The Oath of The Vayuputras (35 page)
Ganesh had allowed a small number of non-combatant women and priests to come out of the city every day, to draw small amounts of water for personal use. He had also ordered that this number be progressively reduced every day until the Ayodhyans surrendered. It was a slow squeeze designed to ultimately make the people rise against their leaders. Ganesh’s soldiers had added to the psychological warfare by berating the emerging Ayodhyans for going against the wishes of their Neelkanth and siding with Meluha. They had been informed that the only reason why Ganesh had refrained from shooting missiles into Ayodhya was so as not to harm innocent citizens who had had nothing to do with the decision of their emperor, Dilipa.
The daily two-way traffic of some Ayodhyans had also served another important purpose. It had enabled the hidden Vasudev pandit of the Ramjanmabhoomi temple to send an emissary to Ganesh with information collected from all the Vasudev pandits from across the temples of India.
After a couple of weeks, Ganesh had offered to send Bhagirath to meet with the nobles of his father’s kingdom to reach a mutually acceptable compromise. The opportunity had been instantly grabbed by the Ayodhyans.
Ganesh stretched his tired muscles and glanced at Kartik and Chandraketu seated beside him in the cabin. They also had hardly slept but masked their exhaustion and continued to peruse the documents. Ganesh smiled to himself. When this is done, he thought, we’re all going to lock ourselves in our cabins and sleep for a week!
There was the sound of footsteps and a brief knock at the cabin door before it was pushed open. Bhagirath bowed slightly to Ganesh, his hair slightly ruffled from the wind, before entering to take a seat with the three men.
‘What news, Bhagirath?’ asked Ganesh, pushing the pile of messages to one side.
‘I’m afraid it’s not good.’
‘Really?’ asked Chandraketu. ‘I thought the Ayodhyan army must be deeply divided. I cannot think of another reason why we were able to lay siege on the city so easily. No skirmishes, no guerrilla attacks, nothing. It could only mean that the army doesn’t intend to fight.’
Bhagirath shook his head. ‘You don’t know Ayodhya, King Chandraketu. It was not the cowardice of their army but the indecisiveness of their nobility which worked in our favour. They have not been able to agree on the best way to attack us. Furthermore, Maharishi Bhrigu had brought in a Meluhan brigadier, Prasanjit, to oversee the Ayodhyan war preparations. All it achieved was further divisions within the city. By the time they agreed upon a strategy, we were already in control of the river. There was not much that they could do after that.’
‘So?’ asked Ganesh. ‘Haven’t their troubles opened the eyes of some at least?’
‘No,’ said Bhagirath. ‘There is tremendous confusion within the city. Many Ayodhyans are fanatical devotees of Lord Shiva and are certain that the Neelkanth will not harm them. They refuse to believe that he has ordered this attack. This blind devotion seems to be working against us.’
‘So who do they think has ordered this attack?’ asked Chandraketu.
‘Seeing the number of Brangas in the army, they think that it is you,’ said Bhagirath.
Chandraketu raised his hands. ‘Why would I attack Ayodhya?’
‘They believe that Branga wants to be the overlord of Swadweep,’ said Bhagirath. ‘In the absence of Lord Shiva, there is nothing we can do to convince them otherwise. There are a few who do believe in the proclamation that was put up, but they are in a minority. They are outshouted by a very simple logic: “We have never used the Somras, so why would the Neelkanth attack us? He should attack Meluha.” Of course, a few members of the nobility do use the Somras, but the people do not know that.’
‘It is the opinion of the nobility that is more important right now,’ said Kartik. ‘The people do not control the army. So what do the nobles think?’
‘The nobility is sharply divided. Some of them actually want us to succeed, which would give them a plausible reason to refuse to help Meluha. Others believe surrendering will mean terrible loss of face. These people want the army to gallantly strike out and sail to Meluha if only to prove to the rest of Swadweep that Ayodhya has the strength to do what it chooses to do.’
‘How do we assist those who do not want to come to the aid of Meluha?’ asked Ganesh.
‘It’s difficult,’ said Bhagirath. ‘My father made a brilliant move last week. He promised all of them a lifetime supply of the Somras.’
‘What?’
‘Yes. He told them that Lord Bhrigu has promised to supply the Somras powder to Ayodhya in massive quantities.’
‘But how can Maharishi Bhrigu promise that?’ asked Kartik. ‘Where will it come from? Is the manufacturing facility capable of producing so much more?’
‘It clearly must be,’ said Bhagirath. ‘In any case, this offer is open only to the nobility. So the numbers will be small.’
‘Damn!’ said Ganesh.
‘My thoughts precisely,’ said Bhagirath. ‘This will allow them to remain alive for a hundred more years. No amount of gold can compete with that.’
‘What do we do now?’ asked Chandraketu.
‘Prepare for war,’ said Ganesh. ‘They will make earnest attempts to break the siege.’
Shiva, along with Sati, Gopal and Kali, watched the massive army board the Vasudev and Naga ships on the banks of the Narmada. The Vasudevs had tied some logs together to create floating platforms for the army to reach the anchored ships. A viewing platform had been built on a banyan tree near the banks. The leaves had been shorn off, to afford a panoramic view of the boarding operations. The line of ships stretched as far as the eye could see. Over one hundred thousand soldiers, comprising the Brangas, Vasudevs and Nagas, were boarding the vessels in an orderly manner. The voyage would be uncomfortable with two thousand men on every ship, but fortunately, the journey to Lothal would be short.
‘We should be ready to sail out by tomorrow, Shiva,’ said Kali.
‘Has Suparna boarded?’ asked Shiva.
Suparna, a fearsome warrior, was the leader of the Garuda Nagas.
‘Not yet,’ said Kali.
‘May I meet her? I’d like to exchange some thoughts on the Nagas under her command.’
Kali raised her eyebrows. She had expected to lead the Nagas into the war.
‘I’d like you to be with me, Kali,’ said Shiva, mollifying her. ‘I trust you. I’m going to be leading the search party into Meluhan cities to try and locate the Somras manufacturing facility. We’ll have to work quietly and anonymously, while our army outside the city keeps the Meluhans busy.’
‘You are very tactful, Shiva.’
Shiva frowned.
‘You know how to get your way without making one feel that one has been cut down to size,’ said Kali.
Shiva smiled, once again silent.
‘But I understand that the search for the Somras facility is crucial,’ said Kali. ‘So it will be my honour to accompany you.’
‘Excellent,’ said Shiva, turning to Gopal. ‘Any news from the Vasudevs, Pandit
ji
?’
‘The siege of Ayodhya has been surprisingly easy,’ said Gopal. ‘The Ayodhyans have not fought back. Ganesh has a stranglehold over the city.’
‘But has King Dilipa changed his stance?’
‘Not yet. And Ganesh is, very wisely, not resorting to violence since that may rally the citizens around their king. We will have to be patient.’
‘As long as the Ayodhyan army doesn’t come to Meluha’s aid, I’m happy. What about Magadh?’
‘His ships are ready,’ said Gopal. ‘But Surapadman’s army has not been mobilised as yet.’
Shiva raised his brows, clearly surprised. ‘I didn’t think Surapadman would let go of an opportunity like this. I would also imagine that his father, King Mahendra, would pressure him to attack us.’
‘Let us see,’ said Sati. ‘Maybe Surapadman wants Ayodhya and our army to battle first. He would then be attacking a weakened enemy.’
Shiva nodded. ‘Perhaps.’
‘Look, Bhagirath,’ said Ganesh.
The prince had just entered Ganesh’s cabin. One of the soldiers had left a note from Meluha that was recovered from an injured bird. It was coded. But Bhagirath knew the encryption codes of Meluha-Ayodhya communication and had already trained Ganesh’s soldiers on how to decrypt the messages.
Bhagirath read aloud. ‘Prime Minister Siamantak, has Lord Bhrigu returned to Ayodhya? It has been months since he left Prayag but has still not reached Meluha. Should you have the knowledge, we would like to be informed about the location of Lord Shiva and General Parvateshwar.’
Ganesh didn’t say anything, waiting for Bhagirath’s reaction.
‘It’s been signed by Prime Minister Kanakhala,’ said Bhagirath. ‘Interesting.’
‘Interesting indeed,’ said Ganesh. ‘Where is Lord Bhrigu? And why is the Meluhan Prime Minister enquiring about General Parvateshwar? Has he not reached as yet? Do they not know he has defected to their side?’
‘Where do you think they are?’ asked Bhagirath.
‘They’re certainly not in Meluha,’ said Ganesh. ‘That makes things easier for my father.’
‘Do you think Lord Shiva has reached Meluha by now?’
‘I think he’s still a few weeks away.’
‘And the Ayodhya army has not been able to leave,’ said Bhagirath. ‘The news just keeps getting better.’
Kartik suddenly rushed in.
‘Dada!’
‘What’s the matter, Kartik?’
‘Magadh is mobilising.’
‘Who told you? The Vasudev pandit?’ asked Bhagirath.
‘Yes,’ said Kartik, turning back to Ganesh. ‘I believe armaments are being loaded on to the ships. Soldiers have been asked to be on stand-by.’
Ganesh smiled. ‘How many soldiers?’
‘Seventy-five thousand.’
‘Seventy-five thousand?’ asked a surprised Bhagirath. ‘Is Surapadman committing everything? Magadh will be left defenceless.’
‘When are they expected to set sail?’ asked Ganesh.
‘Probably in two weeks’ time,’ said Kartik. ‘At least that’s what the Vasudev pandit surmised.’
‘You should leave in the next few days,’ said Ganesh. ‘Take one hundred thousand men.’
‘Why so many,
dada
?’ asked Kartik. ‘Don’t you need some men here, with you?’
‘I just need enough to be able to sail ships and shoot fire-arrows,’ said Ganesh. ‘If you do not succeed in holding Surapadman off at the Bal-Atibal Kund, he will just ram into us with his larger ships and drown us all. Our soldiers will be put to better use at your end, not mine.’
‘I’ll prepare to leave right away,’ said Kartik.
A hundred thousand well-motivated soldiers reached the forests near the Bal-Atibal Kund in the early afternoon. The Ayodhyan prince had accompanied the army as the chief advisor to Kartik. King Chandraketu had stayed back with Ganesh to ensure that the Branga soldiers in Kartik’s army would not be confused about the chain of command.
Immediately upon arrival, Kartik ordered the construction of water-proofed coracles which would serve as devil boats to set the Magadh fleet on fire. A thousand soldiers constructed them and then hid them on the eastern banks on the opposite side of the kund. They would destroy the enemy ships from the other side, even as the battle ensued in the area around the kund.
Hidden platforms had been constructed atop the trees to facilitate the relay of information back and forth between the two sides. A simple communication tool had been manufactured for these soldiers: small metallic pipes fitted on top of earthen pots containing anthracite, which burns with a short, but more importantly smokeless flame. The caps on these metallic pipes could be easily lifted open and then shut, allowing light out in a controlled manner. The apertures were small enough to give the impression of a collection of fire flies. For Kartik’s soldiers though, the light signals would carry coded messages from both sides of the river.