Chapter Two: Dawn of Victory

The field was littered with corpses of men and horses the sight was horrendous but the smell even worse. The camp followers of the baggage train were spread out striping the bodies of any valuables like weapons, armor, or any personal jewelry they carried. Many others were in the enemy camp which had been captured by the calvary before they assaulted the rear of the line. The capture of the camp was a significant bonus to the army as large quantities of supplies and funds came with it. All the new found fortunes would be divied up and given out to the soldiers as payment for their valor with large amounts going to the captains and Nobels as well as any man that stood out during battle. Half remaining sum would be sent back to the capital to bolster the treasury while the rest would be kept on hand for future payment.

"Scribe what is tally?" The scribe checks his notes. There were many spread out across the camp they were vital for the supply and logistics of any army. They were paid well as they could both read and write while also being good with numbers.

"We captured some 30,000 ducats from the camp and looted from corpses. 15,000 will be given to the soldiers as rewards 8,000 will be sent to the capitol and the remaining 7,000 will be kept here to pay the soldiers. We estimate at least two months worth of foodstuffs including for the horses. We also scavenged hundreds of weapons and many intact suits of plate armor most of the chainmail will be given to the peasants to give them some more defense."

"Good. Prioritize the commoners that were in the first line for their rewards and insure they get first pick of the weapons as well as the commanders I want the rest to be given out evenly. What are the body counts?"

"For our own troops we counted some 1,023 dead with another 200 badly wounded most of the dead was from the peasants that held the line in the first engagement. None are missing thankfully. For our enemies were are still counting the bodies but we estimate some 8,000 dead with a 1,000 captured leaving around 3,000 escapees. We also captured over 600 horses which easily replace any we lost." The scribe double checked his ledger to ensure he didn't miss anything

"Quite a decisive battle then. Send ransom letters to any the families of any Nobles or anyone with the means to pay I want the rest to be sold into slavery to raise more funds. I want our men buried with honors you can burn the rest to make sure no corpse eaters start to harass our supply lines. Did we capture the prince or any of the royal family?" The last question could prove vital to ending the war ahead of schedule 

"We haven't identified him amongst the dead and none of our prisoners have come forward claiming to be the prince. We have to assume he escaped but we do have many of our light calvary still hunting down any survivors there is a chance we capture him." It was inconvenient that the prince was still out there but with the bulk of there army killed there was little chance of any real resistance besides any holdouts in a few castles.

The main tent was abuzz with activity the senior officers discussing with themselves the next moves In the war. The attention shifts to the new figure entering the door the quite is a cacophony. "You lot seem to be in high spirits." the new figures words cut into the air. "It's almost like we just won the war my prince." The response came from a fat nearly bald man still clad in his oversized plate armor. "We won a battle Lord Anderson not the war there is still much to do." Anderson had little grasp of warfare but his troops were needed so he was allowed to be in the tent to avoid any insult on his honor. 

"Aye as you say but we did just crush their army we are certain to win now Young prince August or maybe I should call you the "Prince of Blood" as the troops have taken a liking to." The room chuckled at that 

"Just Prince August is fine. Certainty is a fickle thing Lord Anderson it is never truly certain until the day is already won." The reply was stern and commanding some scoffed at his attitude others understood it. They all respected it now. Another man from the crowd stood forward "Two victories in as many months my prince that is truly praise worthy." This man was skinny and tall his pompous voice immediately distinguished him as unlikeable. The tent broke out in compliments and shouts.

"Lords rest up, gather your strength, and sharpen your blades for by the end of summer the flag of Orpheus will fly over the walls of Polis." The declaration sent the tent into jubilation as the nobles fawned over the riches and lands to be gained from a successful conquest. As the tent calmed down we took our seats around the large table that was recently cleared to make way for a mass of food that was being brought in. Being the senior commander and the heir to the throne I Prince August of the Orpheus Empire took my rightful place at the head of the table.

The assortment of food left little to be desired from the men that surrounded it. The food would still be a decent feast if it was served from a palace kitchen. I ate my food leisurely savoring every bit of the stag meant and pottage. My plate wasn't as crowed as my compatriots whose plates by comparisons were a feast of their own. I found it distasteful to eat so chaotically after taking so many lives a sentiment shared by none in the tent. 

"Prince August I have been meaning to ask. Don't you think more of the captured ducats should've been given to us the commanders?" It was the Tall and skinny lord from earlier the count of Adane a small but wealthy county. His question drew much focus upon me all the greedy politicians were looking for even more money to quench their appetites.

"I gave the lion share of the money to those commanders and soldiers that earned it. Are you unhappy with your cut Felix?" I didn't bother to hide my annoyance sadly Lord Felix deemed to press the issue "Well its just that my peasants took the brunt of that first charge so it is only far that I get a larger cut to make up for my losses." He was lying to my face. There was no way to know how many of his soldiers were killed until he did a head count which I knew he was too busy and careless to do. "Don't forget my esteemed lord Felix that you sent half of your forces home in protest to me taking command. Furthermore you didn't even bother to lead your troops like the rest of the lords." The color drained from Felix's face undoubtedly enraged at being Called out and embarrassed in front of so many influential figures.

The Lord flew into a fury "YOU, YOU DAMNED UPSTART! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!" In his rage Felix made a grave mistake as his gloved hand struck me with a weak slap. Two guards grabbed him immediately holding him before me. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING!? I'LL I"LL..." I cut him off sharply 

"You will do nothing Felix. You assaulted the heir to the throne do you understand the punishment for that?" Felix's legged swayed as the implication dawned up him. The crime for assaulting the Emperor or the Heir was nothing less than execution. "Do not worry though my lord Felix I do not intend to kill you. However it seems like those soldiers you sent home will be needed soon. That won't be an issue for you will it?" The guards let Felix drop to his needs who bowed his head understanding how he had just been played. "No my lord it will not be a problem." Felix sunk back into his chair in deep contemplation. I had probably made and enemy of him but compared to the fear and respect I had gained from the other lords it was a net profit.

The tent was uneasy after the event with most lords almost afraid to speak louder than a whisper. I wasn't content to ruin the mood after such a great victory so I spoke up "There is someone I would like to recognize for his brave actions yesterday. Sir Adonis please stand." Adonis was a monster of a man he towered a head over the tallest person in the room and was bulkier than two. A giant of muscle and steel. "Sir Adonis led the heavy calvary into the charge against rear of Valburghs forces. I saw his massive frame cutting and breaking dozens of men upon his sword and horse. For your honorable deeds I award you with full command of the heavy calvary and the pay that goes alongside it. Continue to serve our country proudly." He grunted his approval as the rest of the lords applauded. He was a landless knight from the capital but an excellent fighter and bold commander to boot. I was trying to win his loyalty by essentially bribing him which suit me and I suspect him just fine. 

I gazed upon the other lords each of them in turn looked upon me with avaricious eyes. Being praised, given positions of command, or titles was a very sought after award as gaining any was a massive increase in social standing or even personal wealth. My eyes fell upon my next choice a man who was fiddling with the small amount of food on his plate. He seemed to be the only one who agreed with me that eating was distasteful after a slaughter. Most in the tent avoided him as his poor clothing marked him as a lowly freeman and as such badly better than a peasant. The fact that he was attendance shows that he was directly invited. He was young like me perhaps only twenty just two years older than me. "Nikolas Adamo's" His face turned to pure shock and partly terror He stood up and bowed his head as etiquette dictates "Nikolas was in the fist line when they were used as the bait for out trap. He fought valiantly and killed many but besides just that he was the one to lead the common soldiers into breaking through the lines and encircling large pockets of enemies leading to a massive amount of captured men." Nikolas was still in shock he didn't realized I had seen him courages actions. "For your knightly efforts I award you with exactly that. Tomorrow morning you will be knighted. When the prisoners are ransomed you will also be given a large sum of that money. I would as like to extend you an invitation to serve directly along side me as one of my sworn bodyguards." The last part was a massive suprise to everyone there was almost no times in the history of Orpheus when the bodyguard to a Emperor or prince was anything but a Noble's son.

"I humbly accept your offer sire. It would be my honor to serve alongside you." His voice was almost weak from the sudden change in fortune

I sat back down and enjoyed the rest of my meal. The other lords were disturbed that commoners were the only ones that had gained any real standing. But it was to be expected so long as they remained loyal that was all that mattered. Besides when the war was won I would be the one to divide up the land which meant they had to stay in my good graces.

With two new and hopefully trusted allies it was time to prepare for the next stage of the war. Victory.