Fighting Mongol Officers

The signs of life began to show as Jagat Wengi's fingers slowly moved, inch by inch. He then glanced at Arya Mandana, who was still lying beside him.

Arya Mandana lay on his back, gazing into the darkness between the flashes and floating fireballs in the sky of Tuban. In a war situation like this, life and death hung by a thread. He had experienced many battles, but this was the first time he faced a war like this.

The book he had entrusted was lost. Now he didn't know where to go, what to do, and how to proceed. Surely this war had reached Kediri. And that meant his mission of stealing the book and spying on the village had come to an end.

A groan escaped from someone next to him. It turned out Arya Mandana was also stirring. He rose to his feet, sitting with an indescribable expression on his face.

Arya Mandana assessed his condition. He had a few scratches, and blood dripped from his temple and chin.

There was no time to dwell on his near-fatal fate. He stood up slowly, glancing briefly at Jagat Wengi, who shared a similar fate.

"They will not triumph over us," Arya Mandana exclaimed loudly. "I owe you my life. You are a warrior who will drive away the invaders from our land. Rise, Jagat. Let's retaliate against their attacks."

The moans of the wounded warriors still echoed in the air, accompanied by distant explosions. The thunderous sound tore through the sky as Mongol bombs exploded around them. Flames and dust filled the air, creating a burning sky.

Arya Mandana was indeed a resilient officer. He stood up, picking up a scattered bow and arrows from the ground. "Never give up, Jagat. We will drive those Mongols back to their homeland. This is not their place."

In the midst of the blood-soaked battlefield, Arya Mandana helped Jagat Wengi to his feet. Around them, there were still numerous Majapahit warriors facing the infamous and ruthless Mongol forces.

Half of the world had already fallen under their rule. Even before attempting to conquer Java, they had attacked the kingdoms along the Malay coast (eastern Sumatra).

Most of the Majapahit soldiers did not wear war armor like the Mongol warriors. Only commanders and officers like Arya Mandana wore chainmail. However, some wore metal plates in front of their chests, known as Karambalangan.

Regular soldiers would find it cumbersome to wear such armor, hindering their movements in swamps or during battles.

Arya Mandana held his arrows and bow. He lowered his head, his eyes sharp as an eagle, targeting one of the bomb throwers from behind the large boat. Two Mongols with steel hats.

Without a shout or command, Arya Mandana gestured for Jagat Wengi to follow him. They both crouched, aware that they were in an open field with rows of coconut trees behind them.

In front of them were lined up Mongol warships (Jung), numbering perhaps in the tens. From there, they launched fireballs through their cannons.

The Sapit Urang war strategy devised by Ranggalawe was unfolding according to plan. The forces to the west and center were already moving like an unending wave.

The two of them ran forward, crossing a field filled with corpses and blood. Jagat Wengi managed to pick up an axe from the hand of a Mongol warrior. Two axes with blades, each with a handle length of two and a half spans. Their owner had already perished, his head almost detached from his neck. His bulging eyes stared out. Truly a gruesome death.

In his final stride, Arya Mandana prepared his bow and arrow, aiming for the head of the cannon holder.

However, every cannon operator was always guarded by several warriors to ensure their freedom to perform their duties. But this time, it seemed that a Mongol officer had noticed Arya Mandana's movements from afar. He spurred his horse toward Arya Mandana's direction. Two Majapahit warriors attempted to intercept the Mongol officer.

While spurring his horse, seeing the two Majapahit warriors blocking his path, the Mongol officer slightly tilted his body forward. With a diagonal motion, he swung his sword from the bottom left to the upper right to parry the spear attack.

*Clang!

The two weapons clashed. After parrying the spear attack, the Mongol officer swung his sword from top to bottom to cleave the head of the daring Majapahit warrior who had blocked him.

The result was witnessed by Jagat Wengi from a distance. The warrior's head split apart, leaving no resemblance to its original form.

Seeing their comrade's gruesome demise, another Majapahit warrior on the Mongol officer's left did not falter. He even attacked the Mongol officer with a spear thrust, hoping to hit his abdomen.

With astonishing reflexes, the Mongol officer intercepted the spear attack with his left hand. Then, with a diagonal motion, he swung the sword in his right hand from the upper right to the lower left.

*Crack!

"Aarrggghhhh!"

A heart-wrenching sound echoed from the Majapahit warrior. The Mongol officer's sword had landed on the left side of his neck. The warrior collapsed, with red fluid flowing profusely from his wound.

After killing two Majapahit warriors, the Mongol officer spurred his horse back towards Arya Mandana, who had managed to release one arrow.

The axe in his hand twirled in his grip, ready to meet the impending attack.

"I entrust him to you, Jagat," Arya Mandana replied without glancing at the approaching assault.

Jagat Wengi was prepared to face the Mongol officer, protecting Arya Mandana and his arrow aimed at the cannon operator.

"Hiyaaat!"

With a long shout, he crossed his two axes above to parry the Mongol officer's sword attack. Not only did he parry it, but he also trapped and pulled it downward, causing his opponent to fall and continue fighting beneath him.

Seeing his attack successfully blocked, the fallen Mongol officer swiftly kicked towards Jagat Wengi's right waist. Because both of his hands were still in the same position as when he parried the Mongol officer's sword attack, he didn't have time to anticipate the kick launched by his opponent.

Jagat Wengi's waist was hit by the opponent's kick, causing him to tumble onto the ground.

Without giving his opponent any time, the Mongol officer grabbed the spear tucked in his horse's saddle and thrust it towards Jagat Wengi, shouting in a language that Jagat Wengi couldn't understand.

Fortunately, in a split second, Jagat Wengi managed to evade his opponent's spear thrust by rolling to the side. Although his breath still felt constricted from the waist kick, he quickly stood up, assuming a stance with his body slanted and his left leg slightly bent forward.

His left hand held the axe, slightly pointing forward, while his right hand, holding the other axe, was raised parallel to his forehead.

Boiling with rage, the Mongol officer saw his spear attack only piercing the ground. Quickly, he mounted his horse again to launch a second attack on Jagat Wengi.

Jagat Wengi had to bring him down from the horse and engage in a ground battle. From the stories he had heard, Mongol people were highly skilled in fighting from horseback.

"Hiaat!"

The Mongol officer's horse was already galloping fast, spear thrusting forward. Jagat Wengi calmly awaited the attack, waiting for the right moment to launch a counterattack.

In a single breath, Jagat Wengi suddenly jumped and kicked the spear, changing its direction. He then used the spear as a pivot point for his jump, delivering another kick to the opponent's face.

At a speed invisible to the naked eye, the Mongol officer was once again struck with a knee kick, causing him to topple from the horse.

Jagat Wengi wouldn't give the Mongol officer a chance to regain his position. From behind, he launched an attack, swinging his axe held in his right hand towards the right side of his opponent's neck.

"Hiyaaat...!"

*Cressh!

The Mongol officer's head separated from his body. His breath was slightly gasping as blood slowly flooded the sandy ground.

Jagat surveyed his surroundings.

Arya Mandana was no longer in his original position. He had moved far ahead, where the cannon operator had been. With a hand gesture, Arya Mandana signaled for Jagat Wengi to follow him while pointing towards the ships.

Jagat Wengi understood that Arya Mandana intended to sneak on board the ships. The officer showed immense courage to infiltrate them.

"Lord Mandana, are you sure about going inside?" Jagat Wengi asked upon reaching Arya Mandana. He glanced up when Arya Mandana's sharp gaze was directed towards the ships.

"Why? Are you afraid?"

Arya Mandana jumped high onto a rope ladder and ascended it slowly.

"Hurry!"

Jagat Wengi hesitated slightly. This was too far to venture into the heart of the battle. He wasn't prepared for this. He wasn't a warrior. He was just a book thief.

However, he couldn't refuse the invitation of his helper. If Arya Mandana hadn't saved him earlier, he might be dead by now.

He surveyed the surroundings once again. The atmosphere had changed slightly. Majapahit was on the verge of victory.

"Jagat! Hurry!"

Apparently, Arya Mandana still didn't realize the inner dilemma his companion faced in this battle. To continue or not.

"Jagat! There must be plenty of spoils from Kediri on this ship. You can take several chests if you want. Hurry!"

Damn it! Arya Mandana presented an offer that was increasingly difficult for him to refuse. One chest filled with gold pieces would certainly make him wealthy and retire from his book-thieving work.

Jagat Wengi bolstered his determination once more. The sky was no longer filled with fireballs. The Mongol warriors were starting to dwindle.

Fine. There would be no harm in risking his life for one chest of war booty.