The return of the fallen king

Chapter 96: Patrols (2)

Authors: Hey guys listen up the novel as been contracted for which I am eternally grateful for , with that the novel will get much more visuability, nonetheless I would still request you to review the novel to help me even more , (Every 3 reviews one extra chapter will come)

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Naasir took a minute after receiving his food rations to smell it, taking a deep whiff of the porridge mixture in his bowl. He liked the smell since it reminded him of a delicious home-cooked lunch. However, he was in a line, and those behind him were becoming impatient, so he was reminded to keep moving.

''Oi child, move the f*ck on, I want to eat!'' yelled one of the older troops in the middle of the queue, with his stomach growling

''I'm sorry,'' Nassir responded hurriedly as the hungry men behind him ridiculed him.

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The older soldier's angry words stunned and embarrassed Naasir, so he quickly went forward in the line to avoid being held up in it any longer. He then hurried to grab his portion of food and move along to a spot where he could sit and enjoy his meal in peace, away from the commotion.

Naasir sat at a free wooden table after getting a spot to eat his meal. He opted to wait for his friend, Halib, who was adjacent to him in line, before beginning his meal. As Naasir looked around, seeing the other soldiers eating and soaking in their meal at the sights of the camp. He appreciated the opportunity to take a break and relax after patrolling the city, as well as the chance to spend time with his friend over a meal and chat, something that always represented the height of the day for him.

After a few moments of silence, Naasir spotted Halib turning back and looking for him. He called Halib's attention with his hand and welcomed him to his seat at the table. Halib then headed over to where Naasir was sitting, taking a seat next to him.

''Say Halib how much you got'' said Naasir as he moved his thumb towards his index , making the universally known sign for money.

''Nothing big , I have got 2 Kharriba , what about you?''

''Nah, I have got none'' As the friend were saddened at the fact they were dirty poor , they grimly went on about their meal , depressed over the fact they could not buy anything more from the market, apart maybe from some apples maybe.

Naasir brought his spoon on the porridge , took a good chunk and and bit onto it , a feeling of pain erupted in his jaw as the first bite of food when being hungry always hurt. After passing through the pain he again brought another spoon in , and again and again, until he finsihed his porridge. After which he then took out his bread that had been prepared as an harder and less tasty food from the previous one and started eating. After few minutes that one was also finished and the two looked sadly on their plates which were empty.

Naasir was still hungry after eating his lunch and yearned for more food to eat. However, if he had desired further food, he would have had to pay for it out of his own pocket, as the meal provided by the military had been consumed. As a result, he had to make do with the supper he had. The two buddies then opted to participate in light discussion, in order to distract themselves from the hunger, swapping jokes and laughter while enjoying each other's company. Their topic ranged between things like the war, food, or whatever else was on their minds at the time.

The discussion helped Halib in temporarly forget about the troubles both at home and at war, giving much relief to Naasir who only wanted to aid his dear friend.

At the end of the meal, Naasir and Halib rose from their seats and headed out of the dining area. Since they had some spare time before their scheduled afternoon training session, they decided to take a walk around the camp to see the defensive preparations for the city, including the food supplies that had been brought in on carts earlier during the morning patrol. Without a doubt, Naasir and Halib were aware of the importance of having well-stocked food stores during the siege, as it could prove to be absolutely essential for their long-term survival.

However, during his patrol around the city , they young muslim saw a soldier open a cart, and when Naasir witnessed was that what was inside his mouth remained agape.

Sand? The discovery left amazement in the young man's soul. 'Why the hell would the general stockpile sand? Does he want to play with it?' Nasir wondered when he made the discovery, but even days later, he could not wrap his head around the reason for that strange behavior.

Nevertheless, leaving the thought in the back of their minds, the two young men continued their walk around the city, this time going directly to the walls. The walls protecting Cosensa were made of stone and were fairly big, especially since Cosensa was not such a big city; nonetheless, its strategic location made it an important fortress to hold on to. As Naasir walked around the perimeter of the city, he observed the strategic defenses that were prepared at the walls, with stockpiled arrows and bolts in barrels and extra stones stored in proximity to the gate and along sections between the towers, which could serve as a powerful tool in the city's defense.

Upon looking beyond the city walls, Naasir saw hundreds of people digging into the ground, creating a deep ditch surrounding the walls. This ditch was built as a defense against attacking forces, as it would make it more difficult for enemies to enter the city when there was a considerable barrier in the way. After the initial ditch was completed, the workers split into two teams, with one group digging another ditch twenty feet ahead and the other group walking instead forty feet and, you guessed it,started digging another ditch.

The construction of ditches would play an important role in the defense of the city. If attackers were unable to move siege machines over the ditches, that would prevent them from mounting an effective siege and force them to take additional time and energy to overcome this obstacle during an attack. This would give the defenders more time to prepare for the siege and employ additional strategies to defend their city. In front of a ditch, an attacking army might have had to consider taking additional steps to overcome the obstacle. Usually, They had to choose between three options:

The first option that an attacking army might have considered was to not attempt any assault at all, instead choosing to wait outside the city to starve out the defenders. However, this method required a lot of time, a steady supply line, and a considerable amount of patience, as it took quite a while to starve out a well-stocked city, especially if disease did not spread around the attacker's camp. The second option for the attacking army might have been to use wooden ladders to cross the ditches and assault the walls, as the light siege weapon was easier to transport between them; however, this tactic would also have left the attackers largely unprotected, making it a less effective method of assault.

The final option that the attacking army could consider was to use materials to fill the ditches one at a time, thereby allowing for the use of heavy siege machines. However, this method usually took considerable time and gave the defenders the opportunity to shoot at any enemies filling the ditches, making it a precarious choice for the attacking army.

In summary, the ease and effectiveness of ditches in defensive sieges are quite clear. By creating ditches outside a city and ensuring that they are properly defended, a defending army can effectively slow down or halt an attacking force, as it would prevent them from getting their siege machines in proximity of the wall , also by killing the soldiers filling the ditches it would allow the defender to cause irritation and damage the morale of the opposing army, leading them to make strategic errors . It is crucial to ensure that enough ditches are dug before the siege begins and to create as many as possible , for as always, the more the merrier.

Once Naasir and Halib completed their walk around the city, it became clear that they should probably return to the camp to prepare for their afternoon training session. The pair realized that it was in their best interest to get prepared for the session, as it was scheduled to begin soon and they would want to be well-rested and ready for any physical exercises or activities.

Some days ago the two arrived late on training , and their officers angered by the delay made them run around the outer walls and were made to sleep without supper , something that they were determined to not experience again.

General count Corrado's training session included both shooting with the bow for the archers and training with spears, swords, and maces. The general knew that they had not much time before the French arrived, and as such, he wanted to at least train a bunch of peasants to at least know how to wield a weapon from above. Corrado was lucky that he was to fight in a defensive siege, since even with the same number of the enemy, Corrado realized that it would have been a slaughter if they fought in an open ground battle.