“About the height of a man, Lord Eskkar. Maybe a little higher.”
“And how long will this take?”
“Once we open the breach, it will take less than half a day to surround Isin with water, perhaps sooner. Another half day should see the walls crumble and start to collapse. No longer than that, I think.”
Naxos glanced at Eskkar, then fixed his gaze on Sardos. “Is this true? So help me, if they’re trying to trick you, I’ll cut your balls off and make you eat them myself!”
“Lord…” Sardos had to lick his lips again. “I think it will happen as Alcinor and King Eskkar say. Go see for yourself what they have done.”
“Come, Naxos.” Eskkar unfastened his horse. “Use your own eyes. Then we’ll talk about how you can save your city.”
“Damn you all!” Naxos didn’t bother to wait for Eskkar. He kicked his horse and galloped up the hill alone.
Taking his time, Eskkar followed him. When he reached the crest, Naxos was still staring in amazement.
Since they had made camp yesterday, Gatus, Grond and Alexar had over three thousand men working in shifts, digging out a channel that already stretched more than a quarter mile. The soldiers still labored, moving dirt, widening the channel. The site impressed Eskkar almost as much as it did Naxos. Neither had ever seen so many men working together on such a task. After one look, even someone untrained in the force of the river could imagine what would happen when the riverbank collapsed, and likely Naxos knew more about the flow of water than most of those living in his city. Isin, like Akkad, depended on the river to survive, and Naxos would understand the river’s strength.
When the riverbank was breached, the water would flow through the channel, widening it on the downriver side, as more and more of the bank was washed away. The unchecked water, pushed by hundreds of miles of river behind it, would flow out over the plain and engulf Isin, not in a fury of rushing water, but in a slow but powerful force that would make what remained of the city an island.
Alcinor and Sardos had rejoined them. Alcinor pointed out how the water would move, while Sardos explained the effects. Eskkar soon saw that both were wasting their words. A merchant might buy his way into a kingship with gold, but a fighting man needed to know how to think on his feet to accomplish the same goal.
“Come, Naxos. I think you’ve seen enough. Let’s ride back down the hill, before your men waiting out there decide to do something foolish. Then we’ll talk.”
Without waiting for a reply, Eskkar turned his horse around and started down. “You can return to camp, Alcinor. Make sure everything is ready.”
Eskkar stopped at the same boulder, dismounted and fastened his horse. “Send Sardos back to your men. I don’t think we need our master builders anymore.”
Naxos jerked his head. “Get back to the city. Start making preparations to hold back the water. Put every man and woman in Isin to work on it.” He swung down from his horse and tied it to the same bush as Eskkar’s.
“All right, damn you, now let’s talk. Then I’ll decide whether or not to kill you.”
“Why did you join forces with Shulgi?”
The question caught Naxos by surprise. “Why not? He had plenty of gold, and too many of my men were eager to fight. It’s always the fools who know nothing about battle that want to rush out and fight the most.”
“Why didn’t you go with him?”
“He didn’t ask me. Like his father, I suppose he didn’t want to share the glory of destroying Akkad. Besides, he trusts his own commanders, and he has a few good ones.”
“His war has already cost Sumeria two of its cities. First Larsa, and now Uruk.”
“Uruk! How did you…?”
“My cavalry slipped away from Shulgi, crossed over the desert, and took Uruk by surprise from the west. I just received word before I sent the messenger to you. My horsemen will be here by sundown. Then I’ll be ready to face Shulgi.”
“He’ll smash your forces, horsemen or not. He outnumbers you five, maybe six to one.”
“Perhaps. But if I win, I’ll move south to take Sumer, then return here to finish you. Isin will be isolated. I’ll cut your supply lines and starve you out, if I have to. Or I’ll just drown you and your city. There are other places where the river can be breached, and you won’t be able to guard them all. You’ll have to come out and fight, to stop me from unleashing the river, and this time you’ll be outnumbered four or five to one.”
Eskkar paused for a moment to let that sink in. “Unless you’re willing to consider another way.”
Naxos frowned again. “What other way?”
“Stay out of the battle. Don’t try to join forces with Shulgi, or attack my rear. If you do that, you can save your city.”
“And if Shulgi defeats you?”
“Then you can say you were trapped by my threats against Isin, forced to remain behind your walls. I don’t think Shulgi knows about Uruk, not yet. If Shulgi wins, then your troubles are over. If Akkad wins, then you and Isin will be the most important city in Sumeria.”
“Sumer always profits more from the river trade than we do.”
“Not after I tear it down. Or better yet, if I directed that all goods coming downriver from Akkad and the north go not to Sumer, but cross over to Isin. That would make your city the center of river trading in Sumeria. With all the merchants and goods passing through your gates, King Naxos of Isin would soon make the decisions for Sumeria, not Shulgi.”
Naxos considered that for a moment. “As long as Shulgi lives, Sumeria will do his bidding. The boy’s young, but he’s no fool. Even now, his sister rules in Sumer in his name, of course. She is promised to me as a prize after the victory over Akkad.”
“She’s a cunning bitch who will probably poison you in your sleep on your wedding night. Since she and Shulgi took power, I’ve learned much about her. Kushanna belongs to Shulgi, apparently by choice, for many years. He might give her up for a few months, to lull you into relaxing your guard, but not longer. By telling you this, I’ve probably saved your life. Besides, your marriage wedding bed will likely be empty. With any luck, she’s already dead by now. I have spies in Sumer prepared to strike her down.”
Eskkar doubted that was true, but Naxos had no way of knowing if she were alive or dead.
“How… never mind her. And all I have to do to save my city and reap these new trade routes is stay inside Isin?”
“I know many of Razrek’s men are with you. Is he inside with you, too?”
“No. He sent Mattaki, one of his commanders. Most of the men he brought are from Isin.”
“Good. Without Razrek, his men will be easier to deal with. Still, they’ll want to leave Isin, to attack my rear. Since I can’t trust them, I want all their horses and yours, too, driven out of the city. My men will scatter them, so that it will take days before they can be recaptured. I want all your spears and shields carried outside the gate and burned. And I want five thousand bowstrings handed over. If you meet those terms, you can keep your city dry.”
“Why the bowstrings? I don’t have five thousand anyway.”
“Every archer has at least two or three, and I’m sure you have another thousand or two stored somewhere within Isin. Without them, and without spears and shields, and with no horses, I won’t have to worry about your men attacking my rear anytime soon.”
“I need those weapons to defend Isin.”
“Shields and spears won’t help you on the walls, Naxos, nor will the horses. Not once the water begins to rise.”
Naxos considered that for a moment. “Shulgi won’t be happy if I do as you say.”
“You did what was needed to save your city. Besides, if he wins, he’ll be willing to overlook your actions. With Larsa and Uruk gone, he’ll need Isin even more.”
“Is Larsa really destroyed?”
“Everything except the walls was torn down and burned. The inhabitants, those that survived, were stripped naked and driven from the city. I turned Naran over to those he tortured over the years. Everything of value went north to Akkad, by riverboat. There will be no more raids north from Larsa. It will be five, maybe ten years before anyone even thinks about rebuilding anywhere near the place. By then, it will be an insignificant village, unimportant
