Empire Ascension: The Rise of the Fated One-Chapter 181: Clash of Rivals Part-2

Rewari Kingdom, Pataudi Village, Mercenary Recruitment Camp, afternoon of April 4, 1557.

After following Ayush for a while, a sudden volley of shots erupted from the eastern flank. It was Kunal and his squad of eight men from the White Turban group, who were entrenched in a pre-dug trench 40 meters away. Their shots rang out, wax bullets striking with stinging force, causing several soldiers to cry out in pain and drop to the ground.

Five cadets from the Black Turban group were hit and forced to lie down. Two cadets from Sohan’s squad and three from Naman’s squad were down, adding to the mounting casualties.

"Take cover!" Nirbhay shouted, diving behind a thick tree. His platoon scrambled to find shelter, quickly returning fire from their concealed positions.

"Fire at will," Kunal grinned, nestled behind the trench, after their initial volley. Their position on lower ground gave them an advantage, as most of the return fire missed its mark. Capitalizing on this, they managed to take down two more cadets from Naman’s squad, raising the Black Turban group’s losses to eight.

However, as the Black Turbans spread out in a semi-circular formation, the pressure on Kunal’s squad increased. Hits to the turban were counted as confirmed strikes, and the rising casualties reflected the intensifying exchange. The cadets ducked behind cover, but the longer reload times gave their opponents the upper hand.

Kunal’s squad, determined to hold their ground, took turns firing from cover of trench. But with five of their own down, only three soldiers remained active.

Sensing an opening, Nirbhay led his Black Turban group forward. Just as it seemed Kunal’s White Turbans were about to be overwhelmed, Animesh’s squad appeared from the western flank, launching a fresh volley that struck from behind.

Four more cadets were hit;one from Sohan’s squad and three from Nakul’s squad in the Black Turban group. Nirbhay gritted his teeth, realizing they were now caught in a dangerous two-front situation.

His mind raced, piecing together the enemy’s strategy. They had been drawn into a position with limited cover, while their opponents held advantageous ground. Advancing or descending further could trap them, as additional enemy squads could be lying in wait on either side. Nirbhay knew he had to act quickly to break free.

"Akhil, charge and clear the eastern flank! The rest, form a wedge!" Nirbhay commanded. Akhil, with all eight members of his squad, launched a direct assault on Kunal’s remaining soldiers. Caught off-guard, Kunal managed to take one down before being struck himself. His remaining two men, were overwhelmed by Akhil’s charge, clearing the eastern side at the cost of only one cadet from Akhil’s group.

Meanwhile, Nirbhay reorganized the rest of his platoon into a wedge formation to face Animesh’s squad. With Nirbhay at the front, the V-shaped formation allowed the rear lines to maintain a clear line of sight while the soldiers behind them reloaded and prepared to fire. This tight formation proved effective: when they returned fire, three cadets from Animesh’s group were struck down before they could reload and fire a second volley.

"Everyone, lie down!" Animesh shouted in panic. He disliked the tactic, finding it awkward to reload while lying prone, and had been advised against using it unless the situation was dire. But Ayush, the platoon commander, had insisted. Despite wounding his pride, Animesh realized it was their best chance in the moment.

However, lying down at such close range of 30 meters, was not enough to protect them. A barrage of shots hit the prone cadets, taking down three more from Animesh’s group.

"Damn it, where are the reinforcements?" Animesh muttered under his breath, clutching his turban as he lay on the ground, anxiously waiting for backup.

Just then, Ayush reappeared, leading two squads in a double-line formation. Their volley struck the Black Turban group’s wedge formation, but only three cadets went down due to the tight, protective formation. Nirbhay, standing at the forefront, narrowly escaped being hit. He sighed in relief, knowing his gamble had paid off, for now.

"Retreat to the eastern side! All units, fall back!" Nirbhay ordered, and his platoon quickly withdrew to the side cleared by Akhil’s squad.

By this time, the Black Turban group had lost 13 cadets out of 33, while the White Turban group had already suffered 14 casualties, out of the game.

Ayush’s brows furrowed as he watched the retreat. This was the second time his plan had gone awry. Initially, he had expected them to fight using the cover of trees, as trained, or at worst, fall into a line formation to unleash a dense barrage. But the wedge formation proved to be a perfect counter. Typically used for bayonet charges, seeing it applied effectively at range was an eye-opener.

Seeing Animesh’s group overwhelmed, Ayush hastily switched to a line formation rather than sticking to his initial plan of using the trees for cover and slowly encircling the enemy. However, this too was absorbed by the wedge formation. Up until now, he had expected the enemy to retreat to the southern flank, but who would have thought that the eastern side would be completely wiped out, even with a trench for protection?

"Stupid fools," Ayush muttered in frustration, but he knew there was little that could be done. After all, these were trainee cadets with only three weeks of basic training, barely enough to maintain formation and fire a musket. It usually took two months to become combat-ready. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Chase them down!" he ordered, knowing that the battle wasn’t over yet. They still had to snatch that handkerchief.

After a while of running in the eastern direction, Nirbhay noticed they were still being pursued. He quickly signaled Akhil to split off and halt their advance.

Understanding the situation without hesitation, Akhil ordered his remaining squad, "Take cover and fire at will!" His men, already prepared with loaded guns, quickly took cover behind the trees and fired.

"Everyone, take cover!" Ayush commanded as the situation developed. Despite the warning, two men got shot. Sergeant Animesh, the tallest of the group, was hit in the leg, drawing attention. He collapsed, clutching his leg in agony. The second hit was from Prakar’s squad, who had been trailing behind.

A fierce crossfire ensued, with Akhil’s squad spread thin to hold the line. They had no reassurance of reinforcements, nor did Akhil know if they should retreat. But he had deep faith in Nirbhay and held his position as ordered, with his remaining seven soldiers taking cover, shooting intermittently, and holding the enemy at bay.

Ayush’s frustration grew as Akhil’s stretched-out forces halted his advance. Despite having the advantage in height, they couldn’t break through. It was a stalemate, and Ayush couldn’t afford to leave any enemy behind to deal with them later. He pushed his forces forward, managing to gun down two more of Akhil’s men. Now, the White Turban group formed a semi-circular formation, poised to wipe out the remnants before resuming their pursuit.

Suddenly, Nirbhay’s main platoon launched an attack from behind Ayush’s group. In the chaos of the clash with Akhil’s squad, Nirbhay had maneuvered his remaining forces to the northern side, via the eastern direction, and now held the higher ground. With 13 soldiers, he positioned them behind the cover of trees before opening fire.

Ayush and his platoon were caught off guard by the sudden reversal. Two more cadets fell, and now they were sandwiched between Nirbhay’s forces above and Akhil’s below. However, Ayush still had one advantage.

"All units, charge! Focus on their leader and grab the prize!" he commanded, as his forces broke cover and rushed toward Nirbhay’s position. He gambled that the enemy would be reloading, giving them a chance to close the distance and snatch the handkerchief.

Nirbhay was startled by the sudden change in tactics. He quickly ordered, "Square formation, all units cover me!" His cadets abandoned the trees and formed a square around him. Three soldiers stood on each side of him, with the front line firing and the sides helping with reloading.

Despite losing two more soldiers, Ayush pushed forward with his remaining 12 cadets. Glancing at Ganesh, he ordered, "Stay back and cover me at the right moment." Ganesh broke from the group and darted west, using the cover of the trees to find a better vantage point. In the chaos, no one noticed his change in direction.

By now, Ayush had lost two more men, leaving him with nine cadets charging Nirbhay’s position.

"Hold your fire until they’re close!" Nirbhay commanded, reminding his squad that they only had one chance, knowing their muskets would be most effective at the last moment with no time to reload.

The White Turban group charged fearlessly, knowing the enemy was waiting for the right moment but determined to pounce on Nirbhay and snatch the handkerchief. As they closed the distance, just a few meters away, Nirbhay gave the order: "Fire at will!" Yet he did not pull his own trigger.

The rest of his soldiers fired, and the wax bullets hit the approaching cadets hard. Some fell, while others attempted to flank but were also shot down. Soon, hand-to-hand combat erupted as the rest of Ayush’s soldiers closed in, using the butts of their muskets.

With no bayonets, it became an ugly brawl, with Ayush’s platoon desperately trying to tear apart Nirbhay’s square formation.

Nirbhay waited for Ayush to show himself. As Ayush charged in to grab the handkerchief from Nirbhay’s waist, Nirbhay fired, hitting him in stomach at point blank. But almost immediately, Nirbhay felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as Ganesh, positioned at a distance, took the shot. Both leaders collapsed, writhing in pain.

With Ayush shot, Sohan, who was guarding Nirbhay at frontline, took the opportunity to snatch the handkerchief. The referee blew the whistle, marking Nirbhay’s team as the victors.

But no one was in the mood to celebrate, as the soldiers rushed to check on their injured comrades.

One hour later, outside the training hill

As the mock drill concluded, Sergeant Ayush and Sergeant Nirbhay clasped forearms under the watchful eyes of their fellow soldiers, following protocol to formally end the duel.

Nirbhay remarked, "It was a good match. I learned a lot from you. Hope you don’t mind the outcome."

Ayush, with a cold expression and a low voice meant only for Nirbhay, replied, "I will.. if you don’t accept my challenge for today’s kabaddi match."

Nirbhay chuckled, "Challenge accepted."

Ayush gave a nod, signaling reconciliation, though his voice betrayed his stoic face. "Same ground, this evening."

Nirbhay winked with confidence, "Hope you don’t end up crying."