thousand people, the absolute best of the armed forces from Dharanikota.

"Is everybody clear on what we are about to do? If anybody has any suggestions or doubts, Say it now." Rudra Deva said, to the men gathered in the tent.

"I still think leaving me out is a mistake, Rudra. If you are upset about me visiting the Coronation, you can say so," said General Verra Naidu Pemmisani, out loud, upset about the fact that Rudra had ordered him to stand back and not participate in the upcoming battle.

"General Pemmisani, We are in a formal setting, so I hope you maintain your Decorum," Rudra said pointedly to the older man, making sure to use his title. The General was looking down on the young age and lack of experience and was showing it by not using his title in front of the others.

Rudra was not the one to obsess over titles, but a blatant show of disrespect is not something he can tolerate. Did he respect the experience of the older man? Sure. But was it enough for him to hand over the command of his troops to him? No.

The majority of the troops were from Kondapalli, which the general was in charge of. When Rudra had taken over the troops from Col. Venkata Pemmisani, he did not expect to meet the general and had to wrestle for control of the troops.

"Besides, If I was upset over you or your family, your son would have no control over the troops," Rudra said to the general, reminding him of the fact that his son was still in charge of some troops.

It was a societal problem in the sub-continent. People respected age over ability. Gen. Pemmisani had very limited experience in leading the troops himself. He only led troops once, in the war against the Golconda sultans, ten years ago, and his biggest achievement was not losing miserably to the Sultanates.

It was under the command of Gen. Pemmisani that the Kingdom lost the Ganga Delta to the sultanate. Sure, the Sultanate's soldiers outnumbered the soldiers from the kingdom, but, the fact remained that he still lost.

As the General tried to say something again, Rudra quickly intervened " We are not discussing this issue any further general. You may be helpful in a war, but this is just a single battle. Consider yourself on the bench for today." 

Listening to the reply of Rudra Deva, the General stormed out of the tent. The Prince then looked at the General's Son who sighed to himself and followed the General. There was a tacit agreement between the two, to make sure the general didn't do anything stupid.

"Isn't it a better choice not to antagonize the General, Your Highness?" asked Kadhumalla, the leader of the Royal guards. He along with other Royal guards had arrived at the camp an hour ago, with nearly 500 regular soldiers who were originally stationed in the capital.

Unfortunately, it seems that most of the original troops from the capital city were transferred out, to the Sultanate's border, and were replaced with General Sangama's troops. There were less than 1000 of the original troops left in the city and half of them came to support the prince's cause.

"It is better this way commander. The man knew something was wrong with the deaths of both me and my father. Yet, he chooses to support that fiend. I trust the people who are leading the soldiers for now." he said to Kadhumalla, who had let go of Karana Deva, after holding him in a cell for less than a day. It seemed the answer was a bit too on the nose for the man, as he had taken offense.

"As I had said, your highness. I simply had not found any evidence of wrongdoing on Karana at the time. The king did not properly take care of his health, so his death was not that much of a surprise considering the severity of the news." the man said and continued with "The Royal guards must protect the king. With the news that you are dead, the only one eligible for that throne was your uncle.".

"That is why, I think your institution has served its purpose." the prince said. " there will be several reforms coming to your corps if we win this battle. For now, I will be personally leading the Royal Guards, as is 'tradition'. Now will you be leaving as the General or will you stay?"

"I will serve as a foot soldier if it was required by your Highness" the commander saluted and stepped back. 

"I think that will be all the discussion for today. Go to your men and give them your speeches. I need the morale high for the upcoming battle. To Dharanikota!" he said to the gathered men.

"TO DHARANIKOTA!"

One Hour Later;

"TO DHARANIKOTA!!" the soldiers on both sides cried as two formations of them charged at each other on the open fields surrounding the capital city of Dharanikota, Both sides were wearing similar outfits, except for the white arm patch on the troops of Karana Deva and Sangama Reddy.

As the two lines crashed into each other, the bloodshed was at the levels, the kingdom had not seen since the villages which were razed by the sultanate in the last war.

Soldiers who were on the same side just a few days ago were now fighting to see who would kill the other faster. Spearmen stabbed at each other, having no shields to protect themselves. Talwars were drawn at the people who were fighting for the same throne.

As the Royal Guards abandoned their posts to join the Prince, the fortress surrounding the Royal palace was left unguarded. The soldiers of General Sangama Reddy lacked any experience manning that fort, and in such situations, it is better to fight the enemy than to get surrounded by them in an unfamiliar fortress.

The cavalry forces of both sides tailed each other, as they looked for weaknesses in the lines of their opponents. It was lucky that the elephant stables were situated outside the city, and was quickly occupied by the prince's forces. Unleashing elephants on the soldiers would have only increased the devastation.

"The forces are coming to a standstill, your highness. We should deploy the Royal guards before it is too late," suggested Kadhumalla, the head of the Royal guards. There was both tension and anticipation in his eyes. The Royal guards were made of the best soldiers, the kingdom had to offer, and being held in reserve was unbearable to them.

"Not yet, Malla. Their cavalry is still unoccupied." Rudra said as he looked over the battlefield. It was a large farmland on the outskirts of the city, which was recently harvested. The urban area was less than a hundred meters away from the enemy lines.

There were no majestic walls surrounding the city of Dharanikota, as was often the case in continental Europe or even, northern India. The city was surrounded by crop fields, and the urban area was in the few square km, surrounding the fort. 

The buildings could be seen just a few hundred meters away, behind the enemy lines. If the enemy retreated, they would go straight into the city. If that happens, nearly a third of Rudra's forces, filled with the ranks of cavalry would become useless. Cavalry was only extremely effective in good enough numbers, and the streets prevented that.

As the Royal guards were not yet deployed to the battle, the prince's forces were fighting at a disadvantage. General Sangama Reddy brought more soldiers to the battle and, without the help of the Royal Guards, they would soon start to lose.

As the battle progressed, the change which the Prince was waiting for had finally happened. Gen. Sangama Reddy's Cavalry forces committed an attack on the southern flank of the prince's army, Seeing that the line was weakening there, with no reinforcements. 

This was the opening the cavalry forces from Kondapalli required. Led by Colonel Nanda Nayaka, More than a thousand horses charged on the opposing cavalry forces, who were bogged down due to their attack.

Taking this opportunity, Rudra took the lead and ordered the Royal guards to attack. The attack needed to be quick, and the opposing defenses were needed to be punched through before they had a chance to recover.