Chapter 27
Déj
“I don’t understand these people!” Captain Josef Kinsky said—practically spit—into Christian’s face. “How in hell can we defend them if they refuse to help us? If their mayor refuses to meet with us?”
Valid questions, indeed, but Christian knew his partner in defense of Déj would not like the answer.
Josef Kinsky hailed from a prominent Bohemian family, one that had risen recently from minor noble status to comital prior to the Ring of Fire. But he was an outcast, a black sheep, if you will, of the family, one who wore the Kinsky name, but didn’t abide by it. He was a mercenary and the captain of perhaps the best dragoons in the regiment, though Captain Callenberk might take umbrage with that characterization. The so-called Wild Elite were tough, experienced, and well-suited to defend the town from an advancing enemy force. But only if the citizenry cooperated.
“They’re scared, Josef,” Christian said. “The Impalers came through last night and burned a good number of their homes, killed some of their officials. One woman told me that she thinks those bastards are still in town, waiting for any civilian to lend us a hand. And off their hands will go.”
“And they can’t tell the difference between terrorists and their own people?”
Christian shook his head. “I guess not.” He waved his hands through the air, motioning to the few townsfolk moving about as if it were a normal day. “Can you tell the difference? Who is German? Who is Hungarian? Wallachian? Moldavian? I saw a man a moment ago with very dark skin. Another who looked like an Arab. Where is he from? I can’t tell the difference between friend and foe.”
“But we don’t live here, Christian,” Josef said, raising his voice to uncomfortable levels. “Surely these people can tell the difference between their neighbors and interlopers.”
Or maybe they choose not to. Christian shrugged. “All I know is what I’ve been told: we can neither retreat, nor expect civilian help. At least not yet.” He leaned in so that anyone walking by could not easily hear the rest. “But trust me, Josef, when bullets begin to fly, when they see which side is shooting at them and which one is not, those that remain will change their minds. You’re no green recruit. You’ve seen it happen before.”
Captain Kinsky nodded. “But what do we do in the meantime? In my learned opinion, Déj isn’t defendable. Not with our numbers, anyway.” He looked up into the wooded ridgelines that surrounded the city. “Blockading the roads east and south isn’t going to stop infantry from moving into those hills and firing down upon us. And,” he said, not waiting for a response, “our ZBs are short-range weapons, Christian. Maybe fifty, sixty yards at best. The kill range is much shorter.”
“True, but they’re more powerful than anything the Moldavians will muster against us. More accurate, too. When we put a man down at the right distance, he stays down.”
Captain Kinsky sighed, shook his head. He removed his felt hat and scratched his scalp. “I wish the Brethren were here. They know how to defend a town.”
“I wish they were here too,” Christian said, “but without Brethren help, I think we stick with Colonel Renz’s plan. We gather up anything we can to blockade all roads leading into the city—crates, barrels, wagons, furniture. We find wood planks and posts and stitch it all together in palisades. We then man those defensive walls with our best shooters. Pepper the ground with caltrops and sharp stakes in places we cannot defend so easily. That’ll keep the cavalry at bay, at least for the most part. The infantry? Well, we don’t know how much they have.”
“We must assume a lot.”
“Agreed,” Christian said, “but Fräulein Denise did not spot any movement east or south. Neuneck and Keller are scouting in those directions. If they’re coming, I’m sure we’ll know soon enough, and we’ll be able to adjust our defense accordingly.”
Josef rubbed his beard, deep in thought. “Very well,” he said. “We’ll do as our commanding officer requests and pray to God that he is right. I’ll defend the eastern approaches. You defend the southern ones. Let’s just hope that, at the end of the day, our pay is commiserate with our success.”
Christian nodded and almost smiled. “What about north and west?”
Captain Josef Kinsky shook his head. “Those roads, my friend, are in God’s hands.”
On the march to Déj
“I am worried about being outflanked, ambushed,” General von Mercy said as he, his staff, and the rest of his army marched up the Szamos River Valley toward Déj. What they were marching on could hardly be called a road. Fit for cows and small carts, perhaps. Cavalry could navigate through it just fine. Infantry fine, though slow and spread thin in column. But cannons? Wagons? It felt like they were standing in place more often than not just to allow the supply train and the guns to keep up.
“I know the history of warfare in this part of the world. That is why we are moving slowly and in force, Herr Veres, so that we can keep our supply train protected in the event of such an attack. That is why I have ordered Ulfsparre and Hanau to send some of their men forward as flankers. I want to keep this army tight and in good order, and well-informed. Otherwise, we’ll get cut to pieces and be less than useful when we reach our destination.”
Gáspár Bojthi Veres nodded respectfully from his saddle. He was managing the march well, but it was clear to von Mercy that the prince’s representative did not care for horses, and they apparently didn’t care for him either. “Yes, General, and I apologize again for my ignorance of your battle plan. But Colonel Renz’s latest assessment of the situation in Déj is worrisome. As he reports, many are leaving the city, deciding to wait it out in the hills. It is imperative that I attend to their concerns, allay any fears that they may have about you and the Sunrise, so that they may return to their homes and defend them in the name of their prince. If you would allow me to go forward with a small guard for protection, I can try to convince them that—”
“When the time comes, sir, I will send you forward. I’ve already instructed Callenberk and his dragoons to prepare to head out. But we need to get clear of this part of the valley. Too many gaps leading into this area, both east and west. Gaps are ripe for ambushes, and now that we know that these Impalers are in action, I’ll be damned to hell if I allow them to strike my train and destroy our supplies.
“We’re not going to make Déj today. Once we get clear of these gaps, we’ll bivouac, and then I’ll send you and Callenberk ahead. That is the end of it.”
Gáspár nodded, but it was clear that he was angry. Let him be, von Mercy thought as he worked over in his mind the details that Colonel Renz had radioed to Len Tanner a moment ago. I’m not going to allow this army to be routed. And I’m certainly not going to allow the representative of Prince Rákóczi to come to his death under my care. How would that sit with the citizenry of Transylvania or the prince?