King Solomon's Treasure

Chapter 20 The battle is imminent
Fortunately, Inverdus and the Chiefs knew the streets and the streets like the back of their hands.So, in spite of the darkness, we went very well.

After walking for more than an hour, the total solar eclipse slowly ended, and the edge of the sun's disappearance began to appear again. Five minutes later we could see our surroundings clearly, and then found ourselves leaving Loo and heading towards a mesa about two miles in radius.Such mountains are common in South Africa, and are not high, the highest being not more than two hundred feet above sea level.The shape is like a horseshoe, with steep and precipitous sides, full of boulders.The flat ground on the top of the mountain is covered with green grass, which is very suitable for camping.This is an important military location, where 5 soldiers are usually stationed.But when we climbed the steep hill, we found that there were far more than 3000 people here.

When we reached the hilltop flat, we found soldiers huddled together in terror, apparently petrified by the natural phenomenon just now.We walked through them in silence to the house in the middle of the flat.At this time, we were surprised to find that due to our haste, the luggage we left at our residence in Lucheng had already been brought here.

"I told them to bring the luggage," Inverdus explained, "and this." He picked up Goode's long-lost trousers.

Overjoyed, Goode yelled, rushed to grab the trousers, and put them on immediately.

"The gods really shouldn't have covered your beautiful white legs!" Inverdus said regretfully.

But Gude insisted on putting on his pants, and the people of Kukuana never had the chance to admire his beautiful white legs.Goode was a very shy person, and since then, the people of Kukuana can only admire his half beard, transparent eyes and moving teeth if they want to feast their eyes.

Inverdus looked reluctantly at Goode's trousers, and then he told us that he had rallied his troops, explained to the soldiers the reasons for the rebellion of the chiefs, and introduced them to the true heir to the throne, Aegnu s.

Half an hour later, about 2 troops assembled on the hilltop flat.These troops are the main force of Kukuana.The soldiers stood in three directions on the flat ground, forming three dense large square formations, and the scene was very spectacular.We stood on the empty side, surrounded by important chiefs and officers.

After the procession was quiet, Inverdus began to speak.Like most of Kukuana's prominent figures, he was a natural orator.His speech is beautiful and passionate.He first told the soldiers the story of Agnus' father, how he was brutally murdered by Tavara, and how his wife and children were forced to flee and almost starved to death.Then he pointed out how the people suffered and complained a lot under the tyranny of Taiwala.He also gave an example of what happened the night before.Many people of status were framed by witches and brutally murdered.Then he said that the white gods from the stars looked down on this land and noticed all the sufferings of the people of Kukuana, so they overcame many difficulties regardless of the long distance and were determined to save the people of Kukuana who were in dire straits.They found the real King Aignus, who had suffered from being displaced, and took him over the mountains and mountains to come here.They witnessed the cruel atrocities of Taiwala with their own eyes. In order to give a miracle to the undecided people and save the life of the innocent Furata, they used their supernatural power to take off the sun from the sky and kill the little villain. Skaga.Then they decided to support themselves, to help them overthrow Tevala and establish the real king, Aignus.

In the end, Inverdus ended his speech with a sound of approval.Then Agnus stepped up and continued his speech.First repeating the words of his uncle Inverdus, he concluded emphatically with these words:

"Chiefs, chiefs, warriors and people of Kukuana, you have heard my words. Now you must choose between me and Taiwala. I am the real king of Kukuana. They..." He pointed to the chiefs, "they have seen the snake-shaped mark on my waist with their own eyes, and they can testify for me. If I am not the real King, how can the powerful white people support me? Chiefs, chiefs, warriors, people of Kukuanna, act! Didn’t you see it with your own eyes? They made the land dark and made Thailand Valla panicked and covered us from Lucheng to come here."

"Yes." The soldiers replied.

"I want to tell you, I am the king, the real king." Agnus went on, straightening his tall body, holding his tomahawk above his head, "If any of you do not recognize that I am a king, then Just stand up, and I will fight him right away. I will prove with his blood that I am the true king! Come out." He swung his battle-axe.In the sunlight, the tomahawk gleamed coldly.

Agnus's heroic behavior seemed to say: "Come on, come on, and die if you don't agree." No one would stand up to accept his challenge.Then Agnus went on:
"I am the true king, if you will fight with me. If you succeed, you will share in the victory and glory. I will give you cattle and wives, and I will make you chiefs. If you fail, I will also share with you You will fight to the death together.”

"In addition, I want to assure you. If I take back the throne, there will be no more innocent blood in this land, and I don't have to worry about being caught by witches again, and innocent people will be killed. Unless I break the law, no one will be killed again." Execution. Raiding of villages will be forbidden forever. All can sleep at home without fear. Justice will return to Kukuana. Chiefs, chiefs, warriors and people of Kukuana, you have made your choice ?"

"We have made a choice, king." The responses came one after another.

"Very well. Now look back, the emissary of Taiwala is running around, trying to gather a powerful army to kill me, you, and my friends and protectors. Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, he will take his The loyal lackeys of the United States will attack us. Then I will know who is really loyal to me and who is a fearless warrior. I will not forget you after victory, and I will reward you for your merits. I have finished, Chiefs, chiefs, warriors and the people of Kukuana, go back now and prepare to fight."

After a pause, a chief raised his hand, and suddenly there was a cheer "Qom" in the team.This shows that the soldiers have recognized Aignus as their king.The soldiers then returned to their respective barracks.

Half an hour later we had a military meeting with some of the chiefs.Obviously we're going to be hit hard.With the advantage of geography, we can see that groups of soldiers are gathering in Lucheng, and the envoys sent by the king are going in different directions. There is no doubt that they are calling the army for the king.We have about [-] soldiers on our side, made up of seven of Kukuana's most elite troops.Inverdus and the chiefs estimated that Taiwala currently has at least [-] to [-] troops in Lucheng.By noon tomorrow, he will be able to gather at least five thousand more troops.

Of course, some of his troops may turn against us.But this is only a possibility and cannot be fully hoped for.At the same time, Taiwala is also actively preparing for the battle.Armed soldiers patrolled the foothills, among other signs that war was imminent.

But Inverdus and the chiefs believed that Twala would not attack tonight because he still had a lot of preparations to do.In addition, the soldiers who witnessed the total solar eclipse believed that we cast a spell to bring down the sun, so Tevara had to dispel the panic in the hearts of the soldiers.They calculated that Tewara might attack tomorrow, and they were proved correct.

At the same time, we also tried to strengthen the position, and almost all the soldiers participated.In the two hours before the sun went down, the preparations were miraculously done.Usually a certain army will go up the mountain to rest after performing a arduous mission, so this mountain is not like a military fortress, but a sanatorium.We blocked the way up the mountain with big rocks, and other possible ways up the mountain were also destroyed.Each location has piles of boulders prepared, and once an enemy is found, the stones are thrown down.Each sentry post is guarded by different troops.As long as we can think of it, we have made careful arrangements.

Just before sunset, we spotted a small party coming out of Loo, heading in our direction.One of them holds a palm leaf to signify his status as messenger.

When he arrived, Agnus, Inverdus, a chief or two, and the three of us descended to meet him.The man looked heroic, wearing a leopard-skin cloak.

"Greetings!" he cried as he walked, "the king greets the rebels. As a lion greets a jackal that yells at his feet."

"Say something," I said.

"The king's order: Surrender immediately. The merciful king will spare you. The black bull has been mutilated. The king has declared war by bleeding before the soldiers."

"What are Tewara's terms?"

"The king is merciful, and he is worthy of being a great monarch. The one-eyed, great king Taiwala who has a thousand women, he is the guardian of Solomon's road, and is blessed by the silent mountain god. The little black cow loves him and makes him The trembling elephants like him, the bad guys fear him, and the ostriches who walk all over the desert respect him. He is a great wise king, a king passed down from generation to generation! King Taiwala has an order: 'I am merciful, I do not want to see blood Flow like a river. Only one out of ten people will be executed, and the rest will be spared. But the white man Inchub killed my son Skarga, the black slaves tried to usurp the throne, and my brother Inverdus rebelled, these three People must be tortured to death and dedicated to the Silent Mountain God.' This is the order of King Taiwala." After discussing with a few others, I answered loudly so that the soldiers could hear:
"Go back, you lackey. Go back and tell Taiwala, Inchub, Bugwan, Makumazahn, we three who came from the stars, we three who can turn the sun black, There is Aegnus the real king of Kukuana, Inverdus the royal, and the chiefs, the chiefs, the people of Kukuana here. All of us declare: 'We will never surrender. In the second time of the sun Before it falls, we will let Tevala's body lie across the gate of the palace. Agnus will take back the throne. 'Go away now, or we will whip you. Be careful and do no more tricks."

The messenger laughed loudly: "Your big words can't scare people. Show your courage tomorrow, you who can blacken the sun. Before the crows eat your bones, fight boldly. Goodbye , maybe we'll meet on the battlefield. Wait for me, I pray, white man!" After some sarcasm, he left.Soon the sun was setting.

We are very busy this evening.By moonlight, we continued to prepare for the next day's battle.We held a meeting to discuss the battle plan, and the soldiers who inquired about the news kept coming in and out, reporting the news to us.Finally, around one o'clock at midnight, everything was ready.Except for the occasional sound of passwords from the sentry post, the barracks was quiet and everyone was asleep.Agnus and a chieftain accompanied Sir Henry and me down the mountain to check out.Along the way, soldiers always appeared in front of us out of the blue with shining spears.After we reported the password, they disappeared into the moonlight again.It can be seen that the Sentinels are doing their duty, and no one is sleeping.So we headed back to the top, carefully skirting the thousands of sleeping soldiers.Tonight was the last night many of them slept soundly.

The moonlight shone on the spears and looked terrible on their sleeping faces.The long feathers on his head were blown by the cold wind, like the feathers on a hearse.They lay in a mess, with their arms stretched out and their legs curled up. Under the moonlight, their robust bodies looked strange, not like living people.

"How many people do you think will survive tomorrow's war?" asked Sir Henry.

I shook my head and looked at the sleeping soldiers again.In my tired but still excited brain, I almost saw the Grim Reaper waving to them.I can even tell which people are going to die.Fate is impermanent, and a deep sadness wells up in my heart.Thousands of soldiers are sleeping soundly tonight, and tomorrow many of them—perhaps including us—will be dead on the battlefield.From then on, their wives became widows, their children lost their fathers, and they will be forgotten forever.Only the ancient moon is still shining, only the night wind is still blowing the green grass, and the vast land is still happy and peaceful.This is still the case during people's lifetime and after death, and it will remain unchanged forever.

However, they were not completely forgotten by the world after their death.Mothers will remember them, gravestones will mark them.Although their names have been forgotten, their breath still blows the green pines on the top of the mountain, their words still echo in the earth, their thoughts will be inherited by future generations, their enthusiasm still inspires us to live, his joys, sorrows, sorrows and joys Still our familiar friends.Their fate will one day repeat itself for us.

The universe is full of ghosts, and how many ghosts are buried in the cemetery, but there are indelible things in life, which continue from time to time in human beings.

Maybe it's because I'm old and I like to think wildly.I stood among the rows of sleeping soldiers, staring at the determined faces, all kinds of strange thoughts flashed in my mind.

"Curtis," I said to Sir Henry, "I'm a little frightened now."

Sir Henry stroked his yellow beard and replied with a smile, "You've said that before, Quitman."

"I'm serious this time. You know what? I doubt we'll survive to-morrow night. We'll be under heavy attack, and it's anyone's guess whether we'll be able to hold this place."

"We're going to give it our all anyway. Look, Quitman, war is brutal, it's dangerous. Honestly, we shouldn't be in it. But now that we're in it, we've got to fight it. Personally, the chances of finding my poor brother are so slim, I'd rather die in battle, it's easier for me. But fate always favors the brave, and maybe we'll win this fight War. War is terrible, but we will never surrender, even in the heat of battle, to the end."

When talking about the latter, Sir Henry's voice sounded a little sad, but there was a firm light in his eyes.Sir Henry Curtis was actually a belligerent man.

Afterwards, we went back to sleep for two hours.

When it was almost dawn, Inverdus woke us up and said that he had discovered a big move in Lucheng, and that the king's vanguard had already marched towards our sentry post.

We got up at once, put on our clothes, and each put on our armor.At this time, everyone was very grateful, and fortunately there was armor.Sir Henry dressed like a native soldier. "Do as the Romans do," he said, putting on his armor.The armor fit him perfectly.This was not enough, he asked Inverdus to find a whole set of soldier's uniforms.He put on a leopard skin cloak worn by commanders, tied black ostrich feathers on his head that only senior generals have, a short apron made of white oxtail around his waist, a pair of sandals on his feet, and goat hair tied around his ankles anklets.In one hand he held a large ax with a handle made of rhino horn.In the other hand, he held a round iron shield covered with a layer of white cowhide.In addition, there are several throwing knives.Of course, there is also a revolver on the waist.There is something savage about this attire, but I must say that only Sir Henry could have worn it so well.His burly figure was set off just right.Soon Agnus arrives, wearing the same attire.The two stood together, equally tall, mighty and heroic, which made me amazed again and again.Goode and my armor didn't quite fit together by comparison.Goode insisted on trousers at first, and the short, stocky gentleman with a monocle and half-beard carefully tucked his armor into his tattered corduroy trousers.It's a pity that there is no majestic appearance, but it looks a little funny.The armor was too big for me, so I put it on over all my clothes, so it looked bulging, which was really ugly.So I took off my trousers and only wore a pair of leather boots. I went into battle with bare legs, and it was easier to run.In addition, I also took a spear and a shield, but I didn't know how to use it.I wore two throwing knives and a revolver at my side, and I wore a long feather in my hat to give me a somewhat murderous look.So you are fully equipped.Of course, in addition to these weapons, we also have rifles, but due to the shortage of bullets, it is not very useful when charging, so we have to let people carry rifles to follow.

When we were dressed, we had a quick bite to eat, and ran out to see how the battle was going.There is a hill of brown stone on the top flat.There is our headquarters and watchtower.We climbed the hill and saw Inverdus standing guard with his troops, the Grays.His troops are without a doubt the most elite of Kukuana's troops.We have seen this army in small outlying villages.There were 2000 elite soldiers in the army. As a reserve force, the soldiers were resting on the grass while watching the king's troops coming out of Lucheng.The troops were divided into three groups, each with at least [-] to [-] people.The queue was so long that it was almost impossible to see the end.

After leaving Lucheng, the three troops lined up neatly, one to the right, one to the left, and the other to move forward slowly.

"Ah," said Inverdus, "they intend to attack us from three directions."

The situation is very critical.Our present position was at the top of the hill, at least a mile and a half in radius, and it was therefore necessary to concentrate our forces as best we could.But since the enemy is attacking from multiple directions at the same time, we can only do what we can.So we ordered the troops to get ready for battle.

(End of this chapter)