Empire Ascension: The Rise of the Fated One-Chapter 223: Battle of Kashmir Part - 6

Moments before seige, Palace garden, mid night at Hari Parbat fort.

Prince Tsewang sat alone in the garden. The soft rustle of leaves broke the silence under a faint breeze. His blade lay on the grass at his right.

His gaze was fixed on the dimly lit Jhoola(swinging ride) where he once pushed Princess Zara. Her laughter was still ringing in his ear. But it become more distant with each passing of time.

The air was filled with tension, as soldiers roamed the walls in preparation for defense, yet Tsewang felt strangely distant from it all. His mind drifted to happier times, when he once carried the high ambitions as Ladakhi prince and the bittersweet memory of falling in love with an enemy princess.

He knew he’d chosen a forbidden path, but deep inside he never regretted it. Princess Zara was worth the risk, as it was only with her that he spent his most beautiful moments.

He had played all his roles faithfully as prince of Ladakh and also as lover of his life, but the greed of his own people had destroyed it all. He wondered why she gave him the ring—the emblem, which was the symbol of authority over Kashmir.

’What did she mean by gift?’

’Did she hope he would protect the Kashmiri people, the ones she had once claimed as her own?’

She was a indeed a complex soul, capable of ruthless ambition like killing her own brothers for the throne. Yet at the end, she simply wished for him to take it and protect them.

’Were they really so close to her than me? Why she didn’t allow me to die and join her in the afterlife, and instead left me with this heavy burden?’

But still a question lingered in its mind that gnawed his conscience time to time, ’is it worth it even if he sacrifice? He honestly wished one thing and that was to die.’

He felt an immense amount of pain in his heart, but there was no one to share it with, nor did he have time, as the empire would soon attack and destroy everything in its wake of revenge. Maybe it was time for him to pay back for his sins. Now he only has this night.

A distant, thunderous blast jolted him from his thoughts, shaking the ground beneath him.

He sprang to his feet, grabbing his sword and rushed to the walls. He spotted blazing flames erupting from the western side that lied to the forest. he quickly analysed,"tsk.. they are using the forest.. damn it." he felt infuriated as he felt pathetic for overlooking the defense from the cover of forest even though he got recently ambushed from his own forces few weeks ago. that was a negligent on his part and now they had to pay the price. also the arival of bhargav empire earlier was mis calculation from their part.

Soldiers rushed forward to gather along the battlements. He also had to deal with the mughals mujahidden stationed on the walls Tsewang’s instincts took over.

He quickly began issuing orders, organizing his forces by issuing orders as he rallied his forces to brace for the oncoming assault. He noticed the torches from bhargavian side arise as they blockaded all paths from the fort in all four directions.

An hour later

His sub-commander, Jigmet Phutsong, his most trusted royal guard, approached him on the wall.

"Your Highness, the Samrajya forces have attacked the city on the western side. Their intentions are unclear, but the onlookers who returned to the castle reported corpses of locals alongside their forces. It seems they want to plunder and sever our ties with the city."

A chill of panic gripped Tsewang’s heart. The civilians were supposed to be rescued in the fort, but he had forgotten that they were valuable targets. If left unprotected, it would be worthless for him to defend this post. Without their support, it would be even harder to defend.

"Gather the elites. We will move out and bring back as many as we can." After a moment of thought, he added urgently, "Where is my uncle?"

Commander Jigmet nodded and replied, "He is in the grand hall, still preparing."

Tsewang patted his shoulder and said, "Assemble all units at the northern gate. I will see you there."

He hurried into the palace to find his uncle, needing to brief him before he went out. After all, his uncle was in charge of the defense, while he was just a figurehead meant to rally the Kashmiris.

Suddenly, a thunderous explosion erupted from the northern walls. Tsewang rushed to one of the windows and saw the Muslim mujahideen firing at the houses of civilians within range. The walls crumbled under the bombardment, and some houses caught fire, sending up thick plumes of smoke

His heart pounded with each booming shot. ’They were not supposed to attack his own commoners.’

He navigated the labyrinthine corridors, leaping through walls and racing down the stairs, desperate to reach the source of the chaos.

Reaching the battlements, he spotted Faudjar Sohaib from the Mughals commanding the bombardment. With a swift movement, he rushed at him and drew his sword to his neck.

"Stop the bombardment, or your commander’s neck will fly."

The bombardment ceased abruptly. The soldiers froze, confusion etched on their faces as they realized the Ladakhi prince had arrived.

They exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions a mix of confusion and alarm. Despite being allies, the sight of the sword pressed against their commander’s neck sent a wave of tension through their ranks, making them hyper-aware and ready to strike, should the situation turn violent.

Sohaib chuckled, an amused glint in his eye. "I think our duel is over. Can you explain the situation?" He was tense yet managed to maintain his composure, his hands clasped behind his back. However, he subtly sought a better grip on the small dagger concealed in his waistband, readying himself for any sudden shift in the encounter.

Tsewang pressed the sword closer, making sure it reached its mark. "No. You better explain yourself. Attacking the civilians of allies is unacceptable."

Sohaib’s face flushed as he replied, "Hold on, Prince. We are allies. The enemies showed up, and we simply bombarded them as they were in range. Why are you obstructing us?"

Tsewang looked down and saw the enemies dragging civilians from their homes, their actions feeling more like an evacuation than a plunder. He was deeply troubled by the intention of enemy forces.

he felt deeply troubled why the enemeis would risk their life for the people that doesnt lie in their territory? where they really still attached for them as onc ethey belonged to them.

At that moment, a familiar voice broke the tense silence. "I wouldn’t try my luck like that if my opponent had a sword like that and was a martial expert." They all turned to see Commander Aftab of the mujahideen forces appear from a nearby battlement. Beside him stood Yeshe Namgyal, Tsewang’s uncle, clad in heavy Ladakhi armor.

"Yeshe ordered Tsewang, "Put that sword down, Prince. They’re acting on my orders."

Tsewang frowned, lowering his sword as confusion washed over him. "But Uncle! Why?"

Aftab leaned over the wall and gestured for Tsewang to join him. "Look, Prince. The houses we attacked weren’t meant to target residents. We aimed at the Samrajya forces hiding among them."

Tsewang looked down from the wall again at the devastation below, where soldiers, horses, and civilians lay scattered amidst the rubble. The saffron banners of the Bhargav Empire lay scattered along with their corpses. It became clear that they had perished while attempting to evacuate the area. Anger flared in Tsewang’s eyes as he spotted people still trapped in the wreckage, choking on smoke and struggling to escape.

Aftab continued, "The reason we bombarded was to block their access to the northern route and prevent them from plundering our resources. We can’t let them use our own resources against us, right?"

Sohaib, feeling a wave of relief now that the sword was no longer at his throat, chimed in, "Besides, securing this direction keeps us safe. They won’t be able to charge or position cannons against us here."

Tsewang sighed, feeling the weight of his powerlessness. He turned earnestly to his uncle. "Uncle, please stop these fools! That area wasn’t even a threat. They were just blocking our path to retreat. The enemies aren’t attacking them; they were.. "

"Kidnapping them to use as war slaves," Yeshe Namgyal finished grimly. He added weight to his words, "I’ve received clear reports from those who returned. They are forcefully taking civilians to their camp in the western forest. Generally, death would be a mercy, but the cruelty they inflict on these innocents is far worse than you can imagine." There was a hint of scorn and concern in his tone.

"And no one is going out until the promised reinforcements arrive," he concluded, emphasizing the point since Tsewang had initially sought to evacuate the civilians.

A chill ran through Tsewang’s spine as he realized the gravity of the situation. He had known about the potential of such brutality but had let his own sorrows blind him to the reality. ’Ofcourse, enemies are no saint and war is cruel.’

Steeling himself, he bowed his head. "Uncle, please allow me to evacuate the captured civilians. I’ll either bring them back or die trying."

Yeshe Namgyal raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "And what do I get in return for helping you? I’m not concerned about the civilians being captured; it’s better for us if they’re not in our fort draining our resources."

Tsewang continued to plead. "I’ll support you during the coronation. You’ll have my loyalty."

Yeshe Namgyal smirked, "You are already on a death sentence if not for war. How would you be of my help?"

Tsewang replied, "That’s for you to decide, Uncle. You know you’re not the only one in line for succession. Besides, if Kashmiri civilians get caught up in this war, our conscripts will have no reason to fight alongside us. My name alone won’t be enough to boost morale."

Yeshe contemplated the stakes. The scale of the situation was enormous, and having Tsewang’s backing would be beneficial. However, he remained cautious about the feasibility of rescuing civilians from the enemy’s camp.

"Alright," he finally relented. "Take the elites and go. Save whoever you can. And if you die, I’ll see to it you get a proper funeral."

With that permission granted, Tsewang stormed out.

Aftab and Sohaib exchanged puzzled glances, bewildered by Tsewang’s reckless behavior. "Why risk his life for those commoners?" Aftab mused. "And snatching them from the enemy camp during a siege? It’s a hard gamble."

However, they were unaware of Tsewang’s inner resolve to save every soul whom his lover Zara held dear. Now only time will tell how successful he would be or whether he would meet his grim end as the punishment he secretly longed for.