5stringJeff
Senior Member
The general scanned the skies above. He knew the spring weather couldnt hold; tomorrows rain would only bog his armies down more. The time to attack was now. His army was in good supply, but had not fought for weeks, while the enemy had dug in deep, making the general less than optimistic. He had three objectives to take on this afternoon; a relatively flat plain, some adjacent rockier lowlands, and a steep hill with two ridgelines. Only decisive action now would allow him to bring home the victory that his people so desperately desired.
He decided to attack the plain first. The defenses here looked stiff, but the general was not worried about the likelihood of victory until the initial attack. The enemy had set up a major defense on a small knoll, bunching up and denying easy access to the heart of the enemy position. While this was expected, the stall in the generals advance certainly was. The defense was so stiff that it stopped the blades of the generals war machine in several places, where the fighting was thick, the attacking armies were forced to sweep twice across the same strip of land to clear out the valiant defenders. Blood stained the generals boots; bodies of the dead slowed the advance. Only personal attention and a quick tactical decision allowed the attack to advance to the heart of the plain, where the defense broke down and the defenders were summarily slaughtered.
The general hurried his armies to the lowlands, spotted with rocks and uneven terrain. From an observation point, he saw that some of the native population, unhappy with the defenders presence on their land, had fought back boldly, denying a strong defense to either side. Both populations were unprepared for his unannounced attack; only the mud slowed his armies march.
Heartened by the carnage they had sown, the army marched up to the last objective. The general decided to test the perimeter of the defenses; he found them tougher than the knoll from the plain he had just left. The terrain was soft, keeping his armies from turning and keeping formation; the defenders were giants in both stature and bravery, well prepared to defend their God-given territory. The general decided to march for the top ridge; perhaps he could outflank his opponents. The bold plan worked; the defense on that ridge, while strong, was weaker than the two lower lying hills. Time and again, the defenders stalled the blades of the advancing armies; time and again, the advancing war machine restarted its advance. The bodies of the dead were pushed aside, burying many of the living underneath. Once the top ridge was taken, the general advanced his army back down on the remaining resistance. Here, the fighting was almost too much for the now-weary army. Areas were swept, then swept again for survivors then a third time, the attackers all the while wary of being bogged down in the soft soil. The general, with the blood of the defenders staining his once-clean uniform, pushed straight through the middle of the surviving formation; this was too much, and the defense crumbled. The offenses blades sliced through the remaining defense, slaying all who tried to stand up before the massive machine of war.
The general looked upon the battlefield he had just conquered. Bodies lay in piles, blood had been spilled; yet the victory was his. Couriers were sent to inform the population at home about the days accomplishments. Surely there would be great feasting and rewards tonight.
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And now you know what my evening was like yesterday mowing the yard!
He decided to attack the plain first. The defenses here looked stiff, but the general was not worried about the likelihood of victory until the initial attack. The enemy had set up a major defense on a small knoll, bunching up and denying easy access to the heart of the enemy position. While this was expected, the stall in the generals advance certainly was. The defense was so stiff that it stopped the blades of the generals war machine in several places, where the fighting was thick, the attacking armies were forced to sweep twice across the same strip of land to clear out the valiant defenders. Blood stained the generals boots; bodies of the dead slowed the advance. Only personal attention and a quick tactical decision allowed the attack to advance to the heart of the plain, where the defense broke down and the defenders were summarily slaughtered.
The general hurried his armies to the lowlands, spotted with rocks and uneven terrain. From an observation point, he saw that some of the native population, unhappy with the defenders presence on their land, had fought back boldly, denying a strong defense to either side. Both populations were unprepared for his unannounced attack; only the mud slowed his armies march.
Heartened by the carnage they had sown, the army marched up to the last objective. The general decided to test the perimeter of the defenses; he found them tougher than the knoll from the plain he had just left. The terrain was soft, keeping his armies from turning and keeping formation; the defenders were giants in both stature and bravery, well prepared to defend their God-given territory. The general decided to march for the top ridge; perhaps he could outflank his opponents. The bold plan worked; the defense on that ridge, while strong, was weaker than the two lower lying hills. Time and again, the defenders stalled the blades of the advancing armies; time and again, the advancing war machine restarted its advance. The bodies of the dead were pushed aside, burying many of the living underneath. Once the top ridge was taken, the general advanced his army back down on the remaining resistance. Here, the fighting was almost too much for the now-weary army. Areas were swept, then swept again for survivors then a third time, the attackers all the while wary of being bogged down in the soft soil. The general, with the blood of the defenders staining his once-clean uniform, pushed straight through the middle of the surviving formation; this was too much, and the defense crumbled. The offenses blades sliced through the remaining defense, slaying all who tried to stand up before the massive machine of war.
The general looked upon the battlefield he had just conquered. Bodies lay in piles, blood had been spilled; yet the victory was his. Couriers were sent to inform the population at home about the days accomplishments. Surely there would be great feasting and rewards tonight.
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And now you know what my evening was like yesterday mowing the yard!
