“You will address me as ‘king’ or ‘my lord.’ Don’t forget that again, not even in private.”
The soldier glanced at Kushanna, but her eyes were lowered, her gaze apparently fixed on the table.
“King Shulgi.” Razrek bowed his head. “What do you want of me and my men?”
“Your men are no longer yours to command,” Kushanna said, her eyes now fixed on Razrek. “From now on, all of them will be under King Shulgi’s authority.”
Razrek’s eyes widened in surprise. “And what will I be doing?”
“You will be raising fresh troops and training them,” said Shulgi. “I need bowmen, spearmen, and more horsemen. Thousands of them. You will take what gold I can spare, build a camp on the edge of the western desert, and start recruiting.”
“But that would take months, years … Lord Shulgi.”
“Yes, I know. It may be as much as two years before we are ready. But I’m still young, and I can afford to be patient. Our plans will take time to bear fruit. But there is much to do in the coming days to prepare for our attack. This war will be won not just on some battlefield, but in every city on the Tigris. Our victory must destroy Akkad so completely that it can never rise again. The land between the rivers will be ruled from Sumer.”
“What will the people say when they learn of your plans?”
“They will not learn of them until I am ready to tell them. By then they will be as eager to fight Akkad as any bride on her wedding night is eager to please her husband. Until that day, we will talk only of peace and trade.” Shulgi leaned closer to Razrek and placed his hands on the sword resting on the table. “Until that day, only the three of us will know my plans. So if people begin to speak of war, I’ll know who is responsible.”
“Then you already have made plans?”
“Kushanna and I have spoken of many things.” Shulgi didn’t bother to elaborate. Instead, he lifted his hand from the sword and placed it on her arm. “Meanwhile, you will be well paid, and when we complete our conquest, you’ll have more gold and slaves and power than you can imagine.”
“I can imagine quite a lot … Lord Shulgi.”
“I’m sure you can, Razrek. Just make sure you remember to keep silent. We will speak only of peace while we prepare for war.”
“People will notice sooner or later, Lord.”
Shulgi nodded. “Eventually. But when they do, we’ll tell them we’re arming against the western raiders, or the barbarians to the north-east. Which, as it happens, is going to be true.”
“We’re at peace with the desert tribes.” Razrek’s face betrayed his confusion.
The Tanukhs and Salibs were desert dwellers who lived on Sumeria’s western border, along the edge of the desert. The two tribes had fought each other off and on for as long as anyone could remember, occasionally joining forces to attack the Sumerian cities. But that tactic had failed in the last ten years, as the cities increased their strength, pushing the tribes back to the edge of the desert and beyond. In time, the tribes decided it was simpler to accept Eridu’s gold than try to wrest it from Sumer’s grasp.
“Yes, my father bought that peace with plenty of his gold. But soon you are going to approach the Tanukhs, to offer an alliance. In return for supporting Sumer, we will help them destroy the Salibs.”
“Why the Tanukhs? We’ve dealt more often with the Salib tribes in the past.”
“Because the Tanukhs are more numerous, and because their lands are farther to the north. That will make it easier for them to raid Akkadian territory when the times comes. And by waging our battles in the southern desert, there is less likelihood of Akkad discovering what we’re doing until it’s too late.”
“What if the Tanukhs don’t want to fight the Salibs, then what?”
“That will be your first new task, Razrek,” Shulgi said. “You’ll have to convince them to side with us. Agree to fight at their side. Promise them anything they need in trade. Use gold, threats, whatever it takes.”
“And what do we want from them?”
“Horses, of course, and men. The Tanukhs must agree to help us make war on Akkad when the time comes. In that way, we’ll be able to field a large number of mounted fighters to carry the battle north.”
Razrek’s brow furrowed.
“You seem uneasy about this,” Kushanna said. “The western desert is the perfect place to train our own fighters.”
Razrek glanced from Kushanna to Shulgi, who seemed unconcerned about hearing a woman’s advice. “You want us to fight alongside the Tanukhs?”
“Oh, yes, Razrek.” Shulgi leaned back and took Kushanna’s hand in his own. “We’re all going to fight the Salibs, until they’re destroyed or driven deep into the desert where they belong. This way our soldiers will learn to fight against a real enemy, not wooden posts in training camp.”
“The next Sumerian army that marches north will know how to fight, and how to win,” Kushanna added. “It may take a few years to prepare everything, but this time Lord Shulgi will have experienced fighters at his back to face Eskkar.”
“And what else do you have planned … Lord Shulgi?”
“Oh, there is more, much more. You will learn everything in time, after you have proven your loyalty. I may even let you rule in my name in Akkad, after we conquer the city.”
Razrek considered that interesting possibility. He eased back in his chair. “And when will all this begin?”
“Tomorrow. Return here at noon, and we will decide what you will need, gold, men, everything will be planned for.” Shulgi took a breath and turned to Kushanna. “Is there anything else for Razrek?”
“No, my king, except to tell Razrek to make sure his men know who commands them from now on.”
“Ah, yes. We wouldn’t want you to forget that.” He saw the look of dismay on Razrek’s face. “Don’t worry, you’ll soon raise a new force of men, one much greater than the handful you have now. Meanwhile, our work starts tomorrow. So go back to the camp, and tell all your men that peace is at hand. You’ll keep training them, of course, but the fact that
Sumer no longer has an enemy should turn that into a pleasant enough task. And now you may return to your men.”
Razrek accepted the sudden dismissal smoothly enough. “Yes, my king.” He stood, bowed, and left the chamber.
Shulgi waited until Razrek had gone, then rose and went to the guards stationed at the door. “Make sure no one disturbs my rest.”
He closed the door, barred it, then leaned his back against it while he faced Kushanna.
She smiled, then lifted her arms over her head to stretch. “And now what do you desire, my king?”
Shulgi strode toward her. “Get up.”
She rose and faced him, her breasts almost touching his chest. She ran her tongue over her lips.
“Take off your dress.”
“Yes, my lord.” Taking her time, she reached down and gathered the dress in her hands. Slowly she pulled it up, higher, until the light brown patch of hair beneath her belly lay open to his gaze. Shanna held the dress there for a moment, then lifted it higher, until her full breasts were revealed, their pink tips already hard with desire. Suddenly she jerked the dress up over her head and let it fall to the floor. She shook her hair to straighten it, the long brown tresses swirling over her shoulders. Her hands went to her hips. She spread her legs apart and moved closer until her body pressed against his.
“Is this what you want to see, my king? I hope my body pleases you.” She ran her tongue over the base of his neck.
With an oath Shulgi swept his arms around her. “Your body would please the gods, Shanna, my queen, my love.” He leaned down and kissed the warm lips that lifted to his. Shanna returned the kiss, then her tongue darted inside his mouth, and her leg lifted up and wrapped around his thigh.
“Perhaps you would find me more attractive in bed, my king. Your queen would like to please you in many ways.”
His manhood had swelled into a solid rod against the touch of her leg. Shulgi picked her up, carried her into the bedroom, and tossed her onto the bed.
Shanna laughed as she bounced on the mattress, then held her head on one elbow as Shulgi pulled off his tunic. He moved onto the bed and knelt astride her, his staff brushing her lips. With a smooth motion, she lifted her
head up and took him in her mouth, her hands reaching around to clutch him firmly.
“Ahhhha,” he gasped, as a wave of pleasure passed through him. “For this … I would kill a dozen men.”
She looked up at him. “You will kill many more than that for me, my king.”
H
alf the afternoon had passed before Shulgi and Kushanna once again sat at the table. This time she sat across from him. “We need to talk, Shulgi. At least for awhile.”
“Talk about what?” He still could see her naked in his bed, kneeling on her hands and knees as he entered her from behind, pounding against her soft flesh, while she moaned in delight.
“Talk about the destruction of Akkad.”
That took his mind off her body. “What about Akkad?”
“It will not be easy to defeat this Eskkar and his bowmen. And the walls of Akkad are strong and high. We will need to set many things in motion to destroy him and his city.”
“And what do you suggest? Already Razrek knows that we will need more men.”
“There are many other tasks that we must begin. First, we will need more informers and spies in Sumer and the other cities. In Akkad, Trella has her agents everywhere, and we must do the same. Nothing must happen in any part of Sumeria that we do not know about. The other cities are almost as dangerous to us as Akkad. The more we know about what happens in Larsa and Isin and the others, the better. Then we must dispatch spies to Akkad as well, so that we may learn about Eskkar’s plans and discover the size of his army. When he becomes aware of the threat to his lands, he may even try to strike you down here in Sumer, so we must protect you from that danger as well.”
“All that will cost plenty of gold.”
“Trella spends that gold in Akkad without hesitation, and with no complaints from her husband. Can you do any less? Would you risk your victory over a few gold coins spent to gather information?”
“No, I suppose not. What else must we do?”
“Trella will soon have her agents here in Sumer, if indeed she does not already. We must find them out, and get rid of as many as possible.
The longer we can keep our plans a secret, the stronger we will be.”
The idea of Eskkar and Trella spying on him hadn’t occurred to Shulgi, but he didn’t want to admit that. Shanna certainly had her wits about her. “Spend whatever you need,” he said. “Just remember I need all the gold I can get to buy men and weapons.”
“A few more men or swords won’t make that much difference,” she said. “Not if you don’t learn everything about your enemy.”
He sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Good. Then I will start in the morning. You will also need to stockpile weapons, thousands of them, and I think I know how that can be done without anyone noticing, and without spending too much gold.”
“How will you accomplish that little trick?”
“We will buy the weapons from the land of the Indus. Our traders go there now and again. I’m sure those barbarians will be willing to sell us all the swords, knives and spears we want. We can have the traders deliver what we buy to any of the cities, or even the western lands where you’ll be training the men. That way, it will not look as if our craftsmen are working night and day outfitting an army. And perhaps we can establish our own forges in those outlying areas, staffed by slaves, to make weapons for us. That will keep the greedy craftsmen from asking such high prices for their goods.”
Casting bronze swords and other edged blades took both skill and time, as well as plenty of copper and tin. He realized that building an empire might require more than just raising an army. Shulgi poured himself a half cup of wine, then filled the rest with water. “That is a good idea.”
“I have another. If we can manage it, that is. We should try and make contact with the Alur Meriki. Maybe when we’re ready to go to war, we can encourage them to attack Akkad once again.”
“How will that help us? The Alur Meriki are not as strong as they once were. Eskkar can sit behind his wall and slaughter them even easier than he did before.”
“Eskkar will not be there,” Shanna said. “When you destroy Eskkar and his army, you must do it in our lands, or along the border. He must be drawn south, and he must bring all his forces with him. If we can find a way to have the Alur Meriki strike at that time, the city may not have enough men to defend itself. Even if the barbarians fail to capture the city, they can devastate the countryside, burn the crops, even foul the wells. Eskkar’s soldiers will lose heart, and many will want to return to Akkad rather than
fight your men. All of this will make your own success when you attack the city easier.”
“If we could get the Alur Meriki … they certainly would like a chance to pay Akkad back for their defeat. And it would cost us almost nothing to encourage them.”
“Meanwhile, you will recruit and train an army of men, thousands of them, more than any man has ever assembled. When you meet Eskkar and his forces, you must not only defeat them, but you must crush them completely. There must be none to escape back to Akkad and defend its walls. You must have an army so vast that no matter what tricks and schemes Eskkar comes up with, you can still destroy him on the battlefield.”
“And how many men will that be?”
“I think you will need twenty thousand soldiers, perhaps more, to defeat him.”
“Twenty thousand! No man has ever raised and commanded such a force. It would take years …”
“No, it must be done in less than two years,” Shanna said firmly. “If we stretch and squeeze every gold coin from every merchant and city in Sumeria, we will just have enough to last that long. If we do not capture Akkad to regain our wealth, we will be ruined, our people starving. And if that happens, the farmers and villagers will rise up against us.”
“But so many men … Eskkar cannot raise a quarter of that number. There aren’t that many men of fighting age in the north.”
“Nevertheless, that’s what you will need to defeat him. He is resourceful, and despite everything we do, Trella and he will soon learn that we are preparing for war. And his soldiers are battle hardened, as Razrek says. They have already fought many battles, which makes them more dangerous. Don’t forget, Eskkar will make his own preparations to defeat us, even as you prepare your men. And that is why he must be drawn to Sumeria and overwhelmed by your soldiers.”