Chapter 173: Prelude to Patan

The night flowers bloomed under the dim moonlight. The silvery glow cascaded onto the lush forest. The midnight breeze was cool and fresh as it rustled the leaves.

Smoke billowed in the distance as a village was burning. The thatched roofs of the small mud huts were burning and running smoke through the village.

Villagers were running for their lives as the men on horses stabbed them with their lances. The ground was scarlet from the blood of the corspes riddled all over.

The men were killed without mercy. The rancid smell of intestines and fluids permeated the air along with the black smoke from the hay burning. Moans and groans of the women could be heard in the distances.

It was the Mughal army raiding a village along their path on the border with Marathas. The women's painful and terrified moans filled the village as they were raped by the Mughals soldiers.

For the Mughals, this was natural, as they did this in every war they fought. They pillage the villages and kill the able-bodied men. Then rape the women for their relief. This was the way of the Mughals. The most despicable way of fighting.

"ARRGHHH."

A bloodcurdling scream of a Mughal soldier echoed. He was on the ground clutching his crotch. It was bleeding profusely. The woman he tried to rape had a knife up her blouse.

She cut his dick off.

"You scum!! You won't touch me when I am alive."

She stabbed her chest without flinching, instantly killing herself.

The other Mughals soldiers saw their fellow soldier die due to blood loss after his dick was cut off by the woman.

Bairam Khan chuckled at the scene.

"You can't even handle a woman!! You don't deserve to be in the army anyway."

"Brother! These weaklings are no good." Babar Khan said.

They looked very identical to each other. They were the twin commanders of the Mughals. They were notoriously cruel. They wore different stylized clothes to help the soldiers distinguish between them.

Bairam Khan was the older one. He was the stronger one as well. Both were ordered to march to the outskirts of the Patan town.

This was where Shahbaz had spread the misinformation of Askar's march to the Marathas.

So the king of Marathas would be lying in wait in that region. Babar and Bairam were tasked with taking out the king.

They both knew the strength of the king and didn't underestimate him. It was the man who almost killed Askar.

"Brother, shouldn't we follow the plan of minister Shahbaz?" Babar asked.

Bairam looked at his brother in confusion. He was doing the plan just as Shahbaz ordered but his brother didn't understand it as he never really mentioned it.

His brother was the one who couldn't read the room well during important meetings. This was why Bairam Khan was in charge of the strategic meetings.

But his brother trusted Bairam with his life.

"We are already doing it!" exclaimed Bairam.

"Really?!! I don't remember you telling me!!"

"Yeah, I forgot!!" He sighed deeply. "We have burnt so many villages along our march. I have not killed everyone."

"Oh!!"

"The remaining ones would go to the Patan as it will be the closest refuge."

Babar nodded.

"We also planted our spies in the refugees."

"AHHH!!!" exclaimed Babar. "I understand now, brother!!"

Bairam glanced back at the soldiers. "Pillage all the grains and we shall leave the villages." He ordered.

'We still have a Trump card. That Shahbaz guy's plan is always so good!' thought Bairam as he walked back to the camp that was settled just a few hundred meters from the burning village.

Meanwhile, in the town of Patan, hundreds of refugees were swarming in the small town in search of shelters as the Mughals were raiding their villages.

The king's army was stationed in the town of Patan for the night.

He looked at the scene of Mother's crying for their child, who died from the wounds.

Men who lost their limbs trying to protect their children from the scum.

He clicked his tongue in disgust.

'Askar, is this your way of taking revenge on me?' He thought.

"Father, More refugees are coming towards the town! Should we take them in as well?" asked Aadarsh.

He accompanied his father in this endeavor to take on the strongest commander of the Mughals, Askar Khan

They were given information from their spies that Askar would be marching through Patan to the Capital. He certainly found it odd but regardless, he figured it was the work of the strategists, as they wanted Askar not to be stuck in another stalemate like the last time.

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"Take them in. They are our people. We will protect them," said Devendra, clenching his fist to control his anger. S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

He turned away from the scene.

"Etch this scene in your eyes, Son. These are the monsters we will be dealing with soon."

"Yes, Father!!."

Little did the King and the Prince know. The refugees they took in had the Mughals special unit mixed in them. The selfless nature of the king was being exploited by Shahbaz. Shahbaz figured that the king wouldn't turn a blind eye to refugees.

Devendra asked the commander. "How many days of supplies do we have left?"

"We have a week worth of supplies left and we have bought some more emptying the town merchant's supplies to feed the refugees as well." The commander responded with a curt bow.

"Hmm! That should be doable. Increase the surveillance of the area and put more scouts on lookout."

"Understood, Your Majesty." The commander left swiftly.

"Father, It seems the new group of refugees are from a village a day away from this town. So we can assume that the army of Askar Khan will be reaching this town by tomorrow." Aadarsh said.

He came back after ordering the soldiers to take in the new group of refugees that were coming to the town of Patan.

Devendra mumbled

"This battle may be my last..."

"Did you say something, father?" Aadarsh asked, raising his brow.

Devendra smiled warmly.

"Nothing, My son. We shall be victorious against those scum."