Vidyunmali had joined Daksha, Bhrigu, Parvateshwar and Kanakhala in the Emperor’s private office. Though brigadiers did not normally participate in strategy meetings, Daksha had insisted that he be allowed to attend, keeping in mind his sterling role in providing the information about the elephants.

Parvateshwar raised his hand to silence Vidyunmali. ‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Vidyunmali. Remember, Sati’s tactics under pressure were exceptional. She managed to save most of her army. So it’s not as if we’ll have a huge numerical advantage if we chase them.’

Vidyunmali fumed silently, keeping his eyes pinned on the floor. Praise for a rival general? What is wrong with Lord Parvateshwar? She may have been a Meluhan princess once, but now she’s a sworn enemy of our motherland.

‘And we should not forget,’ said Kanakhala, ‘that the Neelkanth is sailing down from the north with a large army. The safest place for our army right now is within these fort walls.’

Neelkanth? fumed Vidyunmali silently, unwilling to argue openly with senior officers of the empire. He is not the Neelkanth. He is our enemy. And our army should be fighting, not keeping itself safe behind high walls!

‘Kanakhala is right,’ said Daksha. ‘We should keep our army here and attack that fraud Neelkanth the moment his ships dock. That coward left my daughter to fight alone while he went gallivanting up the Yamuna! He should pay for his cowardice!’

Vidyunmali couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Does anyone here put Meluha’s interests above all else?

‘Let’s worry about Meluha instead of Princess Sati and her husband’s duties towards her,’ said Bhrigu. ‘Lord Parvateshwar is right. We have won a great victory. But we should measure our next steps carefully. What do you suggest, General?’

‘My Lord, we have taken out their elephant corps and cavalry,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘Sati’s army is in retreat. Hence, I do not expect the Neelkanth to stop and attack us here.’

‘Of course he won’t,’ quipped Daksha. ‘He’s a coward.’

‘Your Highness,’ said Bhrigu, barely hiding his irritation. The maharishi turned to Parvateshwar. ‘Why won’t he stop here, General?’

‘My scouts have sent back confirmation of our earlier estimates of Ganesh’s army,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘They do have one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers. That is a big army, but it’s not enough to defeat our forces if we remain within our fort walls, given that Sati’s forces are no longer available to augment them. And from our defensive positions, we can slowly wear his army down. Therefore, the Neelkanth will not want to commit to a long siege here. He’ll gain nothing and will unnecessarily lose men.’

‘So what do you think he will do?’

‘He will sail past Devagiri and join with Sati’s army, perhaps in Mrittikavati or Lothal.’

‘Then we should attack their ships,’ interrupted Daksha.