The continuing pressure of troops coming over the walls left no room for those packed within the burning streets to retreat. The troops being pushed over the walls fanned out along the bottom of the wall that was still free from fire, but the smoke was dense and becoming deadly. Crazed they tore away at the stones blocking the tunnel gates.
The saying that 'War can be hell' could easily be applied to the scene unfolding before me. It gave me no pleasure to watch what was happening. The only relief I received was that for every one of them that died it meant that our chances of surviving this war went up. That was all I could allow myself to care about. They had asked for what they were receiving, when they had continually ignored our offers of peace. Instead they had insisted in pursuing our destruction with all the force they could muster. This was war at its basic element, an all out struggle to survive, deploying whatever tactics it took to come out the victor.
General Sanjo rode up to my position, bloody, but thankfully alive. "General I think we've all seen enough of fire. Withdraw your warriors to the Shrine of Remembrance. I will join you along the way with my men."
General Sanjo saluted respectfully and withdrew to gather what remained of his share of the army. The bombardment of the city had ceased, as there literally, was no need for more. The city was entirely engulfed in flames.
No one caught within it could have survived the fiery inferno that gripped its ancient stones as it reduced them to ash.
General Nadero rode up beside me expectantly, "General, you will provide General Sanjo cover with your cavalry for the first several miles, until he is safely on his way to the shrine. Then according to plan you will take your forty thousand cavalry north making enough tracks as you go for a hundred thousand, after that you know what to do. I pray to the Creator that He gives your horses wings, as without your success we are all doomed I fear."
General Nadero leaned forward in the saddle toward me, "I will be there Roric! Even if I have to run every one of our horses into the ground! I will be there!"
"I hope so, Godspeed General."
He saluted and rode off into the quickly approaching night.
I waited until he had withdrawn before calling out, "Sound the signal for the water!"
The horns sounded once more and then off in the distance more horns sounded. Long ago two ancient rivers had carved out what today was Kingdom Pass. Each of the rivers had carved out deeper channels along the sides of the pass leaving the middle of the pass piled up with the debris of erosion. Before the wall had been built the rivers were diverted by the use of dams down alternate courses and they now flowed to the sea instead of through the pass.