Out of the Steppe, Into the Fire

[theycallmetighty]

The Unnecessary Death of Men

"listen up, the enemy are already marching and we don't have much time" barked Sapalbizes.

"we are only half the enemies number and are at a great disadvantage in arrows, but we have the advantage in steel. we will try to route the enemy one company at a time. Using our heavy cavalry we'll charge a unit, once it breaks we will retreat and pick another target and charge again. That unit of skirmishers on the far left looks like a god first target, we'll destroy them first"



Sapalbizes now turned to Moga, a chieftain from the great north lake.

"You will command the horse archers, your objective will be to cover us when we retreat and keep the enemy horse archers off of us."

Moga nodded gravely.

"Thats it now get back to your men and we will start on my signal."

The group of men mounted their horses and returned to their respective units.

"What kind of a fool would lead us into a slaughter like this" Sapalbizes turned and saw his childhood friend Hasa with a broad smile on his face

"What kind a fool would follow me into a slaughter like this" Answered Sapalbizes returning the smile

"So whats the plan today, turn tail and piss yourself while the real men do the fighting."

Sapalbizes let out a laugh "Its good to have you back old friend"

"Its good to be back, old friend"

Sapalbizes turned away from his companion and rode to his place in the front rank of his bodyguard, his smile quickly faded and turned into a grave frown.

He looked in front of him and saw the enemy milling about in front of the town. Then he looked to his left, all seemed fine, then he looked to his right and again all was good.

Suddenly he roared out a battle cry and charged at the enemy line. He did not look back but could hear the hoof beats following him to the enemy.

The cataphracts thundered into the lightly armored skirmishers killing many of them with just the charge. The fight that ensued could only be described as a
massacre as lightly armored peasants fell left and right. Just as the unit broke
the enemy lancers charged towards the cataphracts, the lancers were too close to outrun and Sapalbizes ordered a hasty counter charge. The two groups of horse men collided with a horrific crash of metal against metal.



The saka cataphracts quickly gained the upper hand on the lightly armored lancers.

Sapalbizes plunged his lance into an enemy warriors chest and quickly switched to his axe , finishing off the warrior with a chop to the skull. Sapalbizes was still in th process of removing his axe from the head of the warrior when a rider wielding a scimitar charged at him whirling his weapon above his head. Sapalbizes tried to turn his horse away from the attacker but was too late in doing so and received a well placed slash clear across his chest sending him reeling back in his horse. The rider raised his sword again but could not finish his stroke as a lance penetrated his back and the spear point emerged from his chest.

Sapalbizes’ Saviour rode out from behind the screaming lancer and grabbed the reins of his horse pulling Sapalbizes out of the fight.

"I owe you my life, Hasa" said Sapalbizes as he grimaced

"We must get you out of here"

"No, I can still fight" Sapalbizes grimaced again and rode back into the battle



As Sapalbizes fought furiously against his enemy despite his cumbersome pain and bleeding, The orders of the enemy general, Pidanos were being carried out.

Pidanos was no fool and had anticipated Sapalbizes strategy and formed his
plans around that. He knew Sapalbizes would charge only one unit at a time in an attempt to isolate and break him by means of local superiority so he took his most heavily armored troops, the Saka lancers and attacked Sapalbizes Cataphracts in attempt to hold them off while his horse archers would circle around the melee and fire into the backs of the enemy horsemen and hit them in their most vulnerable spot.

What he did not count on however, was that Sapalbizes was not a fool either and had left his own horse archers behind to cover his heavy cavalry, this mistake would prove fatal and unravel completely his plan of a flanking maneuver. When the time came for the horse archers to make their way around Sapalbizes flanks they quickly came under fire from his riders. The Haomavargan captain was not about to turn his back to two very experienced companies of horse archers and instead rode toward them thus completely spoiling his masters plan.


The Saka captain, Moga completes his objective of covering his master by drawing away the enemy riders.

Without the support of his horse archers Pidanos' lancers quickly fold under the pressure and Pidanos himself flees making his men quite uneasy.



Sapalbizes pulled his axe out of another opponent as he witnessed his foe run away like a scared steppe rabbit. He looked around and took stock of the situation. His men had taken heavy casualties already from javelin and arrow fire, but the most dangerous enemy troops appeared to be defeated. He was about to order the charge at the remainder of the enemy army and break them when he whirled his horse around and saw his brave mounted archers engaged in a melee with more heavily armored Saka riders.



"our comrades, we must save them now before they are all lost" Bellowed Sapalbizes "Follow Me" He thundered as him and his Heavy horse rode after him

As he galloped at full speed towards his beloved Steppe warriors he looked back and saw a unit of saka lancers had reformed themselves and now pursued them. Having the spear wielding horsemen crash into the backs of his men would be disastrous. Sapalbizes made his way over to side of his Grandson Satraces.

"Go and charge those Lancers, Hold them off for as long as you can."

Satraces sped off in the opposite direction taking his men with him.

Soon the remaining Cataphracts crashed into the enemy riders instantly routing them and saving their comrades.



Sapalbizes again remembering his beleaguered grandson sped off with his men once again to help him. Satraces bodyguard was whittled away to just eight men, with Satraces himself being injured when Sapalbizes arrived and once and for all routed the lancers.

Sapalbizes wasted no time in ordering his men to follow the original plan and charge their next target.



The retreat of their general and the death of their friends was too much for the archers too handle and they instantly broke. The Saka heavy cavalry proceeded to charge the rest of the enemy army, most of them breaking even before contact.

Pidanos had briefly regained his courage only to be cut down by the ruthless saka bodyguards



The rest of the battle is accurately described as a route in which men are mercilessly killed as they run away until none survive.






Sapalbizes was on his horse at the central plaza overlooking the battlefield, he could see all of the carnage, all of the death and all of it he knew was unnecessary.







There was however one peace of good news that Sapalbizes could lean on




Coming soon: the aftermath of the battle of haomavarga, Sapalbizes gains a new friend, and something else too...