9. Iron Army

ARUNAN STARED east. The cloud of dust was approaching. They had beaten this enemy once, now he was returning in greater numbers with greater allies, but Arunan knew Gandhi would not desert them. They would beat these Zulu’s- beat these Zulu’s down into their graves.
Indian commanders looked at the battle maps intently. Commanding Indians forces was becoming more and more difficult the larger they got- it required greater numbers of commanders. Gathered in the tent that served as mobile HQ they contemplated the size of the force they were facing. In terms of numbers they were outnumbered 3:1 on the Southern flank. On the Zulu’s side the Indians were only outnumbered 2:1 but defensive terrain was not so good there. It would require a supreme effort to come out of this battle  with acceptable casualties.
"Charge!!!"
The English knights saw their enemy. They could see their muskets leveled, they saw the smoke, and collectively they felt the shudder of their losses. They pushed on though, the Indians frantically reloaded their muskets, and another cloud of smoke, a deeper shudder, they say the whites of their enemies eyes, then Armageddon.
The cannon posted on the left flank was full of a type of shell called 'case shell'. It ripped into the Knights, and sent them reeling. The English retreated in good order, they were the best of the best after all. Some turned expecting to see enemy muskets in the distance. Instead they saw the whites of their enemies eyes. The 9th musketeers had run down the hill, reloading as they went. The cannon fired again, its sound obscured by the resounding crash of one hundred muskets, the knights galloped off. The musketmen trudged after the fast retreating knights.
The Indian commander, Arjun had always wanted to fight an aggressive battle. Indian troops had been trained to fire & move. But this quality was rarely used, now Arjun smiled as the sixth cannon unit appeared on the flank of the English knights, guarded by a company of pikemen who in turn were guarded by another unit of musketeers. The already defeated knights had to run the gauntlet in order to get back to safety. Knight & man fell together unceremoniously as the English fifth knights took the pounding of its life.
In response the English commander brought out 2 more units of knights supported by 3 units of archers. They charged the sixth cannon unit. The cannon withdrew, leaving the pikemen and the 9th musketeers to face the enemy.
The bugle urged the knights further, the 3 notes being played again and again as if they controlled the outcome of the skirmish. The Indian 9th musketeers were veterans but hopelessly outnumbered.  If they formed squares they would be shot to pieces by the archers, if they formed line they would be ridden over by the knights, they did neither- they charged.
Their charge corresponded with the arrival of the 18th musketeer unit, which tore into the flank of the English force. The English assailed from two sides stood still despite every muscle in their body telling them to do otherwise. They charged the 18th musketeers, exposing their flank to the other side of the 9th musketeers.
By now the English archers were making their presence felt, arrows falling amongst the Indians of the 9th musketeers, luckily for the Indians they were outside the archers optimum range, few arrows reached them, but those that did tore holes in the line.
The knights however were facing a new problem. The Indian pikemen unit had interposed itself between the knights and the 18th musketeers, it was too late to stop the charge though, the pikemen's ranks seemed to be shredded as the knights meet them. A pile of horse and man. At an order the pikemen turned, ran a few paces, then dived to the floor.
The Indians musketeers used the opportunity to fire. As the remaining pikemen got up (1/4 of their number having being trampled into mush) they saw the English knights retreating, they had fought enough for now.
The English archers advanced towards the 9th musketeers, sensing that their numbers could win this conflict. They were so absorbed in their work they barely noticed their knights retreating, and the noise of battle obscured the order to wheel, the first they knew of another enemy was the sudden absence of many of their comrades.
The English commander mentally urged his archers to wheel, he felt the shudder as the 18th musketeers opened fire. The archers started retreating, taking casualties but too shaken and too far away to effectively deal them out. Luckily for the English the knights rallied, they moved to the flank of the 9th musketeers. It was forced to wheel, towards them, giving the English archers a chance to reform their lines.
As the English archers moved towards the 9th musketeers the 9th moved into line with the 18th, forming one big clump. The Indian pikemen stood between the English knights and the 9th musketeers. The battle lines once again drawn up the English advanced. Upon this battle lay the fate of a pass into Indian territory, if the English won here today, not only would they be heroes but their campaign would start a far greater chance of success.
And so the English commander brought out 2 more knights units, he was taking a big risk. He had half the troops he commanded on the field, he had wanted to take this pass with far lighter casualties, but the wheeling and dealing of this Indian force had stopped him.
A slow steady advance began. The musketeers and the archers trading fire from long distances, with the musketeers getting the best of it, by the time the archers had got to optimum strike range they were badly shaken up, and unable to cause many casualties to the musketeers. Meanwhile the musketeers switched to the knights who quickened their base. A block of pikemen lay in the knight’s line of advance, its purpose to act as a breakwater, funneling knights down avenues of death. For now though, it became the target of the archers. The knights began to canter forward. It was the knights versus the musketeers. The knights contemplated victory as the Indian musketeers had little effect on the numbers of the massive knight unit. Then the charge began, the knights raising dust as their horses ran full tilt at the musketeers, who calmly fixed bayonets and waited.  Once again there was Armageddon.
The sixth cannon unit had not gone very far, then turned round and headed to the battlefield, they returned at a most opportune moment. It looked however like it was not going to be enough to the stop the English knights, who realized that this was merely a distraction, albeit a dangerous one. Then Armageddon seemed to come again, as another cannon unit fired from the other side of the Indian musketeers, this one had earlier stopped one charge, but even it could not stop this one, the English knights had enough of this 'gunpowder' stuff, they would show these Indians what steel was.
And so it became the steel of the knights against the steel of the Indian bayonets. The English archers became the focus of the cannon's attention, the English knights & Indian musketeers were too close for the cannons to fire there. The English archers broke, but no one really noticed...
The Indian commander watched as his now very depleted pikemen turned and headed towards the English knights, all of his units were fighting, there was nothing more he could do, the cannons were ordered back, there work done for the day.
The knights were supposed to crucify these musketeers. They had the advantage of height, and their trained horses. They had longer swords, and thick armor. The musketeers should have run, but the Indian Empire had never yet lost a battle. They thrust their bayonets forward fighting with a savagery which astounded the knights.
Astounded, but not broken the knights continued to press forward, using clumsy slashes as opposed to neat thrusts, they were losing their technique, but they were still killing. Both sides entered bloodlust, a state where they cared neither for their lives, or the lives or their enemies, men fell at increasing rates, which side would run first.
The English commander realized it was too late to call in reinforcements. He was proud of the way his knights were fighting, pushing on, regardless of casualties, but also worried, the battle hung on a knife-edge.
Arjun broke that knife-edge- sending his command lance, him and a few other mounted officers into the flank of the English knights turned the battle. The Indian bugle ordered the charge- a moment of doubt crept into the English knights minds- they took a step back, then another, then several hundred- leaving the Indians to bury the dead.
Other battles did not go so well for the Indians- the 13th & 14th musketeers had bravely fought to the death on the East against elite English units & destruction had also met the 6th & 7th musketeers on the West who fell to Russian elite units. The Indian line had been broken, and some Indian forces would have to retreat so as to avoid being cut off, but there were bright spots. The 2nd & 3rd musketeers- elite veteran units had crushed 6 archer units- for this the two units had been merged as the 'Indian First Guards',- creating a hole in the English lines letting 3 Indian knight units behind the English lines, cutting off supply lines & undoubtedly causing pandemonium in English HQ. At the same time some Indian units were arriving from the Chinese border- and their were rumors that Gandhi had prepared a secret arsenal and it was making its way towards them!!

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