protect the rear ranks.”
“I can’t see a bunch of boys with slings stopping spearmen or cavalry,” Gatus said.
“That depends. Korthac had a few such forces in Egypt,” Hathor said. “They did more than just protect the rear. They could harry the enemy before the fight, attack them from heights, or even battle enemy horsemen. Stones raining down on you from above, thrown by an unseen enemy, will unnerve even the bravest infantryman.”
“And they could serve as foot scouts,” Eskkar said, “to protect the bowmen and spear-carriers while on the march. They could also guard the supply animals. And maybe archers and slingers can hold their own against cavalry.”
“We can always give it a try, I suppose,” Gatus said. “Slingers would be a small part of our forces anyway.”
“Don’t discount them yet.” Eskkar shook his head. “Trella and Yavtar are telling us that soon Sumer will be able to field an army four or five times as large as what we can expect to put together. They can pick the time and place of battle by invading the borderlands whenever and wherever they choose. There’s nothing to stop them from crossing the border and fortifying a village or two. That’s why Yavtar and his boats and crews will be needed, and that’s why slingers may be useful. These new tactics could turn a battle.”
He glanced around the table. “Since we’ll be outnumbered in any conflict, we’ll need an army that doesn’t grow weak when they see the superior numbers of the enemy. Gatus and I have been talking about these things, and it can be done. In fact, poor Gatus here has the hardest job of all.”
“I see nothing is going to change,” Gatus grumbled. “I’ll still have to do most of the work.”
Everyone laughed with the old soldier. They knew he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Gatus is going to build an army of soldiers who fight on foot,” Eskkar said. “Not archers. Mitrac will take charge of all the archers, and keep training them as before. But in our new army, the archer’s role will be limited. We’re going to have a strong force of men armed with spears and carrying shields, who can take the attack to the enemy.”
“If you start arming and training so many,” Yavtar said, “Sumer will learn about it, and redouble their efforts to recruit more men. They’ll be convinced you’re preparing to invade them.”
“And if we don’t prepare for war, they’ll use the time to build up their army anyway and invade us.” Eskkar shook his head. “No matter what course we choose, it always leads to war. But you’re right about the buildup. The longer we can keep our efforts concealed, the better.”
“And how will you accomplish that?”
“By training our new soldiers in small groups, and scattering those groups over the countryside, but especially in the north. We’ll still train here in Akkad, but we’ll keep men moving in and out of the city, so that the overall number here remains the same. If we manage it properly, we should be able to confuse Sumer’s spies as to exactly how many men we have under arms.”
“Will that work?” Yavtar sounded dubious.
“It will, though I’m not sure for how long,” Eskkar said. “We’ll work out the details on all these things later. Today we need to think about what our army will be like. Each of our soldiers will have to master at least two weapons, as Gatus says. The infantry will learn the spear and sword, while the slingers will master slings and short javelins. The bowmen already know how to use a sword, so there’s nothing new there. And the horsemen will learn to use the short bow or the longer javelins, as well as the horse sword.”
He turned to Gatus. “We’ll need more training camps.”
“We’ll start training the men here,” Gatus said, “as we always have. As soon as we establish some new camps, we’ll move the more experienced men out to the north, some even farther north than Bisitun. We’ll need a camp for Hathor and his horsemen, another one for the soldiers who’ll fight with sword and shield… and spears.” He sighed. “I thought I was going to be relaxing in my old age.” A grin spread across his weathered face.
“Archers have been our primary weapon,” Bantor said, speaking for the first time. “Our bowmen consider themselves the main force defending Akkad. Now you want to replace them with spearmen?”
“Not replace them,” Gatus said, “but support them. It’s true our archers can wreak havoc on our enemies, but they can’t carry the battle to them. Exposed archers, with no shields, run the risk of being run down. But supported and protected by spearmen, they will remain a deadly force against our enemy. Remember, nothing scares men more than seeing a wall of spears coming at them, especially with bowmen following behind.”
“So we’ll use a combined force,” Eskkar said. “Heavily armed foot soldiers, lightly armed cavalry and bowmen, and a support force of slingers. With those four groups of fighters, we should be able to face whatever the enemy sends against us.”
“The Sumerians will have as much trouble finding good horses as we will,” Hathor said. “They’ll arm most of their men with swords and shields, and send them into battle. From what everyone has told me about Sumeria, they’ll use many such fighters, what we called light infantry.”
“Where will the gold for all this come from?” Gatus rapped his water cup on the table. “Even Akkad’s nobles and merchants won’t stand for such an expense, and that’s assuming there’s enough gold in the city. Have you figured out how much this is going to cost?”
“Yes,” Eskkar replied. “We’ll begin with King Eridu’s ransom. That should be more than enough to get us started.”
“I think I may have the solution to that, Gatus.” Every eye went to Trella, including Eskkar’s.
“A few months ago, I learned of a place not far from here that might hold a rich deposit of gold and possibly silver. The time has come to examine the site, to see if it can yield sufficient ores to meet part of our needs. If it can, perhaps we can pay not only for the men, but also for the equipment they will need.”
“And no one has found this place?” Eskkar turned to Trella in surprise. “Wouldn’t news of such a discovery be spread far and wide in a matter of days? Why didn’t you tell — ?”
Trella touched her husband’s arm to halt the questions. “I didn’t want to tell you until I knew for sure. Annok-sur brought a woman to me about a month ago. Her name was Calla. Her family had discovered the site and were gathering up surface gold when they were attacked by bandits. Everyone else was killed. Her husband, his brothers, Calla’s two children. She was raped and left for dead. The bandits took all the gold Calla’s family had found and rode off. She survived and managed to return to Akkad, and told her tale to Annok-sur. We’ve been taking care of her ever since. I gave her a small house, and now she works with Annok-sur. In return, Calla has revealed nothing about the find to anyone else. Now you all must continue to keep the secret, until we can first examine the site and, if it shows promise, claim it for Akkad.”
“And what of the bandits?” Eskkar understood how bandits would react. “If they’re cunning enough, they’ll be returning to the place every few months to do their own digging. They may even have taken all the gold by now. If the gold is on the surface, like nuggets in the river or dust in pockets, the site would be easily depleted with a few days’ work.”
“It’s possible,” Trella agreed. “But Calla thinks the bandits just moved on, satisfied with what they had taken.”
“How do you know so much about gold?” Gatus asked Eskkar. “Something else from your past?”
“Yes.”
The single word told Gatus and Hathor that nothing else about Eskkar’s previous experience with gold would be forthcoming.
Trella returned to her story. “Calla knew she could not claim such a site by herself. I promised her a reward and a secure place of her own if she would keep the secret. Still, we won’t know for sure until we visit the place. If the bandits are there or have returned from time to time, we’ll take it from them.”
“With a gold mine of our own,” Eskkar mused, “we should be able to pay for many new recruits… and their weapons.”
“The mine would belong to the King,” Trella said, “to be used to pay for soldiers to defend the city and its people. Even the nobles would not object to that, especially if it would lessen the burden on them. The people will know we are not claiming the gold for ourselves. And the gold will flow through Akkad, helping all of our merchants, craftsmen, and innkeepers.”
“You are looking into this?” Eskkar took Trella by the hand.
“Oh, yes, husband. I’ve already started. In the last few days, I’ve considered each of the goldsmiths in Akkad, to see who would best suit our needs. I wanted someone with quick wits, a man flexible enough to adapt to new
