stjorthotic Chapter 5 Difficult Choices
Chapter 5 Difficult Choices
How could it be so fast? Vijay was surprised.
The sun had only been up for a short time, and the distance between Harappa and Mittal village was at least 20 kilometers.
If they wanted to get here at this time, the soldiers would have to set off before dawn!
Moreover, the soldiers who came in formation were definitely not here with good intentions!
What should I do?
Forming ranks in defense?
Stop messing around!
We definitely can't win in a fight!
Originally, there were only three people in this territory, including myself, who could be considered as combatants, and now Rajan is seriously injured and bedridden.
It's just myself and the old servant Bim; as for those Dalits...
In my memory, when faced with an emergency, the most common response was to lie flat. Even if a knife was held to their necks, those people wouldn't move an inch!
They weren't even worthy of being called cheerleaders!
Whether from the system's prompts or from Vijay's memories, the 10-man team consisted of 9 well-trained Shudras, plus a Vaishya who was capable of defeating at least 6 members in a direct confrontation.
In a more elite unit, the Vaishya captain leading the team would likely reach the rank of a full Ashvaroshi, which is equivalent to a warrior.
This means that he could defeat 12 ordinary Shudra soldiers in one fell swoop under the same conditions.
This means that the arriving group of soldiers is equivalent to more than 15 well-trained Shudra soldiers!
Furthermore, the level of tacit understanding between each other must also be taken into account!
Their performance in actual combat will far exceed their expectations!
Although he had just completed the skill point allocation, to be honest, Vijay didn't know exactly how many soldiers he could kill in this situation...
Should we immediately increase our physical strength so that we can overcome all obstacles with sheer force?
No! Calm down!
Vijay told himself this.
We haven't determined the other party's intentions yet! There's no need to make such assumptions beforehand!
After all, he was still a formal vassal of Harappa, a contract witnessed by the gods, and it couldn't be torn up so easily without reason!
Furthermore, if they had truly broken the contract and were heading straight for Mittal's village, it wouldn't have been just a squad of guards.
At the very least, there will be elephant cavalry or chariots...
calm down!
Wiping his sweat, Vijay made up his mind: "Bim, my old Dasa, go and fetch some of the gold and silver you brought back yesterday, and prepare more fermented bean curd cakes."
"As you wish, my master!" Bim bowed his head respectfully.
Having made these arrangements, whether out of courtesy or to prepare for any eventuality, Vijay hurried back into the house and put on his family's heirloom armor.
It was a set of heavy armor made of wrought iron, with fine gold patterns inlaid on the edges and engraved with intricate seven-colored designs.
That was armor that his grandfather had spent a lot of money to create to celebrate the Mithril family gaining the status of lords, and which was then offered as a sacrifice to the god Shiva and received the blessing of the Brahmins.
The intricate patterns symbolize the Mittal family's impending triumph and their ambition to extend their business for millennia.
This wasn't the first time Vijay had worn this armor; he had previously worn it to complete a complex ceremony when he became the head of the family.
I initially thought it was a bit heavy and the size didn't quite fit.
But the feeling right now is just right.
"Master," Maya said, offering the sword and blade with worry in her eyes.
Vijay raised his hand and gently patted Maya's cheek. "Don't worry, I'm here!"
Dressed neatly, the bronze mirror reflected the figure of a brave young warrior, his physique robust and his armor gleaming, but a faint worry hidden in his eyes that only he himself could see.
Vijay slowly walked towards the village entrance, and soon he heard the sound of armor rubbing together.
Not far away, a group of soldiers dressed in silver armor slowly approached.
The leader wore a red cloak, with a peacock feather hair ornament in his hair. The Dharma wheel emblem on his chest armor shone brightly, and the tip of his spear was wrapped in red cloth. He looked much more robust than the soldiers behind him.
About a hundred meters away, Vijay met the leader's gaze. Their eyes locked, and Vijay frowned.
I have fragments of this guy in my memory, Daza!
My former classmates from when I was reciting scriptures at the Harappan Temple College.
He was born of Vaishya, but he was an active, ambitious fellow.
There were a few minor conflicts between him and Vijay...
"Mittal Vijaya, may Shiva protect you! How have you been?" Dasa stepped forward, clasped his hands together in front of his chest in a gesture of respect, his tone calm, his gaze sharp as a snake.
"I am here on Lord Roshman's orders to inspect the surrounding area, and I also have some questions for you!"
"May the incarnation of Vishnu protect you!" Vijay returned the greeting.
Roshman, he knew that name.
One of the noble Kshatriyas of Harappa, he is the brother of the city lord and manages one-third of the city's guard, making him a truly important figure.
I never expected that Dasa would be involved with this person!
His gaze swept over the soldiers behind Dasa, who were holding spears, and he remained vigilant in the slightest.
The armor clattered softly. Sada approached, extended his right hand, and grasped Vijay's outstretched palm, lowering his voice: "My lord asks you, what have you thought about the proposal from six months ago?"
"A proposal?" Vijay's long-dormant thoughts were instantly awakened.
It was a message delivered at a banquet by a Vaishya merchant who had a relationship with his elders.
Surrounded by sandalwood and garlands, it was a choice that left Mittal Vige with a bittersweet feeling.
You could either give up everything and go to Harappa to serve a nobleman, manage his caravan, and use the connections and resources of the Mittal family to make profits for him.
Either hand over the trade route—that lauded, precious route leading to the great eastern city, a route teeming with rare herbs, gems, and spices—and that nobleman can guarantee the continuation of the Mittal family's territory.
At the time, Vijaya did not take this matter to heart, because the territory was granted by his grandfather at a great cost by the then-Kshatriya lord, with Shiva as witness, and was a sacred contract that no one could take away!
The same applies to trade routes. Although the Mittal family does not have the strength to restart trade routes now, it is the Mittal family's greatest secret, which was obtained by my grandfather through countless bloodshed and suffering, and was revealed to me in a dream by Shiva. How could we just hand it over with a single sentence!
But things actually made sense!
Vijay's eyes narrowed, and he realized that the arrogant and ignorant old man was actually Roshman's messenger!
No wonder we received no help from Harappa City during this dry season; no wonder the stream that flows through the village has inexplicably dried up; no wonder Bimpu couldn't buy a single drop of water even after paying three times the price in Harappa City!
They're all strung together!
Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, Vijay unconsciously tightened his grip on Sada's hand.
Sada was taken aback, then a cold smile appeared on his lips. Without the slightest hesitation, he responded with equal force.