Friendship And Rivalry ( Part 6 )

"I can't think of a better opportunity." Vajra was a little noncommittal, but he still confessed, "I don't want to kill them. Just leaving them at the verge of death will do."

"Alright…But teacher said that my barbarian army cannot do anything to the current dryland nations. It is because they will ally with each other to fight barbarian outsiders no matter how many conflicts they have within."

"That's true," a cunning smile played on Vajra's lips. "And I will ally with my dear cousin Jala-deep, the current sovereign of Dhija to fight against you."

Kush felt his blood run cold. "Are you saying you will cheat him in his time of need?"

"Nothing that dramatic. You and I will meet in battle and I will offer to duel you. Naturally, you will beat me." Vajra shrugged. "It's not my fault. I heard you were injured, so I won't be overestimating myself. It's all fair."

Kush thought about it for a while. His injuries would heal in a few weeks. Though it won't be enough for him to battle adult warriors, he could easily beat someone like Vajra. It's not that Vajra was that bad, it's just that Kush was that good.

Vajra went on, as if he was just talking about the weather. "I will retreat with my army into the forest. You will take the mountain pass I was guarding and bring your army into the coalition highway. That's the fastest way for you to leave the drylands. If your army travels without rest for about half a month, you will reach the Abhaya Mountain Kingdom…" Vajra's little face turned irritable. "There I'll introduce you to one jackass who is trying to blackmail me. He will also be the one to send you reinforcements should you run into trouble on the coalition highway…which you most certainly will."

"Wait…before that, let me ask…You're saying you want to be defeated by me?" Kush's fair roundish face was full off question marks. His wide round eyes looking exactly like the black jewels on a baby bear.

Vajra had a thin face in comparison. He had good features, but he always looked pensive and was of a complexion that reminded one of a firm, growing tree. He smiled mildly and patted his friend's shoulder. "Such is rivalry. Somebody wins and somebody loses."

Kush felt for the first time that winning against Vajra was not so simple. Against Vajra, victory was elusive like a cloud and transient like mist.

"But aren't you losing on purpose? When you know you can't defeat me, why are you confronting me?"

Vajra paused. He looked like he didn't want to say the truth for a moment, but he eventually gave in. Slowly speaking, he said, "I could have my army confront you…But we will still lose."

"What do you mean?"

"You are an experienced general whose men have trust in you. I'm not the same. Though Rtadhara's army also admires me for what I've done for my brother, I have ultimately failed. In the end, it appears as a child's desperate attempt against a grown man. Though it is admirable, it doesn't inspire any confidence. Whenever a dryland nation needs to confront a barbarian horde, tactics are not the most important part. Morale is. With no morale and no confidence, I believe my troops will fail in their first attempt in confronting your forces. It's not enough for you to win the war, but its enough to win a single battle. Taking the Damayanti pass in Dhija will only require you to win one battle." Vajra pointed to the map where he detailed the terrain. "The place I will be guarding is the only one where a defence could be set up. The barbarians have never come this far into the drylands, so this pass is generally unguarded. However, it will become a strategic zone once they do come. Our nations had a long standing agreement that if the barbarians ever invade the drylands through Dhija, Dhija will defend Ratgori pass, a parallel, more likely route for barbarians to take, while Rtadhara will guard Damayanti pass. They will expect you to take Ratgori pass because that's the route the barbarians are familiar with. Though it is rare, these people do occasionally enter the drylands for trade or migration and when they do through Dhija, this is the route they take. No one will expect you to take the barren Damayanti pass which is without any food or water sources. This is why my cousin won't suspect anything when I offer to help. He would just think I'm doing it for appearances sake as a new king who seeks peace. He would also expect me to fail a hundred percent if in case the barbarians do appear. Even my big brother failed against them in his first confrontation when he was fourteen years old."

"But what about you face! Didn't you say you have to take the army out and win?! Even if it wasn't for that, what about your men? Won't they lose confidence in you even more if you simply lose like that?"

Vajra smiled in silence, looking at his friend.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Do you really think it's that easy to win against me in a duel?"

"Of course!" Kush said without question.

"What about if you're not using your internal energy techniques?"

"Huh! Do you really think I'd need external help to beat you? I can defeat you with bare hands."

"Fine then. We'll make an agreement. Unless you're absolutely sure you're going to lose, you won't use your special techniques against me when we duel."

"Alright. It's a deal!" Kush shook his head for a moment. "In any case, you'll still lose…" he said, not understanding.

"It's alright to lose. Because that's not the war I want to fight."

Understanding slowly dawned on Kush. "Then…"

Vajra hooked his lips deviously. "Do you think big brother Jala-deep will be happy if I give you the Damayanti pass? He would totally expect me to lose, yeah, but he would still not be happy about it. Or maybe he'll just use it as an excuse…"

"To wage war?" Kush exclaimed.

Vajra showed his hands in helplessness. "Ever since the old sovereign of Dhija died, Dhija was already showing signs of open hostility towards Rtadhara. The attack on my brother and the assassins sent to the Lotus Seat when they thought I was in there, they were all clear indications that they don't care anymore. Now that the second queen also died, they don't have any reasons to hold back anymore. But why should I wait for them to organise and prepare? I only need to show some vulnerability and they will fall for their own greed…" he smiled cunningly.

"So this is what you're truly after…"

Vajra nodded seriously. "I need you whittle them down as much as you can in the Tanadhar Valley before you reach Damayanti pass. This is also a way for you to sharpen your forces. Find out who is truly loyal and get rid of unwanted regiments within the barbarian horde. I will send you all the information we have on the relationships between the seventeen warrior tribes. I can tell you now that not all of them are completely loyal to Bo'Hur. Some of them will most likely rebel before you cross the drylands."

Kush nodded, taking the lessons deeply as Vajra elucidated on everything he needed to look out for. Although he learnt much about executing battle formations, making use of terrains and different kinds of weapons, Kush never learned about making men into a armed unit. That was because the Maruts were already a finely trained battle unit. Even when he recruited new members, the older recruits would ensure the new ones fall in line. Kush didn't have to worry about their loyalty. But for the first time, he found himself with the challenge of creating a completely new order. In order to merge the barbarians into the Maruts, a lot of changes will have to be made. Kush felt overwhelmed and didn't know where to begin. He didn't think he could do it.

But as King Vajradandaka slowly explained to him the crucial parts, he didn't think it was that impossible.